“I’ll go out and lure them away…”
The rumbling wheels ground over the rugged stone path as the carriage slowly made its way into the mountains. The wheel hubs crushed the dead leaves underfoot, startling a few crows into flight. Once they crossed this dark and treacherous Wolf Bone Ridge, they would officially enter the northern frontier. The carriage curtains had already been replaced with thick, windproof felt, and the four corners had been reinforced with leather padding, but listening to the howling wind outside, it still felt as though cold air was seeping in from every direction.
Feng Mian’s hands were tucked inside her crimson feathered-silk crane-down cloak, holding a silver hand warmer patterned with auspicious clouds, and a small brazier had been placed at her feet for warmth.
The long journey had taken its toll, and she had fallen slightly ill again. Fortunately, the imperial physician had checked her pulse daily and prescribed some light recuperative care, and she had recovered. But it had frightened her two maidservants half to death—the road ahead was long, and what if something happened?
So the moment they noticed the weather turning cold, Liu Ying and Wuliu had begun fussing over keeping Feng Mian warm. At this very moment, she wasn’t cold in the slightest—in fact, she was on the verge of breaking a sweat.
“It’s already spring, and yet the north is still this cold? Listen to that wind, howling and whistling.” Liu Ying pressed her ear against the felt curtain, clicking her tongue in amazement.
Wuliu once again gathered the collar of Feng Mian’s crane-down cloak, and Feng Mian’s fair, delicate face was nearly swallowed by the rabbit fur embroidered along the collar. She lifted her chin to free her mouth, lest she end up with a mouthful of rabbit fluff while speaking.
“The spring in the northern frontier is different from elsewhere—sandstorms are the most ordinary thing. Besides, there’s also the late spring chill. As the saying goes, ‘In the north, snow lies three feet deep in the fourth month.’ We might even see another snowfall.”
Taking advantage of the conversation, she discreetly set the hand warmer aside under the cover of her cloak.
It was simply too hot.
“It might snow again!” Liu Ying’s eyes lit up, then she looked at Feng Mian with worry. “But the princess’s health…”
Feng Mian said helplessly, “The imperial physician already said—I only caught a slight chill from the long journey and the sudden change in climate. My constitution isn’t so frail that I’d collapse at the first gust of wind. You needn’t worry so much. Besides, once summer arrives in the sixth month, it’ll be warm.”
“Does the princess intend to say not a single word about who it was that secretly ordered ice to eat at the waystation?”
Wuliu’s flat remark drew a chorus of agreement from Liu Ying: “Exactly, exactly! The princess has no regard for her own health at all—aren’t we maidservants the ones who have to keep a careful watch?”
This argument could go on for three days and Feng Mian would still end up on the losing side, so she simply changed the subject directly: “How much longer until Yunzhong Commandery?”
“There’s a sentry post about a hundred paces ahead. Once we pass it, we’ll officially enter the northern frontier. Another four or five days’ travel after that, and we’ll reach Yunzhong Commandery.”
Feng Mian listened to Wuliu’s words, then listened to the wailing wind outside the carriage. After a moment’s thought, she said, “There’s no rush. The wind is this strong today—let everyone stop and rest for a while, build a fire to warm up…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
Feng Mian’s heart gave a sudden lurch, and she felt a vague sense of unease.
The sound of hooves approached the carriage, followed by Lu Mingzhu’s gentle voice: “Do not be alarmed, Princess. There seems to be something unusual ahead—the Commander has already sent men to investigate.”
The moment he finished speaking, another set of hooves came to an urgent stop beside the carriage.
The Commander of the Luan Yi Guard pushed past Lu Mingzhu and lowered his voice, speaking urgently: “Princess, there are bandits blocking the road ahead. We’ll need to take a different route.”
He was about to spur his horse away when Feng Mian’s crisp voice rang out: “Wait!”
Feng Mian pulled open the window curtain and stuck her head out, staring at the Commander with a serious expression. In a low voice, she said, “What exactly is the situation? Report truthfully.”
The Commander had no choice but to report: “The bandits have surrounded a merchant caravan and are currently at a standoff.”
“When a merchant caravan is in peril, how can we simply turn a blind eye and ride away?” Lu Mingzhu blurted out in shock.
The Commander cast him a cold glance and said, “Guarding the Princess’s safety is our sole duty.”
Lu Mingzhu wanted to say more, but he opened his mouth and ultimately remained silent, only casting a complicated look at Feng Mian. With imperial orders in hand, it seemed that protecting the Princess was their first priority.
But Feng Mian said, “Lord Lu is right. I request that the Commander lead men to assist.”
“Your Highness may not know—the reason this place is called Wolf Bone Ridge is that the bandits here are like wolves: fierce and cunning. Though they fight separately, when one is in trouble, they will surely come to each other’s aid. If a pack of wolves descends upon us, I fear we cannot guarantee Your Highness’s safety.” The Commander was growing somewhat impatient, but he still explained to Feng Mian with the utmost gravity. “Once those bandits’ blood is up, they won’t care about Your Highness’s title!”
“Our food, clothing, and shelter all come from the people’s labor. Since we’ve seen the people in peril, there’s no reason to turn our backs on them.” Feng Mian insisted, but she also understood the Commander’s concerns and continued, “I understand your intentions, Commander, and I will ensure my own safety. My uncle transferred a thousand men from the Plume Forest Guard and another thousand elite soldiers from the Golden Guard—that’s more than enough for us to split into two groups.”
The Commander was taken aback: “Your Highness means…?”
“Abandon the baggage. The Commander will lead eight hundred elite soldiers to rescue them, while the rest escort us on a detour. We’ll rendezvous at the sentry post ahead.”
The crisp, decisive words left Lu Mingzhu and the Commander momentarily stunned. Qingping, the Commandery Princess, was usually so delicate and frail—who knew she could be so resolute?
Feng Mian assumed they were reluctant to part with the dowry. She was reluctant too, after all, it was treasure she had painstakingly scrounged from every corner, and she would need it to get by in the future. But: “Human lives matter more than treasure. Once we’re safe, send people back to retrieve it. Don’t hesitate.”
The Commander immediately clasped his fists in salute: “This official obeys!”
He promptly wheeled his horse around and issued orders to the rear. Lu Mingzhu stood frozen for a moment, then turned his horse to draw level with the carriage and said solemnly: “This official will attend the Princess closely and protect you with his very life!”
Feng Mian gave him a slight nod, but the unease in her heart did not diminish in the least—her right eyelid even gave a little twitch. She patted her chest to comfort herself: Left eye twitches for wealth, right eye twitches for nonsense!
The Commander left the vice-envoy who knew the way behind, and led the rest of the party, escorting Feng Mian’s carriage around onto another road that could pass through Wolf Bone Ridge. Few knew of this road, and even fewer traveled it, because it was narrower and steeper, making passage difficult. Had they not temporarily abandoned their baggage, they would not have been able to get through.
But it had one advantage: even bandits were unwilling to ambush travelers on this road.
Feng Mian had wanted to abandon the carriage the entire way, but was persuaded against it from all sides and could only let the matter rest for now. However, they had barely traveled a few li when the carriage came to a sudden, violent halt. Feng Mian nearly tumbled forward from the momentum, and only because Liu Ying and Wuliu were both watching her closely did they manage to steady her in time. The hand warmer at her feet tipped over and rolled clattering to the edge of the curtain.
“What’s going on?” Liu Ying was about to lift the curtain and go out to look, but Feng Mian quickly grabbed her sleeve, shook her head, and listened quietly to the commotion outside.
The sound of blades being drawn from scabbards was unmistakable.
The Luan Yi Guard vice-envoy’s voice was low and stern: “How dare you! Who dares to block the Princess’s procession!”
“I don’t give a damn about your procession! On my turf, everyone pays the toll to live!” A rough, hoarse voice sneered.
Liu Ying’s face went pale with fright: “Didn’t they say bandits rarely come to this road?”
It was indeed suspicious. This road was steep—one misstep could send you tumbling off the cliff to your death. Bandits sought wealth, not death.
But in the span of a single breath, the clash of blades and spears rang out all around them.
The horses pulling the carriage stamped their hooves in panic, and the carriage began to sway violently from side to side. Liu Ying, always the more timid of the two, let out a low shriek from her throat as tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. Feng Mian held Liu Ying’s hand in one and grasped Wuliu’s with the other, striving to stay calm as she comforted them: “Don’t be afraid. The Luan Yi Guard are all elites selected from the imperial army. A few mere bandits…”
A flash of cold, gleaming light—the felt curtain was slashed open from the middle.
Firelight and blade-light intermingled as a pair of vicious eyes peered in through the gash for a moment, then lit up with delight: “The Princess is in here!”
The man spoke and began to climb onto the carriage. Feng Mian didn’t have time to think—she snatched up the hand warmer that had tipped over at her feet and hurled it at him.
At the same time, voices rang out from outside: “Protect the Princess!”
The impact around the carriage intensified immediately, blades hacking relentlessly at the ornate frame. In a flash of realization, Feng Mian understood: “They’re not so bold as to rob a Princess’s procession—they’re coming for me specifically…”
“They came prepared, swarming in numbers. The Luan Yi Guard can’t hold them off. But if we can split their forces, there might still be a chance to fight.”
Wuliu frowned: “What does the Princess mean?”
“I’ll go out and draw them away.”
Liu Ying was horrified: “The outside is full of bandits! Does the Princess not value her life?!”
“I have a way to protect myself.” Feng Mian touched the sleeve crossbow hidden at her wrist. “Have you forgotten what the Crown Princess sent over?”
With that, she also drew a small dagger from the small of her back. “And this.”
The dagger was plain except for a ring of gems set into the hilt, but when drawn, its blade gleamed with cold light, the edge razor-sharp.
It was a gift from her father on her fourth birthday. That was the first and only time she had ever spent time with him. He had taken her out of the palace for three whole days, and only on the eve of his next campaign did he reluctantly return her to the palace.
She had cried and thrown a tantrum, begging her father to take her with him—she could accompany him in defending the realm too.
Her father had laughed softly, a smile mingling pride and reluctance crossing his handsome face, and then he gave her this small dagger, telling her to first learn to protect herself and those around her before speaking of defending the realm alongside him. He also promised that once she could carve a complete, beautiful pear blossom into wood with the dagger, he would come home.
But by the time every pillar in the Shuyue Hall had been carved with pear blossoms by her hand, word came that her father would never return.
Feng Mian said not a word. Even the Empress Dowager muttered that the girl must be cold-hearted. Then, without a word to anyone, she slipped out of the palace alone, ran twenty li in one breath to find her father, and was only retrieved at Qi Mountain.
That time she fled, Feng Mian did not find her father, and she lost more than twenty lives throughout the Shuyue Hall. Only then did she realize that one misstep on her part had harmed not herself, but first and foremost the people around her who had cared for her.
“I won’t let any of you get hurt because of me again.” Feng Mian tightened her grip on the dagger’s handle and gave Liu Ying’s cheek a reassuring pinch. “In a moment, I’ll go out first…”