Qing Dynasty, Year 1700, Feiyan

“Your Highness.” Feiyan was drawn from her recollections of meeting Yixing by the voice of a maid. She turned to see that a young girl standing nearby, her head bowed respectfully. Feiyan raised an eyebrow as she noticed that the maid was wearing the uniform of Mentality Hall, the emperor’s personal hall.

“Is my father looking for me?” She asked. The maid nodded.

“His Majesty told me to inform you that a group of foreign envoys will be arriving at the palace soon from Xinjiang.” She said, “His Majesty would like you to prepare to greet them in a few days.” Feiyan frowned, sensing that there was something more to the announcement.

“My father certainly did not send you all the way here just to tell me a group of yet to arrive visitors will be here soon.” She noted, “If that was all there was, he could have told me himself over dinner. What else is there to it?” Feiyan thought for a moment before realizing what else could have been going on.

“There is a prince among the envoys, isn’t there?” She asked. The maid smiled and bobbed her head.

“Yes, Your Highness.” The girl replied, “The second prince of Xinjiang is traveling here as well.” Feiyan exchanged a glance with Yixing and sighed.

“Not this again…” She grumbled, “If you are here to help me prepare an outfit for that day, you can turn around and tell Royal Father to forget it. I will not be seeing this prince, whoever he is.” The maid opened to protest, but Feiyan raised a hand to cut her off.

“I have no interest in meeting with a foreign prince.” She said firmly, “I am not getting married anytime soon, no matter what anyone says!”

“Even if I tell you to?” An older male voice interjected, and Feiyan’s eyes widened as a figure clothed in golden robes stepped into the garden.

“Royal Father.” She greeted, dipping into a quick curtsey with a toss of her handkerchief over her shoulder. Emperor Kangxi looked at Feiyan disapprovingly.

“Rongxian, you are of the age to be married.” He said, “Many of your sisters were married long before your current age. The second prince is a multitalented warrior and the most favored son for the throne. He lacks in nothing compared to you.” Feiyan pouted and ran forward to latch onto her father’s arm.

“But Papa, I don’t want to leave you yet!” She whined, “What would you ever do without me? I am your favorite little sparrow, aren’t I?” Emperor Kangix chuckled and patted Feiyan on the hand.

“You are, my little one.” He replied, “But all women must find their perfect match, and I am certain this prince is the one for you. It is high time that you settle down.” Feiyan pouted and let go of her father’s arm.

“I am not seeing him!” She stated firmly, hands on her hips.

“You will be seeing him.” The emperor replied just as firmly, “No questions asked, Rongxian.” Feiyan huffed and hurried over to Yixing.

“You can’t make me!” She said stubbornly as she ducked behind Yixing and peeked out from behind his back.

“Princess, please don’t be like this.” Yixing whispered, “You’re going to put me in a difficult spot!” Feiyan pouted as she looked up at him.

“Who is your master?” She hissed. Yixing raised an eyebrow.

“The emperor is my ultimate master.” He replied smoothly. Feiyan glared up at him and tightened her grasp on his arm.

“Well, you are my bodyguard, not his!” She snapped under her breath, “Now get me out of here!” An elegantly dressed woman stepped out from behind Emperor Kangxi. She was dressed in a forest green dress made from fine silk decorated with delicate silver swirls sewn into the fabric, her elaborate hairstyle and entourage of maids marking her status as a high ranked concubine.

“Rongxian, you should listen to your father.” She said, “He only wants the best for you.” Feiyan’s eyes narrowed, a slight snarl turning up the corner of her lips.

“You have no right to tell me what to do.” She stated coldly, “I will not listen to a witch who seduced my father.” Imperial Noble Consort Wen Zhiyu was currently Emperor Kangxi’s favorite consort, and at the young age of 22 already held the sole Imperial Noble Consort position, which made her the de facto head of the inner harem, all within six years of entering the harem. With a healthy three year old son and another child on the way, Wen Zhiyu’s position of power was unshakable. Personally, Feiyan struggled to find any reason to like the woman. She found it disgusting that her father was lavishing all his affection on a woman who was barely older than Feiyan herself. Wen Zhiyu’s power had grown so quickly, the only way to explain it was she had caught the emperor’s attention once and she had used that chance to seduce the emperor. While Feiyan was quite aware of how women obtained power in the harem, that didn’t mean she had to like the Imperial Noble Consort. Besides that, Feiyan’s birth mother, Consort Rong, had befriended Wen Zhiyu not long after she arrived in the harem but Consort Rong died just over a year later. While the death had been chalked up to illness, Feiyan had always felt like there was more to it than she had been told.

“Rongxian!” Emperor Kangxi rebuked warningly, “Do not be rude! Zhiyu is the highest ranked concubine in the harem, you should be referring to her as ‘Mother’!” Feiyan felt a growl rise in as she clenched her hands tightly into fists. Yixing’s hand closed over her wrist, and she looked up to see him giving her a warning look.

Don’t be rash, his eyes said. Feiyan sighed deeply and leveled her glare at Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

“Imperial Noble Consort Wen.” She said coolly, drawing out her pronunciation of the title into a slight sneer, “I am an eighteen year old princess. I am quite certain of what I am doing. Your advice is quite unnecessary.” She bobbed into a mocking curtsey, then turned sharply on her heel and walked towards her quarters.

“Rongxian!” She heard the emperor call after her, but refused to turn around until she entered her rooms, the soft swish of footsteps behind her telling her that Yixing was right behind her. Feiyan frowned and crossed her arms.

“If Royal Father thinks he can send me off to be married into some distant land, he is quite mistaken.” She grumbled.

“I think the emperor will have the best plans in place for you, My Lady.” Yixing replied mildly. Feiyan huffed and swiveled around to look up at him.

“Could you bear to see me married off into a faraway foreign land, Yixing?” She demanded. An odd unfamiliar look flashed through Yixing’s gaze at her question, but it settled into his usual calm smile before Feiyan could place what the emotion had been.

“No matter where My Lady goes, I will certainly go with you.” He replied. Feiyan grinned playfully up at him.

“Oh?” She teased, “Yixing, how far are you willing to go with me?” Yixing thought for a moment before smiling warmly.

“Until the ends of the earth, My Lady.” He answered.

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A few days later, Yixing

As Yixing accompanied Princess Feiyan back from giving the emperor his morning greetings, she looked at the ground and giggled softly. He turned to peer curiously at the young princess.

“What is it, My Lady?” He asked. Princess Feiyan pointed at the ground to where their shadows were stretched out next to each other in the morning sun. Usually, soldiers were supposed to walk behind their masters, but the princess had long given permission for Yixing to walk next to her instead of behind. Princess Feiyan tilted her head slightly so that her shadow looked like it was resting its head on his shoulder without her physically touching him.

“I looks like I’m leaning on you.” She giggled. Yixing smiled and chuckled softly. While the princess could be headstrong, she was amused by the smallest things. It was one of the things that made her so endearing.

“Yixing.” Princess Feiyan said suddenly, “I feel safe just by seeing your shadow next to me. Please make sure our shadows are always like this.” Yixing smiled warmly at her.

“Of course, My Lady.” He said, “Why do you suddenly say that?” The princess simply smiled and shook her head. Yixing of course, knew what she had to be thinking then. The emperor had mentioned marriage again that morning, and both Yixing and Princess Feiyan knew that the topic could only be avoided for so long. The princess was beautiful and known throughout the country as the emperor’s favorite daughter; even if she could avoid one potential husband, there would be plenty more to come. Marriage would be a large change for the young princess. As the duo returned to Princess Feiyan’s palace, an unfamiliar figure standing by the large oak tree in the courtyard caught Yixing’s attention. His senses immediately went onto high alert, and his grip tightened on his sword as he held out an arm to stop Princess Feiyan from walking any further forward. She looked up at him in confusion before Yixing nodded towards the unfamiliar man by the tree.The stranger wore a style of dress that was unfamiliar to Yixing, and he had certainly never seen the man around the palace before.

“Who are you?” Princess Feiyan called out. The man turned and smiled broadly upon seeing the princess.

“Princess Feiyan?” He asked. Princess Feiyan huffed and crossed her arms.

“That’s me.” She replied, “And you are currently trespassing in my palace. Who are you?” The man stepped forward quickly towards the princess, but Yixing quickly stopped forward to block him with a hand to the chest. Yixing’s gaze narrowed as he scrutinized the man closely. He was too forward, too unfamiliar, and it set Yixing on edge. The man looked at him briefly before smiling and taking a step back in understanding.

“My apologies for not introducing myself first.” He said, “I am Second Prince Galdan of Xinjiang. I wanted to meet Your Highness when I first arrived, but was told that you had refused. I wanted to meet Your Highness very much though, so I took the initiative to come here.” Princess Feiyan raised an eyebrow as she looked at the prince.

“Is it customary in Xinjiang to enter an unmarried woman’s home without announcing himself first?” She asked. The prince smiled in embarrassment and ducked his head politely.

“My apologies, Your Highness. I simply could not think of another way to see you.” He replied. Princess Feiyan sighed and curtseyed politely to the foreign prince.

“Well Second Prince, you have now seen me.” She said, “I have told my father that I do not intend to marry yet, which is why I did not want to see you. Good day, Your Highness.” Princess Feiyan made to walk around the foreign prince to return to her chambers, but the young man stepped to the side to block her path.

“May I at least converse with Your Highness for a little while longer?” He asked, “I know nothing about the Qing kingdom, and there are few people I know that are of my age. In return, I can tell Your Highness about Xinjiang.” Yixing saw Princess Feiyan wavering; without even trying, the foreign prince had hit directly on what the princess liked most: hearing about the outside world. She looked up at Yixing questioningly, but he only smiled faintly and ducked his head. In the end, it was the princess’s choice to make; he could only stand next to her and make sure she was unharmed. Princess Feiyan crossed her arms and levelled her gaze at Prince Galdan.

“Well, I suppose I could spare a little time to listen to some stories.” She conceded.

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What was supposed to be a little time turned out to be hours, as one story turned into another. When the prince offered to show Princess Feiyan little trinkets he had from Xinjiang, she was more than happy to oblige. Her thinly veiled hostility and disinterest in the foreign prince disappeared in the sea of exciting stories about Xinjiang, but along with it came Yixing’s heightened wariness. Prince Galdan was certainly charming, handsome, and had a way of speaking that drew the listener in to his every word. The princess’s guard was going down far too easily and far too quickly, causing Yixing’s suspicions to increase just as quickly. Princess Feiyan was young and innocent, inexperienced with what the world could plot against her, and that made her a very vulnerable target for those scheming to obtain power. Why was the prince so intent on getting close to Princess Feiyan? There were plenty of other princesses of marriage age in the palace. Was it really just because Emperor Kangxi had mentioned Princess Feiyan’s name? By the end of the day, Princess Feiyan had already made arrangements to speak with Prince Galdan again, and he had promised to show her some of the sports that they played in Xinjiang.

“My Lady.” Yixing said as he approached the princess after she had walked the prince to the door. She turned and smiled up at him, her eyes still sparkling from the stories she had heard.

“Yes Yixing?” Princess Feiyan asked. Yixing gazed for a long moment at her happy expression, and almost couldn’t bring himself to bring up his suspicions. But then, he reminded himself of his ultimate duty and forced himself to speak.

“Please be careful around that prince.” Yixing said, “It would not be a good idea to trust him too quickly.” Princess Feiyan tilted her head curiously.

“Why not?” She asked, “He seems like a good person.” Yixing’s gazed narrowed as he looked over at the prince’s receding figure.

“Looks can be deceiving, My Lady.” He said, “He is so insistent on speaking with you and overly friendly. I do not trust him.” Princess Feiyan shook her head and smiled brightly at Yixing.

“Do not worry so much, Yixing!” She declared, “He is a kind man, I just know it! Even if I do not want to marry him, we can still be friends!” She patted Yixing on the arm and skipped off back to her chambers, leaving Yixing by the door. He sighed deeply as he watched her hum a happy tune before closing the doors behind her.

“I hope you are right.” He said softly.

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A few days later, Yixing found himself walking in a position he thought he had long abandoned: behind Princess Feiyan. The princess barely seemed to notice the difference; her eyes were glued to Prince Galdan walking next to her as they walked towards the sports field where he would show her a tradition Xinjiang sport. Whatever it was that he was saying, Yixing was unsure of what is was, but judging by the princess’s radiant smile, it seemed like she was completely captivated. Yixing couldn’t help but let his gaze slip down towards the ground where his shadow stretched out in the morning sun. Unlike a few days ago, the shadow now seemed strangely lonely, the space next to it devoid of the smaller shadow that usually bounced cheerfully next to his taller shadow. The princess laughed at something the prince had just said, and Yixing’s grip tightened on his sword as an unfamiliar feeling curled up in his chest.

I don’t like this.

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Author's note: Here's the new update! FYI, I updated the character list/descriptions, so please take a look at it! Also, I will be taking the liberty to change some parts of history, nothing too major but the plot works better if I modify history. Also, since Feiyan's given name is Rongxian, her father and most of royalty will be calling her that, including Yifan when he appears in the story, but for narration and Yixing she will be referred to as Feiyan. I hope this won't be too confusing!