- Long'Er -

Time was running out.

In the next room, she carried out her plan. After checking that she was alone, she removed her guard uniform and slipped on the beautiful dress which Li Xue had worn earlier. Her hand reached up to rip off her hair tie, letting her hair cascade down her back. She re-arranged her own hair into a half-up-half-down style and dabbed some makeup on her face. For the finishing touch, she rummaged through a box of accessories, exchanging her black mask for a blue veil, which would perfectly match the dress she was wearing.

And now, she was ready.

She studied herself in the mirror, running her hands down the gorgeous dress. It had been a long time since she dressed this feminine, and she almost forgot how it felt like to be a woman.

Her heart was palpitating fast, her hands clammy from nervousness. Because in a few minutes' time, she was going to stand before an audience, including the Emperor and Empress, in this outfit.

And most importantly, the Crown Prince.

Concern clouded her face. She may have often played the zither and pipa from a young age, but she knew she was out of practice ever since she left home.

And yet, her mother's words rang in her head. She had often praised Long'Er, saying that she possessed the finest skills. Years of her practice would not disappear overnight. The songs she used to play would have been committed to her memory. Ingrained into her fingers and soul.

All she needed to do was to believe in herself.

Besides, something else perturbed her more. If she were to enter the Grand Hall in this outfit, there was a likelihood that she might be recognised by the people whom she often worked with.

Especially Li Xun.

What would he do if he found out that she was a girl? Would he detest her for feeding him with lies?

The human heart was confusing. Even though she was terribly afraid of him finding out her real gender, a part of her wanted him to see her as who she truly was. Not as a bodyguard in pretence, but just a normal girl who was capable of enrapturing his heart.

It sounded absurd, right?

She shook her head, tossing aside whatever thoughts she was harbouring. Up till this point of time, she didn't have a choice, not when Li Xue had been bawling her eyes out over her incompetence for the past hour. Long'Er didn't want her to be punished simply because of a stage fright. It would only destroy whatever confidence that was left in her.

Which was why for this performance, Long'Er decided that she would pose as the princess instead.

Giving one last reassuring nod to herself in the mirror, she marched out of the room and went back to where she came from — the Grand Hall. When she arrived, she waited for the dancers to exit. When it was the right time, Chief Eunuch, who knew about her plan, exchanged knowing looks with her and gestured for her to enter.

Once she was inside, her heart almost stopped.

All eyes were on her. The air was thick with anticipation as they watched her walk to the centre of the stage with Li Xue's pipa in her hands. After taking her place, she allowed her fingers to graze the strings, feeling a sense of familiarity hit her with nostalgia.

Her nervousness soon eased into eagerness. She lifted her head and observed the scene before her...

...but her eyes ended up meeting Li Xun's.

As always, his handsome profile struck her with awe. Leaving her momentarily stunned. He was watching her with sheer curiosity, no doubt suspecting that she wasn't his sister, especially when there was a clear difference in their height. And yet, she couldn't let his presence hinder her. She disregarded his piercing stare and forced her attention back to her main task on hand.

Taking a deep breath, she began playing a song.

It felt as if she was weaving magic with her fingers. The world around her soon faded away and her mind was lost in the soul-thrilling melody. It was fluid, akin to honey. Sweet, vibrant and gentle to the ears.

In the midst of playing, she glanced up briefly, wondering why her audience were strangely quiet. She soon realised it was because they were listening to her song intently, their mouths agape with incredulity. When she shifted her eyes to the prince, she was delighted to find him looking entranced by her song. His grey irises wide with amazement.

His reaction thrilled her.

Returning her attention to the pipa, she strummed the strings to play out the rest of the song. Upon finishing the last few notes, silence befell the hall for a few seconds, before the audience erupted into a thunderous applause. Half of the noblemen gave her a standing ovation, whereas a few were begging her to play a second song.

But to their disappointment, she stood up quickly. Curtsying before fleeing from the Grand Hall.

She had to. If she didn't return, someone was bound to notice that she had abandoned her post for far too long. And for obvious reasons, she didn't want them to question her any more than she could handle.

Hurrying back to the same room which she came from, she changed her clothes quickly. She ripped off her veil and removed her makeup in front of the mirror. Rubbing the powder off her face.

Unfortunately, she wasn't aware that she wasn't alone until she heard a gasp coming from behind the thick, red curtains. Her body froze. Her head snapped towards the direction of the intruder, only to find Li Xue standing stock-still.

The poor girl's face was ashen, her jaw dropped in astonishment. Horrified at her discovery.

Clearly, she had seen something she shouldn't.

Long'Er's bare face.

Li Xue swallowed hard as the dreadful truth sank into her mind. "I-I was worried about the performance," she explained numbly. "I knew my bumpkin would come back in here earlier so I waited here to thank him. B-but all along, you're a...girl?"

The obvious hurt in her voice filled Long'Er with remorse. "Please," she pleaded, "I–I can explain–"

However, Li Xue held up her index finger to stop her from talking.

"Don't say anything. Give me a moment to process this." Growing hysterical, she took a shaky, deep breath and placed a hand over her chest. "Do you hear that? I think I hear something breaking... Ah, my heart."

Seeing this, Long'Er's face twisted with contrite.

"Your Highness..."

Concerned, she took a step towards Li Xue but sudden footsteps outside the door caught their ears. She whipped around instinctively, snatching up her black mask and putting it back on just right before a palace maid entered the room.

"Princess Li Xue," she bowed. "The Empress is requesting for your return to the Grand Hall. The banquet is about to begin and you must be there to speak to the guests."

Still looking traumatised, Li Xue nodded absentmindedly and followed her maid out of the room with trembling footsteps.

Long'Er trailed after them, biting her bottom lip in shame. She slipped back into the Grand Hall quietly and returned to her position. Her mind was overflowing with troubled thoughts.

She was afraid that Li Xue would reveal her secret to everyone. She was worried she would have to leave the palace before finding her father.

But most importantly, she didn't want Li Xun to look at her with hateful eyes.

To her utmost relief, no one seemed to pay her any attention. No one noticed that Li Xue wasn't the one who played the pipa. In fact, everyone was getting drunk from their wine. Servants were bustling about the place, rushing to serve them as they conversed among themselves and indulged in delicious delicacies.

Even the Crown Prince was deep in conversations with his ministers and surrounded by fair maidens who threw compliments in his way every second. He laughed alongside them, sipping wine from his golden cup.

As if sensing her stare, he turned his head in her direction just then.

Their eyes met. For a long moment, he held her gaze from across the room, his beautiful ash grey eyes full of warmth. She saw the corners of his mouth curved upwards to form a ravishing smile for her and only her. The sight of him stole her breath away, and she found it unbearably hard to look away from him.

He should really stop doing such acts.

Otherwise, she would never be able to quell the butterflies that were fluttering crazily in her stomach.

He broke the gaze first, turning his back on her to resume his conversation with his subordinates. As for her, she decided to change places and linger by the next pillar, somewhere closer to his position.

She spent her time scanning the place, until something – or rather, someone – rammed into her legs from the back. She stumbled a little but regained her balance quickly. With a downward glance, she discovered the culprit – a little boy. He streaked past her, disappearing into the crowd and leaving behind his gleeful laughter.

A few seconds later, a gentle voice came from behind her.

"Pardon the intrusion. I would like to apologise for his misbehaviour."

She swivelled around immediately, finding herself speaking to one of the ministers who was smiling rather sheepishly. Despite looking in his forties, anybody could tell he was a rather striking man in his earlier years.

"That was my boy running away from me," he explained to her with a grin. "He is a rather playful fellow. I'll bring him back to apologise to you later."

"It's alright, my lord. I understand that children of his age often can't contain their excitement."

"Well, well... Thank you for being so understanding."

He peered at her for several seconds, before recognition lit up in his twinkling eyes. "I know who you are," he mused. "You must be the boy who saved the prince's life back then! It's a pleasure to meet you. I, too, would like to extend my gratitude for saving His Royal Highness."

Long'Er grew embarrassed. "I did what anyone would have done."

"But still, that courage of yours is commendable," he praised. "Wild wolves are never to be underestimated."

A child-like laughter came from somewhere in the crowd and the man frowned in worry. "I apologise, but I've to catch my little boy first before he ends up wrecking this entire place."

Shaking his head, he began to leave but not before pausing to introduce himself. "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself," he beamed. "I'm Minister Han Zhi Wen, Head of Intelligence Bureau. It was a pleasure speaking to you and I hope that you will assist His Highness to the best of your abilities."

With that said, he left. He didn't notice the devastating change in her expression, the shadows in her eyes. The blood in her veins turned ice cold and she remained rooted to the ground. Her heart was spiralling in confusion, and she almost believed for a second that her ears were playing tricks on her.

That man who spoke to her was...Han Zhi Wen?

He was the hero that appeared in her bedtime stories every night during her childhood years?

He was the very same man that her deceased mother had terribly missed and would cry his name out loud in her sleep?

Tears began to well up in her eyes. Her throat tightened as her emotions overwhelmed her. She gazed after the man who had gone after his son, capturing him in his arms and berating him softly for running around the place. Their giggles filled her ears, leaving her numbly speechless with what she had found.

If she was right, it would mean that her mission for entering the capital and palace was accomplished.

Because at long last, she had finally found her biological father in the flesh.



A/N: Just in case anybody is wondering how a pipa looks/sounds like, you may refer to the video below.

The girl on the right is holding a pipa. 😃

https://youtu.be/KDzpMOddpLc