The afternoon sun slanted across the Chen household's courtyard, gilding the weathered wooden beams and turning the stone floor to molten gold. Chen XiaoQi sat beneath the lattice window, a book open before her, its pages fluttering slightly in the warm breeze. The Records of Rare Herbs had always been a refuge. She traced a delicate illustration of a rare bloom with her fingertip, tasting the quiet of the courtyard like a stolen secret.
Her peace was shattered when heavy footsteps thundered against the wooden floor above, reverberating through the house. The steward's hurried voice followed, strained and trembling. "Miss... His Majesty... His Majesty has decreed... you are to be betrothed to the Crown Prince."
XiaoQi froze mid-breath, the faint rustle of her book suddenly deafening. Her eyes narrowed. "I beg your pardon? Repeat that."
The man's face was ghostly pale. He clenched the folds of his robes, as though gripping them could anchor his courage. "Because of Master Chen's... unforgivable act against His Majesty, His Majesty has decided to bind our household to the imperial family. You are to be wedded to the Crown Prince, Yan DongZe, within the season."
The words hit her like a sudden winter wind. The world seemed to tilt. Birds fell silent in the courtyard. Somewhere, a bell chimed, hollow and distant. XiaoQi's fingers curled into the edge of the table until her knuckles ached.
Her lips parted, but no sound came at first. Then she snapped the book shut with a sharp, echoing crack. Her gaze lifted to the steward, and it was a gaze sharpened by fire. "So my father tries to kill the emperor, and I am the one to pay the price?"
The steward bowed his head, swallowing audibly. "I... I fear there is nothing you can do, Miss."
XiaoQi let out a humourless laugh that rattled through the courtyard like ice striking stone. It rose and fell in bitter waves, mingling with the distant hum of cicadas. "Palace life. A cage of painted walls, jealous concubines, and endless rules. I would rather be devoured by a tiger in the forest."
She stood abruptly, the chair scraping the stone with a harsh screech. Sunlight glinted off her dark hair as she spun toward the courtyard gate, her movements precise, controlled, yet simmering with rebellion. "Tell me," she said, voice low but steady, "do they expect me to smile at a prince I have never seen? Do they expect me to bow my head and call him husband as if I had any choice?"
The steward flinched under her intensity. "Your Majesty... I mean, Miss... it is the Emperor's will. The Crown Prince is known for his... temper, but—"
XiaoQi cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand. "I do not care about his temper. Or his whims. Or his throne. I care only that my life has been tossed aside without so much as a word."
Her chest rose and fell with the heat of suppressed anger. She turned to the open courtyard, watching dust motes drift lazily in the golden light. Even in this moment of fury, she felt a flicker of something dangerous: the first spark of defiance. If the palace expected her to bend, they would soon learn how unbreakable her backbone could be.
The steward stepped back, fear etched into every line of his face. "Miss... please. You must prepare yourself—there will be... arrangements to make."
XiaoQi's eyes narrowed. Her fingers brushed against the folds of her sleeve, feeling the smooth silk and the weight of centuries of tradition pressing down on her. She inhaled sharply, tasting the bitter tang of injustice on her tongue. "Arrange all you want," she said, her voice soft but lethal. "I will go to this betrothal if I must. But I will do it on my terms. Let them see that I am not a paper doll to be traded at court."
She left the courtyard with measured steps, each one echoing against the stone floor. Her father's study lay ahead, a room filled with the scent of sandalwood and ink. The heavy wooden doors were ajar, and inside, Master Chen sat behind his ornate desk, fingers steepled, eyes glinting with a mixture of pride and calculation.
"XiaoQi," he said, voice carefully measured, "I expected you to receive the Emperor's decision with... decorum."
"Decor—decorum?" she spat the word as though it were venom. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" Her fists clenched at her sides, the silk of her sleeves crumpling beneath her fingers. "Do you realize that you have tossed my life into the hands of strangers, shackled me to a prince I have never met, and condemned me to a palace filled with scheming women and endless rules?"
Master Chen's face tightened, the lines of age and authority battling with unease. "XiaoQi, listen to me. It is for the good of our family. Our position... our safety—"
XiaoQi laughed, sharp and bitter, the sound echoing off the walls lined with books and treasures. "For the good of the family? For honour? You call destroying my life, deciding my fate, protecting honour?" She took a step forward, her eyes blazing. "Do you know what you have done? You have given me no choice. No voice. No say. My life is no longer mine, and it is because of you!"
Her hands shook, her heart hammering against her ribs. The anger bubbled up, raw and unrelenting, and for a moment she felt tears prick at her eyes, a mixture of fury and heartbreak. "You gambled with my life, father. You decided who I would marry, where I would live, and what chains I would wear—all for some twisted sense of vengeance against the Emperor."
Master Chen's fingers drummed on the desk nervously. "XiaoQi, you must see reason. The betrothal—"
"Reason?" XiaoQi interrupted, her voice rising until it filled the room like a roar. "There is no reason in forcing a daughter to a prince she does not know! There is no honour in trading me like a coin for your mistakes!"
The fine embroidery of his robes suddenly seemed laughable in her vision, a symbol of the gilded cage he had created for her. She paced, her movements sharp, each step punctuating her fury. "Do you know what it feels like to have your future stolen while you watch the world pretend everything is fine? Do you know the weight of knowing your life belongs to someone else before it even begins?"
Her hands flew to her face for a brief moment, then dropped. Her gaze fixed on him, cold and unyielding, every word a dagger. "I trusted you, father. I believed that you would protect me, that you would guide me. But you? You have betrayed me in the most intimate, personal way imaginable. You have taken my choices, my freedom, and thrown them to the winds of court politics!"
She inhaled sharply, her chest heaving, the silent crackling of her rage filling the room like lightning about to strike. Then she moved closer, the heat in her gaze matching the harshness in her words. "I hate you," she said, each word deliberate, every syllable drenched in fury and hurt. "I hate you for putting me in this mess. I hate you for deciding my fate. I hate you for making me the pawn in your war against the Emperor. I hate you."
The room fell silent, the words lingering like smoke, heavy and suffocating. Master Chen's face drained of colour. He opened his mouth, as if to protest, but XiaoQi turned sharply, her skirts swishing as she moved toward the door. She didn't need to hear him. She didn't need his explanations or excuses. Her path was hers to reclaim, and she would not let him, or anyone else, dictate her life.
The door closed behind her with a resounding thud, leaving the study in stillness, and leaving Master Chen to face the ruin he had wrought.
That night, as the Chen family lay in silence, XiaoQi's room glowed with a peaceful, determined spirit. Candlelight danced over the walls, forming lengthy shadows as she placed a little package on the bed. Inside, there were basic garments dyed a muted brown, soft but durable, a small knife with a polished hilt, and a pouch of herbs whose harsh, bitter aroma filled the air. Each item was carefully selected as a small piece of freedom she might bring with her.
Her disguise was laughably simple, yet it would serve its purpose. She folded the robes neatly, setting aside a cap to bind her hair, and a strip of cloth to flatten her chest. A thought crossed her head, and she grinned, a crooked, naughty smile twisting her lips.
She leaned forward and brushed her fingertips across the polished bronze mirror, as if gathering courage from it. Her reflection gazed back, admiring the imposing line of her jaw and the piercing intelligence in her eyes."Handsome enough to fool the gate guards," she murmured, voice low, almost playful. She tilted her head this way and that, assessing her features in the dim light, imagining herself slipping past the palace gates unseen.
From the shadows near the window, a pair of round, golden eyes blinked at her. Bai Hu, her little fox spirit, swished its bushy tail, clearly amused. The tips of its ears twitched as it observed her preparations, its presence both comforting and teasing.
"Oh, don't you start," XiaoQi said, poking the fox's nose. The creature yipped softly, curling around her hand as if it were mocking her seriousness. "If I stay here, they'll stuff me into bridal silks before I can even sharpen my knife. Better to vanish into the forests. At least out there, I can breathe, and my choices are my own."
Bai Hu's eyes narrowed, then gleamed with mischief. It let out a soft, almost human-like sigh, its tail curling around its paws. XiaoQi chuckled softly, the sound breaking the tense weight of the night.
"Yes, yes. I know. You'd rather I take you along. But don't get any ideas. We'll need to be clever. Quiet. You cannot be seen."
Bai Hu leaned against her shoulder, nuzzling her lightly. XiaoQi let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "Fine," she said with a small smile, "we vanish at first light. No turning back after that. You ready for this?"
The fox blinked slowly, as though agreeing, its tail flicking with impatience. XiaoQi's lips curled into a sharper grin. Her heart pounded with the thrill of rebellion, the danger, and the unknown.
***
She peered down at the courtyard. A lone guard, lantern in hand, made his rounds near the main gate. His shadow stretched long in the pale light. XiaoQi took a slow breath, testing the wind, noting its direction, the scent of damp stone and early morning dew. Timing was everything. One wrong step, one careless move, and it could all be over before it began.
"On my signal," she murmured to Bai Hu. The fox blinked and pressed close, a soft purr vibrating through its tiny chest.
XiaoQi shifted to the ledge, gripping the stone frame with nimble fingers. She tested each foothold, her muscles coiled like springs. The courtyard below seemed impossibly far, yet each shadow promised a path of concealment. She took a final glance at her room, the bronze mirror catching the first hints of dawn.
Then she leapt.
The drop was short but enough to jolt her senses awake. Dust swirled around her boots, and the sound of her landing echoed softly against the courtyard walls. She froze, waiting, counting the seconds, listening. The guard's lantern bobbed in the distance, the light still unaware of her presence.
Bai Hu darted forward, a blur of white fur, and slipped between her legs before she could call it back. The little fox scampered toward a shadowed alcove, tail high, drawing the guard's attention with a playful yip. The man paused, frowning, lantern swinging. XiaoQi pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath as her heart raced like a drum.
"Smart little trick," she murmured, crouching low. Bai Hu returned, brushing against her ankle, eyes bright. XiaoQi rubbed its head affectionately. "Keep that up, and you might survive this adventure after all."
She moved silently now, shadow to shadow, until the main gate loomed ahead. The massive doors were closed, guarded by two men slouched against the pillars, their attention focused on the faint light spilling from the courtyard. XiaoQi crouched in the shadow of a pillar, examining every detail. The latch, the hinges, the faint creak that would betray a careless hand.
Carefully, she reached into her bundle and pulled out a thin wire from her dagger sheath, bending it with deft fingers. The faint click of the latch gave her a thrill she could barely suppress.She slowly eased the doors open, just enough to get through. Outside, the night air welcomed her with a chill and the aroma of pine from the nearby forests. Freedom. It was sharper, colder, and more intoxicating than she had imagined.
Bai Hu leapt from her shoulder to the ground, sniffing the air. "This way," she murmured, her voice carrying only to the fox. Together, they vanished into the trees, the Chen household fading behind them.