Spring

After fifteen long, boring years living confined behind Palace walls, Snow was finally leaving!

She could hardly believe it, she had to pinch herself as they carried her from her quarters all the way to the gargantuan doors of the Palace gates. Green banners bearing the emblem of a golden dragon fluttered in the morning wind, which was crisp against her cheeks.

"They haven't left us behind, have they?" Snow asked Peony through the open window of her palanquin.

"No, Your Highness. They're just outside the gates," her younger female attendant reassured her. Eventually they passed a pair of giant stone lions flanking the Palace doors. Their fangs were bared, narrow eyes gazing sightlessly at a long procession of the nearly hundred soldiers on horseback and caravans that waited outside the fortified walls.

"Why are there so many soldiers? I thought it's just a small hunting party."

"In case of rebels, Your Highness," said Captain Wong, a barrel-chested man with a leopard on his rank badge. He signaled for the men carrying the palanquin to follow him.

"Rebels? We have rebels?"

"Nothing to worry about, Your Highness. Usually they get quashed before they can gather enough numbers. Here's your carriage. You! Bring over the princess's luggage!"

Peony helped Snow out of her palanquin and into her carriage. It reminded her of a small pavilion on wheels, with an upturned roof and red latticework covering the windows.

This is so fun, I've never been in anything like this. She ran her hands over the wooden panels of the interior and opened all the hidden drawers on her side. A lacquered food carrier – with steamed buns, egg tarts and fried wontons nestled within its three tiers – sat beside her. Usually, the delicious smells made her mouth water but this time, she had no appetite to eat. "Why aren't we moving yet?"

"Have patience, Your Highness. They need to make sure everyone's here before we can start." Peony continued rifling through a chest of the princess's belongings. "Aiya, did we forget to pack trousers? Lotus said she did– ah, they're here at the bottom."

Snow slouched against the silk-covered cushions. Her excitement swam in her stomach like her pet koi fish before their feeding time. How did the forest look like? Will there be insects? Would she catch anything? Would she see him beforehand?

"It's going to be a long journey, Princess. Do you want me to take out your needlework while we wait?"

The sounds of snorting horses and chattering soldiers outside drifted in through the windows. "Go ask how long till we depart," Snow commanded. Needlework was the last thing on her mind when she's about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime!

Peony opened the small sliding window at the front where the driver sat. "Uncle! When are we going?" A country lass, she spoke in an assertive yet friendly manner as if they were family.

"We're waiting for the princes to arrive, Little Miss," came the driver's reply.

As if on cue, a shout rang out for people to make way. Palace guards cleared a path for the princes, who clip-clopped past her carriage with such a large entourage that she only caught glimpses of their profiles and richly-dyed silk. However, there was no mistaking who the six youths were, with their fair skin and elegant bone structure, courtesy of their concubine mothers and her emperor father. Also, no one else puffed out their chests with such self-importance like them.

The peacocks are here. What about him? And Big Brother? I didn't see them. She searched amongst the passing riders for two familiar faces. If she attended the hunt and they didn't, it would be a disaster.

"Alright, everyone's here, we can move," a deep voice resounded from the back of the procession.

Weilong is here! That means Erden is here too...

"Let's move, let's move!" a soldier hollered. Snow's carriage finally groaned forward.

Hurry, before the Empress changes her mind! She half-expected the Empress's eunuch to come running out the gates saying, "Stop! There's been a mistake!" In her nightmares, the Empress had waved from a pier, while men dragged her kicking and screaming onto a golden ship with purple sails. That was just a nightmare, it's not real.

The Palace walls disappeared from view. I'm finally leaving, I'm finally leaving. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves. She held her breath, then heaved a sigh of relief.

It was a smaller entourage accompanying two young men, whose manner was regal but without the arrogance of the other princes. They could not look any more different from each other – the older one with his half-shaved head and plait, noble looking mien and serious disposition; and the younger one ruggedly handsome with a striking, tanned face and a full head of hair.

Ah, that face, that hair. She'd recognize that face anywhere. Even if she closed her eyes, she'd still see those strong brows, those perfect cheekbones, and that chiseled jaw.  Look at him riding his hors–

"Are you staring at Prince Erden again?"

"I'm not, don't startle me like that, Peony," Snow said, rubbing the bump on her forehead while Peony grinned impishly. 

"Don't be angry, Princess. Look, he's leaving."

He cantered past, his raven locks flowing over his muscular shoulders, and the filigree silver cuff on his braid flashing in the sunlight. Snow craned her neck to watch him until he was out of sight. 

She spent the rest of the hour gazing dreamily out the window at the sights and sounds of the city. Ordinary folk gaped at the royal procession passing through their streets. Peddlers hawked tortoiseshell combs and knick-knacks from pushcarts. Vegetable sellers displayed their wares in large baskets, alongside chickens tied up with string and bamboo cages of frogs.

"Are they selling the frogs as pets?"

"No, Your Highness. Those are to be eaten."

"Oh, the poor things!"

Noodle makers stretched dough at their shopfronts while their patrons slurped from bowls inside. At an intersection, a street food seller scooped innocuous-looking brown cubes from a wok of bubbling hot oil.

"Good Heavens, what's that smell?" Snow covered her nose to block out the pungent pong that wafted into her carriage.

"That's stinky tofu, it's my favorite!"

"How can anybody eat that!" The long queue that snaked around the block proved that many appreciated the dish as much as Peony did.

Eventually the markets, teahouses, and artisan shops gave way to orderly homes with walled gardens. Some were stately, large enough to house three generations of progeny under one roof. However, those became far and few in between the rows of dilapidated and overcrowded quarters. Bamboo poles of laundry flapped overhead and people sat in their doorways while dirty children played in the streets.

How do people live like this? Is that why they're rebelling? I've not heard of any incidents. I wonder how the Empress handles them. She wished she could stop the carriage and talk to the people; at least hand out buns to the little children, but she knew that was out of the question. As a princess, she had to remain out of sight.

Hours later, they passed farmers toiling in rice paddy fields with their water buffaloes. The procession was delayed by flocks of ducks out on their late-morning walk with their cane-wielding farmer. Snow giggled at the cacophony of indignant quacking; she'd be annoyed too if she were unceremoniously forced off the road. After that, it was miles and miles of sparsely inhabited countryside and the occasional ramshackle hut.

Over the next three days, the two girls ate and slept in their moving quarters, emerging from the carriage to stretch their legs or make water whenever the procession stopped. At all times, Snow made sure none of the princes saw her. No one – save for Weilong – knew that she was tagging along at the back of the procession.

The road grew bumpier and bumpier. Only Peony was unaffected and could nod off, her head lolling with the rocking motion of the carriage. Snow, on the other hand, kept knocking her elbow and her headdress.

Finally, they reached the foothills and a dense mountain forest lay ahead. Across a field, soldiers worked quickly to erect tents in neat clusters, with the princes' accommodations in the middle and Snow's in one of the outer rings.

While Peony unpacked her case, Snow stuck her head out of her tent and took in a lungful of fresh air, her blood too pumped with excitement to be resting on her cot. Tomorrow was the big day.

This was worth the many nights I spent copying that stupid, obsolete text a hundred times. Master Li had looked as smug as a cat that had swallowed a bird when she dumped the stack of copied text onto his desk.

Swifts swooped and glided in the peach skies until the sun set. Cicadas chirped ceaselessly from the forest long into the night and kept her up, while her attendant snored softly. When Snow finally fell asleep, she dreamt of angry ducks chasing after Master Li and Peony driving the carriage with a piece of stinky tofu in one hand.

The next morning after a hearty breakfast of congee and jianbing, Snow stepped out of her tent in flat riding boots and a man's hunting robe, feeling like a completely different person. For once, she could walk unaided and her hair was styled in a simple braid. Her long nails had been filed down, and the only jewelry she kept on her person were her earrings, three in each lobe. She felt freer, lighter, like a teenage boy, and she relished the feeling. Is this how it feels to be male? Men don't have the same restrictions as women do.

"Your Highness, do you need me to accompany you?" Peony asked.

"Err..." It wouldn't look good if I still had to be chaperoned up to my horse, right? "I'll go by myself, you can stay here."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Peony disappeared behind the tent flap.

I can go by myself! I'm going on a hunt! Snow pumped her fists in the air before realizing someone might see her. Oh, that would be so embarrassing. She was about to march away when a familiar, masculine voice made her stop in her tracks.

"Snow? Is that you?"

Heavens above. She had been anticipating this very moment, dreaming of it every night for the past three months. Her heartbeat quickened.

She drew a deep breath and turned.

Author's notes:

I hope you like the city and countryside scenes!

Have you tried stinky tofu before? I have, I had to pinch my nose to eat it. It smelt like a combination of the sewer and garbage, but tasted like normal fried tofu to me 😂

Jianbing is a popular breakfast crepe. I've had danbing (an eggy variation) with piping hot soy milk, yum!

The ducks were inspired by the flocks of ducks I saw in Bali, Indonesia. I confess, I listened to the sounds of ducks quacking while writing it and it made me LOL 🤣

Do you think this mystery person saw Snow doing her victory dance? 

How did you imagine Snow would look like? The header image was created by  luisstorytellerEN and I absolutely fell in love with it. Thank you!