Though she'd said she was to teach the rules, everything the old woman said, Su Ya had learnt while in the Shejin Royal Palace. There was nothing the old woman could teach her, and so, saying, "In a bit, someone will come to fetch you," she left, leaving Su Ya and her maid to ruminate in the room. But though she'd said "in a bit", Su Ya's wait was quite long. This room, like the Prince's manor, was dilapidated and empty, without a sense of vitality. Su Ya didn't even know how much time had passed; she only knew that she'd remained in this room for a long, long time. "Is this how the Great Li treats an Envoy?" Su Ya's maid was the first to be unable to hold out. From her childhood, she'd followed by Su Ya's side, and she'd never seen Su Ya so wronged. Su Ya raised her hand, gesturing downwards to indicate that the maid clam herself. She herself rose, and paced a few circles in the room. The furnishings of this room w...

Translator's note: Sincere apologies for last week's missed updates. I had assumed that my currently lighter schedule would make posting on schedule easier, but I underestimated the burden of my current courseload. I'll do my best to keep on top of things, but if I miss a week again in the future, I apologise in advance and thank you all for your understanding.  -  The day grew shorter and shorter, and at this moment, a few beams of moonlight spilled into the room through the window. Liang Jiwen hid behind the curtain, the joints of her unconsciously tightly curled fingers faintly white. Liang Jiwen recalled the words that Bi Yushuang had just spoken, and as a result, at this time, she instinctively turned her head to look towards the copper mirror on the eastern wall. But where she was was clearly the blind spot of the mirror, and everything was obstructed by the curtain, and nothing could be seen at all. As she thought, Liang Jiwen's throat unconsciously tightened, an...

The maid had only just finished speaking when the expressions of those in the room all chilled. Bi Yushuang's fingers unconsciously tapped against the table, making a soft pattering sound. Assuming that it had been that she'd been too hasty on the way here, leading the Envoy's people here, Liang Jiwen's gaze immediately concentrated on Tao Li and He Miao. But Bi Yushuang only lightly raised her hand, and said to the maid, "Let's go and meet the guest in the front courtyard." "A Shuang—" Liang Jiwen raised a hand, about to obstruct her, but before she'd even finished speaking, she was cut off by Bi Yushuang. "Set your mind at ease and stay here; when is there ever such a coincidence? You're being as guilty as a thief." Bi Yushuang turned her head to look at her, and saw that Liang Jiwen's complexion was as pale as a sheet of paper, and the panic in her eyes was even harder to mask. But when she realised that Bi Yushuang was l...

Two pairs of eyes stared at each other, but the imperial study was incredibly tranquil. It was as if the two people were squaring off, waiting for the other to speak first. In the end, it was Xun Zhu who broke the silence, gathering up her courage to say, "Bixia, the Princess has arrived." Jiang Changbai sighed, clearing her throat, and said, "Bring her in, then." "Understood." In the end, the strange atmosphere in the imperial study was broken. Liang Jiwen had something on her mind, and having been so suddenly summoned by Jiang Changbai, she assumed that her own actions had been exposed, and as such, she trembled with trepidation, and anyone could tell her nervousness. But when Jiang Changbai saw this scene, she ascertained that, after returning from the relay station that day, Liang Jiwen hadn't told her everything. As a result, the sense of oppressiveness suddenly rose, and Jiang Changbai sat back into her chair, looking down on Liang Jiwen from on ...

A jump in time, and the yinshi [1] gong had just sounded; Jiang Changbai, attired neatly, was sitting in a side hall in the depths of the Palace. The early autumn morning was a bit chilly, and the breeze that swept through the corridor made the asparagus ferns rustle. The head spy, attired in inky, close-fitted clothing, knelt before Jiang Changbai, forehead pressed against the gold-threaded velvet rug. "Reporting to Bixia, last night at three quarters past zishi, this subject saw the Regent enter the relay station." Jiang Changbai's hand paused, and the next moment, she set the cup of still steaming tea onto the desk. Her expression was filled with a ferocity, the pressure such that even the candle flames darkened a degree. "Explain carefully." The spy's throat bobbed, and cold sweat rose on her forehead without her realising it. "You said that, without your permission, no one was allowed into the station. This subject and a few sisters have been hidd...

The autumn arrived earlier at the Western border than it did in the capital; in the capital, there still remained some of the warmth of the summer, but the atmosphere of the Western border already carried the nip of chill. The grit was swept about by the whistling North wind, roiling over the endless steppes. Even the grasses with more tenacious life bowed their heads, the heavens pressed extremely low, as if about to pelt down at the very next moment. Though it was midday, the skies were still dim. There was only a few muddy, copper lights, which were cast upon the tents. The was the border between the Great Li and Shejin. With the years of disturbances by Shejin, the commoners who'd originally lived here had all already moved to places closer to the interior, and for dozens of years, it had been desolate and unpopulated. But since Jiang Changbai had ascended the throne, she'd sent troops to set up camp here, and gradually, some commoners who'd found it impossible to make ...

Hearing this, Su Ya's pupils suddenly shrank, and only now did she realise that the features of the person before her were incredibly similar to those of the younger sister she'd chosen to send to the Great Li to form a marriage alliance. But the cheeks of the person before her were full, and her skin was a healthy light brown—how did she resemble at all the thin figure from three years ago, who didn't speak and always shrank into the shadow of the wall, eyes lowered? "Liang Jiwen?" Su Ya asked, disbelievingly. Only now did Liang Jiwen smile. "So Wangjie does recognise me." Su Ya had never purposefully scrutinised this younger sister of hers; residing together in the Shejin Royal Palace for so many years together, her impression of Liang Jiwen was only that of the day she'd left the Palace. At the time, she'd laughed at Liang Jiwen for being foolish, that, being about to step into the lion's den, she'd still smiled so happily. At the tim...