Seeing something off in the young lady’s expression, Zhang Zheng asked again in confusion,
“Miss… didn’t you summon us because you wanted us to escort you out of Chang’an and fight our way back to Liangzhou?”
A rare look of astonishment appeared on Jiang Congyan’s face. She looked at him, opened her mouth, but truly didn’t know how he had arrived at such a conclusion.
After a while, she finally found her voice.
“I only said in my letter that I had matters to discuss. When did I ever say I wanted to return to Liangzhou?”
Zhang Zheng scratched his head, looking puzzled.
He had heard that the Emperor had issued a decree marrying her off to the King of Mobei.
A delicately raised young lady from Liangzhou—her lord would surely be unwilling to let her go for a political marriage. And given her frail health, she would not be able to endure the hardships beyond the frontier. So when she sent word asking to meet, Zhang Zheng had naturally assumed she wanted to return to Liangzhou.
After all, only Liangzhou could truly protect her.
He had even thought it through carefully—though their numbers were small, if they moved swiftly before Chang’an could react and rode hard toward the northwest, they might actually make it back, provided they weren’t intercepted. It would just mean hardship for her, traveling on horseback.
But now her words made it clear—he had misunderstood. And quite badly.
Zhang Zheng felt a little embarrassed and could only grin awkwardly.
“Whatever the young lady requires, just give the order!”
Jiang Congyan had always thought Zhang Zheng was a loyal and capable subordinate—serious and cautious when escorting her convoy. She hadn’t expected him to have such a blunt, almost reckless side, and for a moment she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
A faint smile curved her lips, but she quickly composed herself and gestured.
“Relax. Put down your weapons.”
“I came today to ask—are you willing to follow me north, to the Xianbei royal court?”
“We are willing!” Zhang Zheng blurted out immediately.
Jiang Congyan raised her hand, stopping him.
“Listen first. Answer after I finish.”
Zhang Zheng closed his mouth.
Standing on the steps, Jiang Congyan looked down at the solemn soldiers before her. She lifted her chin, straightened her back, her gaze steady and resolute.
“Men of Liangzhou,” she said, “I know you were ordered by your lord to serve and protect me, and it is thanks to your life-risking efforts that I returned safely to Chang’an. For that, I offer my deepest thanks.”
With that, she clasped her hands and bowed deeply in a scholar’s salute.
The armored soldiers below were startled. They did not dare accept such a gesture from her, yet they also dared not step forward. Zhang Zheng, standing closest, instinctively reached out to stop her—but when he met her solemn gaze, he found himself unable to move.
“This is our duty,” he said instead. “We do not deserve such gratitude.”
Jiang Congyan shook her head, not dwelling on it, and continued:
“The Son of Heaven has decreed that I am to marry the King of Mobei. I will soon depart north. Though you were assigned to me, none of us anticipated such a situation. You all have families and loved ones in Liangzhou. The northern grasslands lie thousands of miles away, and who knows what awaits there? You may not return to the Central Plains for years. I understand if parting is difficult.
“That is why I ask your choice. You need not force yourselves. If any of you wish to return to Liangzhou, I will write to your lord and explain everything. You need not fear blame.
“But if you choose to follow me north—then from this day forward, I will be your lord. Whatever happens in the future, as long as I live, there will be a place for you.”
“So—follow your hearts.”
When she finished speaking, the fifty soldiers stood in silence, staring at her. The courtyard was so quiet a pin drop could be heard. Only the faint rustle of wind brushing against armor broke the stillness—low and heavy, like emotions suppressed to their limit, ready to erupt.
Their breathing grew heavier. The tension reached a breaking point.
At last, Zhang Zheng stepped forward with a heavy stride. With a sharp sound, he dropped to one knee before her, clasping his fists.
“This subordinate is willing to serve you, my lord! Through fire and blade, I will not retreat!”
His declaration ignited the rest.
The remaining soldiers all knelt on one knee, eyes blazing, voices raised:
“We are willing to serve our lord!”
“We are willing to serve our lord!”
“We are willing to serve our lord!”
Their oath resounded, lingering in the air.
Jiang Congyan stood on the steps beneath the eaves, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Her pale face seemed almost sacred, too radiant to gaze upon directly.
Zhang Zheng looked up at her. Though she was just a young woman, she carried the bearing of one meant to lead. In her, he saw the shadow of his former lord.
If he had once obeyed her only because of orders, then after the battle at Hutou Mountain, he had truly acknowledged her. Such courage in the face of danger—few noble sons could match it.
In these troubled times, to achieve great things, one must follow a leader with vision, strategy—and courage.
And the woman before him was such a leader.
In that moment, his blood surged wildly through his veins, filling him with unprecedented ambition.
The same fire burned in the other fifty men.
Before today, they would have followed her north simply out of duty.
After today, they followed her by choice.
She was no longer merely the young lady of Liangzhou—
She was their lord.
“Good!” Jiang Congyan declared. “You entrust yourselves to me—I will not fail you!”