She thought she was going to die.
She did.
But the next time she opened her eyes , she found out that she was living a whole new life, as a little girl who was going to enter a noble household as a maid.
However, a true pearl can never hide its lus...
End of spring. Hun'ang was buzzing with various activities, yells and excited voices melded into a cacophony perfectly representing a lively day. The merchants' shops were active in full swing, as they displayed their wares to prospective buyers. The day was warm and sunny as well, there were a lot of people bustling on the streets, spending their time outdoors.
However one particular day, it was more lively than usual.
A group of horse-riders just passed through the northern gates of Hun'ang, bearing flags and distinct banners of the Northern Plains' Kingdom of Jing. The flags and banners bore some outlines of animals; in the middle of the congregation of animal drawings, a mountain lion posed mightily, preceding all others.
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Among the group of horse-riders, there was also an intricately made horse-drawn carriage, moving slowly in the middle of the entourage. However, the intended occupant – their sole tribal Princess – preferred to ride on a horse for a while, especially when traversing the expansive Northern Plains when they were en-route to Hun'ang.
"Have you sent the messenger to Emperor Zhang for our arrival?", a beautiful horse-rider spoke to a dashing man by her side, also riding on his own horse.
The maiden was attired entirely in red; and her poised bearing, even as she merely sat straight on her horse, caused all of Hun'ang town-folks to stop on their tracks to stare at her. Some of the onlookers bowed their bodies low, and put their right hands across their chests, as they recognized the sole ruler of their tribes and homes back north - the male horse-rider the maiden had just spoken to.
"Rest assured, cousin sister," the handsome man, with tan skin and melancholic eyes nodded - flashing her a grin. Although his speech was somehow articulate, he still needed to speak slowly, having a light frown everytime he thought of the next word to say. The words came out patchy, but each syllable was clear and proper.
From above, a white eagle and a darker colored one – almost deep brown - flew in circles. Both let out a long synchronized whistle-like sound, before flying low. The white eagle landed on the maiden's shoulder, and the brown eagle landed on another man's shoulder, who was riding behind them.
The maiden ruffled the white eagle's feathers, and the bird affectionately rubbed its head against her cheek, causing her to let out a delighted chuckle.
"BaiMei is very attached to YuLan," the man muttered, and glanced ruefully to his behind, where the brown eagle perched docilely on another man's shoulder,
"And Niu is very attached to JingMo. None likes me," he added, sighing dejectedly. With his deep creased double lidded eyes and his dark brown pupils, he truly looked crestfallen.
"JingHan ge-ge," the maiden in red – Jing YuLan - laughed heartily, "I think Niu has perfectly reasonable grounds for his cold treatment towards you."
"As for BaiMei," YuLan smiled while glancing at the white bird on her shoulder,
"She is not really attached to anyone else apart from me or Niu,"
