“Brother Jiang, that’s not very righteous of you.”
At some unknown moment, a man dressed in black, who had been hiding behind the curtains, strode out boldly. He walked straight up to Jiang Lie, who was wolfing down pastries, and reached for the five-spice cakes in the box. “How can you eat everything by yourself?”
“So what if I do!” Jiang Lie hurriedly lifted the pastry box high, not letting the man in black get hold of it. He looked even more childish. “This was given to me by my sister. It wasn’t meant for you in the first place. If you’ve got the ability, have your own sister bring you some pastries.”
Only then did the newcomer turn around and notice Jiang Zhuo standing by the window.
“This young lady must be Brother Jiang’s sister, I presume? I’ve long heard of Miss Jiang’s beauty. Seeing you today, your reputation is indeed well deserved.”
Those bright eyes, visible through the dark iron-colored mask, seemed all the more luminous. The sharp corner of his lips curved slightly upward as he took the initiative to introduce himself to Jiang Zhuo:
“My surname is Bai, given name Feijun. I am General Jiang Lie’s military strategist.”
Jiang Zhuo froze.
This was exactly the masked man she had been looking for.
“Mm! Whoever you say you are, that’s who you are!”
With his mouth full of pastries, Jiang Lie spoke indistinctly, his expression clearly dissatisfied.
“What does my brother mean by that?”
Could one’s identity really be decided at will?
Jiang Zhuo asked curiously.
Bai Feijun, however, stepped forward and positioned himself between the Jiang siblings, smiling as he explained to Jiang Zhuo:
“To be frank with Miss Jiang, I am of mediocre talent and currently hold no official post—merely a commoner in plain clothes. Thus, I count as Brother Jiang’s private strategist.”
“Master Bai, there is no need to belittle yourself. Earlier, I observed your movements—swift and fluid like a roaming dragon. Now that you serve as my brother’s strategist, you surely possess the ability to plan and command. With such talent, all you lack is the right opportunity. I believe that in time, Master Bai will surely become a renowned general, feared in all directions.”
Jiang Zhuo offered her words with sincere encouragement.
“A renowned general? Ha? Him? How could that be—pff—cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!”
Hearing this, Jiang Lie burst out laughing, only to choke once more on the pastry crumbs.
“Brother! To employ someone is to trust them; to doubt them is not to use them. Since you’ve taken Master Bai on as your strategist, why mock him like this?” Jiang Zhuo said, half exasperated, half frustrated, as she stepped forward to pat his back.
“I—I wouldn’t dare mock him!” Jiang Lie protested, his face red from coughing.
Watching the bickering siblings, the smile at Bai Feijun’s lips deepened.
“In that case, Bai truly must thank Miss Jiang for your kind words.”
“What do you mean, Miss Jiang?”
Recovered now, Jiang Lie straightened up and, suddenly alert, blocked Jiang Zhuo behind him. “Let me tell you—my sister is now the Lady of Zhaoning County, a member of the imperial clan personally ennobled by His Majesty. Don’t you dare set your sights on her.”
“So that is the case. It was Bai who was presumptuous.”
Bai Feijun maintained his faint smile and offered a gentle apology.
“Don’t listen to my brother’s nonsense. Earlier, when boarding the ship, I still owe Master Bai my thanks for retrieving my veil curtain. I should be the one thanking Master Bai!”
Struggling past Jiang Lie’s tall frame, Jiang Zhuo poked her head out from the gap and spoke to Bai Feijun.
“Boarding the ship? Veil curtain? You brat—did you approach my sister the moment you got on board?”
Irritated, Jiang Lie tried to separate Jiang Zhuo from Bai Feijun.
“It was merely a small effort. Lady County Princess need not stand on ceremony,” Bai Feijun said with a smile, ignoring Jiang Lie’s interrogation and continuing to address Jiang Zhuo. “Even without Bai, someone else would surely have helped you that day. I only happened to be there.”
“Official titles and status are fleeting honors. Master Bai need not be so courteous, nor call me ‘Lady County Princess’ at every turn.”
Seeing her cousin bristle with anger, Jiang Zhuo found it rather amusing and once again leaned out to speak to Bai Feijun with a smile.
“Indeed. I find that I feel an instant rapport with Miss Jiang, and I, too, think that form of address sounds distant.”
“Hey! Could you two at least acknowledge me—”
Caught between the two, Jiang Lie shouted indignantly.
Jokes aside, there were still serious matters to discuss.
This trip, Jiang Lie was headed to Hangzhou to take up the post of Inspector.
“It’s just that the military system has been reformed, and His Majesty sent me to observe the results,” Jiang Lie said with a shrug. “If you ask me, these systems didn’t need changing at all. They’ve been used for so long without issue. Changing everything so abruptly is nothing but needless trouble that wastes money and exhausts the people. The colleagues at court find it troublesome as well.”
“This was the long-cherished wish of both Chancellor Wang and Chancellor Jiang,” Bai Feijun said with a smile, lightly tapping Jiang Lie on the head. “If the new policies are implemented well, not only can they uproot the entrenched power of the great clans, but they will also benefit the longevity of the dynasty. This is a plan for a hundred years—it must be viewed from a long-term perspective.”
“You can afford to look that far ahead,” Jiang Lie muttered unhappily. “But for us, if the new policies fail, we’ll have to reinstate the old ones. That’s a thankless task—hard work with no reward.”
Jiang Zhuo stood quietly to the side, listening without speaking.
Since her rebirth, she had often heard court officials speak of new policies, old policies, and factional strife.
Now, she was gradually beginning to understand the situation.
At present, the court could roughly be divided into the New Policy faction and the Old Policy faction. Jiang Dun and Chancellor Wang were considered the leading figures pushing the New Policies.
Combining this with the circumstances of her father being framed in her previous life, and the Fifth Prince—stationed far on the frontier—being accused of rebellion, Jiang Dun’s decision to retire and return home, only to be killed by bandits, was far too coincidental. It seemed more like a move by political enemies, cutting off future trouble.
Who, then, were her father’s political enemies at court?
Jiang Zhuo pondered quietly. Judging from the divide between new and old policies, it was likely the leaders of the Old Faction.
Perhaps after returning to the capital, she should ask Chancellor Wang.
And then there was the Fifth Prince—an enemy’s enemy is a friend.
The Fifth Prince, who had been framed for colluding with her father, likely shared the same stance as him…
“—Watch out!”
Her sleeve was suddenly yanked hard. Jiang Zhuo stumbled a step and fell into the embrace of the person behind her.
An arrow whistled through the air, grazing past and slicing off a few strands of Jiang Zhuo’s hair before embedding itself in the wooden wall of the cabin.
Before she could react, a second swift arrow shot in—this one narrowly missing Bai Feijun, who was holding Jiang Zhuo, before it too struck the wall.
One after the other.
Were they aiming at her? Or at—
Jiang Zhuo stiffly turned her head to look at Bai Feijun behind her.
“Hurry and find somewhere to hide!”
Having already reacted, Jiang Lie swiftly drew his sword and shouted hoarsely at Jiang Zhuo.
Behind her, Bai Feijun also drew the black longsword at his waist in an instant and surged forward to meet the enemy.
Knowing her own lack of strength and that she would only be a burden, Jiang Zhuo turned and slipped into the layers upon layers of curtains in the room to hide.
Outside the curtains, the clash of blades rang out incessantly.
There were around a dozen attackers, but none were a match for Jiang Lie and Bai Feijun.
Through the hazy gauze, Jiang Zhuo cautiously observed the battle.
The door remained closed. Judging by the direction, it seemed the attackers had entered through the window she had opened earlier.
Realizing her mistake, Jiang Zhuo felt a pang of regret.
Fortunately, the assassins in black were already close to retreating, with only two or three stragglers left.
Just as Jiang Zhuo was about to let out a sigh of relief, one of the remaining assassins spotted the embroidered shoe peeking out from beneath the curtains.
“There’s a woman here! Seize the woman first!”