One day, under the advice of my ministers, I held a martial arts competition where the victor would become my personal bodyguard. During the contest, Li Gong’gong informed me that someone had signed up at the last minute, claiming to be General Ling’s son, named Ling Han. I found it amusing, knowing General Ling only had a daughter.
I wanted to see what General Ling’s daughter was really like.
When the judging official called her name, she leaped onto the arena, graceful as an immortal descending from heaven. A playful smile hung at the corner of her mouth, and her lightness and agility were rare among women.
I began to pay attention to her, constantly drawn by her presence. During her fight, our eyes met. Her large, spirited eyes were crystal clear, revealing her thoughts.
She seemed to enjoy looking at me, almost forgetting she was in a fight. When her opponent swung a knife at her, my heart tightened. I wanted to warn her but dared not speak. A hint of displeasure crossed her eyes as she deflected the knife, which flew towards me. She shouted, “Your Majesty, be careful!” I felt relieved; I would rather be injured myself than see her hurt. I caught the knife between my fingers.
She sighed with relief, but the empress wanted her executed. I intervened, stopping the empress – the first time I had defied her orders, all for her.
She became my personal bodyguard, never distancing herself from me and often asking, “Your Majesty, would you like to try some?” If she liked something, she would ask me to buy it for her. She disliked the palace’s rigid rules and was always undisciplined in front of me. Her only flaw was that she always called me “Your Majesty.”
She was special.
Unlike other bodyguards who stood silent and motionless, she liked wandering around the study, eating, and particularly enjoyed polishing the gold ingots from her bag, sometimes even kissing them. Whenever she did this, I wanted to laugh. I had never seen a girl behave like this, but I liked it.
