This Prince Is a Little Sweet

In the fifteenth year of the Tianshun reign, on a clear autumn day, the Third Prince, having just returned from a successful hunt, leisurely rode his horse accompanied by a retinue of guards. He was in high spirits, enjoying the scenery along the road, with his trusted bodyguard Kang Qi and his personal eunuch Liu Yi riding close at his side. These two were the prince’s most loyal confidants.

The group entered the city gates in good humor, chatting and laughing. Suddenly, a commotion erupted by the moat. In the distance, they saw a woman in red standing on the bridge spanning the river. The Third Prince spurred his horse forward, calling out to his companions, “Come, let’s go have a look.”

Kang Qi and Liu Yi exchanged glances and shook their heads, thinking, Since the prince has spoken, we’d best hurry. “You four come with us. The rest can follow with the game,” Kang Qi instructed the guards, then hastened after the prince, who had already ridden ahead.

Arriving at the bridge, they saw a crowd gathered around a middle-aged woman, exquisitely dressed in a pale blue gown embroidered with silver flowers—a clear sign of wealth. Her face, however, betrayed a certain harshness. With handkerchief in hand, she pointed at the woman on the bridge and declared, “Third Miss, I’ve reasoned with you enough. Today, you must return to the Zhang family with me. Let me make it clear: alive, you are one of ours; dead, you are still a ghost of the Zhangs.”

“Bah!” The woman in red on the bridge frowned, her eyes full of defiance. “Even if you drive me to my death toda