"My father is the governor of Fu City, and my mother is the sister of the Grand Chancellor."

    Jia Wu cried loudly into her pillow. Despite her desire to curse the injustice, as a mere servant, this was all she could do. Her fate did not grant her the privilege to be chosen as a consort of Li Wang. Jia Wu never dwelled on such sadness because she truly loved and revered Princess Fang Ning and was happy to serve her until her death. However, everything turned bleak due to a tale she told to her fellow maidservants.

    The story was titled 'The Beggar Chooses a Bride.'

    It goes like this… A filthy beggar lay across the doorway of a wealthy man's home. The eldest daughter, displeased, scolded and drove him away. The second daughter beat the beggar. But the youngest daughter, compassionate and kind, willingly helped the beggar without disgust. The beggar then wished to repay her by finding her the best husband.

    "That man's name is Xuan Yong. He is good and will surely make you happy," the beggar assured. The condition was for her to follow him to Xuan Yong's home. The eldest daughter was skeptical, the second mocked, but the youngest felt that this beggar was no ordinary man. He could turn stones into jade and mold gold from dirt. She thus persuaded her mother to let her follow the beggar.

    "How could a smelly beggar know wealthy people? Who is Xuan Yong? I have never heard his name. If you step out of this house, don’t you ever come back,"

    Her mother decreed. Yet she insisted on going. The young woman followed the signs left by the beggar and eventually got lost. When she reached a vast cornfield, she asked the caretaker if he had seen the beggar pass by.

    "I haven’t seen anyone, except for Master Xuan Yong, the owner of this cornfield."

    The young woman thanked him and continued her journey until she found a hostler, who was herding thousands of horses to the grasslands, so she asked him if he had seen the beggar.

    "I haven’t seen anyone, except for Master Xuan Yong, the owner of these horses."

    She thanked him and moved on, passing through a gold mine and receiving the same answer that it was owned by Master Xuan Yong. They directed her to a magnificent palace, but she faced many obstacles along the way. Upon reaching the palace gates, the beggar stood waiting, having transformed into a handsome prince. He stood ready with a golden garment and proposed marriage. Together, they lived happily ever after.

    Jia Wu clenched her fists tightly, weeping with grief. The lives of these palace maidservants, with no opportunity to give their love to a man, often led to loving one another out of natural desperation. The maids paired up; the beautiful ones were at ease with many courting them, while the less attractive tirelessly pleased the others, struggling for love in a chaotic battle. Beauty had its advantages over plainness—this was an eternal truth. Over the years, many maidservants had competed to gain Jia Wu's favor, causing tumultuous battles for her attention. Thus, the idea of offering herself as a consort to Li Wang had long been dismissed from her thoughts.

    "My lineage also traces back to the royal family. Why must the Empress Dowager look down upon me, scorn me? Boo-hoo, I will wear a golden garment, I will wear a golden garment! Ha-ha, can’t she tell when I’m talking about a fairy tale? Such foolishness! Just you wait, watch closely."

    She abruptly sat up in the darkness with steely eyes and loose, fearsome hair. Looking towards Princess Fang Ning's chamber, she saw candlelight flickering beneath the door. Seizing her robe, Jia Wu stealthily peeked in. She was surprised to find the beautiful princess, sitting with her back turning this way, holding a spirit tablet, for had the princess not stayed overnight at the Empress Dowager's residence on the eve of her journey? Jia Wu pushed the door opened.

    However, when the beautiful woman in a royal garment turned her head, it turned out that she was Jia Wu herself.

    Jia Wu started awake; it took her awhile before realizing it was only a dream, but she was already drenched in sweat and her heart pounding. Unsure of the dream's meaning, but she was clever and soon figured it out, so she smirked malevolently.

    "Empress Dowager... I will surely repay you appropriately."

    Head Guard Liao Fu Cheng led a hundred guards escorting the high-ranking lady towards the Lian Region. The convoy was kept small to avoid attracting bandits and to keep their mission secret until the fierce ongoing war subsided. The journey began unfavorably as the weather turned bitterly cold. Soon after navigating the vast mountain range through the Tong Guan Pass, unpredictable rain began to drizzle.

    Mud caked everyone, wet and cold, the guards had to work together to push the princess's carriage uphill. When rockslides blocked their path, they all had to move them, even Fang Ning had to dismount frequently to scramble over the obstacles. All the maids also had to help pulling the horses, exhausting both men and horses.

    Jia Wu, unhappy with the harder-than-expected journey, had to follow the princess closely, doubling her fatigue. During a break, news from the front lines reached them,

    "Princess Yong An of Yan Region has been captured by Prince Xuan Long in the battlefield. She bravely disguised herself as a man to fight against the prince."

    Jun Yi and Jun Qiang, two siblings, excitedly reported this to Fang Ning. Everyone in the convoy was startled by the adventurous tales of the enemy princess. Despite the gloomy journey to the Lian Region, they were at least glad that the grand battle, jointly fought with the Lian Region, was likely to be successful. Fang Ning listened quietly inside a temporary tent, saying nothing.

    "Isn't the princess pleased with Prince Xuan Long's victory?" Jun Yi smiled broadly, but Jia Wu glared fiercely.

    "Enough talk, just go wherever you are going."

    "Hmph!" The siblings glared back unabashedly before bowing and moving to the front of the princess’s tent. Jia Wu quickly poured tea to offer to Fang Ning, who accepted it but did not drink.

    "Second Brother capturing Princess Yong An suggests that our alliance with the Lian Region to encircle the Yan Region is likely going well."

    "That’s right, Your Highness. Perhaps His Majesty might even call you back." Jia Wu draped a fur coat from the Empress Dowager over Fang Ning. Jia Wu smiled brightly as she tended to her duties, but her eyes hinted at some hidden intention. "Your Highness, please have some tea."

    She urged the princess to drink, but Fang Ning only sipped a little. Jia Wu watched her every move with a pounding heart, encouraging the princess to talk more in hopes that she would drink more tea. "If the war with the Yan Region goes well, His Majesty might change his mind and cancel this marriage contract."

    "But I do not feel this war will be so easily resolved," Fang Ning set down her teacup and looked directly at her close maid, causing Jia Wu to avert her eyes, which made Fang Ning curious. "Are you feeling unwell? Since we started our journey, I feel like you've been preoccupied."

    "I... I just miss home, Your Highness" Jia Wu’s voice trembled as she wiped her eyes with the hem of her sleeve. "I really am terrible, troubling Your Highness with my feelings. My greatest hope is to ensure Your Highness could return to the Li Region, our home, no matter the hardships or how long it takes, I will stand by Your Highness."

    "Jia Wu, I love you like a sister, but do not sacrifice your life for me. If there's a chance to return to the Li Region, take it, or you might never go back."

    "Wh… What do you mean...”?

    "Fetch Head Guard Liao Fu Cheng for me."

    Jia Wu's breath hitched, but once assured that Fang Ning held no suspicion of her, she quickly bowed and retreated, "Ye…yes, Your Highness."

    Fang Ning, deep in thought about the enemy princess taken captive, reflected on her Second Brother's usual behavior. He never took captives; he only executed them. A few sentences of news made her suspect that her Second Brother harbored deep feelings for Princess Yong An, meaning the alliance to encircle the Yan Region might soon collapse, possibly hastening their journey.

    "Your Highness."

    Liao Fu Cheng was a large man with an arrogant gaze, a bestowed golden sword hanging at his waist, giving him authority over all decisions. He breathed heavily, showing his annoyance. According to his opinion, a woman who only liked embroidery like her would know nothing. "May I know what service Your Highness requires of me?"

    "Please request additional guards for our convoy from my brother."

    "There is no need, Your Highness," he rose abruptly. "I have arranged enough men to guard you. A few loose stones on the road will hardly require the intervention of my men. Your Highness need not worry. Tomorrow, you will not have to set foot on the ground."

    "I’m not concerned about walking to avoid the falling rocks, but I fear the Yan Region may seek revenge for Princess Yong An and send forces to intercept us..."

    "Please rest easy, rest well, Your Highness."

    Liao Fu Cheng, visibly irritated, bowed quickly and left. Fang Ning sighed deeply. Even as a high-ranking woman of royal blood, in the eyes of men, she was just an object to be ordered around. This made her ponder the defiant strength of Princess Yong An, who had managed to stand up to her Second Brother as an equal, truly a remarkable woman.

    "Spending all day in a carriage or in a tent, and acting all knowledgeable, pah!"

    Liao Fu Cheng spat as he walked out of Princess Fang Ning’s tent, feeling more like he was a trader escorting pork to the Lian Region rather than being a head guard protecting a princess. He patrolled around and spotted Cheng Xi resting not far from the princess's tent. Cheng Xi, who held an equal rank and had always competed with him for recognition, but now he was under Liao Fu Cheng’s command. With his royal golden sword backing him, Liao Fu Cheng approached and scolded him immediately.

    "You lazybones! There’s so much work to do, and here you are slacking off. I ought to knock your teeth out!"

    Cheng Xi had been pushing the carriage all day with the subordinates and had just finished repairing a wheel’s hub. Exhausted, his face flushed, he was just sitting down to knock dirt from his shoes when Liao Fu Cheng’s disrespectful words made him jump to his feet out of rage, ready to confront him. But Liao Fu Cheng, brandishing his golden sword arrogantly, forced Cheng Xi to suppress his anger, which only emboldened Liao Fu Cheng to loom larger and order about.

    "Pack up and prepare to continue the journey. His Majesty commands we reach the border of the Lian Region within ten days."

    "Yes, Head Liao."

    "I'm off to relieve myself. Be ready to move on when I return, got it?" Liao Fu Cheng slapped the golden sword on his waist and strode off to attend to his needs. As he relieved himself, he whistled contentedly and mused about delivering the princess to the old Wang, expecting a handsome reward from that old Wang. And upon his return to the Li Region, he was likely getting a promotion by Li Wang. This job only gained him benefits.

    After finishing, Liao Fu Cheng turned back only to be stunned by the sight of a tall, dark-clothed man with a sinister smile and murderous glint in his eyes.

    "You should have heeded the princess's orders."

    Frozen, a chill running down his spine, Liao Fu Cheng was about to retort when the world suddenly flipped—ground upending and sky spinning. He was still confused when he collapsed, his head rolling a short distance from his body as blood spurted, splattering the area.

    Yan Shi Jin moved with graceful ease, calm and relaxed, as he tossed aside the garrote he had used to decapitate Liao Fu Cheng. His tight black attire melded with his formidable strength, making him appear as fearsome as the king of hell. After stripping Liao Fu Cheng's body of its uniform to disguise himself, he kicked the corpse off the cliff without a second glance at the golden sword, for his business was with the princess of the Li Region.

    His piercing eyes coldly scanned the princess's carriage, pondering how to deliver death to her.