O jovem campeão, beleza celestial

Yanjing City was unusually lively that day, more so than Jing Hu had seen in a long while. People lined both sides of the streets, though she had no idea what had happened this time, and soldiers stood nearby to clear the way.

Ever since she had secretly slipped out of the residence the previous month to find someone at a teahouse for a game of dominoes, only to be hauled home by her elder brother, Jing Shen, she had not been allowed outside for an entire month.

A whole month! Her elder brother was far too ruthless.

During that month, she had missed countless spring banquets held by the families of Yanjing. That meant she had also missed countless chances to help her grandmother play cards and win a little pocket money from the other old ladies.

Her mother would not allow her to visit the gambling halls, and every day did nothing but urge her to dress herself up. She possessed countless jewels and curios, yet did not have a single coin to her name.

Without pocket money, how was she to buy and secretly collect the new white-jade dominoes released by the gambling halls? At the thought of this, Jing Hu’s expression grew troubled once more.

At that moment, she was walking alone along Yanjing’s most prosperous street, Vermilion Bird Avenue. Fearing that she might go wandering off, her father, the Prince of Yongning, had specially commissioned a portrait of her at the age of ten and given it to the Five-City Garrison Command. Wherever she appeared, the men of the command would know at once.

Still, she had not sneaked out today.

H