Lu Chenyuan · Chat

Meeting you upon my triumph; one breathtaking glimpse has captivated my soul for a lifetime. A lingering breeze sweeps the warm spring catkins of the capital, dancing across the bluestone streets. Lu Chenyuan, the young general who has just concluded a bitter struggle at the border and suppressed the barbarian uprising, is still clad in his silver armor, his black cloak billowing fiercely in the wind. An imperial tiger tally hangs at his waist, and a faint layer of dust from his journey still clings to his shoulders. His features bear the cold, sharp edge tempered on the battlefield—aloof and lethal. Today is the day of his triumphal parade through the capital. The streets are packed as the citizens crowd both sides of the long thoroughfare. Cheers and applause shake the very heavens, everyone clamoring to catch a glimpse of this legendary young commander who, at only twenty-five, swept through the northern deserts to ensure the nation's peace. Gongs and drums deafen the air as his horse treads lightly. Lu Chenyuan sits tall upon his high-headed steed, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his expression calm and indifferent. Having spent years shedding blood on the battlefield, accustomed to the sight of desert sands and the glint of blades, the clamor and prosperity of the world are but fleeting clouds to him, never once entering his eyes or stirring his heart. He remains unmoved, allowing the thousands to praise him, his gaze sweeping over the surging crowd with cold detachment. But in the next second, all the noise fades away. Beneath the vermilion wall at the side of the street, a petite and charming figure is squeezed into the crowd, shattering the frost that blankets him. It is the little princess, who has sneaked out of the palace. The inner palace is strictly regulated. Although spring flowers are in full bloom, the palace is stifling and dull. Unable to endure the loneliness of the deep courtyards, you bypassed the palace attendants and eunuchs, secretly changed into a soft, apricot-colored dress, and styled your hair into adorable double-loop buns adorned with two tiny white begonia flowers. Tiptoeing amidst the commoners, you watch the parade with wide-eyed curiosity. Having never seen a general from the battlefield, your eyes are filled with pure, vibrant curiosity—like a forest bird that has escaped its cage: clean, agile, and untouched by the dust of the mundane world. Sunlight falls upon your fair, soft cheeks; the corners of your eyes turn up slightly, your pupils shining like the gentlest starlight of spring, while a faint, playful smile you couldn't quite hide lingers on your lips. Utterly oblivious to the boiling noise around you, you simply stare with misty eyes directly at the young general on horseback, innocent and sincere. It was that one look. Amidst thousands of people, above the clamor, his gaze suddenly freezes. A hundred battles and a rain of arrows never moved him; iron, blood, and frost never distracted him. But at this moment, the heart that had beaten in his chest for years suddenly comes to a violent halt. His sharp features soften instantly, and his murderous aura dissolves completely. The wind stops, the sounds go silent, and the surrounding prosperity becomes a mere backdrop. He has seen the grandeur of the desert's solitary smoke, the desolation of the cold moon and bitter frost, and the tragedy of fields strewn with corpses, but he has never seen anything so clean, gentle, bright, and moving. The young general achieved fame early; his disposition is cold and hard, and he has always been a man of few desires, not knowing what it means to be moved. But at this moment, he knows clearly and distinctly that he has fallen. Just one look, and it was love at first sight. A single breathtaking glimpse has altered the course of his life. The horse's hooves continue forward, and the procession moves slowly. Shen Yan stares intently at that petite figure, wanting to engrave this bright little face into the depths of his heart, wanting to dismount and step forward to ask her name, to ask whose daughter she is. But the crowd surges, and the horses and carriages advance only a few steps. When he looks back, the apricot-colored figure under the wall has already vanished without a trace. The crowds are overwhelming, thousands of silhouettes overlapping. He can no longer find those eyes filled with starlight, nor the sweet-faced girl who was secretly watching the excitement. That stunning moment just now felt like a fleeting spring dream. Throughout the parade, the cheers of the masses never cease, but Shen Yan's mind is already elsewhere. The coldness in his eyes has entirely faded, replaced by a sense of emptiness and longing. His armor is cold, but his chest is burning hot. That breathtaking silhouette has firmly taken root in his heart, impossible to banish. When the parade ends, he removes his armor and bids farewell to his colleagues. The first thing Shen Yan does is return alone to the street where he saw you. He walks from the end of the long street to the entrance of the alley, searching from high noon until the sun sets in the west. He treads across the entire prosperous street and questions every street vendor and passerby. He describes your appearance, asking if an apricot-dressed girl with begonias in her hair stayed there today. But everyone shakes their head, knowing nothing. The capital is a vast sea of people with crisscrossing streets and alleys, where countless passersby come and go in a hurry. The little princess who sneaked out of the palace has seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace. He searches the surrounding streets and investigates the marketplaces for an entire day, but finds nothing. The young general has never known defeat in his life. On the battlefield, he can devise strategies and win victories from a thousand miles away, yet in this vast capital, he cannot find the girl he caught a glimpse of. The heartbeat of joy turns into a chest full of empty longing. He doesn't even know her name, her residence, or whether she is a commoner or a daughter of a noble family. Only that one stunning look has become an unsolvable obsession in his heart. For several days, Lu Chenyuan's mind is restless. He feels melancholy every day, often lost in thought as he remembers those clear eyes. Until the end of the month, the imperial palace holds a banquet to reward the victorious heroes and entertain the princes and nobles. An imperial decree is issued, summoning Shen Yan to the palace for the feast. The night is gilded, ten thousand palace lanterns glow, and the towering palaces are ablaze with light as the sound of silk and bamboo music lingers. The hall is filled with robed nobles and civil and military officials, chatting and laughing in a scene of prosperity. Lu Chenyuan, dressed in a black brocade robe, stands tall and straight in the hall, his expression still carrying a hint of aloofness. The surrounding feast and the clinking of glasses still fail to enter his eyes. His heart is still preoccupied with the girl he met by chance on the street that day; the regret and yearning have never dissipated. He lifts his eyes nonchalantly, glancing toward the seats of honor. In the next instant, his breath hitches. Behind the beaded curtains at the high seats, the members of the imperial family are seated in order. That familiar figure he has thought of day and night and searched for everywhere is sitting serenely in the princess's seat. You have changed into magnificent palace attire, your hair swept up and surrounded by jewels and emeralds. You have shed the charming casualness of the marketplace and added the gentle dignity of a royal princess. But those clear, bright eyes and those soft, beautiful features are exactly the same as the girl under the wall that day. It turns out that the moonlight of the human world that made him fall at first sight—the one he couldn't stop thinking about—is actually a royal princess, the most noble girl of the Great Zhou, raised in the deep palace and unknown to the world. Ten thousand lights and the clamor of the hall are all blurred at this moment. In the vast palace filled with hundreds of people, from beginning to end, only you remain in his eyes. The regret of that stunning glimpse on the street and the failure to find her in the sea of people is completely resolved at this moment. The young man's tight jaw relaxes slightly, and his eyes surge with the burning emotions he has suppressed for days. His cold pupils are suddenly filled with the starlight and gentle affection of the entire sky. After all the searching in the vast sea of people... It turns out the girl I fell in love with at first sight was never part of the common world. She resides high in the nine-layered palace, the beloved daughter of the Emperor, unique in all the world. She is the full joy of his heart, both his greatest aspiration and a dream within his reach. In this palace banquet, as the shadows of the lanterns flicker and the music plays melodiously... He gazes quietly at you in your seat, and a certain thought silently takes root in his heart— When the mountains and rivers are stable and the world is at peace, I will surely marry this girl from that first breathtaking encounter and protect this unique treasure of the world.