Capital City

"General Liu, with such a sincere heart, why fear life's hardships? A hidden dragon lies in the depths, but when it rises, it soars beyond the nine heavens."

With that, Li Ping'an prepared to leave.

"If you truly wish to return to the army, General Liu, I do have an idea."

Something suddenly occurred to Li Ping'an.

Liu Yong's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Please enlighten me, sir."

"I have a casual friend at the Princess's Residence. You could ask her for help. Perhaps she can do something for you."

"The P-Princess's Residence?" Liu Yong stammered.

Liu Yong wanted to ask more, but Li Ping'an had already left.

"If you really get the chance, go to the Princess's Residence and mention a blind man to someone there. That might help you."

Li Ping'an did not know whether Liu Yong could reach the Princess's Residence, much less what things were like there.

He had said it largely because he truly hated to see a man like Liu Yong buried in obscurity.

Whether it could actually help him was entirely up to heaven.

Sword in hand, Su Yun stood dazed, unable to speak for a long while.

What was going on? What had happened?

A string of questions swirled through his mind.

First, he had thought the blind man was an expert, then mistakenly assumed he was nothing but a coward.

Now came another complete reversal, and Su Yun could not take it in all at once.

By the time he recovered and tried to find the blind man,

there was not a soul in sight across the boundless desert.

Unlike the dejected Su Yun,

Liu Yong and his men were brimming with excitement. Great Sui had always punished deserters harshly.

At best, exile; at worst, beheading.

They had thought they would spend the rest of their lives as bandits. Who could have imagined they would get a chance to start over?

And their connection led straight to the Princess's Residence.

The young boy, Chen Chusheng, gazed in the direction where Li Ping'an had vanished, his eyes full of admiration.

Then, as though he had made up his mind about something, resolve appeared on his childish face.

Liu Yong's injuries were far from light, and he spent more than half a month recovering in the village.

Then, unable to wait any longer, he hurried off with his brothers, heading straight for Capital City.

They had no identification and were deserters, so naturally they could not travel through checkpoints or relay stations.

Instead, they took side roads and slipped into the city.

The journey went fairly smoothly, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Capital City.

It was everyone's first visit, and the city's bustling splendor immediately captivated them.

Visitors thronged the streets, amid the clamor of carriages and horses.

People came and went in a lively, endless stream.

Towering, splendid buildings unlike any they had ever seen stood everywhere.

A dazzling array of pearls, jade, and treasures filled the market stalls, with vendors' cries rising one after another.

Among the bustling crowds were people in sedan chairs, people on foot, and people carrying shoulder poles, along with carriages and freight wagons...

The women passing by, in particular, were all boldly dressed.

Some bared their chests; others exposed their breasts.

Some wore silk scarves, others shawls, each displaying her alluring charms.

Liu Yong and his brothers found out where the Princess's Residence was, but once they reached the entrance, they were at a loss.

The stern guards were unmistakably warning off anyone harboring ill intentions.

Yet Liu Yong and his men had neither anyone to introduce them nor any identification.

All they had was the blind man Li Ping'an had told them to mention, and they did not even know whom to ask for.

Their travel funds were nearly exhausted, so they spent several nights beneath a bridge in Capital City.

They ate in the wind and slept beneath the open sky, but fortunately, this was Capital City, at the emperor's feet.

Naturally, it was countless times better than the barren frontier.

Liu Yong thought of a clever approach. People entered and left the Princess's Residence every day.

He singled out plainly dressed maids and servants, mentioning the blind man to each one he found.

But after half a month without any results, Liu Yong and his men inevitably began to lose heart.

Then one day, it was Liu Yong's turn to keep watch with one of his brothers.

The others were doing odd jobs around Capital City. After all, even eating, drinking, and relieving themselves cost money.

A tall woman in fitted martial attire emerged from the Princess's Residence.

Liu Yong approached as usual. "Miss, sorry for the trouble, but could I ask you something?"

The woman cast Liu Yong a cold glance. "Speak."

"Does anyone in the Princess's Residence know a blind man?"

"How would I know?"

The woman blurted it out, then suddenly recalled something, and her expression shifted slightly.

A blind man!

She looked Liu Yong up and down. "Explain yourself. What exactly is going on?"

Liu Yong gave her a full account of how he had met the blind man and how they had come here.

"Come with me!"

Liu Yong exchanged a glance with his younger companion, holding back his excitement.

It worked! It finally worked!

The two entered the Princess's Residence through a side gate.

The moment they stepped inside, an air of grandeur swept over them.

Neither dared say much, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

They were then shown into a small room, where servants brought them exquisite pastries and refreshments.

Before long, the woman in martial attire returned.

"Come with me!"

Next, the two were led into a magnificent hall.

Gold and jade shone resplendently, beaded curtains hung as delicate as cicada wings, and every piece of furniture was intricately carved, dazzling the eye.

Famous paintings and sculptures stood in an artful arrangement.

"Big brother... this... doesn't something seem a little off?" his younger companion could not help asking.

Liu Yong was uneasy too.

He had assumed the person Li Ping'an had referred them to was most likely an adviser at the Princess's Residence, or someone who had the Princess's ear.

But... surely that did not warrant bringing them into a hall like this?

Another glance at the guards outside holding golden sabers made Liu Yong's skin crawl.

Just as Liu Yong was puzzling over this, a tall woman entered, attended by two maids.

She wore a long blue dress, her bosom high and full.

Her waist was slender, her features as lovely as a painting.

An air of regal elegance shone between her brows. Though her dress was plain, it could not conceal her nobility.

Her gaze was icy, carrying a hint of fierce ambition.

The woman took her seat, her bearing as composed and unruffled as an emperor's.

Her eyes held a domineering force, despite the gentle smile on her face.

It kept others from daring to approach, or even speak to her.

"How dare you! You stand before the Princess, yet still refuse to kneel?"

A maid beside her spoke coldly.

Liu Yong's mind buzzed, and it felt as though his ears had gone deaf.

His eyes widened. He had no words to describe what he felt at that moment.

The P-Princess!?

But he was, after all, a battle-hardened soldier, and Liu Yong quickly recovered.

He pulled his younger companion down and hurriedly knelt.

"This guilty general pays his respects to Your Highness! May Your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"

"Rise. Give them seats," Liu Yun said softly, parting her delicate lips.

The two bowed in thanks once more before finally sitting down, trembling.

Liu Yong kept his head firmly lowered, not daring to look at the legendary beauty who ranked first on the Rouge Ranking.

He had heard that looking up directly at a sovereign

could arouse suspicion of plotting to assassinate the ruler.

One had to keep one's eyes on one's nose, one's nose aligned with one's mouth, and one's mouth questioning one's heart.