Minister Yuan was renowned for his profound scholarship.
He was a grand minister under Prince Huoch.
Emperor Huoch Haoxuan held him in extremely high regard, bestowing upon the Yuan family's eldest young lady the title of future Crown Princess the moment she was born.
Yuan Zhouying was born with a distinguished status and was meticulously cared for by the Master and the First Madam.
She grew up pampered, with fair and soft skin, slender fingers, a well-proportioned figure, and an exquisitely beautiful face.
She was the most outstanding among the four young ladies.
Everything she wore was expensive and precious, bestowed by the imperial concubines and the Empress.
The First Madam was her birth mother, who had given birth to one young master and two young ladies, all of whom were exceptional.
The Second Madam had only given birth to one young lady – Yuan Jingqi.
She was gentle by nature, a little timid, and very sensible due to being the daughter of a concubine.
The Yuan family also had another young lady named Yuan Liu.
She was the daughter of the Third Madam.
It was rumored in the manor that the Third Madam was also the daughter of a concubine from a minor household, and had caught the Master's eye due to her beauty.
The Third Madam had always been looked down upon by those in the manor, and coupled with oppression from the First Madam, she committed suicide when Yuan Liu was five years old.
She was left all alone in the Yuan manor, with no one to care for her, left to fend for herself.
She grew up amidst adversity, living in a dilapidated annex at the back of the manor.
This annex was previously for servants, but they had since moved to the Third Madam's residence.
The First Madam used the excuse of her being mischievous and causing trouble to banish her here.
Yuan Liu was not unattractive, but she possessed nothing of value.
Even her hairpins were self-carved.
Her face would flush red from the summer heat and winter cold.
She only had a few sets of clothes, given by the Third Young Lady, all worn and old.
She could only give such clothes for fear of the First Madam.
Despite this, she lived very optimistically.
She only needed to get by each day, not needing luxury or beauty.
If there was no food, she would run into the forest to catch small animals herself.
She was not skilled in the four arts, but she was good at hunting, knew a bit of martial arts, and had many other minor skills.
All accumulated since childhood, things she had to learn to survive.
She didn't look thin and weak at all, but rather sturdy; her small figure was very agile, and she looked full of vitality.
Living in this manor suffocated her.
She detested the faces of those who used so-called principles to oppress her.
Therefore, she often snuck off to Mount Huami to play.
Mount Huami was covered in lush green forests, and few people frequented it.
Its fresh air and tranquility suited her perfectly, helping her feel happy and at ease.
Today, the kitchen once again left nothing for her to eat, but she didn't react.
She turned and left.
She ran to Huami and immediately saw a wild chicken.
When it saw her, it was startled, flapped its wings, and fled.
She skillfully circled around to a path ahead and stood still.
The chicken approached; it recognized her but wasn't as scared as before.
It cautiously walked past, and was swiftly caught by her.
She took it to roast. She had come to this place many times and never encountered any large animals, only small creatures.
These animals were not as appealing as tigers or leopards.
People liked to hunt them for their hides and meat, which fetched a high price.
But here, one could only gather herbs.
The roasted chicken turned golden, its aroma rich and fragrant.
She sat waiting with delight, her stomach so hungry she didn't want to do anything else.
On the mountaintop, there was a group of people, led by a man.
His tall silhouette, clad in light armor, was intently looking in the direction where a wisp of smoke was rising.
He ordered the others to stay put so he could go investigate, reasoning that such a small wisp of smoke surely didn't indicate a large group of people.
He went there and leaped onto a large tree to observe.
Viên Liễu saw the chicken was cooked, so she took the large leaves she had washed in the stream and arranged them into a circle.
Then she ran back to lift the bamboo skewer holding the chicken, intending to place it inside.
On this side, the observer revealed himself, his face handsome.
He looked at the young woman, wondering why such a young girl would come here to roast and eat chicken.
He watched for a moment, looking all around, but saw no one else.
Viên Liễu, on her side, lowered the bamboo skewer, her hands red from the heat.
As she pulled out the skewer, she puffed out her cheeks and blew on her hands because of the heat.
Seeing this scene, he suddenly thought the young girl was very foolish.
With so many leaves, why didn't she use one to wrap around the skewer as she pulled it out?
Once Viên Liễu had removed the skewer, she immediately wrapped the chicken and carried it to a large flat rock, placing it there.
Then she climbed onto it and sat down.
At this point, she pulled out a leaf from underneath, used it to protect her hand, and broke off a leg.
Only then did he understand; she had kept the leaves to protect her hands while breaking apart the chicken.
But he still thought she was foolish. Just as he jumped down, intending to leave, he spotted a rabbit.
The rabbit, seeing him, turned its tail and scurried away in a panic.
Viên Liễu, noticing the movement, looked over and saw him watching the rabbit.
She jumped down and ran closer: "Hey? Are you catching a rabbit?"
Seeing her approach, he turned to look at her.
He could only concede.
She saw the rabbit had already run off, then looked back at the man in front of her.
She thought he must be a patrolling soldier, too hungry, who had come into the forest to hunt and eat, just like her.
She then pointed towards the flat rock: "Come over there, I'll give you a leg. The rabbit's gone, so you can have a chicken leg for now."
She led him over, took another leaf, and broke off the other leg.
He didn't refuse: "Many thanks, young lady. I didn't expect to meet such a kind person by coming here."
She gave a wry smile, handing him the chicken leg: "Help others, and others will help you in return another time."
He accepted it and then bowed his head: "My name is Vĩ Thành. I hope we meet again."
Then he left.
Viên Liễu said nothing, turning back to eat happily.
For her, helping others was helping herself.
She didn't hate everyone.
Seeing him wear light armor, he was clearly a soldier of Binh State. Soldiers were people of merit.
That's why she helped him.