The spring breeze was like scissors, cutting out patches of pale green and delicate red. The further south one traveled, the more intense the spring atmosphere became.

The tea stall beside the official road was simple and crude, yet near noon, it was filled with quite a few people. An elderly tea master carrying a long-spouted copper kettle moved between them, promptly refilling tea and water for the customers.

This place was more than ten li from Baoling City. Those leaving the city casually discussed the interesting events that had recently occurred in town, while those heading toward Baoling City listened with great interest.

At this moment, someone mentioned that several young gentlemen had arrived in Baoling City today. From their accents, they seemed to be from the capital, each one elegant and handsome, with one in particular being a figure comparable to Pan An and Song Yu.

Someone expressed disbelief: “Could they compare to the Jade Gentleman of the Qiao family from Jiafeng?”

Jiafeng was located south of Baoling. Even traveling by boat would take two or three days’ work. For the reputation of the Qiao family’s Jade Gentleman to have reached here was sufficient proof of what an outstanding figure he must be.

The person who had spoken earlier gulped down a few mouthfuls of cold tea and smiled, revealing a mouthful of crooked teeth: “I’ve never seen the Qiao family’s Jade Gentleman, but to say he could match the young master I encountered in the city—I don’t believe it.”

As soon as these words were spoken, quite a few people immediately jumped out to refute them, and several others who had also seen the young gentlemen in the city joined the debate.

“Old uncle, bring a pot of tea and two dishes of sweet cakes.” A voice interrupted the argument between the two sides.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man in his thirties stop not far from the tea stall, turning to help a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl down from the back of a donkey.

Seeing that everyone was looking over, the man tied the donkey to a roadside tree, positioned his body to block most of the girl’s form, and shouted with slight impatience: “Hurry up with the service. My daughter isn’t feeling well, and we’re in a rush to get into the city.”

“Right away—” The tea master hurriedly brought over a pot of tea and two dishes of sweet cakes.

The man pushed one dish of sweet cakes in front of the girl, saying in a moderate voice: “Eat.”

Having said this, he grabbed the tea bowl and gulped down several mouthfuls.

Common folk weren’t particular about such things, and it was quite normal for girls to travel by donkey, so everyone withdrew their gazes. Only a few sharp-eyed people, amazed by the girl’s beauty, couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

The man was displeased with others looking at his daughter and snorted heavily several times.

He was tall and large, looking like someone not to be trifled with. Those sitting in this simple tea stall drinking tea were all common people who didn’t wish to cause trouble, so they stopped paying attention to this side and returned to their previous topic.

“If you ask me, that young master who came to the city definitely can’t compare to the Qiao family’s Jade Gentleman! Though the capital may be good, how could it match our area’s clear mountains and beautiful waters, especially Jiafeng County, which is famous far and wide for producing beauties?”

The girl, who had been sitting very properly and obediently in the tea stall, couldn’t help but raise her head and glance at the speaker.

“What are you saying? I heard that the Qiao family’s Jade Gentleman is also from the capital?”

“The Qiao family’s Jade Gentleman is indeed from the capital, but he’s a genuine Jiafeng person. The year before last, when Master Qiao passed away, he returned to his hometown with his family to observe mourning for his grandfather.”

“Ah, so the Qiao family’s Jade Gentleman is Master Qiao’s grandson…”

When mentioning the Qiao family’s Jade Gentleman, locals would add a prefix: “of Jiafeng County.”

But when speaking of Master Qiao, everyone under heaven would think of the same person: the former Imperial Academy Chancellor, the great scholar renowned throughout the world, Master Qiao Zhuo, who in his early years was called the foremost talent under heaven.

It was only a pity that Master Qiao had passed away more than two years ago.

Sounds of regret arose throughout the tea house.

The girl lowered her eyes to hide the strangeness in them, her ears no longer able to take in those voices.

When she opened her eyes, she had changed from being the wife of Northern Campaign General Shao Mingyuan and granddaughter of Master Qiao—Qiao Zhao into a thirteen-year-old girl named Li Zhao, and had even fallen into the hands of human traffickers. Unexpectedly, after all these twists and turns, she was actually about to return to her hometown.

Grandfather…

Qiao Zhao murmured silently in her heart.

After marrying into the capital, she had never imagined she would approach the place she yearned for in countless midnight dreams in another identity, in such a manner, so closely.

Jiafeng—there lay buried her most beloved grandfather, and there lived the close relatives who had returned from the capital.

Calculating the time, Father and her brothers should have completed their mourning period by now.

Qiao Zhao quietly clenched her fists and glanced nonchalantly at the man drinking like an ox.

In the remaining memories in her mind, ever since the little girl Li Zhao had fallen into this man’s hands, she had tried to escape numerous times, all ending in failure.

The most intense time, the little girl had found an opportunity to break free, running while crying out that she had been abducted by this man, attracting quite a crowd of onlookers.

The man had chased after her, speaking earnestly while wiping away tears: “My daughter, Father knows you hate me for stopping you from eloping with Wang Erniu next door. But no matter how much you hate me, Father cannot watch you go down the wrong path! Stop making a fuss and come home obediently with Father. Your mother’s eyes are nearly cried blind…”

The little girl’s hoarse cries had not kept the onlookers there. The man had given her a severe beating when they reached a deserted place and had watched her more closely ever since. The bit of freedom she had now was the result of Qiao Zhao, who had taken the little girl’s place in living, being particularly well-behaved these past two days.

“Let’s go.” The man left several copper coins on the table and stood up.

Qiao Zhao hurriedly stood up and followed the man outside, looking neither left nor right.

Because of this commotion, those gazes fell on her again.

The girl walked gracefully, the elegance she unconsciously revealed making the man frown involuntarily.

This shipment was the best he had obtained in all these years, but perhaps it was too good—just walking casually like this made her so eye-catching.

Why hadn’t he noticed this the past two days?

The man sighed and secretly resolved that once they entered the city, he should rent a carriage after all.

An hour later.

Qiao Zhao sat on the donkey’s back, looking up at the two characters “Baoling” on the city gate, somewhat lost in thought.

She had been to Baoling before.

Her grandfather Qiao Zhuo was free-spirited and unrestrained, becoming impatient with officialdom early on. After resigning from office, he had taken her grandmother and her to enjoy the mountains and waters freely. Later, when his health declined, he returned to Jiafeng to live in seclusion.

She had made two trips to Baoling for her grandfather’s illness.

The city was still the same, but she had changed too completely.

The cautiousness of the past several days finally relaxed slightly at this moment, and a self-mocking smile flashed briefly at the corner of her mouth.

The man led Qiao Zhao into the city, found a place to sell the motley donkey, and walked along the bustling streets. Worried that the little girl who had been well-behaved for just two days might cause trouble again, he spoke in a low, soothing voice: “Just be obedient and listen, and I’ll take you to a fine restaurant for a meal. Later, I’ll hire a carriage so you won’t have to suffer from wind and sun.”

“Where else are we going?” Qiao Zhao, who had been silent and taciturn, suddenly spoke.

The girl looked directly at the man, her eyes clear and limpid, like the gentlest ripples on water in spring stirred by a breeze.

As if possessed by ghosts and spirits, the man replied: “Yangzhou.”

Coming to his senses, the man felt somewhat annoyed, then comforted himself: What harm was there in the little girl knowing? After passing through Baoling, Yangzhou City would be reached quickly.

Yangzhou.

Though Qiao Zhao’s expression didn’t change, her heart sank with a thud, thinking this was bad.

From here to Yangzhou would take another route, getting farther and farther from her hometown of Jiafeng. Once they reached a completely unfamiliar place, even if she escaped, a twelve or thirteen-year-old little girl would likely just be leaving the wolf’s den to fall into the tiger’s mouth.

Qiao Zhao hadn’t figured out how to reunite with her relatives in her current appearance, but at least she knew that her father and brothers were all upright gentlemen who, faced with a little girl in distress, would not harbor ill intentions.

She had to return home, which meant she had to escape from Baoling City!