The north wind howled as night deepened.
The official road was already deserted, with only the banners flapping loudly in the wind.
Inside the relay station, however, it was bustling, the air thick with the aroma of food.
A busy attendant knocked on the door while carrying hot water, sweating profusely despite the thin cotton clothes he wore in the bitter winter.
"Sir, your hot water is here!"
Liu Yao opened the door and glared fiercely at Lu Chao upon seeing the attendant.
"Good heavens! We’ll reach the capital tomorrow—can’t you endure just one more night?"
Lu Chao looked at him earnestly. "I won’t bathe, I swear. I’ll just wipe myself down and soak my feet. This little water isn’t even enough for a proper bath."
By the heavens, this journey had been torture! The carriage rocked so violently it made him dizzy, the motion sickness had him retching endlessly, and he could neither eat nor sleep well. On top of that, he hadn’t bathed in half a month! Was wiping himself down really too much to ask?
Liu Yao stared at his increasingly gaunt and ethereal-looking master, nearly in tears.
If their lord saw Lu Chao in this state, he’d surely reward Liu Yao with two knocks on the head—their lord doted on his disciples like his own life.
"Hmph! Fine, I can’t control you anyway. Hurry up and wipe yourself while the water’s hot, then rest. I’ll borrow a stove from the kitchen to make you some jadeite porridge."
Lu Chao clasped his hands together in gratitude at Liu Yao’s tough-love attitude.
"A raise! I’ll give you a raise! And find you a wife too!"
Though Liu Yao had heard this promise countless times and pretended not to care, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
Lu Chao’s motion sickness left him with little appetite, and the smell of meat made him queasy. Fortunately, Liu Yao had brought some dried mushrooms and greens. Like magic, the porridge turned a vibrant emerald, so appetizing that Lu Chao could down two large bowls in one sitting—otherwise, he’d have suffered terribly.
A while later, just as Lu Chao was soaking his feet and lounging comfortably on the bed—
BANG! Something crashed violently against the door, and a woman in foreign attire tumbled inside, curling up at Lu Chao’s feet.
Lu Chao immediately sat upright and looked toward the doorway, where a young man in black brocade robes stood frozen, fists still raised in a fighting stance, clearly mid-combat.
Following the young man’s gaze, Lu Chao glanced down at his loosely draped inner robe before leisurely throwing on his crane-feather cloak.
The young man’s tanned cheeks flushed red as he finally snapped out of his daze. Clasping his fists, he bowed slightly in apology.
"Brother, my deepest apologies. This thief tried to sneak into my room..."
Lu Chao looked at the unconscious woman on the floor, then back at the handsome youth. Given how scantily clad the "thief" was in the middle of winter, he doubted she was after money.
Before Lu Chao could respond, a crowd surged into the room through the battered door.
"Xiao Zheng! You’ve gone too far!"
A tall, masked foreign woman stepped forward, her features delicate and her eyes a striking shade of green. Yet her words were flawlessly Central Plains-accented.
The young man named Xiao Zheng, now composed, replied firmly,
"Your Highness, you misunderstand. I entered my room only to find this person sneaking around inside. I assumed the relay station had been infiltrated by thieves. And this thief dared wear Tartar attire while trying to flee—I acted only to protect your safety."
His righteous tone left the princess speechless.
"My maid merely entered the wrong room! She doesn’t speak the language, and you frightened her! Was such force necessary?"
"If Your Highness insists, then so be it. I’ll report to Young Marquis Xiao for punishment later. Next time, I’ll make sure to look more carefully before striking."
Xiao Zheng smirked challengingly at the princess.
The maids behind her gripped their swords, tension thickening in the room.
Then—a splash of water broke the silence.
Lu Chao lifted his thoroughly soaked feet and wiped them with a towel.
He hadn’t meant to interrupt, but the water had gone cold.
"Pardon me, but could you all take this elsewhere?"
The draft from the open door was undoing all the warmth he’d just soaked into his bones.
"How dare you undress in front of this princess?! Such indecency! You’ve sullied my eyes!"
Lu Chao met her gaze calmly as he pulled on his socks.
"Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is my room, no?"
"I don’t know which princess you are, but barging into a man’s quarters won’t reflect well on your reputation either."
The foreign princess’s eyes burned with fury. She longed to whip this sharp-tongued youth, but her elder brother’s warnings before departure held her back. She couldn’t ruin his plans over a moment of temper.
By the time Zhou Qingyuan and Chen Ning’an arrived, they found Lu Chao surrounded by a crowd—in the middle of putting on his socks, no less—with an unconscious woman at his feet.
Though baffled, the two immediately positioned themselves in front of Lu Chao, Chen Ning’an’s burly frame nearly shielding him entirely.
"And who might you all be?"
The foreign woman shot them a glare, snorted, and stormed off, her entourage dragging the unconscious maid behind her.
"This humble officer is Xiao Zheng, a battalion commander under the Northwest Marquis. My apologies for the disturbance. I’ll take my leave now."
With that, the crowd dispersed.
Zhou Qingyuan whistled teasingly once the coast was clear.
"Lu Chao, you lucky dog! Already getting beauties throwing themselves at you?"
Lu Chao flung his damp towel at him.
"Piss off!"
Zhou Qingyuan dodged, gritting his teeth.
"Lu Chao, you’ve got some nerve!"
Were it not for Lu Chao’s frail appearance, he’d have thrown a punch.
"Blame your own dirty mind."
Chen Ning’an, long accustomed to their bickering, ignored them.
"Lu Chao, His Highness summoned us for dinner. Let’s go."
Lu Chao straightened his clothes, shivering, and herded his friends forward.
"Come on, let’s get something hot to warm up."
Xiao Youcheng had been waiting for some time and raised an eyebrow at their tardiness.
"What took you so long? Did something happen?"
Lu Chao recounted the events in detail.
"So the Tartar royals tried to use a honey trap on the Northwest Marquis, but that young officer Xiao Zheng mistook the woman for a thief and captured her?"
Lu Chao nodded.
"Xiao Zheng is only a battalion commander—he must’ve acted on the Northwest Marquis’s orders. His youth and inexperience make it plausible. No matter how the Tartars spin it, he’s in the right."
Xiao Youcheng’s assessment aligned with Lu Chao’s.
"Sharing the surname Xiao suggests he’s a nephew of the Northwest Marquis. The Northwest Marquis was originally surnamed Zhao. He fought alongside Emperor Taizu with his Zhao army and was granted the imperial surname Xiao upon Taizu’s ascension, along with the title of Northwest Marquis, guarding the northwestern frontier."
"The Northwest Marquis has three sons and three daughters. His eldest died in battle against the Tartars. The ones escorting the Tartar envoys to the capital now are likely his second and third sons."
Lu Chao’s mind flashed with the image of the young man’s spirited face, though for some reason, those features felt faintly familiar.
Xiao Youcheng toyed with the ring on his finger, his voice steady and low.
“This trip to the capital is of great importance. We must proceed discreetly. Starting tomorrow, we’ll split into two groups—Zhou Qingyuan, you’ll take Lu Chao back to the Zhou family first, while I escort Chen Ning’an to the capital for an audience with His Majesty.”
His wings were not yet fully grown; for now, he neither wished nor dared to drag Lu Chao into this.
“Your Highness, could there be danger?” Zhou Qingyuan’s expression was grave.
“Don’t worry. This period might just be the safest of all.”
Those looking to stir trouble would wait until the birthday celebrations to act, while those who preferred peace wouldn’t dare cause a scene at such a time. Besides, if he were injured and unable to return to his fiefdom—what then?
They cared more about his safety than he did himself.
“I wonder if Prefect Chen has received Chen San’s letter by now? The news should have reached the capital by this point.”
