TFSRITA Chapter 12

Meanwhile, after lunch, Yan Qing wrote a few words down, causing Zi Yun to be bewildered. “Miss, are you saying… you want to practice martial arts?”

Yan Qing nodded seriously.

Although this body she had traveled into didn’t require her to do much— and her main goal was to seek death—she knew that she would continue to travel to other worlds in the future, so learning new skills would come in handy.

Aside from this, she also needed to pick up the embroidery skills her original body had mastered.

As for martial arts… it was, of course, a precaution in case Ji Yecheng failed to kill her or if any of the consorts in the harem dared to bully her.

She could accept being killed by Ji Yecheng, but she would not tolerate being mistreated by anyone else!

Zi Yun couldn’t quite agree with her mistress’s ways of thinking, but since Miss had entered the palace, she had become different, and Zi Yun dared not question her—especially since she would soon be leaving. Ji Yecheng had already lifted the restriction, and the letter Yan Qing had written to her father had been sent out.

By that very afternoon, the letter reached her father’s hands.

Prime Minister Yan was a doting father, but only to Yan Qing.

In his early years, when Yan’s career had just begun to flourish, his wife, Lady Yan, was a timid woman. When they first arrived in the bustling capital of Chang’an, surrounded by high-ranking officials and nobility, she struggled to fit in. At that time, Yan had rejected a marriage proposal from the Marquis’s daughter, leading to suppression from influential circles. As the key person behind this rejection, Lady Yan bore the brunt of the consequences. Everywhere she went, she was ridiculed as an unrefined woman from the countryside, dragging down the Prime Minister. Yan, once a top scholar, had spent three long years in the Hanlin Academy without a promotion. His peer, the third-ranked scholar, had already risen to a fifth-rank official position, far surpassing him.

All this because the third-ranked scholar had married the Marquis’s younger daughter, while Yan had offended the family by refusing their elder daughter’s hand in marriage.

Lady Yan, being naturally reserved, took the blame upon herself, believing that she had caused her husband’s lack of advancement. On top of feeling out of place in the capital, where she couldn’t relate to the high-born women around her, Lady Yan soon fell into depression and passed away.

After Lady Yan’s death, Yan, who had been consumed with navigating the treacherous waters of court life, suddenly woke up. He vowed to make a name for himself and ensure that his daughter would never be disrespected like his wife.

Yan had always been brilliant; becoming a top scholar was no easy feat. Over the next ten years, he worked hard, aligning himself with the then-Prime Minister and slowly climbing the ranks. After serving several successful terms in local offices, he returned to the capital and was appointed Minister of War. Two years later, the old Prime Minister passed away unexpectedly, and Yan finally rose to prominence in the court.

Just as he was about to bask in his success, hoping to secure a good match for his daughter, the previous emperor passed away, and the entire nation went into mourning, postponing any talk of marriage. Although the current emperor, Ji Yecheng, didn’t mind, no one dared to celebrate.

After a year of mourning, countless suitors came to the Yan household, but Yan Qing had her heart set on someone who was still serving as a local governor. Prime Minister Yan, thinking his daughter was still young, wasn’t in a hurry to arrange a marriage. As a result, he delayed the matter.

But that delay led to an imperial edict from Emperor Ji Yecheng. From the moment he received the decree, Yan had regretted his previous restraint.

In fact, the Prince Gong household had also proposed a match, but Yan had declined.

It was normal to reject a proposal at first as a sign of reserved dignity, expecting the other side to come again. And with his daughter still being so young, it seemed a reasonable approach.

So, when he heard that his daughter had sent a letter after only a few days in the palace, Yan, despite having been up all night hosting guests, immediately perked up. Rubbing his tired eyes, he carefully opened the letter.

After reading it, he was puzzled.

The handwriting was undoubtedly his daughter’s, but the request didn’t sound like something she would ask for.

Because of his early neglect, Yan Qing had grown up timid, much like her mother. Thankfully, he had realized this in time and hired a strict governess to educate her, which had improved her demeanor. She now knew how to maintain an air of calm, though she remained a quiet and gentle girl. Yet now, she was asking to learn martial arts?

Prime Minister Yan’s first thought was that his daughter had been bullied.

But the imperial harem was the emperor’s domain, and there was little he could do to intervene. Besides, Ji Yecheng despised anyone meddling in his affairs and was quick to punish those who tried. His daughter still needed his support, so the Prime Minister had to tread carefully.

After some thought, he concluded that since the letter had been allowed to leave the palace, the emperor must have approved its contents. After pondering for a moment, he called out, “Summon Zhu Yin.”

“Yes,” his trusted servant responded immediately.

Before long, a young woman in her twenties appeared. She was slim but strong, dressed in tight-fitting clothes that outlined her toned physique. Her arms, though muscular, were gracefully defined, and her skin, though tanned, had a healthy glow—an uncommon beauty in these times.

The woman had thick eyebrows, which gave her a bold and confident air. As soon as she entered, she knelt on one knee. “Greetings, Prime Minister.”

The Prime Minister smiled in satisfaction. This woman had been prepared long ago as a safeguard for his daughter—if anyone dared to mistreat her in her future marriage, Zhu Yin would step in. However, sending her into the palace had been out of the question; any misstep could bring disaster upon his daughter.

But now, it was a different story.

“You’ve probably guessed why I’ve called you here, haven’t you?” the Prime Minister asked.

Zhu Yin nodded calmly. “Yes, Prime Minister. It’s about Miss Yan?”

The Prime Minister nodded. “She’s my only daughter, and I treasure her dearly. You were always meant to be her protector. Are you willing to enter the palace now?”

Zhu Yin responded solemnly, “I am ready to protect Miss Yan with my life.”

Her life belonged to the Prime Minister, so serving his daughter was only right.

The Prime Minister looked even more pleased. “You will enter the palace tomorrow to replace Zi Yun. From now on, your mistress is Yan Qing.”

“Yes,” Zhu Yin said firmly.

After she left, the room fell silent once more.

The Prime Minister’s eyes, though a bit cloudy with age, revealed a hint of melancholy. His daughter, though always quiet, used to come by and check on him regularly, providing warmth and comfort in the household. Now, all that remained was this oppressive silence.

Being a scholarly man, he upheld strict rules in his household. His concubines were well-managed, and none dared to approach him casually. But now that Yan Qing was gone, he felt a deep sense of loneliness.