The Double

Watching as the figure walked further and further away, gradually disappearing from sight, Ah Zhao finally reined in her thoughts and looked up at the sky above the courtyard again. She had heard that Prince Cheng and Zhaode General had clashed on their way back to the capital, and the outcome was still unknown. She wondered where her father was now, and her sister... As she thought about this, she couldn’t help but feel disheartened. Princess Yongning had once said while tormenting her that even if Xue Fangfei died, she would not let her sister stay alone in Yanjing City. She would take her sister’s coffin back to Tongxiang, even if only ashes remained.

...

Day by day, news of the warfront kept returning to Yanjing, seemingly with one victory report after another. Prince Cheng’s carefully planned rebellion seemed like a joke under the invincible bravery of the Zhaode General, crumbling at the first blow.

As time went by, the citizens of Yanjing City began to relax, one by one they started to believe that Prince Cheng’s defeat was inevitable. As long as Zhaode General was there, Northern Yan would not see rebels creating chaos for even a day. Thus, more people started to walk the streets again. Life had to go on as usual; people tucked their worries back into their bellies. They continued with their daily routines, except for some old folks and particularly timid women, the majority of people were no longer affected by the situation.

Spring in Yanjing City passed in this way, and was followed by summer. The heat of summer seemed to have grown overnight; the scorching sun made people appear sluggish on the streets, as vendors began to sell refreshing cold treats. The rich families simply stopped going out, seeking shade in their rooms fitted with ice carvings.

As Tonger sat in the room embroidering, she asked Jiang Li, "Miss, your birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?"

Jiang Li paused and said, "Is it?"

She hadn’t noticed herself. This time last year, she was on Green City Mountain and had not returned to the capital. On Green City Mountain, no one celebrated her birthday. Times had changed, and she was once again Miss Jiang the Second; the Jiang Family would naturally celebrate her birthday. It was already July 12th, and by the end of July, Miss Jiang the Second would be sixteen years old.

It was quite a splendid age, as if there were still new hopes to be had. Jiang Li thought that perhaps she could take this opportunity to visit the Ye Residence. Since it was her birthday, the Jiang family members probably wouldn’t stop her. With this thought, she felt somewhat relieved. However, she had no particular expectations about how her birthday would be celebrated or what gifts she would receive.