“Huh?”

Yu Zixi poked his head in and saw that under the outer robe was actually another robe.

Stunned for a moment, Yu Zixi refused to give up and continued pulling.

Another outer robe.

He pulled again.

Yet another one.

His eyes growing wide, Yu Zixi stubbornly persisted. This time he finally saw a corner of snow-white clothing and was overjoyed, thinking it finally wasn’t an outer robe. After all, who in this world would wear outer robes from inside to outside?

He began tugging at that piece of snow-white fabric.

Qin Chang Ge smiled and let him work busily the whole time.

She even quietly made a gesture to Xiao Jue, whose face was darkening behind the dragon desk and who wanted nothing more than to violently smash the paperweights on his desk onto someone’s head, signaling him to remain calm.

Xiao Jue endured and endured, and in his extreme anger simply turned his head away.

Yu Zixi pulled and pulled and pulled…

How was there no end to it?

He slowly raised his eyes to meet Qin Chang Ge’s gaze, which appeared eternally calm and unruffled. Qin Chang Ge looked at him very politely and said gently: “Pull, keep pulling. Why did you stop? This was meant for you anyway.”

“Huh?”

Qin Chang Ge said seriously: “Last time at Windfall Tower, the head chef Fatty Qu, ever since accidentally encountering Your Highness once, has been struck as if by divine revelation, harboring passionate devotion, tossing and turning, yearning endlessly. He constantly pesters this humble official with endless inquiries about Your Highness’s various affairs. He always tells me that everything about you is good, everything beautiful, except your feet are a bit large and need binding to look better. He specially went and tore off twelve feet of foot-binding cloth, cut it properly, and asked me to bring it to you. Look at my memory—I always forget! Today is perfect—since Your Highness came to collect it personally, nothing could be better.”

After speaking, she methodically pulled away the remaining foot-binding cloth, folded it neatly, and presented it with both hands, smiling sweetly: “Precious swords are given to heroes, foot-binding cloth matches beauties. Your Highness has quite the romantic fortune.”

…

His slender, beautiful fingers froze gracefully in mid-air. Yu Zixi’s expression changed several times before recovering his ever-present seductive smile. He also smiled sweetly as he accepted the foot-binding cloth: “Good, good. The Windfall Tower chef has excellent taste. This prince remembers this and will personally visit my admirer another day…”

The pitiful foot-binding cloth, upon reaching his hands, was only lightly kneaded yet somehow suddenly turned to flying ash.

With a half-smile, he glanced at Qin Chang Ge. Having suffered defeat for the nth time, Yu Zixi finally lazily abandoned his latest round of probing and confrontation, bowing to Xiao Jue before taking his leave.

Xiao Jue, afraid that looking at him one more time would give him the urge to draw his sword, directly buried his head behind memorials and waved his hand dismissively.

“Isn’t Chamberlain Zhao leaving together?” Yu Zixi tilted his head to look at Qin Chang Ge.

“He’s not leaving,” came the reply in a calm yet icy tone from Xiao Jue. “The Ministry of Justice still has some affairs to handle—if Prince Jing’an finds yourself very free lately, why not go to the Ministry of Justice to oversee the overall situation?”

“Ah, this minister is very busy. This minister must go to the Western Shanmu Camp to train troops…” Yu Zixi immediately went to “attend to official duties,” leaving only Xiao Jue and Qin Chang Ge in the imperial study.

In just one step he crossed down from the imperial seat. A black shadow flashed and Xiao Jue was already in front of Qin Chang Ge, immediately reaching for her collar without a word.

“What are you doing!” Qin Chang Ge was truly startled this time. Really? Had he been stimulated? Finally turned into a wolf? Also wanting to emulate that “predecessor”? Well, I don’t have a second foot-binding cloth.

Just as Qin Chang Ge began seriously considering whether to give Wolf Xiao an over-the-shoulder throw while no one was around, she saw Xiao Jue’s fingers hurriedly pulling together the bit of collar that had been opened.

…

A long time later.

“Hey.”

“…Mm?”

“That thing, your hand, seems to have already completed the task it wanted to complete,” Qin Chang Ge smiled gently. “Could you give it somewhere else to stay?”

…

Xiao Jue came to his senses as if from a dream and withdrew his fingers from Qin Chang Ge’s neck area… Eh, what was I just doing?

Sheepishly retreating, while Qin Chang Ge wasn’t paying attention, Xiao Jue secretly pinched his fingertips—that bit of smooth sensation, long missed.

In a daze, he sat behind the dragon desk, stared at memorials for a long time, and sighed.

Sigh… she really was wearing a bit too many clothes…

Perhaps he had been “reading memorials” for too long. When Xiao Jue finally finished reminiscing, he discovered that the object of his fantasies had already left without saying goodbye.

In front of the dragon desk, a piece of paper had been placed neatly at some point, with several lines of large characters dripping with ink.

“Chirp chirp and blah blah, if you don’t know then you don’t know.”

“Pulling clothes is stimulating enough, you pig-hand count as one more.”

Xiao Jue stared at these four lines of “poetry” for a long while, then picked up the paper to examine and savor it from every angle, murmuring: “What kind of poetic form is this? What is a pig-hand? Chang Ge’s scholarship is becoming more and more profound…”

The fourth year of the Qianyuan era, August, midsummer.

Cicadas called continuously, hidden in the thick green shade, tirelessly singing for the final moments of their lives. Sunlight shot straight down through the leaves, each spot of light blazing like a new sun.

The dirt road under sunlight was baked somewhat out of shape. When people walked on it, immediately a cloud of scorching dust rose up.

There were almost no pedestrians on the road.

This was a heat so intense that even fish would want to hide at the bottom of water to cool off.

At the gates of Youzhou city, however, there was a formation of troops in heavy armor and neat uniforms, standing straight as iron at the city gate.

The leading general had dark skin with fine scattered marks that upon closer inspection appeared to be scars. He had long eyebrows and narrow eyes with ordinary features, but when he occasionally turned his gaze, those eyes under heavy dark brows flashed with deep light, like autumn wind brushing over rice fields—a golden gleam flashing.

His expression was calm, lips pressed tightly together, motionlessly watching the official road ahead. The unshielded sunlight stabbed down, yet it didn’t cause this heavily armored man to break into the slightest sweat. The soldiers behind him lacked such composure and internal energy foundation. One by one they were soaked through their heavy clothing, sweat flowing like water from their foreheads into their necks, blurring their vision, yet not a single person moved even slightly.

Behind them was the broad, cool gateway tunnel, yet not one person attempted to enter for shade.

“General Cao,” a head suddenly poked out from the tunnel, shading his eyes with his hand and squinting: “It’s really too hot. Let the brothers remove their armor?”

On horseback, Cao Guangshi slowly turned around, looking at this “pretty boy” before him with disdain, then said flatly: “Military men—can’t they endure even this little heat?”

After speaking he immediately turned back around, not even sparing an extra glance.

The man left hanging in the tunnel frowned and smiled bitterly.

After a while, a convoy finally appeared faintly on the official road. As the formation approached, the fluttering “Li” character banners gradually became visible. Joy appeared in Cao Guangshi’s eyes as he spurred his horse forward to meet them.

The convoy slowly stopped, and Li Han, with a grave expression, slowly stepped down from his carriage.

With a “swish,” dozens of men dismounted in unison, kneeling in the dust: “We greet the Duke!”

Li Han hurried forward to help them up. Cao Guangshi looked up at Li Han, and after a long moment, choked with emotion: “Duke, you—”

“Let’s talk after we return.” Li Han interrupted him. When their gazes met, both understood clearly, both carrying a chilling killing intent.

The two groups of mounted troops passed through the city gate without stirring dust, none sparing a glance for the man hidden in the shadows.

After a while, the man slowly emerged from the dark recesses of the city gate. Sunlight fell on his ordinary blue robe, illuminating features that had once been arrogant and domineering in western Longxi, now gradually deepened and hidden through experience in official circles.

Observation Commissioner Wen Zhengting, under the blazing sun, before the city gate, in the dust raised unscrupulously by the hoofbeats of the departing horses, turned around with deep worry to gaze back at Youzhou’s towering walls and vast rivers and mountains, letting out a long sigh.

“Storm clouds are gathering, mountain rain is coming…”

The afternoon sunlight fell on the bright window of jade-green bamboo-patterned gauze, casting a sheet of crystalline green color on the floor that looked quite cooling.

Equally cool and sweat-free, Chu Feihuan leaned against the desk, carefully studying a chart.

“Feihuan, what are you looking at?” Voice and person arrived together as Qin Chang Ge entered in light clothes and plain robes, long hair loose, completely comfortable and at ease.

In the heat, the heat-sensitive Qin Chang Ge had not only moved many ice blocks for cooling but had also made herself sandals, liberating her feet that were always stuffy in official boots. After all, ordinary people couldn’t enter this courtyard anyway, so naturally her own comfort was more important.

The sandals were very simple—leather soles with two straps for the top, refreshing and breathable. Qin Chang Ge was in a good mood, leisurely wandering around the courtyard. Qi Fan and Rong Xiaotian, whom she passed, both avoided her from afar.

She entered the room contentedly. Chu Feihuan put down the chart and was about to answer when he suddenly froze.

What kind of shoes were those?

And also…

In those black, almost non-existent strange shoes, the young woman’s feet were snow-white and crystalline—naturally exquisite and delicate natural feet. Her toes were plump and round, nails pink and lustrous like pearls and shells. The skin on her feet was taut, gleaming with a milk-like brightness. At the ankles they gathered into a smooth curve, above which was an even more slender and beautiful section of calf.

Chu Feihuan’s palms suddenly began to perspire slightly…

The weather seemed a bit too hot…

Somewhat flustered, he averted his eyes, but for a moment didn’t know where to look appropriately. Wherever he looked, that snow-white, exquisite shadow seemed to float before him, disturbing his vision bit by bit. Those lines with the rhythmic beauty of autumn water ripples—without even touching them, he felt his heart softly stirring. Some indescribable feelings, under the lingering and hazy mood, seemed about to condense into a layer of pure dewdrops.

For a moment he actually forgot what she had just said. This usually intelligent man blushed slightly and coughed to cover his embarrassment.

His palm pressed tightly against the cool armrest of the chair. That temperature helped him somewhat regain his composure. Steadying himself, Chu Feihuan looked up and answered as calmly as possible: “Looking at Windfall Tower’s branch expansion plans.”

Qin Chang Ge observed him. She had naturally seen his momentary discomfort, the faint blush on the man’s face making her a bit amused. However, after the light joy, her heart suddenly felt slightly sour.

How long had it been since she’d seen normal color appear on his face?

What ordinary people could have, he no longer possessed. Qin Chang Ge wouldn’t forget that during the Blazing Flame duel, though Feihuan clearly loved martial arts, except for watching her match with raised head throughout, during the other matches he had gazed at distant mountains in distraction, as if what was unfolding before him wasn’t the high-level competitions he once cared about most.

He still cared, didn’t he?

Closing her eyes briefly, when Qin Chang Ge turned her head again she was smiling as usual, sitting gently across from Chu Feihuan and asking with a smile: “How many are there? Where do you plan to open the next one?”

“There are already seventeen. Rong’er says the Longbei region still doesn’t have a Windfall Tower sign, so the next one should be opened in Longbei.”

“Mm,” Qin Chang Ge listened, the smile gradually fading from her face as she frowned and asked: “He’s not planning to open in Youzhou, is he?”

“Yes,” Chu Feihuan said flatly. “As they say, who knows a son better than his mother? Youzhou is a military stronghold with a large population—it’s the most prosperous city in Longbei. He mentioned this to me long ago, wanting to open a shop there. This would be the eighteenth location. He said he wanted good… luck, and wanted to personally go to Youzhou for the ribbon-cutting, but I rejected it—Chang Ge, what does opening a shop have to do with cutting?”

“He means ribbon-cutting—don’t mind him,” Qin Chang Ge spoke rapidly. “Feihuan, when did Rong’er say he wanted to open a shop in Youzhou?”

“A few days ago,” Chu Feihuan said. “These past few days it’s been his turn to study in the palace, so he hasn’t come here.”

She stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over the stool. Qin Chang Ge said: “I need to go to the palace immediately!”

Her rarely displayed tension also startled Chu Feihuan, who asked in bewilderment: “What’s wrong?”

Qin Chang Ge headed outside while saying: “War is imminent in Youzhou. Xiao Jue and I originally planned to release the tiger from its cage, to cleanly squeeze out that tumor once and for all. Now if Rong’er…”

Before she finished speaking, Chu Feihuan already understood the seriousness of the situation. With Rong’er’s personality, if he said he wanted to go to Youzhou to open a shop, he might well have already planned to slip away. Now with major changes imminent in Youzhou, if he happened to encounter them—

Not daring to think further, Chu Feihuan said urgently: “I’ll go with you!”

Turning around and seeing the man’s determined expression, thinking of this godfather-godson relationship that differed from ordinary bonds, Qin Chang Ge said: “Good.”

The sky had darkened and the nine gates of the palace city were closed. Qin Chang Ge chose to take the secret passage leading directly to the Empress Dowager’s rear palace. After all, Longevity Palace was right between Guanzi Palace and Longzhang Palace. Since the golden crossbow incident last time, Empress Jiang had soon fallen “ill” and moved to Shengning Palace west of Shanglin Garden, with Wenchang, who still lived in Shanglin Nunnery and hadn’t returned to the palace, “looking after” her.

Wenchang had never returned to the palace. Xiao Jue was already working to find her a suitable husband, currently still in the careful selection process.

Coming out of Longevity Palace, Chu Feihuan stayed in the palace to wait for news while Qin Chang Ge first went to Guanzi Palace. Sure enough, no one was there—even Youtiao’er was absent. Rifling through things on the desk in Guantang Palace study, after thinking a moment, Qin Chang Ge headed straight for Longzhang Palace.

The outer hall had already extinguished its lights. Old Yu Hai vaguely knew this Lord Zhao held a different position in His Majesty’s heart, so without a word he led her into the inner hall.

Deep within the pearl curtains and dragon drapes, Xiao Jue was dozing with his eyes closed, a tall pile of memorials before him.

In recent days, to prepare responses to the Youzhou crisis, those preparations for imminent war—troops, provisions, generals, supplies—all needed advance arrangements, yet without revealing any signs that might alert their targets. Thus Xiao Jue had expended considerable energy these past days, discussing affairs with Qin Chang Ge daily then staying up almost all night.

The two had originally discussed carefully whether to let Li Han leave the capital, ultimately choosing to squeeze out Li Han, this tumor. On one hand, it was because Youping Prefecture was where Xiliang rose—the earliest Prefect Xue Zhengsong had raised the anti-Yuan banner in Youzhou, leading the sons of both prefectures to charge out of the north and forge the foundation of the Xiliang Xiao imperial dynasty. Therefore, the Youzhou Military Governor held a position different from ordinary generals, traditionally dominating one region. The soldiers and officers in Youzhou’s military were also extremely proud and fierce—ordinary generals transferred there simply couldn’t command them. Li Han, as an old general who had followed Xue Zhengsong from the earliest days, when Xiao Jue was still just a squad leader, Li Han was already a deputy general. It could be said that in the military, especially among Youzhou garrison forces, Li Han possessed prestige no one else could match—something all emperors privately feared. Yet this Li Han refused to keep a low profile, constantly maintaining secret communications with Cao Guangshi. Whenever the Ministry of War wanted to rotate troops, he would mobilize various forces to obstruct and frequently interfere, so that for several years the court had been unable to smoothly bring Youzhou’s military power completely under central control.

This was inherently very dangerous, equivalent to entrusting the security of all Xiliang’s northern gateway to one person’s will. Therefore, Xiao Jue had continuously rotated middle-level military officers in Youzhou’s garrison over the years, while deploying heavy troops in neighboring Lingzhou and Pingzhou in a triangular formation, finally being able to sleep peacefully.

Though Youzhou hadn’t yet established a separate small court, as a military stronghold bordering Northern Wei, its position on Xiliang’s map was so important that it could be said to affect the entire body—how could they allow this wild horse to run free?

Northern Wei had frequently tested borders and harassed frontier regions over the years. Internal chaos in Northern Wei had given regional generals separatist ambitions, and border commanders were very likely to plunder Xiliang’s grain, people, and even territory to expand their own power—this was also a problem that had to be solved.

Therefore, both Qin Chang Ge and Xiao Jue felt that when the time was ripe, they could go with the flow—better short pain than long pain. Through a brief military action, they could remove ambitious elements and return border military power completely to central control. Through the fierceness of thunder-swift military action, they could deter Northern Wei border forces that were stirring restlessly, using an internal display of military strength to secure peaceful lives for border people for a period of time—this was worthwhile no matter what.

But the prerequisite was that it must be swift, clean, and use absolutely strong and forceful killing methods to suppress all chaos!

Once it dragged on and spread, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Thus personnel selection became another difficult problem.

The court wasn’t without excellent generals, but surveying Xiliang and even the entire world, the finest generals were actually the two people sitting there deciding to go to war.

Qin Chang Ge and Xiao Jue had already argued about this several times. Xiao Jue wanted to personally lead the campaign, but Qin Chang Ge disagreed, believing that if suppressing a mere border rebellion required His Imperial Majesty to personally lead troops, it would be too undignified and would instead invite mockery from surrounding nations that the court had no capable people. Qin Chang Ge’s idea was to go herself, but Xiao Jue disagreed. As for why he disagreed, his reasons were ample and extremely simple:

“No,” he shook his head firmly. “You can’t go—I won’t feel at ease.”

After thinking, he added: “You’ve already been away from my side too long. I’m truly afraid that if I’m not careful, I’ll lose you again.”

At this, Qin Chang Ge fell silent, really unable to think of any words to respond to such burning persistence. All clever words and sharp reactions in this world existed because one wasn’t personally involved. Fluent eloquence, keen responses, and decisive solutions were never prepared for those tangled emotional entanglements.

After several discussions without results, now perhaps there would truly be a conclusion.

Giant beef tallow candles burned in Longzhang Palace, their light flickering. In the candlelight, the dozing Xiao Jue seemed to sleep deeply—even Qin Chang Ge’s rapid footsteps entering hadn’t awakened him.

Frowning, Qin Chang Ge signaled Yu Hai to leave and close the door, then stepped forward to examine Xiao Jue carefully.

In the candlelight, Xiao Jue’s handsome features showed no peaceful, comfortable expression of sleep. Instead, there were faint signs of irritation—his brow deeply furrowed, his long, curled lashes trembling constantly, his breathing somewhat rapid, as if he were trapped in some nightmare.

A nightmare?

Qin Chang Ge vaguely recalled that question she’d shelved in her heart for a long time.

However, now really wasn’t the time to investigate. She directly reached out to shake him awake, but discovered Xiao Jue wasn’t waking at all, still sunk in his dream, murmuring extremely faint words. Qin Chang Ge’s heart stirred as she leaned close to listen.

The voice was extremely unclear—even at close range she couldn’t hear clearly. She vaguely caught words like “…hate…go…” Qin Chang Ge frowned, half-crouching and bringing her face even closer to his lips.

Xiao Jue suddenly opened his eyes.

Candlelight swayed red, shadows dancing. Everything in the hall wavered in his still somewhat drifting vision. Not yet fully emerged from the deep crimson sea of demons, when Xiao Jue opened his eyes he immediately felt a familiar cool fragrance penetrating deeply, rushing into his nose in waves. Near his face, a patch of snow-white gently swayed—a touch of lustrous jade color, like a magnolia flower opening quietly and beautifully beside his lips.

This was the world’s most fragrant invitation, most romantic waiting, most pure temptation, most stirring posture.

Blooming before Xiao Jue’s eyes, who had not yet fully awakened from his nightmare, whose wounded heart needed warm, peaceful feelings for comfort.

Why hesitate?

Turning his head, Xiao Jue quickly and recklessly kissed hard against that familiar whiteness.

At the soft moan that escaped, the long-missed fragrance immediately captured all his reason. Taking advantage of the moment, he reached out to embrace the woman beside him tightly. Xiao Jue buried his head in intoxication, gently biting and nibbling at the moon-like skin beneath his lips.

The familiar yet strange soft, moist sensation, the subtle fragrance spreading across his lips—everything was so beautiful. Xiao Jue felt something roar and ignite in his mind, instantly burning him to ash.

All seas collapsed, Changle collapsed, he himself was collapsing, and in the fierce fire someone smiled and looked back, as brilliant as in the red silk tent of years past.

Xiao Jue gasped, sweeping his sleeve to extinguish the candle flame with the wind.

In the spacious bedchamber, the gold-inlaid long windows were blown shut by wind, blocking even that moon that wanted to peek at people.

Xiao Jue no longer wanted to think about anything.

However long the separation, however long the longing—the flood waters wanting to burst their banks this moment had been waiting just as long.

He leaned down and pushed her over.

But heard the woman beneath him suddenly say softly: “Rong’er.”

“Huh?”

Startled, he quickly turned around—had Rong’er come to spy?

When he turned, Qin Chang Ge had already sat up, adjusting her clothes and raising an eyebrow. Her dark eyes gleamed in the even darker great hall.

Looking at the helpless expression on Xiao Jue’s face, Qin Chang Ge smiled without amusement. Not wanting to embarrass him, she went straight to the point: “Rong’er went to Youzhou.”

!!!