On the hunting grounds of Lu City, the wind carried the thunder of hooves and the sharp cry of fleeing gazelles. A young woman rode at the front, her hair flying behind her as she nocked an arrow with practiced grace.
The bowstring twanged—an arrow flashed through the air and struck true. A gazelle fell. Cheers erupted across the field.
“If Yi Xiao had been born a man, she’d have surely surpassed us by now,” Ning Fei called, reining in beside her.
Xiao Weiran followed with a laugh. “If she were a man, who knows how much more His Highness would worry about her.”
At seventeen, Yi Xiao was radiant in her crimson riding garb, longbow still in hand. Her eyes burned with pride and valor. As she dismounted, her boots brushed the grass. Without glancing at the two men, she called out, “Bring me the bow!”
Xia Jingshi lifted his gaze, his expression calm but his eyes deep and unreadable—dark as still water. “As you wish,” he replied, his lips curving faintly.
The bow had always been meant for her. The challenge—to strike a running beast within five breaths—was only a teasing whim on his part.
Seeing her beam as she accepted the gleaming silver bow, Xiao Weiran reached out and pinched her cheek. “You little minx, you have no manners at all. How dare you speak so rudely to His Highness?”
“You’re so annoying—His Highness doesn’t mind,” she shot back, slinging the bow over her shoulder. Then, turning to Ning Fei, she grinned. “Ning Fei, come try out the new bow with me!”
Before he could answer, the pounding of hooves echoed from afar. A royal guard galloped toward them, shouting breathlessly, “Your Highness, my lords…”
Xia Jingshi’s gentle expression vanished, replaced by a cold sharpness. “What has happened?”
The guard dismounted and knelt. “His Majesty the Emperor has issued an edict. He requests Your Highness to receive it immediately!”
“Understood,” Xia Jingshi said, his tone calm and commanding. “I’ll return at once.” He turned to the others. “You come as well.”
Yi Xiao hesitated, longing to test her bow—but she knew better than to disobey. With quiet reluctance, she mounted her horse and followed Xia Jingshi back toward the royal city.
Yi Xiao was born into a noble family of scholars in the Jinxiu Dynasty, though her mother had been merely a maidservant. She grew up ignored, spending her days roughhousing with the boys and forging a friendship with Ning Fei.
After Ning Fei joined the military, he introduced her to Prince Xia Jingshi of Zhennan. At a martial arts competition, she stunned the crowd with her archery, catching the prince’s attention. Admiring her skill, he recruited her as a junior officer—and as wars ended, she rose to commandant.
Her loyalty was fierce. Her admiration for him, deeper still. Through years of battles, she followed his lead, cherishing every rare smile he gave. Suitors came and went, but she turned them all away. To remain at his side was enough.
Yet Xia Jingshi remained distant—warm one moment, unreadable the next. She didn’t know if her devotion meant anything. She only knew she wanted to stay near him, no matter the cost.
“…By imperial decree,” the imperial envoy announced, his voice formal as he rolled up the golden scroll. “This humble official has heard that this marriage alliance was specifically requested by Princess Xiyang. Even an enemy princess has fallen for Your Highness’s charm. Your Highness truly is—”
“This edict cannot be accepted!”
Yi Xiao’s voice cut sharply through the air. Everyone turned.
“Yi Xiao, don’t cause trouble,” Xiao Weiran warned, glancing nervously at Xia Jingshi’s expression.
But Yi Xiao stood tall, her dark eyes blazing. “His Highness has spent years on the border, fighting sleepless nights and endless wars. And now that peace has returned, the Emperor would have him marry into an enemy state? Does he mean to throw away his own general when there’s no war left to fight?”
The envoy stammered in outrage. “H-how dare you—”
“I accept the Emperor’s decree with gratitude,” Xia Jingshi interrupted smoothly, bowing low.
“Your Highness!” Yi Xiao exclaimed in disbelief.
Turning back to the envoy, Xia Jingshi smiled politely. “Forgive my subordinate’s lack of discipline.” His voice hardened as he faced her. “Commandant Fu has offended the imperial envoy. She will receive thirty lashes as punishment.”
“Your Highness…” Ning Fei’s voice rose in alarm. “Yi Xiao has always spoken her mind. Please, consider that she’s a woman—spare her this punishment!”
Before Xia Jingshi could reply, Yi Xiao snapped, “What are you begging for? It’s my fault for speaking out of turn. I nearly ruined his grand plans.”
“Make it fifty lashes,” Xia Jingshi said coldly. “Anyone who dares to plead again will make it seventy.”
The silence that followed was suffocating.
A soldier hesitated, “Com-Commandant Fu…”
Yi Xiao glared at him. “What are you stuttering for? It’s just fifty lashes. If I cry out even once, I’ll write my name backward from now on!”
Without another word, she turned and strode toward the training ground.
Xia Jingshi didn’t look back. “Escort the envoy to rest,” he said mildly, leaving behind the stunned crowd.
Ning Fei clenched his fists. “Yi Xiao has always been stubborn—but fifty lashes? She’ll be bedridden for half a month!”
Xiao Weiran frowned thoughtfully. “Let’s go plead for her together.”
“Are you insane?” Ning Fei hissed. “Didn’t you hear His Highness? If we plead again, it’ll be seventy lashes!”
Xiao Weiran’s gaze was calm. “His words were for the envoy’s ears. If he truly meant them, Yi Xiao’s punishment would be far worse—for defying an imperial edict and disrespecting the envoy both.” He broke free of Ning Fei’s grip and hurried toward Xia Jingshi’s quarters.
The lashes came one after another. Yi Xiao bit her knuckle until she tasted blood, refusing to cry out.
The pain seared through her body, but her heart ached even more. He was marrying another woman—a princess she had never met.
That woman had never fought beside him. Never bandaged his wounds. Never kept him company in sleepless nights by the fire.
All she had was her title.
“Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen…” The officer’s steady count felt endless.
Yi Xiao was seventeen—at her age, other women were wives and mothers. And she? She had traded her womanhood for a sword and the faintest smile of a man who might never love her back.
Then, the lashes stopped.
Before her boots appeared—a pair of blue brocade ones.
He had come.
“Have you realized your mistake?” Xia Jingshi’s voice was calm, but his eyes flickered with something unreadable.
Yi Xiao lifted her head, defiance blazing through the tears she refused to shed. “This subject knows how to read every character, except I don’t know how to pronounce those two, Your Highness!”
He paused, then chuckled softly. “Such a stubborn girl. Very well. Considering your years of service, the remaining lashes are pardoned.”
Ning Fei rushed forward, lifting her gently. Yi Xiao winced but bit back a cry.
“Careful,” Xiao Weiran murmured behind him. “She’s strong, but not made of iron.”
Previous/Next
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)