When Jiang Hai, who had specially groomed himself and changed into new clothes, came over with plum blossoms again, timing his arrival for mealtime, he saw only locked doors with no one home.

He was startled.

“Where is Lady Qi?” he looked around and shouted loudly.

No one answered him. There weren’t many people on the street, but this didn’t stump Jiang Hai. Accompanied by crackling sounds, several doors were kicked open by Jiang Hai.

“Where is Lady Qi?” he asked menacingly, forming a stark contrast with the plum blossoms in his hands.

It seemed as if anyone who hesitated to answer would be swallowed whole by this man.

“Gone,” the neighbors answered helplessly.

“What do you mean gone?” Jiang Hai shouted.

“Gone means gone,” the neighbor frowned and said, one hand supporting the door, ready to block it if this man went crazy.

“She ran away,” another neighbor poked his head out from behind his door and shouted.

Jiang Hai turned around with a vicious look.

That person was so frightened he shrank back and slammed the door shut with a bang.

It seemed that unless they explained clearly, this man would definitely disturb their peace all night.

“That Lady Qi got into a bet with someone, and when she couldn’t win the bet, she ran away,” the neighbor explained patiently.

“A bet? With whom? About what?” Jiang Hai glared and asked.

Ever since he had witnessed how the plum blossoms helped him curry favor with Lady Qi, those brothers of his had all imitated him, taking away all the plum blossoms he had brought, forcing him to make another trip to the plum garden and pick up some small trinkets that women liked along the way. He hadn’t expected that in just this short time, someone would dare to bully his woman on his territory!

Jiang Hai reached out and grabbed the neighbor.

“It wasn’t me!” the neighbor cried out. “It was military physicians and some soldiers!”

Jiang Hai led his men rushing toward the military medical camp, but didn’t find the military physicians there. He had to turn around and look for the soldiers who had troubled Lady Qi that day, causing chaos with chickens flying and dogs jumping, people falling on their backs.

While this side was making a commotion, the Guard Commander also heard reports from his subordinates.

“She really went with them?” he asked somewhat surprised, looking up and setting down his tea cup.

The subordinate nodded.

“Yes, absolutely certain. She brought two carts, and everyone went,” he said.

“Ah?” The Guard Commander’s wife, who was nearby, heard this and hurriedly asked, “Then the cook I wanted also went?”

The subordinate nodded.

“Really!” The Guard Commander’s wife exhaled unhappily. “Several more days have passed. Maybe tomorrow that Prince’s wife will arrive.”

“Just find another one. Why should one cook be so difficult?” the Guard Commander comforted her. “Besides, such particular people probably bring their own cook.”

“What they bring is theirs, what we provide shows our consideration,” the Guard Commander’s wife snorted. “The meaning is vastly different.”

“You women are just so troublesome,” the Guard Commander waved his hand.

“We’re troublesome all for you men,” the Guard Commander’s wife said unhappily.

Seeing this topic heading toward marital bedroom matters, the subordinate looked embarrassed and couldn’t help but cough.

“Is there anything else?” The Guard Commander also noticed his impropriety, stroked his beard, and asked.

Anything else? The matter of that female physician wasn’t finished yet…

“Are we really just letting that female physician go to Pengshan Fort?” the subordinate hurriedly continued asking.

“Let her go. Didn’t she say herself that as a physician she wanted to go to the frontier? Her patriotic heart is commendable – why should we stop her?” the Guard Commander rolled his eyes.

Fine. The subordinate said no more, acknowledged with a “yes,” and withdrew.

Lady Qi, who had only stayed in the guard city for a few days, thus disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Because her departure was sudden, except for the Guard Commander and a few subordinates who knew the real situation – and that was only because they were paying attention to the cook in Lady Qi’s household, otherwise they wouldn’t have cared either.

The people in the guard city who knew this Lady Qi could be counted on one hand. Many had just watched the excitement that day and at most only knew of such a person because of that commotion.

So seeing that woman suddenly appear and then suddenly disappear, everyone thought she had been provoked by the military physician and fled.

Even those wounded soldiers she had treated thought the same, feeling both angry at the military physicians and soldiers’ behavior and somewhat disappointed.

Perhaps what those military physicians said was right – such physicians were only suitable for those stable interior regions, not their chaotic borderlands. Besides, what benefit was there in curing them, these poor soldiers and disabled waste? Apart from words of thanks, those few coins probably weren’t even enough for this physician’s consultation fee, let alone the medicine.

They weren’t fools. As Qiao Minghua had said, they had also seen many physicians. Any prescription those physicians casually wrote out cost a lot of money.

Those physicians had skills and abilities – they would and should enjoy prosperous, respectable lives, not stay here just for these disabled soldiers who had nothing.

Entering the twelfth lunar month, the Guard Commander began getting busy with New Year preparations. His busyness was different from ordinary people’s – receiving and sending off guests was very important.

“Sir, sir!”

The Guard Commander, who was checking gift lists with his accountant, was startled by the shouting outside.

Three or four subordinates rushed in without even waiting to be announced.

Although they were all from military backgrounds, given the official ranks involved, they should still observe some etiquette.

The Guard Commander was somewhat displeased.

“Sir, smoke signals have risen in the west!” The subordinates couldn’t care about the Guard Commander’s expression – their own faces already looked very grim.

At these words, the Guard Commander jumped up from his chair in shock.

“Smoke signals!” he shouted.

These damned Eastern barbarians really would never let everyone have a peaceful New Year! They caused trouble every New Year, every New Year!

The Guard Commander raised his hand and overturned a chair.

“Where?” he asked.

The living room served as an official hall at any time. With his words, the subordinates stood in front of the defense map on the wall.

“From Liumen Fort all the way to Pengshan Fort,” the subordinate drew a line on the map with his finger.

The Guard Commander nodded. This area was quite large – it seemed the Eastern barbarians had gathered in large numbers and come prepared this time.

“What’s happening? Have smoke signals risen in the west?”

Another voice came from outside, accompanied by heavy footsteps entering.

“Prince!”

“General Chang!”

Everyone turned around with various forms of address, seeing Chang Yuncheng stride in, dusty from travel and wearing a large fur cloak.

His attendants followed quickly behind, reaching out to take the large fur cloak that Chang Yuncheng removed as he entered, revealing a plain blue cotton robe with a gold and jade belt underneath.

Chang Yuncheng didn’t bother with courtesies and went straight to the map. After understanding the situation, everyone sat down according to their positions.

“Originally we calculated it wasn’t time yet, but the Prince has actually arrived,” the Guard Commander said.

“I left in a hurry,” Chang Yuncheng said simply, while asking, “I inquired all along the way, that person, I don’t know, I… I…”

It was rare to see Chang Yuncheng stammer, and everyone present was stunned, staring at him blankly, not knowing what he wanted to say.

Calling her his wife? That seemed inappropriate.

Saying her name? Even more inappropriate.

He didn’t even know what name she was using to look for him…

“That person. Has anyone come looking for me?” he finally asked.

Everyone looked at each other.

“Are you referring to your wife?” someone clever asked.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng nod.

“Could it be that you also haven’t seen your wife?” the Guard Commander asked in surprise.

Having heard no news all along, he had thought Chang Yuncheng’s wife either hadn’t arrived yet or had gone to the capital to meet up with Chang Yuncheng.

“What? You too?” Chang Yuncheng couldn’t sit still and stood up to ask.

He had inquired all along the way but found no news of Qi Yueniang. But these were all necessary routes!

Just as everyone was about to speak, there was another shout from outside.

“Xu Ningde! Come out here!”

The Guard Commander’s face turned dark. Someone actually dared to call out his name directly like this!

This wasn’t the end of it. Along with this shout, a door that had been open was deliberately kicked.

Jiang Hai rushed into the room, followed by the Guard Commander’s guards trying to stop him. But they were blocked by Jiang Hai’s men in a chaotic melee at the doorway.

“Xu…” Jiang Hai shouted, searching for the Guard Commander while seeing Chang Yuncheng. He couldn’t help but pause.

“Jiang Hai!” Chang Yuncheng raised his eyebrows with a dark expression and shouted, “What are you causing trouble for?”

Jiang Hai looked at him, his originally furious face instantly becoming bitter and wrinkled, as if he wanted to cry.

“Prince, you must uphold justice for me. This Xu Ningde is going to get my woman killed…” he shouted.

What nonsense was this? Everyone frowned.

“What time is it now? What are you causing trouble for? What woman? Get out!” Chang Yuncheng glared at him and shouted.

Jiang Hai was so angry he was panting.

“It’s exactly this time, exactly when there’s fighting at Pengshan Fort, that Xu Ningde drove my woman there!” he shouted.

“Jiang Hai, speak clearly. What woman, what man?” the Guard Commander said with a dark face.

He knew Chang Yuncheng would eventually outrank him, but that was in the future – not now. He couldn’t let Chang Yuncheng’s subordinate point at his nose and curse like this.

“Lady Qi! Damn it, I only found out now that it was you who deliberately made things difficult for Lady Qi, letting those military physicians take advantage and provoke her. My Lady Qi…” Jiang Hai shouted fearlessly.

Before he finished speaking, Chang Yuncheng suddenly stood in front of him, moving so fast that he brought a gust of cold wind, making Jiang Hai stammer.

“What did you say? Who?” Chang Yuncheng asked in a trembling voice.

“Oh, Prince, I forgot to mention, you know her too – it’s your family’s former physician, Lady Qi…” Jiang Hai said hurriedly.

Chang Yuncheng grabbed his shoulder.

She had come! She really had come!

“She came?” he shouted. “Where is she?”

“She came long ago. She even said she’d wait to see you when you arrived, but look what happened – this bastard drove her to Pengshan Fort!” Jiang Hai shouted, pointing at the Guard Commander.

The Guard Commander finally remembered who Jiang Hai was talking about. That woman – could it be she knew the Prince?

He couldn’t help but hesitate.

Chang Yuncheng followed Jiang Hai’s pointing finger to look at the Guard Commander, his expression somewhat bewildered.

“Oh, it’s like this. That Lady Qi got into some dispute with people from the military medical camp, and somehow ended up going to Pengshan Fort with the military medical camp. I only heard about it afterward. Since unauthorized personnel aren’t allowed in military camps, I was just about to send someone to explain…” the Guard Commander said with an expression as if he had just remembered.

Before he finished speaking, Chang Yuncheng’s gaze had already fallen on the map on the wall.

Whatever Jiang Hai and the Guard Commander were saying next, he couldn’t hear at all. Only three words echoed in his ears.

Pengshan Fort!

She was now at Pengshan Fort!

The arguing between Jiang Hai and the Guard Commander was interrupted by a loud crash, and then they saw that the door Jiang Hai had kicked was now lying on the ground, and Chang Yuncheng’s figure was already disappearing into the distance in the courtyard.

What had happened?