The First Meeting with Yiran
Beauty emanates fragrance, as if intoxicated in a dream. Her brows and eyes shimmer with light. He is the King of Huainan, holding military power in his hands, and even the Emperor shows him deference. There is nothing in this world that he cannot obtain; if he wished, he could even ascend the throne with a turn of his hand. At a banquet, he first met a woman named Yiran, and he knew that he was deeply enchanted. When she danced, her jade-like grace and fragrance impressed everyone, dazzling the assembly and outshining all others. When her eyes met his, he felt a tremor in his heart, followed by gentle ripples. When she laughed sweetly and called him 'My Lord,' brushing the fallen flowers from his shoulders, he decided he must have her. Later he learned that she was the Emperor's most beloved, yet even so, he intended to make her his own. Eventually, he asked the Emperor for her. Though the Emperor was displeased, he could do nothing but nod in agreement. When she entered the Huai King's mansion, it was the third month of spring. Peach blossoms were in full bloom, and the breeze spread their fragrance. On that day, she stood under a peach tree in red attire, and the wind scattered the blossoms around her. She danced with the wind, her clothes fluttering like a fairy who had mistakenly descended to the mortal world. He watched from afar, knowing she was reluctant, because she loved the Emperor. Childhood sweethearts? Hah, how laughable. Even the Emperor would not triumph over her affection. He thought this, yet he forgot that her heart did not belong to him. He treated her very well; if she asked for something, he could even give his life, but had he been bewitched? He wondered. When he learned she preferred snow lotus, he sent someone to the western mountains to retrieve it posthaste. But when he presented the snow lotus to her, she frowned and said that though the lotus is beautiful, it easily withers, and the wilted flower holds no charm—bury it instead. Later he discovered she enjoyed the Plum Dance from Liuzhou Canglan, so he hired someone to teach her. Yet she sighed, saying that even if the dance is beautiful, learning it is futile when no one witnesses it. "How is it futile? You can dance it for me," he said, but she only smiled bitterly. Unknowingly, she had been in the mansion for over a month. She said she wanted to go out for a walk, and he allowed it, saying, "I will accompany you." "No need," she replied, and he did not insist. Outside the grand gate, the streets buzzed with noise. She wandered alone among various stalls, touching exquisite little trinkets but merely watching without buying anything. When she entered Moran Pavilion, she only intended to browse casually but was drawn to a hairpin. Still, she set it down and walked out of the shop.Returning to the mansion, it was already late at night. He had long been waiting for her by the garden gate, with a pile of items placed beside him. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be everything she had seen on the street, including that hibiscus hairpin. He placed it in her hair and said, 'Since you like it, why not buy it?'
'But it's just an inanimate object; whether to take it or not doesn't matter,' she said. He then smiled.
The following month, enemy troops invaded. He led his army to confront them, and this departure lasted for half a year. He fought fiercely against the enemy, only to end the campaign quickly and return to see her. When he triumphantly returned and rushed to the Qing Tan Garden to see her, he had expected at least a gentle smile, but what greeted him was a look of deep disgust in her eyes.
Later, he heard from the servants that during his absence, the Emperor had visited the mansion several times. Each time, everyone else was dismissed, but she still stayed in the garden. Hearing this, he became furious. For the first time, he struck her. He demanded that she tell him she had not been with the Emperor improperly. But she sneered and said, 'So what if I have? My heart has never belonged to you.'
That night, he stayed in the Qing Tan Garden and forced himself upon her. In the past, when she was unwilling, he would not insist. But now, everything could not be undone. Yet when he saw that streak of crimson on the bed curtains, his heart became unsettled.
She cried in utter misery...
From that point on, she would not speak to him for a long time, no matter how much he pampered her; he could not get even a single expression from her.
One day, she told him she wanted to go to Anyang. Overjoyed, he immediately prepared horses to travel south with her. Along the way, they admired flowers and watched the horses, enjoyed fragrances and tea. Finally, she laughed and her brows lifted in joy. He was even happier.
That trip lasted another half-year. When he returned to Huaiyang again, everything had changed completely. The once gold-inlaid and silver-plated Huaiwang Mansion was now empty. Yesterday's glory had become the past. He seemed to understand something suddenly, but it was too late.
Soldiers surged in from all directions, surrounding him completely. The Emperor slowly stepped out from among the crowd. He lifted his head high and stared directly at the former Prince of Huainan as if he were truly alive for the first time. 'Seize him,' he ordered. Many guards rushed forward.
He instinctively shielded her behind him, but felt a sharp pain in his back. He looked in disbelief as she drove a dagger into his body. What was even more ironic was that it was the very dagger he had once given her for self-defense.
'Imprison the Prince of Huainan in the death prison; execute him on a chosen day.'
It turned out that all of this had been the Emperor's plot. Ever since he had first seen her at the banquet, this had all been destined.It was said that she wanted him to accompany her south, but in reality, it was to divert him, so that the emperor could strip him of his power in the court. He never expected that she would turn out to be the emperor's greatest pawn placed by his side.