Two days later, Xia Dongya safely returned to the exiles' camp. Tang Daiyu went with the others to greet him. As she neared, she noticed another man with him. And not just any man, but Liang Yingzhou himself.

She greeted the exiles' leader, "Xia Dongya, I can't thank you enough for your help. I trust everything was okay?"

"Yes. Just outside the palace, I used an arrow to send the message. And think nothing of it, Your Majesty. I'm happy I could be of service to you."

Tang Daiyu gave Xia Dongya a soft smile before turning to his companion. She bowed in respect.

"Master Liang."

He returned her bow. "Your Majesty."

She asked, "Do you two know each other?"

Xia Dongya explained, "No, we met on my way back to Nanning. I recognized him right away as Master Liang, the best martial artist in this world. He was kind enough to accompany me back here."

Tang Daiyu looked at Liang Yingzhou and raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't know you were so magnanimous and philanthropic. When did that happen?"

"I changed after I went to Nanchang. As you know, Your Majesty, I became a disciple of the Swift Breeze Sect and trained under Master Zhuge Feiwang."

Murmurs rippled through the exiles. Everyone knew the feats Master Zhuge had accomplished. By thirteen he had become a master of martial arts. He had served Wei as the Emperor's most trusted general until it fell. To be chosen to be his disciple was a great honour.

Tang Daiyu's eyes twinkled with old memories. "I remember when you left Chang'an to learn from my father's sworn brother."

Liang Yingzhou smiled and bowed slightly to her. "Your father recommended me to him. Since they had both trained in the Swift Breeze Sect and were sworn brothers, Master Zhuge accepted me as his disciple. I owe your father for the favour."

She nodded, remembering.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes?"

Tang Daiyu turned around to see one of the exiles bowing.

"Prince Yelang has just been spotted leaving the palace. We have someone following him now."

She hummed in acknowledgement. The exile turned to Xia Dongya and reported, "Sir, we thought it best to watch His Highness. Just in case he did anything suspicious."

"Good work, Kong Ce. This is very suspicious indeed. Keep on him."

"Yes, sir."

Kong Ce bowed and withdrew. Xia Dongya excused himself and went to talk with the others, leaving Tang Daiyu and Liang Yingzhou alone.

She shifted and faced him. "You went to go find Xia Dongya on purpose, didn't you?"

He looked at her, faking innocence. "What? Me?"

She flashed him an impatient look. He turned serious and cleared his throat.

"Do you know who Xia Dongya is, Tang Daiyu?"

The truth of her ignorance crossed her face as she winced. Liang Yingzhou sighed and shook his head.

He explained, "It was before either of us; back in the past when the Three Kingdoms still existed. Xia Dongya was a highly respected doctor from the infamous Xia clan. Some even considered him a Shaman. He served the last Emperor of Wei wholeheartedly. So when Liu Sun ascended the blood-stained throne as Emperor Jianyuan of Chang after the Fifteen Years War had finally ended, Xia Dongya was exiled and the Xia clan's reputation ruined. Ever since then, he has been an enemy of Emperor Jianyuan."

Tang Daiyu's eyes widened in surprise. "How is it that you know all of this, Zhou-ge? Especially if this was before either of us were born?"

"My master taught me much about Chang and Heping's origins. While he was alive, he feared that one day, there would be too many problems between both countries that peace could not

be found," he paused. "Turns out, he was right."

She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. Tang Daiyu looked down at the ground. Liang Yingzhou watched her, waiting. He could see her mulling something over in her head.

Finally, she asked, "What does the Tang family, my father specifically, have to do with any of this?"

He sighed sadly. Stepping closer to her, he gently took her hands in his. His eyes fell on her soft, porcelain white face.

"Ah Daiyu, don't worry about things that happened in the faraway past. There's nothing to be done about it now."

She glanced up at him, meeting his fixed gaze.

"Can you just answer my question?"

Silence. The only sounds were the chirps of birds, the rustling of tree leaves, and the voices of the Chang exiles behind them. He let go of her hands and took a respectful step back, clearing his throat.

"Your father was a loyal servant of Wei also. When soldiers from Shu secretly invaded Luoyang, your father, along with Master Zhuge, led the Emperor's army to fight them off. He fought with Liu Sun, Shu’s strongest warrior at the time. Stories say they battled for three days and three nights. Eventually, Liu San came out victorious, but luckily your father wasn’t hurt too terribly bad."

He paused, waiting on her reaction. To her credit, she remained stoic.

"Even though Tang Ru became Chancellor for Emperor Jianyuan, His Majesty never fully trusted him. Emperor Rong, Prince Yelang, and Sixth Concubine Luli all knew this and played it to their advantage. The rest of your family were really just casualties of war."

She stared at him in complete shock. "How did I never know any of this?"

"Simple. Your father didn't want to you. I highly doubt Bi Mingyu knew either."

Tang Daiyu took a deep, shuddering breath. Tears welled in her eyes. Liang Yingzhou stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He held her as she began to softly cry.

"I'm so sorry, Ah Daiyu," he murmured.

She began to cry more as haunting memories from the painful past flooded her.