This land stretched all the way to the west, reaching an unbroken snowy mountain range that had no visible end. No one knew what was beyond the snowy mountains and nobody had ever crossed over. The snow from the peaks melted and merged into a large river, flowing from the Qi Empire in the west through Xia Empire in the southwest, then through the Chen Empire and Ning Empire. At the border between the Ning and Chen Empires, the river was more than 650 metres wide.
Lin Nan City was built according to the mountainous topography. The city wall wound and curled over the mountains, with turrets set up at the most dangerous points. It was like a giant dragon that firmly guarded the city in its embrace.
In the east of Lin Nan City towards the Imperial City, there were 15 cities along the plains which were the granaries of the Ning Empire. The Han River flowed into the plains and irrigated the fertile soil. Combined with the mild climate, the produce here was abundant and 80 percent of all crops in the Ning Empire were produced here. If Lin Nan City was taken, then it would be the equivalent of seizing the 15 cities and the Ning Empire’s vitality would be greatly damaged. Hence, Lin Nan City was just as important as the border city in the western regions.
Both the Lin Nan City in the south and the border city in the west acted as the southwest gates to the Ning Empire. Only by guarding them could the safety of the Ning Empire be ensured.
The east cliff of Lin Nan City dropped and shaped into a natural harbour. The southern navy barracks were stationed there. It was only five li away from the southern city gate by waterway and they could advance to attack or retreat for defence. Moreover, Lin Nan City was in a risky location. None of the three empires along the Han River dared to casually pull the tiger’s whiskers.
The moon was rising, the stars were few in number and the clouds were sparse as the Han River flowed quietly eastwards. A team of neatly dressed soldiers meticulously exchanged passwords to swap garrison duty. To the west of the southern city gate, a young general stood on the rampart of the city wall at the cliff. Black soft armour wrapped tightly around his slender body. With prominent facial features, a pair of eyes flashed like cold stars on his face and there was a slight smile on his mouth. He looked into the distance at the south of the Han River. His gaze seemed to cross the spacious river and see all of the scenery on the other side of the river. Under the moonlight, he suddenly saw dense shadows of boats on the south bank of the river. He placed a hand on the wall and tapped his fingers lightly. Waves pounded against the wall and disturbed his thoughts.
In the past three years, Emperor Ning had become weaker by the day and it was reported that he had not attended the morning imperial court for a month. The affairs of the imperial court had been handled by the Crown Prince. The atmosphere in Feng City had become tense. Besides, the Chen Empire had been working hard to train a navy for many years and it was likely that they had been waiting a long time for this opportunity. Once Prince Li began to compete with the Crown Prince for the throne, the Ning Empire would immediately face an invasion by a powerful enemy and there would be an endless civil war.
Several masked guards in flexible black armour were scattered not far behind him. Next to him, a young man stood straight with his arms by his side. At this time, this young man stepped forward and said quietly, “My Lord, it’s getting late, you should rest.”
In this past, he would have glanced over coldly and ignored it. Yet in these two years, he simply frowned slightly, all joy and anger having long since become invisible. He looked at the brightest star next to the moon. A pair of eyes flashed naturally in his mind. His gaze softened. Three years have passed, Ah Luo, are you doing well?
That day, Liu Jue had angrily destroyed the group of bandits that the Wang family had placed in western mountains of Shun He Town. After receiving the Ping Nan title, he continued to head south yet was unable to find any trace of Ah Luo. Immediately afterwards, Prince Li, Liu Fei, took over the right-wing army at the border town and Emperor An Qing returned to Feng City for retirement. Emperor An Qing secretly ordered Liu Jue to control the South Army and that he must not return to Feng City until Emperor Ning passed away.
Liu Jue had no other choice and he understood his father’s meaning. In the past three years, he trained the South Army with exceptional vigor, gradually taking over the Imperial Lieutenant’s forces, half subduing and half cleaning them up. He now controlled the South Army which was as strong as steel.
The South Army was unconvinced by this Young Prince at first, when they saw him being handsome and playful. They had heard that his General Ping Nan title only came about because his fiancée had been abducted. They were resentful and secretly cursed that although they were originally good soldiers, they had become his pawn for revenge. Then Liu Jue swept across 300 mountains between 15 cities from Shun He Town, southwards through Gu City to Jing City, destroying dozens of bandit hideouts and cleaning the southern part of the Ning Empire until it was neat and tidy. His meticulous and thorough plan, clean and neat approach, and ruthless blade made everyone look up at him with great admiration. His next step was enforcing military discipline. Then the entire South Army pledged allegiance to him.
Liu Jue was still standing on the rampart, letting the river breeze lift up the edge of his robe. When he travelled south that day and was unable to find any trace of Ah Luo, he thought about it thousands of times and finally felt sure that Ah Luo had returned to Feng City. The Ge forces had reported that when Zi Li went west, Ah Luo was not seen with him. Neither Prince Li nor the Crown Prince knew of her whereabouts. Liu Jue smiled, thinking that Ah Luo must be hiding somewhere in Feng City. The situation was unclear so finding her would not necessarily be a good thing. Marrying her and keeping her in his palace in Feng City would be another cause for concern. He told the Ge forces that once they found a trace, then the elites of the Ming forces would secretly protect her. There was no need to frighten her.
Liu Jue admired Ah Luo greatly. At such a young age, she was able to escape with her mother and maid. Moreover, she dared to boldly set fire to the bridge. Her plan was well calculated and she managed to hide it from so many people.
Each time the Ge forces reported that they had no news, he felt disappointed but also proud of Ah Luo for hiding so long without revealing any clues. It was not until March when the Ge forces reported that a couple had arrived at Lin Nan City with their mother. The mother resembled the Seventh Mistress of the Minister’s family. They suspected that they were Ah Luo and the others. He became excited.
Liu Ying distinctly remembered his master being incredibly drunk after receiving the report from a swift messenger of the Ge forces. He drank and sword danced alone in the backyard, laughing and shouting wildly, “Zi Li, you were right, Ah Luo really is a treasure. She’s here, she came to Lin Nan!” This was the first time in his whole life that Liu Ying saw his master this drunk. He carried his master back with difficulty and Liu Jue was still smiling when he lay down. With his eyes closed, he pulled Liu Ying’s sleeve and asked continuously, “Liu Ying, do you think Ah Luo will run away again after seeing me?”
Liu Ying’s eyes reddened. At six years of age, he almost died on the streets in cold weather when a bowl of broth brought him back to his senses. When he opened his eyes, he saw a snow-dusted Liu Jue blinking at him with a beaming smile, saying, “Are you awake? How about following me from now on? I’ll never let you starve.” At that time, Liu Jue was only five years old. Since then, he had become Liu Jue’s personal little guard. When he grew up, he took over the Qing forces of the black-clothed cavalry.
The drunk Liu Jue seemed to have reverted to his child self. When he was sick, he would often pull his sleeves and keep asking, “I dreamt of my mother. When will father be back to see me?” At that time, Liu Ying looked at his master whose handsome brows were wrinkled with a trace of sadness and swore secretly to himself that the Third Miss of the Minister’s family must not even think about running away when she was back. He would definitely keep her by his master’s side.
Liu Ying raised his eyes and looked at his master’s back, standing straight as a javelin in the cold wind. He tried to persuade him again, “My Lord, it’s winter. Please come back.”
Liu Jue looked back and said with a smile, “Let’s go and drink a few cups of hot wine. The weather really is cold.”
Far away in the distance, the tall gates of Lin Nan City appeared in sight. Xiao Yu exclaimed excitedly, “We’re here, we’ve reached Lin Nan. I wonder if Madam Zhang is doing well? I wonder how happy she will be when she sees Mistress and Young Miss.”
Seventh Mistress smiled gently. Ever since leaving the Minister’s residence, her mood had gradually become more cheerful. Travelling everywhere in the past two years, the outside was actually this amazing; she had never truly lived before.
“Wife, you really are getting more and more lively. What have you become since coming out and showing your face? Let your husband see!” When the carriage curtain was lifted, Ah Luo’s handsome face with a jade-like complexion was revealed. She was quiet and generous, only her pair of crystal clear eyes flashed with an indescribable intelligence.
Seeing Lin Nan City towering majestically in the mountains, she couldn’t help but praise, “Surrounded by the mountains and river with such beauty and vitality, it truly is a first-class tourist city!”
Seventh Mistress gave her a rebuking glance, “Wining and dining so extravagantly all the way, we only have a few thousand silver taels now. Instead of going to earn money quickly to support the family, you still only care about playing!”
Ah Luo smiled and seeing the scattered snowflakes floating in the cold wind, she stretched out her hand and sang in a strange voice, “The north wind blows and the snowflakes float. Qing Luo has a hard life, having to earn money to support the family!”
Xiao Yu and Seventh Mistress had heard her tell the story of Xi’er and Yang Bailao who were pitiful at first but then happy later. Back then, Ah Luo had leapt around noisily, pulling out a red string to tie Xiao Yu’s hair. During that time, they had heard her singing weirdly. Inside the carriage, they played, laughed, cursed, and scolded together.
The carriage was stopped at the gate. Ah Luo was secretly surprised, then thinking of how Lin Nan City was at the border of the Chen Empire, she became relieved. She jumped down lightly from the carriage and greeted the soldier with a slight bow, her hands clasped in front of her chest, “Soldier, I am Cheng Jin from Feng City. I am here with my wife and mother to visit relatives. Please allow us to pass.”
The soldier was indifferent. Seeing that she was a handsome young man who was refined and polite, his expression relaxed a fair bit. He replied, “The higher ups have ordered that everyone who enters and exits the city must check in here. Young master, please follow the rules.”
With a stroke of the pen, Ah Luo wrote down her full name and where she was from. She was not worried about them going to Feng City to check it. Uncle Fu, Yi, Lao, Yong, and Yee would prove that she was a son of the Cheng family. Then they entered the city smoothly.
There were many merchants and passenger boats in Lin Nan. Inside the city, the main streets were flat and orderly, with numerous shops and residential buildings packed closely together. It was bustling and lively. Sitting at the front of the carriage, Ah Luo observed calmly. Many years ago, she had handed a sum of money to Madam Zhang, telling her to bring her son to Lin Nan City and open a small restaurant to make a living. With three more people, she wondered if the small restaurant would be enough to feed them all.
Ah Luo smiled happily. She would worry about that later. First, she needed to find Chang Le Restaurant. According to the address that Madam Zhang gave, the carriage turned into a small path that slanted uphill. After a while, they heard the gurgling of a mountain spring. A green flag hung from a branch of a tree with the words Chang Le Restaurant written on it. The coachman stopped the horses. Ah Luo shouted loudly, “Madam Zhang! Madam Zhang! We’re here!”
Sitting at the counter, Madam Zhang had silver white hair but was hale and hearty. She tilted her head and listened suspiciously, then her expression became delighted and she quickly rushed out from the counter. She saw a handsome young man standing on the slanted hill, looking at with a mischievous smile. At this moment, Seventh Mistress was dismounting the carriage with Xiao Yu’s assistance. Madam Zhang was stunned and her eyes could not help but redden as she chokingly shouted, “Mistress!”
Chang Le Restaurant was located halfway up the mountain. At this time, it was still early and there were no customers inside. Madam Zhang hastily took in the flag and closed the shop, calling her son and daughter-in-law to greet Seventh Mistress and Ah Luo.
Ah Luo saw that Madam Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law both had honest, affable faces. They had brought her 3-year-old son who looked intelligent and strong. She could not help teasing, “Hu Zi? Do you look like a little tiger?”
At 3-years-old, Hu Zi was afraid of strangers so he hid behind his mother, peeking out and saying, “Are you the very smart Third Miss that grandma talks about a lot? Why don’t you look like her?”
With a smile, Ah Luo suddenly pulled out her hairpin and her long hair fluttered down like clouds, instantly revealing her femininity. Hu Zi’s eyes widened, “Fairy sister!”
The family was amused by Hu Zi. Madam Zhang hurriedly took Seventh Mistress, Ah Luo, and the others to the back hall. This house was divided into three sections. The restaurant was in the front and the middle were Madam Zhang and her family’s living quarters. After passing through a circular archway, there was another exquisite courtyard. Madam Zhang smiled and said, “I looked forward to your arrival everyday. Is Seventh Mistress and Young Miss satisfied with this?”
Seventh Mistress turned to Madam Zhang and bowed respectfully, saying, “These years have been hard for you, travelling such a long distance to Lin Nan to take care of all this for Yu Tang and Ah Luo.”
Madam Zhang was shocked and went to raise her up, “If it were not for Mistress’ help back then, how could this old woman have a son, grandson, and live so peacefully now?”
Ah Luo looked around carefully and thought of the cute Hu Zi. She pondered for a while then said, “Madam Zhang, we will stay here today. We will find another place to live tomorrow. You are familiar with Lin Nan, so please find a place tomorrow.”
Madam Zhang was startled, “Young Miss, why won’t you live with us? Is it because this place is not good enough?”
Ah Luo smiled and said, “Look for a separate house. In case something happens, we won’t all die together. We can still take care of each other. I will come visit the restaurant and have a drink when I am free so it won’t arouse suspicions. Remember, the next time we come, we are just normal customers.”
That night, Seventh Mistress and Madam Zhang chatted about everything that happened in the past few years. Listening to all of this, Madam Zhang was nervous and sighed from time to time, shedding quite a lot of tears.
Liu Jue received the news that Ah Luo had arrived at Lin Nan City. He kept a calm facade, yet waves surged in his chest. Liu Ying could not help but ask, “Shall your subordinates capture her?”
Capture her? What was the point? Liu Jue forcibly controlled himself and immediately saw her **. He commanded lightly, “Instruct the elites of the Ming forces to follow and protect her. Secretly tell the city gate guard, if they see her leave the city alone, just follow her. Don’t allow her mother to leave the city with her. After entering Lin Nan City, where else can she go?”
Liu Jue thought to himself that he needed to see what she was intending to do here. Thinking of Ah Luo’s intelligent face, the corner of his mouth curled up and a curious smile appeared.
