***Three years ago***

On the bustling street of Sheng city, a carriage passed by. It looked luxurious and exquisite. Behind that carriage, there was another which also looked luxurious, but if it was to be compared to the front of the first carriage, the difference was like day and night. The front of the second carriage was just like a joke as if it was there only to complement the beauty of the first carriage.

There were at least twenty men riding horses in the back and front of the carriage.

With just a single look, anyone could tell that those men were escorting their master, and their master must be at least a high ranking government official.

Besides, those guards attire was different from the usual guards. They wore red robes representing the special guards.

Even the law enforcement officials who were patrolling the city bowed down their heads in respect as if they were sinners who committed unforgivable crimes, asking for forgiveness from the authorities!

'Those must be palace guards' - The onlookers deduced.

Although they were captivated by the guards' mysterious master, they didn't dare approach him as there was an unspoken rule for Sheng city's people. They must not anger the aristocrats by leeching on them without any consent. More importantly, it was common for the people of Sheng city to see royals more often. They were used to it, used to nobles and aristocrats traveling around the city.

Leaving this aside, Sheng city was the second capital of Lin Kingdom.

More than five hundred years ago, Lin kingdom was known as the 'Sheng Kingdom,' but this changed after Great Emperor Lin Tingxiao, who was the founder of this Lin Kingdom and also the Present emperor's 15th great grandfather, occupied Sheng kingdom.

After taking possession of the land, he established a new name for that Kingdom, 'Lin Kingdom' - which was also after his family name. It was quite natural for kingdoms to be named after their rulers or the rulers family name. The Sheng Kingdom was no exception to this rule.

Before the establishment of the Lin Kingdom, the Sheng Kingdom's capital was Sheng City. The name remained unchanged because of some political reasons which were unknown to the general public of the Lin Kingdom.

'Sheng Era' lasted more than thousands of years. So, Sheng city was one of the oldest and most venerable water cities in the Lin Kingdom.

'Sheng Era's culture had preserved over the thousands of years through its cuisine, culture, architecture and natural landscapes beauty. The townspeople had preserved their ancient traditions and were eager to share it with the visitors. The two temples, founded more than ten thousand years ago, attracted tourists the most. It was a famous religious-tourist spot not only for Lin Kingdom's people but also for the entire continent. People all over the nearest kingdoms would visit here to pray.

And because of regular tourist visits, this city turned into a famous business spot as well as the most developed city in the entire kingdom. Even if Lin City was the capital of Lin Kingdom, it was impossible for Lin City to be comparable to Sheng City.

Moreover, the Lin kingdom was also known as the 'Kingdom of Rivers.' It has more than thirty rivers. But based on three main rivers, the kingdom was divided into three regions. Although Sheng river was not the longest river and the kingdom had two other water cities and one of which was the capital, but the Sheng city was the still the most prominent one.

Sheng City has ten bridges that traverse its rivers and waterways, with the Twin Bridges being the most iconic. The two bridges that made up a double bridge- 'Yun' and 'Shin', which built more than ten thousand years ago along with the temples.

'Yun' and 'Shin' bridges sat perpendicular to one another, connecting at one side. Yun's semi-circular arch and Shin's square beam arch gave the look of an antique Chinese key, lending to its nickname of 'Twin Bridge'.

There were thousands of shops selling locally-sourced pearls, woven bamboo, fresh fish and seafood caught that morning. It was popular for its rustic beauty. So, Sheng City regarded as the 'Paradise of the Lin Kingdom'.

It was not that the former Lin emperors didn't want to change the city's name and rearranged it.
But whenever they tried that, the economy would fall drastically, which would greatly affect the one-ninth of the main incomes of the Kingdom's economy.

So after failing multiple times, they finally gave up and let it remain that it used to be and declared it as the second capital of Lin Kingdom.

And the reason why the two kingdoms, Lin Kingdom and the Qiu Kingdom were in a constant war...

It was all because of the Sheng city.

However, that's a story for another time.

*******

Suddenly the luxurious carriage stopped. The procession which was behind the carriage followed the flow and also stopped in front of a jewelry shop. Some maids and guards who were sitting in the second carriage got out from it and entered the shop.

Inside the carriage, a girl sat still, she seems to be about twelve-years-old. She looked very pale and was so skinny that one could notice the bones protruding out of her skin.

The girl was aloof and expressionless. She was so absent-minded that no one could tell what she was thinking. There was an unknown coldness emitting from her body, so cold that it could make anyone around her shudder in fear. Her aura made her very unapproachable at first sight.
But if someone looks extremely carefully at her they could notice that she was in deep anguish; her pain was something unimaginable to the commoners.

She looked so lonely and uninterested like there was nothing in the world which could rouse her curiosity or made her happy.

Besides the girl, there was a woman in her twenties, she looked very beautiful and elegant. She could be considered the most beautiful women in the entire kingdom. However, the woman looked very haggard. She was worried about something, something important... There were dark circles around her eyes, like a panda. Anyone could tell with just one look that she had been passing uneasy days because of a lack of sleep for a long time.

Inside the carriage, both the woman and child were emitting a tensed and gloomy atmosphere. The guards and maids around them were so nervous that they were crying inside their hearts although they dare not cry physically.

Time and time again the woman tried to exchange glances with the gloomy girl to get her attention but failed.

The expressionless girl suddenly looked out of the carriage window. She stared at a corner of a secluded lane as if she noticed something important. Her eyes suddenly lit up with joy like she noticed something thrilling after a long time. Her pale face, which looked lifeless before, instantaneously brightened up like a spring-blooming flower that turned red like a rose.

She drew back the curtains, opened the window, and threw half her body out to better see that particular corner.

She was nodding her head - left and right, back and forth - just like a tortoise. It was as she had found valuable treasure.

Suddenly, she curled up her lips. There was a slight smile in the corner of her lips.

The women next to the girl observed her daughter's sudden ecstatic behavior, which caused her own gloomy expression to fluctuate drastically into a variety of expressions. It was really a captivating thing to see - worried, surprised, disbelief, excited and lastly happy.

'It's been four years... My precious daughter finally smiled.' The women felt overjoyed as she stared at her precious daughter.

The guards and maids who were inside the shop finally came back carrying goods. Since they had finished their given task, they ordered others to restart their journey.

The procession started to move again.

As the carriage passed by the shop, the expression of the girl who was enthusiastically looking outside suddenly turned black like the bottom of the pot. She looked heartbroken as the carriage was moving quickly. Immediately she looked at the coachmen and ordered him deafeningly,

"Don't move an inch..."

"...Stop the carriage now..."

"...Immediately..."

Because of the girl suddenly spoke loudly, everyone looked at her, full of surprise.

Seeing the situation, the woman beside the girl understood the reason why everyone reacted that way as she hurriedly ordered,

"Let's stop our journey..."

[Proofreader: Hylidahlia]

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Interesting Facts:

Sorry for borrowing the name of CEO Lu Lingxiao and Yun Shen from my favorite novel: "Full marks hidden marriage". (づ￣ ³￣)づ ♡
When I was writing the story, I was looking for new names but couldn't find any, since I am not Chinese, so I used these names.
So, think of them as cameos... (LOL)

By the way, I used Yun Shen's name on 'Twin bridge' (LOL)