He Youxi's father was the chancellor, and her mother was the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family, the foremost of the four great families in the Great Rui Dynasty.
She had been raised by the empress since childhood and was adored by both the emperor and empress. In the palace, she could do whatever she pleased without restraint.
Yet this spoiled, willful darling of the heavens had a little secret.
She loved Mu Nanyue, the reclusive, cold, neglected Sixth Prince.
But every prince in the palace doted on her except Mu Nanyue, who was cold and distant and avoided her at every turn.
To get his attention, she bullied him and made things difficult for him at every opportunity. She even smashed a little wooden carving he'd made with his own hands to remember his late mother. In the end, after she framed him in a moment of childish mischief, the emperor sent him to the northwestern front to fight the Xiongnu...
Everyone thought he would never return, but over the next three years, he sent back one victory report after another from the northwest.
Three years later, he was named Prince An. His illustrious military achievements made him the first prince in the Great Rui Dynasty to command 800,000 troops in the northwest. He returned to the capital cloaked in glory.
Afraid Mu Nanyue would seek revenge, He Youxi tried her best to keep her distance.
Then an imperial decree arrived, betrothing her to Prince An.
On the day the decree was issued, Mu Nanyue personally went to the chancellor's residence to deliver it and cornered the trembling He Youxi in a garden.
His eyes were deep and cold. In a low, unhurried voice, he said, “He Youxi, it's time to settle our score.”
Like a frightened little rabbit, He Youxi shrank into the corner and asked in a quavering voice, “If I told you that I bullied you so much because I liked you, would you believe me?”
Mu Nanyue's gaze darkened. He lowered his head and kissed her clever little mouth. After a long moment, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and sighed softly. “I believe you.”
Because through all those bitter, freezing days in the northwest, you were my only light.
