“We are willing to serve our lord! We are willing to serve our lord!…”
The Fifteenth Year of Yong’an.
The warmth of spring had yet to reach the northern lands when a sudden late cold snap brought several days of light snow.
Along the official road at the border between Liangzhou and Great Liang, withered weeds still held traces of snow. The deep blue sky slowly lost its stars, and distant mountain ranges layered one upon another, half-hidden in the morning mist.
At this moment, a convoy gradually emerged from the fog at the far end of the road.
At the front rode an armored guard, sword at his side, mounted on a fine steed. Broad-shouldered and powerful, he surveyed the road ahead from above, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.
Behind him, two rows of mounted soldiers advanced side by side, straight as pine trees. Frost had formed over their cold iron armor, adding to their chilling, murderous aura. The rhythmic clatter of hooves made them seem like an elite army.
Yet as the carriages behind them came into view, it became clear—they were not an army, but an escort.
The guards spread out along both sides of the road, protecting a carriage in the center.
The carriage itself was only slightly larger than usual, modestly decorated with wooden framing, not ostentatious. Still, it was drawn by two powerful steeds moving in perfect tandem.
Behind it followed more than a dozen large wagons and dozens of servants, the procession stretching long like a winding serpent.
At that moment, the curtain of the carriage was lifted by a slender hand, and someone inside leaned out slightly to look.
“My lady, once we pass Tiger Head Mountain, we’ll be leaving Liangzhou… I really can’t bear to go,” a maid said in a subdued voice.
Inside the carriage, a young lady reclined against a soft cushion embroidered with lotus patterns. Beside her sat an older attendant dressed in blue. The three shared the carriage.
The young lady’s clothing was luxurious, her bearing refined—clearly the sole mistress of this grand escort.
Such a formidable escort… all for a single young woman.
She appeared not yet twenty, unmarried, wrapped in a snow-white fox fur cloak that revealed only her small face.
Her lips were pale, giving her a slightly sickly look, yet her skin was as fair as snow and her black hair cascaded like a waterfall. Even so, her beauty was delicate and striking, like a jade tree dusted with frost.
Hearing the maid’s words, she slowly opened her eyes and glanced out through the lifted curtain. A faint crease appeared between her brows, and her dark eyes flickered with reluctance.
Even such a simple movement carried an elegance others could not replicate. Combined with her frail, almost weightless figure, she exuded a cool, ethereal aura—like a figure from a painting beneath drifting clouds and a cold moon.
The maid, realizing she had upset her, froze before hurriedly apologizing.
“My lady, I—I…”
She stumbled over her words, unable to find comfort, growing flustered enough to scratch her head—making Jiang Congyan laugh softly instead.
“Enough, don’t stammer. I don’t want to leave either. But I’ve already stayed two extra months. If I don’t return soon, the capital will start urging again.”
“Why should she urge you? She’s not even your real mother!” the maid—Si Zi—snapped indignantly.
“She may not have the right… but others likely don’t want me staying in Liangzhou for long either,” Jiang Congyan said quietly, gazing at the distant mountains. Her clear black eyes were colder than the early spring mist.
In this life, her identity was the daughter of the Prince of Chu.
At seven years old, she and her twin brother had fallen into icy water during winter.
The boy never woke again.
The girl who awoke… became her.
In her previous life, Jiang Congyan had died from heart disease. She never expected that even after transmigrating, she would still inhabit a frail body.
Heaven, if you’ve already let me transmigrate, couldn’t you at least give me a healthier body? she thought wryly.
Still, she cooperated actively with treatment. Given a second life, she intended to cherish it.
Fortunately, aside from weakness caused by the cold incident, there was no incurable illness—far better than her previous life.
Six months later, her health improved. Yet she was sent away by the Prince of Chu to her maternal family in Liangzhou under the pretext of seeking medical care—and remained there for eight years.
Her elders were kind, her cousins harmonious. Those eight years were precious to her.
Two years ago, the Prince summoned her back to Chang’an, saying she had grown and should no longer trouble her grandparents.
Last autumn, her stepmother began arranging her marriage. Just then, news came from Liangzhou that her grandmother was gravely ill and wished to see her.
That, of course, was merely an excuse.
Her grandmother wasn’t ill at all—likely a ploy to prevent her from being hastily married off.
Now, as spring arrived, the capital urged her return again.
Jiang Congyan could clearly sense the political tug-of-war behind it all.
Her marriage… was far more important than she had realized.
And so, with no reason to refuse—and unwilling to cause conflict for her family—she set out on the journey back.
But she did not know what awaited her there.
Ten days into the journey, they had already buried over a hundred refugee corpses along the road.
Now, once again—
“My lady, there are more bodies ahead.”
“How many?”
“At least thirty or forty.”
Jiang Congyan’s gaze darkened.
In such a small region, more than two hundred corpses already…
This was no longer peace.
This was the beginning of chaos.
She knew what would come.
In four years, the Liang Dynasty would fall. The northern tribes would surge south, and a century of bloodshed would begin.
Mountains and rivers stained with blood. People displaced. Starvation. Cannibalism.
History would call it—
The Chaos of the Northern Horsemen.
Soon after—
“Be on guard!”
Hoofbeats thundered.
A group of Qiang raiders charged toward them, fierce and savage.
The horses neighed in panic. The carriage shook.
“My lady! Qiang bandits ahead!”
“About a hundred,” the guard captain Zhang Zheng said. “But we can hold them off.”
“I trust you,” Jiang Congyan replied calmly.
Battle erupted.
Steel clashed. Blood spilled.
Yet just as the tide began to turn—
“More riders from the rear!”
Another group approached.
Only twenty-some riders… yet far more terrifying.
At their head was a man wearing a beast-faced mask, holding a silver spear that gleamed coldly in the morning light.
Even from afar, his presence was overwhelming.
Zhang Zheng’s back broke into cold sweat.
This man… is no ordinary bandit.
Realizing escape was impossible, Jiang Congyan stepped down from the carriage.
Clad in white, standing against the bleak earth, she raised her voice:
“Men of Liangzhou! Brave warriors! We face life and death today—only by fighting without fear can we survive! I will stand with you to the end. Will you fight?”
“We will serve our lord!”
“To the death!”
Their voices shook the heavens.
Even the watching man on horseback narrowed his eyes.
Interesting…
A delicate noble lady—yet calm, perceptive, and commanding.
Not bad at all.
Meanwhile, the Qiang leader shouted toward him:
“Join us! We split the spoils!”
The masked man let out a low chuckle, full of disdain.
Instead of answering them—
He looked directly at Jiang Congyan.
“They want me to join them,” he said lazily.“Half your wealth would be mine.”