Chapter 5 The Birthday Feast
I could tell from his behavior that Zhao Yan was angry.
And badly.
But that was exactly what I wanted.
For him, we had finally returned to the proper distance between ruler and subject.
Before this, we had played double-sixes together, composed poetry together. He had taken punishment beatings for me; I had made pastries for him.
As a woman disguised as a man, I appeared frail and short. Other young lords bullied me—only he protected me.
We were young then, confined within red walls, our bond deep.
We both saw the other as a confidant.
But I had lived one lifetime longer than he had.
Staying with him would only bring ten years of coldness, blood, and tears.
I was alone and powerless now. The only thing I could do was stay far away from him.
If the day came when my blade was sharp enough, I would kill him myself.
Yet on this day, an official from the Ministry of Personnel arrived.
He said my appointment to Jinling still lacked one final seal.
The prince’s seal.
I was momentarily stumped.
As fate would have it, the Zhang household was holding a banquet to celebrate Prime Minister Zhang’s birthday.
In my previous life, I had received an invitation too.
But I had already been preparing for marriage then, and rumors about me were everywhere.
They said I spent all my time among men and might no longer be chaste. They said Zhao Yan must have fancied me even when I was still a man…
I felt humiliated. I glanced at the invitation and tossed it aside.
This time, seeing it felt like finding treasure.
The Zhang household was hosting a banquet.
Zhao Yan would certainly attend.