In March, the sun rose earlier each day.
The early - morning full moon still lingered on the western horizon, on the verge of setting. Wispy white clouds dotted the clear, pale - blue sky like a curtain, making the rising sun look even more pink and tender.
As the sun climbed higher, the streets became busier with pedestrians.
An exquisite eight - treasure carriage with a jade - green canopy and beaded tassels slowly rolled by, drawing everyone's attention, and stopped in front of the Mansion of the Marquis of Dingyuan.
From afar, people watched as the carriage curtain was lifted by a pair of fair hands. A veiled and slender young girl alighted from the carriage with the help of her maid.
Everyone was immediately dazzled.
Although her face was veiled, her full forehead, deep - set phoenix eyes that sparkled like stars, hinted at an alluring charm. She was like a gorgeous cloud floating into the hearts of the onlookers.
As if aware of the gazes around her, she tilted her head slightly. A gentle breeze blew, pressing the soft white veil tightly against her tender lips. The red lips showed through the veil, adding an extra touch of stunning beauty.
Amid the amazed looks of the crowd, she took delicate steps, swaying her slender waist gracefully as she walked towards the mansion's entrance.
However, the guards at the mansion's gate seemed to be oblivious to the beauty in front of them. They only looked coldly at the maid who stepped forward to speak and asked, "Who are you?"
A flash of impatience crossed the young girl's eyes but was quickly suppressed.
The maid smiled obsequiously, her voice as clear as a oriole's song. "Sir, could you please announce us? It's Princess Yunxi of the Great Liang. Hearing that the Marquis of Dingyuan has fallen ill, she has brought the best doctors and precious medicines from our Great Liang to treat the marquis."
The guard's expression remained unchanged. He only bowed slightly and said, "So it's Princess Yunxi. I'm sorry for my rudeness just now. But it's unfortunate that the princess has come at the wrong time. The marquis found an effective remedy yesterday. After taking the medicine, he has already recovered. He is in high spirits and went out for a walk early this morning."
"Gone out?!" Princess Yunxi, who had been playing the role of a beautiful and noble lady since she got off the carriage, suddenly raised her voice. The shrill sound made people shiver. "That's impossible. Zihan clearly said that the marquis wouldn't go out today!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the guard's face darkened.
Realizing that she had let something slip, Princess Yunxi quickly covered her mouth and lowered her eyes guiltily.
"The princess even sent people to keep an eye on our mansion? That's really considerate.
But our marquis's whereabouts are always unpredictable. He doesn't necessarily go out through the main gate every time. Sometimes, on a whim, he might even climb over the wall.
So, princess, since the marquis is not here, please go back."
The guard turned his face away and stared straight ahead, answering indifferently.
"Climb over the wall?" Princess Yunxi was so angry that she laughed. She stretched out her hand and showed her palm to the guard, her voice sharp with suppressed anger. "It's been five days. For five consecutive days, I've come to your mansion's gate.
You've got quite a nerve, pretending not to recognize me.
Wasn't it you who stopped me from entering every time?
On the first day, you said the marquis had gone to buy items for his wedding and wasn't in the mansion.
On the second day, you said the marquis caught a cold while shopping and couldn't be disturbed by outsiders bringing in the cold air.
On the third day, you said the marquis was scalded by moxibustion while treating his cold and didn't sleep all night. He just started to catch up on sleep at dawn.
On the fourth day, you said the marquis's old illness flared up and he fell into a coma.
Now, you're getting even more absurd. The marquis has to climb over the wall to leave his own mansion?
Let me tell you, I spent half the morning dressing up today and brought the best doctors and precious medicinal herbs from our Great Liang. No matter what excuse you come up with, I'm going in today!"
The guard's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of impatience flashed in the corner of his eyes. "But the marquis is not here now. Even if the princess goes in, she won't be able to see him. Why bother?"
Princess Yunxi had long since abandoned her previous image. She blurted out, "Since I'm here today, the Marquis of Dingyuan will see me whether he wants to or not!"
Saying this, she took out a long whip from her sleeve, raised it high, and lashed it at the guard without hesitation.
With a "swish", the whip cut through the air, making a sharp sound. Some timid pedestrians couldn't help but cover their eyes.
The whip fell, but there was no sound of it hitting flesh as expected. Princess Yunxi pulled back her hand and found that the guard had caught the whip with his bare hand.
The guard's face turned a bit cold, and his gaze became even colder when he looked at Princess Yunxi.
"Princess, I'm ordered to guard the mansion's gate. If the princess insists on forcing her way in, I'll have to be rude."
Saying this, he let go of the whip. Princess Yunxi was exerting force to pull back the whip. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and took several steps back. She barely managed to stand still with the support of her maid.
"You dog slave! How dare you lay hands on me?"
Princess Yunxi came to her senses and flew into a rage. She pushed away the maid's supporting hand impatiently and shouted, "Useless thing! You said no man could resist a charming and graceful woman. But look, all my dressing up has been in vain!"
She no longer cared about her image. She rolled up her sleeves, looked around, and stepped forward to grab a waist - knife from a guard beside her. Then she lunged at the guard who had stopped her.
"I think you've got tired of living!"
Seeing the knife coming straight at him, a fierce look flashed in the guard's eyes. Before Princess Yunxi knew it, she only felt a blur in front of her eyes. A sharp pain shot through the back of her hand, and the knife fell to the ground.
Princess Yunxi stared at her empty right hand in shock. Her eyes turned red with anger. She lashed out at the guard with a karate chop.
The guard's eyes flashed coldly. He immediately grabbed Princess Yunxi's wrist, curled his fingers into a claw, twisted her arm inwards, and gave it a hard push.
Princess Yunxi let out a scream: "Ah—"
Everything happened so fast that the maids and guards behind her didn't have time to react. They just stared blankly.
The guard gave Princess Yunxi a hard push and sent her to the edge of the steps.
Her feet lost their support, and she completely lost her balance, falling backward.
The maid finally reacted and tried to rush forward to catch her, but it was already too late.
"Princess—"
Looking at the maid's panicked expression, Princess Yunxi closed her eyes in despair.
Just then, a dark shadow flashed by and caught Princess Yunxi in mid - air.
The expected pain didn't come. Princess Yunxi only felt herself falling into a bosom that smelled faintly of agarwood.
"Are you okay?" a deep and pleasant voice asked.
Princess Yunxi slowly opened her eyes. In front of her were a pair of inky - black eyes with a hint of brilliance. At this moment, these eyes were full of concern and stared directly at her.
Princess Yunxi blinked again and found that the owner of these eyes was a handsome young gentleman.
Moreover, this young gentleman was an acquaintance.