A Si grew up in Wanyue Court. To her, the small, square courtyard was the whole world.
Then one day, she woke to mountains of corpses and a sea of people. Her older brother and the nanny were nowhere to be seen. In the thick fog, she encountered a terrifying man.
Over time, he taught her to write and paint, and took her to see sights she had never seen before.
Later, she was told that she was a spy, sent to take his life.
A Si was someone Li Chonghe had picked up on a whim. He tossed her into the prince's manor and promptly forgot all about her.
Later, when A Si fell into the water and lay pitifully in bed, he wasn't exactly moved. He thought, "She survived a close call, and still has enough energy to be greedy for food. I might as well keep her in this little courtyard. We won't have anything to do with each other in the future anyway."
She was emotionally stunted and empty-headed. Her words and actions were no different from those of a six-year-old child. Their minds were worlds apart. When she was quiet, Li Chonghe saw her as a flower carefully cultivated in a greenhouse, or a toy he could amuse himself with now and then.
Even with her exceptional looks, to him she was simply pleasing to the eye.
Later, Li Chonghe decided A Si's presence was insignificant, but better than nothing, so he let her stay.
Later still, he thought, Since she more or less suits my tastes, what's the harm in keeping her for the rest of my life?
Just as he was about to petition the throne for an unexpected title for her, he learned she was a spy, one trained specifically for him.
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Theme: Have the courage to pursue the light
