Chen Tongzhou stopped three paces from the desk. “General, Old Yang from the stables found this while cleaning a carriage just now. It was wrapped in oil paper, tucked into a crack in the carriage shaft. There’s no name on it, and it wasn’t sealed.”
General Lu’s gaze sharpened as it fell upon the letter.
Chen Tongzhou served not only as his personal guard but also as a lieutenant in the central army. He was always meticulous.
By mentioning that the letter had been unsealed, he subtly indicated the item was suspicious, though he had already checked and confirmed it was not poisoned.
“Bring it here.”
“Yes, sir.” Chen Tongzhou stepped forward, carefully placed the letter on the desk, then silently withdrew.
General Lu unfolded it. Several lines of bold, free-spirited handwriting immediately leaped into view.
The fingers holding the paper tightened almost imperceptibly. Even his breathing quickened.
An old friend… She’s alive!
He knew this handwriting all too well. The ink strokes were balanced and steady, yet the brushwork was sharp as a blade. Every sweep and stroke carried an irrepressible edge, a mixture of audacity and untamed confidence.
She’s come to the capital?
General Lu hurriedly scanned the contents. The letter contained only two messages: First, he was not to rush to rescue Gu Jiangzhi. Second, he was to come to the Heaven-Rank Room on the second floor of Tai Ran Residence at the third quarter of the Chen hour (around 7:45 a.m.) to hear the full explanation in person.
Even Gu Jiangzhi is involved in this?
General Lu was surprised. Yet he was completely convinced the letter had come from that old friend. Not only was it unquestionably her handwriting, but attached to the end was a poem titled “Mourning Yuncheng”:
Blood-stained banners fell as the city gates were opened; frigid stars lay buried beneath shattered armor and broken mail. Bold words burned away with the ashes of a fallen nation; tonight I move in secret through dusty roads of sorrow. Loyal souls and withered bones fuel the beacon fires’ glow; ten thousand lanterns stand guard over the city’s remains. This humble woman will not cross the waters of Canglang; I’ll temper myself into a keen blade and shine above the Cloud Terrace.
It’s her! She survived the fall of Yuncheng after all.
Suppressing his excitement, General Lu summoned Old Yang from the stables to question him.
“Besides your usual duties around the residence today, did you have any contact with unfamiliar faces?”
Old Yang had already turned the matter over in his mind countless times after discovering the suspicious letter. Now he stood with bowed hands and answered carefully and smoothly: “Reporting to General, today I was waiting for you to finish work beside the hitching stone outside the side gate of the government office…”
A man of about forty had come over asking for directions to West Drum Tower Street. The man had regular, respectable features, courteous manners, and a distinctly northern accent.
“I gave him directions. After thanking me, he left.” Old Yang thought hard for a moment. “Oh, that’s right. At the time, quite a few of his attendants were standing near the carriage shaft. The letter was probably slipped into the mortise joint connecting the shaft and the carriage underframe while my attention was elsewhere.”
General Lu questioned him further for several minutes before warning him to be more vigilant in the future. He held an important position in the court. If spies found an opening to exploit, the consequences could be serious.
Sweating profusely, Old Yang repeatedly assured him he understood, then finally withdrew.
That night, the lamps in General Lu’s study remained lit far longer than usual. Before dawn, during the hour between Yin and Mao, he had already dressed and left for court. Though his body stood in the imperial hall, his thoughts had long since flown to Tai Ran Residence. Naturally, the matter of rescuing Gu Jiangzhi had been pushed completely out of his mind for now.
“The court is dismissed!” At long last, those words were spoken.
General Lu was just about to withdraw with the rest of the officials when the shrill voice of the imperial eunuch rang out at just the right volume: “General Lu, His Majesty has an oral decree. Please remain behind and join him in the Southern Study for discussion.”
General Lu paused mid-step. Then he calmly turned around and bowed. “This servant obeys the imperial command.”
Must the discussion happen today of all days? This is killing me!
The Nian siblings were equally anxious. Inside the Heaven-Rank Room at Tai Ran Residence, they waited from the Chen hour until nearly noon, yet General Lu still failed to appear.
After pacing circles around the room for what felt like an eternity, Fifth Brother finally muttered: “What time is it already…?”
“General Lu isn’t actually… not coming, is he?”
Nian Chujiu’s fingers tightened around her teacup. Yet her answer remained firm: “No. He’ll come.”
“Court business has probably detained him, and he couldn’t get away.”
“We’ll wait a little longer.” She had imitated the handwriting of General Lu’s old acquaintance to lure him here. In truth, she didn’t actually know what kind of relationship existed between General Lu and that person. She only vaguely remembered from her previous life that General Lu had once destroyed his own future to save that old acquaintance, even breaking into a prison. In the end, he had been shot to death by a storm of arrows. For a man to throw away his life for someone else… That person must have been extremely important to him.
Sixth Brother tried to comfort her. “Could it be that when Eldest Uncle planted the letter yesterday, the gap in the carriage shaft wasn’t secure enough?”
“Maybe the letter slipped somewhere else and never reached General Lu’s hands at all?”
“Right,” Fourth Brother nodded thoughtfully. “Or perhaps the coachman found something suspicious and didn’t dare hand it directly to his master?”
Fifth Brother looked puzzled. “Little Sister Chujiu, did you know General Lu before this?”
It didn’t make sense. If she knew him, surely he would have known about it too.
To everyone’s surprise, Nian Chujiu shook her head seriously. “I don’t know him.”
Fourth Brother: “…”
Fifth Brother: “…”
Sixth Brother: “…”
Fine, then. If Jiaojiao said he would come, then he would come. They would keep waiting.
The room was already stuffy. Even though ice basins sat in all four corners of the Heaven-Rank Room, giving off threads of cool air, they could not suppress the sticky, humid heat that clung to everything and made breathing uncomfortable.
Around the beginning of the Wei hour, when the sun had begun to tilt westward, hurried footsteps finally sounded on the floorboards.
They came from far away, drew steadily closer, and headed directly for the Heaven-Rank Room.
A knock followed. Short and firm. Just two knocks.
Before Nian Chujiu could respond, Fourth Brother was already on his feet. He walked to the door but did not open it immediately. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, “Who is it?”
The inn waiter’s respectful voice came from outside. “Guests, the honored guest you’ve been waiting for has arrived.”
Then, through the closed door, a calm male voice came: “Lu has come as agreed.”
Nian Jinlou exchanged a glance with Nian Chujiu. She gave the slightest nod. Only then did he pull the door open.
The waiter had already withdrawn. Only two men remained standing outside.
The one in front wore a dark blue round-collared robe secured with a leather belt. He stood tall and upright, his features stern and authoritative. It was none other than General Lu, Marquis Jinliang. Half a step behind him stood his personal guard, Chen Tongzhou, dressed in black martial attire, his sharp eyes alert and watchful.
General Lu’s gaze lingered briefly on Nian Jinlou’s face before sweeping into the room and passing over the young men and women inside. Still unwilling to give up, he scanned the room a second time. The person he wanted to see was still nowhere to be found. A slight frown appeared between his brows.
“General, please come in,” Fourth Brother hurriedly said.
After a moment’s consideration, General Lu stepped into the room.
Chen Tongzhou followed and quietly closed the door behind him, then took up a position beside the entrance.
Nian Chujiu and her brothers bowed together. “This common woman, Nian Chujiu, greets the General.” With her hands folded gracefully at her waist, Nian Chujiu bent her knees and performed a perfect formal curtsy. Her brothers bowed respectfully, like commoners addressing a powerful noble.
“This commoner greets the General.”
General Lu gave a slight nod, accepting their greetings.
Nian Chujiu remained composed and dignified. “General, please take the seat of honor. Mingyue, serve tea.”
Standing nearby, Mingyue immediately stepped forward with the tea.
General Lu lifted his robe and settled into the armchair at the room’s center. His gaze moved over the group again, assessing them carefully. Then, without pleasantries, he asked, “Where is Madam Qin?”
“Replying to the General,” Nian Chujiu answered, maintaining her respectful posture. Her eyes were clear and steady as she met his gaze without evasion. “Madam Qin is still overwhelmed by the grief of losing her husband and is in no state to receive visitors.”
“She therefore entrusted this common woman with an important message that must be conveyed in her stead.”