Yan Shuangfei pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the county yamen and stepped inside. Raising his eyes, he saw a tall figure clad in a black Flying Fish Robe, a luan-patterned belt at her waist and a Spring Embroidered Saber hanging at her side. The bronze designs on its scabbard gleamed with a cold light—she was Sima Ling, General Banner Officer of the Imperial Guards.
Sima Ling wore no headcloth. Her raven hair was held up only by a jade hairpin, with a few loose strands falling by her cheeks, yet they did not make her seem the least bit soft or alluring.
Her brows looked as though painted in ink, and the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward. When her gaze swept over him, it carried a hint of sharpness. Yet her nose was elegant and straight, her lips a pale red, blending heroic poise and breathtaking beauty in perfect measure.
Zhou Zhengyi was standing beside her, respectfully explaining something. She merely nodded faintly, her fingertips absently stroking the saber hilt. Her posture was proper without being rigid, her shoulders and back straight as a pine. Every movement spoke of the valiant bearing of one hardened by countless battlefields.
The Flying Fish Robe, a symbol of authority, did not make her seem oppressive. Instead, it made her figure appear even more upright, like a keen blade sheathed in its scabbard—dazzling in brilliance, yet concealing an awe-inspiring edge.
When Yan Shuangfei stepped into the main hall over the stone slabs, his footsteps rang especially clearly through the empty chamber.
Sima Ling had been lowering her eyes as she listened to Zhou Zhengyi's report. The instant she heard him, she looked up, and her eyes abruptly brightened. The fingers gripping her saber hilt paused without her realizing it.
The