Actually, it couldn't be said that there was no one at all. When they pushed open the door, the servants were anxiously running back and forth. Upon seeing the two enter, a servant immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and cried out hastily, "Your Highness, Young Mistress, the... the young lady is gone!"
Huai'an recognized this servant as her former close maid, named Yu Gui. She urgently asked Yu Gui, "What happened?"
It turned out that after arranging for Yu Gui to take care of Ruo'cheng, Yu Gui indeed followed Huai'an's instructions and diligently looked after Ruo'cheng's daily life. To avoid gossip, only one or two trusted servants were placed in the small residence, so Yu Gui's workload was indeed heavy. She had to do everything herself, from washing clothes and starting the fire to cooking, sweeping the courtyard, and so on.
This afternoon, after Ruo'cheng finished her meal, she yawned and went back to her room to rest. Yu Gui went about her usual chores. Unexpectedly, as evening approached, she went to Ruo'cheng's door, knocked, and called out for the young lady to have supper, but there was no sound from inside. She immediately broke open the door, only to find that the room was empty.
Yu Gui hurriedly searched everywhere, but because Huai'an had instructed her that the young lady's identity was special, she didn't dare to search openly. At this moment, tears glistened in her eyes, and sweat beaded on her forehead. She was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
After listening, Huai'an frowned tightly and strode towards Ruo'cheng's room, with Huan Sui following closely behind.
Upon entering the room, they saw that the furnishings were neat and tidy, with no signs of struggle. She looked around carefully, not missing even the smallest detail. After searching for a long time, she found nothing.
"Could it be... she ran out to play by herself?" Huai'an murmured.
"No." Huan Sui walked closer, extended his index finger towards Huai'an. On the tip of his long, distinctly jointed finger was some white powder.
"This is...?" Huai'an leaned closer to take a careful look, and suddenly felt as if a huge rock had crashed down on her chest. An ominous premonition shot up her spine like electricity, straight to her forehead. Her breath hitched, her upper and lower teeth chattered, and she looked up at Huan Sui, her eyes filled with both despair and hopeful light, praying that Huan Sui would deny her guess.
Huan Sui lowered his eyelids and nodded.
Huai'an staggered back a few steps, in disbelief. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
It was sleeping draught.
Anyone who mistakenly inhaled it would immediately become dizzy, fall to the ground, and lose consciousness.
Ruo'cheng had definitely been kidnapped.
But what did the kidnapper want?
This residence was located in a secluded place, and the furnishings and decorations were extremely low-key and inconspicuous, definitely not the target a bandit would want to attack.
Furthermore, the furnishings in the room were untouched, the boxes were not overturned, the cabinets were not toppled, and the valuables were still there. This showed that the kidnapper was not after money; they were after Ruo'cheng.
But it had only been a few days. Apart from her and Huan Sui, no one else knew that Ruo'cheng was still alive, let alone her whereabouts. Even the servants in the residence didn't know Ruo'cheng's true identity.
If the kidnapper, or rather the mastermind, had indeed kidnapped Ruo'cheng because they knew her identity, then not only would Ruo'cheng's safety and her and Huan Sui's situation be precarious, but the entire Great Zheng Dynasty would also be in imminent danger of collapse.
She shouldn't have left Ruo'cheng alone. She should have brought her back to her own small house in the Ping residence. At the very least, she should have guarded her day and night.
No, from the very beginning, she shouldn't have played these clever tricks, being so self-righteous, talking about faking death to test the emperor's heart. It was all her fault, a thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes, all her fault!
On the way here just now, she had been excitedly thinking about arranging a meeting between Ruo'cheng and the Crown Prince of Qi. Now, forget about meeting; the person was gone!
If the kidnapper used this to extort them, that would be one thing. At worst, they could offer favors and money to exchange for a life.
The worst-case scenario was that with the marriage alliance between Zheng and Qi about to take place, and the princess dead but the alliance not yet broken, if at this time, the princess who had supposedly died suddenly reappeared, the uproar in the court would be a minor matter. Don't forget, the Crown Prince of Qi had already arrived in the capital. If they were labeled as fraudulent and faithless, and war broke out, then...
Huai'an dared not think further. She regretfully slammed her fist on the nearby desk, covered her face with both hands, trying to hide the vast despair in her eyes.
What to do? What to do? What should she do?
Suddenly, her shoulder felt heavy. Huai'an turned around and saw Huan Sui's large hand on her shoulder, his expression complex and difficult to decipher, but deep down there was a mountain-like composure and calmness.
He said softly, "It's alright."
Huai'an shook her head. "It's all my fault."
"No, it's not," Huan Sui comforted.
Huai'an wasn't comforted. She continued, "Do you suspect anyone?"
Huan Sui's eyelids drooped, and he sighed softly, "You've already figured out the possible subsequent developments, haven't you?"
Huai'an gave a soft "Mmm."
"In this calamity, who will ultimately benefit?"
Upon hearing this, Huai'an gasped and looked straight into Huan Sui's eyes.
The marriage alliance between Zheng and Qi was originally intended as a strategy of befriending distant enemies to attack nearby ones, freeing up their hands to deal with the remnants of the previous dynasty.
If the alliance fell apart today and Zheng and Qi went to war, the ultimate beneficiary would undoubtedly be...
"The Western Regions."
Huai'an cursed, "Damn it!" She frowned, somewhat troubled. "Your Highness once said that the remnants of the Li Emperor are as elusive as ghosts and as endless as cockroaches. How should we investigate?"
"Go and ask your brother how he knew the Crown Prince of Qi's route today. There will naturally be clues."
When Huai'an sped to the Northern Military Camp to find Ping Yan, she carefully asked him without arousing any suspicion. But Ping Yan just looked at her strangely. "Yongci asked you to ask me?"
Huai'an nodded, not understanding.
Ping Yan scoffed, "Do you even need to ask such a question?"
Huai'an's face darkened. "Say it or not, it's up to you."
Ping Yan pulled Huai'an out of the military camp, asking as they walked, "Haven't you heard of Tian Dong Shop?"
"Tian Dong Shop?" Wasn't that a huge chain store visible all over the country?
"Tch, you're really ignorant." Ping Yan put on a lecturing face. "Tian Dong Shop, on the surface, seems to be known for its steady business, but in reality, what truly allows it to dominate one side is its main business..."
Ping Yan looked around. Seeing that no one was there, he lowered his voice. "Intelligence."
Huai'an let out a long "Oh~" and remembered. She had heard her elders say in her early years that there was a private intelligence organization that secretly planted thousands to tens of thousands of informants in various places in the north and south. They urgently sent all information to the main shop in the capital in a special way. The main shop had dozens of senior accountants managing hundreds of junior accountants, who constantly sorted, verified, searched, and archived all information. Then, the senior accountants would clarify the context of events and accurately calculate possible future developments, selling this intelligence for a high price to those who needed it.
It sounded like a modern big data system, except here, it relied on 'human brains' for calculations.
Huai'an never thought that this mysterious intelligence organization was so far away yet so close, right under their noses, in the Tian Dong Shops that filled every street and alley in the city.
Then, it seemed likely that Tian Dong Shop would have information about the forces in the Western Regions.
She patted Ping Yan's arm and said, "Thank you, Brother," before turning and leaving the camp without looking back, leaping onto her horse and galloping back to the capital.
Ping Yan watched his sister's retreating figure, his expression complex, and said nothing.
It took one and a half hours to return to the capital from the Northern Military Camp. During the day, she had wasted another two hours playing cuju. By the time Huai'an rode past the northern gate of the capital, it was almost the fourth quarter of Xu hour (around 9:45 PM). The city gates were about to close, and Tian Dong Shop would have already closed.
Huai'an had no choice but to return to the Ping residence to rest, silently contemplating her plans for the next day.
At Hai hour (9-11 PM), she saw her second brother return to the residence, and she somewhat regretted having unnecessarily traveled such a long distance to the Northern Military Camp that day to ask him about the source of the information. If she had known that her second brother would come home today, she should have gone home first and waited leisurely for her brother to return.
Speaking of which, she was too impulsive, acting on impulse without much thought. She should change this habit in the future to avoid overworking herself.
The next day, before dawn, Huai'an got up and finished her sword practice. Calculating the opening time of the shops, she went to the stables, chose a good horse, and prepared to leave the residence. However, she was stopped at the gate by a deputy general named Zhao Tie.
Zhao Tie cupped his hands and saluted Huai'an, saying, "Young General, this humble officer saw that you were extremely busy yesterday and might not have received the news, so I came specially to inform you. Yesterday, after the court session ended, the Southern Qi envoy's letter was delivered to the court. The envoy delegation should arrive today. His Majesty has specially canceled the morning court session and ordered officials of the fourth rank and above to accompany His Highness Prince Heng to welcome the Crown Prince of Qi together at Dingding Gate at the third quarter of Mao hour (around 5:45 AM)."
Huai'an frowned slightly. Although she had guessed that Xiao Yan would enter the capital today after seeing him at the cuju field yesterday, and she had excitedly planned in secret which restaurant to arrange a meeting in, who knew that unexpected changes would occur, delaying her trip to Tian Dong Shop to inquire about matters.
She sighed, spurred her horse, turned around, and went to Dingding Gate in the south of the city to wait.
Time passed slowly, and the envoy delegation had not appeared even by Si hour (9-11 AM).
The new sun had become a scorching sun, and the scorching sun had dispersed the layers of clouds. Standing on the warm stone slabs, a cold wind suddenly came and then left, making the body's temperature regulation system feel at a loss.
Huai'an tapped her foot to a rhythm, stretched her long neck to look around, and saw that her second brother was already impatient. He summoned a servant to bring a grand master's chair and sat down heavily, supporting his head with his hand and letting out a big yawn, his mouth wide open, almost inviting insects to fly in.
She shifted her gaze and saw that although the other officials didn't show it on their faces, they all had a faint air of impatience. Only Zhao Tie, standing beside her with his hands hanging down and his lips tightly pressed, said nothing.
Seeing Zhao Tie's eyes fixed straight ahead, not even blinking when sweat rolled into his eyes, and his honest and simple appearance, Huai'an wanted to tease him.
She quietly leaned over and spoke to Zhao Tie in a volume only the two of them could hear, "You played quite well yesterday. Do people look for you for cuju matches afterwards?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tie suddenly turned his head, looking at Huai'an in alarm. "The young marshal has already personally selected this humble officer to join his team. This humble officer absolutely cannot... absolutely cannot..." He paused, his eyes darting left and right, his hands hanging at his sides involuntarily clenching and releasing, as if thinking about how to phrase his words. After a long while, he squeezed out, "Absolutely cannot be two-faced."
Huai'an couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing the surrounding officials looking sideways at her, she quickly suppressed her smile, wiping away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes as she asked, "Two-faced?"
Zhao Tie's expression became even more terrified. He hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed in apology. "This humble officer is shallow in learning and used the wrong words. Please forgive me, Young General!"
Huai'an smiled. "Hey," she said, "that's not right. You're one of my people. How did my brother snatch you away?"
This was true. During the attack on Luo Lian, the King of Lobei, in Huai'an's army, Zhao Tie was indeed a deputy general under her command. This was why Zhao Tie called Huai'an 'Young General' instead of the 'Young Mistress' used by the Ping family's servants.
Moreover, Zhao Tie's background was not small. His family was prominent, his mother's family was a military clan in the Northern Territory that had stood firm through several dynasties, and his father was even the current Censor-in-Chief, in charge of the power to impeach officials.
With such a strong background, why would he condescend to serve under a mere Major General?
It was simply because Zhao Tie and his parents were too incompatible.
During the uprising, Wang Yunnuo served under Fu Jian, the Later Qin ruler, as the Right General of the Martial Guard, guarding the capital. But her son Zhao Tie, unable to bear the cruelty of the Later Qin, had joined the rebel army early on.
In the final siege of the capital, Emperor Duanzhao repeatedly asked Zhao Tie to write letters persuading his mother to surrender, but Wang Yunnuo ignored them and even declared that she was severing her mother-son relationship with Zhao Tie. This made many people in the rebel army suspect that Zhao Tie might be a spy sent by the Later Qin. If Huai'an hadn't known Zhao Tie from her time studying at the martial arts academy and vouched for his character, everyone in the army would have wanted to use his blood to sacrifice to the soldiers who died in the siege of the capital, and he almost lost his head.
The siege lasted a long time. It wasn't until Wang Yunnuo saw that the Later Qin's situation was hopeless that she wisely opened the city gates and surrendered. Emperor Duanzhao, to show his magnanimity, specially pardoned Wang Yunnuo and even allowed her to retain her title of General after she bowed and declared her loyalty. He also ordered her to continue to guard the northern border, appointing her as the Grand Commandant of the Anbei Protectorate, ordering her to fully defend the national border to show her loyalty to the new dynasty.
After Wang Yunnuo surrendered, she and Zhao Tie served in the same court, but mother and son never spoke a word again. Although Wang Yunnuo had privately shown Zhao Tie some leniency, Zhao Tie was unyielding, stating that since their mother-son relationship had been severed, they should never see each other again, alive or dead.
Zhao Tie scratched his head. "It was before this humble officer joined the army. At that time, the young marshal coaxed..." He paused, as if realizing he had said something wrong again, and hurriedly corrected himself, "No, no, at that time, the young marshal guided... no, no, no... um... anyway, the young marshal told this humble officer that if this humble officer joined his team, he would put this humble officer under your command, Young General."
Huai'an laughed again. Her second brother loved to show off and put on airs. Zhao Tie was right; her brother must have used both coaxing and trickery to lure such a talented person as Zhao Tie into his team.
Fortunately, she hadn't played cuju with her brother much since then, otherwise she would definitely have snatched Zhao Tie back.
Just as she was thinking this, a bugle call sounded in the distance, and the envoy delegation finally arrived slowly.
It was almost noon, and everyone was drenched in sweat from the heat. Huan Sui stood steadily at the head of the line. When the envoy delegation approached, he stepped forward and gave a slight bow with cupped hands.
The officials followed behind Huan Sui and also bowed in unison.
Xiao Yan, who had been riding a tall horse and looked imposing, immediately dismounted upon seeing this and returned the bow with straightened robes.
The Southern Qi delegation also dismounted one after another and bowed behind the Crown Prince of Qi.
Huai'an secretly raised her eyes to look and saw that the Fifth Prince of Qi, Xiao Ke, casually waved his joined hands, considering it a return salute, then raised his head, crossed his arms, and looked around carelessly.
After the welcoming ceremony, the officials dispersed. Huan Sui led Xiao Yan and his entourage towards the Jinling Guesthouse, while Huai'an turned around, took the reins from the stable boy, shouted "Hah!" and galloped away, heading towards the main branch of Tian Dong Shop in Yanqing Ward, which was across half the city.
The main branch of Tian Dong Shop in the capital was a seven-bay building. Looking across the entire capital, although it wasn't the tallest, it was already a leading landmark in Baimo Lane.
A wooden plaque with the words 'Tian Dong Main Shop' hung high above the front door, the edges inlaid with a thin layer of gold, luxurious but not gaudy. Two rows of lantern strings hung from the dougong brackets, and the pyramidal roof layered like a pagoda or a library阁楼, surrounded a small garden within a few li, giving it an imposing, rising-from-the-ground appearance.
Huai'an crossed the threshold and stepped into the shop. What greeted her eyes was a dazzling array of goods, from rouge, silk, tea, porcelain, and lacquerware to pots and pans, benches, grand master chairs, soap boots, flat shoes, belts, and hats, arranged from the door to the street behind the deep corridor, on the beams, pillar hooks, and corners, not a single space was spared, crowded with customers, leaving almost no room to set foot.
Huai'an struggled through the crowd blocking her way and finally reached the counter. She tapped the tabletop with her knuckles and called out, "Shopkeeper!"
A man with a cloth wrapped around his head and a weary expression walked out from the inner room. Seeing the richly dressed visitor, he quickly put on a smile and said courteously, "Esteemed guest, I am the humble shopkeeper of this establishment. May I ask what you need?"
Huai'an took a step closer, and the shopkeeper leaned forward to listen. Huai'an whispered, "Intelligence."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyebrows twitched, and he looked puzzled. "Esteemed guest, I don't understand."
"This is the main branch of Tian Dong Shop, right?"
"Indeed."
Huai'an looked completely bewildered. Had she missed something she was supposed to do, like showing a token or symbol of identity? Or a secret password? Aha! It must be a secret password. Could it be "Open Sesame"? Or a poem, a verse?
That darn brother, he didn't explain things clearly.
Just as Huai'an was in a dilemma, she heard a voice from behind, "Idiot." At the same time, she felt someone reach for her waist. Huai'an instinctively turned her hand back to grab the person, but the other person even more quickly snatched something from her waist.
Huai'an turned around and saw Ping Yan holding a jade seal. The jade seal was pure white, with a warm texture, and the surrounding area was engraved with crane patterns. In the center, a hollowed-out 'Ping' character was carved, which was the identity symbol passed down only to the direct descendants of the Ping family.
Yesterday, when Huai'an inquired with Ping Yan, he decided to return to the residence from the Northern Military Camp and follow the little one to see what she was up to. Although it did waste a little time waiting for the Crown Prince of Qi and his entourage at the city gate.
"You need to use this to ask, you blockhead." Ping Yan tapped Huai'an's forehead with the jade seal and waved it in front of the shopkeeper.
"Oh."
Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper bowed respectfully, pushed open the door to the inner room, and bent down to signal them to follow. The beaded curtain on the frame rustled softly, like fine rain rolling onto the eaves.
"Brother is coming too?"
"Can't I?"
"Oh."
When Huai'an asked the senior accountant (yes, the specialist who sold intelligence had to be a higher-ranking senior accountant) about the distribution of the remnants of the former Qin dynasty's forces in the capital, Ping Yan looked at her in surprise. "What? Want to share my worries?"
Huai'an casually said "Mmm-hmm" twice and turned her head to wait for the senior accountant's reply.
After listening to the question, the senior accountant's eyes darted left and right. After pondering for a moment, he held out three fingers. Huai'an was puzzled and looked at Ping Yan.
"Three thousand taels," Ping Yan rolled his eyes, as if finding her stupidity unbelievable.
"Three thousand taels!" Huai'an exclaimed, "That's so expensive?"
"Nonsense."
Huai'an was a little embarrassed and said to the senior accountant with a troubled tone, "Could you... lower the price? I only need a few of the most likely hiding places. I don't need to know the boss's name, the storage, or the trading points."
"What do you want to do?"
Huai'an ignored Ping Yan, her eyes fixed on the senior accountant.
The senior accountant nodded and held out three fingers again. Huai'an still didn't understand. After a pause, did he mean 'okay'?
Ping Yan enlightened her, "Three hundred taels."
Alright, three hundred taels she could still afford.
Huai'an reached into her bosom as if to take out a bill, but then she had a thought. Her lips curved slightly, and she tugged at Ping Yan's sleeve, whispering, "Brother, I'm poor."
"Useless." Ping Yan snorted and raised his chin towards the senior accountant. "Put it on my account."
The senior accountant cupped his hands, then quickly picked up a brush and wrote down a few locations on a post with a hollowed-out golden millet flower pattern in the lower right corner before handing it to Huai'an.
Huai'an thanked him and quickly glanced at it.
Translation:
Guilin Hall, Caoyin Residence, Jiqing House, Guanhe Pavilion, Yexiao Pavilion...
Most of them were well-known restaurants or taverns in the capital. She didn't know which place they had taken Ruo'cheng.
Huai'an's first thought was to suspect Yexiao Pavilion. After all, Yexiao Pavilion was located in Huai'ren Ward, which was the closest to the small suburban residence outside Jianchun Gate. However, she also felt that the thieves wouldn't be so stupid as to hide someone in the most easily discovered place.
Ping Yan leaned over to take a look, exclaimed "Yo," and asked again, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Huai'an stepped out of the inner room without looking back. The moment she crossed the threshold, she suddenly remembered something, so she turned back and called out to the senior accountant who was about to retreat into the inner chamber.
"Excuse me, some time ago, did anyone come to the shop to ask about... um... strategies to avoid the Zheng-Qi alliance?"
The senior accountant didn't answer, but held up his index finger, indicating one.
"One thousand taels?"
The senior accountant shook his head.
"One hundred taels?"
The senior accountant shook his head again.
Not saying a single word, is this guy a mute? Huai'an wanted to roar at the senior accountant.
Ping Yan snorted coldly, pulled Huai'an towards the outside of the shop, and sneered as he turned back, "Stingy."
Stepping out of the shop, a gust of wind suddenly blew through Baimo Lane, swirling golden leaves. The elm trees by the alley swayed, shedding a tree full of reddish-brown elm seeds, fine and scattered.
"Huai'an, I'll ask you one last time, what are you trying to do?" Ping Yan, clearly losing patience, asked in a deep voice.
Huai'an frowned slightly, looking very unwilling. "Brother, please don't interfere in this matter."
"Don't interfere?" Ping Yan's face darkened. "I'm the one who paid the money. How can I not interfere?"
"I'll pay you back later."
"No need."
Huai'an sighed. She really didn't want to involve her family in this, but thinking that the senior accountant must have already registered her second brother's name and the information she asked for together, it wouldn't be easy to get away in the future. She could only purse her lips and say, "Looking for someone."
"Who?"
"A friend."
"Related to the Western Regions?"
Huai'an shrugged. "Maybe."
"Important enough to be worth three hundred taels?"
Huai'an nodded. Ruo'cheng's life and the fate of the Great Zheng nation depended on this; three hundred taels was even too little.
"What are the places?"
Huai'an spread out the note for Ping Yan to look at again.
"Brother, if you wanted to hide someone, where would you hide them?"
"What kind of person?"
"Someone who absolutely cannot be discovered."
Ping Yan narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Very mysterious, huh?" Then he stroked his chin, pondered for a long while, and pointed to a spot on the note. "Here, there are many merchants coming and going, a mix of Hu and Han people. It's built along the river, facing Ding Street, with land routes in the front and waterways in the back. The crisscrossing paths make it the best hiding place."
Upon hearing this, Huai'an nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Related to the Western Regions... hiding someone...? Little one, are you going to look for some harbored criminal?"
"No, alas, once this is over, I will explain everything clearly to Brother."
Seeing that Huai'an was still unwilling to reveal anything, Ping Yan had no choice but to give up. He said earnestly, "Alright, I won't ask anymore, but remember, be careful in everything you do, and don't do anything foolish."
Huai'an nodded in agreement, turned around, and mounted her horse, riding away.
Foolish things? She had already done enough of them the moment she proposed Ruo'cheng's fake death and escape.
Jiqing House was located in Datong Ward in the west of the city, about two hours away from the main branch of Tian Dong Shop in the east. By the time Huai'an arrived, dusk had fallen, and the city was bathed in the colors of sunset, the sky a deep red.
The Jinsha Lane was glittering everywhere. Looking from afar in the depths of the alley, the five-bay Jiqing House was all red, truly festive. Getting closer, she saw lanterns and decorations hanging on the upturned eaves and carved beams. Waiters shouted, busy coming and going, and the entrance was bustling with people. Hu merchants and Han merchants had their arms around each other's shoulders, calling each other brothers, happily entering the building and returning home tipsy.
Huai'an silently stepped into the building, and a waiter immediately came forward to greet her. She asked for a private room on the second floor, intending to observe the crowd secretly from a high place and then find a suitable opportunity to explore around under the guise of using the restroom.
The waiter brought a pot of hot tea and two small dishes, saying courteously, "Please enjoy, Young Mistress." Seeing that Huai'an ignored him, he quietly retreated.
Huai'an gently pushed open the side window, using the half-closed state to carefully observe the people coming and going downstairs, counting and distinguishing them one by one in her mind: a blue-clothed burly man with a full beard, a pale-faced scholar with a red mole between his eyebrows, a fat local tyrant with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, an old farmer begging for tea with a broken bamboo hat and worn raincoat...
People were coming and going. No immediate suspects.
She had had a photographic memory since childhood, so this little skill of remembering faces was a piece of cake.
Outside, the sounds of singing and dancing played together, muffled by the walls, as if coming from underwater or from a faraway place.
Suddenly, she sensed someone approaching outside the corridor. There was no malice in the aura, so she remained calm, silently picked up a teacup from the table, held the hot tea, and rested her elbow on the window frame, appearing completely relaxed.
The sliding door opened, and a head poked in. Seeing that it was her, he grinned at her, but there was no smile in his eyes. "Yo, Young Mistress Ping, what a leisurely mood you're in?"
Seeing this, Huai'an retorted, "General Xiao isn't helping the Crown Prince but has come here for pleasure?"
"Hehe, I've long heard that Jiqing House's famous dish, 'Vinegar-Braised Perch,' is delicious with tender and smooth meat. This general has wanted to try it for a long time."
"General, please help yourself."
Xiao Ke probably misunderstood the meaning of "help yourself." He plunged into the private room and casually sat down opposite Huai'an. "I saw you entering the building alone just now. How about this? This general will be merciful and join you for a meal."
Huai'an was speechless. She had never seen anyone so shameless. "Thank you for your kindness, General, but it's really not convenient. Please move to another place."
Xiao Ke picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and said with a smile, "We met at the cuju field but didn't have a chance to talk. Now that we have free time, why don't we chat for a bit? Make friends?"
"This humble person holds a low official position and is lacking in talent and learning, not worth wasting General Xiao's time."
"Worth it, worth it. Old Man Ping made the right bet back then, and the Ping family soared to the sky. As Old Man Ping's only daughter, you are now the most sought-after person in the entire Northern Zheng, no, in the whole world."
"You flatter me. General Xiao, with your distinguished military achievements and being born to the Noble Consort, should be even more popular than I am." Huai'an paused, a mocking smile appearing on her face, and then said, "Unfortunately, you are still just an illegitimate son."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ke's face instantly turned gloomy. "What's so great about being嫡系? Aren't you just hiding under the family's protection, barely surviving?"
As he spoke, he tightly gripped the teacup in his hand, looking like he was about to crush it. Suddenly, his face brightened as if he had remembered something interesting. "Aren't you curious why my elder brother still insisted on entering Zheng even though the princess is gone?"
Huai'an smiled. "Not curious."
Xiao Ke feigned disappointment. "Did you think it was just to test the truth?" He sneered. "Although that cuju match was indeed my elder brother's momentary whim to see the strength of the famous Ping family army, would he need to risk such danger and go deep into enemy territory just for that?"
Then he muttered a few words, "But Ping Ziran, he's really unexpected. He actually knew the route my brother and I would take. We clearly deliberately changed our route."
Seeing that Huai'an still looked indifferent, Xiao Ke went a step further, leaning forward, his voice mysterious and soft. "What if I told you that your 'Heaven-Sent Intelligent and Joyful Princess' isn't dead?"