The sun was hot, but not too hot. The wind, a light breeze, kept the day's warmth comfortable for a girl lying down on a chair enjoying the blooming flowers in a small garden. With the gentle wind rustling through the rows of daises and orchids, there wasn't anything else this girl wanted to do than bask in this warm weather. Not like there was much else to do anyways. As a disabled person with intense muscle fatigue, it was impossible for her to do any hard labor.
"Eldest princess, what shall I prepare for you today?" the maid asked the lying down girl, waiting dutifully as always.
"Lulu, go ask the chiefs to make fish soup today." The girl said, her voice weak and frail sounding, with just the faintest of whistles to every sentence. Her features were soft with a charming innocence about them, she might not even be as old as sixteen. Her flawlessly smooth, milky-white, peachy skin glistened in the rays of the sun, so much so that she was blinding to look at directly. Like the words of an ancient poem, they perfectly described this princess.
"Yes, your Highness." Lulu left promptly.
She stared off into space with her blue eyes, absent-mindedly twiddling the corners of her perfectly coiled hair.
She smiled as the gentle wind danced around her and made her long, luscious blond hair dance in the air. As the wind blew her pony tail she felt the strands of her hair graze against her thin neck.
"A new life as the Eldest Princess?" The girl muttered.
The girl's name is Qian Meilian.
One day, out of the blue, Meilian died. Her past was nothing special, but cultivated the way of nature. She would keep the trees fed and safe, would use herbs only if needed, and made her own things using raw material. Everything she did in her old world was in tune with nature and earth itself.
Meiling did not think that she lived a sad or a fulfilled life, rather, she was proud of herself and thought she had made the best with what little she had. Now that she's born again, the world around her seems completely different.
Raising her hand gently in the air, the wind started to swirl around her finger like a baby moth. Closing her eyes and letting the soft sensation of the summer's wind caress her body was like heaven to her; but this feeling didn't last long and eventually faded away, and she felt empty inside.
"Is this world so-called internal strength?" she muttered.
Even after using her full concentration she could only keep this minuscule amount of air to float around her. A good portion of her potential energy was sucked away, making her breathing heavy, the feeling of her arms and legs weaken, making it almost impossible to move her body. Her mind was throbbing in agony and fatigue from just doing such a simple and effortless thing.
In this world, princes must have outstanding cultivation talent for internal strength if they even want to inherit the throne. As for the effects of internal strength? It simply allows a person to stay in peak condition for a long period of time, but it doesn't grant them magical abilities like Qian Meilian.
"But according to my memories, women aren't allowed to practice internal strength..." She murmured.
It was the hard truth.
Men don't want women to overpower them in daily life or marriage. Thus, women can't practice the way of cultivation, or 'internal strength' as they call it.
Qian Meilian was the eldest daughter of the Qian royal family, and her mother was the current empress. However, her mother had a problem with her constitution and was unable to have another child, but was lucky enough to have her and the Crown Prince in one go.
A pair of dragon and phenix twins was a blessing and fortune for the whole empire, so the Qian royal family doted on both her and her twin brother.
Maybe because of her mother's weak body, she had a muscle disease at the age of three. Because of her disease, she couldn't do anything too physically straining. She couldn't walk, and would feel tired after just a bit of running.
So, she spent her days studying various topics.
Even though the royal family loved her, they had their limits. Considering she had no marriage potential, her parents were worried and didn't want to spend too many resources on her. But she did have a strong relationship with her brother.
Thinking this, she grabbed a bell and rang it.
"Your highness, you called for this humbled one?" Lulu came out from behind her, her body slightly bent forward.
"Write a letter to my Crowned Brother asking that I request to see him." she ordered.
"Yes, your highness." Lulu left after bowing to her again.
It didn't take long before she returned with the letter.
Lulu wrote down the message on a piece of paper and rolled it up, tying a ribbon around it. "Your highness, here is the letter. Should I ask the maids to send it?"
Meiling nodded. "Have them send it now, if it can't be delivered today, then tomorrow morning. Also, ask a group of servants to come help me to the dining table."
"Yes, your highness." Lulu bowed to her once more, leaving to have the maids deliver the message.
After a while, three maids came out and gently held Meiling's arms and waist, slowly lifting her up and carrying her inside the palace. They placed her in the main room and started to serve her some fish soup.
Meiling ate while observing the room. She looked at the clean fresh floor and the many paintings and statues in the room. There was a small flower pot next to her, it had a few red roses in it, blooming and vibrant. Compared to her last home, the walls and floors were a lot more well-kept and clean. The floor was covered with a carpet and the walls were painted and decorated with various beautiful paintings.
She remembered her own home. It was a small and shabby looking house made out of wood. But despite the house's exterior, the inside was well-decorated and clean, as she made sure to take great care of her living space.
"Your Highness, there is a letter from the emperor." A servant entered and passed a letter to Meiling.
Meiling took it, looking at the wax seal. It was the Imperial Seal, the one with the Dragon and Phoenix together.
"Hmm." She replied, and waved off the servant.
The servant bowed and left, leaving the room as quiet and peaceful as she gently opened the letter.
'To the eldest princess, please come to the Imperial Palace on the next full moon.'
She stared at the contents of the letter before raising her arm to put it on the candle's fire.
"Huh, It seems that the rumors are true." She whispered, the ashes falling into the bowl.
Recently, the Tang Empire has been getting more and more aggressive with the Qian Empire, and there has been a lot of friction between the two empires.
It is a common occurrence for neighboring nations to be in disagreement with each other, but the Qian Empire was very concerned.
This is because the Tang Empire is the biggest empire, and their army was far larger and more numerous than the Qian Empire's. The two countries have always had a friendly relationship, but this friendship has slowly been breaking apart.
In the letter, the emperor said he had something to discuss with her. Meiling had a faint guess as to what he wanted, and her heart was a little cold.
If she had to marry into the Tang Empire, the Emperor would certainly do his best to make sure she was not taken advantage of. But her body was frail, and it was difficult for her to bear a son.
This was also the reason why her parents didn't bother too much about her. She knew they didn't want to lose face.
After thinking for a while, Meiling decided to go.
She wasn't a fool. If her dear father really wished to marry a princess off, she'd just deflect it to the second princess.
The second princess is from the Worthy Consort, and the Worthy Consort is the most influential concubine after her mother, the Empress.
And if her father refused to give her away, she could just say, "Since my body is frail, I will not marry. My marriage will only bring shame to both empires." Then, she could have a comfortable and leisurely life.
Of course she doesn't believe that her father would let her off so easily; even if he really loved her.
"Come on Lulu, now I'm counting on you to deliver the letter." She muttered to herself.
With her plans set, Meiling waited for Lulu to return.
She knew that if her father didn't plan on marrying her off, then he wouldn't have called her to the Imperial Palace.
After the meal, Meiling had her maids take her back to her bedroom, where she waited for Lulu to finish delivering the letters.
Lulu returned within an hour.
"Your Highness, the letter was successfully delivered."
Meiling was sitting on a chair by the window. She was gazing at the beautiful garden outside when she heard Lulu's report.
"Good. What was his response?"
"The Crown Prince responded saying that he will come and visit tomorrow morning."
"Very good." Meiling said, a smile playing on her lips.
"Tomorrow, have the maids dress me up and prepare my breakfast early."
"Yes, your highness." Lulu left with a bow.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow..." Meiling murmured, turning her head back towards the window.