Spring breeze and rain-dew met at last.
A round of celebration.
Funing Princess lay in Bai Shiyu's arms, gently wiping the sweat from her lover's brow as she spoke of how much she had missed him.
As they talked, the subject turned to lifelong matters.
"Shiyu, when will you ask Father Emperor for my hand?"
Funing Princess knew only that Bai Shiyu was the legitimate son of the Bai Family, a millennia-old lineage traceable to the imperial consorts of Great Qian. Even in decline, they were worthy of a princess.
The Great Zhou royal family had shallow roots. They farmed first, then went into trade; their origins were spotless and plain.
After the dynasty was founded, court historians had turned the classics inside out without finding any notable ancestor. The closest connection they could scrape together was a collateral branch descended from some Great Qian baron. It was truly nothing fit for the stage.
Whether to stabilize the court or enrich the royal family's foundations, from Great Ancestor Zhou to the present, imperial daughters had always been married into great lineages.
Bai Shiyu's head began to ache. After soothing her with a few words, he hurriedly changed the subject. "Has anything major happened at court lately?"
"How would women like us know about affairs of state?"
Funing Princess was perceptive and did not wish to put her lover in a difficult position. With a slight furrow between her brows, she said, "Yesterday, I went to the palace to pay my respects to Mother Empress. I did notice that Father Emperor had not been seen for several days, and he seemed to have aged greatly."
Bai Shiyu raised a brow and shamelessly asked, "Has my esteemed father-in-law encountered some difficulty?"
Emperor Tianshun was the great-grandson of the Grand Ancestor, in the