Part 1: First Meeting
Spring arrives exceptionally early in the capital, and the courtyard of the Prime Minister's Residence is filled with blooming magnolia flowers. Sū Qīngwǎn, just ten years old, sits in the pavilion and gazes at the boundless spring scenery, her writing brush hovering over the xuan paper, unable to fall. She knows these are the last days she will ever have to play freely.
Ever since her birth, she has been betrothed to the reigning Crown Princess's—no, the Crown Prince. Because the Sū family has served as prime ministers for generations and holds immense power, the Emperor arranged this match early on to consolidate his imperial court. Now, with the Crown Prince's grand wedding approaching, she has reached the age where she must learn royal etiquette, the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Chapter 238