“His Imperial Highness personally delivered the edict to me; it must be in recognition of my father’s loyalty to the nation.” Fuyi swirled the wine cup in her hand as she chatted with her usual gang. “I, a mere minister’s daughter, was lucky enough to earn merit by aiding to save Her Majesty during a danger. His Majesty’s exceptional grace in granting me the title of Junjun is already a great honor; how could I possibly deserve His Imperial Highness’s personal visit?”
“Enough of that, today is a celebration you guys have arranged for me, so I must drink a few extra cups.”
Regardless of the reason, Fuyi did not want the Prince to have too much involvement with her. He was the future crown prince, and a perfect one, at that. He was trained in the six arts of a gentleman1 from a young age and lauded highly by civil and military officials alike. Being seen with someone like her would certainly stain his unblemished reputation.
“That’s right, today we drink until we drop!” With a thud, Cao Sanlang placed his cup on the table. “Things involving brains have nothing to do with us.”
“I got this interesting news, and it’s related to that Lu Tanhua who insulted us yesterday,” Lin Xiaowu rolled up his sleeves, his expression full of disdain at the mention of this person. “The Shun Wang family is considering taking him as a son-in-law.”
“Who are you talking about?” Yang Erlang rubbed his ears, thinking he had misheard in his drunken haze. “Sui Anying has her eyes on that guy?”
“Of course not!” A luxuriously dressed young woman pushed the door open, walked over to Fuyi, snatched the wine jug from her hand, and took a few large swigs before wiping her mouth with her sleeve. “I have no idea which barking dog my father listened to, insisting on making him my husband.”
“Your father’s taste is certainly unique,” Cao Sanlang handed Sui Anying a pair of chopsticks, and she took them, burying her head in her food.
“How long has it been since you last ate?” Fuyi, shocked by her ravenous manner, scooped a bowl of soup and handed it over. “Drink this first.”
Sui Anying downed the soup in one go, feeling touched. “I finally feel alive again. You all have no idea what I’ve been through these past few days. To make me agree to marry that Lu guy, my father kept me locked up at home without letting me out.”
“No wonder the steward kept saying you were busy when we visited your manor to invite you out the past few days.” Lin Xiaowu quickly picked up a few pieces of meat with chopsticks and placed them on her plate. “How did you end up so hungry?”
“In order to protest this marriage, I went on a hunger strike for five days. Otherwise, that guy surnamed Lu would have become my fiancé three days ago.” Sui Anying grabbed a pastry from the table and took a gallant bite. “All the messages I sent out asking for help from you guys were intercepted by the manor’s guards—not a single one made it through.”
Listening to her sorry experience, everyone put down their drinks and began piling food into her bowl.
“Fortunately, yesterday His Imperial Highness discovered that Lu guy was bullying the commoners in the apricot grove and had him thrown into prison.” Sui Anying looked gratefully at Fuyi. “Fuyi, you’re my savior!”
“His Imperial Highness arrested Lu Tanhua, yet you’re thanking me?” Fuyi patted Sui Anying’s head with a sympathetic look. This girl was already not the brightest to begin with, and after starving for several days, she probably had lost even more of her brain capacity.
“If you hadn’t saved Her Majesty, why would His Imperial Highness have gone to the apricot grove?” Sui Anying allowed Fuyi to ruffle her hair. “Anyway, you are my savior.”
“If I had known about this, I would have kicked that guy a couple more times after pushing him into the ditch yesterday,” Fuyi said with a hint of regret. Now that he was locked up in the prison, there was no chance to kick him again.
“You guys kicked him too?” Sui Anying’s eyes lit up. “As expected of my buddies!”
“Well, let’s drink! We should celebrate our girl for getting away from the misery!”
“You said your father locked you, so how did you manage to get out of the manor?”
“I sneaked out and climbed over the wall. Pass me a couple more pastries!”
In the adjacent private room, a servant girl heard the commotion and whispered, “Wangfei, shall this servant ask them to keep it down?”
“No need.” Ning Wangfei gently shook her head. “I don’t find it bothersome.” Such unrestrained and carefree lives—she had never lived that way, but she had once envied it deeply.
Fuyi.
She who gazed lazily at the world below, choosing not to go back but to ride the wind, her robe billowing behind.2
What a beautiful name.
…
After another day of leisure and fun, Fuyi prepared to return home as dusk approached. But when she saw the figure blocking her carriage’s path, she scoffed, “Sui Ruijing, what exactly do you want?”
“Fuyi, why have things come to this between us?” Ning Wang’s eyes were dark as ink, emotions churning beneath the surface. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t understand?” Fuyi shot back. “Funny—I also never understood why someone would want to wipe out my entire family back then.”
“It wasn’t me.” Ning Wang looked at Fuyi, hoping to find a glimmer of trust in her expression, but there was nothing.
He shivered—the night wind was unbearably cold.
The lantern under the eaves swayed, casting shifting shadows. “Watch out!” Ning Wang’s expression suddenly changed as he reached out, pulling Fuyi aside.
An arrow sliced through the air, tearing the fabric on his shoulder and embedding itself deeply into the wooden pillar nearby.
“That arrow was aimed to kill you. Be careful—…” Ning Wang suddenly gasped, his pupils trembling as he looked at the hand pressing into his shoulder’s wound. “Fuyi?!”
“A self-harm trick to gain sympathy or ‘a hero saving the beauty’ play?” Blood dripped from her hand, but Fuyi did not release her grip. Instead, she dug her fingers deeper into the wound on Ning Wang’s shoulder. “Sui Ruijing, your mother used this very tactic to secure your father’s favor. Now you’re trying the same trick on me?”
As the blood flowed faster from Ning Wang’s wound, Fuyi chuckled. “From the capital to Chongzhou province, our Yun family was ambushed seventeen times. Are you really saying that none of those attackers were from your faction?”
“I never intended to harm you.” Ning Wang’s lips turned pale from the pain, but he did not resist. “Never.”
“Does that matter?” Fuyi withdrew her hand from the wound and kicked him hard, sending him to his knees in agony.
She calmly wiped the blood off her hands with a handkerchief, looking down at the man’s disheveled state. “Who would bother reasoning with a dog that has harmed them and their family? Do I look like an idiot to you?”
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Author’s Note:
Fuyi: “Do I look easy to deceive? I’m an idler, not an idiot.”
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