Chapter 1 He Deng Xia Huo

Suppressing the urge to spit out the tea, knowing that if he did, he would have to mop the difficult-to-clean lacquered floor himself, Ye Tao sat up straight and said earnestly, yet with a hint of helplessness, "Dreams, huh? Actually, it's very simple. To make my own life better, to make the lives of those around me better, and then, if possible, to make this era a little more like the original one. That's about it, I guess?"

Tan Weixin nodded and said, "More or less. As for resembling the original era, I don't really care. I probably didn't have it as good as you did back then, so I don't have that much nostalgia." Tan Weixin smiled wryly and said, "But being born into the foremost family in Dongping, when your own happiness has to be tied to the entire country and the well-being of the people, it's really not an easy life. Sometimes, I wish I were a man, a strong man, so I would have a reason to shoulder these burdens, without shirking or considering a way out, just going all the way down one path. Or I wish I only lived in an ordinary family, growing up safe and sound. But I'm stuck like this. If I were from a common family, I'd probably be dead already. Even if I were a princess in a poorer country, they probably wouldn't be willing to spend so many precious medicinal ingredients on me. And I can only watch things happen one after another. In the end, my dream is simpler. I want to live longer, even dragging this body around, I want to see more of this world, see what can happen here, see what amazing things I can see."

Ye Tao smiled and said, "Feels better to say it, right? Although I know you didn't really want to."

"'I cannot tell you my pain, for that is my last bit of strength!'" Tan Weixin quoted a line from a song that had remained in her heart after so many years, untouched by the noise of this era.

"Regarding that line, if I say you speak it better than it's sung, would that be a compliment?" Ye Tao teased. He knew that line, knew that the whole song was like spoken word, seemingly unrelated to the music.

"You're so glib," Tan Weixin frowned, interrogating him fiercely. "You're not from Beijing, are you?"

"No… Should we exchange information about our original identities?" Ye Tao suggested.

"No," Tan Weixin shook her head and said, "Let's focus on living this era well. I told you, I didn't have it good back then."

Si Si and Qiao Er had already started discussing in private whether this Ye Tao might become the驸马爷 (fuma ye, imperial consort), while Liu Yong thoroughly inspected the surroundings of the quiet chamber before Ye Tao's arrival every day, leaving no corner unchecked. Afterwards, he would set up a table in the courtyard, now named Spring Warmth Residence, and read a book. How the princess and Ye Tao got along seemed to be beyond his concern.

When the latest letter from the capital was upgraded from a 400-li urgent delivery to a 600-li urgent delivery, and Min Yue and Peng Detian were authorized to use the 600-li urgent delivery, normally reserved for urgent military intelligence, for reports concerning Princess Zhaohua, Min Yue and Peng Detian were somewhat bewildered, but they had no choice but to wait for further news. Currently, the princess's daily life consisted of hiding in the Spring Warmth Residence, enjoying the local delicacies that Ye Tao bought for her from various restaurants in Yicheng, and then playing chess and discussing the rules of the game with Ye Tao. She seemed to be enjoying such peaceful days and was determined to continue living them. This princess, who controlled the internal currency and, in reality, held the power of the inner palace, not only did not miss the gaudy scenery and power in the capital, but also enjoyed this kind of life where she didn't have to worry about anything, where food and clothing were readily available.

Finally, after a few more days, a young man in fine clothes arrived in Yicheng with a dozen guards. After paying a lightning-fast visit to Governor Peng Detian and Naval Commander Min Yue, the young man rushed to the Spring Warmth Residence without much rest.

The Spring Warmth Residence in the afternoon exuded a lazy atmosphere. Two guards sat at the entrance, watching the only path leading to the Spring Warmth Residence. In the courtyard, Liu Yong was reading a book, scanning ten lines at a glance, only lingering on the parts he liked. Si Si and Qiao Er would usually add tea once, sleep for two hours, and then add tea and send some snacks to the princess and Ye Tao, who were chatting happily. Then, they could play until dinner. Usually, Ye Tao did not stay here for dinner. The princess had repeated Ye Tao's reason, saying that seeing the princess eat so little and be full made him embarrassed to eat more himself, and he had to eat dinner again when he got back every day, which seemed a bit troublesome. This statement made Si Si and Qiao Er laugh so hard that they could barely stand up straight, while the princess still smiled faintly, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.

In recent days, because the princess did not go out much, she had also given the guards a holiday. Except for those who needed to be on duty, the others could go to Yicheng to play. And there were also several people who stayed in the Yizhan (chess battle) Tower day after day. Yicheng might now be the city with the highest average level of 行军棋 (xing jun qi, military chess). The Yizhan Tower was full of masters, especially since someone would arrange opponents of similar strength for these guards, and they always had a great time playing. From time to time, masters in the Yizhan Tower would explain some interesting games, which benefited these guards who loved military chess a lot. Perhaps influenced by the princess's sense of stability, these guards, with plenty of silver in their pockets, did not want to return to the capital, which they found rather suffocating.

When they heard the sound of hooves getting closer and closer along the mountain road, the two guards at the entrance of the Spring Warmth Residence immediately stood up, put their hands on the hilts of their swords, and focused their attention on the mountain road. When they saw a group of people riding horses to them, and clearly saw everyone's faces, the two guards were shocked: "Your humble servants pay respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Perhaps because he usually exercised diligently with swords and horses and was physically strong, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Tan Weiming, the second son of the Dongping royal family, looked older than his sickly sister. At first glance, he looked like he was fifteen or sixteen years old, but a bit of naivety could still be seen between his eyebrows.

The Crown Prince jumped off his horse, waved his hand, and said, "Spare the formalities. Where is my sister?"

The guard quickly said, "She is meeting a guest in the quiet chamber. Your Highness, this way, your humble servant will lead the way."

The Crown Prince didn't say much and hurried in. Liu Yong was a little surprised to see the arrival of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Dongping ruler's family, from top to bottom, had no airs. According to those Confucian scholars in the court, they had no upbringing and were very careless about etiquette between themselves. They rarely paid attention to etiquette towards their subjects, especially the close ministers in the palace. The Crown Prince learned martial arts from Liu Yong's younger brother, Liu Meng, so in a way, he was his grand-nephew. When the relationship was close, the etiquette was even more neglected.

The Crown Prince followed the guard to the entrance of the quiet chamber and asked, "Where are Si Si and Qiao Er? Aren't they serving by my sister's side?"

The guard's eyes darted around, and he said with some embarrassment, "Si Si and Qiao Er are probably napping now, they've been like this these days. They don't understand what the princess and Master Ye are talking about, and they seem to be dozing off even if they're around, so the princess simply doesn't want anyone serving her."

"Master Ye? Is that Ye Tao, Ye Canghuai?" The Crown Prince asked. "Does he come often?"

"It is indeed Master Ye Tao. He has been coming every day these days. And he never comes empty-handed, always bringing a pile of Yicheng famous dishes and snacks for the princess to taste, and he eats lunch with us guards." Since the Crown Prince was asking, the guard naturally told him everything he knew. Seeing the Crown Prince nodded, seemingly without any anger or dissatisfaction, the guard breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can go, I'll go up myself." The Crown Prince waved his hand.

Although there were two other guards at the entrance of the quiet chamber, since the Crown Prince had said so, they bowed and let him do as he pleased.

The Crown Prince was only 13 years old after all. Although he did seem mature for his age, he still felt affection for his sister, who always favored him, a sister who seemed capable of anything, and who had saved him. He had learned a little about what kind of person Ye Tao was from the memorials that Min Yue and Peng Detian had written, which he had seen on his father's desk these days. The evaluation was quite high: talented and with a gentle and magnanimous temperament. If his sister got along well with this Ye Tao, it wouldn't be a problem. Min Yue and Peng Detian might worry that if they spent too much time together, gossip would spread and damage the princess's reputation. Perhaps some people in the court, especially those whose sons coveted the princess's power and status, would clamor about the issue of status. But in the eyes of this still young and somewhat idealistic Crown Prince, these issues didn't seem to be the main ones.

But what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not expect was that the scene of the two happily talking that he had imagined did not appear. What he saw made him exclaim in surprise: "Sister? What are you doing?"