She seemed remarkably familiar with this terrain — every step she placed landed on solid ground. She walked forward ten zhang in a row without stepping into a single fissure.

The soldiers behind her saw this and immediately shouted, “Wait — brother, show us the way.”

Chen Baoxiang didn’t look back. “Call me sister.”

“Sister!” A booming chorus rang out, quavering with residual fear.

She turned back, satisfied, and traced out a path with a gesture of her hand. “Come this way.”

The group came forward cautiously, following her directions — and found that not once did she lead them wrong. They clung to her route like men who had found their savior.

“How are there so many fissures here?” they asked.

“The bandits of old, to deal with government troops, laid pathways over the natural chasms that had formed here, turning them into formidable fissure traps.” Chen Baoxiang answered nonchalantly. “The mountain bandits of Tianningshan were able to hold out under the noses of Shangjing for so long largely thanks to these fissures.”

“Sister, you seem to know this place very well.”

Know it well — could she not? Some of these very paths might have been ones she herself had laid back in the day.

Chen Baoxiang said nothing more. She led the group through a full sweep of the mountain, then returned to report completion of their assignment.

But upon returning to the camp, she discovered that of the twenty patrol detachments that had gone out, only twelve had returned. Even among those twelve, some had serious injuries or were outright missing — and everyone’s expression was stricken with anxiety.

Chu Yan was kneeling before the Princess Imperial, already drenched in cold sweat. “Your Highness, the route map they provided was wrong. This is their dissatisfaction at my taking the post — they are deliberately making things difficult, and they wish to embarrass Your Highness as well.”

Li Bingsheng knew full well what their intent was, yet she found Chu Yan thoroughly contemptible all the same. “Useless thing. Knowing they had no good intentions, how could you be so careless?”

“Your Highness be clear in your judgment — how was I to know the route map was wrong? None of the men under my command have ever been to Tianningshan.”

Li Bingsheng turned her head away in disgust and closed her eyes.

She was well aware she could not let someone this useless occupy the position of commander — but martial officers at court were scarce to begin with, and half of those who were capable had been drawn over to Cheng Huaili’s side. Among those she could quickly put to use, he was all she had for the moment.

She had originally intended to use Chu Yan to humiliate Lu Shouhuai and Cheng Huaili’s faction, but to her surprise she had ended up embarrassing herself as well.

Just as she was in the midst of her anger, Bi Kong came in and murmured something into her ear.

“Oh?” Li Bingsheng raised an eyebrow. “She should be in Shangjing with Zhang Zhixu. How did she end up at Tianningshan as well?”

Before the words had finished, a long drawn-out voice came from outside the tent: “This subordinate respectfully wishes Your Highness continued peace. Wherever Your Highness’s esteemed presence graces, the mountain flowers bloom in full and auspicious birds circle above — truly a sight that fills this subordinate with reverence and boundless admiration—”

Li Bingsheng had her brought in, and laughed despite herself. “Where did you pick up all that flattery?”

Chen Baoxiang raised her head and clasped her hands. “In reply to Your Highness — this subordinate did not pick it up anywhere. These words spring spontaneously from the depths of this subordinate’s heart the moment she lays eyes on Your Highness. This subordinate only fears that her meager talent and shallow learning fall far short of expressing even a ten-thousandth of the veneration she holds within.”

Li Bingsheng pressed her hand to her forehead.

Sometimes she truly wondered about Zhang Fengqing’s taste. With so many fine, distinguished families in Shangjing that he could have taken interest in, why had he settled on this particular person — all fawning obsequiousness and honeyed flattery.

But say what you will, those words were strangely pleasant to hear.

Li Bingsheng swayed her fragrant fan and looked down at her with a sidelong glance. “You’re quite familiar with Tianningshan?”

“Yes.” Chen Baoxiang answered honestly. “This subordinate once spent two years here. I could navigate the wild undergrowth and the traps with my eyes closed.”

“Good.” Li Bingsheng pointed to the person beside her. “Then you will go and serve as his deputy commander.”

Chu Yan cast her a glance, wrinkled his nose slightly, and crawled on his knees toward Li Bingsheng’s seat. “This little girl is hardly fit to be any sort of deputy commander. If she makes a mistake, it will only implicate me as well. Better to give her the position of an assigned records official — let her do nothing but scout the path.”

The corner of Chen Baoxiang’s mouth twitched.

This man was quite skilled at hoarding credit for himself. If Chen Baoxiang were made to serve at his disposal, any errors would be hers, yet any merit would go only to him as the commander.

The Princess Imperial had clearly heard the intent behind his words.

She leaned forward with gentle elegance and lifted Chu Yan’s chin with a finger. “So eager to earn merit?”

Chu Yan smiled ingratiatingly, his eyes darting left and right. “This subject is anxious, Your Highness. Only by earning more merit can I be worthy of standing beside Your Highness. I do not wish to remain without distinction and let Your Highness be dragged down by association, to have people find fault with you.”

Li Bingsheng nodded with apparent feeling. “How thoughtful of you.”

Chu Yan was delighted, thinking it had worked.

The next moment the figure on the seat withdrew her hand and said coldly, “Someone — drag him away. Find a place and bury him.”

“Your Highness?!” Chu Yan was aghast. Before he could get another word out, the shadow guards beside him had stuffed something into his mouth, trussed him up, and dragged him out of the tent.

The spot where he had been kneeling was soon tidied up by someone who came and scattered fresh fragrant herbs.

Chen Baoxiang was kneeling below. Cold sweat crept from her temples, and a shiver ran down her spine.

Li Bingsheng glanced at her. “I buried him, not you. What are you afraid of?”

“In reply to Your Highness.” Chen Baoxiang swallowed. “To be perfectly honest — this subordinate also very much wants to earn merit. That’s why I followed you here.”

“How straightforward.” Li Bingsheng laughed lightly. “What is wrong with wanting to earn merit? If you have the ability to share my burdens, I will naturally not be stingy with my rewards.”

So that man just now had been buried because—?

Chen Baoxiang glanced, bewildered, in the direction of the tent entrance.

Li Bingsheng gave a cold laugh. “He said he wanted to be worthy of standing beside me. Laughable. There is no man in this world who can stand as my equal — and no one ought to be using my wealth, relying on my standing, and yet presume to aspire to my level.”

Male favorites were kept by her for her own amusement. She did not like it when they displayed ambition, and she liked even less when they conveyed a sense of entitlement about it.

Entitled to make something of themselves, entitled to status, entitled to dignity, entitled to be looked up to by others — and critically, without any ability of their own, yet stretching out their hand to her for it all. On what basis? They were already kept favorites — was she still supposed to treat them as honored guests and hold them aloft?

“I am a person who values loyalty and remembers kindness.” Li Bingsheng said with feeling. “I will certainly give him a proper burial. When we come for the spring hunt next year, I will come and offer incense at his grave.”

Chen Baoxiang: “……”

No wonder people said she was fit to be a Princess Imperial. Just look at that decisiveness, that command.

She took the commander’s waist token that Bi Kong passed over, and prostrated herself in deep reverence.

Li Bingsheng said lazily, “Those men in the patrol unit are not easy to handle. I do not expect you to accomplish great things. Just don’t stir up any more trouble.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!” Chen Baoxiang bowed her head to the ground, then took the waist token and left.

Li Bingsheng watched her departing figure and found this person rather interesting — eager to try everything, striving to seize every chance, full of vitality and upward drive, like a wild weed that no stone could keep down.

Giving an opportunity to someone like her was, truly, far more satisfying than giving it to Chu Yan.