Entering the city

As the afternoon snow intensified, the carriage struggled to move forward. They came across a house inhabited by an elderly couple, and the group gave them money to stay the night. Zhao Youyi noticed a plum blossom grove nearby, and since she had nothing else to do, Chu Chanyin held an umbrella and accompanied her for a walk to help her relax.

The two sat down in a pavilion in a plum blossom grove. There was an unsolved chess game on the stone table, and they decided to enjoy it.

Seeing that the scenery in the pavilion was beautiful, Chu Chanyin asked someone to set out the utensils, saying that he wanted to enjoy the snow and brew tea. Although Zhao Youyi did not understand where his literary hobby came from, he still watched his actions with great interest.

His hands were beautiful and slender, like finely carved jade. Whether he was playing chess or brewing tea, his movements were pleasing to the eye. Looking at him alone, one would never imagine that he was a general who had made great military achievements. Instead, he seemed like a celestial being who had wandered away from the world, or a pampered young master from a wealthy family.

"How about I play a tune for my cousin?" The guard had also brought his beloved guzheng. Seeing that Zhao Youyi was not in a good mood, he offered to play a tune for her.

Snow and red plum blossoms, a beautiful scene in the pavilion. His slender yet strong hands plucked the strings of the zither, the melody like plum blossoms blooming in the snow, or birds flying in the forest. The sound touched people's hearts, the music moved people's hearts. The wind and snow brushed his eyebrows and hair, but he remained calm. When the song ended, he smiled slightly. He was a celestial being.

It was a piece called "High Mountains and Flowing Water," which made her lose herself in thought for a moment.

"As the ancients said, 'High mountains and flowing water seek a kindred spirit.' Does this piece by my cousin mean that you want me to be your kindred spirit?" Seeing his smile, Zhao Youyi's gaze fell on the zither in his hands.

Chu Chanyin's expression remained unchanged. He simply said, "From the first day we met when you were young, the day you picked up a sword, I knew you were no ordinary person. Even though you later appeared to others with a sick body for some reason, I still believed you were who you were."

"What do you think of the world these days, cousin?" Zhao Youyi looked down at the plum blossoms swirling in his cup, which Chu Chanyin had just carelessly tossed in. He looked mature for his age, but he always seemed childish in these little things.

Chu Chanyin pondered for a moment, "Natural disasters and man-made calamities have caused widespread suffering among the people."

For the past three years, Shenjing has experienced several consecutive months of heavy snowfall in late autumn, which continued even as spring approached. There have been rumors among the people that this is divine punishment, a punishment for the current ruler's lack of benevolence and debauchery.

They had all heard these rumors to some extent: the emperor's ascension to the throne was a grand affair, using the pretense of divine right of kings. That's how the so-called Son of Heaven came to be. But what truly sustains the fate of a dynasty is the will of the people.

The Jin state was in decline, and other states were eyeing it covetously. Since the late emperor took office, he emphasized civil affairs over military affairs, and the Jin state gradually declined from the most powerful state among the three kingdoms. If it weren't for the Zhao family army going to war and the various vassal kings guarding the country's gates, the Jin state would have changed its name long ago.

“Actually, I originally wanted to say that if my cousin ever wants to reach the pinnacle of power, I would be willing to lend you a hand.” Zhao Youyi smiled, his eyes revealing an unreadable emotion.

"I have no such idea. If my cousin wants to follow in the footsteps of Empress Wu and ascend the throne, I can also offer her advice." He said this with an extremely serious look in his eyes, which did not seem like a joke.

Zhao Youyi just stared straight at him, as if trying to see his soul through his vibrant flesh. She didn't know if he meant what he said, since even in the most open-minded era, there had never been a female emperor in Jin.

"Why?" Zhao Youyi didn't bother with any polite formalities. She could see Chu Chanyin's ambition, and Chu Chanyin could naturally see hers as well.

"As long as the people can live and work in peace and contentment, does it matter who is the emperor?" Chu Chanyin said this lightly, as if he were just saying that the weather was nice today.

"What I've never wanted is to reach the pinnacle of power. What I want is peace and tranquility for the world." Zhao Youyi's eyes were clear and her tone was solemn. This has always been what she wanted. The Zhao family has served in the military for generations, loyal to the country and the people. She has never thought that the throne is anything special. Ensuring that the people can have enough to eat and live a good life is the true path.

She sensed that Chu Chanyin's gaze had brightened slightly as he looked at her, and smiled warmly, "Then I ask Nianwan to join me in saving the world."

“Then this is what it means to find a kindred spirit in nature,” Zhao Youyi replied with a smile.

The journey to Yunzhou wasn't far, but to avoid being pursued, they had to take a shortcut, which naturally slowed them down a bit.

By the time they arrived in Yunzhou in disguise, the snow had stopped.

They pretended to be wealthy merchants visiting Yunzhou, naturally posing as a married couple. Zhao Youyi, unusually, changed into brightly colored clothes, while Chu Chanyin changed into a blue robe and picked up a folding fan to appear cultured.

“Now we are Zhao’s wife, a merchant, and her frail husband, understand?” Zhao Youyi straightened her clothes and then reached out to help him tidy up the stray hairs at his temples.

“Cousin, you actually look extremely handsome in blue robes too,” Zhao Youyi couldn’t help but laugh.

Chu Chanyin raised an eyebrow. "Me, weak and frail? My cousin seems to fit that description better."

“You don’t understand. It’s an illusion. Otherwise, it would be too conspicuous. They would never expect that the majestic and powerful King of Chu would disguise himself as a weak scholar who can’t even kill a chicken.” Zhao Youyi looked him over, then picked up some face powder from the table and smeared it on his face to cover his rosy lips, making him look frail and weak.

Seeing her so enthusiastic, Chu Chanyin swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue: "Men and women should not touch each other; this is against reason."

Zhao Youyi pushed him in front of the bronze mirror, "Cousin, look, doesn't it look completely different now?"

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, which was as white as if he had been dead for three days, Chu Chan suppressed a smile and nodded. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he looked at Zhao Youyi in the mirror and said, "Was my cousin's pale face before also due to makeup?"

“No, that’s not it,” Zhao Youyi shook her head. Applying powder and pretending to look haggard every day would just be asking for trouble. “Although my physique has improved a lot since I started practicing martial arts, I have a strange poison in my body.”

"A strange poison? What's going on?" Chu Chanyin frowned as he looked at her.

"I was born with it." Zhao Youyi smiled reassuringly at him. "Actually, it doesn't matter much, cousin, you don't need to worry."

Chu Chanyin wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that she seemed unwilling to say more, he shut his mouth.

Zhao Youyi applied rouge to her lips, which made her look much better. Coupled with her emerald green dress, she looked like a young lady in the prime of her life. Her dark hair was tied up high, and she looked dashing with every smile and frown.

The two opened the door and came out. Xiao Qing's eyes lit up when she saw their matching clothes. They really looked like a perfect young couple.

Previously, the two of them had both been dressed in mourning clothes, their attire very simple. It was clear that her daughter was still in mourning, and it was unknown why the King of Chu was doing so.

"Miss and young master are a match made in heaven!" Xiao Qing looked at the two with sparkling eyes and tugged at Ying Jiu's sleeve. "Isn't that right, Young Master Jiu?"

Ying Jiu dodged, but he didn't expect Xiao Qing to be so strong that he couldn't dodge. What's the deal with this strange "Young Master Jiu"?

Xiao Qing's thinking was quite simple. Ying Jiu seemed to have a high status among the secret guards. Calling him by his name would be impolite, and calling him "brother" would be too abrupt. She couldn't be rude or overstep her bounds, so she could only call him "young master."

"The prince and princess are a match made in heaven. Their marriage was arranged a thousand years ago at the Bridge of Helplessness in the Yellow Springs and the Azure Heavens." Ying Liu rambled on, shaking his head. Ying Jiu rolled her eyes at him, but Xiao Qing listened with great interest as he talked about their thousand-year-old marriage.

Ying Jiu stepped forward to report the intelligence from Yunzhou. The guards ahead left a secret signal that there was great chaos in the city, but the crowd at the city gate was bustling. Therefore, the group of people disguised themselves as a merchant caravan to enter the city out of caution.

The group entered the city in several batches. When it was Zhao Youyi's batch, the soldier took out a portrait for comparison. Not many people in the capital had seen Zhao Youyi. After all, she had been kept hidden away from the world for many years. Moreover, she was sickly and could not attend banquets or poetry gatherings. They could only rely on oral accounts. Painters would get a headache when they heard that she was as beautiful as Diao Chan or as beautiful as Xi Shi. The portraits they painted were beautiful, but they had nothing to do with Zhao Youyi herself. The soldier could only judge based on the description of the sickly and beautiful woman given by his superior.

Seeing Zhao Youyi riding a tall horse with a veil and a sword at his waist, the soldier felt a chill run down his spine. This was the look of someone who had killed.

This fierce woman was clearly not the delicate young lady the superiors were looking for. Looking at the carriage behind, the lifted curtain revealed a pale, sickly face with a worried expression. She coughed occasionally, and despite her handsome appearance and frail demeanor, she was clearly a sickly scholar.

The soldier glanced at it and then looked away. This was even less likely to be the valiant and powerful King of Chu, but he still had to ask routinely, "Who is in the carriage?"

“That is my sickly husband. He can’t stand the cold wind. I came to the city to find a doctor to treat him.” Zhao Youyi’s voice was cold as she gestured to her guards to hand silver to the soldiers.

Chu Chanyin, the "sickly husband," coughed incessantly, his cough so violently it seemed he was about to cough up his internal organs.

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Youyi couldn't help but twitch his lips. "That's too much, Your Highness."

Chu Chanyin blinked and withdrew his supernatural powers.

The soldier, having received the silver, heard the man's earth-shattering cough and, fearing he might cough himself to death at the city gate, quickly let him pass. After the man left, the soldier couldn't help but complain to another soldier, "That pretty boy is really lucky. He got a rich girl as his wife. Look how cold it is outside, yet she can sit comfortably in the carriage."

The soldier beside him nodded in agreement, but the young master was indeed very handsome; no wonder the young lady treated him like a precious jewel. He couldn't help but envy him.

Chu Chanyin, who was being envied, was thoroughly enjoying his acting. His wife was driving him to the clinic. When they arrived, Zhao Youyi helped her ailing husband down from the carriage, handling him with the care of someone who would treat a fragile glass cup.

"Cousin, you've passed too, haven't you?" Chu Chanyin said in a low voice, both amused and exasperated.

Zhao Youyi cleared his throat, "Not even one ten-thousandth as good as my cousin."