Chapter 1: Farewell, Your Highness; Tonight I Set Sail

In the deep autumn evening, the waning moon shyly hid behind thick clouds. The night wind rose and fell, bringing an ever-deepening chill.

Within a magnificent mansion in the capital, a woman gasped for mercy as soft armor left red marks across the broad back of a man.

The man was relentless, indulging once more before reluctantly rising.

“Tomorrow morning, the bridal carriage will enter through the side gate of the prince’s residence. You dislike social engagements, so don’t force yourself. I will handle the guests,” he said.

Sensing the harshness in his tone, Fu Heng added, “Li’er, you are my one and only legitimate wife. The Princess of You will always be you.”

Chu Li propped her head up, her gaze drifting complicatedly over Fu Heng’s strong back—the very place marked by their passion, now suddenly seeming painfully glaring.

Noticing her look, Chu Li quickly suppressed the strange emotion in her brows and instead turned with a graceful posture, offering Fu Heng a sweet smile.

“I know, Your Highness. Li’er is not the jealous type; I will follow your arrangements.”

Fu Heng donned his outer garment. Seeing the smile on Chu Li’s face, indeed without a trace of jealousy, he finally felt at ease.

“Rest early.”

As he turned away, Chu Li’s smile faded, leaving only cold clarity in her eyes.

She watched coldly as the shadow outside the door receded, then calmly whispered into the empty air.

The next moment, her personal maid, Qiu Yi, entered with a bowl of medicine.

Chu Li took the bowl without hesitation and drank the entire potion in one gulp.

Seeing the moisture at the corner of the princess’s eye, Qiu Yi’s heart ached; it was clear she was hurting.

“Mistress, are you really sure? Why not speak to the prince again? He cares for you deeply. If you refuse, that woman definitely won’t enter the prince’s mansion.”

“Do you think my refusal can stop him from marrying that woman? Qiu Yi, you don’t understand men,” Chu Li said bitterly.

If he truly cared for her, none of this would have happened.

Who was Fu Heng? He was the war god of the Eastern Cang dynasty, a prince bestowed by the emperor himself.

If he didn’t want to, no one could force him.

Even when the emperor once wished to marry a princess to him, he refused outright, saying his beloved wife would be jealous. He had promised Li’er a lifetime together; no other woman would enter the mansion.

Back then, many noble women envied her, hoping to replace her.

But three months ago, a letter shattered Chu Li’s world, turning her into the laughingstock of the entire capital.

He said he had found a woman he must marry.

That single letter silenced all of Chu Li’s words.

What could she say? Throw a tantrum? Refuse stubbornly? She was not that kind of person.

Fu Heng knew she was no good at palace intrigues, yet he still forced a woman into their home.

What was this? A competition among women?

At that moment, Chu Li realized she could no longer serve this man.

The man who once swore eternal love to her no longer belonged solely to her.

Chu Li’s soul hailed from the modern world; monogamy was her unwavering principle. Sharing a husband? Not in her dreams.

Fu Heng might love her deeply, but he also loved another.

Such a man was no longer worth keeping. If so, then it was better to say goodbye without delay.

With these thoughts, Chu Li’s gaze hardened.

She swallowed the bitterness lingering on her lips—the lingering taste of their last embrace was already gone.

“Qiu Yi, pack our things. We’re leaving.”

Qiu Yi wanted to persuade her again but saw the cold resolve in her mistress’s eyes and fell silent.

The night deepened further. Chu Li gathered the bags she had packed in advance, glanced once more at the prince’s mansion where she had lived for three years, and vanished into the night with Qiu Yi.

Curfew was enforced in the capital; no one could leave the city.

Luckily, Chu Li had quietly purchased a small house in a secluded alley long ago under Qiu Yi’s name, just enough for one night.

“Mistress, where will we go once we leave the city? How will we survive?” Qiu Yi asked, restless in the humble room where they lay.

She had served the princess for three years and knew her to be the humblest mistress, never treating her as a mere servant. She had long pledged her loyalty.

Because of that, Qiu Yi felt the burden grow heavier.

She had to care for the princess and ensure she suffered no hardship!

But she also knew the princess had never lifted a hand, accustomed to luxury. The prince was wealthy beyond measure; the mansion’s coffers never lacked.

Qiu Yi was a lowly servant who had done rough work since childhood—she couldn’t possibly earn as much as the prince. She worried: would the princess have to starve?

Chu Li, however, was already eager to try.

Since leaving the mansion, she felt lighter, finally able to shed her facade and be her true self.

No one here knew she was the strongest occultist from the modern era. The past three years of the prince’s mansion had lulled her into laziness, hiding her talents.

In truth, since marrying into You Wang’s mansion, she had lived in indulgence, nearly wasting away.

Now, escaping the mansion was for the better. Hiding in that grand estate was no long-term plan.

The world was vast. At eighteen, Chu Li was ready for adventure!

“Don’t worry, Qiu Yi. Your mistress hides her true strength. I have many ways to make a living—we won’t starve.”

Qiu Yi was skeptical but dared not question further. She sensed something different about the princess since leaving the mansion, though she couldn’t pinpoint what.

***

The night passed quietly. No one in You Wang’s mansion noticed the princess had fled.

At dawn, the streets buzzed with activity.

“Ding dong ding—” The clamor of gongs filled the air.

“Good people! Today marks the grand wedding of the war god, Prince You! By the emperor’s decree, a three-day feast will be held throughout the city. Come secure a good spot!”

What?!

Chu Li awoke with a start, a shadow crossing her delicate face.

Just last night she had comforted her wounded heart, only to be shattered by this news.

How splendid! Even when she entered the mansion as the legitimate wife, there had been no such grand spectacle.

She wanted to see what sort of woman could claim such status.

“Qiu Yi, wake up! We’re going to the banquet!”

Qiu Yi was groggy, confused by this sudden urgency.

“What banquet? Aren’t we running away?”

Chu Li was already dressing, fueled by a fierce resolve.

Before leaving the city, she vowed to see with her own eyes the woman whose status rivaled hers.

No, this treatment had long surpassed hers.

She wanted to see if Fu Heng’s smile today was especially bright.

After all, what kind of man had she been lying with all these years?

Only now did Chu Li realize she might have known nothing of Fu Heng.

And he had never truly understood her, thinking her open-minded and unjealous?

Wrong! That was all an act!

Chu Li was fiercely possessive.

Half an hour later, in front of You Wang’s tightly shut gates, Chu Li, disguised, quickly set up a small stall.

Three bronze coins jingled in her hand.

“Come, come, fortune-telling and divination! Discover heaven’s secrets, turn misfortune to luck, defy fate! Don’t miss out…”

Passersby gawked in disbelief.

“Those two must be crazy! On the day of the war god’s wedding, they set up a stall right here.”

And it was a fortune-telling stall!