Volume 1, Chapter 5: The Conferral

The Taiji Hall was adorned with intricately carved beams and painted pillars, while massive palace lanterns hung high, illuminating the entire chamber.

Courtiers stood on either side of the hall. Two men stood at the forefront, and the man on the dragon throne listened to their conflicting arguments with an inscrutable, darkened expression.

"Your Majesty, the Hu are brutal; Lord Zhang likely does not understand this," Shen Yan said, his gaze sweeping coldly over the man beside him.

The Emperor cast his eyes toward the man below. "Lord Zhang, the Grand General has fought north and south and knows the Hu better than anyone. Even so, are you still insistent on sending an envoy?"

"I am," the man replied, neither servile nor overbearing.

"But knowing it is fraught with extreme danger, who would be willing to go?" the Emperor asked with a narrowed-eyed glare.

"I am willing to go myself!"

At that moment, the great hall doors opened, and the dawn light from the horizon poured in, draping over the man's upright figure.

"The Grand General and this lord are debating quite fiercely. May I ask where you intend to send someone?" a woman's voice echoed.

As the heavy doors swung wide, Ning Yunshu stepped out from the backlight, dressed in a vermillion palace gown. She walked straight toward the front of the hall, passing between Shen Yan and the other man.

She glanced sideways at the man. He was tall, elegant, and possessed a face as fine as jade. Despite having the alluring, foxy eyes of a seducer, his gaze held the cold clarity of distant stars, infused with the inherent gentleness of a scholar.

Clad in white robes, he stood in the hall. The morning sun cast a faint, ethereal glow over him, making him appear as pristine and unreachable as a flower atop a high, holy mountain. His unworldly air seemed utterly out of place in this palace of schemes and deception. The subtle, ascetic aura he exuded made Ning Yunshu feel that even walking past him was an act of desecration.

It was him...

She stopped before the dais and, as their eyes met, a faint, cold smile curled her lips.

The man’s previously cold gaze shifted the moment he looked at her. His star-like pupils contracted sharply, his face betraying an uncontainable expression of disbelief.

The courtiers began to whisper among themselves upon seeing Ning Yunshu.

Seven years had passed; most in the hall did not recognize her, though some veteran officials vaguely discerned her features, yet dared not believe it.

Rumors had been circulating in the capital for days that a beggar had blocked the road, claiming to be Princess Changle, and had been brought into the palace.

However, many days had passed, and the Emperor had not officially announced the Princess’s return. The true identity of the woman remained a mystery, and whether Princess Changle had truly returned was unknown.

Beside her, shock flickered in Shen Yan's deep eyes, though it was quickly replaced by confusion.

"Your daughter, Yunshu, pays respects to the Emperor, my father. Long live, long live, long live the Emperor!"

Ning Yunshu bowed low, pressing her forehead to the floor in a grand gesture of obeisance.

The hall fell deathly silent.

Yunshu! That was the name of the Princess Changle who had been sent away seven years ago for a marriage alliance with the Xiongnu!

She had actually returned!

On the dais, the Emperor gripped the arms of the dragon throne tightly before slowly relaxing his hold, his eyes darkening.

"Why have you come here, Shuer?" his majestic voice carried a note of questioning and displeasure.

Ning Yunshu lowered her head. "Seven years have passed, and I have missed my father every day. I have been back for several days, but only today did my health improve, so I could not wait to pay my respects. I have violated the rules, and I am willing to accept punishment!"

Hearing this, the Emperor’s eyes softened slightly, and he sighed helplessly, looking at the thin, fragile figure kneeling in the hall, who seemed as though a gust of wind could blow her over.

"Yes, it has been a full seven years... Look up and let me see you."

Ning Yunshu raised her eyes toward the dais.

At the mere sight, the Emperor and the ministers all gasped.

With that sallow, emaciated face, it was hard to imagine she was a princess.

The Emperor was momentarily struck dumb. In his memory, Shuer had been a plump, cherubic girl with eyes as bright as jewels. But the person before him now had hollowed cheeks, dull, lifeless eyes, and a skeletal frame not even half of what it had been before she left the palace.

She had suffered greatly in these seven years, but that was no reason for her to appear here like this!

The Emperor's gaze turned even more sinister.

"Ah, the Princess has returned safely! It is truly the blessing of our Great Su! Welcome back, Princess! Congratulations, Your Majesty!" The Prime Minister was the first to react, stepping forward and kneeling with a loud shout.

Except for Shen Yan and the man in white, the other officials followed suit, kneeling in unison: "Welcome back, Princess! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

To any observer, this appeared to be a touching scene of a father and daughter reunited.

Ning Yunshu looked straight at the man on the throne, lifting a faint, tearful smile.

A reunion? Touching? She doubted the man on the throne felt that way.

She had been back in the palace for days; did the man on the dragon throne not know?

Yet, he had never appeared, nor had he announced her return—his intentions were clear.

For a princess sent for a marriage alliance to escape and return on her own, if the news spread, the royal family would lose all face.

She knew exactly what he was thinking.

The dignity of the Emperor of Great Su was not a trivial matter. If she did not take the initiative, she would likely be met with a decree to send her back to the Xiongnu, or perhaps a cup of poisoned wine.

The Emperor's face grew increasingly gloomy and inscrutable. He locked eyes with Ning Yunshu, his sharp gaze attempting to pierce through her. Her eyes brimmed with tears, appearing aggrieved, yet a smile played on her lips, suggesting she was in control of the situation.

For a moment, he found he could not quite read her.

"Father," Ning Yunshu spoke again, her gaze shifting slowly toward Shen Yan, who remained standing. "That I am fortunate enough to return is entirely thanks to General Shen Yan, who defeated the Xiongnu in the battle of Changlong and rescued me. I beg Father to reward him for his service!"

Both Shen Yan and the Emperor froze. She was exactly as she had been seven years ago—lies flowed from her lips without hesitation!

The courtiers waited in confusion for the two men to speak. A princess who had been married off for seven years had returned inexplicably; there had to be an explanation for the officials and the common people.

The Emperor’s brows furrowed. If he told the world his daughter had suffered unspeakable torture in the Xiongnu territory and was not brought back in glory after a victory, but rather escaped on her own, would it not make them a laughingstock?

They would mock him as an incompetent Emperor and the Great Su as a weak nation!

He would never allow such a thing!

With that thought, he looked at Shen Yan with a heavy gaze.

As Shen Yan met Ning Yunshu’s eyes, he saw a cunning glint in them—an expression he had never seen on her face seven years ago.

The person before him now made him feel like a stranger.

Coming to his senses, he knelt before the throne, knowing exactly the answer the Emperor required.

"Your Majesty, the Hu are ambitious and have repeatedly harassed the Great Su. The marriage alliance agreement was long since broken. I took the opportunity of the Xiongnu's defeat to bring the Princess home! This was my duty; I dare not claim credit!"

The Emperor’s expression turned solemn as he looked at Ning Yunshu. "The Xiongnu are treacherous and unworthy of an alliance with Great Su! I am deeply relieved by Shuer's return!"

"Someone, draft a decree to inform the world: Princess Changle has returned from her marriage alliance with merit and is hereby granted the title of Grand Princess. Bestow upon her one thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and one hundred bolts of silk and satin! The Grand General is rewarded for his meritorious rescue with a scroll of iron and cinnabar to honor his distinguished service!"

He would let the world know this was the rightful narrative! Even if the Xiongnu thieves spread any other rumors, they would be dismissed as mere slander!

Shen Yan was stunned. A scroll of iron and cinnabar—cast in iron with cinnabar script—could exempt one from the death penalty and ensure the family’s prosperity forever!

"Your Majesty, I..."

The refusal caught in his throat.

He could not refuse. Ning Yunshu’s words had pushed him to the forefront; if he accepted that he had rescued her, he was guilty of deceiving the Emperor. If he denied it, he would be trampling on the dignity of the royal family.

So that was why she offered the immunity scroll.

He understood now and bowed his head. "I thank you for your great grace!"

"Father's grace is boundless, I thank you!" Ning Yunshu said, shedding tears.

The Emperor took a deep breath and said coldly, "You may all rise."

Ning Yunshu stood up, bowing her head to wipe the tears from her eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Zhang Zhiqi, you shall handle the arrangements for the Grand Princess's return to the palace!" The Emperor, having lost the patience he displayed during the morning court, waved his hand at the man who had stood in the hall throughout the entire ordeal. "As for the matter of the Hu, we shall discuss it another day!"

Ning Yunshu looked at that man again. He stood in the bright morning sun like an immortal detached from the world, bowing slightly toward the dais with a cold, clear voice: "I accept the decree."

So his name was Zhang Zhiqi... She had traveled with him back then; she remembered his handsome face, but she had never known his name.

Ning Yunshu’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"If there is nothing else, the court is dismissed."

The crowd began to disperse.

Ning Yunshu watched the white silhouette turn to leave and started to follow.

"Shuer, stay behind," the Emperor’s sharp gaze landed on her.

She could only watch the man walk away from the corner of her eye, bowing and responding, "Yes."