This young lady was not the Northern Princess who returned with Lu Sanlang, but she was still connected to him – Miss Luo was Lu Sanlang’s fiancée.

She was still bound by their marriage contract, not yet divorced, yet Lu Sanlang had stolen her heart.

When General Wei Cong had his men investigate and discover these details about Luo Lingyu, he felt quite unsettled and increasingly dejected. After personally and attentively escorting Miss Luo home, he returned mounted on his tall horse, his face dark as ink and grinding his teeth – Lu Sanlang, it was Lu Sanlang again! The noble son whom he looked down upon had somehow attracted such a beauty to travel thousands of miles for him.

Why was it that Wei Cong, serving in the same army, had such poor luck in marriage?

Because he was a commoner whom Prince Chen had personally promoted.

When commoners entered noble society, if they wanted to advance and elevate their status, they naturally sought upward marriages, unwilling to mix with those below their new station. But Wei Cong was proud – while he looked down on commoners beneath his current status, the noble families he pursued wouldn’t agree to “monetary marriages” no matter how much wealth he offered. General Wei was skilled in battle, yet his marriage prospects were stuck between stations, causing him needless worry. Now he had his eye on the Northern Princess, thinking she would be removed from the South’s strict social hierarchy, and he brazenly hoped to marry a beautiful princess – only to discover that even Luo Lingyu belonged to Lu Sanlang.

Wei Cong was filled with anger and frustration: With Lu Sanlang’s appearance, what kind of woman couldn’t he have? Why did all the beautiful women only have eyes for Lu Sanlang? Didn’t other young men need to marry too?

Wei Cong devoted himself to stealing Lu Sanlang’s love interest.

Meanwhile, Luo Lingyu was waiting for Lu Yun, both wanting him to apologize to her and eager to tell her third cousin about Lu Erlang’s dream. When General Wei enthusiastically invited Luo Lingyu to watch military drills in his camp, she readily agreed. Wei Cong showed rare cleverness here, accompanying Luo Lingyu for a day of entertainment. By nightfall, he had specially set up a tent for her in the camp, claiming – how could they let Lu Canjun’s family members travel back and forth?

Luo Lingyu’s beautiful eyes sparkled with laughter, her cheeks flushed like syrup: This general was quite crafty, knowing how to please a lady. She wasn’t even married to Lu Sanlang yet, but General Wei was already calling her Lu Yun’s family member.

General Wei thought with satisfaction: Who said she was just a fiancée? Lu Sanlang’s cousin was also his family member.

With their hidden agendas, the general commanding and the lady charming, General Wei and Miss Luo’s interactions were particularly pleasant. When Lu Yun returned leading the real princess, what he saw was General Wei and Luo Lingyu in cheerful conversation – that general who always opposed Lu Sanlang and complained about Lu Yun being fussy was now bent over holding a rope, leading a horse around the small riding ground, while the beautiful but tense Luo Lingyu sat mounted.

Luo Lingyu was not skilled in such physical activities and had never learned to ride. When Wei Cong learned this, he volunteered to teach her. At this moment, the general showed none of his habit of shouting and pounding tables. He spoke softly and gently, holding back the sweat on his brow. Wei Cong jogged alongside the horse, constantly looking back at the lady on horseback, as if afraid his voice might startle her: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, I’m watching, my lady won’t fall…”

A soldier whistled and ran to General Wei’s side, saying a few words. The next moment, both General Wei and the tense Luo Lingyu on horseback turned to look toward Lu Sanlang at the camp’s gate, the woman beside him, and the Northern diplomatic envoy of several dozen people following behind.

In war between nations, envoys were not to be harmed. These Northern envoys followed their princess, examining the Southern military camp with critical eyes. Seeing the camp’s equipment, their expressions all turned sour, as the South was much wealthier than the North, with better provisions of weapons, armor, and warhorses. But when they saw a great general personally teaching a lady to ride, these envoys’ lips curled in subtle smiles: Heh, just as the scholars said, Southerners were extravagant, indolent, only knowing pleasure.

The Northern army was far superior to the South’s.

While the envoys watched composedly, the veiled Princess beside Lu Yun saw the lady’s graceful figure on horseback, then glanced back at Lu Yun’s dark narrowed eyes. The Princess’s heart sank heavily. Through her pearl veil, the Northern Princess gazed at Luo Lingyu, secretly comparing their beauty and figures. The Northern Princess considered herself beautiful, proudly wearing her veil to prevent others from seeing her… yet here in the military camp, she encountered such a woman.

Moreover, Lu Sanlang stared at her unblinkingly.

The Northern Princess said in a deep voice: “The lantern Lu Sanlang asked from me, was it perhaps for her? Is it for her that you refuse to ally through marriage with me?”

An alliance marriage didn’t necessarily mean marrying the Southern Emperor. In this era, noble families held high status, controlling the nation’s politics. Marrying into a noble family as a noble wife might have effects no less significant than entering the Emperor’s harem.

Lu Yun paused, glancing at her: “No.”

Just as the Princess started to relax, she heard Lu Sanlang say: “It’s not for her, but I won’t sacrifice my marriage to ally with anyone. My unwillingness to ally through marriage with the Princess has nothing to do with her – we simply aren’t fated.”

The Northern Princess said nothing, hearing that Lu Yun hadn’t denied the matter of the lantern.

At that moment, she stood with Lu Yun outside the fence, watching the horse trot over as General Wei reached out to help that delicate lady dismount. The lady had a full bosom and slender waist, walking together with General Wei with graceful, swaying steps and incomparable elegance. Not only did the men in camp keep glancing over, but even the Northern Princess herself… couldn’t help lifting her veil, revealing her face to compare beauty with this lady!

General Wei glanced indifferently at the Northern Princess. Having grown accustomed to beauty these past two days, the general was quite calm: Hmm, the princess was nothing special. Not as good as someone else.

He really envied Lu Sanlang.

Lu Yun said nothing, only watching Luo Lingyu’s glancing eyes as his eyebrow raised slightly. Luo Lingyu looked toward the princess beside him, who was watching her with a strange gaze. Luo Lingyu’s thoughts paused for a moment; as a woman, she immediately recognized the subtle dynamic between this princess and Lu Sanlang. She felt a touch of jealousy, mentally rolling her eyes at Lu Yun, thinking this was yet another woman captivated by Lu Sanlang’s charm.

The Northern Princess saw Lu Yun’s robes lift slightly as he stepped forward as if to greet them, and said: “Won’t Lu Sanlang speak more praise of her before me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll be difficult and bully your beloved? Lu Sanlang’s true feelings are only this much.”

Lu Yun turned back, slowly looking at the cold-faced princess, his voice carrying a hint of laughter: “…If the Princess can manage to bully her, then we’ll talk.”

The Northern Princess was startled, about to retort when the camp gates opened and General Wei’s voice boomed out, feigning enthusiasm: “The Northern envoys have arrived, bringing glory to our humble camp-“

As the situation opened between both sides, there was no more room for private feelings between nations; every word and action became matters of state. The Northern Princess’s dark eyes lifted slightly, her expression solemn as she watched the camp gates open wide, soldiers lined up, drums beating. Amid the thunderous noise, the slender Lu Yun led the way forward. When those behind didn’t move, Lu Yun turned back, glancing over as if performing a routine duty.

The Northern Princess watched quietly, slowly, her sleeves floating like wild goose feathers. She took a deep breath, raising her head high and straightening her back as she lifted her foot forward, stepping ahead.

Lu Yun seemed to sense something, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he raised his gaze, unusually earnestly looking at the Northern Princess’s ice-jade face. But the Northern Princess no longer paid him any attention as her Northern envoys filed in behind her, following the princess’s steps.

From this step forward, personal feelings were cast aside – this princess would dedicate herself to death for the North. A new era would begin from this step she took. This new age, this new story, would be led by her.

…

Though personal feelings were cast aside, sometimes personal feelings were precisely national interests. Moreover, compared to entering the harem of an old man nearly in his grave, wasn’t it better to marry the young, talented, and exceptionally handsome Lu Sanlang and become his wife?

Winning over a noble family wasn’t much different from winning over the Southern court.

That night, to welcome the envoys to Nanyang, General Wei granted special permission for the camp’s wine and festivities to last until dawn. Originally Luo Lingyu was to return to the Luo family, but when she noticed the princess would stay in the tent specially prepared for her in camp, and this princess’s gaze kept falling on Lu Yun, Luo Lingyu decided she would also stay to watch more closely.

At the evening’s feast of wine and meat, the abundance of Southern cuisine made the Northern envoys secretly compare and feel intense jealousy. The South was rich in resources while the North faced frost… The Northern army was strong, yet why did these decadent Southern nobles occupy the best territory? Throughout the evening people felt discontent, and the Northern Princess especially kept watching Lu Yun.

She saw Lu Yun make a round through the gathering, politely but distantly socializing with the soldiers. The noble pride of Lu Sanlang made it almost impossible for him to be approachable. Lu Sanlang had no intention of forcing himself to be approachable either. While General Wei and the soldiers opened jar after jar of wine, everyone drinking until their faces were flushed red, Lu Yun came to the side and only politely drank a few cups, with no one saying more.

General Wei impatiently waved his hand: “Go away, go away! Someone who can’t drink like you, don’t disturb our fun!”

Lu Yun seized the opportunity to remind him in his ear: “General, can you drink these Northern envoys under the table? Find out their reasons from their mouths, then tell me, and I’ll find a way to thwart their wolfish ambitions.”

When General Wei was quite drunk, he casually waved his hand. He snorted in derision, disdainful of Lu Yun playing mind games again to trouble these Northerners. But each to their expertise – General Wei never contradicted Lu Yun’s face in such matters. Wei Cong hugged his wine jar and swayingly stood up, raising his arm to call over the stumbling drunk soldiers who rose in a clamor with him to go drink with the Northern envoys.

Lu Yun returned to his seat at the feast, specifically choosing the spot beside Luo Lingyu. The lady rested her chin in her hand watching him, her phoenix eyes slightly slanted: “How much did you drink?”

Lu Yun was pleased she initiated a conversation with him, and since the drunkards over there were busy drinking with no one watching them, he smiled and hooked his arm around her shoulders, trying to pull her into his embrace. Lu Yun lightly sniffed her hair and smiled: “I was deceiving them, I barely drank a few cups.”

Luo Lingyu gave him a meaningful smile: “So you know you can’t drink after all.”

As she reached out to push him away, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring from behind. Luo Lingyu’s peripheral vision swept over to see the princess lowering her head and drinking behind her sleeve as if she hadn’t been watching them. But whether she had been looking or not… Luo Lingyu stopped pushing Lu Yun away, and instead obediently let him hold her, allowing him to lovingly kiss her forehead.

Lu Yun gritted his teeth: “Don’t mention that embarrassing incident again!”

Luo Lingyu gave him a reproachful look.

But he couldn’t help asking: “Did I do anything that night?”

As he spoke, he held her waist, feeling the flesh and bone beneath, and like one who had tasted marrow, he gradually lost his composure, his hand moving upward. Lu Sanlang lowered his gaze, seeing through the dim lamplight as the lady lowered her head. Through her collar, he glimpsed snow-capped mountains stretching gently, a thin blanket of snow covered in light, hazy, and alluring.

Fire grew in his eyes, improper thoughts arose in his mind, and his hands lost their restraint. The dark fire burned as they moved like snakes, as if caressing fine silk. In full view of everyone, he seemed to have forgotten, seemed to see only her, and so he leaned down, leaned down… Luo Lingyu pushed him away in alarm, whispering through gritted teeth: “What are you doing? Have you gone mad… are you drunk again?”

When had he ever been like this? Before, at most, he would kiss and caress, when had he ever been so aggressive?

Lu Yun came to his senses, concealing the heat in his eyes, though the flush wouldn’t leave his face. He withdrew his hand, maintaining only a careless, frivolous smile to ease her tension. He lowered his head to bite the pearl below her ear, his voice muffled with laughter: “I’m not drunk… come find me tonight, hmm?”

Luo Lingyu snorted: “I won’t. I don’t want to talk much with a drunkard, no matter how much I say, you won’t remember.”

Lu Yun explained he wasn’t drunk, but Luo Lingyu deliberately said she didn’t believe him.

She tilted her face up, lamplight illuminating her features, her cheeks like rouge. Such pure radiance, breathtaking in the interplay of light and shadow, how beautiful. Lu Yun’s heart stirred at the sight, his throat moving as he lowered his face again to speak with her softly. She dodged and laughed, her slender fingers poking at the young lord’s approaching face, not letting him touch her.

Such playfulness.

While others were busy drinking, busy with state affairs, and busy testing each other, Lu Yun seemed drunk and carried on so with Luo Lingyu. His smile was gentle and affectionate yet ethereal in quality, carrying a hint of rakishness. Rakish but not lewd, the young lord’s every gesture was captivating, enchanting, consuming.

The Northern Princess lowered her face.

The night’s festivities continued until dawn before the feast ended. General Wei had long since drunk himself senseless, and after Lu Canjun arranged for everyone to return to their quarters and saw them all off, he tried once more with Luo Lingyu. Luo Lingyu asked: “What do you want to see me for?”

Lu Yun said softly with a slow smile: “Brother has a gift for you… won’t you come to talk with brother?”

She wasn’t very interested in gifts. Luo Lingyu thought of Lu Yun’s manner, still guarding that final barrier, unwilling to be intimate with her. So what was the point of being with him at night? He was a grown man – surely he wouldn’t expect her to use drugs just to sleep with him, to maintain this relationship?

Luo Lingyu righteously refused Lu Yun.

Lu Yun sighed, since she was unwilling, he wouldn’t force her.

Lu Canjun returned to his tent rather unhappily, hastily washed up, but instead of sleeping, he bent over his desk, staying up late to review the many official documents he had accumulated. Holding multiple positions naturally meant spending more time than others when busy. From a pile of official documents, he found mountains of letters, seeing they were all from Lu Erlang. Lu Sanlang sighed with extreme pressure – his second brother sent so many letters every day.

Rambling about this and that, never getting to the point. There was no point really, given how frequently he wrote.

Lu Sanlang searched through the letters, finally finding the one where Lu Erlang mentioned the false alarm about Luo Lingyu’s pregnancy. It turned out this letter had arrived long ago, but because Lu Erlang’s letters were so numerous, they had been directly ignored by his free-spirited third brother.

Lu Sanlang read this letter with mixed feelings, seeing his second brother’s apologetic tone, but his thoughts couldn’t help wandering. He thought how wonderful it would be if Luo Lingyu were pregnant. He had hoped for so long, thinking daily of that fated child. And thinking how nice it would be to have a daughter – their Lu family had so many sons but few daughters. His and Luo Lingyu’s daughter would surely be extremely beautiful.

Lu Yun lowered his head with a smile, though it carried melancholy.

Suddenly, there came sounds of argument from outside. In the dead of night, as Lu Sanlang raised his head, the felt curtain lifted and the argument outside ended as the Northern Princess entered the tent wearing a thick gray squirrel fur cloak. The Princess stood at the tent entrance, her gaze deep and mysterious as she looked at him: “I have something to discuss with you.”

Lu Yun frowned slightly: “It’s late, tomorrow…”

The Northern Princess said coldly: “You bought lanterns from me to give to your beloved, and I said nothing. How is it that when I have a business, Lu Sanlang can’t spare a moment to listen?”

Lu Yun fell silent, saying no more.

The Princess glanced outside, gesturing for everyone to withdraw. With only the two of them left in the tent, the Northern Princess walked forward, stopping three steps from Lu Sanlang’s desk. She lowered her eyes, her voice softening: “Lu Sanlang, I’ve heard your great name. The reputation of the Plum-Seeking Scholar has spread even to our North. Let me ask you one last time – do you truly refuse to marry me? Though it would be for political benefit, I truly admire you.”

Lu Yun smiled perfunctorily: “I’m honored by Your Highness’s affection, but it’s unnecessary.”

Though he didn’t say it aloud, his expression was clear: Some too many women admire me. What makes you special?

Lu Sanlang was a proud and arrogant person – even without harsh words, his dismissive, casual manner of not taking others seriously was extremely hurtful. In their interactions, while she had fallen deeply for him, to him it was merely an ordinary occurrence. The indifference and boredom deep in the young lord’s eyes made the Northern Princess’s face burn with shame.

She pondered for a moment, seeing Lu Yun lower his eyes, and with desperate resolve, her fingers fell to the sash binding her cloak.

Her garments suddenly slipped away.

Lu Yun sharply raised his eyes, his gaze piercing cold, but so quickly that the Northern Princess had barely registered it, she saw him lower his eyelids again. Lu Sanlang sat formally behind his desk, completely motionless – apart from raising and lowering his eyes in that simple motion, even his elbow resting on the desk hadn’t shifted.

Truly a coldness of heart unmatched by any.

The Northern Princess’s breathing grew heavy, filled with embarrassment, awkwardness, and a chill that swept over her. She stood naked before him, seeing his indifferent downcast eyes, and tears of heat filled her eyes, extreme anger rising – he didn’t even move, didn’t even rise to avoid her or cover her with clothing. Where was his cultured propriety?

This was Lu Yun’s true nature – how utterly heartless, showing no consideration for others.

Lu Yun: “Please return, Princess, don’t sully my reputation.”

The Northern Princess’s voice trembled: “I sully your reputation?! You won’t even look, you… you heartless, faithless person…”

“Swish—”

The tent curtain suddenly lifted.

The Northern Princess was extremely startled, hurriedly crouching down to grab her cloak from the ground. She trembled, her delicate shoulders exposed to the air, her long hair scattered like clouds. She was afraid of someone discovering her in such an embarrassing state, and she saw Lu Yun’s expression change as he stood up.

The Princess turned to see Luo Lingyu holding a bowl of soup, standing at the tent entrance with a shocked expression.

The Princess’s hasty attempts to cover herself weren’t enough to erase the evidence in the tent. Luo Lingyu’s brows furrowed, her smile vanishing as her face turned to frost, looking at Lu Yun. Lu Yun said calmly: “This isn’t what you think.”

Luo Lingyu’s eyes blazed with anger as she gave a cold laugh, suddenly throwing down the bowl in her hands and turning to leave. Before going, she shot a glare at the Princess, trembling with rage, but did nothing more. As the lady lifted the curtain to leave, Lu Yun didn’t even glance around before striding out after her. Lu Yun called urgently: “Lingyu, let me explain!”

The tent curtain lifted and fell, cold wind blowing in as distant sounds of argument between the man and woman could be heard, full of anger. In the empty tent, tears fell drop by drop as the Northern Princess silently dressed herself. Those two had completely ignored her – the Northern Princess was filled with intense hatred, trembling even more violently. Never had she suffered such humiliation!

…

The Northern Princess’s first step into the Nanyang military camp was her attempt to seduce Lu Yun – with these events, the history between the two nations took another step forward. In this reflection of the greater era, few could see the trajectory of fate from this moment. Though those in Nanyang couldn’t see it, thousands of miles away in Jianye City, Lu Erlang glimpsed some traces through his dreams.

The day the Northern Princess entered the Nanyang camp, that night, Lu Erlang began to dream. In this dream, he finally saw the reason for his third brother’s death.

The North had sent their diplomatic envoys to negotiate and trade with the South. When the Northern envoys entered Jianye, the negotiations failed due to Lu Sanlang’s warning, and the humiliated envoys returned north. But the Northern Princess caught the Southern Emperor’s eye and entered his harem. The Southern Emperor, usually absorbed in seeking immortality and enlightenment, finally showed some human feeling – the Emperor favored this Northern Princess particularly.

Even the Empress Dowager’s will couldn’t resist it.

As the North and South continued their war, after Nanyang’s great victory, formal negotiations began, and the Southern Emperor, due to his fondness for the Northern Princess, made great concessions. The court no longer provided supplies to Nanyang, demanding their troops withdraw and Lu Sanlang return to the capital. Lu Sanlang memorialized that the situation was unstable and he couldn’t return. The Northern Princess suggested killing Lu Sanlang, and the Southern Emperor hesitated.

The court split into two factions, with the most demanding Lu Sanlang and General Wei returning to Jianye. Moreover, according to the negotiations, the Southern Emperor intended to give the adjacent commanderies of Ruyang, Nanyang, and Yingchuan to the North in exchange for a hundred years of peace between the nations. The noble families supported the court, as they were unwilling to continue funding the army. Among the loudest voices, even the Lu family thought it wouldn’t be bad for Lu Sanlang to return. Why waste time in Nanyang’s mess?

Throughout the court, based on Lu Sanlang’s single memorial, only Prince Chen argued reasonably that Nanyang’s situation was unstable, hoping to give Lu Yun more time.

But without troops or supplies, Prince Chen stood alone, and despite his many maneuvers, because he didn’t know Nanyang’s specific situation and was only supporting Lu Yun based on their many years of friendship… he couldn’t reverse the general trend. It wouldn’t be until Lu Yun’s death that Lu Erlang would regret immensely, the Lu family immensely – if only they had known then, they shouldn’t have forced Lu Yun to return, they should have supported him in staying.

The Northern Princess made no further suggestions, but the abandonment was already decided.

But in the dream, as Lu Erlang’s soul wandered, he saw the Northern envoys gathered together, saw the Northern Princess’s faint smile and hatred… he vaguely thought that there must be something else in Nanyang that gave the Northern Princess such confidence, this Princess likely knew why Lu Yun refused to return to Jianye.

Lu Erlang thought anxiously: Why was this? Where did this Princess’s hatred come from? How had Lu Sanlang offended her?

In this world, most hatred stems from shallow causes, heavy with selfish desires. Sometimes just because that person didn’t spare her a glance, hatred would surge like a flood, raging into disaster. Thinking: Since you don’t recognize my worth, show me no consideration, why not just die?