The village was serene and distant after sunset.
Caiyu had slept for too long, and now that she was awake, she couldn't fall back asleep.
She pushed open the door, and the howling wind swept in the snow, hitting her body.
Sheng Jiangli picked up a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat from the side and put them on her, frowning. "You've just woken up. You shouldn't be exposed to the wind."
"It's okay." Caiyu looked at the towering mountains in the distance, which resembled ancient beasts lurking in the darkness. "Brother A'li, we originally planned to leave the pass. Why did we stop at Qilian Mountain?"
Sheng Jiangli sat down close beside her on the corridor, with a twig in his mouth and his long legs hanging carelessly.
"The plan changed. We originally expected Xiang'er to return to Tartary, and Song Yinghuai to take you back to Yan with a small number of personal guards."
"Who would have thought that bastard would conspire with Xiang'er, induce the Tartars to station troops outside the passes of the Qin and Jin regions, and then kill the crown prince."
"Xiang'er was placed under house arrest and taken to the capital. Song Yinghuai led 100,000 imperial troops on a campaign. After you fell into the water, Duo Yong and the others returned outside the pass and found that the Yan troops were patrolling around, searching for my whereabouts everywhere."
Sheng Jiangli sneered coldly. "He's such a cautious man. After you had an accident, he would surely come looking for me."
Caiyu's heart skipped a beat. "But now that you're missing, wouldn't he suspect..."
"No. Your falling into the water is actually a good excuse." Sheng Jiangli grinned. "Among the Hu cavalry, there's a rumor that I learned of your death on my way back outside the pass and then turned back to Zhengyang County to look for your body. I haven't returned outside the pass yet."
"He knows that I've never liked to follow the emperor's orders. I secretly entered the pass before, and it's normal for me to secretly turn back now. So, he doesn't suspect me anymore."
It was really hard to guard against when these two extremely intelligent men were scheming against and suspecting each other.
Caiyu's face turned pale. "Fan'er said that Second Sister... she..."
Lan Guifan had cried and said that Second Sister had been bestowed death.
He hadn't even had the chance to see Second Sister one last time, and now they were separated by death.
Caiyu just couldn't believe it. That Second Sister who was both brave and resourceful, the one who had deceived her into thinking she was plotting a rebellion against Daye, the one who had led the Tartars into the encirclement of the Yan troops.
She couldn't be dead.
Back then in the pit of the dead, Second Sister had managed to escape death.
Now, she surely wouldn't die.
Sheng Jiangli reached out and wiped away her pearl - like tears. He remained silent for a long while with a solemn face before saying affirmatively,
"You have to trust Xiang'er and Master Xu."
——
In a plum garden on the western outskirts of the capital.
The plum blossoms were in full bloom again in the cold winter, clusters upon clusters, like a surging red sea.
The beautiful scenery was like a painting, but a sharp sound of shattered porcelain broke the tranquility.
"Xu Ziyi! You've got some nerve! How dare you lock me up?"
Lan Jinxiang's roar came from the wing - room deep in the plum garden.
A trickle of blood slowly oozed from Xu Ziyi's forehead and slid down his well - defined face.
The bright red color set off his fair complexion, making him look extremely charming.
The servants waiting on the side were all too scared to make a sound and wished they could minimize their presence.
Here it comes again...
It was a daily commotion.
Who on earth was this new mistress of the plum garden, daring to be so arrogant towards Lord Xu, the newly appointed grand tutor of the young emperor and the elder of the cabinet?
Xu Ziyi kept silent and didn't wipe the blood on his forehead. He just bent down to pick up the broken cups on the ground and handed them to a servant beside him.
"Take these away and clean them up. Have someone clean this place carefully. If the Second Miss hurts her foot, I'll hold you all accountable!"
The servant quickly agreed.
Lan Jinxiang squinted at him. "What Second Miss? I'm a married woman! You can call me Madam or Khatun."
Hearing this, Xu Ziyi's face darkened. He strode forward and suddenly picked her up horizontally.
The sudden loss of weight made Lan Jinxiang let out a startled cry, and she involuntarily wrapped her arms around Xu Ziyi's neck.
A hint of satisfied smile finally appeared on the man's gloomy face. Then he calmly carried her back to the inner bedroom.
"Xiang'er, according to the front - line battle report, your khan husband has been chased by the regent's troops to Qilian Mountain. The Yan troops, the Xu family's troops, and the imperial troops are encircling him from three directions. He won't live long."
Xu Ziyi laid her on the brocade quilt and reached out to caress her gorgeous face.
"You'll soon be a widow."
Lan Jinxiang's face changed. "What? Do you want to marry me? Do you want me to get married for the fourth time?"
Xu Ziyi grunted. "Why not?"
Now that he had entered the cabinet, his position in the political arena was almost at its peak.
And the Duke of Xu had long since withdrawn to the second line.
Apart from Song Yinghuai, no one in the world had the ability to stop him from doing anything.
Not even the young emperor, that puppet without any backing.
And Song Yinghuai would never stop him from marrying Xiang'er.
Lan Jinxiang seemed to have heard a joke. "Heh! Hehe! Hehe!"
She stared at Xu Ziyi coldly. "Then you're in big trouble. I have a bad temper, and I like to keep male lovers. In bed, I like men to follow my orders. I'm not going to change."
"You want to marry me? I agree. I'm a woman who's been married four times, and you're an unmarried young man. Anyway, I'm not the one at a loss, and I won't be the one wearing the green hat. Have you thought it through?"
Xu Ziyi's face changed several times, and his dark eyes stared fixedly at her.
Lan Jinxiang raised her chin and stared back at him defiantly.
She didn't believe that Xu Ziyi could tolerate it.
Who would have thought that Xu Ziyi's words would make her eyes widen in surprise.
"I'll take any scolding and beating... but no male lovers. If you need anything, you can summon me to serve you at any time. You can have me as many times as you want. Whenever you want, I'll come; whenever you want to stop, I'll stop. I'll follow whatever position you like."
As Xu Ziyi said this, his well - defined fingers slowly stroked the buttons on his chest. "Do you want me now?"
After a moment of shock, Lan Jinxiang was immediately filled with fighting spirit.
She sneered and reached out to push Xu Ziyi onto the bed. "If you want, then come. If you want to be tortured, I'm more than happy to oblige!"
The heavy curtain fell, blocking their bodies. Only two vague outlines could be seen.
Lan Jinxiang straddled Xu Ziyi's thighs, and her fingertips lightly slipped into his robe. Her cold hands touched his warm skin.
The candlelight flickered, and the curtains were heavy. Lan Jinxiang couldn't see Xu Ziyi's expression clearly, but she felt his body tremble slightly.
Her hands continued to caress his firm muscles. As her fingertips pinched him hard, the man's body suddenly jerked, and a low gasp escaped his lips.
"Does it hurt? Then bear it." Lan Jinxiang mocked and pressed and kneaded even harder. As she treated him roughly, the man's breathing became more and more suppressed and heavy.
He wasn't in pain but was so tense that he felt like he was about to explode.
After "tormenting" him for a while, when his eyes were bloodshot, Lan Jinxiang suddenly stopped and started to untie his belt. She tied his wrists together and placed them behind his back.
The man lifted his upper body slightly, his head tilted back, and the veins on his slender neck were clearly visible.
Xu Ziyi's handsome face, as white as jade, was flushed red with discomfort. He couldn't help but call out, "Xiang'er... let me..."
"Shut up!" Lan Jinxiang interrupted him fiercely. "Didn't you say you'd follow all my orders?"
"Then just bear it obediently!"
Xu Ziyi closed his mouth and stared at the woman with blood - red eyes as she took a bamboo clip from the curtain.
The skin on his chest suddenly hurt, and he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. Then a blush spread across his face, a blush full of lust.
The usually steady man's eyes were filled with moisture, looking a bit innocent and pitiful.
Lan Jinxiang lifted her leg, and her small, fair foot kicked him through his clothes. "Can't you even hold on for a while? You're so impatient."
The man, who had been kicked a few times, let out a low moan from his throat. His breath became even more rapid, his chest heaved violently, and even the bamboo clip trembled.
Lan Jinxiang seemed to have discovered something interesting and said wickedly, "The curtain is too thick. I can't see your expression clearly."
As she said this, she reached for the curtain.
There was a rustling sound of someone turning over behind her, and Xu Ziyi's pleading voice sounded. "Xiang'er, don't..."
He couldn't bear for her to see his embarrassed state now.
"Don't what?" Lan Jinxiang said as she tugged at the curtain and kicked him back onto the bed. "If you have any other objections, get out of bed and never show up in front of me again!"