"My lord, you should rest and recuperate more." A Blackwater Bureau attendant stepped forward with a reminder.
Shao Pingbo nodded, thanking him for his concern. "It's a little stifling. I'm just taking a walk." He waved, signaling that there was no need to follow.
The man stopped. Master and servant walked away at an unhurried pace. Patrols continually crossed back and forth around them, even passing close by. Flying mounts could be seen circling through the dimly brightening sky, guarding against anyone approaching from the air.
They stopped beside a crude watchtower on a slope and looked out over the sprawling encampment of the allied army. After a stretch of silence, Shao Pingbo slowly said, "I have poured my heart and soul into the Jin Kingdom, yet the people in Jin Kingdom's Imperial Court will not tolerate me."
Shao Sansheng studied him. Only after seeing that he had indeed calmed down did he dare speak. "Young Master, you absolutely must not agree to marry the Seventh Princess!"
By rights, he was merely a servant and had no authority to meddle in his master's marriage. Yet he truly could not bear this matter. If it had been an ordinary marriage among commoners, that would have been one thing. But the matter of the Seventh Princess had already drawn the eyes of the world. If the Young Master married her, he would never be able to hold his head high again. The Young Master was already a man of deep thoughts, prone to exhausting himself until his heart and strength were worn thin. He should not suffer excessive agitation. If he had to bear such a burden for the rest of his life, how could he endure it?
Shao Pingbo said, "How do I refuse? You saw what happened in the Imperial