As she was deep in thought, the guard at the door outside announced, "Ah, Fourth Young Master, the young mistress is inside."
A slightly deep male voice responded, "It's fine, I just want to take a look."
The door creaked open, and Jiang Ruan calmly turned her gaze toward the newcomer. His arrival was sudden, and he had been somewhat curious about the rumored young mistress. Upon opening the door, he saw a young woman seated upright at the desk, her figure silhouetted against the light as she regarded him quietly. The sunlight cast an almost ethereal glow on her features, but her eyes were sharp and wise, carrying a hint of mockery toward reality as she observed him with composed detachment.
Unsettled by her gaze, the visitor rubbed his nose and coughed lightly before saying, "Third Sister-in-law? I’m Qi Si. Third Brother sent me."
Jiang Ruan’s eyes flickered slightly as she studied the man before her. He was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a long purple robe embroidered with lotuses. His features were handsome and refined, though for some reason, he sported a beard around his mouth and chin, as if someone had deliberately marred the beauty of a fair youth. Yet his smile was gentle, and his long, peach-blossom eyes held no trace of frivolity—his demeanor was upright and proper.
This was Qi Feng, Xiao Shao’s fellow disciple, ranked fourth among their peers. At Mount Canaan, he had studied the art of court politics. Unfortunately, such skills could not be openly displayed, so over the years, he had secretly assisted Xiao Shao in managing the Brocade-clad Guards. Now that Xiao Shao had recalled him to the capital, it was indeed unexpected.
Qi Si scrutinized Jiang Ruan carefully before suddenly smiling. "Third Sister-in-law truly is a peerless beauty. At first, I wondered if Third Brother was overreacting by recalling both Xia Wu and me to the capital to protect you. But now I see it’s my good fortune."
In the capital, the flutter of a tiny butterfly’s wings might stir only the faintest, imperceptible breeze. Yet when countless such breezes intertwined, could they converge into an unstoppable storm thousands of miles away? No one could say. For now, however, the subtle shifts occurring in the capital these days seemed not to have reached the distant battlefield.
This was an endless expanse of desert, dotted with sparse patches of withered grass. The vegetation here was meager, and thus, few herds of cattle or sheep grazed in these lands. At a glance, the only structures were the tents erected for military campaigns. These tents were covered with thick felt to shield against the biting cold of the night.
At the heart of this uniquely arranged encampment stood one particularly unusual tent. It was strikingly ornate, adorned with thick tassels, yet guarded by no fewer than ten soldiers. Their attire differed slightly from that of the Great Jin, bearing distinct foreign influences.
A young woman in an emerald-green dress entered, carrying a basket. The guards outside allowed her passage. With her head bowed, she walked silently into the tent and placed the food basket on the table, carefully arranging the dishes one by one. Only after everything was set did she speak softly, "Deputy General Jiang, this servant is Jin'er, newly assigned to attend to you. It’s time for your meal."The man seated in the chair inside the tent lifted his head, revealing a handsome face. His complexion was slightly pale, with a shadow of stubble on his chin, yet it didn’t make him look disheveled—instead, it gave him a rugged, unconventional charm. Hearing the girl’s voice, he paused for a moment before asking, “You speak the official language. Are you from the capital of the Da Jin Dynasty?”
The girl lowered her head and replied softly, “This servant is indeed from the capital of the Da Jin Dynasty. I was captured by people from the Eastern Barbarian Country. They were looking for someone to serve their master, so they sent me here.”
Jiang Xin Zhi slowly turned his gaze to the girl. She was young, just sixteen or seventeen—the blossoming age of youth. Her skin was delicate, and her large, lively eyes stood out, though a prominent burn scar on her left cheek marred the beauty of her face, making it appear particularly frightful. Likely because of this scar, she had been sent here to serve him, a prisoner. Had she been a stunning beauty, she would have long been devoured by the soldiers here, leaving not even a trace behind.
Jiang Xin Zhi narrowed his eyes. “If you’re from the capital, how did you end up captured here?”
Jin’er hesitated before answering, “This servant was a laundress following the Da Jin Dynasty’s army. A few nights ago, I went out with a few sisters and happened upon a group of stragglers, who captured us.”
There didn’t seem to be any holes in her story. It was common for armies to bring along women for daily chores like sewing, mending, and washing. These women usually stayed in separate quarters, so Jiang Xin Zhi naturally wouldn’t have seen them all. As for encountering stragglers at night, it wasn’t impossible.
Yet, something about the girl’s words felt off to Jiang Xin Zhi. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it made him frown. He had been held captive here for several months now, completely cut off from the outside world. His captors treated him with courtesy, tempting him with high-ranking positions and wealth, while secretly lacing his food and tea with Tendon Weakening Powder to sap his strength. They neither tortured nor killed him, leaving him clueless about their true intentions. Every day, he racked his brain for a way to escape.
He asked, “Since you were captured just a few days ago, you must know how the war is progressing outside?”
His captors had isolated him from the outside world, leaving him in the dark about the current state of the war. He had no idea how the Da Jin Dynasty’s army was faring. When he was captured, Guan Lianghan had also been struck by a deep arrow wound—one that wouldn’t heal overnight. An army couldn’t go a single day without its general, and the war was teetering on the brink of disaster.
“General Guan was severely wounded and can no longer lead the troops,” Jin’er whispered. “The Da Jin Dynasty has been retreating steadily, while the Celestial Jin Kingdom presses forward, driving our forces all the way to the Black Barrier Cliff. But Deputy General Jiang need not worry. This servant overheard the higher-ups saying that the court has already dispatched reinforcements—Jinying Wang is leading a hundred thousand Brocade-clad Guards here.”Jiang Xinzhi had been listening with a furrowed brow, but at the last sentence, he couldn't help but pause in surprise: "Jinying Wang?" He slowly frowned. If even Xiao Shao had been dispatched, it was clear just how dire the current battle situation had become. Xiao Shao was a hidden force of the Da Jin Dynasty, seemingly born to counter some unknown power, usually lurking in the shadows. The Emperor's tolerance towards Xiao Shao was not without reason, and Jiang Xinzhi was no fool—during his time fighting alongside Guan Lianghan, he had pieced together some of the truth. Yet now, this concealed strength of the Da Jin Dynasty was openly stepping into the light, even being brought onto the battlefield to face the Celestial Jin Kingdom in a fierce battle. What had happened to prompt this?
Lost in thought, he suddenly noticed Jin'er stealing glances at him, her eyes unblinking. Caught in his gaze, she flushed slightly, like a thief caught red-handed, and quickly lowered her head, avoiding his eyes.
Jiang Xinzhi keenly observed that despite her plain appearance, ordinary attire, and insistence on being a mere servant, this girl did not carry herself like someone accustomed to serving others. Instead, there was an undercurrent of nobility in her demeanor—something innate, not feigned. Those raised in noble households naturally exuded an aristocratic air, shaped by years of upbringing. This girl seemed less like a servant and more like a young lady, yet without the usual arrogance, appearing instead as a simple, natural woman. But... an ordinary woman appearing in an enemy camp was anything but normal.
Slowly, Jiang Xinzhi spoke, "Since you're here to serve me, I should tell you—before you arrived, three maids were sent to attend to me in this tent. All of them ended up dead."
Jin'er froze, looking at him in confusion.
His gaze sharp, Jiang Xinzhi continued deliberately, "Because they were all spies sent by these people, trying to win my trust and extract information. But I uncovered them, exposed their schemes. Once their missions failed, they were dragged out and executed. Their deaths were gruesome—just before you came, the body of the last one had only just been cleared from this tent." His voice carried a heavy weight, sharp as an unsheathed sword, cutting through dark clouds with a piercing light, leaving no room for evasion. "Miss Jin'er, do you still wish to stay by my side?"
Startled by his sudden words, Jin'er hesitated only briefly before smiling. "This servant is here only to attend to Deputy General Jiang. Naturally, I will stay. Please, Deputy General, you should eat something first."
Jiang Xinzhi was momentarily taken aback. Meeting Jin'er's eyes, he found them strangely familiar—clear and bright, either genuinely innocent or impossibly cunning. What he had said wasn't entirely false, nor entirely true. Some of those maids had indeed been spies, but others were loyal Da Jin subjects who had risked their lives trying to rescue him from captivity—only to meet their ends at the hands of their enemies.As they were speaking, a figure strode into the tent unannounced. The person glanced at Jin'er but did not dismiss her, clearly treating her as if she were invisible. Upon seeing Jiang Xin Zhi's furrowed brows, the newcomer laughed, "Deputy General Jiang doesn't seem to be in high spirits today. What's the matter? Finding it stifling here?"
The person was clad entirely in a gray robe, wrapped tightly around their body, revealing only a smooth, slender chin and thin lips that appeared strikingly beautiful. Their voice belonged to a young man, carrying a hint of alluring charm, though the reason for it was unclear. He said, "Deputy General Jiang, have you still not made up your mind?"
"There's no need for you to waste your efforts on me," Jiang Xin Zhi replied with a faint smile. "I don't possess what you seek."
The gray-robed man stepped closer, slowly advancing toward Jiang Xin Zhi. His voice held a trace of elusive amusement, like the final, resplendent note of a zither string—teasing yet unnerving, as if the next moment might bring a sharp snap from the taut string. The gray-robed man said, "Deputy General Jiang, why bother hiding anything at this point? All I want to know is—who gave you that letter?"
"That letter" referred to the one Jiang Ruan had slipped to him years ago when they parted. It detailed the tactics the Celestial Jin Kingdom would employ in the coming years of warfare, including surprise attacks and even the outcomes of future battles. The letter had been of immense help to Jiang Xin Zhi. Over the years, he had studied it meticulously, using its contents to counter enemy schemes, lure them into traps, and flawlessly thwart their repeated ambushes, securing victory after victory.
However, a traitor had emerged within their ranks—one of Guan Lianghan's most trusted subordinates. The revelation had come too abruptly. Worse still, this subordinate had uncovered the letter's secret and secretly exchanged information with the enemy. Outmaneuvered this time, Jiang Xin Zhi had been forced into a desperate choice between personal safety and the lives of a hundred thousand troops. In the end, he had no choice but to surrender, while Guan Lianghan suffered grave injuries.
The contents of that letter were enough to drive the enemy to madness. For the past month, they had subjected Jiang Xin Zhi to horrific tortures, yet he had refused to yield. Later, they changed tactics, offering him lavish comforts and promises of high rank and wealth—but still, Jiang Xin Zhi remained unmoved.
Jiang Xin Zhi was a man impervious to both coercion and temptation. Over months of interaction, the enemy had surely come to understand his temperament well. Yet they persisted in these methods—there must be some other motive, one Jiang Xin Zhi couldn't yet discern. But one thing was certain: he would never reveal Jiang Ruan's name.At times, Jiang Xin Zhi himself couldn't help but wonder how Jiang Ruan could possibly know about events that might happen in the future. Ever since Jiang Ruan was brought back to the capital from the village estate many years ago, he had sensed something peculiar about her. To him, Jiang Ruan was merely a somewhat aloof young girl, perhaps a bit clever, but the ability to foresee the future—considering the contents of the letter and recalling past incidents like the Bo Chang Reservoir affair—was truly baffling. Yet no matter what, whether Jiang Ruan was a demon or a ghost, she was still his sister, and he would never do anything to harm her. If these people were to find out the letter was written by Jiang Ruan, they would surely try to capture her. With traitors even lurking around Guan Lianghan, the capital might not be free of hidden dangers either. He had to protect Jiang Ruan.
"I've said it many times already," Jiang Xin Zhi said, propping his head up with a finger, putting on a deliberately roguish air. "I just picked it up randomly on the road—maybe it was the will of heaven. If you insist on questioning, why not ask the heavens themselves? Perhaps the heavens believe your Celestial Jin Kingdom's time is up, and thus sent this message to aid our Da Jin Dynasty. In that case, considering your sincerity toward me these past days, I'll offer you a piece of advice: why not submit to fate? Wouldn't that make life easier for everyone?"
For someone usually so composed and restrained, he now spoke utter nonsense with a straight face, adopting an unkempt demeanor. Yet far from being off-putting, it made him seem all the more intriguing, drawing people in unconsciously. Jin'er lowered her head, hiding a faint smile that escaped the corners of her lips.
The gray-clad man, however, showed no anger. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back and nodded. "I agree with you about destiny, but destiny isn't written by the heavens alone. Even if the heavens sent a warning to the Da Jin Dynasty, that prophetic warning has now fallen into our hands. What kind of destiny does that signify?"
Jiang Xin Zhi fell silent for a long moment before replying, "You're not from the Celestial Jin Kingdom. You're from the Eastern Barbarian Country."
These people never spoke of matters concerning the Celestial Jin Kingdom, and the soldiers stationed here didn't wear the uniforms of Celestial Jin's troops. At first, Jiang Xin Zhi had thought they might be a secret force trained by the Celestial Jin Kingdom, but later he realized that wasn't the case. It reminded him of the rumors about the Eastern Barbarian Country. During the reign of the previous emperor, the Eastern Barbarian Country had invaded the Central Plains, nearly seizing control of the entire region. The late emperor personally led the campaign to conquer them, resulting in the fall of the Eastern Barbarian Country. The remaining remnants were driven to the desolate fringes of the Da Jin Dynasty.
Having been born and raised in the capital, Jiang Xin Zhi had never encountered these remnants before. Now, seeing them firsthand, a suspicion began to form in his mind.
(End of Chapter)
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