Knowing the Warmth of Southern Tea (GL) - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

This year marked Nan Nuan’s eighteenth birthday, and the entire Nan residence was filled with celebration.

In the Great Rui Dynasty, girls could be betrothed as early as thirteen. Some parents, unwilling to part with their children too soon, delayed marriage, but most would still arrange an engagement early—even those most reluctant rarely allowed their daughters to remain unmarried past nineteen.

By all logic, Nan Nuan—one of the capital’s most renowned young ladies, blessed with both beauty and talent—should have had suitors lining up from the Nan residence all the way to the eastern city gates. And yet, her marriage had been repeatedly delayed.

The reason lay with her father.

Nan Zhao, Nan Nuan’s father, served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards, directly under the emperor’s command. In recent years, the emperor’s paranoia had grown increasingly severe. The court was tense, and the princes were locked in open and covert struggle for power.

As the head of the Imperial Guards, Nan Zhao’s loyalty belonged solely to His Majesty.

To prevent his daughter from being dragged into political strife and losing her life because of it, Nan Zhao rejected countless marriage proposals from noble and powerful families. Moreover, Nan Nuan herself had no one she loved, and so the matter was put off time and again.

Naturally, there were those who sought to scheme their way through her—hoping for a staged “hero saves the beauty” scenario. If Nan Nuan were to lose her chastity in public, the Nan family would have no power to intervene.

But the Nan family’s young lady was proper in conduct—put plainly, no one had ever succeeded.

The Nan family was unlike other aristocratic households. Even if something truly unforeseen occurred, they would never allow matters to unfold according to the wishes of those with ill intent. Nan Zhao had only one wife. Though she passed away early, he never remarried.

With only two children—Nan Nuan and Nan Wei—Nan Zhao cherished his younger daughter as his very lifeline. To protect her from being exploited, he was even more determined not to marry her off too soon.

Yet now, Nan Nuan was already eighteen. She could not be delayed much longer. In a few more years, she would be considered an “old maid,” and this truly worried Nan Zhao. He planned to take advantage of her birthday to ask about her intentions.

Xia Xi was dispatched to summon Nan Nuan to the study for a private discussion.

Xia Xi went to the inner courtyard and called outside Nan Nuan’s chambers.

“Miss, the master requests your presence.”

After waiting a long while without a response, Xia Xi knocked again, puzzled.

“Miss, are you inside?”

Receiving no answer, she pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

On the table lay a letter.

Xia Xi picked it up. Written on it were the words:

**Father,
I have entered the martial world.
Do not search.
Do not worry.
Do not miss me.

Your unfilial daughter,
Nan Nuan**

Shocked, Xia Xi immediately brought the letter to Nan Zhao. This was completely unlike the young lady’s usual conduct—how could she suddenly leave for the jianghu? Knowing the gravity of the situation, Xia Xi dared not delay.

Nan Zhao stared at the letter and fell into a long silence.

…Sigh. Perhaps this was the best outcome after all.

“Master,” Xia Xi said with her head lowered, “this servant failed in her duty and did not watch over the young lady.”

Her mistress had entrusted the young lady to her care, yet she had been unable to stop her departure.

“It is not your fault,” Nan Zhao replied. “If she truly wished to leave, ten of you could not have stopped her.”

He knew his daughter’s temperament well. Nan Wei must have known long ago. Keeping it hidden now was simply to prevent him from interfering.

“Master… what should we do now?” Xia Xi asked, unable to understand. Could it be that the young lady and young master had planned this together?

“Let it be. Do not announce this to the outside world. Say the young lady has fallen ill and gone to an estate outside the city to recover.”

“This servant understands.”

“You may go… no—never mind. You may leave.”

Nan Zhao said nothing more.
Wei’er, Nuan’er—if this is your choice, then it is the choice of the Nan family.
As long as I, Nan Zhao, still live, the sky will not fall.
No matter what happens, I will protect you.

“Yes,” Xia Xi replied, turning to leave.

Nan Nuan, Nan Zhao’s daughter, had mastered all eighteen martial skills since childhood. She possessed a spirit no less bold than any man’s. Letting her roam the jianghu did not worry Nan Zhao. Yet leaving at this moment—was it truly for the best?

My beloved, he thought, if your spirit still watches over us, please protect our children.

Nan Zhao gazed out the window. The spring air was still cold. It reminded him of the season when he had met the woman he loved for a lifetime. She was not from a noble family, yet she was gentle, kind, and understanding. She loved books, valued learning, and neither belittled herself for her humble origins nor lost her true heart amid wealth and honor.

Yun’er… our children are grown now. When will we meet again? Wait for me at the Bridge of Forgetfulness. Do not drink Meng Po’s soup. Do not forget me…

If your spirit still lingers, please watch over our daughter.

I only pray that Nuan’er travels safely and meets no misfortune.

By this time, Nan Nuan had already disguised herself as a man and left the capital with her young horse, unaware of her elderly father’s worries.

The young often believe they can control everything. They do not trust fate, nor do they admit defeat.

Nan Nuan had long forgotten her mother’s appearance. She had died of consumption when Nan Nuan was three. What remained in her memory was only her elder brother’s coldness and her father’s helplessness…

She did not cling to the past—she only looked toward the future.

Such a life, she believed, was worth living.

Who has not been reckless in their youth?

The beauty of the jianghu has been spoken of since ancient times.

Yet the jianghu is but a concept. It may exist in an ordinary village or a bustling metropolis. Wherever there are people, there is jianghu.

Nan Nuan understood this well. She traveled freely, neither deliberately seeking remote lands nor chasing legendary locations from books. If she encountered something, it was fate. If not, she felt no regret.

Such a life—how could it not be joyous?

Nan Zhao’s loyalty lay with the throne, with His Majesty. Such people are destined to lose something for their faith—but one cannot deny that they may also gain what they desire.

Nan Wei and Nan Nuan were different.

Nan Wei, cunning beyond measure, was a man few could ever truly understand.

Nan Nuan, however, desired power. Only by standing at the highest point could one enjoy the best life. The pursuit of power itself was a pleasure few could comprehend.

By coincidence—or fate—both siblings supported the same person: the Crown Prince, Xuanyuan Che.

The Crown Prince, son of the Empress and the legitimate eldest heir, had been personally taught by the emperor and raised as the future ruler.

Now, however, the emperor was aging and favored his youngest son. All the princes regarded the Crown Prince as a thorn in their side. His situation grew increasingly dire, though the emperor knew and said nothing.

One could only sigh—the heart of a ruler is unfathomable.

Nan Nuan’s departure was not solely for her own safety. With the emperor critically ill, and as a woman, no amount of security at the Nan residence could fully guard against those with ill intent. She refused to become a weakness that could be used against her father and brother.

There was also another crucial matter—one that only she could handle.

Nan Nuan believed this might be her only chance in life to leave the capital. Though every land had its own beauty, there were people in the capital she could not let go of.

As she left, she recalled a line from a storybook, spoken by a general:

Born in Chang’an, raised in Chang’an—
a lifetime of honor and disgrace bound to Chang’an—
yet in the end, never truly possessing Chang’an.

Nan Nuan never imagined that on this journey, she would encounter the love of her life.

The world is impermanent; human warmth and coldness ever shifting. A lifetime of toil may pass in mediocrity, yet even in a sorrowful and helpless life, encountering a fleeting moment of beauty is enough.