Empress Dowager Fu was observing Buddhist rites at a temple outside the city and had no plans to return to the palace for the New Year. Out of filial piety, the Empress had no choice but to lead the princes and princesses of the palace out of the city to pay their respects and offer New Year’s greetings.
It was just before the new year, and snow had recently fallen. Affairs were numerous and complicated, and the roads were cold, wet, and treacherous. The hurried trip there and back only made everyone more irritable.
The Empress was clearly frazzled by the year-end busyness and in a sour mood. The returning procession was silent—even though it was a rare outing, no prince or princess dared raise their voice and risk incurring her displeasure.
As they neared the foot of the mountain, the procession was suddenly blocked.
The carriage lurched to a halt. Jiang Nong, drowsy, jolted forward, and Rong Mian nearly tumbled over—Jiang Nong grabbed her collar just in time.
“What happened?”
Rong Mian rubbed her eyes and lifted the curtain. The damp, cold air rushed in, making them shiver.
She asked around and soon got word: “The hostage prince from Tan had his carriage break down halfway here. He waited on the road for a long time but no one came. He somehow learned that the imperial procession would pass by here, so he came to wait, hoping to catch a ride back to the palace.”
Jiang Nong counted on her fingers—she did recall hearing that Tan was sending a hostage prince.
Word had spread through the palace: this prince was extremely unlucky, born with mismatched eyes that had supposedly killed his mother and brought misfortune to his father. Jiang Biao had specifically warned her to stay far away from such ill-omened people, to avoid bad luck.
Of course she had to listen to her brother.
After a long while, the procession slowly began moving again.
Jiang Nong couldn’t sleep anymore. Yawning, she peered out with one eye. It was rare to get out—even if there wasn’t much to see, it felt like looking a little longer made the trip worthwhile.
About half a li ahead, a white-robed youth stood by the roadside, head bowed, shoulders hunched, covered in mud, hair stuck to his cheeks, shivering in the cold wind.
Beside him stood a young eunuch, crying in desperation, waving frantically at the procession: “Please take us, please take us!”
It seemed this was the hostage prince from Tan.
Jiang Nong was taken aback. There were over twenty carriages in this procession—even with the rules about men and women not sharing carriages, surely he could have squeezed into one of the princes’ carriages. Why did it seem like no one would take him?
She turned to look behind her. There were only a few carriages left, but none seemed inclined to stop.
The wheels rumbled on, rolling forward. The master and servant were left farther and farther behind.
It was so cold—he’d freeze to death.
But he was unlucky. Her brother had told her not to associate with him.
He’ll freeze.
Unlucky.
He’ll freeze.
Unlucky.
Two voices fought in Jiang Nong’s head.
Finally, she bit her lip and ordered the attendants to stop the carriage.
“I, I have a stomach ache—probably from the cold. Stop for a moment…”
The attendants found her troublesome but had no choice but to comply. They also sent word for a few guards to come protect her so she wouldn’t be left alone in danger.
Jiang Nong clutched her stomach, jumped down, lifted her skirts, and ran toward the back. Rong Mian and several guards chased after her, telling her not to run too far.
They were puzzled—if her stomach hurt from the cold, why did she have so much energy?
Jiang Nong ran all the way back, hopping and waving toward the hostage prince and the eunuch, calling out: “Quick, come here!”
The despondent pair looked up, startled, and saw a pink figure bouncing up and down on the road, waving at them.
“Your Highness! We’re saved! A kind-hearted person!”
Xunliang’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Yu Lingxin’s hand and ran toward Jiang Nong, waving back.
Yu Lingxin hesitated: “We might cause her trouble.”
“Your Highness, this is no time to think of others. If you freeze any longer, you’ll be the one in real trouble.”
The two groups quickly met. Yu Lingxin kept his head bowed, as if trying to hide his face in his chest, following Jiang Nong like an obedient bride to her carriage.
The guards and maidservants covered their faces.
They knew it—this princess was going to cause some trouble. How could any child in the palace have this much surplus compassion?
They tried to dissuade her: “A steward from the Court of the Imperial Treasury will come to receive him soon, Your Highness. He is a man—it’s improper for him to share a carriage with you.”
Jiang Nong looked at the hostage prince, head bowed and pitiful, and grew more determined. She argued fiercely: “It’s still twenty li to the palace. The weather is so cold—by the time the court sends someone, he’ll have frozen solid. Where else is he supposed to warm up? And ‘improper between men and women’—how old is he? He’s shorter than me! He’s just a child. Besides, the palace isn’t that strict about these things anyway.”
She wheedled and negotiated, even pulling out her hairpin to bribe them, until they finally relented and let her bring him onto the carriage.
The guards cracked their whips, and the carriage lurched forward, gradually catching up to the procession.
Inside, a charcoal brazier kept the compartment warm. Jiang Nong shivered as soon as she returned.
Rong Mian handed her a hand warmer—and Jiang Nong passed it to the person across from her.
“Hold this and warm up. Your hands are so cold.” She smiled at him.
“Th-thank you.” Yu Lingxin stammered.
Xunliang dropped to his knees with a thud, wiping his tears: “Thank you, Your Highness, for saving our lives! If you hadn’t helped us, who knows how long we’d have waited. They said there were no spare carriages to take us, and the other princes looked down on His Highness and refused to give us a ride—they told us to wait for someone from the palace to come pick us up. But it’s so cold out here…”
He started sobbing as he spoke.
Jiang Nong quickly told Rong Mian to stuff some pastries in his mouth.
“Shh, don’t cry. Her Majesty the Empress is in a bad mood lately—don’t let her hear you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Nong felt a twinge of guilt—after all, she too had hesitated at first, wary of their ill fortune.
She cleared her throat and changed the subject: “What’s your name? How old are you?”
Yu Lingxin said softly: “I’m Yu Lingxin. I’m twelve.”
Jiang Nong’s eyes lit up: “You’re twelve too? When’s your birthday?”
“The third day of the tenth month.”
“Ah, younger than me! My birthday is the eighth day of the fourth month. You’re not much younger, though—so why are you so much shorter?” She lightly tapped her own mouth to signal she’d said something wrong.
Yu Lingxin lowered his head even further.
“Why are you crouching like that? Doesn’t that hurt?”
“My clothes, they’re dirty. I don’t want to mess up your carriage… it’s already… already caused you so much trouble.”
Jiang Nong’s sympathy overflowed. She quickly tugged him to sit down: “It’s fine, it’s fine. You’ve been standing for so long—sit and rest a while.”
Only then did Yu Lingxin nervously, half-reluctantly, sit down—and even then, only on the very edge.
Jiang Nong couldn’t stand seeing people like this; it made her heart ache. She kept shoving food into his hands.
What disaster star? He was just a pitiful child. How could they treat him so cruelly?
“Eat, go on.” She kept stuffing things into his hands, and he obediently ate whatever she gave him.
So well-behaved. Jiang Nong suddenly felt an urge to ruffle his shiny black hair.
If only she had a little brother this obedient.
The carriage rolled on; Jiang Nong spent the whole trip stuffing food into his hands. He ate it all, but she still hadn’t seen his face.
It would be rude to just ask him to look up.
But she really wanted to see what he looked like. They said he was different from other people—what was so different? Did he have three eyes and two mouths? Was that why he was seen as a disaster star?
She leaned down, trying to catch a glimpse of his face.
But Yu Lingxin seemed to sense her intention—the more she tried to see, the lower he ducked his head.
They went back and forth, each dipping lower and lower, until they were almost bumping heads on the floor.
The carriage jolted. Jiang Nong lost her balance and cracked her head against his. She yelped, clutching her head: “Ow! Your head’s pretty hard.”
Yu Lingxin quickly steadied her, and in his panic, their eyes met.
Once she was settled again, he immediately withdrew his hands as if burned and lowered his head once more.
It wasn’t just the first time Jiang Nong had seen his face—it was the first time he’d seen hers.
His hands slowly clenched on his lap, gripping the hem of his robe, his ears burning red.
Her eyes are so big, so round, so beautiful. Her lashes are so long—like a kitten… so… so…
He couldn’t finish the thought—his heart was already in his throat.
Jiang Nong had seen his eyes—one was purple, like a gemstone, very beautiful. He was beautiful too, more handsome than any of her brothers.
She reached out. He flinched, but she caught him and poked his cheek.
“Lift your head and let me see you again.”
Remembering his place, Yu Lingxin’s pounding heart slowly cooled. He shook his head: “I’m, I’m not good-looking. Don’t look…”
“Good-looking, good-looking, good-looking—let me see you again! Who said you’re not good-looking? I haven’t seen enough yet. If you were an ugly monster, I’d have screamed and jumped back already. The fact that I want to keep looking means you’re handsome. I don’t lie—I never lie.”
He couldn’t refuse her coaxing. His ears burned red again. Left with no choice, he lowered his gaze and timidly showed her his face.
His lashes fluttered rapidly. His pale cheeks flushed like apples. His arms, hidden beneath his sleeves, were tense.
Will she like my face after she sees it? Please, please don’t dislike it… don’t hate me…
“Am I not good-looking? Why won’t you look at me?” Jiang Nong rested her chin on her hand and asked.
His face grew even redder. He could barely breathe. Trembling, he lifted his gaze—then quickly dropped it again.
When his eyes rose, they sparkled—filled with unspoken shyness.
“Good-looking, you’re… good-looking…”
Jiang Nong smiled: “I knew it! Everyone says I’m pretty. You’re pretty too—so don’t keep your head down!”
For the first time, someone had treated him kindly. For the first time, someone had called him good-looking and told him not to hide his face.
Yu Lingxin blinked and gave a soft hum.
A butterfly’s bright wings fluttered lightly over the flowers of his heart.
This was the first time Yu Lingxin had ever seen Jiang Nong. Neither of them knew that this faint stir of feeling—born from the mere brush of wind over duckweed—would one day swell into a tidal wave that would reshape their futures.
But in this moment, it was simply the first time someone had tasted happiness—a feeling both exhilarating and achingly tender.
Leave a Reply