Shangguan Xuan nodded cheerfully, "Indeed."
Zhao Yang looked as if she had seen something utterly filthy and said disdainfully, "Yun'er, take this ill-omened letter out and burn it immediately! Scatter the ashes far away—it's too unlucky!"
Yun'er promptly went to the outhouse to burn the letter.
Shangguan Xuan was stunned and reminded her again, "Your Highness, this is a letter from Lord Yan Yunting!"
Zhao Yang shot him a glare. "Had I known you brought a letter from that scoundrel Yan Yunting, I wouldn’t have let you step foot into the princess’s residence! Disgusting!"
Shangguan Xuan: "..."
Shangguan Xuan was utterly baffled. He distinctly remembered Yan Yunting’s claims back in Liangzhou City—"The princess admires me." Yet now, Zhao Yang’s face showed not a trace of admiration, only disdain.
Having provoked the princess, Shangguan Xuan had no choice but to take his leave swiftly with Zhao Qing.
The marquis’s carriage departed from the princess’s residence and entered the bustling streets of the capital. Inside, Shangguan Xuan thought of the ten-thousand-tael debt note and felt a headache coming on.
The South Garrison Marquis's Mansion had fallen into decline, and the treasury was empty. Repaying such a large sum would be nearly impossible. On top of that, Shangguan Xuan wanted to marry Zhao Qing as soon as possible, but hosting a wedding would require yet another substantial expenditure.
Zhao Qing, born in the countryside, cared little for fame and wealth. Though she held the hollow title of "County Mistress," she lacked a proper dowry.
Shangguan Xuan frowned repeatedly. If only Sun Qingmei had been more sensible and stayed at the marquis’s mansion, he wouldn’t be in such dire straits now. A dignified marquis, trapped by the stench of money.
"My lord, you’ve been frowning constantly. Are you troubled by something?" Zhao Qing’s concerned voice reached him.
Shangguan Xuan looked up at the lovely young woman beside him and forced a smile. "It’s nothing. Don’t worry, A’Qing. I will marry you in grand style, making you my one and only official wife."
No matter what, he couldn’t let Zhao Qing down.
Zhao Qing possessed a brilliant mind. As long as she continued designing new weapons, and those weapons gained the emperor’s and the military’s favor, the South Garrison Marquis's Mansion would surely regain its former glory.
Zhao Qing was far more valuable than Sun Qingmei.
"A’Qing also wishes to marry you soon," Zhao Qing said softly, nestling affectionately into Shangguan Xuan’s arms.
The marquis’s carriage slowly moved away from the street. At the corner, Prince Heng’s carriage stood silently parked.
Inside, Prince Heng lounged lazily against the carriage pillow, dressed in a flamboyant crimson robe, his dark hair unbound. At his feet curled a small white fox, its belly rising and falling gently as it slept.
Prince Heng lifted the carriage curtain with a white jade fan, watching the South Garrison Marquis's carriage depart. A playful smirk crossed his lips as he murmured, "Firearms, landmines, composite bows... That South Garrison Marquis certainly knows how to pick a wife."
A woman capable of designing such ingenious weapons was truly rare.
The steward outside the carriage overheard and offered a suggestion, "Your Highness, Zhao Qing isn’t yet married to the South Garrison Marquis. If you give the word, this old servant will arrange to bring her into your mansion."
Prince Heng shot him a dark look. "How could this prince’s residence house such an unsightly creature?"
Zhao Qing was too plain for Prince Heng’s taste.
Had she possessed Shen Wei’s beauty, Prince Heng would have surely found a way to take her as a concubine.
The steward fell silent, thinking privately that Zhao Qing was actually quite fair-looking—just that Prince Heng’s standards were impossibly high.
The steward sighed inwardly. In recent months, Prince Heng had suddenly changed his ways, no longer ordering the steward to seek out "beauties who could slaughter pigs."
The reason? Prince Heng had a new favorite—the plump little fox at his feet. Some time ago, while inspecting Yunzhou, Prince Heng had encountered a torrential downpour. In a waterlogged ditch, he spotted a small fox nearly drowning, yelping pitifully.
Braving the rain, Prince Heng personally fished the fox out, cleaned it, and kept it as a pet.
Because of this fox, all the beauties in the prince’s mansion had fallen out of favor. One bold concubine, unwilling to accept her loss, had attempted to poison the white fox—only to have her limbs chopped off by Prince Heng’s men and be thrown into a mass grave.
"Ah," the steward lamented silently. Had he known his master would become infatuated with a white fox, he would have worked harder to find a pig-slaughtering beauty.
Prince Heng let the heavy curtain fall and ordered, "Shangguan Xuan wants a lavish wedding for Zhao Qing, which means he’s short on funds. Take ten thousand taels in silver notes and deliver them to the South Garrison Marquis's Mansion."
Adding flowers to brocade is easy; delivering charcoal in snowy weather is hard.
With Zhao Qing’s genius and Shangguan Xuan’s military prowess, Prince Heng had to secure the South Garrison Marquis's allegiance before Prince Yan could.
The steward, well-versed in his master’s schemes, immediately complied. "This old servant will see to it at once."
Prince Heng’s carriage rolled away leisurely. He glanced down at the little white fox snoozing at his feet.
With a light kick from his embroidered golden boot, Prince Heng teased, "Wake up, lazy fox."
The fox startled awake, its eyes flashing with annoyance as it glared at Prince Heng before snapping at his boot, leaving tooth marks along the edge. Having vented its displeasure, it curled back into a ball and resumed its nap.
Prince Heng watched its audacious behavior, so reminiscent of Shen Wei from Prince Yan’s mansion—equally fearless.
"Your Highness, Prince Yan’s carriage is ahead," the steward announced from outside.
Prince Heng’s interest was piqued.
He knew Shen Wei had visited the princess’s residence today. Lifting the curtain with his jade fan, he prepared to exchange a few words—but Prince Yan’s carriage suddenly sped up and vanished from sight.
Prince Heng fell silent. Did Shen Wei despise him so much?
He nudged the sleeping fox again with his foot. The fox yelped and lunged to bite his boot once more.
...
Prince Yan’s carriage slowed. Shen Wei had no desire to meet Prince Heng and avoided him whenever possible.
Inside the carriage, Cai Ping handed Shen Wei a warm hand-warmer and chattered, "My lady, regarding your request to investigate Zhao Qing’s background, I’ve gathered some information."
"Zhao Qing was born in a small village outside Liangzhou City. Her father was a carpenter who passed away years ago. She grew up gathering herbs in the mountains and once suffered an injury there, only to be rescued by Shangguan Xuan, who happened to pass by."
"To repay him, Zhao Qing demonstrated her exceptional talent for weapon design and became his strategist. It’s said some of her inventions are devastatingly effective, driving the Yue rebels into retreat. Over time, she and Shangguan Xuan developed feelings, and he brought her to the capital... Liangzhou is too far, so my details are limited."
Feeling her report was too sparse, Cai Ping racked her brain and added, "Recently, Zhao Qing has been buying cosmetics and jewelry in the capital’s markets. She seems quite fond of dressing up."
Shen Wei arched an eyebrow. "That’s not what I wanted to know."
Cai Ping lowered her head sheepishly.
After a moment’s thought, Shen Wei instructed, "Cai Ping, go to the servant market and pick a clever maid. Find a way to place her in the South Garrison Marquis's Mansion—preferably as Zhao Qing’s personal attendant. I want her to keep a close watch on Zhao Qing and report any unusual behavior."
With Shangguan Xuan planning a grand wedding, the mansion would surely hire new servants.
It was the perfect opportunity to plant a spy.
Shen Wei suspected that Zhao Qing must have taken the secret of "drawing weapon blueprints" back to Prince Yan's Mansion. Shen Wei was determined to uncover Zhao Qing's secrets and take them away.
