The thoroughly drunk Jiang Yun Qiao was lively while I, who had only drunk a few cups, had fallen ill. I was sick and delirious, feeling alternating heat and cold, dizzy and aching all over. When Jiang Yun Qiao visited me, I was curled up in bed. She felt guilty for bringing me to drink and regretted her drunkenness. However, she claimed to have no memory of that night, appearing completely innocent.
I weakly murmured, “It was nothing. Just about snow, about a youth.”
Jiang Yun Qiao’s expression changed dramatically.
Then, I heard a story.
When Jiang Yun Qiao was fourteen, she encountered an ethereally beautiful youth during a vast snowfall in Qi Kingdom. This fleeting glimpse captured her heart, but she could find no trace of his identity and eventually had to give up.
She told herself he was a divine being who had returned to heaven, burying her longing deep in her heart.
At sixteen, following Emperor Hong’s wishes, she married the eldest son of the E Tai Zai family. Her husband was kind, and she tried to love him, but her feelings never progressed beyond mere fondness. Her love remained with the youth she met in the snow.
Life continued. At eighteen, A’fu was born. She was content and gradually accustomed to this happiness, casting aside unrealistic expectations. However, she unexpectedly reunited with that ethereal youth.
Now married with a child, and knowing the youth was not from Nan Rui Kingdom, they could never be together. Her infatuation was unknown to him. Though her heart was unsettled, she remained outwardly calm, occasionally visiting him, satisfied just to see he was well.
Everything was fine until unrest in Qi Kingdom disrupted his life, unsettling her again. In her conflicting pain, she chose to drink to numb herself.
So this was Jiang Yun Qiao’s secret. Perhaps the person she loved was just a beautiful image she had created. What young girl hasn’t had romantic fantasies?
But she was too obsessed, letting her youthful longing become a lock on her heart. Resolving it wasn’t difficult—finding the youth might make her realize she didn’t love him as much as she thought.
