Their soft palms touched, and the nearly inaudible sound of the high-five faded slowly into the night.
The moon gradually dipped westward. Dawn light slowly brightened, illuminating the courtyard of Xie Yu's residence.
The young soldier from the family that had raised pigs for generations had rested for the night. After breakfast, she opened the courtyard gate and switched shifts with her comrade.
Her gaze fell under the eaves, where she saw Xie Yu sitting on the veranda, leaning against a crimson pillar. She held a short dagger and a porcelain bowl, sharpening the blade using the bottom of the bowl.
"What is she sharpening a knife for?" the soldier whispered to her comrade.
"I don't know. She's been at it since breakfast. We reported it to Master Shen, but Master Shen said it was fine and told us to let her sharpen."
"Alright."
The young soldier sent her comrade off and approached Xie Yu.
She noticed two or three plates near the Third Princess, with only crumbs of pastries left inside.
Was she eating breakfast while sharpening a knife?
The young soldier already knew that last night the Third Princess and the Regent had struck a deal—the Third Princess would rather run away and stop being a princess altogether than marry their Master.
She tilted her head slightly.
These were matters of great people. None of it had anything to do with a small soldier like her. Especially a princess—royal blood—someone who, back home, existed only in imagination, a figure too high to reach.
Even after she and her mother became soldiers and fought their way into the capital, even after seeing several princesses, she still felt her imagination had been correct—princesses were noble. Even when captured by them, the princesses didn't care at all about lowly soldiers.
But for some reason, the Third Princess didn't feel that way.
The Third Princess felt like the kind of person who would gather pig grass with you, then pull out two wild duck eggs by the river, roast them, and insist on giving you one.
She didn't dislike the Third Princess. In fact, she kind of liked her. And she admired Master Shen deeply, because Master Shen had led them in overthrowing the local officials who taxed them heavily.
So she sort of wanted these two people she liked to end up together.
Knowing that even with their vast difference in status, the Third Princess still treated her sincerely, the young soldier no longer hesitated. She stepped beside Xie Yu, tilting her body slightly so she wouldn't block the sunlight shining on the blade as Xie Yu sharpened it.
"Your Highness, why do you hate the idea of marrying our Regent so much?"
Xie Yu looked up. "Shouldn't the real question be why I would ever want to marry your Regent in the first place?"
"Our Regent is amazing. She commands so many soldiers, and now she's very rich. She holds a high rank. And you love food so much, she can make sure you eat good things for the rest of your life."
"Ha!" Xie Yu let out a sharp laugh. "You talk like she'd ever spend money on me. Think about it. In the past two days alone I called her heartless, insane, and I even cut her neck. Forget that, this woman is full of ambition. She probably dreams of taking the throne someday. I'm a princess born to the Empress. How could she ever treat me well?"
The young soldier clearly didn't accept this and looked ready to argue on Shen Changyin's behalf.
But Xie Yu raised one finger and shook it in front of her face.
"Even if, and this is a big if, even if your Regent really planned to treat me well, do I have to marry her?"
The young soldier blinked, confused. "Why would you reject her? If the daughter of the wealthiest landlord in our village wanted to marry me, I'd never say no."
Xie Yu looked at her and suddenly became serious. Her expression turned calm and heavy, which was unusual for someone usually lively and joking.
"Let me ask you something. After you stop being a soldier, what will you do?"
"I'll go home with my mom to raise pigs again. Then I'll find a girl I like and marry her."
"If I asked you to trade that life for mine, would you do it? Don't think. Answer right now."
"I wouldn't." The soldier answered without hesitation. He then stared wide-eyed at himself. "I really wouldn't want to be a princess or a noble consort."
"Because that isn't your life."
Xie Yu continued. "Another question. You said your family raises the best pigs in the area."
The soldier straightened proudly.
"If someone suddenly appeared and told you how pigs should be raised, how many meals they should eat every day, how many you should raise this year, and demanded that you do it her way, how would you react?"
The soldier's brows shot up. "Who does she think she is? Why should she control how my family raises pigs?"
"Maybe shes actually very good at raising pigs. Maybe she's better than you."
The soldier jumped up, angry. "Impossible. No one raises pigs better than my family. Besides, did I ask her to teach me? No. So why should she run her mouth?"
Xie Yu finished sharpening her dagger. The blade gleamed like rippling water in the sunlight.
"Now you understand."
She sheathed the dagger and hung it at her waist.
She had never wanted to be a princess. She certainly didn't want to be the wife of a Regent who controlled the entire court. She was a first-year police academy student who wanted to get first place on exams and lap her classmates three times in long-distance running.
She wanted to graduate smoothly, become a small neighborhood police officer, catch criminals in her district, go for barbecue after work, sing karaoke, and daydream about being a wandering swordswoman from martial-arts novels.
Her elders always scolded her for lacking ambition, for losing her dreams at seventeen or eighteen. She had already grown used to it.
When she graduated high school, she didn't choose computer science, business, law, or any of those "work hard and succeed" majors.
She had no great ambition. She just wanted a simple life. Something calm. Something happy.
But she would never let someone else decide how she should live.
Xie Yu patted the young soldier's shoulder. "Now you get it."
"I raise the pigs I want to raise. I take responsibility for them. I do it my way. Shen Changyin will never force me to raise cows instead."
The soldier stared blankly. "Are we still talking about pigs? Also… my family raises cows too."
But Xie Yu wasn't listening anymore. She stood up, facing the sun, suddenly fired up. "If someone forced you to raise cows, what would you do?"
She didn't need the soldier's answer. She pulled out her dagger with dramatic flair. "You fight for your pigs!"
The soldier shouted back, "I already said we raise cows too!"
Xie Yu sat back down. "It's a metaphor! Don't you understand metaphors?"
"I can't read," the soldier replied.
Xie Yu froze. "Oh… well, if I fail to escape, I'll teach you how to read. Once you can read, you can enjoy storybooks. They're really fun."
—
After passionately explaining her "pig-raising philosophy," Xie Yu quickly created her first escape plan.
And she found a sponsor.
She knocked on the eldest princess's door. Facing the calm, gentle princess who had been attending court since age fourteen, she said, "I need a map marked with all official roads, military posts, and courier stations."
The eldest princess gave her one.
When she arrived at the second princess's palace, that princess was dozing against a beauty's shoulder while listening to music. Xie Yu's kick on the door nearly startled her into a coma.
"Give me money," Xie Yu said.
"Why?" the second princess asked.
"You told me to take care of myself. Money helps."
She eventually collected a map, two hundred silver taels, some clothes, dry rations, and the dagger she sharpened herself. She left the city before dark.
She knew Shen Changyin had risen in the northwest, so that area was her territory. After leaving the capital, Xie Yu headed south.
Only then did she discover how much harder escaping in ancient times was than she thought.
On the first and second day, she was still close to the capital. Afraid of leaving a trace Shen Changyin's people could follow, she didn't dare buy a horse or walk on main roads. She could only hike through mountains on foot and survive on dry rations.
On the third day, she felt she was finally far enough. She chose a small town and checked into a little inn.
She bathed first. Running in the mountains for two days had covered her in dust. She washed herself three times before she felt clean.
Then she went to the dining hall and ordered three plates of beef and two bowls of rice. Only then was she full.
The waiter was very friendly, brought her peanuts, and kept refilling her tea.
It reminded her of the warm, chubby owner of the Sha County diner near her school, who knew every student by name, knew where to buy cheap groceries, and which supermarket had the best discounts.
Feeling inspired, she placed a few silver pieces on the table. "Miss, does this town have anyone who sells horses or donkeys? Who's reliable?"
The waiter grinned. "You asked the right person. There's no one in town I don't know."
She swept the silver into her palm. "I'll ask around. You'll get the best horse."
"Thank you."
Her mood lifted. She looked out the window.
The street was lively, full of vendors selling tofu and vegetables. People called out prices and haggled loudly. It felt real and familiar.
She really was suited for a simple life like this. Peaceful. Comfortable.
And she was good at living like this, wasn't she?
The diner owner trusted her posters. This waiter was willing to help.
Shen Changyin? If she ever married that woman, she'd either be used or tormented.
She would never go back.
That evening, the waiter returned and said she had found a horse seller. They would bring the horse the next morning.
Xie Yu agreed immediately. With a good horse, she'd be free.
Fourth day.
The waiter and the horse seller scammed her out of fifty taels. They didn't bring a horse. They claimed she had only bought a handful of horsehair.
She was stunned, then slammed the table and called for the shopkeeper.
She pointed at the waiter. "Your people colluded with outsiders. They took my money and gave me nothing."
The shopkeeper glanced at the cracked table. "Our tables are hundred-year-old rosewood. You broke it. You have to pay."
Furious.
She beat the shopkeeper, the waiter, and the horse seller.
The commotion drew the local constables.
They tried to arrest her on the spot. She beat them too.
Unable to subdue her, the constables persuaded her to come to the yamen for a proper hearing.
Still angry but remembering that legal procedures existed even in ancient times, she agreed.
But before she even reached the magistrate, she saw a wanted poster with her face on it.
Of course Shen Changyin had issued it. Her real name and identity were hidden, but the portrait was unmistakable.
Terrified the magistrate would recognize her, she ran.
While running, she realized this inn must have strong ties with the magistrate. That explained why they dared scam travelers in broad daylight.
And now that her wanted posters were everywhere, she didn't dare enter towns or postal stations. She returned to the mountains.
That night, under the thin moonlight, she climbed a tree and leaned against the trunk. The distant howl of a wolf echoed through the forest.
She sighed. Today had been a heavy day.
The winter-break homework of police academy students is to design anti-fraud campaigns. They spend every day reminding people to guard against phone scams and AI face-swap scams… yet here she was, scammed by ancient people.
At the same time, she finally understood why those senior sisters who had already gone on internships always came back saying the first-year students were naïve and innocent.
Because at this stage, the teachers and instructors at the academy only trained their abilities, their trust in the public, and their belief in protecting the people.
They had not yet taught Xie Yu an important point: among the people, there are bad ones too.
Her teachers always told her, "You seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds all think you're so capable, but once you step into society you'll realize you're still far from it."
Now Xie Yu understood. She really was far from it.
But how was Shen Changyin so capable?
She wasn't even that much older, yet she could command so many soldiers, wield such high authority, and even succeed in negotiating with the emperor over something as serious as storming the palace and rebelling.
Xie Yu touched her flat stomach. She had skipped breakfast that morning to buy a horse, and now it had been almost thirty hours since she'd eaten.
She wasn't someone who could endure hunger. For her, hunger was a kind of burning, searing pain.
Since childhood, this was the first time she had ever starved like this.
Xie Yu couldn't help thinking that if simply escaping was this difficult, then with all the massive things Shen Changyin had done, she wondered if Shen Changyin had ever been as miserable as she was now.
Did Shen Changyin ever go without food? Was she ever penniless?
She hoped so. That way she herself wouldn't seem so much like a failure… but as soon as that thought surfaced, Xie Yu scolded herself for being pathetic.
After running through the wilderness for another two or three days, she felt like she was about to turn into a Shennongjia wild woman.
On the seventh day, when the first rays of the morning sun slipped through the leaves and brushed against her skin, Xie Yu touched her wrist and thigh.
Both were noticeably slimmer. Roughly estimating, she must have lost twelve or thirteen pounds, and her skin had grown several shades darker.
Yesterday, she had been unable to bear the hunger anymore and went to a nearby village intending to buy food. For some reason, even in her ragged state, an elderly woman saw right through her and realized she had money.
The old woman bumped into her, threw herself onto the ground, and immediately started calling for people, demanding that the village head uphold justice and make Xie Yu compensate her.
Xie Yu had learned not to argue. She grabbed an ear of corn from in front of the old woman's house… and ran.
That ear of corn was the only nutritious thing she had eaten in two days. The wild vegetables in the mountains didn't even provide enough calories to digest themselves.
She leaned against a tree trunk, closed her eyes, and thought: I should hide in the mountains for a while. No need to force myself to travel every day*.*
But heaven didn't listen.
Before noon, she heard people and dogs moving through the forest.
Climbing up higher, she saw soldiers under Shen Changyin. They even kept their old habit from their rebel days: red cloth tied around their arms.
Xie Yu was about to run, but the mountain was clearly surrounded. After struggling for nearly two hours, she found the encirclement shrinking. She was being closed in from multiple sides.
Her legs ached, heavy as if filled with lead. Her breathing was harsh, and she could faintly taste blood and rust inside her mouth.
Before coming to this world, no matter what weighted run she did, she always felt that if she just tried a little harder, she could run another kilometer.
Now she understood. When a person is pushed to the extreme of hunger, they can't run even one more meter.
Was her first escape attempt going to end in failure like this?
Shadows moved through the forest. Seeing her stop, the soldiers didn't act rashly.
Soon, a leading figure came forward and called out to her. "Your Highness the Third Princess, you don't need to run anymore. Master Shen asked me to bring you a message."
"She says she brought twenty thousand soldiers and supplies, silently traveling from the northwest to ambush the capital. She knows better than you every route no one would notice."
"The path you chose was always within her expectations."
Xie Yu sighed, set down her bundle, and stopped running.
The soldiers quickly emerged from the trees. The leader stepped closer and said, "Your Highness, our master has been busy with official matters and could not personally come to retrieve you, but she prepared a carriage for you."
When Xie Yu descended the mountain with them, she saw it was indeed the familiar carriage—the same one from the day she first met Shen Changyin.
Shen Changyin really… planned everything to perfection.
She climbed inside and collapsed onto the carpet as exhaustion flooded her.
She had struggled so much, yet was still caught by Shen Changyin. And Shen Changyin hadn't even shown up in person. She had merely predicted Xie Yu's path and captured her that way.
Compared to Shen Changyin, was she really that much worse? That much more foolish? If she counted the fact that she'd been scammed… was she even stupid?
As someone who had always had a small-citizen mindset, living day by day without ambition, Xie Yu rarely felt this upset.
Suddenly, the young squad leader rode up beside the carriage and said, "Your Highness, Master Shen left something for you in the carriage cabinet."
Xie Yu pushed herself upright and opened the cabinet door. The top shelf was empty except for one letter.
She sighed again, prepared for mockery.
A bet was a bet. She lost this round.
She should take this lesson. Reading this letter might help her remember the shame of failure more clearly.
So even though she didn't want to, she opened it.
"I traveled with twenty thousand soldiers and full supplies from the northwest, crossing seven prefectures to reach the capital. No one discovered us, and it took only one month."
As expected, she opened by showing off her accomplishments.
However…
"To accomplish this, I tested routes for two years, failed fifteen times, and tried more than a hundred plans before finding one that worked. I used that same reasoning to look for you."
"If I found you, you should be pleased. It means you made the best possible choices."
"You are already clever enough."
Xie Yu paused and muttered softly, "Is she coaxing a child?"
"The cabinet contains medicated oil, water, and food."
"I know you ran through the wilderness for days. You must be starved. But if you overeat now, your stomach will not be able to handle it."
"I had the food divided into several portions. Eat one every half hour. Water as well. Don't drink too much at once."
There was no signature.
On the second shelf lay a bottle of medicated oil, a water pouch, and four or five portions of food wrapped in white oiled paper, each no bigger than a child's fist.
Xie Yu murmured, "What is this…?"
So suddenly gentle. So unexpectedly considerate.
Yet at the same time, so controlling.
She picked up a package, realizing there was another small item beneath it—a tiny, clean white towel.
She soaked it with water, wiped her hands, opened the package, and found a few slices of pork jerky and a flower pastry.
Fat, protein, carbs—everything she needed.
Xie Yu ate in small bites, drank some water, and sat in the carriage as drowsiness crept over her.
Before falling asleep, her last thought was that Shen Changyin's carriage, like her own body, carried that faint herbal scent.
The carriage rocked. She slept and woke repeatedly, eating a little each time, then slept through the night. When she next woke, the carriage had stopped.
She lifted the curtain. Morning light spilled gently across the world. Looking down, she saw Shen Changyin waiting for her in front of the old Chancellor's manor.
"Your Highness the Third Princess." Her voice carried a light smile.
"Regent." Xie Yu's tone was stiff.
"This journey must have been hard. Allow me to welcome you back."
Xie Yu frowned. "Are you mocking me?"
Shen Changyin replied, "I ordered a full banquet from the best restaurant in the capital. It has already been delivered."
Food.
Xie Yu's eyes lit up before she forced herself to remain composed and jumped down from the carriage.
She felt humiliated returning like this, so she didn't speak and headed toward the manor with her head lowered.
Shen Changyin chuckled softly and followed behind.
After a few steps—
"I heard you were deceived."
Xie Yu pressed her lips together tightly.
She felt even more embarrassed.
"Your Highness, there may be far more swindlers in this world than you imagine, and their methods grow more varied by the day. It isn't that everyone else can see through them and you cannot. It's simply that you are kinder than most, so scammers target you."
Xie Yu shot her a sideways glance. She already understood the problem—back at the inn, although she hadn't spent extravagantly, she had been generous. She even thanked the waiter for serving dishes, said it was fine when the tea cooled, and even her "plain" clothes were high-quality fabrics.
Everything that was normal where she came from was, in this era, a flashing sign that she was easy prey.
But Shen Changyin was… comforting her?
Xie Yu said, "Like how you tricked me at the beginning?"
"That was different."
"What was different?"
Shen Changyin smiled lightly. "Your Highness is pure and kind. My skills are excellent. Naturally you fell into my hands. But how could Your Highness be deceived by those inferior swindlers outside?"
Was that mockery or flirting?
Xie Yu couldn't tell. Considering Shen Changyin's position and personality, she decided to categorize it as not-too-excessive mockery.
She didn't respond.
The two of them returned to the same hall where they first ate together, the same small round table, now covered with dishes.
They washed their hands, sat down, and ate in silence.
Xie Yu ate a lot and quickly. Even though Shen Changyin had given her food in the carriage, dry rations could never compare to fresh meals.
And although Shen Changyin had countless flaws and was deeply obsessed with power… her taste in food was undeniably exquisite.
The balance of meat and vegetables was perfect, the flavors rich yet harmonious. The dishes weren't just delicious, they left a lingering fragrance on the tongue.
Xie Yu picked up the last piece of cured meat from the plate and dropped it into her bowl. Just when she thought the meal would pass in silence.
"Your Highness the Third Princess." Shen Changyin spoke.
"Mm?"
"You refused to marry me because you'd rather go raise pigs?"
Xie Yu wasn't surprised that the young soldier whose family raised pigs would report that conversation to Shen Changyin.
However—
"That's how she interpreted what I said?"
"Yes."
Xie Yu was furious for quite a while, her chest rising and falling. She took several deep breaths but still couldn't calm down, so she hurriedly drank a spoonful of salty pork-and-bamboo-shoot soup to steady herself.
"Your Highness the Third Princess." Shen Changyin called again.
"What now?"
"She pleaded on your behalf. She said you indeed possess great ambition and talent in the field of pig-raising, and she hopes I can help fulfill your aspirations. She also said that if you wish, she can take you to the Zhu family village to see their pigpens someday."
Xie Yu stared at her.
"…Her surname is Zhu? Her family raises pigs and her surname is Zhu?"
"It is their ancestral trade, after all."
Xie Yu no longer even had the strength to be angry.
Who was the one who crossed worlds and wreaked havoc? She only felt exhaustion.
Powerlessly, she picked up a slice of bamboo shoot.
They kept eating, but peace didn't last long.
"Your Highness the Third Princess."
"What now?"
"There is an empty courtyard in the manor that could be converted into a pigpen."
"I said I don't want to raise pigs!"
Xie Yu let out a long, weary sigh and finished her meal. After thinking for a moment, she said,
"Shen Changyin, I'm not giving up."
"I know."
"I won't be swayed by your sugar-coated tricks. Marriage to me is a trap. Just like those people who scammed me. A deep pit."
"I understand. After all, I'm the 'heartless villain' here."
Why was she being so agreeable today?
"But every time I escape, I have to climb the palace walls and avoid the guards. It's really troublesome."
Her voice grew softer and softer…
Shen Changyin suddenly laughed.
There were two side rooms attached to the main hall. She currently lived in the one on the right.
Xie Yu looked at the room on the left.
"I only hope Your Highness won't dislike how simple my room is."
Xie Yu muttered quietly, "I still need to prepare supplies when I run…"
Shen Changyin smiled with her eyes curved. "As long as it helps Your Highness escape this marriage, anything in this manor is at your disposal."
—
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