Liao Tingyan didn't struggle for long before coming to terms with it. After all, the male lead was just a commoner in the early stages. As long as she didn't want to fall in love with him, it would be useless even if he took a fancy to her.

There seemed to be no need to worry about that. It was better to worry about the ruthless emperor she would have to face in half a year. In this era where the emperor's power overrode everything, the emperor's destructive power was simply too great.

Although she thought this way, recently she had encountered the male lead three or four times. Weren't these coincidental opportunities a bit too many?

She could meet the male lead who happened to go to the temple to offer lamps for his parents. When she went to the lake for an outing, she was harassed by someone and also ran into the male lead. Was the male lead omnipresent?

"What kind of thing are you to dare stand in front of me? Do you know who I am?"

Hearing Dai Yu's classic three questions that came from the heart of a cannon fodder, Liao Tingyan was simply speechless. This Dai Yu was indeed worthy of being called the matchmaker of the original male and female leads. His appearance was just to promote the male and female protagonists' CP!

She rarely had the interest to walk by the lake, but Dai Yu popped out of nowhere, smiling and pestering her to talk. Then, the male protagonist Chen Yun also popped out of nowhere, standing in front of her on his own initiative to confront Dai Yu like a hero saving the beauty.

Faced with Dai Yu's arrogant and domineering contempt, Chen Yun was neither humble nor overbearing. "Who I am is not important, but no matter who you are, you shouldn't make things difficult for a lady like this."

Dai Yu looked him up and down, revealing hostility in his eyes. This kind of poor but handsome scoundrel was most likely to deceive a lady's affection. The guy in front of him must be up to no good, not a decent person.

While the two men confronted each other, Liao Tingyan had already turned and walked in another direction with a servant girl. Dai Yu still wanted to humiliate Chen Yun, but seeing the beauty ignoring them and leaving, he hurriedly called out, "Hey, Lady Liao, don't go. We're not done talking yet!"

Liao Tingyan turned her head slightly and glanced at him calmly. "I heard that Young Master Dai has been training in the military camp recently. I didn't expect you to come out so soon. You must have learned a lot. My father is currently discussing with General Dai to clear out all the bandits nearby. Perhaps Young Master Dai should also go and gain some experience."

Dai Yu's face instantly turned pale. How dare he go fight the bandits? He had just sneaked out of the military camp while his father was too busy to notice. If Lady Liao really went back and told on him, he wouldn't be able to get away with it. Dai Yu shut his mouth in embarrassment, not daring to stop her anymore.

Liao Tingyan didn't pay attention to Chen Yun. Seeing that Chen Yun was treated even worse than himself, Dai Yu felt relieved again. He gave Chen Yun a contemptuous look and also walked away.

Chen Yun watched Liao Tingyan's back, thinking to himself, what a clever lady. She showed such indifference to him, so that arrogant young master wouldn't cause trouble for him because of it. This was her roundabout way of protecting him.

Liao Tingyan didn't know what the male lead was thinking. She hurried to join her lady friends who were also on the lake outing, not daring to be alone anymore. Every time she was alone, she had to solo the male lead. It was mentally exhausting.

Because of this experience, when Lady Cui and a few lady friends invited her out again, Liao Tingyan refused them all. Every time she went out, she encountered the male lead. Since she already knew that going out meant inevitably meeting the male lead, why bother going out at all?

It was better to stay at home and sleep.

She didn't believe that if she stayed at home, the male lead and trouble could still fall from the sky. Even when her maternal grandfather's family sent a letter asking her to attend her cousin's birthday banquet, she didn't go, perfectly avoiding all the subsequent plot points related to the male lead in the original story.

So Liao Tingyan stayed at home like this from spring to summer, not going out even once. Even her father, who was busy with work, started to worry a little and specifically came to ask if she wanted to go out for a change of mood.

Liao Tingyan refused, "Daughter is in a good mood and doesn't need to go out for a change of scenery."

As the half-year time gradually approached, just when Liao Tingyan thought she could still hide and relax for a while longer, a messenger from Luoyang arrived at the Prefectural Governor's residence with an imperial edict from His Majesty the Emperor.

The reputation of the renowned beauty Liao Tingyan from Hexia had spread to Luoyang. The emperor was very interested in her and demanded that she enter the palace to accompany him.

Liao Tingyan's heart skipped a beat, thinking this wasn't right. In the original story, the news of her entering the palace should have come at least two months later. How come it was earlier?

What surprised her even more was that not long after, a large entourage came from Luoyang, saying they were here to take her to the capital. The original story only described how the female lead was sad and how she sneaked out to see the male lead, and the two of them had a deep, difficult-to-part love. It never mentioned that the emperor sent so many people to pick her up.

Well, she should have known that novels are novels and the real world is the real world. There will always be differences. The novel can't possibly write out all the details after all. And it's normal for the plot to change along with her changes.

But this kind of situation that broke her perception still made her head bald. Maybe it was because she looked too troubled while pondering these things, but one day, her father suddenly said to her, "There's no need for this. Father will find a way."

Liao Tingyan: "......???" She couldn't keep up with her father's train of thought.

Prefect Liao touched his daughter's hair with some melancholy. "In a few days, you'll feign illness and go stay at your maternal grandfather's home for a while. If people come from Luoyang, I'll deal with them. Father also doesn't want you to enter the palace to die. Don't worry."

Liao Tingyan now suspected that in the original story, for the female lead to elope with the male lead so easily, her father must have helped.

Prefect Liao was still saying, "After you leave this time, take good care of yourself. Father doesn't know if he can still see you..."

The more he said, the more it sounded like a farewell. Liao Tingyan not only couldn't keep up with her father's thoughts but also couldn't get into his emotional state.

She couldn't muster up tears without the right feelings. She simply grabbed her father's hand. "Alright, Father, don't think too much. Daughter is prepared to enter the palace."

What a joke. Her father didn't have an accurate understanding of Emperor Sima Jiao's cruelty. If that lunatic wanted her to enter the palace, let alone being sick, even if she turned into a corpse, she would have to be carried to Luoyang for him to take a look.

Unless she also recklessly eloped and left like the original female lead, implicating her father and maternal grandfather.

After all the trouble, there was only one outcome. Why bother?

Hearing his daughter's words, tears actually flickered in Prefect Liao's eyes. This man, who was usually stern and rigid, who knew what he had imagined, but he moved himself to tears.

"Tingyan, you don't have to do this. I know you don't want to implicate Father, but how can Father bear..."

Liao Tingyan was really not good at facing this kind of situation, and could only interrupt him again, "Father, I am already seventeen years old now, and should be getting married. It doesn't matter who I marry. Besides, since His Majesty has taken a liking to your daughter and specially sent so many people to receive me, I'm sure your daughter will not have a hard time after entering the palace. You can rest assured."

Lord Liao looked around, but didn't find any sign of reluctance on his daughter's face. He could only accept the fact that his daughter really seemed to be preparing to enter the palace, with very mixed feelings.

"Are you truly willing to enter the palace?"

"Truly." Liao Tingyan stated firmly.

One of her life philosophies was that once a decision was made, one could not waver left and right, otherwise one's state of mind would collapse.

At the same time, the news that Lord Liao's daughter was about to be welcomed into the palace by the Luojing envoys spread throughout Hexia, and almost everyone was talking about it.

Some people envied Lady Liao for being personally selected by the emperor to enter the palace and enjoy wealth and glory, while others sighed that such a beauty was about to be ruined by that brutal emperor.

"You think the palace is a good place to go? I have a cousin who came from Luojing last month. He told me that now almost everyone in Luojing knows that our emperor kills people like flies. It is said that every day in the palace, the corpses of beauties who have been killed by the emperor for displeasing him are sent out of the palace..."

The speaker lowered his voice, and the traveling merchants sitting at his table all pricked up their ears to listen, then sighed with emotion.

"Once Lady Liao enters the palace, who knows how long she can live. Poor thing."

Chen Yun, who was sitting at the next table, frowned and put down his teacup. He couldn't help but look in the direction of the Lord's mansion, thinking of that gentle and graceful lady.

Just thinking that she might die quietly at some unknown time, Chen Yun felt regretful and sour. But what could he do? He was just an ordinary commoner. At this moment, Chen Yun suddenly realized his powerlessness and unwillingness.

How could such a delicate lady survive in such a treacherous environment? Now that she knew her fate, would she be afraid?

The lady Liao Tingyan, who looked delicate and fragile in the male lead's eyes, was currently sprawled in her family's waterside pavilion, feeling a bit unbearable from the heat. Even though the servants beside her were taking turns fanning her, the thin summer gauze dress she was wearing still made her feel doubly miserable.

It was already late summer, but for some reason, it was still so hot at this time of year. She was especially afraid of the heat. Every year when it came to this time, she especially missed tank tops, shorts, and air conditioning refrigerators.

Lord Liao was not particular about quality of life, and even Liao Tingyan, a noble lady raised by her own father, lived a relatively ordinary life.

Although it was better than that of commoners, she was definitely in the lower-middle range among the noble circles. Liao Tingyan suddenly thought that maybe after entering the palace, the treatment would be better. Although the emperor was a lunatic, he was still the emperor after all, and the quality of life was definitely top-notch.

Thinking about it this way, she actually started to look forward to it a bit.

Liao Tingyan was brainwashing herself when the head steward led a team of people across the corridor.

"Lady, the envoys sent from Luojing to receive you have arrived and have come to meet you," said the head steward.

There were eight people behind him, all of whom appeared to be eunuchs and palace maids from the palace, led by an older eunuch. These people were probably of unusual status. Their attitude towards Liao Tingyan could only be said to be passable.

A young eunuch standing at the back of the group boldly raised his head and looked at Liao Tingyan curiously from a distance.

Liao Tingyan had her back to them originally. Hearing the sound, she turned her head. She was dressed rather simply at home, in a plain gauze dress, without any makeup on her face, and not many ornaments on her head, just a few white jade hairpins with silver flowers. On her wrist was a clear green jade bracelet.

The whole person sitting in this pavilion with a gentle breeze was like a white lotus born in a jade basin.

When she turned to look, even the envoys who were used to seeing beauties in the palace were stunned for a moment. The bold young eunuch at the back stared straight at her, making no attempt to hide it.

To be honest, Liao Tingyan was already used to this gaze from everyone. After all, the female lead's setting was that of a great beauty, and the novelty of being a beauty had long been worn away over the past few years.

Now she only hoped that she could at least use this face to subdue Sima Jiao, so that life would be much easier.

"In three days, we will set off back to Luojing. I hope Lady Liao will settle her miscellaneous affairs as soon as possible so as not to delay the return date," said the elderly eunuch politely.

Liao Tingyan also politely bowed to the leading eunuch. "Thank you for the reminder, Envoy. I will definitely not be late." Looking up, she saw the young eunuch at the back staring straight at her, but she didn't pay much attention.

This sinful beauty had mesmerized another innocent passerby.

Three days later, Liao Tingyan bid farewell to her father and boarded the carriage. Before that, father and daughter had faced each other in silence for a long, long time in the main hall.

In the end, this rigid old man who was not good with words did not say many nice words to his daughter, but only sighed a few long sighs and told her to take care.

Liao Tingyan, on the other hand, held back her tears, stepped forward and hugged this father, which startled Lord Liao - even between father and daughter, there were very few ways to express affection like this in this era.

"Father, please do take care of yourself." Liao Tingyan was prepared to leave and never return, and never see her family again.

The carriage drove off, driving out of the city from the Lord's mansion and slowly leaving the Hexia area.

In this dynasty, most nobles still traveled by ox-cart, and only a few people with status and power could use horse-drawn carriages. Looking at the long procession of receiving envoys, with six carriages and hundreds of guards in a grand manner, Liao Tingyan could not understand.

Just to pick up a beauty, did it really require so many people and so many carriages? Wasn't this a bit of an exaggeration?

She lifted the curtain and looked out, suddenly realizing that the procession had stopped, and a young eunuch entered the spacious carriage compartment.

"This servant has been ordered to take care of you, Lady. If there is anything, just give the order," the eunuch said, looking at her with a pair of jet-black eyes that were inexplicably a little creepy.

Liao Tingyan recognized him as the bold eunuch who had been staring at her a few days ago.

Author's Note:

Yes, Sima Jiao is the male lead of this story, and has already quietly made his appearance.