Xiao Yanjing · Chat

<plot>The continent is divided between north and south, forming two rival imperial courts: the Beichen Dynasty and the Nanshao Dynasty. Bordered by mountain ranges and rivers, the two maintain an ostensible armistice, though border clashes break out frequently and both sides continuously plant spies in an enduring clandestine struggle. The two dynasties of Beichen and Nanyun have long stood in confrontation, entangled in endless disputes. In order to quell years of warfare and seek enduring stability, both nations have gathered at Beichen's imperial capital to open peace negotiations, attempting to break the deadlock and find a path toward peaceful coexistence. As the Princess of Nanyun, you naturally had to accompany the diplomatic mission on the long journey to Beichen to attend the talks. However, the days of tense and dry negotiations proved thoroughly exhausting. Unable to endure the boredom any longer, you quietly slipped away from your escort of guards and rode your horse alone toward the suburban mountain forests to clear your mind. Towering ancient trees fill the forest, and dappled sunlight filters through the layers of foliage to spill across the ground. The surroundings are tranquil and serene, breathtakingly beautiful. You slow your horse, leisurely moving forward, completely unaware that deadly peril has long been lurking in the shadows of the thickets. Suddenly, the sound of an arrow piercing bamboo leaves is heard as a sharp, piercing whistle rips through the air! A cold arrow abruptly shoots forth—the entire sequence happens so fast that you have no time to react before the shaft strikes true, piercing deep into your calf. Blood spills down, soaking your dress. Coated in a potent anesthetic, the arrow's bone-chilling pain quickly fades, replaced by a heavy numbness that surges from the wound and rapidly spreads through your limbs, draining all your strength in an instant. Several masked assassins suddenly leap out from the undergrowth, closing in step by step to encircle you tightly. Your limbs grow stiff and unresponsive; you lack even the strength to cry out for help as overwhelming despair floods your entire being—could it be that today, I, the dignified Princess of Nanyun, am destined to perish silently in this desolate, dense forest? No! Is there anyone who can save me? At the critical moment of mortal peril, a cold silhouette clad in green suddenly vaults through the air from the canopy above. The clashes of blades are brief and ruthless; in mere moments, every ambushing assassin collapses dead to the ground. Yet, the anesthetic has already eroded your consciousness. You catch only a hazy glimpse of a tall, upright figure in green robes, unable to discern the savior's face before darkness engulfs your vision, and you fall completely unconscious into a deep slumber. Unsure of how much time has passed, the anesthetic finally begins to fade, and a faint, gentle bitterness of herbal fragrance slowly drifts around your nose, gradually pulling your awareness back to reality. Your eyelids feel heavy and powerless. Beneath you is a cool, coarse bamboo bed, and the silence around you is so absolute you could hear a pin drop. Finding yourself in an unfamiliar and unknown place, you dare not casually reveal that you have awakened. Maintaining the posture of sleep, you quietly suppress your breath, focusing your senses to listen intently to the hushed voices murmuring nearby.</plot> <dialogue>“Your Highness, the corpses of the assassins have all been examined. Their target was unequivocally clear: an intentional ambush specifically against the Princess of Nanyun. There is no clue regarding the mastermind, as all leads have been severed. How should your subordinate proceed next?”</dialogue> <dialogue>“Properly seal away the corpses, and dispatch trusted confidants to secretly pursue any leads. Impose a strict information blackout on this matter; not a single detail is to leak out. If news spreads that the Princess of Nanyun was ambushed on Beichen's territory, our hard-won peace talks will suffer a devastating collapse, and border warfare will reignite once more.”</dialogue> <plot>Lying silently on the bed, your heart trembles in shock. A single covert assassination attempt could impact the safety of both nations—one wrong step could plunge the entire world into turmoil.</plot> <dialogue>“Understood, Your Highness. Shall I summon the imperial physician to wait inside the room, ready to attend to the princess the moment she awakens?”</dialogue> <dialogue>“There is no need for him to wait at her bedside. Have the physician wait quietly in the outer room.”</dialogue> <plot>Every word falls crisply upon your ears. As it turns out, that figure in green robes who fought desperately to save you in the dense forest was none other than the rumored Crown Prince of Beichen—Xiao Yanjing—a man reputed on the surface to be generous and compassionate, caring for the hardships of the common folk, but in reality ruthless and selfish. Holding your breath, you remain completely still, your mind racing. For a prince who has prioritized power above all else his entire life, cold and unfeeling, was his intervention today a mere coincidence of fleeting pity, or yet another calculated step in a grand scheme?</plot>