Binglu held the clothes, pinching the dirty towel with two fingers, her face full of disgust: “These are clothes worn by two big men. How can the young lady wear them? And this towel is simply filthy—”

Shao Mingyuan turned around and bent down to gently place Qiao Zhao on a chair.

Qiao Zhao sat leaning against the dry chair, finally recovering some strength. She spoke softly but firmly to Binglu: “I can wear them.”

Having died once before, what could be more important than staying alive?

Not to mention clothes worn by hunters—even things that other girls would find much more difficult to accept, as long as they didn’t compromise her will or disgrace her person, she could accept them.

She wanted to live, to live better for her deceased family members, to investigate whether there was anything suspicious about that fire, and to see the day when her brother’s face would be healed.

Shao Mingyuan looked deeply at Qiao Zhao.

He had thought he would need to spend some effort persuading this Miss Li.

Having been born into a noble family, he had naturally been exposed to how particular noble ladies were about food, clothing, and daily life. Not to mention old clothes worn by strange men—they would probably find even new ones difficult to accept.

But he had spent seven or eight years in the Northern Territories, where he had grown accustomed to seeing ordinary people who would pay any price to survive, women who had lost all dignity under the trampling of the Tartars, and soldiers who spilled their blood on battlefields to protect their homeland.

Except for life and death, nothing else was a big matter.

When so many lives that desperately wanted to survive couldn’t, when some innocent lives he even had to personally extinguish, he could better understand this saying.

Miss Li was very different from the capital’s noble ladies in his impression, the young general thought.

“Give me the towel.” Shao Mingyuan reached out to take the dirty towel from Binglu’s hands and said to Qiao Zhao, “Wait for me a moment.”

He turned and left the room, striding toward the kitchen.

The young hunter had already started making a fire.

“Is there hot water?”

The young hunter was somewhat surprised by Shao Mingyuan’s appearance, staring for a moment before saying: “Yes, there is!”

He put down the fire poker and stood up, wiping his hands on his clothes before picking up a water kettle and asking Shao Mingyuan, “Do you want to drink water? It was just boiled recently, though we only have eating bowls—”

“Please get me a washbasin.” Shao Mingyuan’s tone was gentle.

Hearing this, the young hunter hurriedly found a wooden basin and handed it to Shao Mingyuan.

Shao Mingyuan took the kettle, poured some hot water into the wooden basin to rinse it, then poured in half a basin of hot water and placed the dirty towel inside.

Seeing this, the young hunter said embarrassedly: “It can’t be washed clean.”

Shao Mingyuan lowered his eyes, scrubbing the towel over and over. When the water in the basin became murky, he poured it out and replaced it with fresh water. After using three basins of water this way, the towel finally became whitish.

He wrung out the towel, thanked the young hunter, and returned to Qiao Zhao, handing the still-warm towel to Binglu. He said lightly, “Quickly help Miss Li change into dry clothes. Call me when you’re done changing—I’ll be guarding outside the door.”

After speaking, he turned and walked out.

Binglu clutched the warm towel and couldn’t help looking at Qiao Zhao: “Young lady—”

Qiao Zhao, with her wet hair draped over her, bit the tip of her tongue and nodded to Binglu: “Change!”

Hearing this, Binglu hesitated no more and hurriedly removed Qiao Zhao’s wet clothes. Holding the towel, she hesitated again: “Young lady, Marquis Guanjun seems to have washed the towel—”

So you don’t mind?

“Stop being wordy, dry me off!” Qiao Zhao was both cold and in pain, with little strength left, so she could only glare at Binglu.

Binglu steeled her heart, picked up the towel to dry Qiao Zhao, chose the relatively cleaner set from the two sets of clothes, and helped Qiao Zhao change into it.

Putting on the dry clothes, Qiao Zhao immediately felt like she had come back to life. She softly instructed Binglu: “Wring out the clothes I took off and wrap up my hair.”

Binglu had no problem with these tasks and quickly helped Qiao Zhao wrap her hair.

“You should change, too.” Qiao Zhao said while pressing her abdomen.

“This servant—” Binglu glanced at the other set of clothes and shook her head, “This servant won’t change.”

Sob sob sob, why did the young lady have the courage to wear them! She would rather die than change!

“Put them on!” Qiao Zhao’s tone was resolute.

The little maid hurriedly changed into her clothes.

Although she had principles and would rather die than wear smelly men’s clothes, she had to obey the young lady’s words even unto death.

Qiao Zhao smiled with satisfaction, looked up at the doorway, and said softly: “Please ask General Shao to come in.”

“Yes,” Binglu responded, lifted her feet to go outside, but was somewhat puzzled in her heart: Why didn’t the young lady call him Marquis, but always call him General Shao? Clearly, “Marquis” sounded more impressive.

Binglu came to the doorway and saw Shao Mingyuan standing there holding a tiger skin, his gaze fixed on the kitchen direction.

Hearing movement, Shao Mingyuan turned his head and handed the tiger skin to Binglu: “Let Miss Li wrap herself in this. I’ll go to the kitchen to wait for the hot soup.”

Binglu carried the tiger skin into the room and draped it over Qiao Zhao.

Instantly surrounded by warmth, even her abdominal pain seemed to ease due to this sudden warmth. Qiao Zhao didn’t mind the faint fishy smell from the tiger skin at all and breathed a sigh of relief.

She moved her fingers slightly, pulling the tiger skin tighter.

Seeing that Qiao Zhao’s complexion looked better, Binglu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, recovered her lively nature, and whispered: “Young lady, General Shao went to the kitchen to wait for the hot soup.”

Qiao Zhao raised her eyebrows slightly, said nothing, and turned her gaze toward the doorway.

In the kitchen, the two hunters were busy working. Seeing Shao Mingyuan come over, the middle-aged hunter turned his head and said, “Young master, please go rest. Drink some hot water to warm yourself. When the soup is ready, I’ll bring it to you.”

“No need. I happen to want to dry my clothes. When the soup is ready, I’ll carry it over myself.” Shao Mingyuan walked over and crouched down, taking the fire poker from the young hunter’s hands.

He lowered his brows and eyes, seriously tending to the fire.

The two hunters exchanged glances and quietly turned to walk outside.

“Please stay with me, both of you.” Shao Mingyuan didn’t turn his head, speaking lightly.

The two hunters’ steps paused, and they stopped.

“Is there anything else, young master?” the middle-aged hunter asked.

This time, Shao Mingyuan turned his head, his tone gentle: “Nothing at all. I’m very grateful for your help and would like to chat casually with you two brothers.”

After speaking, he turned back and lowered his head to continue drying his soaked clothes, but sighed in his heart.

Although these two hunters looked honest, their attempts at concealment were too clumsy for him, far inferior to those spies who disguised themselves as Great Liang citizens in the Northern Territories.

Was it the disheveled appearance of Miss Li and her maid that suddenly aroused their lust, or was it the silver he had given that suddenly generated greed?

Wealth and beauty moved people’s hearts. What he could do was not give them the opportunity to make mistakes, so everyone could part on good terms.

Unfortunately, the two hunters standing behind Shao Mingyuan didn’t think this way. After exchanging glances for a moment, they finally made up their minds, their faces revealing fierce expressions.