Wei Wanru didn't recognize Chu Yexuan at first sight. During the Snow Festival, she had only paid attention to the empress dowager, emperor, and empress. Moreover, today Chu Yexuan and Chu Yeguang were both dressed in fine, but civilian robes, with none of the pomp and grandeur of their usual court dress. If they did appear in public, it was either in carriages or riding on horseback, and inevitably the people would bow as they passed so few caught glimpses of their face.

For now, all she felt was that the man was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't fathom how he knew her name at all. "Sir, you are...?"

Chu Yexuan faltered and fumbled for something to say.

--

Fate was a curious thing. 

In the original novel, Chu Yexuan was supposed to spend the morning training, cut his hand on an old spear, and ask a random apprentice from the Imperial Physician Courtyard for some ingredients to make his personal ointment. He would end up using the last of the pagoda flowers before going to the medicine markets to buy some more, coincidentally witnessing Wei Wanru and Li Siyan's face-off along the way.

When Mei Yanran first transmigrated into the novel, she'd asked the Goddess of Fates what to do about the butterfly effect---the fact that one little change could end up causing countless ripples in the rest of the novelverse. What if she messed things up and Chu Yexuan never got the throne? Or fell in love with someone other than the female lead? What if Li Siyan actually beat her rival in something and gained a permanent advantage?

'It's impossible to have everything go exactly the same as the novel,' the Goddess of Fates had replied. 'Characters will change based on their interactions with you and the effect you yourself make to their surroundings.'

That was why Mei Yanran had ended up winning the Snow Festival and then attracted the attention of Chu Yeguang. 

'There will be enough flexibility in the world for these changes,' the Goddess of Fates had went on, 'But its tenets still hold true. The male lead will still fall in love with the female lead, the crown prince will still be a playboy, the aloof advisor will still keep most of his thoughts and plans to himself. The throne shall seat Chu Yexuan and Wei Wanru, with Chu Yeguang to eat the dust; Ling Fengxiao shall rise to lead them, and strengthen Chu's rule for the rest of their reign.'

'What about the events in between? The plot twists, big reveals, and main conflicts?'

'If it's integral to the plot, the novelverse will find a way to make it happen. The steps leading up to the event might differ, but the results will still lead to the original ending.'

Chu Yexuan and Wei Wanru's first 'meeting' was important to the plot even if they never talked in the original novel. That was because it cemented Wei Wanru's impression in Chu Yexuan's mind, and spurred him to find out more about the lady who'd charmed the capital with her zither playing skills. In this version, he had skipped straight from staring at her in the distance to making eye contact. There was something ironic about the whole thing too---Chu Yexuan had tried his best to lead his brother away from Mei Yanran, but ended up in the very street where she and her servants were hiding, not more than a few stalls away.

"......." said Mei Yanran when she saw the fated lovebirds meet. ...so what's Chu Yeguang doing behind them? He shouldn't be in this part of the story at all!

As far as she knew, the crown prince had never shown interest in Wei Wanru on account of her modest-sized chest---then later, because of her intelligence. It was well known that Chu Yeguang disliked overly clever women because he considered them shrewd and cunning, thus hard to trust. But Mei Yanran soon pushed all that to the back of her mind at the sound of a gruff cry.

"No money?! Then you can forget about it. My shop's not a charity!"

On cue, Mei Yanran, Wei Wanru and the princes all turned to see a grumpy-looking shopkeeper snatch back some herbs from a little beggar boy holding a scraggly piece of paper in his hands.

"But sir, it's really urgent!" the boy pleaded. "He'll die without this medicine!"

"Hmph! As if the winter doesn't see people dying every other day!" the shopkeeper was unimpressed. "I'll have you know, ingredients are hard to get by during this time of year!

"Away with you! You lot are bad for business, bad for business!"

"Sir, please!"

"Scram!"

There weren't many open shops or people in this part of the medical district, so nobody bothered to help the boy as the shopkeeper drove him off with a broom. Nobody, that is, except for the female lead.

"Hold it!"

Wei Wanru's voice rang out loud and clear in the snow-lined streets, catching quite a bit of attention. The next thing she did was stride over to the shopkeeper with her basket in hand, a servant girl close by her side. Behind her, Chu Yexuan hesitated briefly before following suit. Chu Yeguang simply stood in place and watched indifferently, his brows looking a tad impatient.

"How much for those herbs?" she asked the shopkeeper while the beggar boy picked himself up from the ground.

"Ah?"

"You're selling them, aren't you?" Wei Wanru gestured to the samples in the man's hand. "I'll buy them off your hands." She glanced at the boy next, reaching out to gently brush some stray snow off his shoulders. When he flinched instead, she withdrew her hand and gave him a soft smile. "How many do you need?"

She was much gentler than the shopkeeper, and her kind tone only helped to soothe the boy. In his eyes, she was like one of those fairy maidens from Heaven come to bless him on this cold day.

"E-enough to brew an entire pot!" the boy quickly stammered, before spreading out the paper in his hands so Wei Wanru could see. "The prescription is right here, big sister! Please help!"

Wei Wanru took the paper in her hands as her eyes scanned its contents. The writing was fluid and elegant, its thin, clear strokes a clear reflection of the serene-tempered doctor who'd penned the words.

"This is...a medicine for Frost Fever!" Wei Wanru grew alarmed. Though it was a common illness, Frost Fever was deadly when it hit in the winter months. Unlike most fevers, which caused a rise in temperatures, Frost Fever submerged the body of its victims in ice-cold stasis. Fingers and toes would turned blue and purple, almost like signs of frostbite, until they gradually lost all sensation in their limbs. The heart would beat faster to generate more heat but eventually give out from exhaustion, leaving the sufferer a frigid corpse. The medicine for Frost Fever was precisely an intense heat-based decoction to keep the body warm while the fever ran its course. It was much more effective than blankets or extensive hot baths---a luxury in the cold months---because it warmed the victim from the inside out.

Wei Wanru didn't waste any more time and quickly paid for the things. Untreated victims of Frost Fever seldom held out for more than a week---perhaps longer if they were martial arts cultivators who could regulate their qi to combat its effects. But judging from the poor beggar boy, the person suffering from the illness couldn't be very wealthy, either.

"You know medicine, Miss Wei?" Chu Yexuan asked from behind her.

"A little," Wei Wanru replied modestly after the beggar boy thanked her and left. "But sir, have we...met?" She searched his face carefully, looking for familiar signs.

"Ah...? Well, you see," Chu Yexuan began, "I'm---"

"Brother." Chu Yeguang caught up with the pair by and cut Chu Yexuan off briskly. He gave an equally curt nod to Wei Wanru. "Miss Wei. Your performance at the Snow Festival precedes you."

His response not only prevented Chu Yexuan from admitting anything, but told Wei Wanru how they'd heard of her name. The Snow Festival was one of the biggest winter events in the kingdom, so anyone who performed stellarly had their names spread all over the capital. Mei Yanran was already well-known as the winner, but Wei Wanru held high status as well, being commonly known as the most exemplary zither player as well as the girl who successfully challenged the empress dowager's views. 

Wei Wanru was still a bit doubtful---how do these men know what I look like?---but Chu Yeguang didn't give her any chance to ask questions. Now it was his turn to grab his brother by the hand and drag him away. "Farewell."

Momentarily caught off guard, Chu Yexuan didn't react in time to resist his brother's actions. Meanwhile, Mei Yanran's faction was anxiously watching the little beggar boy walk away. It wouldn't be long before he passed right by their hiding place.

"Where's Li Siyan?" Mei Yanran hissed to her servants. "She's supposed to show up now so he can crash into her!"

Chen Xiao furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Shall I go look for her, young Miss?"

"No," Mei Yanran rejected it immediately. "I still need you around in case we need to make a quick exit." She had no idea why so many characters had all shown up in one place, but now wasn't the time to meet any of them. "Let's wait a bit longer."

By this point in the plot, Wei Wanru would've already earned the thanks of the jianghu doctor and his ailing patient by helping to pay for the medicine. Even Chu Yexuan interacting with the female lead was fine---it'd build good feeling and maybe even speed up their relationship. But they still needed to rile up the love rival so she could seek revenge in an important face-slapping plot later down the line! Bad guys were just as important to the plot as the heroes!

"Young Miss, there's someone coming down that other lane," Xiao Xue murmured quickly. Mei Yanran followed her line to vision to an alleyway directly perpendicular to the street. From their angle, they could see a slim figure in a dark purple cloak hurrying towards their direction. She squinted until she caught the well-known haughty features of Li Siyan with a single servant girl in tow. 

"Finally!"  Mei Yanran exhaled, only to tense up again at the sight of the beggar boy. "Wait, no---she's too far away! He'll walk past the alley before they have a chance to crash!"

Behind their mistress, Chen Xiao and Xiao Xue exchanged glances before coming to a tacit agreement.

"Leave that to us, young Miss," Xiao Xue murmured as she picked up a handful of pebbles off the ground. Meanwhile, Chen Xiao silently rose to his feet and vanished from sight.

"Eh? What are you---whaa?!" Mei Yanran only felt a burst of wind as her guard used the shadow arts to speed past her.

It was the same gust of wind that buffeted Li Siyan in the face as she made her way down the alley. She frowned and momentarily paused to brush her hair out of her eyes---before something suddenly dragged her entire body forward! Her surroundings lurched, making her lightheaded. By the time the world stopped spinning, she had ended up in an open street half-wobbling on her feet.

"You pulled her out of the alley?!" Mei Yanran whispered as Chen Xiao returned to his post in a flash.

"It's quicker this way, young Miss," Xiao Xue murmured as she leveled her gaze on the street. While Li Siyan was still collecting her bearings, the servant girl she'd left behind was trying frantically to catch up from the alley. Meanwhile, the beggar boy was only focused on heading home and subconsciously shifted to the side when he sensed Li Siyan standing in front of him.

Xiao Xue wasn't about to let him off that easy. She accurately threw the pebble in her hands at just the right angle to hit his feet. The force of the stone was enough to offset the beggar boy's balance; he flailed, but he managed to regain his balance until---

Ping! Ping! Ping!

Three more pebbles struck him fast, catching him in the ankles, left shoulder, and stomach. The first caused him to lose balance again, the second for him to flail his left arm, and the last to double over in pain. All of them combined to send him sprawling forward straight into Li Siyan.

Still a little dizzy, Li Siyan had no way to foresee the blow and went crashing to the ground with a scream, effectively turning into a living cushion for them both. Her servant girl caught up a few seconds later, her face ashen pale.

"Y-young Miss!" the servant cried out in alarm. She bent down to help her mistress, only to be headbutted by the flailing beggar boy struggling to get to his feet. The impact of his blow was so fierce that she staggered back, accidentally stepped on her young lady's wrist, and slipped with a thunk on the ground as her foot kicked Li Siyan straight in the face.

Li Siyan shrieked in pain.

On the other end of the street, Chu Yexuan broke free of his brother just as the trio were attracted by the screams.

"....." said Mei Yanran.

"........." said Xiao Xue and Chen Xiao.

We swear that this isn't our fault!