The Princess Who Divorced Her Husband - Chapter 1.1

At the gate of Taiyuan City in Shanxi Province, more than ten identical, luxurious carriages were passing through in a grand and impressive procession.

The carriages were unusually elegant, and with so many guards escorting them from front to back, curious townspeople gathered to watch. They guessed—Could it be Prince Yongjun from Yanjing, bringing his only daughter, Princess Yan Mei, to Taiyuan?

Their guesses weren’t baseless. In just five days, Princess Yan Mei was going to marry Zuo Shengxing, the only son of Shanxi’s Governor, Zuo Wende. This marriage had been arranged six months ago. Since the news broke out, it became a hot topic among the people. After all, this was the grandest wedding Taiyuan City had seen in nearly a hundred years!

“Nanny, look! This is Taiyuan!” Yan Mei curiously lifted the curtain of the carriage window and peeked outside. But she had only seen a bit before her nanny pulled her back.

“Oh, my dear princess, you’re about to be a bride. You shouldn’t be showing your face in public!” her nanny said, a kind-looking, plump older woman in her fifties. Yan Mei’s mother had passed away when she was young, and in her heart, this nanny held the same place as her real mother.

Hearing her nanny’s words, Yan Mei pouted. “Being a bride isn’t fun at all! I can’t do this, I can’t do that. I can’t do anything! At least we’ve finally reached Taiyuan—otherwise, I would’ve gone crazy!”

Thinking about how she had spent every day on the road from Yanjing to Taiyuan, riding in a carriage, tired and bored, her mood began to brighten now that the journey was almost over.

I wonder if Zuo Shengxing still remembers me? she thought sweetly to herself.

Actually, twelve years ago, Yan Mei and Zuo Shengxing had met once. She had been only six, and he was eight. In her blurry memory, she recalled him visiting their home in Yanjing with his family.

She remembered him wearing a dark blue robe. His skin was darker than hers, his eyebrows were thick, and his large black eyes were full of spirit. He was a handsome and lively boy.

Even though they had only met once, Yan Mei had never forgotten him. She didn’t even understand why she still remembered him so clearly—maybe he had already forgotten about her.

Maybe it was fate. She had never thought that Zuo Wende the governor, who had always kept a distant and formal relationship with her father, Prince Yongjun, would suddenly agree to this marriage. From the day the wedding date was set, Yan Mei had the same feelings as any bride-to-be—excitement, joy, nervousness, and fear—all kinds of emotions filling her heart.

“Princess, are you thinking about your future husband again?” her nanny teased, interrupting her daydream.

“Nanny!” she cried, blushing and embarrassed.

“I bet you can’t wait to get to the governor’s mansion and see him, right?”

“No, I’m not!” Yan Mei denied it, but her voice was weak. In truth, her heart was already flying ahead of her—to the governor’s mansion where her future husband was waiting.

******

At the governor’s mansion, Zuo Shengxing had just gotten off his horse when the old steward, Uncle Ren, told him his father wanted to see him right away in the study.

Zuo Shengxing already knew what this was about. He sighed silently and, though his steps were heavy, he walked toward the study.

This grand and elegant mansion had been gifted by the emperor himself. Through the large gate and a straight road paved with white stones, you would reach the main building—Xiangyang Pavilion.

Xiangyang Pavilion took up almost a third of the mansion’s land. It had a grand hall, a flower hall, a front room, and more than ten beautifully furnished guest rooms for visitors. Governor Zuo Wende and his three concubines lived there as well.

Behind Xiangyang Pavilion, the estate was divided into three areas: Moon-Fishing Pond, Haoyan Pavilion, and Yongmei Garden. Moon-Fishing Pond was in the center, with the other two on either side.

As the name suggested, Moon-Fishing Pond was a large pond. Unlike normal ponds, this one was filled with water from an outside river, making it crystal clear. On clear nights, the moon’s reflection on the water looked just like the real moon in the sky. It was so lifelike that people felt they could reach in and fish the moon out—hence the name.

Haoyan Pavilion was where Zuo Shengxing lived. Around it were the servants’ and guards’ quarters, including stables, firewood storage, and the kitchen. Though not as lavish as Xiangyang Pavilion, the inside was neat, tasteful, and very comfortable.

Yongmei Garden didn’t always have that name. It used to be just a large garden made up of many smaller ones, filled with various flowers and rare plants from all over the world. Every season had its own blooming beauty. With pavilions, bridges, rockeries, and streams, it was the most beautiful part of the mansion.

It was renamed Yongmei Garden to welcome Princess Yan Mei, using the character “Mei” (meaning plum blossom) from her name. Governor Zuo Wende wanted to show how important she was to him. He ordered major renovations to the garden, built new rooms, and planted dozens of plum trees around Moon-Fishing Pond—all to please Yan Mei. If she was happy, Prince Yongjun would be happy too, and that would make Zuo Wende’s path to promotion even smoother.

*****

“Father, did you want to see me?” Zuo Shengxing asked quietly after entering the study.

“You went out again today?” Zuo Wende frowned.

“Yes, I just needed some air.”

Zuo Wende looked at his son’s calm face with sharp, experienced eyes.

“Your future father-in-law left the mansion just an hour ago.”

“Prince Yongjun?” Zuo Shengxing’s expression changed slightly.

“What’s so surprising? You’re marrying Princess Yan Mei in five days. Did you think they would wait until the wedding day to come?” Zuo Wende was clearly unhappy with his son’s indifferent attitude.

He was about to get married, but he still went out every day, doing nothing, as if this whole marriage had nothing to do with him. Zuo Wende had been holding in his frustration for a long time, as if he had somehow wronged his son.

He just didn’t understand what Shengxing was thinking. Princess Yan Mei was known as the best among all the princesses—beautiful, educated, graceful. Many noble sons had wanted to marry her but never had a chance. They were lucky that Prince Yongjun didn’t look down on them and agreed to the marriage. It was a once-in-a-lifetime blessing! Zuo Wende truly didn’t understand what his son had to complain about.

“You’d better focus from now on. Stop going out so much and get ready for the wedding. Understand?” he said.

“Yes, Father.” Zuo Shengxing’s face was still gloomy. “If there’s nothing else, I’d like to return to Haoyan Pavilion.”

“Wait…” Zuo Wende still had more to say.

“Father, I understand everything you want to say.” A helpless smile appeared on Zuo Shengxing’s lips. “Don’t worry. I won’t let Yan Mei down.”

With that, he turned and left quickly.