“Li Wu has returned triumphant?”

Wang Shiyong was so startled that the embroidery needle in her hand accidentally pricked her fingertip. She paid no attention to it and immediately rose from the embroidery table.

She was just about to call someone to help her dress and fix her hair when she stopped and shook her head, dismissing the thought herself.

“His first priority upon entering the city would be to report to Father — he should be arriving outside the mansion any moment now… Chunguo! Look at what I’m wearing — is it too plain? Go quickly and fetch that gold filigree plum blossom hairpin with the gemstones!”

Chunguo, who had just returned from outside, stood hesitantly in the doorway, wearing a complicated expression as she looked at Wang Shiyong’s face, bright with anticipation.

“Miss…”

“What’s the matter with you?” Wang Shiyong frowned with displeasure. “Master Li will be here any moment — what are you dawdling for?”

“Miss, Master Li may not be coming so soon.”

“Why not?”

“When he entered the city, Master Li and Mistress Li were riding on the same horse together. He personally escorted Mistress Li home before coming here…”

“Impossible!” Wang Shiyong’s expression turned ugly. She said flatly, “Why would he bring a woman along on such an important occasion?”

“But it’s true…” Chunguo said. “The whole city knows by now. People outside are all talking about how Master Li is a talented young man devoted to his wife…”

“Enough!”

Chunguo looked at Wang Shiyong in fright as her complexion shifted from white to green.

Wang Shiyong turned away, her expression rigid as she stared at the reflection in the bronze mirror.

“…Get out.”

“Miss… do you still want the hairpin?”

“Get out!” Wang Shiyong spun around and screamed.

Chunguo scrambled back in fear and retreated from the room, remembering to shut the door behind her.

Left alone in the room, Wang Shiyong slumped down onto the embroidery stool and stared blankly at the bead of blood rising on the index finger of her right hand.

Supporting each other in poverty, refusing to abandon her even after rising to prominence, sharing even his most shining moments with his wife by his side.

Weren’t men supposed to be faithless and heartless?

Why, then, was Li Wu so different?

Why was such a man someone else’s husband?

Wang Shiyong’s face was expressionless. She pressed her thumb down hard on the bleeding wound, watching an even larger bead of blood well up through the skin, feeling a savage, retaliatory satisfaction bloom inside her.

She didn’t believe it.

All men under heaven were faithless — Li Wu would be no different.

He simply hadn’t yet experienced the temptations of gold, jewels, beauty, and power.

When he finally understood, he would see that what he now treasured as a rare gem was, in truth, utterly worthless.

Wang Shiyong took out a handkerchief and quietly dabbed at the blood on her fingertip, her composure fully restored.

Whatever she had set her mind on, she had never failed to obtain.

This time would be no different.

Li Wu brought his two brothers into the Wang estate, and it was not until the sun had sunk below the horizon that he walked out of the front gate with a light step.

At his command, the eight ox carts waiting one street over turned their heads and set off in the direction of the mass burial grounds outside the city.

Li Wu and the other soldiers’ figures gradually vanished into the nightfall.

The strange smell drifting through the streets slowly dispersed. The night settled back into its usual quiet.

The night breeze stirred the lanterns hanging at the gates of the Wang estate, the Wang character swaying gently in the air above. Inside, in the brightly lit study, a candleflame flickered behind a lamp shade.

A chess piece settled softly onto the board. The endgame was already beyond saving.

The advisor bowed. “Your honor’s chess skill is superb — your subordinate is thoroughly convinced of his inferiority.”

Wang Wenzhong let out a long sigh. “You’ve played against me for three years, and your game hasn’t improved one bit. Tongchun — are you letting me win on purpose?”

“Your honor sees clearly — your subordinate truly lacks the ability and cannot match your deep and far-reaching strategies.”

“Deep and far-reaching strategies… doesn’t it all collapse the moment you meet the number one young master in the land, leaving you with no way to fight back?”

“Your honor’s strength lies in practical affairs — it’s only natural you cannot compare with those young masters who do nothing but study this art day and night.”

“Enough — I know exactly what I’m worth. It’s fortunate that Fu Xuanmiao has already left with His Majesty. Otherwise, having such a formidable figure sitting here inside my Xuzhou administration’s offices every single day — even I would lose track of who exactly is the Xuzhou Prefect.”

Wang Wenzhong’s expression was complex as he sighed again. “Put it all away.”

“Your honor does not wish to play another round?” the advisor asked.

“Without a worthy opponent, it holds no appeal.”

“Your subordinate is ashamed.”

The advisor bowed his head and began removing the pieces from the board one by one, placing them back into the small celadon and white porcelain jar.

Wang Wenzhong leaned back against the soft cushion behind him, gazing at the night beyond the window, deep in thought. “With one formidable figure gone, it seems another strange talent has arrived in my Xuzhou… I originally took Li Wu to be nothing more than a rough country bumpkin, a man who spent his days with his face to the dirt and his back to the sky. What I did not expect was that not only has he eliminated Jinzhu Stronghold, which has plagued me for many years, but that he then pulled this move — one I never saw coming.”

“Perhaps he had no deeper intention,” the advisor said. “Watching him the way he was in such a hurry to claim credit, it seems he did not think beyond that.”

“Whether it was intentional or not, he made a grand spectacle of hauling all those bandit corpses into Pengcheng, and now everyone knows he has performed a great service.” Wang Wenzhong’s expression grew grave. After a long pause, he remarked: “I am being forced to reward him now whether I wish to or not — like a duck being pushed onto a shelf — simply to stop the mouths of those who would talk.”

“As for Li Wu himself — whether his mind runs deep is another question — but if your honor can use him well, he would certainly make a fine blade,” the advisor said. “Of humble origin, no scholarly title, and with no path forward except relying on your honor, he has no other option. In this bandit suppression campaign, he was able to devise the fire attack strategy within the time your honor set, which shows he has a certain quick-wittedness. I am told that during the siege, he and his two brothers fought at the very front lines throughout, and half the bandits who fled down the mountain met their end at the hands of these three brothers. Quick-witted, courageous, and ruthless when the situation demands it — if he is pointed at your honor’s enemies, he would certainly be a blade that strikes fear into all who hear his name.”

“In turbulent times, I am indeed still lacking such a sharp blade.” Wang Wenzhong withdrew his gaze from the window and said evenly, “Xuzhou has not produced a true hero in quite some time. Now that we have at last rid ourselves of Jinzhu Stronghold — that great thorn in my side — how can we not hold a grand banquet to celebrate? Have someone send word to Li Wu and tell him —”

In the quiet courtyard, Li Wu brought his axe down and split a standing log clean in two.

“That crafty old man says he wants to throw me a grand banquet three days from now — I might as well be passing wind — even the wind knows he has no good intentions!”

Shen Zhuxi carried over a small stool and sat down beside him, watching a sixth-rank military official personally chop firewood right in front of her. The household wasn’t short on money to buy pre-cut wood, but Li Wu simply had to take off his shirt, flex his muscles, and hack away in a sweat right in front of her.

She didn’t dare say anything, didn’t dare ask.

If Li Wu were to ask her — do you feel more sorry for the log or for me, which matters more, the log or me — how on earth was she supposed to answer?

“Perhaps he genuinely wants to spread the news of your achievement and show off a little, since you clearing out Jinzhu Stronghold reflects well on him too?” Shen Zhuxi offered.

“Then why not just invite me to a banquet directly? Why go to all the trouble of lending me his private villa so that I have to organize the whole thing myself? When something seems off, there’s always a scheme behind it!”

Crack!

Another log was split in two in the blink of an eye.

What he said was not without reason. Shen Zhuxi began to feel genuinely uneasy as well.

“…Does the villa have a lake?”

“I think it does. Why?” Li Wu paused and wiped the sweat dripping from his brow to his eyelashes with the back of his hand.

“You should be on your guard against someone pushing you into the lake —” Shen Zhuxi said with a grave expression. “Or he might jump in himself and then claim you pushed him.”

Li Wu: “…”

“And also —” Shen Zhuxi was eager to pass on her hard-won knowledge and rose from the stool, stepping closer to Li Wu. “Keep a constant eye on whether anything appears or disappears from your person. If something of yours goes missing, it may well turn up in the room or on the person of some married woman. If you suddenly find yourself with an unfamiliar perfume sachet or piece of jewelry, get rid of it immediately. And there’s also —”

“Shen Zhuxi, do you think I’m going to survive a palace intrigue?” Li Wu flicked a finger against her forehead and cut off her unfinished compendium of survival tips.

Shen Zhuxi had tried to pass on her knowledge in good faith, and had been rewarded with a snap to the forehead.

She said with a wronged, pitiful tone: “One can never be too careful. What harm is there in knowing a little more…”

Li Wu knitted his brows, and one look at him made it obvious he hadn’t taken a single word she said to heart. “If I haven’t kicked someone else into the lake, that’s already charitable. Does anyone actually dare to push me in?”

Shen Zhuxi thought to herself that indeed, very few people would dare to push this tyrant into any lake. Then why did the Prefect Wang feel the need to lend him a villa to host the guests himself?

Guests.

Shen Zhuxi said hesitantly: “Do you think this Prefect Wang might be trying to make you look foolish in front of everyone?”

Sure enough, Li Wu didn’t even pause before replying: “How could I possibly look foolish?”

Shen Zhuxi had her doubts about whether his standard for self-assessment was quite the same as other people’s — otherwise how could he be wearing an expression that confident right now?

Even if this insufferable man’s self-confidence was as thick as a city wall, Shen Zhuxi still chose her words with care. “Prefect Wang has asked you to host local gentry and dignitaries, and aside from the venue and one hundred taels of silver, you are expected to arrange everything yourself. The guests who have been invited are all prominent families from the area. To earn their approval, one hundred taels of silver is a drop in the ocean. What is more, they have strict codes of etiquette and many sensitivities — if someone were to rush into hosting a banquet with only half an understanding, it would very likely invite ridicule…”

“Then what should I do?” Li Wu’s brow furrowed deeply.

Shen Zhuxi thought it over, then summoned her courage. “If you trust me, leave this matter in my hands.”

“Who else would I trust if not you?” Li Wu said without a moment’s hesitation. “Do what you see fit — if it goes well, the credit is yours; if it falls apart, the fault is mine.”

With Li Wu showing such complete trust in her, Shen Zhuxi’s confidence grew. She squared her shoulders and said: “I won’t let it fall apart. Leave it to me with confidence!”

Li Wu’s gaze drifted to her chest. “…Mm. I believe you.”

“…What is it?” Shen Zhuxi was just about to look down when Li Wu gripped her by the shoulders and turned her to face the kitchen. “What nothing! Go get me a cloth to wipe myself down — I’m drenched in sweat and you don’t show me even a shred of concern?”

“You could just buy firewood that’s already been split from the street — it’s cheap, and it would save you the cost of buying an axe in the first place…” Shen Zhuxi muttered under her breath.

Li Wu glared at her. “You’re worried about the cost of an axe but not worried about me? Shen Zhuxi — which matters more, the axe or me?”

Shen Zhuxi turned and ran.

“Where are you going?! Shen Zhuxi! I’m still talking to you!”

Li Wu’s voice came from behind her, and Shen Zhuxi called back without looking: “I’m going to get you the cloth!”

She would rather run errands for him than stay there and listen to him squawk.

When she brought the cloth back, Li Wu made no move to take it from her outstretched hand. Instead, he bent down and tilted his sweaty face and body toward her.

Shen Zhuxi had no choice but to wipe his face herself.

For a princess of a nation to serve this man — he must have been delighted beyond measure; the corners of his mouth had curved up so high one could practically hang a jug of oil from them.

Suppressing the impulse to smother his face with the cloth, Shen Zhuxi wiped his face with helpless resignation.

Golden morning light spilled across Li Wu, blending seamlessly with the bronzed, well-built muscles beneath. The twisted-neck old tree in the courtyard stood in silent witness. And yet from him, there came the wind of someone entirely free.

A green wandering phoenix, soaring and gliding in the unbounded wind.

Shen Zhuxi suddenly felt a wave of sadness, and guilt began to torment her. He treated her with wholehearted sincerity, without a shred of reservation. And yet from beginning to end, she had never once been honest about her true identity.

The urge to confess the truth and the cowardly fear of facing the consequences were like two enormous hands reaching from opposite directions, pulling her soul back and forth between them.

She stayed rooted weakly in place. The only thing she could do was try her best to make it up to him in other ways.

Just as he had extended his hand to her time and time again, she too wanted to be of real help to him when it mattered most.

A complete plan for the upcoming midday banquet gradually took shape in Shen Zhuxi’s mind.

She made up her mind: no matter how much effort it took, she was going to make Li Wu look impeccably dignified from head to toe at that banquet.