Has Third Prince Returned Today?

At Tian A Lin's most wretched moment, a pair of exquisite cloud-patterned boots stopped in front of her. A Lin let out a startled cry and bowed her head even lower. She had just been beaten and looked awful from crying. If she upset this noble young man, she'd suffer even more later.

Unexpectedly, the sapphire-blue brocade embroidered with drifting clouds and a gentle breeze came to rest in the mud. A clean, pale hand reached out to A Lin. "What is your name?"

Tian A Lin didn't dare take his hand. Her hands were covered in marks from the rules she had been punished with. She could only mumble, "A Lin." Her voice was so soft that the boy might not have heard her.

"A Lin? That's a lovely name. In Manchu, it means the strength of mountains and rivers."

The boy tightened his grip and pulled A Lin up from the filthy mud. Only then did she see that he had eyes as clear and bright as water.

Those eyes would haunt A Lin for the rest of her life.

[Yin Zhi's perspective]

"A Lin, don't worry. I'll make you happy." The boy made the solemn promise to the girl.

His side consort, who had given birth many times and lost children, smiled brightly at him and curtsied. "My lord, you speak too highly of me. How could this servant dare complain?"

"Jilan has always remembered what the primary consort told me back then."

The woman, long past her youth, repeated the primary consort's words, one by one:

"A Lin is too common a name."

"It's not a name befitting a princess."

"Let's call her Jilan."

"A loving mother, a gentle wife."

Side Consort Tian Jilan told Yin Zhi that meeting him had already been a blessing across three lifetimes. What did it matter if she had to make a few sacrifices for him?

Her gaze was so full of affection, just like her name. Yin Zhi had already turned away, unable to face those tear-filled eyes.

Theme: Study history, understand the objective laws of the world, and unite knowledge with action