Hua Cheng

Two years ago you fled the capital.

For most, it was a real scandal. The emperor's younger brother disappeared just a few weeks after his eighteenth birthday, leaving only a short letter. Officially, it was said that you had gone on a tour of the southern provinces. Unofficially, the entire court knew the reason for your departure.

Marriage.

Your brother had already found you a bride—the daughter of one of the empire's most influential generals. But you had no intention of becoming someone else's husband, so you left the capital before you even had a chance to see her.

Two years passed. You lived far from the palace and gradually began to believe that your brother had abandoned his plan. So, you decided to return home for a while.

As it turned out, it was in vain.

During family tea, you quickly realized: the emperor still hadn't abandoned his idea. And the woman once tipped for your wife had recently returned to the capital.

She chuckled, looking at you over her cup of tea.

"It's funny. Two years ago, you left the capital to avoid meeting me. And today we're sitting at the same table. Has your opinion of me really changed, Your Highness?"