In the Long Dynasty, princes had no ranks or titles but were treated with the same privileges as a qinwang. But the current emperor only had this one child whom he cherished deeply. After ascending the throne, he issued a special decree that allowed his son to enjoy the treatment of a crown prince.
However, when Fuyi got into Sui Tingheng’s carriage, she noticed that the carriage adhered strictly to the specifications of a qinwang’s vehicle. There were no golden dragon motifs exclusive to the crown prince or the emperor, and it was even less luxurious than Ning Wang’s carriage in her memory.
As she listened to the conversation between the Prince and her elder brother, Fuyi leaned against the side of the carriage and closed her eyes to rest. When the carriage passed through a busy street, the smell of food wafted in.
“Do the people of Chongzhou speak Mandarin?” asked Sui Tingheng.
“Replying to Your Imperial Highness, Chongzhou is a remote province with many high mountains and long roads. Not only do the people not speak Mandarin, but even villages only dozens of miles apart have different accents.” Yun Zhaobai explained politely, cupping his hands. “Fortunately, the local people are loyal to the emperor and patriotic. After our father took office in Chongzhou, the people treated us very warmly, and we gradually got along well with the local people.”
“It was also the locals who found and saved my severely injured sister. Due to the treacherous terrain and language barrier, only after a year and a half did we receive news of her.” Recalling that time, Yun Zhaobai couldn’t help but glance repeatedly at Fuyi, feeling relieved only when he saw her right in front of him.
Sui Tingheng also looked at her. “Did Miss Yun… suffer a lot during that time?”
Fuyi opened her eyes, noticing that both the Prince and her brother were looking at her. She straightened up to appear more proper. “Actually, it wasn’t that difficult. This subject daughter stayed in that remote village and managed to barely understand their language after a few months. However, the villagers had never left the mountains in their entire lives, and they didn’t know the way to the provincial capital. Plus, I was injured in the leg and couldn’t make the long journey…”
Before she turned fifteen, Yun Fuyi had been fearless. It wasn’t until she fell off a cliff that she finally learned to be cautious. The only road that led out of the village clung to the cliffside, barely wide enough for one person to pass. She had mustered the courage to climb it several times, but each time, the villagers had to rescue her trembling form, cursing as they brought her back.
Even now, thinking about that road made her legs feel weak.
“The villagers had sharp tongues, they are genuinely good at scolding people. I didn’t dare talk back to them.” Fuyi, a spoiled young lady raised preciously in the capital, had never experienced anything like the villagers’ shouting matches, which could last from dawn to dusk. After a nap, they’d continue yelling across the mountains as they farmed.
Compared to the villagers’ skills in cursing, her methods of handling scoundrels like Li Erlang were simply not worth mentioning.
“And how did you reunite with your family afterward?”
Fuyi looked up and met the Prince’s gaze, who tilted his head in response, breaking eye contact.
She chuckled inwardly. Turns out that even the model good student like His Highness had his moments of curiosity!
“No one could leave the mountains, not even sending a letter was feasible, so this subject daughter originally planned to fully recover before thinking of a solution. But the following summer, there were continuous heavy rains. The crops in the fields rotted before they could be harvested, and flash floods washed away many houses,” Fuyi smiled, then sighed. “There was no way I could just watch them starve—there were so many children in the village.”
In such remote areas, where the mountain people weren’t even registered in official census records, a natural disaster might not even be noticed by the local authorities. Even if it was, there was no guarantee they would intervene.
“Even though Father had been demoted, his position is still the Regional Inspector of Chongzhou, which gave him some prestige. This subject daughter believed his name could carry some weight.” Fuyi didn’t remember how she managed to follow the villagers, inching along the treacherous mountain path, nor did she remember how long the climb took. She only recalled the strong winds blowing the tears from her eyes.
“There were five of us, none know the way, so we had to ask for directions as we went. One moment, everyone was complaining about being tired; the next, a pack of wild dogs came after us, and suddenly, we were all running for our lives.”
Thankfully, all the time she’d spent chasing chickens and ducks in the village had paid off, and she managed to outrun the dogs.
Remembering how frantic she’d been, running and screaming for her dear life, Fuyi burst into laughter. “If it weren’t for those wild dogs, I wouldn’t have known I could run so fast.”
Fuyi suddenly noticed that her brother and the Prince had become quiet. She rubbed her face, sore from laughing. “It was indeed a bit tough at the time, but we were lucky and eventually found the road to the city. Father’s name, thankfully, worked well, and not only did the local officials allocate new land to the villagers, but they also helped rebuild the houses. After that, the villagers no longer had to climb cliffs to get to the city, and they didn’t have to risk their lives during natural disasters.”
Yun Zhaobai looked at his sister, carefree and laughing, but his heart felt heavy and pained. He opened his mouth to speak but found his throat too choked to say a word.
“Earlier, Your Imperial Highness asked if I suffered. What this subject daughter really wants to say is that the villagers had lived in the mountains for generations, never seeing the world outside. This subject daughter was born into wealth and privilege, so I wouldn’t call my experiences suffering.” Fuyi turned to Sui Tingheng. “His Majesty and Your Imperial Highness will surely make their lives better, right?”
Yun Zhaobai hadn’t expected his sister to speak so boldly. He quickly stood and bowed to Sui Tingheng. “Forgive my sister’s rash words, Your Imperial Highness. It’s this subject’s fault for not disciplining her properly.”
“Don’t worry, Young Master Yun. Miss Yun is not wrong,” Sui Tingheng said, stopping Yun Zhaobai from kneeling. He then turned back to Fuyi. “A ruler should always prioritize the well-being of the people. I share your sentiments.”
He didn’t make any grand declarations or lengthy speeches, but Fuyi saw sincerity and solemnity in Sui Tingheng’s eyes. For the first time, she truly looked at this prince. Since her return to the capital, she had heard many praises of him, but those were just empty words to her, far too distant to touch her heart.
It was at this moment that he finally became real to her—a compassionate yet humane prince instead of a flawless and distant figure, like a statue on a pedestal.
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