“Farewell, Seventeenth Prince.” Qing Xia said respectfully, watching the young prince’s hurried departure. A trace of gloom slowly rose to her brow – it seemed that now, the name Zhuang Qingxia was truly famous.

“Miss,” Qing’er finally recovered and said quietly: “That person is also a prince?”

“Yes,” Qing Xia smiled: “Doesn’t Qing’er think he looks like one?”

“Mm,” the little girl nodded honestly: “Really doesn’t look like it. Compared to our prince, it’s like heaven and earth.”

Qing Xia said indifferently: “Dragons have nine sons, each different from the others. The current Qin King has twenty-eight sons, seventeen of whom are enfeoffed as princes. The Qin bloodline is flourishing with abundant descendants and thriving incense offerings. Among brothers, their personalities are also vastly different.”

Qing’er smiled: “No wonder our Great Qin is prosperous and the most powerful of the four nations. Having many descendants is a good thing. Not like Xichuan, who can’t even produce a son – they don’t even know who to establish as crown prince.”

Qing Xia’s lips curved slightly: “A good thing? Not necessarily.”

“Hm?” The little girl frowned: “Miss, what did you say?”

Qing Xia shook her head without answering and said seriously: “Qing’er, carry me back. It’s noon – His Highness will return soon. Go tell the Baishi witch doctors to prepare this afternoon’s medicine.”

Qin Zhiyan had gone to inspect the Western Garrison in the morning, then dined with local military leaders, returning only at dusk. Qing Xia had instructed people to reheat the medicine several times before finally seeing him cross the threshold of the great hall.

Qing Xia wore a light purple robe, leaning against a soft couch, casually flipping through some geographical maps. Seeing Qin Zhiyan return, she set aside her reading and used a pillar to support herself as she stood: “You’ve returned.”

Qin Zhiyan quickly stepped forward to support her shoulders, helping her sit comfortably in a chair before sitting down himself. His lips curved in a gentle smile: “What did you do all day?”

“Went out to sunbathe in the morning, heated your medicinal soup in the afternoon,” Qing Xia answered honestly.

Qin Zhiyan’s brow furrowed slightly as he said seriously: “Such tasks should be left to the servants. Why trouble yourself with them?”

Qing Xia smiled as she picked up the medicine bowl and offered it to him: “If you want me to save effort in the future, come back earlier and take your medicine on time.”

Qin Zhiyan shook his head with a smile and drank the medicine.

Handing him a white silk cloth to wipe his mouth, Qing Xia said casually: “I met Prince Jianghua today.”

Qin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow slightly: “Seventeenth Brother?”

“Mm,” Qing Xia nodded: “He came rushing over, saying he wanted to see what kind of national beauty could make his third brother disobey imperial edicts and disregard the life and death of northern frontier people – this femme fatale of overwhelming beauty.”

Hearing this, Qin Zhiyan smiled and asked with amusement: “And then?”

“Then he said he was very disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” Qin Zhiyan’s voice involuntarily rose, his eyebrows lifting as he looked at Qing Xia and asked loudly.

“Yes,” Qing Xia covered her mouth and laughed: “But he said he doesn’t blame me. He said my ugliness is my parents’ fault and has nothing to do with me.”

“Hehe,” Qin Zhiyan shook his head and laughed softly, his eyes crinkling with indescribable warmth and handsomeness. He said half-seriously, half-jokingly: “Yima’er, I truly hope your parents are very ugly people who didn’t give birth to you so gracefully beautiful. Especially, especially ugly would be fine – best if no one could bear to look at you. That way, I wouldn’t have so many people trying to steal you from me.”

Qing Xia was slightly stunned, warmth immediately flooding her heart. She pretended great anger and pushed his shoulder, saying huffily: “Qin Zhiyan, you’re cursing me! Then go bribe the Southern Border Eight Witches to disfigure me!”

Qin Zhiyan laughed heartily: “How could I bear to do such a thing?”

The room was warm and cozy when suddenly Lian Zhou’s agitated voice rang out beyond the door. The man said seriously: “Your Highness, Seventeenth Prince is at the main gate, saying he has gifts to present to Your Highness.”

Qin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and stood up, throwing open the door and asking sternly: “What tricks is he playing now? What gifts?”

Lian Zhou glanced hesitantly at Qing Xia inside, then gritted his teeth and said: “Seventeenth Prince has brought two hundred young women, saying he wants to present them to Your Highness for use as concubines.”

The Xifeng Traveling Palace was located in the city’s south, backed by Canglang Mountain, facing Peach Blossom Fragrant Creek in front, with the Western Frontier Garrison to the left and a dense peach blossom forest to the right. Throughout the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the scenery was different and truly beautiful and magnificent, always called Xifeng’s premier scenic spot. Xifeng City was prosperous, and the traveling palace’s construction spared no expense in magnificence. The golden plaza before the main gate was especially resplendent – though not made of real gold, it was polished with golden wax until it could reflect images, creating breathtaking beauty.

However, this usually solemn and dignified plaza now reeked heavily of cosmetics and powder. Over two hundred gorgeously dressed young women in brilliant clothing stood in formation on the golden plaza, led by Seventeenth Prince Jianghua Wang, who governed the Western Frontier, having arrived in grand procession. Prince Jianghua wore a dark green butterfly brocade robe with a high crown adorned with emerald gems. His clothing was fragrant, his waist encircled by five or six colorful seven-hued sachets, his feet in gold-traced white boots. Combined with his feminine bright eyebrows and white teeth, he was so dazzling that he outshone even the women below.

His ostentatious procession through the streets naturally attracted countless eyes. Men, women, old and young from Xifeng City all followed from afar to watch, quickly surrounding the traveling palace until it was impenetrable. Officials high and low from Xifeng rushed over in panic, none knowing what fantastical notion this tyrant who had dominated Xifeng City for a year had conceived, fearing his whims might offend the powerful prince inside.

Xifeng City Governor Meng Tianhongze came running in panic, even wearing women’s indoor embroidered silk shoes. One could imagine where this sixty-year-old governor had heard the news and come rushing over in such haste. The shoes were extremely small – the poor old governor had half his feet dragging on the ground, yet felt no discomfort as he rushed before Prince Jianghua like a hungry dog pouncing on food, calling out almost tearfully: “Your Highness, didn’t Your Highness go to Commissioner Xi Yuan’s place the day before yesterday to oversee weapons manufacturing? How, how are you back?”

Prince Jianghua waved his hand grandly, standing on the high platform and frowning impatiently: “Is Commissioner Xi Yuan’s place fit for human habitation? No wine houses, no pleasure quarters – this prince wanted to find a girl or two to sing songs and couldn’t find any. Commissioner Yu is rigid and boring. This prince gave him face wanting to use the weapons forge to make fireworks for fun, and he actually fainted from fright, half-dead. This prince found it boring there and returned this morning.”

Governor Meng’s forehead dripped cold sweat as he thought silently that making fireworks in a weapons forge was probably unique in the world to Prince Jianghua. Poor Commissioner Yu at over fifty still had to endure such stimulation – he’d have to send some wild ginseng to comfort him later, since he’d only sent him away to welcome Prince Xuan’s arrival.

The old governor panted heavily, forcing a smile as he said bitterly to Prince Jianghua: “Then now, what does Your Highness want to do? Having so many women at the traveling palace entrance – what propriety is this?”

Seventeenth Prince frowned and said angrily: “You lot stop lecturing me about propriety all the time. My third brother has arrived, and I’m sending him some gifts. How does that interfere with you? Mind your own business and stop adding to my troubles!”

With that, he kicked away Governor Meng’s hands that were grasping his calves from below, stood on the high platform facing the wind, and said with grand gestures: “Since ancient times, women have had lowly status, and courtesans have been especially criticized by the world. Now the moment to change destiny has arrived. Who says women lack talent and virtue? Throughout history, countless women have matched men in achievement – in ancient times we had the ancestral Empress, today we have General Feilian. Prince Xuan is our Great Qin’s war god, protecting home and country for over ten years. If any of you can gain his favor today and someday soar to high branches, having the honor to serve our Great Qin’s blade, what glory would that be? Bringing honor to ancestors, fame lasting ten thousand generations!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the watching crowd burst into laughter, and even those brightly dressed, posing women covered their mouths and giggled, creating a scene of chaos.

Fortunately, Prince Jianghua had encountered such situations countless times in his life. His face neither reddened nor heated as he said seriously: “Bring out your special skills – don’t disappoint this prince’s expectations!”

“Your Highness!” A woman in pink standing in the front row suddenly called out coquettishly. This woman wore a full headdress of precious ornaments like blooming flowers. Despite the cold weather, her chest was cut with a large opening, revealing a great expanse of snow-white skin. Her eyes sparkled like rippling water, and without fear she called out crisply: “The sisters’ special skills can’t be displayed on this great plaza. Without opportunity, how could Prince Xuan experience the exquisite pleasures within?”

As soon as the woman finished speaking, over two hundred seductive women laughed together in unison, nudging shoulders and backs in a spectacular display.

Prince Jianghua frowned upon hearing this, finding it reasonable as he murmured: “That is indeed a problem. Miao’er, your moonlight reed-pipe playing is absolutely spectacular – I must find a way for third brother to try it.”

Another burst of loud laughter rang out, startling large flocks of waterbirds from the creek and lake into flight, their fluttering sounds filling the ears.

Qin Zhiyan emerged in moon-white robes, his expression calm and composed.

“Seventeenth Brother, what foolishness are you up to now?” Qin Zhiyan frowned slightly and asked sternly.

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but hearing it, everyone felt as if ice and snow had instantly stopped the previous chaotic scene. Even those enchanting women put away their smiles and raised their heads to look at the man standing on the traveling palace steps in white robes, with gentle eyes that were nonetheless filled with indifference and distance.

Was this Great Qin’s war god?

Although most people had been fortunate enough to see Qin Zhiyan’s true appearance the day he entered the city, seeing this twenty-four-year-old young man standing before them in light robes and loose sash, having removed his heavy armor, still left all the Xifeng people momentarily dazed. Over ten years, Prince Xuan had resisted the Xiongnu dozens of times, quelled the Six Kings’ Rebellion, eliminated southern clans, and during every disaster year and famine year, he invariably coordinated with major clans for disaster relief and grain distribution. The Yan Division was the most solid monument in Qin hearts – no matter what chaos arose, as long as the Yan Division’s banner stood high, it could give everyone confidence and lead the Qin people through all disasters.