Zhou imperial capital.

Early in the morning, just as daybreak was rising, the common people in the imperial capital woke up.

Every face carried joy, as if it were the New Year.

There was no other reason.

Today was His Majesty’s wedding grand ceremony.

Leaving aside the fact that, starting today, for the next three years Great Zhou would celebrate as a realm, with taxes reduced by half—this alone was something worth being happy about.

Just the desire to join in the excitement was also part of human nature.

If you did not watch the royal wedding procession, who knew how long it would be until the next one?

So the common people hurriedly rose early and took their places along both sides of the streets the wedding procession would pass.

The peddlers and stall vendors also hurried to prepare their goods and go out to sell.

At the same time.

In a small village far out on the outskirts of the imperial capital, it seemed even livelier than the Zhou imperial capital itself.

Yesterday evening, the village men had just returned from spring plowing when they saw government soldiers guarding the village entrance.

At first, they thought someone from their village had committed some offense.

But the moment they drew close, they were each stuffed with two red envelopes.

Only then did they learn that a rich young lady was getting married.

That only left them more confused.

In their remote little village, where would a rich young lady come from?

Even if someone in the village had made it big, didn’t they all move into the imperial capital?

How could anyone come back to the village?

The village men were curious, and the women were even more curious.

But even the most gossipy, most nosy women, after they asked a little, did not dare to dig deeper.

The village head said nothing at all, only saying, “That person in our village is of extraordinary nobility.”

And it was inside a shabby little courtyard in this village called Lion Bridge Village—

Yan Ruxue woke early.

After Spring Swallow attended to her young lady’s washing and grooming, the palace maids from the imperial palace hurried forward to dress Yan Ruxue in her wedding robes and put on her jewelry.

After everything was in place,

Yan Ruxue sat before the dressing table, and the palace maids took up rouge and cosmetics, carefully applying them to the future noble consort.

Madam Yan and the maid Spring Swallow watched from the side with full attention.

Spring Swallow felt that her young lady was simply too beautiful.

Her young lady was already as beautiful as an immortal maiden.

Now, her young lady was even more beautiful than an immortal maiden.

Sure enough—

“A woman’s most beautiful clothing is red.”

That line truly was not mere talk.

It was just that Spring Swallow could not understand why her young lady insisted on getting married in this village.

Not only Spring Swallow—Yan Ruxue’s mother, Madam Yan, also did not understand why her daughter chose this village.

Madam Yan only knew that she and her daughter often came to a lakeside outside this village to stroll in spring.

Because it was close, and because the village customs were simple and honest, and the scenery truly was good—summer also made for a fine place to escape the [N O V E L I G H T] heat.

So Madam Yan simply bought a courtyard in this village.

It was the very courtyard they were in now.

Back when she bought the courtyard, some amusing things happened.

Madam Yan still remembered that she and her daughter wandered around the village looking for a suitable place, and her daughter brought her to this empty courtyard where nobody lived.

This courtyard sat at the edge of the village, beside a mountain called Snake Mountain.

Madam Yan liked it at once and wanted to buy it.

But when the village head of Lion Bridge Village heard, he looked troubled.

He said things like, “By ancestral instruction, this courtyard cannot be sold,” and, “This courtyard is the village’s foundation.”

In the end, the village head of Lion Bridge Village was nearly crying, saying, “I beg you, my lady, do not make things hard for this old man. Other than this courtyard, you may build a courtyard anywhere you like.”

Madam Yan was not some overbearing tyrant.

Seeing an elderly man well past seventy weeping with tears and snot, she thought to let it go.

But the next day, the village head of Lion Bridge Village personally went into the city to visit the Yan Residence and said that courtyard could be sold.

When Madam Yan asked why, the village head said he had dreamed of the ancestors last night, and the ancestors had entrusted him in a dream that the courtyard could be sold.

Madam Yan had no way to know whether the village head was deliberately raising the price, but in the end she still bought the courtyard.

“Could it be that, because Ruxue often came here to escape the heat when she was little and has feelings for this place, she thinks she will never come again after entering the palace, so she wants to marry here and take one last look at childhood memories?”

Looking at her daughter in the dressing mirror, Madam Yan thought this.

But for her daughter’s suggestion, Madam Yan and her husband Yan Zhen did not refuse.

Because in their hearts, sending their daughter into the palace already made them feel they had wronged her.

If their daughter wanted to marry here, so what?

So on the day before the wedding, Madam Yan followed her daughter to this village and decorated the courtyard.

After the palace maids finished Yan Ruxue’s makeup and set her head ornaments, Madam Yan stepped forward, took the comb, and combed from the roots of her daughter’s hair to the ends, one stroke after another.

“One comb to the end—husband and wife to white hair.”

“Two combs to the end—no illness and no sorrow.”

“Three combs to the end—many children and long life.”

Madam Yan finished combing her daughter’s hair and gently helped her up. She studied her daughter who was about to marry, her eyes brimming with faint tears.

“Beautiful. Truly beautiful.”

“My daughter, from this day forward you will enter the palace. Once you enter the imperial palace, you must behave properly, take good care of yourself, take good care of His Majesty, help him carry his burdens, understand?”

“I understand, Mother. Rest assured. Your daughter will take good care of herself, and she will also take good care of His Majesty.” Yan Ruxue nodded.

“Mm.” Madam Yan looked at her daughter with unwillingness to part. “You have been obedient and well-behaved since you were little, kind-hearted. In the imperial palace, we are not fixated on the position of empress. If you cannot obtain it, then let it go. As long as you are safe and well, everything can be discussed. Be generous to the servants as well, do you hear me?”

“I hear you.” Yan Ruxue answered.

“Alright.” Madam Yan wiped the corner of her eyes. “Mother will go busy herself with other matters first. Sit here for now. When the auspicious hour comes, we will come to call you.”

“Yes, Mother.” Yan Ruxue nodded.

Not long after, Madam Yan led the palace maids out, leaving only Spring Swallow to attend Yan Ruxue.

“Young Lady, you are so beautiful.”

Spring Swallow stepped forward, her eyes sparkling brightly.

“Beautiful?” The corner of Yan Ruxue’s lips lifted slightly, carrying a light smile.

Spring Swallow nodded hard. “Beautiful, Young Lady! Truly too beautiful! Today, with Young Lady in red, there is not a single woman under heaven who can compare to you.”

“You little girl—your mouth is still as sweet as ever.” Yan Ruxue tapped her forehead.

“It’s not!” Spring Swallow puffed her cheeks. “This maid is only speaking the truth.”

As she spoke, Spring Swallow’s lips carried a smug smile.

“His Majesty and Young Lady already knew each other long ago. His Majesty definitely has a good impression of Young Lady. This time, when Young Lady enters the palace, if His Majesty learns that the woman he met before was Young Lady, he will surely be overjoyed. And today Young Lady is even more beautiful than an immortal maiden—His Majesty definitely will not be able to bear leaving your room tonight.”

“What nonsense are you saying? You’re improper all day long.” Yan Ruxue pinched Spring Swallow’s cheek.

When Yan Ruxue had been learning palace etiquette, those lady-officials also taught Yan Ruxue certain matters of the bedchamber. Spring Swallow listened from the side the entire time.

She had blushed crimson back then, yet later she went out of her way to buy romance storybooks and erotic picture-scrolls.

That left Yan Ruxue rather helpless.

“Heeheehee.” Hearing her young lady scold her, Spring Swallow only gave a playful smile.

“Come. Go with me into the courtyard to get some air.” Yan Ruxue said.

“Yes, Young Lady. Slow down.” Spring Swallow hurried to support her young lady. They left the room and went out into the courtyard.

Sitting on a stone stool, Yan Ruxue looked at the courtyard hung with red lanterns and decorated with festive joy, a gentle light gathering in her eyes.

“Oh, right, Young Lady. Is there something special about this place? Why did Young Lady choose to marry here?” Spring Swallow asked curiously.

“Special... not really, I suppose. But there is a story.” Yan Ruxue sat with her knees together, small hands resting on her lap, lowering her head to look at her red robes, a soft smile at her lips.

“What story?” Spring Swallow grew even more curious.

“This village—there is a rumor that, tens of thousands of years ago, it lay within the territory of Ancient Qin. And not far from here, our Zhou imperial capital was the capital of Ancient Qin back then.”

“After that, when Ancient Qin fell, the years kept changing without pause. As dynasties rose and fell, the old capital of Ancient Qin vanished long ago, and this place became an ordinary land.”

“And later, about ten thousand years ago, a few great dynasties appeared again beneath all laws. Qi was one of them, and this place belonged to Qi’s territory.”

Yan Ruxue lifted her eyes. In her beautiful peach-blossom eyes, a trace of remembrance flickered.

“This village was in Qi’s Jiangnan Prefecture. It is said that this village was not called Lion Bridge Village, but Stone Bridge Village—stone as in rock.”

The woman lifted a lotus-white arm, her fingers extending from her red sleeve, pointing to a mountain not far away.

“And that mountain was not called Snake Mountain, but She Mountain—like the character for ‘surplus,’ but without the inch stroke, and pronounced the same as ‘snake.’”

“In the legends, there was a young man in Stone Bridge Village. When he went up the mountain, he saved a white snake.”

“After healing the white snake, the young man released her back to the forest. And the white snake had already gained spiritual awareness. She cultivated diligently, transformed into human form, and wished to repay that young man’s kindness.”

“And though that young man lived in hardship since childhood, he studied diligently, wanting to pass the examinations, gain rank, and become a great official.”

Hearing her young lady tell such a novel story, Spring Swallow hurried to sit beside her and asked curiously, “Young Lady, Young Lady, then what?”

“Then, that little white snake’s cultivation talent was actually decent. Before long she transformed into human form and became a little girl, waiting for him on the mountain.”

As she spoke, a faint smile rose at Yan Ruxue’s lips. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“At first, the little girl thought her transformation was flawless, that he surely could not tell. But in truth, the little boy had already seen through it.”

“But the little boy did not ask, and so she did not speak.”

“And later, the little girl followed the little boy down the mountain. The two of them relied on each other and grew up together from childhood.”

“The little white snake changed from a girl into a young maiden, and then from a young maiden into a woman.”

“The boy went from a cattle-herding child to passing the first examination, and from that to passing the provincial examination.”

“And the two of them gradually grew affectionate. The man told the woman that when he returned from going to the capital for the metropolitan examination, he would marry her.”

“She said she would wait for him to return—wait for ten miles of red wedding finery, wait for him in splendid clothes astride a swift horse.”

At that point, Yan Ruxue’s voice paused. She did not continue, only gazing into the distance.

“Young Lady, in the end, did the young man and the white snake end up together?” Spring Swallow grew anxious without a conclusion.

“You guess.” Yan Ruxue smiled gently and flicked Spring Swallow’s forehead.

“Ah, Young Lady, how can you do that? There’s no such thing as leaving me hanging like this.” Spring Swallow puffed her cheeks.

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you later. The auspicious hour will be soon. Go wait at the village entrance. I want to be alone for a while.” Yan Ruxue smiled.

“Alright, then this maid will go wait at the village entrance for the palace procession. Young Lady, you must finish the story for me later.” Spring Swallow acted spoiled.

“Mm.” Yan Ruxue nodded.

Only after her young lady agreed did Spring Swallow leave the courtyard.

In the courtyard, only Yan Ruxue remained.

She stood and ran her fingers along the old courtyard wall, looking at the newly hung red lanterns.

This small courtyard had been repaired who knew how many times, rebuilt who knew how many times.

But the courtyard’s appearance—though it had passed through about ten thousand years of time—had never changed.

Before the woman’s eyes, it was as if she saw a man reading in the courtyard, while a woman rolled up her sleeves, wrung out freshly washed clothes, gave them a light shake, and hung them on a bamboo pole.

And just as the woman was recalling scene after scene treasured deep within memory, a bit of movement came from outside the courtyard.

The woman drew back her thoughts and looked beyond the courtyard.

Under a tree, three little boys and two little girls were hiding behind it, peeking curiously at Yan Ruxue.

When the five children realized that the pretty big sister had noticed them, they panicked at once and wanted to run.

“Do you want candy?” Yan Ruxue smiled gently at them.

The children looked at each other, then jostled one another as they stepped out from the grass and into the courtyard.

“We do,” the five children said in a line, the oldest no more than six.

“Wait a moment.”

Yan Ruxue went into the room, and soon came back out carrying a porcelain plate.

She smoothed her skirt, crouched down, and personally stuffed wedding sweets into their pockets until they were full.

Looking at big sister’s gentle expression, the little girl named Huang Ju said with shining eyes, “Big Sister, you’re so pretty.”

“Yeah, Big Sister.” The little boy named Liu Nian sniffed, snot hanging at his nose. “Big Sister, you’re prettier than my mom.”

“Thank you.” Yan Ruxue rubbed their little heads.

“Why is Big Sister here all alone?” five-year-old Qian Qianqian asked curiously.

“Because,” Yan Ruxue’s eyes curved, “Big Sister is waiting for someone.”

“Waiting for someone?” The little boy who was also five did not understand.

“Yes.” Yan Ruxue nodded. “Big Sister is waiting for someone to come marry me.”

“Then did Big Sister wait long enough?” the little girl asked.

“I did.”

Yan Ruxue gently stroked the girl’s hair. In her mind, a figure in a blue scholar’s robe appeared, and she spoke softly to herself.

“Big Sister...”

“I’m getting married.”