Chapter Four: Love Entangled in the Western Frontier, Affection Bound by the Borderlands

During the days at the Prince Yi’s residence, Li Chengyin was painfully aware that every moment Xiao Feng spent in Shouren Palace was fraught with torment. The suffering and struggle emanating from within the palace seemed to pierce through its walls and stab directly into his heart, filling him with unbearable sorrow.

Often, Li Chengyin would sit alone by the courtyard pond, memories of past moments shared with Xiao Feng flooding his mind incessantly.

Whether it was her radiant smile, like sunlight across the western grasslands as they rode horses together, or the occasional playful quarrels they shared walking side by side within the Li Dynasty court—these memories clung to him like restless phantoms, refusing to be dispelled no matter how hard he tried.

He knew all too well that he himself was the architect of Xiao Feng’s current predicament. The downfall of Dan Chi had erected a vast, insurmountable mountain of blood feud between them. The feelings once shared between him and Xiao Feng were like countless tangled vines, impossible to cut and yet impossible to untangle. Though he deeply appreciated the Grand Empress Dowager’s counsel to Xiao Feng, he understood that the hatred in her heart was rooted in the blood of her tribe and the devastation of the grasslands; it would not dissipate easily.

Within Shouren Palace, Xiao Feng was like a bird trapped in a cage, her heart forever filled with pain and inner conflict.

One day, a trusted envoy sent by the King of Western Province seized a moment of laxity within the palace to secretly deliver a letter to Xiao Feng.

Unfolding the letter, her expression instantly darkened. Western Province, in preparation for war against the Li Dynasty, had allied with other nations, and conflict was imminent. Her father earnestly hoped she could return to Western Province in secret.

Xiao Feng knew well that she had long grown weary of all entanglements in the Li Dynasty, especially the complicated web of love and hatred with Li Chengyin.

She yearned only to sever all ties here completely, like a weary bird returning to its nest, back to the familiar and warm land of her homeland.

So, with utmost caution, she began to secretly plan her return journey, packing light with resolute determination gleaming in her eyes.

The Grand Empress Dowager had quietly observed all this; how could she not understand Xiao Feng’s pain and her deep longing for home? Though her heart ached with reluctant farewell, seeing Xiao Feng’s increasingly haggard visage made it unbearable to force her to stay. With the Grand Empress Dowager’s tacit approval, Xiao Feng managed to slip away unnoticed in the pale light of dawn, leading her horse quietly out of Shouren Palace.

Mounted on horseback, Xiao Feng galloped swiftly forward.

The sound of hooves striking the silent morning air rang crisp and clear, like a drumbeat marking her farewell to the Li Dynasty.

She passed through dense mountain forests shrouded in morning mist, her clothes dampened by the clinging moisture; she crossed babbling streams, the cold water splashing against her skirts.

Gradually, the landscape became familiar—the scent of home drawing near. The unique winds of Western Province brushed her face like gentle hands, tenderly caressing her cheeks, as if calling her back with deep affection. Within the breeze, she seemed to hear the soft calls of her mother from days gone by and the joyful laughter of her people. Yet now, under the looming shadow of war, these memories felt unbearably heavy.

No hardship along the way—whether the scorching sun or treacherous paths—could shake Xiao Feng’s unwavering resolve to return to Western Province.

Her heart held only one firm belief:

To return home to Western Province.

Meanwhile, the tense situation along the border between the Li Dynasty and Western Province hung over Li Chengyin’s heart like a dark, oppressive cloud, a mountain of worry pressing heavily upon him.

The King of Western Province harbored deep resentment toward Li Chengyin over the Dan Chi affair. Rumors that the allied tribes of Western Province were about to take action surged like a mighty tide through the imperial court, stirring widespread unease.

Before the court, the emperor’s face was etched with worry, each deep wrinkle seeming to conceal a profound concern for the fate of the realm.

Watching all this, Li Chengyin’s emotions churned in turmoil. He volunteered to go to the border, publicly to help defuse the looming crisis and protect the land and its people; privately, it was the only chance for him to be near Xiao Feng, the sole glimmer of hope in his dark predicament.

As he journeyed toward the frontier, every mountain and river he passed seemed tinged with sorrow, veiled in a shroud of melancholy.

He recalled the beautiful moments once shared with Xiao Feng—those sweet sunsets on the grasslands—which had now vanished like bubbles, leaving only bitterness and regret, like a harsh medicine burning within his heart.

Filled with anxiety, Li Chengyin doubted whether he possessed the wisdom and strength to quell the King of Western Province’s wrath. He was uncertain if, amid the tangled layers of hatred and conflict, he could ever reopen the tightly shut door to Xiao Feng’s heart.

Throughout the long journey, he pondered her thoughts. Hearing of his mission to the border, would the hatred filling her heart soften even a little? Would she, in some fleeting moment, recall their past in Western Province? Could those pure and precious memories still stir gentle ripples within her soul?

With such hopes and fears, Li Chengyin pressed onward toward the frontier. Each step he took bore the weight of his hope and regret, yearning for fate to grant him this one chance to make amends—to win back Xiao Feng’s heart and return once more to those simple, beautiful times they once shared.