I Want You to Win the Princess Over

When news of the eldest princess's death from illness reached the capital, Wei Mingxiu had just finished handling a case of official corruption in the south and had begun his journey back.

Five years earlier, Zhou Ye had dealt the Hu People a crushing defeat, giving Great Wei five years of peace.

Good weather and plentiful harvests in the years since had also filled the depleted imperial treasury.

At the same time, however, a number of corrupt officials had emerged.

They squeezed the people dry, lining their own pockets while holding official posts.

Wei Zhao wanted to punish them, but he knew these officials had deeply entrenched local connections. Whoever he sent would face obstruction, be unable to untangle the mess of accounts, and earn their resentment.

All in all, it was a thankless task.

When it came to a thankless task like this, he gave it a moment's thought and passed it to Wei Mingxiu.

He waited to see Wei Mingxiu make a fool of himself.

But Wei Mingxiu acted swiftly and decisively, with ruthless resolve. In just half a month, he gathered all the evidence of the officials' corruption, executed those who had driven commoners to death in the streets, confiscated the property of everyone who had embezzled money or grain, and had prison carts prepared to escort the corrupt officials back to the capital together.

The local people watched and cried out in satisfaction.

When Wei Mingxiu left the city, many people came to see him off, and some even brought their own food to give him.

"Your Highness Prince You, please accept our gifts!"

Before the city gates, a woman held out a basket of eggs to Wei Mingxiu.

Her husband had refused to pay extra taxes and fees, so a corrupt official had ordered his men to break his legs.

Now he could not even work, and the entire household depended on the woman.

Wei Mingxiu remembered her.

His gaze fell on her rough hands, and he shook his head. "Madam, I only did what I ought to have done. There's no need for gifts of thanks."

The woman looked up at the graceful young man before her, as handsome as an immortal in a painting.

His gentle manner made it impossible to associate him with the cold-faced rakshasa who had executed corrupt officials in the street that day.

But even though he had once been drenched in blood, the woman was not afraid of him now.

She only felt that His Highness Prince You was someone who truly cared about them.

She wanted to say more, but her little daughter held out a small white wildflower to Wei Mingxiu.

"Your Highness Prince You, a flower! Juanjuan's giving you a flower!"

"Juanjuan, how can you give him a wildflower like-"

The woman tried to stop her, but the young man crouched down and took the flower from the girl. He gently stroked the top of her head, then stood and said, "Madam, this flower is the best gift of thanks I could receive."

With that, he mounted his horse before the woman could say another word, tucked the flower beside his ear, and smiled at the people who had come to see him off.

He said to his subordinate beside him, "Let's go."

The escort set off, and the girl waved at Wei Mingxiu from behind, calling out in her childish voice, "Your Highness Prince You, you look so pretty with the flower on-"

Once Wei Mingxiu had ridden some distance away, the handsome young man beside him could not hold back his laughter.

"His Highness Prince You looks so pretty with the flower on~ So pretty, so very pretty~"

Wei Mingxiu glanced at him and drew his sword half an inch from its sheath. "If you don't want your mouth anymore, just say so. I'll chop it off for you."

The young man was A-Nan, the little beggar Kou Yuan had taken to the Ministry of Justice prison five years ago to replace Zhao Hai.

Wei Zhao had dealt with the Zhao Family and Kou Yuan, and A-Nan, as one of those in the know, should have been disposed of, but Empress Feng had protected him.

Empress Feng had intended to give him some silver and send him away, but A-Nan had knelt before her and said he was willing to go through fire and water for the Feng Family to repay their kindness. He refused to leave.

So Empress Feng had the Feng Family take him in.

Feng Chengbai taught him to read and write, while Feng Chenyi taught him martial arts.

He progressed very quickly.

He was now highly valued by Empress Feng. After Wei Mingxiu was made Prince You and moved out of the imperial palace that year, A-Nan had often stayed by his side as his personal guard.

Naturally, he had accompanied him south this time as well.

Everything about him was good except for his exceedingly obnoxious mouth. Grinning, he spoke to Wei Mingxiu in a mocking tone.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You pretend to be so easygoing and gentle with everyone else, but how come you turn into this when it's me? I suppose I'm just not worthy, little brother~"

"And if Junior Preceptor Zhou heard you talking like that, all those years you spent pretending to be well-behaved and kind would go to waste~"

At the mention of Zhou Ye, killing intent immediately flashed in Wei Mingxiu's eyes. "It seems you don't just want to get rid of your mouth. Now you don't want your life either."

"All right, all right, I'm scared of you." Seeing that he was truly angry, A-Nan quickly waved his hands and dropped his frivolous manner. "A message from Chongming House arrived just now."

Wei Mingxiu sheathed his sword and asked, "What did it say?"

"The eldest princess of Great Wei who married into the State of Chu died of illness, so the emperor of Chu had an envoy bring their third princess to pay a visit to our emperor."

Wei Mingxiu pondered for a moment. "On the surface, the State of Chu has come to report a death, but in truth, they intend to arrange another marriage and strengthen relations between the two countries."

A-Nan nodded. "Junior Preceptor Zhou left a message saying that His Majesty seems to be considering having you marry that princess..."

"The Junior Preceptor left me a message?!" Wei Mingxiu's previously calm eyes lit up at once, and he held out his hand to A-Nan. "Give me the letter!"

"All right, all right, here, here! Look how excited you are!"

With the helpless expression of someone long accustomed to this, A-Nan lifted his boot, picked at its sole, and pulled the letter out from underneath it. He handed it to Wei Mingxiu.

"Here."

"..." His face dark, Wei Mingxiu took the paper in disgust and threatened, "If you dare hide the Junior Preceptor's messages under your foot again, I'll chop your foot off."

"Hey, why are you always threatening to chop bits off me? At this rate, I'll need to grow another eighty or a hundred arms and legs just to give you enough to chop."

Wei Mingxiu ignored A-Nan and unfolded the letter. As soon as he saw Zhou Ye's handwriting, the longing he had felt over the past month and more surged up like a tide, leaving a bittersweet feeling in his heart.

But as he read the contents, his expression gradually darkened.

It said:

"Your Highness, the envoy will soon cross the southern border. I need you to go to Nanlu Town at once and ensure the princess's safety.

"If you have the opportunity, show the princess kindness. Ideally, she will open her heart to you.

"This is my next move."