"No." The refusal came swift and decisive, leaving no room for argument.
Pei Ying was taken aback. After a long pause, she managed to ask, "Why... why not?"
Huo Tingshan offered a lofty excuse: "Madam should know that this is Jizhou, not my territory. The troops I’ve brought with me are few, and manpower is scarce. I truly cannot spare any extra hands."
Pei Ying, unfamiliar with such political intricacies, was neither assertive nor shrewd by nature. After earning her doctorate, she had stayed on as a teacher at the university, where the environment was far simpler than the cutthroat world outside. Thus, she took Huo Tingshan’s words at face value.
Still, she didn’t give up. If it wasn’t convenient now, perhaps once his business was concluded, manpower would no longer be an issue. "Then, once the general is finished with his affairs, may I borrow a few men?"
Huo Tingshan’s brow lifted slightly. He had no intention of answering, but seeing Pei Ying’s unwavering gaze—even her usual fear of him momentarily forgotten—he relented. "Fine."
After all, when his business would be "finished" was entirely up to him.
Pei Ying’s lips curved into a smile, her dark eyes bright with relief. "Thank you, General."
Huo Tingshan smiled faintly in return, though his gaze remained inscrutable.
After expressing her gratitude, Pei Ying once again brought up her wish to leave the magistrate’s residence. Huo Tingshan countered with a question of his own: "Why is Madam in such a hurry to leave? Are the maidservants here unsatisfactory? If so, I’ll have them sold off and replaced with more attentive ones."
Pei Ying paled at his casual mention of selling people—such a notion was utterly absurd to someone raised under modern values. "No, the maids have been diligent. It’s just that I have funeral arrangements to attend to at home."
Huo Tingshan’s expression softened slightly. "I’ll assign a few guards to assist you. You may take them with you during the day to handle your affairs, but return here by evening."
Pei Ying frowned. "That won’t be necessary. I can manage—"
"It’s settled. Chen Yuan!" Huo Tingshan called out sharply.
A burly man entered at the summons, freezing momentarily when he saw Pei Ying seated so close to Huo Tingshan.
"Chen Yuan, Madam Pei has family matters to attend to. Select a few men to accompany her and follow her instructions. Ensure she returns by nightfall—and keep her safe." Huo Tingshan’s gaze was cool as it swept over him.
Chen Yuan immediately lowered his eyes and bowed in acknowledgment, not daring to look too long at the beautiful woman before him.
Chen Yuan’s ancestors had once been Huo family servants. After helping the family expose several treacherous subordinates, they were rewarded with their freedom by Huo Tingshan’s great-grandfather. Since then, the Chen family had remained a loyal vassal clan to the Huo household.
Among his generation, Chen Yuan stood out as one of the most capable. Having traveled extensively with Huo Tingshan, he had encountered countless people and situations—including many beauties.
Initially, he and Xiong Mao had dismissed the rumors about Pei Ying’s beauty, assuming the local constable had exaggerated to curry favor. But to their astonishment, the man hadn’t lied. Compared to Madam Pei, all the beauties they’d seen before paled in comparison.
Though reluctant to trouble Huo Tingshan, Pei Ying found his orders non-negotiable. After issuing them, he excused himself under the pretense of other duties and left without another word.
Thus, when Pei Ying and Meng Ling'er stepped out again, they were followed by a group of Youzhou soldiers led by Chen Yuan.
---
The sun hung high in the sky as noon arrived.
Xiong Mao, who had set out the previous night with great enthusiasm, now returned utterly dejected. The hulking man, usually full of vigor, now resembled a wilted cabbage.
Kneeling in the hall, he dared not look up at Huo Tingshan or the others, shame weighing heavily on him. "This subordinate is incompetent. I found nothing of use in the Meng family study. I beg for punishment, Great General."
Xiong Mao was baffled. Whoever had designed the high-cantle saddle and stirrups must have been a genius. Yet after ransacking Meng Ducang’s study—even lifting floor tiles—he had uncovered nothing but ordinary books and paintings, all openly displayed rather than hidden away.
Not a single clue.
Huo Tingshan tapped his fingers lightly on the wooden table. "Nothing at all?"
Xiong Mao kept his head bowed. "Nothing."
Gongsun Liang and Chen Shichang exchanged glances, both equally perplexed.
How could there be nothing? Had they searched carelessly, or in the wrong place? Perhaps the useful materials weren’t in the study at all.
Huo Tingshan pressed, "Did you search the magistrate’s office?"
Xiong Mao’s voice grew even weaker. "Yes, but only routine documents were found."
The magistrate’s office was where officials conducted business. As the county magistrate, Meng Ducang would surely have kept records there. Following his cousin Chen Shichang’s advice, Xiong Mao had led his men there—only to come up empty-handed once more.
"My lord, Meng Ducang served as magistrate of Beichuan for years with unremarkable achievements. Could it be that he obtained the designs from someone else?" Gongsun Liang ventured.
Huo Tingshan shared the suspicion.
To him, Madam Pei’s late husband seemed the epitome of mediocrity—a bureaucrat with a bland record and no notable accomplishments. That such a man could have conceived the high-cantle saddle and stirrups suggested he’d learned of them from some reclusive master.
"Have you thoroughly investigated all of Meng Ducang’s associates?" Huo Tingshan fixed Xiong Mao with a stare.
Xiong Mao hastily produced a sheet of paper from his robe. "He had dozens of acquaintances. I’ve listed them all here, along with their backgrounds. Please review it, Great General."
The paper unfurled before Huo Tingshan.
The details were exhaustive—even Meng Ducang’s friendship with a local pastry shop owner was recorded. Yet after scanning the entire list, Huo Tingshan found nothing of interest. Every name was as ordinary as the last.
After a long silence, Huo Tingshan looked up, his displeasure evident. "Is this all?"
Xiong Mao swallowed hard and knelt again. "This subordinate has failed. I await your punishment."
Huo Tingshan’s verdict was swift. "Twenty lashes. See to it yourself."
Xiong Mao exhaled inwardly in relief. He’d take twenty lashes over continuing this futile investigation any day. His thick skin could handle the pain.
Gongsun Liang seized the moment to suggest, "My lord, if Meng Ducang’s trail has gone cold, perhaps we should approach this from another angle."
Huo Tingshan suddenly smiled. "Well said."
---
With the curfew in effect by nightfall, Pei Ying, her daughter, and Shui Su—whom she’d retrieved from the Meng residence—returned to the magistrate’s estate by dusk. She had little choice. Chen Yuan and his men had been tirelessly helpful all day without complaint, and when they respectfully urged her to return as evening approached, she couldn’t refuse.
More importantly, upon returning to the Meng residence earlier, Pei Ying had noticed signs of another intrusion. Shui Su, who had remained behind, confirmed that two separate groups had broken in, practically turning the house upside down. Only by hiding in a tree in the backyard had Shui Su avoided detection.
After this incident, returning to the magistrate’s estate was her only option.
Meng Ling'er had been crying all day and now looked utterly drained, her eyes swollen like walnuts. Pei Ying's heart ached at the sight, and she said to her daughter, "Rest early tonight."
They had already eaten dinner outside, and now Meng Ling'er only wanted to sleep. "Mother, stay with me."
Pei Ying gently touched her daughter's little face. "You sleep first. I need to sort through some things. I’ll come back to you when I’m done."
Since they couldn’t stay at the Meng residence for now, Pei Ying had packed some belongings to bring along. The items were stored in trunks and needed to be organized.
Exhausted, Meng Ling'er nodded weakly and let Shui Su attend to her as she retired for the night.
Pei Ying went to the adjacent room—a smaller chamber that had once belonged to one of the county magistrate’s concubines. But after the magistrate was killed, the concubine had fled upon hearing the news. Now, Pei Ying’s trunks were placed in this side room.
There were two trunks, mostly filled with clothes and some valuable jewelry. Just as Pei Ying opened one, she heard footsteps behind her.
Assuming it was Shui Su, she didn’t turn around. "Has Ling'er fallen asleep?"
"Madam." A deep, resonant male voice answered from behind.
Pei Ying’s hand trembled, and the garment she had just picked up slipped back into the trunk. She turned in shock to see a tall, shadowed figure standing a few steps away.
Her body stiffened, fingers turning cold. The setting sun cast a long shadow behind him, stretching toward her, and for a moment, it felt like yesterday all over again.
Huo Tingshan stepped forward slowly. "Did everything go smoothly for you today, Madam?"
The question snapped her back to reality. Today was not yesterday, and the circumstances were entirely different. She quickly regained her composure. "Yes, it went well. Thank you, General, for sending your men to assist. May I ask why you’ve come to see me?"
Huo Tingshan closed the distance between them, looking down at her. His elongated shadow enveloped her, as if she were cradled in his arms. "There’s something I’d like to ask you, Madam. I hope you’ll be honest with me."
Pei Ying assumed it was about the high-cantle saddle and stirrups, so she voiced her guess.
"Yes, and no." Huo Tingshan’s voice lowered. "May I ask where you learned of the high-cantle saddle and stirrups?"
Her breath hitched slightly. She had only mentioned those things in desperation and hadn’t thought about how to explain them afterward. Still, the answer wasn’t difficult. "My husband told me about them."
Meng Ducang had been a county official, with broader knowledge than commoners. And since he was no longer alive to defend himself, Pei Ying thought this explanation was foolproof.
"Lies." The two words struck like iron, leaving her stunned.
Pei Ying froze completely, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at Huo Tingshan.
Even the slightest perceptive person could see the panic written plainly on her face. Instead of pressing further, Huo Tingshan chuckled softly. He reached out and took her wrist, his rough palm sliding down until it enveloped her delicate hand. His tone was amused, though his words carried a darker edge. "It’s been a long time since someone dared to lie to me. The last person who tried is probably drinking Meng Po’s soup by now, already reborn and babbling as a toddler."
Seeing her face pale, unmoving like a rabbit caught by the ears, he smiled and pinched her soft fingertips. "But of course, Madam is not like others. Hearing your little fabrications is rather entertaining—though remember, three strikes and you’re out."
"I’m not lying. I really heard it from my husband." Pei Ying couldn’t see her own obvious distress, convinced he was bluffing.
Military men were cunning—why else were there "Thirty-Six Stratagems"? And in everyone’s eyes, she was just a sheltered woman who never left the inner quarters. Apart from her husband, she had no contact with other learned individuals.
Huo Tingshan laughed, this time with genuine amusement. "I just warned you about three strikes, and here you are, already at two. I’d never dream of harming you, Madam, but there are other ways to teach a lesson."
His arm suddenly tightened, pulling her against him with a startled gasp. His other hand cupped the back of her neck, fingers slowly tracing the delicate skin there. "Meng Ducang’s career was unremarkable. He stayed in Beichuan County for years without promotion, proving he knew nothing of high-cantle saddles or stirrups. If he had, as an official, he wouldn’t have kept it hidden—especially since Yuan Ding, the Governor of Jizhou, though rigid, values talent. Meng Ducang’s associates were all mediocrities, his books nothing but common volumes, no rare texts among them. So tell me, how could such an ordinary man know of these things?"
Pei Ying’s hair had been styled by Xin Jin today, arranged in an elegant "startled crane" updo that exposed her fair neck. Now, that slender throat was under the control of a calloused hand.
Huo Tingshan didn’t apply force, merely kneading the soft skin lightly, feeling her tremble beneath his touch.
The moment he pulled her into his embrace, Pei Ying had struggled. But as his words sank in and his hand settled on her, her resistance weakened until she stood rigid as stone.
A sudden realization struck her—he must have searched Meng Ducang’s study. Otherwise, how could he know about the books? Shui Su had mentioned two groups entering the Meng residence—likely all his men. He knew. He knew everything...
Huo Tingshan felt her stiffen in his arms. His hand slid down her spine before pressing firmly against the small of her back, locking her fully against him. "My admiration for you has never wavered, Madam. If you give me another chance, I’ll gladly take it."
Pei Ying’s face flushed, then paled, then flushed again. His so-called "admiration" was shamelessly pressing against her. "Please let me go. I’ll tell you."
Huo Tingshan didn’t release her. "Go ahead, Madam."
She parted her lips, only for him to murmur, "Three strikes, remember? The first two were forgiven. Think carefully before you speak this time."
