The Prince and Princess, who had woken early to play in the snow, were reprimanded by a guard.
After scolding them, he immediately knelt. "Your subordinate has overstepped. I beg the Prince and Princess for forgiveness."
Zhu Jin and Baili Chongyan brushed the snow off each other. Once clean, Baili Chongyan said, "You may rise."
He was unaccustomed to being admonished in such a paternal tone. However, playing in the snow with the person beside him and then being discovered and reprimanded by an "elder" was an unprecedented feeling for him.
It was as if they were childhood sweethearts who had reached their wedding night, perfectly matched and innocent.
His birth mother had passed away early, and the Emperor had paid him no attention. After he had fought on the battlefield for the nation and its people, he was not honored but feared, guarded against, and suspected.
This feeling was indeed unique.
A smile, imperceptible even to himself, touched his lips. His tone, however, remained as usual: "My health has recovered. You need not do this again."
The guard said, "It is freezing cold. Even if the Prince's health has recovered, he should not indulge in such behavior. If something were to happen again... forgive my impertinence, Your Highness."
He said this and knelt again.
"Are you not tired of this?" Zhu Jin snapped. "It's just playing in the snow. Must you act as if you're about to die? Is your Prince made of paper, to be broken with a poke? You prattle on like an old woman."
The guard: "..."
He did not know how to respond and could only lower his head in silence.
Baili Chongyan stepped in to defuse the situation. "You may go. He is concerned for me, Princess. Please do not argue with him, alright?"
"You've ruined my good mood."
"If you want to play, I can accompany you. Shall we play again?"
Zhu Jin shook her head. "Never mind. If we do it again, he might threaten to die to advise you, and that would ruin my reputation."
Of course, she did not care about reputation. She simply felt that the snow in the courtyard had been played with enough, and with the interruption, her interest had waned, and she no longer wished to play.
"He wouldn't dare."
His life had been saved by her. Those people could at most make veiled remarks, using him to subtly criticize her. They would never dare to be disrespectful, nor would they spread gossip behind her back.
"He dares to scold even you, the Prince. What is there that he dares not do?" Zhu Jin chuckled. "You were dawdling when I told you to hurry earlier. If you think about it, it's your fault. How was it? Was it fun?"
Baili Chongyan smiled and nodded. "It was fun."
He had never played in the snow before in his life.
In his childhood, deep within the palace, his birth mother had passed away early, and his adoptive mother had treated him with beatings and curses. The palace attendants were adept at reading people and often bossed him around.
In winter, he wore thin clothes, and the snow and cold were bitter. He just wanted to find a place to hide, hoping the heavy snow would stop soon and the harsh winter would pass quickly.
Winter was an ordeal until he left the palace.
It became even more so on the battlefield. The northern tribes loved to launch surprise attacks in winter. To meet the enemy in time, they slept in icy armor at night, sometimes feeling cold all night long. Su Dan novel website.
His survival depended entirely on a burning heart.
Later, he personally drove away the northern tribes and returned to the imperial court. It was spring when he returned. "Decorated with twelve ranks of merit, rewarded with a thousand riches."
Before he could enjoy a warm winter, he was framed and imprisoned in autumn. His martial arts were crippled, his bones were torn, and his body was covered in wounds.
He endured the torment and survived. From then on, he suffered from illness, never sleeping a peaceful night. Every winter, his body would turn ice-cold, as if he were dead.
He had thought this would be another harsh winter, but this person had broken into his life, carrying the warmth of the sun, reigniting the almost extinguished candle of his life, making it burn brighter and warmer!
Baili Chongyan's heart was deeply moved. Even through the thick clothing, he could feel his thumping heart, every inch of his bones and flesh.
Alive, not decaying.
Zhu Jin grabbed a handful of snow from the stone table and flung it, laughing, "I'll take you to play again in the future!"
He chuckled softly. "Good."
As the two entered the house, the guard returned.
"Your Highness, Princess."
Zhu Jin said with disdain, "Why are you here again?"
The guard's mouth twitched. "Reporting to the Princess, we have a visitor."
He had come earlier to discuss important matters. But the moment he opened the courtyard gate, he saw his master playing in the snow. In his haste to admonish, he had forgotten the original purpose.
"Who is it?"
The guard replied, "Two young gentlemen, one learned and one martial. They claim to be... from Wang Di Xiang."