Ailafu was greedy, but he was also sharp as a tack.
After reading the military dispatch from the Marquis of the Northern Frontier, he knew the war in the Northern Frontier, two hundred years overdue, was finally about to begin.
And no matter which side won, Ailafu was certain things would end badly for him.
If the Great Wall Army won, there was nothing more to say. A traitor like him would be as good as dead.
If the Marquis of the Northern Frontier won, their grudges gave him every reason to kill Ailafu amid the chaos. Once the marquis returned in triumph, no one would bother investigating whether he had done it.
So when Ailafu saw how the war in the north was unfolding, he immediately gathered his belongings and prepared to flee south that very night.
He would be charged with abandoning his post, but with his connections, he could make such a minor offense go away.
Yet for all his planning, luck deserted him in the end.
Just after he slipped out of the city at night with his trusted subordinates, Feixin of the Snowfall Pavilion was waiting for him.
At the sight of Feixin's soft, alluring figure, Ailafu felt no lust at all. Only fear.
"Lady Feixin, what are you doing out in this frozen wilderness so late at night? You wouldn't happen to be waiting for me, would you?"
Ailafu spoke with a deliberately lecherous air.
Feixin gave him a seductive smile.
"You're right, my lord. I was waiting here for you."
"But what brings you out of bed and out of the city with your men at this hour?"
Ailafu's heart sank at her words. Then he said,
"How about this? Whatever the Marquis of the Northern Frontier paid you, I'll pay double. All