Before they even stepped into the central hall, a hearty burst of laughter rang out. Chu Qiao immediately halted, her brow slightly furrowed. Zhuge Yue cautiously turned to look at her. Though he couldn’t see her expression beneath the thick veil, he keenly sensed her hesitation. Zhuge Yue raised an eyebrow slightly, watching her with a puzzled expression, but did not proceed further.
Just then, the hearty laughter emerged from inside. A young man in a sapphire-blue robe, made of the finest brocade with Suzhou embroidery, strode gracefully toward them, laughing as he approached. “Brother Zhuge,” he said cheerfully, “you’ve arrived in Wupeng without even notifying me? That’s hardly fair!”
Jing Han remained as he always was—forever smiling, with a roguish curve to his lips and a tall, straight nose. He spread his arms wide as if to embrace Zhuge Yue like an old friend, full of warmth.
Zhuge Yue’s expression remained unchanged as he subtly shifted back, avoiding Jing Han’s approach. He nodded slightly and replied with a distant, faint smile, “So the young prince has arrived.”
Jing Han, undeterred by the missed embrace, laughed without a hint of awkwardness. “It’s been two months since we last parted, and you’re still as impressive as ever, Brother Zhuge.”
“And you, young prince, are as dashing as always,” Zhuge Yue responded.
Jing Han chuckled heartily at this and stepped closer, his eyes lingering on Chu Qiao’s peculiar attire. He then reached out and lightly punched Zhuge Yue on the shoulder, lowering his voice to say, “You sly Zhuge Fourth, no wonder you didn’t tell me—you’ve fallen into a tender trap. I could hardly believe it when that old fellow Tian Rucheng mentioned it earlier.”
As his fist landed, Chu Qiao frowned instantly. The dagger strapped to her forearm tensed, and she nearly drew it on the spot—for that punch had landed squarely on Zhuge Yue’s shoulder wound.
Yet the fourth young master of the Zhuge family, accustomed to a life of luxury, showed no reaction at all. He cast a sidelong glance at Jing Han and remarked indifferently, “Since you knew, why drag me out of bed so late at night?”
“I was just curious,” Jing Han said, his eyes sweeping over Chu Qiao like a cat’s, narrowing in puzzlement. “I wanted to see what kind of beauty could captivate you so thoroughly. She must be a stunning beauty.”
With that, he reached out to lift the veil from Chu Qiao’s face.
“Even if she were a celestial maiden descended to earth, it’s none of your concern,” Zhuge Yue said decisively, swatting Jing Han’s hand away with a smile. “You’re just too late.”
“Gentlemen, don’t stand out here in the corridor,” Tian Rucheng interjected, his large belly protruding as he stood at the doorway. His once-heroic physique had grown bloated and obese. Jing Han slung an arm over Zhuge Yue’s shoulder and grinned at Tian Rucheng. “Old Tian, you’ve reserved all the beauties for Fourth Young Master and completely forgotten about me.”
Tian Rucheng, clearly familiar with Jing Han and far less tense than he had been with Zhuge Yue, laughed and replied, “Young Prince Jing, do you really need my help to find a beauty?”
The group chatted and laughed as they made their way into the central hall. Chu Qiao remained close to Zhuge Yue’s side throughout. Tian Rucheng, upon first seeing her, seemed somewhat surprised that the slave girl he had arranged for had earned such favor from Zhuge Yue. He gave Chu Qiao a slight nod, as if in approval.
The spacious central hall was set with three seats, arranged not in any hierarchical order but around a circular table. At its center lay a massive roasted whole lamb.Jing Han said with a laugh, "Old Tian, the older you get, the more unrestrained you become. I thought people from Biantang ate similarly to those from Huai Song—ninety bowls and eighty plates, picking at shredded meat with toothpicks to savor it delicately."
"Haha," Tian Rucheng laughed heartily, "Young Prince, you've forgotten that I was once stationed at Dalu Garrison. To be honest, I have half Daxia bloodline."
"Come, everyone, try this," Tian Rucheng first poured a cup of Bamboo Green Brew for Zhuge Yue and urged, "This is the way the bandits on the Pinggui Wasteland eat. In order to learn their recipes, I specifically sent my men to join the bandits. It took over two months to master this cooking technique."
Jing Han chuckled, "I've heard that merchant groups from Biantang and Huai Song spend enormous wealth every year to suppress the bandits. Yet you went through all that trouble to plant a spy just to sneak into the kitchen as a cook. If the King of Tang found out, he'd skin you alive."
"What can I do? Besides the regular army, even the local garrison troops dare not provoke the bandits on the Pinggui Wasteland. As for me? I'd better not bother."
"Eh?" Jing Han raised an eyebrow slightly. "Brother Zhuge, why aren't you eating?"
With that, Jing Han drew a small silver dagger from the table, cut a large piece of meat, and placed it in Zhuge Yue's bowl. Then he cut another piece and offered it to Chu Qiao, saying with a smile, "Beauty, eat up."
Zhuge Yue had an injury on his shoulder, making movement difficult. Chu Qiao quickly reached out, gently tore off a strip of meat, and brought it to his lips. Jing Han sighed dramatically beside them, praising the beauty's cleverness and thoughtfulness. However, Zhuge Yue's gaze drifted down from above, then he lowered his head and opened his mouth briefly, his lips lightly brushing against Chu Qiao's cold fingers.
A flicker of panic instantly crossed Chu Qiao's eyes. She frowned slightly and calmly tore the meat into strips, but her heart felt somewhat unsettled.
Running into Jing Han here had truly taken her by surprise. The Zhuge family and Prince Jing had always supported each other in court. Back during their first meeting, Chu Qiao had noticed that the Young Duke of Lingnan, Jing Han, and Zhuge Huai were particularly close. But that was because, at the time, the Muhe Clan was at its peak, and the Wei Clan could still compete for power. In contrast, the Zhuge family maintained a moderate stance, staying aloof from the whirlpool of power and treating the feudal lords with amiability. However, now that the Zhuge family had suddenly ascended the political stage, how could Jing Han, representing the interests of the feudal lords, remain as superficially close as before? Their apparent harmony undoubtedly concealed underlying discord.
Yet, Chu Qiao wasn't sure whether to exploit this. Rationally speaking, Jing Han had no reason to kill her outright. Yanbei's rise to power couldn't be considered a bad thing for Prince Jing's fiefdom. The Daxia regime differed from the history Chu Qiao was familiar with. Essentially, Daxia's society was already quite developed, with productivity far surpassing that of a slave society. It had complete official systems, laws, and armies, a large population, and no foundation for slavery to exist. However, there was one key point: the origin of the Zhao imperial clan. They came from the grasslands beyond the pass, with fierce customs, inherent aggressiveness, and racial superiority, coupled with the weakness and military frailty of the people within the pass. Present-day Daxia resembled the historical Yuan dynasty—brutal, expansionist, and rigidly hierarchical, yet also dangerously unstable.Therefore, whether it was Yanbei, the Jing Prince, the Ling Prince, or the Xiling Prince, they all possessed the bloodline of the Zhao imperial clan. Whether direct or collateral, they all harbored illusions of inheriting the throne. Moreover, with the current instability of the Daxia regime and the decline of the imperial clan's status, it was the perfect opportunity for various factions to rise. So, theoretically speaking, compared to the major clans that relied on the lofty Daxia regime, the various feudal lords had no desire for Yanbei to perish quickly. On the contrary, when necessary, they would quietly lend Yanbei a helping hand.
Thus, if Chu Qiao were to subtly hint to Jing Han and let him take her away, staying by his side would likely be safer than being with Zhuge Yue. Moreover, they had already met on the Zhan family's ship, and a short-term consensus had been reached.
But Chu Qiao did not do this, even though rationally she should have.
Compared to this smiling but always inscrutable young Prince Jing, Chu Qiao would rather trust Zhuge Yue, with whom she had an inexplicable history of grievances and entanglements. Emotionally, despite their repeated confrontations and life-and-death struggles, Chu Qiao felt that Zhuge Yue would not harm her.
This was truly absurd and dangerous, but at this moment, she still decided to trust her intuition. Because such intuition had saved her many times before.
"Brother Zhuge, I encountered someone on the road whom I believe you would be very interested in, so I brought him for you to see."
Jing Han clapped his hands, and a man was dragged forward under guard. The man was covered in blood, missing one hand and an ear, emaciated and bony, being dragged along the ground while groaning incessantly, looking utterly wretched.
Chu Qiao was startled. If not for the severed hand, she would hardly have recognized him. This person was none other than the Zhuge family's head steward, Zhu Shun, with whom she had a deep-seated enmity from the Zhuge residence.
The good die young, while the wicked live a thousand years—he actually hadn't died yet!
When Zhu Shun saw Zhuge Yue, his face instantly turned as pale as paper, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. His lips were white, like a dried-up fish on the beach, his eyes wide open in terror as he stared at Zhuge Yue, momentarily too shocked to make a sound.
Zhuge Yue slightly furrowed his brows, his eyes as sharp as an Eagle Vulture's. Suddenly, the corner of his mouth lifted as he said indifferently, "Young Prince, this gift is quite valuable."
Jing Han smiled and replied, "It's nothing, just a small effort."
"Yue Qi, take him away." Zhuge Yue turned around without another glance and said, "Find a place to bury him."
"Yes." Yue Qi stepped forward and grabbed Zhu Shun by the collar.
Only then did the man become truly terrified, struggling and shouting, "Fourth Young Master! Spare this lowly dog's life! Spare this lowly dog's life! Let me go..."
His cries gradually faded into the distance. Jing Han smiled and raised his cup, saying, "I heard you've been looking for him for a long time. No wonder you couldn't find him—this guy joined a horse gang in the Pinggui Wasteland and even became a manager. If I didn't have dealings with that horse gang, I wouldn't have been able to capture him so easily."
Zhuge Yue raised his cup and said, "Zhuge Yue owes you a favor."
Jing Han laughed and said, "Then I've truly made a great profit. Everyone in Zhenhuang knows that Young Master Zhuge's word is as good as gold."As the wine flowed freely, Jing Han suddenly asked with feigned casualness, "Old Tian, I heard your residence was attacked by assassins today. Is that true?"
Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue both started slightly upon hearing this, though they maintained calm expressions while listening intently. Tian Rucheng laughed and replied, "Indeed, security has been quite poor lately with so many outsiders coming in."
"Oh? Was there any damage? Were the assassins captured?"
"No significant damage. The assassin was quite skilled - exchanged blows with Young Master Zhuge but ultimately managed to escape."
"Oh?" Jing Han immediately became interested, smiling as he said, "Even Brother Zhuge couldn't capture him? This assassin must be truly extraordinary!"
Jing Han's eyes sparkled as he smiled at Zhuge Yue. Zhuge Yue remained unperturbed, gently swirling his wine cup as he said calmly, "Indeed, their skills were remarkable."
"Brother Zhuge, did you see the assassin's face? Could you discern their origin from their martial arts style?"
"I'm afraid I was too incompetent - I didn't get to see the assassin's face, nor can I guess their identity or origin."
Jing Han's eyes narrowed like a fox's, his prominent aquiline nose giving him a somewhat gloomy appearance as he smiled and nodded. "What a pity."
"Old Tian, I came today because I have a favor to ask of you."
Jing Han suddenly turned to address Tian Rucheng directly.
"Whatever I can do to help, just say the word."
"Well," Jing Han chuckled, speaking slowly, "This time, I came along with the Zhan family's ship..."
"No need to say more," Tian Rucheng said, rubbing his temples. "I know what you're going to say. You must have taken a fancy to the Zhan family's fourth young lady's beauty, so you sneaked onto their ship, and now you want to play the hero and get her maid back from me."
Jing Han clapped his hands with a laugh. "Old Tian, you truly understand me."
Tian Rucheng smiled wryly. "Understanding you isn't difficult - just think about women in every situation. People say Crown Prince Li Ce is the world's most romantic man, but I think you, Prince Jing, are not far behind."
"So? Will you grant me this favor?"
"Since you've asked, how could I refuse? Though I'm going to have some difficult days ahead."
Tian Rucheng sighed repeatedly. Chu Qiao knew this City Governor Tian had a famously fierce wife. Seeing his distressed expression, she couldn't help but feel somewhat amused.
After a short while, three women were brought in, all pale-faced from shock but without any visible injuries.
Chu Qiao couldn't immediately identify which one was Cai Qin, but since the matter was resolved this way, it saved her a lot of trouble. Thinking this, she couldn't help but glance at Jing Han, only to find him looking back at her and deliberately winking.
Chu Qiao was startled, wondering inwardly if he had recognized her. She didn't dare look up again.
Just then, urgent gong sounds suddenly came from outside. Tian Rucheng, who had been all smiles moments before, immediately stood up, his expression drastically changed, all traces of his previous composure gone.
A guard rushed into the inner chamber, reporting in a panicked tone, "Sir! The bandits from Pinggui Wasteland are attacking the city!"
"What?" Tian Rucheng was greatly alarmed and quickly asked, "How many are there?"
"Not many - just one bandit group, less than two thousand people."Only then did Tian Rucheng feel relieved. With a sudden movement, he strode to the left wall, snatched the war blade hanging there, and said in a deep voice, "Come! Follow me to face the enemy!"
"My lord," the soldier stammered timidly, "there seem to be spies inside the city. Those two thousand bandits have already broken into the city."
In an instant, piercing screams erupted from outside. Everyone turned to look—countless torches blazed against the dark night sky, and the entire Wupeng City had descended into a frenzy of slaughter.
Tian Rucheng's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Young master!" Yue Qi rushed in with a furrowed brow and reported gravely, "Someone led over two hundred men and rescued Zhu Shun."
With a sharp crack, a bamboo chopstick was abruptly snapped in two by Chu Qiao. Zhuge Yue lowered his gaze to look at her. Even through the thick veil, he could sense the woman's fury, no longer concealed.
He reached out and pressed a hand on her shoulder.
Outside, the world was ablaze with light. In this era, slaughter seemed all too commonplace.
To end war with war—there was no other way. Some hatreds were destined never to be forgotten.
——————Break——————
Apologies, I haven't been in the mood to write these past two days. No need for further words—this is the first update today, the second will be at midnight.
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