Xie Yu dragged Shen Changyin through the crowded people, stopping before the assistant's small wooden table.
"Register us."
The assistant dipped her brush into ink.
"Your name?"
"Jiang Yu."
(Since Xie is the royal surname, Xie Yu obviously couldn't use her real name, so she used the alias from Quiet Water Village.)
The assistant didn't start writing. The brush hovered in the air for several seconds.
The two of them exchanged a look before the assistant finally spoke, gesturing at Shen Changyin with her chin.
"Aren't you going to introduce the lady beside you?"
"Oh, she's Shen Dazhuang…"
A sharp jab to her ribs forced Xie Yu to correct herself.
"She's Shen Yu."
"Yu already carries the meaning of jade. Both your names are lovely. And what is your relationship?"
Xie Yu went mute.
Shen Changyin didn't rescue her, merely folded her arms and watched.
Xie Yu mumbled miserably.
"We're already engaged."
"Then congratulations to you both."
The assistant beamed and handed them two slips.
"Your number is forty-three."
"The first contest is sandbags. Only the primary registrant may compete, so Miss Shen may rest for now."
"Alright."
The registration point was beside the platform. Xie Yu hopped onto the stage and made eye contact with the Second Princess across from her. Both looked ready to fight. Xie Yu even flexed her hands until her knuckles cracked.
Both were determined to annihilate the other.
Cracking her joints a couple more times, Xie Yu glanced at the crowded spectators below. After a moment, she jumped back down.
She grabbed Shen Changyin's hand again.
"Make way, make way, contestant coming through."
She found a spot for Shen Changyin that wasn't too packed and had a good view, then hopped back onto the platform.
Shen Changyin stood there—immaculate and calm—in the best viewing spot. Some older women nearby smiled at her.
"Married yet? Don't delay, dear. Young ones who know how to take care of you are rare these days. You look so slender, someone might snatch your good girl away."
Shen Changyin smiled politely.
"We're already engaged. Thank you for the concern."
The first game was throwing sandbags. It was no different from what Xie Yu had played as a child. Simple and familiar, meant to warm up the atmosphere.
But when the troupe leader divided the teams and saw both she and the Second Princess dressed in red, she almost put them on the same team.
"Absolutely not." ×2
Both refused in perfect sync, scaring the troupe leader into stepping back.
She split them into opposing teams and made each of them captain.
The rules were simple. Hit someone with a sandbag, and they're out. Continue until only one remains.
It should've been a silly, laughter-filled childhood game where people dodged with ridiculous poses.
But the moment Xie Yu and the Second Princess joined, the game turned deadly serious.
From coin toss to choosing first throw, the air was explosive.
The Second Princess's alias was Zhang Er.
"Zhang Er, Jiang Yu."
The leader pressed the coin on her hand and covered it.
"Who chooses heads? Who chooses tails?"
Xie Yu: "Heads."
Second Princess: "Then I choose heads too."
Xie Yu: "Copycat. Then I choose tails."
The coin was revealed. Tails.
"Team Jiang Yu goes first."
Xie Yu grinned.
The intensity of the sandbag game became absurd.
The two of them acted like assassins, eliminating the opposing team member by member.
They held back against the civilians.
Against each other, they aimed to inflict maximum emotional damage, swinging their arms like windmills.
At last, only the two of them remained.
The spectators' heads moved in unison like pigeons following the trajectory of each throw.
Shen Changyin massaged her temples as she watched.
"Shen—!"
In the distance, Old Jin returned with little Wan. Little Wan waved hard, trying to call her Lord Shen, but remembering she shouldn't, she ended up shouting only her surname.
They squeezed up beside Shen Changyin and first looked at the intense match on stage.
Noticing that the Second Princess actually had excellent skills—her dodging revealed solid martial training—and seeing that neither side would win soon, little Wan turned her attention back to Shen Changyin.
—
She pulled out a folded oil-paper pouch and opened it.
"My lady, these are dried flowers from the northern regions. They all have double petals. They say these carry the greatest blessings. Take one."
She handed them out. Old Jin and the others each took one and pinned it on themselves.
Shen Changyin glanced at them lightly but didn't take one.
"I don't believe in this."
The moment she said that, little Wan and several subordinates all looked toward the basket of magnolias Shen Changyin was holding.
Shen Changyin said, "She insisted on giving them."
Little Wan's expression was skeptical, but Old Jin and the others nodded seriously in agreement. Zhu Ting even pressed a hand on the back of little Wan's head, forcing her to nod as well.
The crowd below had no idea the two women onstage were their nation's Second Princess and Third Princess making a mockery of each other for entertainment. Every time either one pulled off a brilliant dodge, applause rose like waves.
The troupe leader finally couldn't take it anymore and declared the match a draw.
When the two stepped off the stage, they happened to walk down the same passage.
Xie Yu said, "Didn't expect you to have that much skill."
Xie Yi said, "There's plenty you don't know I can do."
Xie Yu said, "True. I still can't figure out how someone with martial arts couldn't even run a mile before getting caught by Shen Changyin."
The Second Princess visibly flinched but attacked back.
"At least I'm free now. Unlike someone who's doomed to spend her whole life locked in Shen Changyin's hands."
Both looked at each other with equal disgust.
Xie Yu returned to Shen Changyin's side, greeted Old Jin and little Wan, then asked Shen Changyin,
"Doesn't the palace have events tonight? She's not unloved like me, unable to even receive an invitation. Why did she leave the palace to attend a folk celebration?"
Shen Changyin answered tactfully.
"Her Majesty and all the princesses except the two of you are quite devout. Many enlightened masters are part of the palace ceremonies."
Understood. The palace was busy calling the spirits. Even someone like Xie Yi didn't want to join.
The troupe leader came back onstage, said a few transition lines, and the circus performed several tricks.
Then the second round officially began.
When Xie Yu returned to the stage, she found that some from the previous round had left and others were new.
The troupe leader stood at the center, smiling.
"Don't get too excited, everyone. This round is much harder than the first."
The performers piled many small crates on the stage, forming a maze-like obstacle course. At the far end, they placed a bouquet.
"Ladies, in this round you must blindfold yourselves and carry someone in your arms. That person will guide you with directions. Whoever retrieves the bouquet in the shortest time wins."
She pulled out an hourglass.
"Now then, go ahead and bring your partner onto the stage."
Before she even finished the sentence, Shen Changyin understood the rules. Her long black eyelashes trembled for no reason.
As soon as the troupe leader's words ended, Shen Changyin looked up and saw Xie Yu already running toward her. Xie Yu leaned over the edge of the stage and held out her hand, eyes shining.
"Hurry up and come up."
Without hesitation, Shen Changyin placed her hand in hers. It didn't surprise her that Xie Yu's palm was much warmer than hers.
With one pull, Xie Yu lifted her up onto the half-meter-high platform.
The other couples all had faint blushes on their faces, standing close and seizing the chance to flirt. Even the Second Princess was teasing her partner into laughter.
Xie Yu glanced around, then leaned close to Shen Changyin. Her breath was warm.
"They're all busy being in love."
Shen Changyin said, "Mm."
"That's exactly why they'll lose to me."
Xie Yu smirked.
"With my physical strength, your intellect, and my intellect, we've already won."
"Let's make a strategy."
Shen Changyin stared at her.
"…"
She inhaled, then nodded.
Xie Yu began planning.
"Front, back, left, right. That's basic. You know my stride length, but since I'll be carrying you blindfolded, I'll walk smaller steps for safety."
She gave approximate measurements and agreed that Shen Changyin would guide her with commands like "three steps forward, four steps right."
Other couples were already attempting princess carries. Their faces grew redder and redder.
Only the wives who had been married for many years were bold instead of shy, even spinning circles for the audience.
"A waste of stamina," Xie Yu commented.
"Maybe they're just testing things. Don't you want to test first?" Shen Changyin asked.
"Test what? You're as light as a handful of snow. I could carry you to the ends of the earth."
Xie Yu thought proudly: She was the reigning champion of five-kilometer weighted cross-country after all.
The match began quickly.
Couple after couple got on stage. Blindfolding, carrying, navigating the maze, nearly falling, then receiving a kiss for encouragement—the crowd didn't stop cheering and teasing.
But among the fourteen couples before Xie Yu, only four succeeded.
Including Xie Yi.
She even waved smugly to the crowd afterward.
Xie Yu didn't let any of it get to her. She simply relaxed her muscles with full concentration.
Their turn came. The troupe leader called for them to prepare.
Shen Changyin lifted a white silk strip and placed it over Xie Yu's eyes. She wrapped the cloth around the back of her head.
Before tying the knot, she smoothed the fabric with her fingertips to avoid pressing any folds against Xie Yu's eyelids.
Blindfolded completely, Xie Yu saw nothing. All she felt was the cool, jade-like touch brushing from her eyelids to her temples.
She swallowed instinctively.
"Tie it tighter," she said suddenly.
"All right."
Shen Changyin tied a beautiful knot behind her head, then slid one arm around the back of her neck and rested her hand on her shoulder.
Her breath brushed Xie Yu's ear softly.
"Ready?"
Xie Yu nodded. Shen Changyin rose lightly onto her toes. Xie Yu hooked her arm beneath her legs and lifted her.
As usual, the crowd cheered.
"Seven steps forward, five steps right." Shen Changyin gave steady instructions.
"One, two, three, four, five…"
Xie Yu followed precisely.
She obeyed instantly.
Shen Changyin's sense of distance and direction was flawless.
Before the audience could react, they had already completed over half the maze.
"The direction is off. Correct it. Turn one-third of a quadrant to your right."
One quadrant was ninety degrees. Xie Yu turned thirty degrees.
"Good. Continue. Move forward seven steps."
With Xie Yu unable to see her, Shen Changyin's expression relaxed, almost smiling.
Commanding Xie Yu was a kind of enjoyment.
No strategist under heaven could resist having such a perfectly obedient blade at her command. She always understood the order, always executed flawlessly.
By the later half, the crowd had fallen silent, simply watching them move.
At the end, Shen Changyin hooked one arm around Xie Yu's neck and reached out with the other to grab the bouquet.
She then used Xie Yu's support to hop down and land steadily.
When Xie Yu loosened the knot behind her head and removed the blindfold, Shen Changyin raised the bouquet gently in front of her newly un-blinded eyes.
Xie Yu nearly buried her face in the flowers.
Shen Changyin said brightly,
"Congratulations to the winner."
Xie Yu took the bouquet proudly.
"Not surprised in the slightest."
Unlike the reserved Shen Changyin, Xie Yu marched across the entire stage, holding the flowers high and performing celebration gestures stolen from gymnastics, soccer, and traditions that were neither modern nor ancient, neither eastern nor western.
The crowd grew lively again because of her antics.
Little Wan clapped until her hands were red.
The troupe leader beamed. As the round ended, she returned to the stage.
"We have a reward prepared for our winners. But it won't be given for free."
The performers carried out a small table. A checkerboard pattern was drawn on the surface, and many crafts were placed on it.
The troupe leader clapped. From the third floors of the buildings on both sides, two whistles sounded. Everyone looked up to see circus performers standing on the window railings.
When the crowd's attention settled, the performers threw down red silk ribbons weighted at the ends. The ribbons arched over the audience and were tied to pillars on the opposite side.
Soon, more than ten red silks were suspended across the air. The performers walked lightly across them, leaping, posing dangerously, earning repeated gasps and applause.
Standing below the silks, Xie Yu observed and quickly noticed the steel wires hidden underneath as the main support.
After a while, the audience showered them with coins. The troupe leader laughed, clapped again, and eight performers stood above the eight winning couples.
They pulled out square red wedding veils, two feet wide, shook them open, and showed them to everyone.
The troupe leader pointed at the table.
"Winners, remember how the prizes are arranged on this table. Soon the red veils will drop over your heads and we will rearrange everything. After removing your veils, you must restore each piece to its original position."
"Whichever one you restore will be your prize."
She then pointed to the center of the table, where a delicate velvet flower lay, its stamens inlaid with tiny gemstones.
"Today's grand prize is this velvet blossom. It has been blessed by a Taoist temple and carries abundant fortune."
She gave everyone only twenty breaths to memorize the arrangement, then told the couples to stand closer together.
As they pressed closer, the crowd below grew more and more restless.
Xie Yu and Shen Changyin were forced to look straight into each other's eyes.
"A little awkward," Xie Yu whispered.
Before Shen Changyin could answer, the ringmaster blew a whistle.
The red bridal veil floated down in a soft drift and settled over the two of them.
The noise of the crowd and the street suddenly felt muted, as though covered by a layer of cotton, turning hazy and distant.
The red veil created a small, private world, with the lantern light outside filtering through the cloth into the space between them.
Xie Yu's lashes trembled involuntarily, and she quickly noticed Shen Changyin's did too.
The audience had already started chanting from below: "Kiss! Kiss!"
Neither of them moved, but from the sudden surge of cheers, they both knew another couple must have kissed.
"They're brave," Xie Yu murmured.
The customs here were shockingly bold—nothing like what she'd expect from ancient times.
But then again, it wasn't really a big deal.
It was just a kiss under a veil. No one could actually see.
Another couple kissed, and the cheers rose again, wave after wave.
The audience near them began calling out: "Hey, you two—standing right here! Why aren't you kissing?"
"Just one kiss!"
Still, neither of them reacted.
Shen Changyin quietly watched Xie Yu.
The lantern light came through the veil in warm red, casting a soft color across Xie Yu's face—strangely fitting her.
Her bright, always-alive face became calm for the first time, revealing another kind of beauty.
Xie Yu's features actually matched every "royal" impression—high, smooth brow bones, deeper-set eyes than most, a straight nose. Her dew-bright smile made her expressive, but in stillness she was elegant and restrained.
Outside the veil, the roar of the crowd rose like waves, pushing both women unconsciously closer.
Shen Changyin leaned forward, lifting her chin slightly, trying to catch the breath that was already so near.
The feeling was familiar—Xie Yu's dark pupils shifted as she leaned toward her as well.
Then Xie Yu finally remembered.
"That night, you were the one who kissed me first."
And she'd even lied to trick her into going to work—!
"Villain—!"
Xie Yu abruptly leaned forward, slamming her forehead against Shen Changyin's with a solid crack. Shen Changyin winced and nearly fell backward, but Xie Yu hooked two fingers around the belt at her waistcloth, yanking her back in.
She held Shen Changyin firmly inside the veil, refusing to give up their qualification for the prize round.
Xie Yu said, "In a moment, you're going to win every prize. Then you're going to hand all of them to me. Understand?"
Shen Changyin silently nodded.
The ringmaster shouted, "You can lift the veils!"
She gathered all the contestants together. "Rules are simple. You'll take turns. If you get a location right, you keep going. If you get one wrong, the next woman takes over. Who's first?"
The ringmaster's gaze had already settled on another contestant when Shen Changyin suddenly stepped forward.
"I'll go."
"The top prize—silk blossom—ninth column, thirteenth row."
The ringmaster's eyes flew wide. Before the cheers even broke out fully, Shen Changyin continued:
"Wild-duck hairpin, first column, nineteenth row."
"Rouge, sixth column, seventh row."
…
The crowd went silent.
Everyone listened as Shen Changyin restored every single item to its original position.
At first, people were simply shocked—annoyed that one person was claiming so many prizes.
Then they couldn't help but wait in anticipation.
When she finally announced the last correct location, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.
Old Jin and the others shouted the loudest.
Xie Yu proudly held the bags and boxes of prizes, shaking them in front of the Second Princess. The princess's face was dark. "Are you really that proud? You didn't win them."
Xie Yu almost wished her neck were flexible enough to perform a full Xinjiang head-shake. With no choice, she shook her entire upper body. "You said it yourself—we're engaged. Why wouldn't her prizes count as mine too?"
"If you've got the guts, we'll settle things in the next round. I heard it's wrestling."
"Sure. You'd better hope someone else doesn't toss you off the stage before you even meet me."
The two traded threats.
The ringmaster began explaining the next contest's rules—it really was wrestling.
As she spoke, a giant woman over two meters tall and clearly weighing over two hundred Jin (one hundred kilograms) stepped onto the stage.
The ringmaster looked toward the two princesses. "Which of you is challenging first?"
The Second Princess instantly replied, "Dear sister, fighting between us would hurt our loving bond, wouldn't it?"
Xie Yu: "Just admit you're scared."
The Second Princess's face stiffened, then she immediately fled off the stage.
Xie Yu held her stance for a moment, and when she saw the princess taking her beauty for the evening and heading the opposite direction, she leapt down too.
Because she was scared as well.
She went to find Shen Changyin. "Run, run, run—I really can't beat her."
"But Old Jin can stay."
Old Jin: "Your Highness Third Princess—if you can't win, does that mean you're sending me to die?"
Xie Yu sighed. "Just ask her if she wants to join the army. Recruit her."
"She might not be suited to be an actual soldier, but she's perfect for training soldiers. Get it?"
Old Jin found this perfectly reasonable. "Alright, Your Highness. Makes sense."
Xie Yu had played enough and collected her prizes. She turned to Shen Changyin. "Let's go home."
Central Avenue was still some distance from the Jing Princess Estate. The other subordinates went back to their own lodgings first. Little Wan and Old Jin went to fetch the carriage left near Jin Zhao Estate.
Xie Yu and Shen Changyin walked slowly together.
Under the moonlight, their shadows stretched long.
Xie Yu suddenly remembered something. "Our engagement banquet is only five days away. My mom's the Empress, she'll obviously be there. When are your mother and the others arriving?"
Shen Changyin stopped, quietly looking at her.
The moonlight traced a huge sadness in the shadow on the ground.
Xie Yu understood immediately. She turned her head and resumed walking. "It's fine. As long as she gives me a red envelope, you can bring me a pumpkin and I'll still honor her like she's the ancestral matriarch."
She pulled out a money pouch and tossed it to Shen Changyin—it wasn't hers.
"It's Second Princess's pouch. There should be plenty inside. See if there are any clues you can follow."
Shen Changyin accepted it, didn't open it, and quickly walked to keep up. "The night before my engagement, I discover my future wife is a master thief. Should I worry?"
"It was for the strategy of 'know yourself and your enemy.' Besides, don't you have thieves among your own subordinates? One of them even stole a command seal from a County Lady."
"I think having a seventy-year-old thief in my service is different from having a young wife who steals."
"Basically the same," Xie Yu waved her hand—then paused. "Wait—seventy? Retire her! Don't exploit elders!"
"If she retires, my wife will have to take her place."
"Don't exploit your wife either…"
They got into the carriage, returned to the estate, said goodnight, and each went to her own room.
It was the first night in ten days they were both home. The feeling was strangely unfamiliar.
Xie Yu dumped all her winnings into a cabinet in her study, took a bath, and fell into bed.
That night, the Princess Jin Estate encountered the fiercest assassination attempt yet—dead assassins littered the courtyard.
—
T/N: If you're enjoying this translation, feel free to check out my Patreon. If you're unable to support financially, you can still subscribe for free and receive chapters two hours earlier, along with updates and announcements. Paid tiers offer early access and daily chapters.
Thank you so much for reading!
patreon.com/Baenz