Hidden Mountains and Rivers

“Tan has been dead for five years. You went mad for three, then spent two years plotting revenge. Now that your vengeance is complete, you’re going to marry a dead man?” In the history books, she is Zhang, the fourteenth daughter of the family, and the ghost-marriage bride of Prince Jianning. They first met six years ago, on a hunting ground. He shot an arrow into a tiger’s eye, wearing a pig mask, with several masked boys beside him. At the time, he was Prince Jianning of the Eastern Palace. Everyone said he had Emperor Taizong’s bearing, but his heart was set on the martial world. Fourteenth Lady was a princess held hostage by the emperor, ordered to enter the Eastern Palace and learn courtly etiquette. When they met again, he had a terrible scar on his face. He had crawled out of a pile of corpses and watched helplessly as his mentor was killed. The splendor and bustle of Chang’an vanished overnight, turning their fates upside down. The red he wore was dazzling, just as it had been when they first met on the hunting ground long ago. “Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.” Li Tan lowered his head. The man stood before everyone once more. Drawing his sword, he swore, “Today, I ask you all to witness my marriage to Fourteenth Lady. I, Li Tan, will marry no one but her in this life. For her alone, I vow to protect the Great Tang!” “My husband risked his life for the Great Tang time and time again. Though he doesn’t care about his posthumous reputation, as his wife, I do!” Looking into Li Jingzhong’s despairing eyes, she said softly, “Li Jingzhong, it’s time for you to join the late emperor.” The next day, the servants went to call Li Jingzhong and found him dead in his room. Throughout the streets and alleys of Chang’an, everyone saw the thousand-character text engraved with his confession. The people cried, “Prince Jianning was framed!”