Lord Sixteen gave Liansheng a meaningful glance. Liansheng immediately stepped forward and gently consoled, “Miss, please control your grief!”

Fu Tingyun rubbed her eyes vigorously. When she lowered her sleeve, her eyes were somewhat red.

Lord Sixteen asked, “If you were heading to Xi’an Prefecture, how did you end up in Lantian County? And how was he injured?”

Fu Tingyun told Lord Sixteen about their encounter with Master Feng Four, though she concealed that Master Feng Four and Master Zhao Jiu had an old feud, that most of Feng Four’s men had been killed by Master Zhao Jiu, and the agreement between Master Zhao Jiu and Feng Three: “…Nine fainted, and we didn’t know the way, nor how to use the pushcart properly. We stumbled along until we reached here. Hearing there was a town nearby, we wanted to find a doctor for Nine, but lacking the strength to push him to town, we had no choice but to take shelter in this City God Temple. We never expected…”

Fu Tingyun spoke slowly, pondering the situation as she talked.

The Emperor had been on the throne for thirty-eight years now, and imperial princes were not allowed to leave the capital, so Lord Sixteen must be a vassal prince.

When she had studied with that elderly scholar in his sixties, he had mentioned that during the Yuankang era, a vassal prince had once attempted rebellion under the pretext of “clearing the court of evil ministers,” nearly surrounding the capital. Since then, two iron rules had been established: vassal princes could not leave their fiefs without imperial permission, and they were forbidden from forming relationships with high officials. The Emperor’s guards, the Tengxiang Guard, were responsible for monitoring the vassal princes’ affairs. The Emperor’s uncle, the Prince of Shu, who was enfeoffed in Sichuan, had been demoted to commoner status after the Commander of the Tengxiang Guard reported that he had formed a close friendship with Liu Ruihao, the Provincial Governor of Songfan.

The Prince of Jian had his fief in Shaanxi. However, she had heard that the Prince of Jian was over fifty with no descendants, and in recent years had been embroiled in succession disputes. He couldn’t be from Prince Jian Hui’s family… So it must be another vassal prince… The closest to Shaanxi would be the Prince of An in Sichuan to the west, or the Prince of Mu in Huguang to the south!

A chill ran down her spine.

No wonder he wanted to conceal his movements!

If the Tengxiang Guard discovered this, just the offense of leaving his fief without permission would be enough to strip him of his title and cost him his life!

If so, why would Lord Sixteen rescue them?

The thought flashed through her mind as she heard Lord Sixteen sigh deeply: “If this is the state of our country today, who but a man of valor can quell the chaos!” His tone was filled with melancholy.

This was a line from a poem by Du Gongbu of the previous dynasty, sent to Li Shiyi, the Special Official of Binzhou, carrying the meaning “civil wisdom to govern the nation, military might to quell disorder.”

All of Lord Sixteen’s attendants lowered their heads in silence upon hearing this.

But Fu Tingyun’s mind stirred.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, her third and fourth cousins had debated, saying that the Emperor had been seeking immortality for years, delegating court affairs to Cabinet Chief Minister Shen Shichong. This Shen Shichong was narrow-minded, good at flattery, vindictive, and thus appointed only his favorites while excluding others. In the thirty-fourth year of Xiping, when the Tatar invaders came, Su Mu, the Commander of Shaanxi Field Command, advocated for war, while Shen Shichong favored peace. Su Mu submitted three memorials in a single day, and the Emperor appointed him as Conquering West General, commanding the military forces of Shaanxi, Datong, and Xuanfu. Later, Su Mu was defeated and perished because Shen Shichong refused to provide supplies when they ran short.

She recalled Lord Sixteen’s expression when discussing state affairs with the innkeeper-like man…

Lord Sixteen must feel both angry and helpless about the court’s affairs.

She also thought about how, despite knowing she could barely save herself, she had still felt compassion for the fleeing women and children she had seen along the way. How much more would Lord Sixteen, as a vassal prince, feel heartbroken, distressed, and indignant seeing the people of his family’s realm suffering? It wasn’t hard to guess why Lord Sixteen had chosen to help them.

Fu Tingyun’s heart calmed slightly.

Her ears caught a light cough, followed by Master Zhao Jiu’s unclear voice: “Miss Fu…”

Nine had awakened!

A hundred emotions surged through her heart. Fu Tingyun no longer cared about vassal princes; she rose and ran to Master Zhao Jiu’s side: “I’m here! I’m here!”

Master Zhao Jiu’s face was as white as paper.

He struggled to open his eyes.

“It’s me, it’s me!” Fu Tingyun crouched beside him.

He gazed at her, following her voice, his eyes somewhat confused. After a moment, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth: “We haven’t both died, have we?”

“No, no,” Fu Tingyun replied. For some reason, she felt a sourness in her heart, and tears began streaming down her face. “It was Lord Sixteen and his stewards who saved us!” Then she lowered her voice and explained what had happened.

Master Zhao Jiu struggled to rise and pay his respects to Lord Sixteen and his men.

“No need for such formality.” Lord Sixteen gestured for Liansheng to go forward and stop him, then walked over with a smile. “I didn’t expect you to wake so quickly. Your martial arts foundation must be excellent. Who taught you your skills?” He seemed very interested.

Master Zhao Jiu still managed to sit up.

Large beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

“Just a few amateurish moves learned at home,” he smiled. “Nothing worth mentioning!”

“You call this level of skill amateurish?” Lord Sixteen laughed. “You’re being far too modest!” Then he asked, “What is your name?”

Fu Tingyun’s face immediately turned pale.

Earlier, she had been focused on covering up their situation, but forgot that if Master Zhao Jiu woke up and Lord Sixteen questioned him, without prior coordination, wouldn’t they be exposed?

Master Zhao Jiu thought Fu Tingyun was exhausted and gave her a reassuring look, saying, “I wouldn’t dare presume. My name is Zhao Ling!”

So that’s his name, Zhao Ling!

Fu Tingyun grew more anxious.

“Zhao Ling!” Lord Sixteen savored the name. “‘Unyielding and cannot be violated!’ A good name. How old are you, and do you have a courtesy name?”

“I never attended school,” Master Zhao Jiu said, “so I don’t have a courtesy name!” He managed to evade the question about his age.

Just then, Fu Tingyun was eager to coordinate their story with Master Zhao Jiu. She quickly took out a handkerchief and gave it to him: “Wipe your sweat!” Using this opportunity, she urgently whispered a few instructions in his ear.

When Master Zhao Jiu heard the term “fiancé,” he froze momentarily before regaining his composure. But before he could respond, Lord Sixteen asked: “Are you literate?”

His gaze carried a hint of expectation.

In a flash, Fu Tingyun understood.

Lord Sixteen, seeing Master Zhao Jiu’s excellent martial arts, wanted to recruit him.

Just as the Fu family would try to recruit people knowledgeable in business management to serve as stewards.

However, vassal princes were not faring well these days, and joining them might not necessarily be a good thing.

She needed to find a way to warn Master Zhao Jiu.

Master Zhao Jiu smiled: “In my early years, I learned to read from my mother.”

Since his mother could teach her child to read, she must have been from a noble family, suggesting a fallen family fortune.

Lord Sixteen’s eyes lit up hearing this: “How do you make your living now?”

Master Zhao Jiu replied: “My family had a few acres of land. Once this famine passes, I’ll go back and put those fields in order.”

“With your martial skills, it seems a shame,” Lord Sixteen smiled.

“I practiced martial arts originally for health,” Master Zhao Jiu smiled. “What’s there to be ashamed of!”

Lord Sixteen’s expression grew even more amiable.

Fu Tingyun saw this and felt increasingly anxious. Just as she was thinking of how to interrupt their conversation, someone announced from outside the hall: “Brother Ma, Brother Tao has arrived!”

The man with the brutish face immediately whispered something in Lord Sixteen’s ear.

Lord Sixteen thought for a moment, then walked toward the hall entrance with the brutish-faced man. The innkeeper-like man and Liansheng followed. The burly man first gave Master Zhao Jiu a thumbs-up and quietly said, “Good man,” before following them.

Fu Tingyun sighed in relief and quickly told Master Zhao Jiu about her discovery, saying: “…This Lord Sixteen has left his fief without permission and has so many skilled guards with him; he’s not one to stay in his place. We’d better not get involved with him. Lord Sixteen’s medicine is very good, so we’ll find a way to get him to leave us some. When A-Sen returns, we’ll move to Linchun Town. Those bandits have been eliminated, so we should have at least two days of peace. We won’t need to find a doctor; we’ll have A-Sen go to Xi’an Prefecture to bring back Yucheng and Yuanbao to escort you there…” Noticing Lord Sixteen returning, she quickly sat up properly and seamlessly changed the subject, “Lord Sixteen is a good person. He’ll certainly not refuse if we ask him for some medicine…” She then gave a soft “Oh!” and stopped talking, as if embarrassed that her little scheme had been discovered, and stood up.

Lord Sixteen wasn’t offended and said: “I have matters to attend to and must leave tonight. However, our meeting was fated, and I have a few words for you.” His expression became solemn.

Fu Tingyun’s heart tightened.

“The northwest is now at war, with Tatar invaders coming every year. It’s a time when men of talent are needed,” Lord Sixteen said carefully. “With your martial skills, why not join the army in the northwest? You could achieve immortal deeds and bring glory to your family, living up to your family’s martial legacy!”

She was surprised, having thought Lord Sixteen wanted to recruit Master Zhao Jiu… but he was encouraging him to join the army.

Master Zhao Jiu looked at Lord Sixteen in astonishment. After thinking for a moment, he said: “I’ve never considered this before. Please allow me to think it over!” He neither agreed nor refused.

Lord Sixteen found his straightforward answer honest and glanced at Liansheng.

Liansheng took out a bright red, gold-embossed name card from his bundle and handed it to Master Zhao Jiu.

Lord Sixteen said: “I know Wu Xin, the Affairs Officer of Shaanxi Command. If you decide to join the army, take my card and he will arrange it for you. If you don’t want to go, keep this card as a memento!” Then, pointing to the brutish-faced man, he added, “His name is Mo Yi, one of my stewards. Since you’re currently unable to travel easily, I’m leaving him to assist you. The medicines have been entrusted to him as well. Feel free to follow him to Linchun Town to recover.” Without waiting for Master Zhao Jiu or Fu Tingyun to respond, he turned and headed outside.

“Lord Sixteen, I can’t express my gratitude for your great kindness!” Master Zhao Jiu called out loudly to his retreating figure.

Lord Sixteen turned back with a smile, then left the hall.

Outside came the sound of several horses neighing, followed by rapid hoofbeats like a gathering storm, gradually fading into the distance.

The summer night returned to silence.

The brutish-faced Mo Yi smiled at Master Zhao Jiu: “I see you have a small pushcart. Why don’t I push you to Linchun Town tonight? Staying in this place filled with corpses, though I’m not afraid, is rather nauseating.”

When he smiled, his brutish features quivered, making him look even more ferocious – he looked better without smiling.

“Let’s wait a while.” Fu Tingyun didn’t want to stay here a moment longer, but A-Sen hadn’t returned yet. “We have another companion who went to Linchun Town to find a doctor…”

Before she could finish, A-Sen rushed in: “Master Nine, Miss Fu…”

His voice carried a hint of tears, and upon seeing the hall full of corpses, he froze in shock.