After she left, Feng Lingbo paced around the room in deep thought for a while before turning back and calling, "Someone!"
A servant entered. Feng Lingbo pointed at the confidential letter on the desk and said, "Take it to Niu Youdao!"
"Yes!" The servant took the letter and left.
Niu Youdao was temporarily staying in the guest compound of the Prefect's Mansion, under guard.
Under the lamplight, Niu Youdao read the confidential letter over and over several times. Wang Heng? He had no idea who Wang Heng was. He did not know him, nor had he ever heard of him. However, judging from the letter's mention of sending him to the Capital City, aside from offending the Song Family, Niu Youdao had no other enemies there. It was not hard to guess who wanted to harm him.
None of this counted for much. He had long expected the Song Family to retaliate, so it was not surprising. What he found interesting was that Feng Lingbo had shown him the confidential letter. There was a great deal of meaning behind that, and naturally, it included an attempt to frighten him.
"The Song Family probably already knows. Looks like Tang Susu failed to fool them. That old woman Tang probably picked up a rock only to drop it on her own foot!" Niu Youdao casually handed the letter to Yuan Gang beside him.
After reading it repeatedly, Yuan Gang asked, "Who is Wang Heng?"
Niu Youdao shook his head slightly. "I don't know. He's definitely connected to the Song Family. Anyone Feng Lingbo would use that tone to pass a message to probably holds a fairly high position. It shouldn't be hard to find out who he is with a little asking around."
Yuan Gang fell silent for a while, then suddenly asked tentatively, "If the Song Family retaliates against the Shangqing Sect, could that implicate Tang Yi?"
Niu Youdao lowered his eyes slightly. "Does it matter?"
Yuan Gang fell silent and said nothing more. He held the paper to the candle flame and burned it...
The mountain night was especially bleak. The white banners on the bamboo poles drifted gently in the wind, while bonfires burned beside the rows of new graves. Shang Shuqing sat on the ground and played the qin, its mournful notes drawing sorrow from the heart.
The departed had passed away. The qin's music was an offering of remembrance.
Shang Chaozong stood nearby with his hands behind his back, gazing at the indistinct shadows beneath the moonlight, his thoughts surging like a tide. He recalled how glorious his family had once been, only for everything to collapse in the blink of an eye. He had become as frightened and helpless as a stray dog, unable to live through a single day in peace. The years spent in the dark heavenly prison had been etched into his bones, sometimes even seeming like a nightmare.
All the sudden changes and misfortunes had already come crashing over him. He did not resent anyone. If he had to blame someone, he could only blame his own incompetence. More than anything, he felt lost—lost in the face of a future that drifted uncertainly before him.
His younger sister playing the qin before him was incomparably intelligent, gentle and virtuous, learned and reasonable. She excelled in the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as poetry and song. Yet life had forced her to become strong and brave. She had once been a refined young lady of a prestigious family, with books and treasures of calligraphy always in her hands. Now a Precious Sword hung at her waist, and she endured hardship alongside a group of men, jolting about on horseback without fear of hardship or a single word of complaint. Instead, she often comforted and encouraged him, her elder brother. Setting aside the ugly blotches on her face, by every measure, his sister should have been a fine woman any man in the world would struggle to find. Yet because he, her elder brother, was too incompetent to shoulder the burden, he had ruined her life and failed their parents in the afterlife.
Looking again at the personal guards appearing openly and secretly among the surrounding woods, standing watch for him, he saw that they were all veterans of the battlefield. Even though they could not see a future or any light ahead, they had still abandoned their homes and families to follow him, pursuing an unknown future at his side. He knew full well that this was thanks to the legacy his father had left behind, but that only made him more uneasy. He feared disappointing these people and did not know where he could lead them. All he could do was keep telling himself: forward, forward!
But the road ahead was bleak. Pretending to follow Niu Youdao's instructions here did not put his heart at ease. Niu Youdao's seemingly meaningful yet unclear actions left him without the slightest certainty.
The dark night stretched on. Gazing into the sky, every night he looked forward to dawn with incomparable anticipation...
A night passed, and dawn blossomed. Inside the simple thatched shelter beside the grave mound, Shang Chaozong dozed while leaning sideways, still fully dressed. A rush of hurried footsteps came, jolting him awake. He instinctively reached for the saber beside him, then looked up and saw that it was one of his own men.
A personal guard cupped his fists and reported, "Prince, several people have arrived outside the temple. They say they are from the Prefect's Mansion of Guangyi Commandery, and that they were sent here by the mage."
Niu Youdao had sent them? Shang Chaozong's spirits lifted. Niu Youdao had previously told them to delay matters for as many days as possible. He had not expected news to come after only a single day.
He sprang to his feet, but one leg had gone numb from being folded too long, and he nearly lost his balance. He stamped his feet several times to force the circulation through his meridians, then strode out.
Before long, Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting, and Shang Shuqing led a group of people swiftly up the mountain.
The reason they had all stayed beside the graves at the foot of the mountain was also to pretend, as Niu Youdao had instructed, to mourn and make offerings to the dead. Of course, following Niu Youdao's instructions had purely been a desperate attempt to make a dying horse move like a living one.
Shou Nian waited outside the gate of Nanshan Temple with four men. When he saw Shang Chaozong and the others coming up the mountain, he was still puzzled. There are houses, so why are they staying in the mountains?
Because of her identity as a woman, Shang Shuqing had spent much of her early life secluded in her chambers and did not know Shou Nian. Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting exchanged a glance. The two of them knew Shou Nian. When Prince Ning was still alive and overseeing the armies of the Yan Kingdom, Guangyi Commandery would send people bearing gifts during every festival. The person who had most often represented Feng Lingbo was the Feng Family's steward, Shou Nian—the very man before them.
The two were somewhat surprised that Feng Lingbo's steward had personally come.
Seeing them arrive, Shou Nian smiled, hugged his sword, and cupped his fists. "This old servant greets you, Prince, and you, Mr. Lan. This must be the County Princess. This old servant pays his respects."
Shang Shuqing returned the gesture with both hands. Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting merely clasped their fists in greeting. Lowering his hands, Lan Ruoting smiled and said, "Brother Shou, it's been many years. You look as dashing as ever."
Shou Nian bowed his head and smiled warmly. "Mr. Lan, you flatter me."
Lan Ruoting asked, "Brother Shou, were you invited here by Niu Youdao?"
Shou Nian nodded. "I came under orders to protect the Prince..." He paused, puzzled. "Wasn't Niu Youdao sent to see the Prefect by the Prince?"
"Uh... yes, yes, exactly." Lan Ruoting nodded with an awkward laugh, speaking vaguely. Niu Youdao's way of doing things was truly exasperating—he never explained anything clearly. They had no idea what Niu Youdao had discussed with Feng Lingbo, how he had discussed it, or what the result had been. They were afraid of saying the wrong thing and ruining matters.
They really could not believe Feng Lingbo would lend troops to Shang Chaozong. Yet judging from Shou Nian's manner, it seemed that he truly had succeeded. Could that be possible? Did Feng Lingbo really dare to involve herself in this matter? Most bizarre of all, Niu Youdao had not returned, nor had he sent anyone who knew the details to report back. It left them unable even to ask.
"Niu Youdao is temporarily resting at the Prefect's Mansion, awaiting the Prince. Prince, this wilderness is likely dangerous, and it is unwise to remain here for long. Please return to the commandery city with this old servant first. The men sent by the Prefect to receive you are already on the way. You will surely meet them on the road." Shou Nian extended a hand in invitation.
This put them in a difficult position. They did not know whether it would be better to leave or stay. Lan Ruoting was considering how to probe for information when someone suddenly came running up from below the mountain. It was a personal guard whom Niu Youdao had sent back to deliver a message. Lan Ruoting and the others brightened at once.
They asked Shou Nian to wait a moment, then pulled the dust-covered guard aside. Lan Ruoting asked impatiently, "Has the mage sent back any news?"
The guard nodded repeatedly. "The mage said the matter is promising, with success nine times out of ten. He told the Prince and the others to return with the people from Guangyi Commandery. He himself cannot come over for the time being and will await the Prince's arrival in the commandery city!"
Nine times out of ten? The three of them were invigorated. Had they really borrowed troops? It was truly hard to believe. Heavens, how had Niu Youdao managed it?
Shang Shuqing's bright eyes gleamed beneath her veil. Shang Chaozong excitedly struck his fist against his palm, as though he had seen a ray of light in the darkness.
Lan Ruoting was exceedingly heartened and asked with concern, "Is the mage well? Did nothing unexpected happen?"
The guard replied, "The mage is safe and sound. The marriage proposal went very smoothly!"
"Uh..." Lan Ruoting froze and blinked, thinking he had heard wrong.
"A marriage proposal?" Shang Chaozong asked suspiciously. "What marriage proposal?"
Shang Shuqing's expression beneath her veil was equally stunned. Did he say a marriage proposal?
"Wasn't the Prince going to marry the daughter of the Prefect of Guangyi Commandery?" the guard asked blankly. He had thought Niu Youdao's actions had been arranged by the Prince's side. Judging from the Prince and the others' reactions now, why did it seem otherwise?
Shang Chaozong pointed at himself and asked incredulously, "I'm marrying Feng Lingbo's daughter?"
The guard nodded, somewhat dumbfounded. His eyes seemed to ask, Wasn't that the case?
Shang Chaozong asked again, "That's what the mage said?"
The guard replied, "The mage has already done it. The betrothal gifts have been delivered to the Feng Family, and he publicly announced that the Prince was going to marry Feng Lingbo's daughter."
Shang Shuqing and Lan Ruoting looked at each other, bewildered. Why did this feel like such a mess?
Shang Chaozong confirmed once more in disbelief, "I'm marrying Feng Lingbo's daughter? Which of Feng Lingbo's daughters am I marrying?"
The guard realized that this was a serious problem. He said uncertainly, "Prince, does Feng Lingbo have several daughters? Of course... of course it's..." He recalled what had happened when they had guarded the betrothal gifts outside the Prefect's Mansion. Feng Ruonan had stormed over, and after they had seen her appearance with their own eyes, they had apparently even lamented on the Prince's behalf.
"Feng Ruonan? I'm marrying Feng Ruonan?" Shang Chaozong's eyes widened. How had borrowing troops turned into marrying Feng Ruonan? He stared blankly. "How is that possible? When you said the matter was promising, with success nine times out of ten, you meant this?"
"..." The guard was speechless. He slowly nodded to indicate that it was.
Shang Shuqing and Lan Ruoting were also bewildered. Marrying Feng Ruonan? Why did this seem even less reliable than borrowing troops from Feng Lingbo? How could Feng Lingbo possibly marry off his daughter—one of the main commanders of Guangyi Commandery—to Shang Chaozong?
Lan Ruoting pointed at the guard. "What exactly happened? Quickly tell us everything in detail, from beginning to end."
"After we arrived in Guangyi Commandery, we stayed at an inn. The mage immediately ordered us to find out where Feng Lingbo and Feng Ruonan were..." The guard gave a detailed account of what had happened after they arrived in Guangyi Commandery: how they had gathered information, how Niu Youdao had gone to the military camp, how he had obtained a chest of gold coins from the camp, how he had gone on a massive shopping spree for betrothal gifts, how he had delivered them to the Prefect's Mansion, how Yuan Gang had publicly announced the happy news, and how Yuan Gang and Niu Youdao had entered the Prefect's Mansion and sent messages outside, among other things.
After the three of them finished listening, they were utterly speechless. This was no trip to borrow troops. Judging from the pace of Niu Youdao's actions from the moment he reached the commandery city, he had plainly gone there to propose marriage.
"Absurd!" Shang Chaozong exploded, his face flushing red and then paling.
Before you continue