Fengxi's POV
The streets of Bao Lai were unusually loud that morning, the sun barely breaking through thick clouds as vendors shouted above each other. My basket was already half-filled—green onions, radishes, soft bundles of tofu wrapped in rice paper. But something in the air felt different.
As I stepped over a muddy patch near the butcher's stall, I slowed.
There were more beggars than usual.
Dozens of them, it seemed—some crouched under canopies, others dragging their weary limbs through the crowd. Their hands were outstretched, palms cracked and trembling. A few had children clinging to their sides.
I pulled my cloak closer. It wasn't just the weather—it was the way they looked at me. As if their hunger saw through silk.
> "The world's changing…" I murmured to myself.
After gathering what I needed, I turned toward the sweet shop. A few candied plums might help cheer up the evening. Yilin liked them too.
But then—
A voice.
> "Please… spare a few coins…"
I stopped dead in my tracks.
That voice didn't belong to this place. Not this world of torn rags and calloused hands.
It belonged to court halls and polished marble.
My blood ran cold. Slowly, I turned.
There—beneath the awning of a crumbling tea stall—sat a man in a tattered cloak, hunched over a chipped bowl.
But his face…
Hollow cheeks. Greying beard. Eyes still sharp beneath the weight of time.
A voice I had heard beside the throne. A man who once debated with scholars and generals alike. The kind of man who had always stood behind my father—
> "Zhang Shoudao…" I breathed.
The world around me vanished.
He looked up.
He saw me.
He tried to rise, even bowed his head—but I darted forward, grasping his arm.
> "Don't," I whispered. "Don't draw attention. Come with me."
He nodded, silently.
No words needed.
We returned to the Bao Lai Inn through the back, avoiding the main hall. I took him straight to my room, pushing aside the curtain before he collapsed.
Only when I closed the door behind us did I finally speak.
> "Mr. Zhang… How did you—"
The words caught in my throat.
I never thought I'd see him again. Not like this. Not as a ghost in rags.
Yilin entered without knocking, holding a small bundle of dried herbs.
She froze.
> "Miss Liu… who is this man?"
I swallowed the rising storm in my chest.
> "Someone I knew a long time ago," I said. "Please bring him tea. And clean clothes. Warm ones."
Yilin's eyes lingered on me, uncertain, but she obeyed. She sensed something—maybe everything.
When she left, Mr. Zhang knelt stiffly.
> "Long life to Princess Fengxi," he said, voice breaking. "I never thought I'd see you again."
> "Please don't kneel," I said quickly, going to lift him. "Call me Miss Liu. It's safer that way."
He blinked, confused.
> "Miss Liu…? But why the new name? What is this place?"
> "It's where I've survived. After the palace… after everything."
I sat down across from him, trying to compose myself.
> "Everyone believed I died. And I let them believe it. Now… I need you to tell me everything. What happened? How did you end up like this?"
He bowed his head. When he spoke again, his voice was like a knife dragged through old scars.
Zhang Shoudao's POV
> "That night—after your engagement was announced—I was summoned to the emperor's study."
> "When I arrived, I saw a girl leaving. She had eyes full of worry. I entered, and His Majesty was pacing, shoulders hunched. He looked… defeated."
> "I asked him what was wrong. He said, 'Zhang… the time is near. I've arranged for a girl to help Fengxi escape the country.'"
> "I didn't understand. I asked time! he meant. He only said, 'Not all shadows come from enemies. Some grow under our roof.'"
> "Then…"
His voice wavered. I waited, heart clenched.
> "The doors burst open. Guards. Not ours."
> "Bai Long walked in like he owned the room."
I inhaled sharply.
Zhang looked up, eyes rimmed with red.
> "He didn't come as a prince. He came with steel. He came for blood."
> "Your father realized it too late. He ordered me to run. To find you."
> "As I fled, I looked back—and I saw it. Bai Long, raising his sword. The emperor… your father… he didn't even raise a blade."
> "He was cut down. Not in war. Not by an enemy. But by his own would-be son-in-law."
He covered his face with both hands, shoulders trembling.
> "I tried to return, but the city was sealed. The new emperor—the same Bai Long—declared you dead. Stripped me of my titles. I lost my home, my land. My wife fell ill from the disgrace. She didn't survive the winter."
> "Now, I have only my son. He's sick. And I can't even afford to feed him."
His voice cracked.
> "I'm sorry, Princess. I failed you. I failed him."
Fengxi's POV
Silence filled the room like smoke.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
My fingers clenched around the edge of my sleeve.
> "Bai Long…"
I thought of his voice, his touch. The warmth in his eyes. The way he had protected me in the mountains. How he spoke of trust like it meant something.
It was all a lie.
> "You lied to me. You killed my father…"
Tears threatened, but I blinked them away.
I turned to Zhang.
> "Bring your son here. Both of you can stay. There's a guest room. I'll handle the rest."
Zhang fell to his knees again.
> "You honor me, Princess… Thank you…"
The door creaked open—Yilin again.
> "Miss Liu? Are you okay? You look pale…"
I stood up, smoothing my expression.
> "Yes. Please show Mr. Zhang to the guest quarters. Let him rest."
Yilin nodded, still glancing back as she led him away.
Only when I was alone again did I let my knees buckle.
I sank to the floor, gripping my arms tightly, head bowed.
The room was too quiet.
> "Bai Long…"
> "You've fooled me once."
> "But never again."
> "I'll never forgive you."