Xiaoyao City

In the morning, warm breezes carried the sweet fragrance of locust blossoms across the bluestone-paved streets.

This was Great Yan's famed commercial city—Xiaoyao City!

Xiaoyao City was like a gem embedded in the heart of Great Yan. Though it lacked the deep heritage of ancient cities, its uniquely advantageous location had allowed it to bloom with its own radiant brilliance over the passage of time.

This city connected north to the desert grasslands, south to the Jiangnan water towns, east to neighboring Great Liang, and west to Yanjing's trade routes.

Trade roads from all directions converged here like a spider's web, with endless caravans of camels, horse teams, and merchant ships flowing through without cease.

Over the past few decades, merchants traveling north and south, wandering monks, and Jianghu warriors all passed through this place.

As time went on, it transformed from an ordinary post station town into a bustling city.

Forty years ago, the Late Emperor passed through here while inspecting Jiangnan.

Though the small town had already taken shape, it still had no name.

Standing atop the city gate, the Late Emperor looked down at the bustling crowds in the streets and the endless flow of carts and horses. Seeing everyone wearing smiles, coming and going freely, his dragon countenance brightened with joy. He picked up his brush and wrote three large characters: Xiaoyao City.

From then on, the city had a name—and a tale to tell.

And the story of the Carefree Prince added even more legendary color to this city.

As the Late Emperor's most beloved youngest son, Mu Rongyi had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood.

At five, he could recite poetry and classics; at eight, he excelled at horseback archery; at twelve, he accompanied the imperial hunt in the north, shooting two eagles with one arrow and stunning all the grassland tribes.

When he came of age and the Late Emperor was dividing territories among the princes, Mu Rongyi neither chose an established, easy-to-govern large city nor a strategic stronghold. Instead, he begged the Late Emperor to grant him Xiaoyao City as his fief.

"Your son asks for nothing else—only a piece of land to witness all the joys and sorrows of the world, to be free and at ease."

These words of Mu Rongyi deeply moved the Late Emperor. Not only did he enfeoff him as the Carefree Prince, but he also specially permitted him to stay out of court affairs, hold no military command, and only manage the people's livelihood.

This extraordinary favor was truly unique in Great Yan's four-hundred-year history.

At this moment, it was the hour of Si, and on Xiaoyao City's most prosperous street, Vermilion Bird Street, traffic was heavy and voices clamored.

The street was thirty zhang wide, its bluestone pavement polished smooth as a mirror by time, reflecting the figures of passersby.

On both sides of the street, shops of all kinds stood in close array, wine banners fluttering and signboards lining up.

In front of the silk shop on the west side, richly dressed noblewomen were selecting newly arrived Cloud Brocade.

Colorful silks shimmered with a soft luster under the sun, and the embroiderer's Silver Needles flew up and down. In no time, a lifelike peony bloomed on the silk.

In the teahouse on the east side, a storyteller was regaling the crowd with tales of Jianghu warriors. With a slap of his gavel, cheers erupted throughout the hall.

The fragrance of tea and pastries intertwined with the storyteller's rhythmic cadence, painting a vivid picture of city life.

Further ahead was the market.

This was a gathering place for merchants, the air thick with a mix of spices, grape wine, and roasted lamb.

Merchants from Great Liang, who had crossed the border specially, were displaying exquisite glassware. Those crystal-clear vases and wine cups refracted rainbow light under the sun, drawing crowds to stop and stare.

Next door, in a fur shop, several colorful tiger skins hung in prominent spots. A shop assistant was enthusiastically introducing newly arrived cowhide wrist guards to a guard in armor.

The liveliest spot was the market's snack street.

The aroma of all kinds of food rushed at you, making your mouth water.

Steaming lamb soup with bread pieces, golden crispy flatbread, sweet and soft Osmanthus Cake, and freshly brewed almond tea—every single item tempted the appetite.

Vendors' cries rose and fell: "Fresh off the griddle flatbread, piping hot!"

"Iced sour plum soup, cools you down and quenches your thirst!"

At the edge of the market was the livestock trading area.

Plump, strong Saibei horses snorted, their grooms carefully combing their manes.

Docile oxen pulled wooden carts loaded with grain, their low moos echoing in the air.

In the corner, a camel caravan from beyond the frontier was unloading goods, the clear, crisp sound of camel bells ringing out.

At the city center stood the Carefree Prince's Estate. Its vermilion gate bore no lavish decorations, only a plaque inscribed with four characters: Carefree Prince's Estate. The calligraphy was vigorous yet carried a hint of casualness.

The stone lions before the gate were endearingly naive, completely lacking the majesty of those before other princely mansions.

The guards wore light armor, smiles on their faces, occasionally greeting passing townsfolk.

At this moment, the Carefree Prince Mu Rongyi was dressed in a moon-white long robe, a bamboo-woven hat on his head, blending into the crowd.

What he loved most was to shed his princely identity and wander through the streets and alleys like an ordinary person, listening to the truest sounds of the city and savoring the most authentic flavors of mortal life.

Watching children chase and play by the roadside, merchants haggling, and pedestrians chatting and laughing, a smile unconsciously curled at the corner of Mu Rongyi's lips.

This city had grown more prosperous because of his arrival; and he, because of this city, had gotten his wish and lived a carefree life.

Here, there was no scheming at court, no tedious palace etiquette—only the truest life, the simplest smiles, and the warmest mortal warmth.

As the sun set in the west, Xiaoyao City was gradually enveloped by dusk.

Lanterns on both sides of the street lit up one after another, dots of light like stars fallen to earth.

The clamor of the night market rose once more.

Mu Rongyi walked back toward his estate with heavy steps.

At this moment, his emotions were exceptionally tangled.

Every step he took seemed to carry a thousand-pound burden. His gaze was hollow and lost, wondering just how much longer this precarious life could drag on.

As long as that lofty Imperial Elder Brother had yet to make a move against him, he could only live like a startled bird, in constant dread, forever on edge, struggling bitterly at the edge of the turbulent vortex of power.

Mu Rongyi let out a soft sigh.

Thinking back to those days, he had been young and brash, sharp and brilliant—his talent and cunning standing out among the rest, earning him the late Emperor's deepest favor and admiration.

Yet, as clever as he was, how could he have failed to notice the growing wariness in the Crown Prince's eyes?

That gaze was like a blade hidden in the darkness, its cold gleam flickering, ready to strike at any moment.

Having never coveted the throne in the first place, Mu Rongyi weighed the pros and cons and resolutely petitioned the late Emperor, receiving the tiny city of Xiaoyao as his fief and becoming the Carefree Prince.

He had been full of hope, believing that this act of retreat would dispel the Crown Prince's suspicions, allowing him to distance himself from the bloody struggle for the throne and find a patch of peaceful ground.

But fate seemed a cruel jester, and the course of his life did not go as he wished.

He guarded against every move, calculated every scheme, and barely managed to survive the perilous moment when his Imperial Elder Brother ascended the throne. Thinking he could finally rest easy, he never expected a new storm to be brewing in the shadows.

Now, the new Crown Prince—his own nephew—was about to take the throne, and the shadow of death loomed over his head.

At this thought, Mu Rongyi could not help but shake his head with a bitter smile, his heart full of indignation and resentment beyond words.

Across the vast territories of Great Yan, for the various enfeoffed princes to completely abandon the training of private armies was nothing short of a fantasy.

In essence, these so-called private armies were merely the princes' personal guard corps. From the perspective of Great Yan's legal statutes, there was nothing improper about it—it was perfectly reasonable.

However, some princes were overly ambitious, and their private armies grew too large, naturally arousing the Emperor's suspicion and fear.

But princes like Mu Rongyi, who harbored no grand ambitions and only wished to protect their fiefs and safeguard the peace of their people, were utterly innocent.

They kept their private armies only to secure a measure of safety for themselves and their lands in this world where martial arts reigned supreme. Little did they expect that this very act would bring disaster upon them.

Through his secret intelligence network, Mu Rongyi had learned that several of his sworn brothers had died inexplicably at the hands of his Imperial Elder Brother.

Even more appalling was that the cause of their deaths was underhanded assassination.

A sovereign ruler, commanding the entire realm, yet utterly disregarding the bonds of brotherhood, resorting to such despicable tricks against his own kin—how could this not break one's heart and chill it to the bone?

As Mu Rongyi walked alone, lost in thought, he unknowingly arrived at the gates of his estate.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed straight on the four large characters hanging above the estate's entrance: "Carefree Prince's Estate."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the surging emotions within him. In that instant, a flash of resolute ferocity flickered in his eyes, like a flame burning in the dead of night.

He bent slightly, lowered his voice, and spoke word by word: "Imperial Elder Brother, even if you are the Son of Heaven with boundless power, if you think you can easily swallow my Carefree Prince's Estate, I will fight with all my might to make you pay a bitter price—I'll knock out two of your teeth!"

With that, he straightened his back, strode boldly across the estate's threshold, and his figure vanished behind the heavy vermilion gates.