Wen Boyuan passed down orders for them to rest and regroup at Lu Family Village for the night, then set out again the following morning.
Their schedule over the past few days had been packed, and they had mostly slept out in the wilderness. Taking the sky as their canopy and the earth as their bed might sound romantic, but in this bitter winter it was an ordeal. Tonight, at last, they had a village where they could shelter from the wind and cold. For the soldiers who had endured several days of freezing winds, that was already an enormous blessing.
Wen Boyuan first sent two squads of twenty men each into Lu Family Village to investigate. Only after they confirmed there was no danger would the main party be allowed in.
While everyone waited at the village entrance for the squads to return, Princess Anping pushed open the carriage door and stepped down. Hu Xiaotian swung off his horse and followed her. Seeing this, Zijuan tactfully stopped in her tracks.
Princess Anping walked slowly toward the setting sun, with Hu Xiaotian following in a deferential stoop. To everyone else, they were merely mistress and servant, and Hu Xiaotian never missed a chance to flatter her. Who could have known that their hearts had long since become one?
Princess Anping stopped in the wilderness, her beautiful eyes fixed on the sunset. It felt wonderful to be so far from the crowd, as though only she and Hu Xiaotian remained between heaven and earth. She sighed softly. "The sunset is so beautiful."
Hu Xiaotian lowered his head and eyes, shamelessly plagiarizing a well-worn verse. "The setting sun is infinitely lovely, but dusk is drawing near."
Princess Anping's heart trembled, moved by Hu Xiaotian's astonishing talent. She felt that the verse he