Shaoshang was powerless to resist her younger sister’s decision, so the entire party took advantage of the remaining daylight and the absence of people around, quickly leaving the main road. Leading horses and carrying the carriage, they stumbled with uneven steps across the hard, gully-ridden earth, finding a hidden corner to make camp before darkness fell. That night, no one dared light a fire, so they made do with spring water and dry rations. Fortunately, the weather was neither cold nor hot at this time, so even without a campfire the cold would not be unbearable—wrapped in a felt blanket would be enough to pass the night.

Shaoshang also had the guards and府 soldiers take turns keeping watch, ordering the martial maids to release repellent incense to drive away mosquitoes, insects, rats, and ants. This continued until dawn. Watching his sister calmly issue various orders in the darkness of night, Shaoshang suddenly asked: “Did Huo Buyi teach you all this?”—Lady Xiao certainly didn’t teach it, Old Master Cheng didn’t have time to teach it, so that only left that person.

Shaoshang’s form stiffened slightly. She didn’t turn around: “…Could it not be that I learned it myself from reading books?”

The night wind whistled softly across the empty wilderness, quiet and cold. Except for the guards on duty, everyone had already retired for the night. Shaoshang, unable to sleep, sat alone hugging her knees in front of the tent. The sky was covered with a layer of white misty night fog, stars and moon invisible, only the deep night’s cold creeping silently into the surroundings—she suddenly thought of ‘him.’

When campaigning abroad, in the deep quiet of night, had he also gazed up at the sky from outside his tent like this?

In the Mobei cold nights where dripping water turned to ice, how had he endured it? Had he brought enough cold-weather clothing? When he left in haste back then, she wondered if he had taken the gloves and knee guards she made for him—most likely he hadn’t, otherwise his hands wouldn’t have developed chilblains…

Shaoshang remained sleepless through the night. When the first pale blue appeared on the horizon, she immediately sent two scouts skilled in light cavalry to gather information, while ordering others to set up cooking pots to prepare a hot meal for everyone. When the rice was cooked and soup hot, Shaoshang emerged from the tent stretching lazily to see her sister too preoccupied to eat properly, intently studying a map repeatedly.

Soon, the two light cavalry returned, and she hurriedly asked about the situation.

One of the slightly younger cavalry was breathless, while the other answered solemnly: “In response to the Young Lady, that canyon road is indeed problematic. We first went to an inn to inquire, and the old innkeeper said there were no merchants heading south yesterday. Who knew that after we left, a group of people arrived saying they were going south to visit relatives. So we immediately rode fast to catch up. For the first few miles before the canyon, there were still cart tracks, hoof prints, and footprints, but halfway through the canyon, there were no more traces at all.”

At this point, the younger cavalryman had caught his breath: “The inn’s old innkeeper clearly said that household had over twenty people dragging their whole family, four or five carts, and passed through that canyon at dusk. How could they vanish into thin air halfway through? So the two of us went back to search, and indeed discovered that one section of the canyon had faint bloodstains, but they had been covered with yellow sand. We walked further ahead and found that the earth at the foot of the mountain seemed newly dug, so we excavated it—Young Lady, there were many corpses…!”

Shaoshang nearly dropped her porridge bowl: “Such a thing truly happened?!”

“Could it be for robbery?” Shaoshang asked.

The older cavalryman said: “This subordinate doesn’t think so. Though only a quick glance, this subordinate saw several women still wearing silver bracelets on their wrists, and… a gold ankle bracelet was still on an infant in swaddling clothes.” Speaking these last few words, even he couldn’t bear it.

Shaoshang’s expression turned cold, while Shaoshang trembled as she pursued the question with her chopsticks: “Perhaps it was a vendetta?”

“That doesn’t seem likely either—all the people’s heads were still attached,” the young cavalryman said.

Shaoshang nodded—the standard procedure for revenge in those times always involved cutting off the head to console someone or something. Back then, He Zhaojun had operated that way. If they had time to bury the bodies and cover the traces, they surely would have had time to sever heads.

“Since it wasn’t for robbery or vendetta, it seems there must be another motive,” she said coldly.

Shaoshang put down her bowl and chopsticks, anxiously saying: “Yangyang, it seems there truly is a gang of bandits outside. We just don’t know who they’re targeting. We should quickly return to Lady Qu’s place.”

Shaoshang pondered for a moment, then asked the two cavalrymen again: “In your estimation, how many are in this group?”

Shaoshang’s heart jumped—her unfailingly accurate premonition told her that her sister was about to cause trouble again.

Estimating enemy numbers was a scout’s specialty skill. The older cavalryman said: “Judging from the concealed battle traces, there were approximately two hundred people. By common reasoning, at most four to five hundred.” Generally, one-third of the forces would be left as rear guard, at most half.

Shaoshang agreed: “Correct. I also think at most five or six hundred, certainly no more. The county magistrates under Governor Liang’s jurisdiction wouldn’t be negligent enough to allow nearly a thousand bandits to enter without knowing.” Especially in such times—the various magistrates, fearing incidents in their territories, would surely exercise doubled control over weapons and armed groups.

Shaoshang listened from the side in complete bewilderment, watching helplessly as her sister summoned four guard leaders and two other Cheng household servants with intelligence backgrounds into the tent, issuing instructions this way and that.

“…I only hope this action won’t be too presumptuous.” She pressed both hands on the map, sighing heavily.

One leader clasped his fists: “Young Lady need not worry. Those who massacre innocent civilians deserve more than death. Never mind the Young Lady’s orders—even if we brothers encountered this ourselves, we would intervene!”

The others voiced their agreement, then left to carry out their orders.

After everyone had left, Shaoshang suddenly stood up, demanding in a low roar: “What exactly are you planning to do?!”

Shaoshang’s eyes never left the map: “I’m going to enforce heaven’s justice.”

“Stop this nonsense!”

Shaoshang looked at her brother: “I’m having people pretend to go to that fork in the road to purchase food and drink, spreading word—that we know travelers were ambushed and killed in the canyon last night, but fortunately I felt unwell yesterday afternoon and camped in the nearby wilderness to rest, thus escaping disaster. Now, frightened, we’ve decided to return the way we came and seek refuge with the nearest magistrate at Anguo Commandery. On the return route, aside from that flower and grass-filled valley we passed earlier, there’s nowhere else to rest. Since my health is poor and I travel slowly, we must purchase many supplies.”

“You want to draw the snake from its hole? Are you mad? They’ve plotted evil—we should be fleeing, yet you’re rushing toward them! You’re so recklessly bold. Just wait until I tell Father and Mother—they’ll surely beat you!” Shaoshang’s forehead veins throbbed violently. “Your old habit is acting up again! When you should be bold, you hesitate at every step. When you should be careful, you tear down bridges and act recklessly. I truly don’t know what karmic debt you accumulated in a past life!”

After venting his anger, he softened his voice to persuade: “Why must you do this? Perhaps they’re not even targeting you.”

Shaoshang’s gaze was calm: “If they’re not targeting me, hearing the rumors I spread won’t provoke any response. But if they truly are targeting me… hmph, once I return to the magistrate’s seat of government or even Lady Qu’s place, they won’t dare pursue. Therefore, they must intercept me before I return.”

“Then that’s perfect! Once we return, we can slowly capture these scoundrels!”

“Once we return, while they certainly can’t catch me, I also can’t catch them—I still don’t know who these people are or how to capture them!” Shaoshang’s voice rang like metal. “Those innocent civilians died because of me. They cannot die in vain!”

Shaoshang fell silent.

Shaoshang retrieved a small wooden box from her traveling bag and presented it with both hands to Shaoshang: “Inside are the dispatch papers Mother gave me before departure, plus the Wan family seal Sister Qiqi gifted me. Please have Third Brother lead several guards on fast horses to Anguo Commandery’s seat of government—the Anguo Commandery Magistrate is an old friend of Uncle Wan’s who once attended banquets at our home. He’s a forthright and generous man. If Third Brother asks him to send troops for support, he will surely agree.”

Seeing her brother’s face full of disagreement, she smiled: “In current unstable times, if ordinary guards went to report and seek rescue, the Commandery Magistrate might hesitate, fearing a diversion tactic. That’s why Third Brother must go personally. From here to the seat of government, even riding at full gallop takes three hours. For the Commandery Magistrate to dispatch troops to the valley bottom will take at least two hours.”

“Third Brother knows my temperament—stubborn and unruly since childhood, incurable. Now that my mind is made up, nothing you say will work. You might as well hurry to bring reinforcements—perhaps you can arrive before I confront the enemy.”

Shaoshang looked at that delicate face that resembled his own by five or six parts. After a very long time, an overwhelming sense of helplessness arose in his heart. He sighed deeply: “You must wait for me to return!”

Watching four fast horses raise dust as Cheng Shaoshang and three guards galloped away, Shaoshang immediately began taking action.

First, she sent one group to excavate the corpses at that canyon, while leaving all baggage, luggage, and maids and servants without martial ability at their current location. The remaining people carried weapons and items Shaoshang had prepared in advance, traveling light on fast horses. Along the way, they purchased straw and wooden planks from farming households. By mid-morning, everyone finally reached that flower and grass-filled valley.

Calling it a valley, there were actually only gently sloping hills on the east and west sides, with roads on the north and south wide enough for three or four carts to pass side by side. All around, mountain walls had trickling springs slowly flowing down, following shallow dug channels toward the irrigation ditches of the outer farmland.

Shaoshang immediately assigned personnel: one group to set up cooking pots, one group to make preparations at locations Shaoshang designated, and one group to construct a ‘special’ simple thatched pavilion in the center of the valley bottom. Once all arrangements were complete, everyone sat down to a full lunch. Only then did someone finally ask—”Young Lady, exactly who are we fighting?”

The ethos of the times emphasized that warriors died for those who appreciated them. Even when changing employers, there should be amicable partings maintaining proper etiquette—one absolutely couldn’t reach the critical moment, see strong enemy forces ahead, and throw down one’s burden saying ‘I quit.’

Especially this time, Shaoshang’s forces consisted either of veteran retainers who had followed Cheng Shi for many years, or elite troops she had carefully trained herself—all could truly be called loyal ‘our own people.’ Strictly speaking, wherever Shaoshang told them to fight, they would fight, even if it meant losing their heads, without a word of complaint.

Still, morale should be boosted a bit… At this moment, the group previously sent to excavate corpses returned, using four or five flatbed carts to bring back those wrongly killed civilians’ bodies.

Shaoshang gathered everyone together, stood at a high point, and projected her voice loudly: “For this journey, I originally thought it would be peaceful, with good food and drink. After fulfilling the Grand Empress Dowager’s wishes, we could even visit Jing and Yang provinces to see those soft-spoken young ladies of the Wu region…”

Everyone laughed.

“Now it seems these pleasant plans will be delayed.” Shaoshang emphasized her pronunciation. “Someone wants to kill me! Should I meekly stretch out my neck for slaughter?!”

“Certainly not!” everyone shouted.

“Just now someone asked me, since someone wants to kill me, why not just avoid them? Why insist on confronting them head-on?” Shaoshang pointed toward the corpses on the ground nearby. “I’m not afraid to tell you all—I’m not doing this for myself, but for them!”

Everyone’s gazes shot over in unison.

Shaoshang produced a bamboo slip, saying solemnly: “This is a family letter found on the bodies. They were originally from Jing Province, but later one branch settled in Yu Province. This time, the old ancestor in Jing Province was turning eighty, and coincidentally a cousin’s daughter was getting married. Longing to see their relatives, they simply set out as a whole family to visit, drinking both birthday wine and wedding wine together. Who knew heaven is blind—the entire family met violent death. Everyone look…”

The corpses on the flatbed carts were covered in bloodstains—old and young, women and children, all present. The Cheng household veterans were better off, but the guards entrusted by the Grand Empress Dowager had barely left the capital—when had they seen such scenes? Their eyes instantly grew moist. Some younger ones, seeing the bodies of young girls and children on the wooden carts, couldn’t help but shed tears.

“All were born of parents, all have flesh and blood relatives. Just because of a gang of heaven-cursed beasts, joyous occasions have turned to mourning. When the news reaches their family, how heartbroken and devastated they will be…”

Now even the veterans wore grave expressions. The others either wept or gnashed their teeth, shouting in succession—

“Exterminate these beasts!”

“Slaughter these creatures worse than animals!”

“Never let them go!”…

Standing behind Shaoshang, Fu Deng wiped away tears while thinking: Mother truly had keen eyes. Back then in that rural cottage, she saw at a glance that the Young Lady was very, very good.

The condensed version of the pre-battle speech concluded. Shaoshang sat alone in the thatched pavilion while the others quietly waited in their assigned positions.

At three quarters past the hour of the Goat, as the sun’s shadow slanted west, dense and urgent hoofbeats came from the valley bottom’s southern passage. The heavy vibrations struck everyone’s eardrums through air and soil. The four guard leaders immediately issued secret orders.

Approaching the valley entrance, the hoofbeats slowed. Then before everyone’s eyes surged a mass of masked cavalry bearing swords and spears—just those visible already numbered over four hundred. Adding those holding position at the valley entrance behind them, there were probably five or six hundred altogether.

Shaoshang sat mounted, calling out loudly: “An old acquaintance is here. Will you not reveal yourself for a meeting?”

The masked cavalry队 parted down the middle. A riding-garbed young woman accompanied by four martial maids slowly rode out from the crowd. Seeing the few people around Shaoshang, she smiled contemptuously and gracefully removed her veiled hat, handing it to a nearby maid: “I understand your intention and have come specially to meet. Why does Young Lady Shaoshang not come forward for a meeting?”

Seeing that familiar face, Shaoshang smiled slightly: “I vaguely guessed it was you, but didn’t dare confirm it.”

Luo Jitong slowly stroked the riding whip in her hand: “Why didn’t you dare confirm it?”

“I have too many enemies—difficult to be certain.”

Luo Jitong smiled charmingly: “How could a young woman like you have many enemies? Could it be that your conduct is too unbearable?”

“No help for it—who told me there are mountains and seas of women secretly coveting Huo Buyi?”

Luo Jitong’s face darkened: “At this point, you still dare engage in verbal cleverness! Once I skin you and dig out your heart, I’ll see what expression appears on Huo Buyi’s face!”

“Speaking of verbal exchanges…” Shaoshang suddenly changed her tone, saying wistfully, “You and I have known each other so many years. Six years ago, you pretended to be a virtuous woman straight from a book. Six years later, you wish you could devour me. Truly speaking, you and I have never really talked properly even once.”

She pointed behind herself with her riding whip: “I wonder if Elder Sister Jitong would be willing to warm wine and converse with me.”

A martial maid beside Luo Jitong immediately said: “Young Lady, beware of trickery. Better to conclude this matter quickly.” But Luo Jitong didn’t take it seriously, laughing: “Cheng Shaoshang, don’t think I don’t know you’ve sent people to Anguo Commandery for rescue troops. But they won’t arrive until evening at the earliest. With your few people, I can slaughter you all clean within half an hour.”

Shaoshang’s brows and eyes didn’t move: “Since you already have victory in hand, why not have a talk?”

Luo Jitong nodded in agreement, then waved for her forces to follow. Shaoshang signaled for her forces to retreat. Thus the two sides’ forces occupied the valley, one south and one north.

Shaoshang dismounted, extending her hand in a welcoming gesture: “This is a pavilion I just erected. Lady Luo, please don’t disdain it.” Then, following host-guest etiquette, she directly took the northern seat.

Seeing this thatched pavilion was open on all four sides with no way to conceal any ambush, Luo Jitong gracefully stepped inside and sat across from Shaoshang, separated by a low table.

On the table sat a small ceramic stove with gentle charcoal fire, the rice wine in the ceramic pot emanating fragrant aroma.

Shaoshang ladled two scoops of wine, pouring them into two double-eared cups, then pushed both cups before Luo Jitong to let her choose first. Luo Jitong glanced at her, reached toward the right cup, hesitated, then took the left cup instead.

After downing one cup, Luo Jitong sighed: “This is wine you brewed yourself, isn’t it? It’s more fragrant than even the rice wine from the palace’s Great Workshop. Actually, His Majesty loves drinking your brewed wine very much, but restrains himself from praising you.”

“I know—because brewing wine requires much refined rice, and His Majesty fears encouraging extravagant and wasteful habits. Actually, not long after you left, I was able to brew good wine from coarse rice and millet.” Shaoshang took a shallow sip.

Luo Jitong surveyed the surroundings. Though this thatched pavilion was crude, its framework was ingenious. Underfoot were level wooden planks spread with thick, dry straw. On the four erected pillars hung several strings of grass-woven wind chimes. Overhead stretched a piece of finely woven silk thin enough to let light through, both avoiding direct sunlight and keeping the pavilion’s interior bright and clear.

Though it was now early autumn, the rapid horseback riding had made Luo Jitong somewhat hot. Sitting in this north-south ventilated thatched pavilion, feeling the gusts of breeze from the opposite valley passage mixed with rice wine fragrance, she couldn’t help sighing: “You were always like this—clearly terrible at rules and etiquette, yet full of clever ideas in small matters, especially regarding comfort. No one was more inspired than you.”

Shaoshang wanted to delay as much time as possible, pretending nonchalance: “You tell me what I should and shouldn’t learn. Her Majesty says daily that I’m making progress.”

Luo Jitong glanced at both sides of the thatched pavilion. The hillsides were gently sloping—completely impossible to position rolling stones or similar ambushes. Looking again at the mere sixty or seventy people ahead, she said lightly: “You needn’t think of delaying. I’ll talk with you for at most a short half-hour. Today you cannot escape death in any case.”

Shaoshang remained unperturbed, saying: “If I hadn’t deliberately waited for you, you might not be sitting here saying these words either. I waited for you only to ask—have you lost your mind? How dare you commit such madness that implicates your family! Those behind you are all Luo family household troops and heavily recruited martial artists, aren’t they? To kill me, you ruthlessly slaughtered civilians and attempted to destroy evidence. Whether I die or not, my Third Brother will spread the word. Don’t you care about your father, brothers, and family anymore…”

“Stop your empty threats. First, your Third Brother doesn’t necessarily know it’s me. Second, he has no proof.” Luo Jitong was mentally sharp, no ordinary person. “After killing you, I’ll immediately head south to Jing Province. Jing Province’s heartland is vast. Once I clean my hands and feet, I’ll say I was relaxing in the south. Who then can definitively say I killed you?!”

Shaoshang was silent for a moment: “It seems I underestimated you… Does Huo Buyi know your capabilities?”

Luo Jitong’s expression changed, her eyes seeming to fill with mist: “…He’s five years older than me. I entered the palace the year he just left the palace to establish his own household. To avoid taboos regarding palace women, he only came to Changqiu Palace to pay respects to Her Majesty once or twice a month. Whenever that happened, I would hide behind the curtains and secretly watch him. So many years, I saw him so many times, yet we never exchanged more than a few words.”

“You could have approached to speak with him yourself. Waiting for Huo Buyi to speak to you first—the earth would grow old and heaven ancient before that happened.” Shaoshang rarely spoke a fair word.

Luo Jitong said: “He was blind to all women, not just me alone. So I was very curious—how exactly did you and he become acquainted? Why you and not me?”

Shaoshang opened her mouth, then said: “…You might not believe this, but between him and me, aside from that broken engagement six years ago, most things weren’t for me to decide.”

Luo Jitong’s tone was dry: “Yes, that’s the kind of person he is—appearing gentle and amiable, but actually stubborn and opinionated. No matter who likes him, it’s useless unless he himself reciprocates. I knew I had no hope, so I resolved not to pay him attention, but… but easier said than done…”

“He’s born so graceful and handsome, conducts himself neither hurriedly nor slowly. When he looks at you, he’s utterly focused. When speaking, he’s unfailingly polite. He stands alone, comes and goes by himself, never even exchanging playful words with palace maids.”—So gentle, so cold.

These words Luo Jitong had kept in her heart for over ten years, always with nowhere to confide them. Today, before her soon-to-die rival in love, she could finally speak freely. Thus she became increasingly unstoppable, murmuring dreamlike about her girlhood’s melancholy secret love.

“He was a dream I’d had since childhood—distant as dawn light on mountain peaks, as celestial terraces over the sea, beautiful beyond measure yet impossible to reach. I couldn’t wait hopelessly forever. I had to plan for myself. But who knew…”

She glanced at Shaoshang, her expression desolate: “Who knew the dream would one day end? I remember that morning early on, Old Attendant Zhai came to me smiling, saying, ‘The Eleventh Young Lord is taking a wife—someone he chose himself, truly thank heaven and earth’—I don’t know how I got through that entire day, like a walking corpse, spirit dazed and confused. I even knocked over the water basin while grinding ink for Her Majesty and had to request leave to return home.”

Reaching this point, a fire suddenly blazed in Luo Jitong’s eyes, resentment burning fierce: “If a dream remains forever a dream that no one can touch, I could have accepted it. But only then did I learn—dreams can come true! The Eleventh Young Lord would like women! But why you? Why not me?!”

Bold as Shaoshang was, encountering Luo Jitong’s mad, burning gaze, she couldn’t help leaning back.

Luo Jitong stared fixedly at Shaoshang: “The first time I saw you, His Majesty arranged your betrothal to Zicheng. The second time I saw you, he was pulling you to sit at His Majesty’s family banquet. I entered the palace before you, have higher birth than you, am more intelligent and virtuous than you, yet could only serve beside the Empress, carrying dishes and serving wine, without the qualification to sit as equals with the imperial princes and princesses!”

Shaoshang felt her adversary’s emotions were growing agitated and slowly moved her seat cushion backward.

“At that time, the Prince of Donghai already had a princess consort, the Prince of Huai’an and his wife were devoted, the Third and Fourth Princes were on Noble Consort Yue’s side, the Fifth Prince… hmph, better not mentioned… The remaining princes were all still young. At that palace banquet, I kept secretly watching you, thinking—what would it take to sit properly at His Majesty’s banquet, instead of bowing and scraping like a palace maid? Then I saw Lord Huo. Well then, the matter returned to its starting point—the way forward still lay with him.” Luo Jitong’s eyes shone with a peculiar light, greedy and cruel.

“So you joined forces with the Fifth Princess to frame me?” Shaoshang said coldly.

Luo Jitong glanced at her: “The Fifth Princess was determined to marry into the Yue family. I wasn’t entirely without hope.”

“I wondered why you married off to the northwest ahead of schedule. Turns out you fled in haste fearing the matter would come to light. How laughable that I truly considered you a friend then and was reluctant to part with you.” Shaoshang said bitterly.

“My fate wasn’t as good as yours. Your marriage was paved with gold and jade; mine was to bolster my family’s prestige.” Luo Jitong didn’t move an inch. “Later, I encountered Lord Huo in the northwest. I thought, perhaps heaven pitied me and finally gave me a way out!”

“Mm, heaven pitied you, so you turned around and killed your husband?” Shaoshang mocked.

Luo Jitong’s eyes turned icy: “He was going to die anyway, that sickly wretch—like a living corpse for over ten years. I let him pass several months of happy days before death. He could die without regrets.”

“Die without regrets? Did Seventh Young Lord Jia say this himself?” Shaoshang was incredulous. “You have no guilt whatsoever, and yet you’re self-righteous?! I heard Seventh Young Lord Jia’s parents treated you like their own daughter, even personally went to propose marriage to Huo Buyi on your behalf. Were you not moved even slightly?”

“They were good to me, first because I served them comfortably, and second for the Jia family’s reputation. Now everyone in the northwestern cities says the Jia family has lofty moral standards, the elders are kind and benevolent—all the young ladies hope to marry into it.”

“You truly are a great talent of our age!” Shaoshang laughed in anger. “To speak of such evil deeds without changing expression!”

“I dare not claim such praise. No matter how resounding my reputation for virtue and virtue, it doesn’t compare to your skill at seducing men! Hooking one after another, never satisfied with just a few.” The elegant and virtuous woman revealed a vicious expression.

“I did not seduce men!” Shaoshang grew angry, rising with hands on the table.

“Hmph, naturally you won’t admit it, but tell me yourself—why would those men fancy a vulgar and shallow woman like you!”

Shaoshang nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood—if only she knew!

“Have you said enough?!” She forcibly suppressed her anger. “When you’ve said enough, it’s my turn to speak!”

Luo Jitong snorted coldly.

Shaoshang took a deep breath: “You speak so logically, as if no one under heaven understands Huo Buyi better than you! Fine, let me ask you now—if Huo Buyi knew you wantonly slaughtered the innocent yesterday, what would he say?”

Luo Jitong’s face twitched, but she insisted stubbornly: “Those who accomplish great deeds don’t worry about small details.”

“Killing me counts as a great deed?!”

Shaoshang slammed both hands on the table: “What kind of person is Huo Buyi? You just described his surface—let me tell you his essence! He would gallop back and forth hundreds of miles with a pierced shoulder to avoid delaying the farming season and eliminate bandits! He would insist on detouring the army march to avoid trampling civilians’ rice seedlings, even when so exhausted he was about to fall from his horse! All that fame, profit, and imperial family banquets you’re so obsessed with—he’s never cared about them! He only waits for the seas and rivers to be calm, court affairs undisturbed, then he’d gladly release the horses to southern mountains, venture through snowy peaks and vast seas, sword in hand across the world! A vulgar, grasping, greedy, wantonly murderous wretch like you—you dare even mention him?!”

She finished in one breath—to hell with delaying time! Fight if we must—who’s afraid of whom!

Luo Jitong’s face turned a mottled blue-black with rage, pointing at her and shouting: “You, you dare…”

Shaoshang stood up proudly, looking coldly at her: “Let me tell you two final things.”

“First, no matter how many troops you outnumber your enemy by, never fight on terrain the other side has prepared in advance.”

“Second, everything I’m about to show you—Huo Buyi taught it all!”

Before Luo Jitong could have the martial maids at her side draw their swords, Shaoshang already called out loudly: “Strike!”

Fu Deng standing outside the pavilion flung something from his hand, and the thatched pavilion where the two women sat instantly burst into roaring flames.