Chapter 20. Chapter 20 is wonderful. Wonderful.

The wealthy merchant, with animated gestures, described how ferocious the bandit leader was and how thrilling the scene was, attracting the attention of the surrounding crowd, who gathered around and exclaimed in unison.

Before Fengmian could speak again, some onlookers asked in confusion, "I've heard that the bandits of Wolf Bone Ridge are extremely vicious. They captured you, so how did you manage to escape?"

The wealthy merchant immediately puffed out his large belly with pride, clasped his hands together, bowed to the empty space to the side, and said in a tone full of reverence: "Of course, it is all thanks to the Prince of Dingbei who risked his life to save me!"

"That night, the bandit leader took me and my men hostage to threaten the prince. At first, the prince didn't care about our lives, but then he pulled back the bowstring, and the arrow was pointed at me! My heart sank, I really thought I was going to die. Poor me, I still have elderly and young children at home..."

The wealthy merchant wanted to continue his emotional tale, but the onlookers, who were engrossed in listening, were urging him on impatiently. He had no choice but to suppress his artistic creation and continue, "And guess what? The prince's words were meant for the bandits! Taking advantage of their lack of leverage and their uneasy state of mind, the prince shot an arrow through the neck of the bandit leader who was holding me hostage!"

"The blood splattered everywhere..." The wealthy merchant's face showed a look of disgust. "I thought I was dead. My legs went weak and I collapsed. It was the young master who personally pulled me out..."

The onlookers listened with excitement, crowding around to ask for more details.

Feng Mian was pushed out of the crowd, blankly pondering the words the wealthy merchant had just spoken.

It turns out that Baili Xunzhou wasn't such a ruthless person; she had only heard one side of the story and misunderstood.

She smiled helplessly. It seemed that his infamous reputation stemmed from this. If she hadn't met this wealthy businessman today, she probably would have forever branded Baili Xunzhou with the crime of "indiscriminate killing."

"Princess?" Liu Ying and the others squeezed over and nudged Feng Mian.

Feng Mian snapped out of his daze and laughed, "Let's go, I'll treat you to some crispy mountain. Eat quickly, don't make me hungry."

"After we finish eating, we'll continue our stroll."

Unfortunately, the trip could not take place. As dusk approached, Yuan Jixue forcibly ordered Feng Mian to return home.

"If we don't go back to the manor to rest soon, we'll definitely fall ill from exhaustion again."

In other matters, Liu Ying and Wu Liu always went along with Feng Mian, but once it came to Feng Mian's health, the two became forceful and immediately "forced" her back home.

Back at Xueyue Residence, Liuying was still thinking about Fengmian's questioning of the wealthy merchant at the Sushan Shop. Yuan Jixue was present at the time, so she didn't ask the princess what had happened and kept it to herself until they returned home.

Feng Mian then explained to Liu Ying and Wu Liu in detail how he had been rescued by Baili Xunzhou at Wolf Bone Ridge and how he had misunderstood him. Liu Ying was so startled that she dropped a few more small pearls.

"Why didn't the princess tell us about such a dangerous incident?"

"I was just afraid of causing any unforeseen complications. Alright, alright, don't cry." Feng Mian patted Liu Ying's head to comfort her, but to little avail, so he could only signal to Wu Liu with his eyes to quickly change the subject.

Wu Liu understood and sat down at the desk, unfolding a sheet of Xuan paper. "Princess, we haven't explored much of the East Market today, so why only draw the West Market on this map for now?"

Seeing this, Liu Ying quickly wiped away her tears and ran to grind ink for Wu Liu.

"No rush, let's draw slowly."

Feng Mian slumped on the chaise longue, her eyes closed in a daze. Today had truly exhausted her, and it was a rare opportunity to stroll freely and comfortably through the streets. Feng Mian couldn't stop for a moment.

If Yuan Jixue hadn't urged her to go back to the mansion to rest, she might have actually managed to walk herself into illness.

Feng Mian thought to himself that Yuan Jixue was indeed a rather contradictory woman. Her thoughts were somewhat easy to understand. She clearly had a girlish infatuation with Baili Xunzhou, and therefore sometimes she was somewhat hostile towards him. For example, her words always subtly revealed that she was closer to the prince. And today, she took him to the entertainment district, probably hoping that he would see the gambling games set up by the people.

If the future Crown Prince's wife in the Prince's mansion at this moment were Chu Jinglian, she would probably have already lost her temper and bullied Yuan Jixue into becoming a pitiful little flower, turning herself into the tyrannical and vicious shrew in everyone's eyes.

However, Yuan Jixue did not actually do anything harmful; in fact, she did her best to help her.

Overall, she's at most a bit petty. Feng Mian thinks that if she could focus her attention elsewhere, they might even become good sisters.

In the following days, Feng Mian did not ask Yuan Jixue to accompany him on his outings again, but instead focused on observing the shops on the street. Including the time spent sightseeing, Wu Liu spent three or four days drawing a map of the shops in the East and West markets.

Feng Mian drew circles on the map, planning to buy a few more shops so she could keep track of the dynamics of both markets. She sent Wu Liu to inquire about the shops, but Wu Liu returned with a bitter face and told her bad news.

"The princess's dowry shops are being boycotted by the people. Things like cosmetics, hairpins, and silks are fine; they won't spoil if left out. But the pastry shops are a different story. The shopkeeper is very worried. Princess, could you give me some advice?"

Liu Ying asked strangely, "Is there absolutely no customer traffic? The common people aren't buying, and neither are the officials' families or the merchants?"

It's no wonder she had such questions. If this were in Shengjing, any shop that was revealed to be owned by a member of the imperial family would be swarmed with sycophants and merchants eager to curry favor.

Wu Liu: "Have idlers stand guard outside the shop and don't allow anyone to enter..."

"This is outrageous! We should report this to the authorities!" Liu Ying glared angrily at Feng Mian, urging her to make a decision quickly.

Feng Mian couldn't help but laugh: "Such a childish and clumsy trick."

She really didn't consider the consequences at all. If she really got angry and took it seriously, asking the prefect or the Imperial Guards to intervene would not be something that could be resolved with just a few words of reprimand.

Fortunately, Feng Mian did not intend to make a fuss. She got up and ordered, "Go and invite the commander and Lord Lu. Tell them I need to go to the Jiyu Camp."

"The military camp is a sensitive place. If the princess goes there rashly, will it displease the young master?"

The commander hesitated, standing beside the carriage, offering words of advice. When he received the princess's summons, he and Lu Mingzhu were supervising construction at the princess's residence. The workers were all commoners from the northern frontier, and they had heard quite a bit in the past few days about how the crown prince wanted to annul the engagement.

During their escort of the princess, the commander had developed a bond with her. There were few noblemen like the princess who cared about their lives and even sought credit for them. Moreover, the princess made no mention of the mistakes that had led to her being in danger due to their negligence. How could the commander not be grateful?

Therefore, the commander, who had initially been perfunctory, has now begun to worry about the princess. They are currently on someone else's territory, far from the emperor's reach; if the princess doesn't win her husband's favor, her life will likely be difficult.

"Commander, rest assured, I'm going to deliver a gift to His Highness the Crown Prince. I'm sure he won't be angry." Feng Mian smiled and ordered, "Let's go."

The commander and Lu Mingzhu, who had been peering around, exchanged a glance, then helplessly shrugged, "Let's go!"

The Swift Feather Camp was located on the outskirts of Yunzhong County. From afar, one could see the watchtowers, which were more than ten feet high, standing on both sides of the camp gate. The soldiers, clad in armor and armed with weapons, scanned the surroundings with eyes like hawks. They quickly spotted the approaching carriages and immediately sent a message to the soldiers guarding the gate.

As soon as the carriages and horses arrived at the camp gate, they were stopped by the guards who were prepared.

The commander rode forward and announced the name of Princess Qingping, but the guards did not let him pass, saying that they needed to ask the young general.

While waiting, Feng Mian opened the car window and looked ahead.

Above the heavy camp gate hung a black plaque with the three large characters "Swift Feather Camp" written in vigorous and flowing strokes, exuding a sharp and murderous aura. From time to time, troop of soldiers marched by in formation, and the deafening roars of drills on the training ground could still be faintly heard.

Even as the sounds of drills gradually faded and disappeared, and three low, slow drumbeats echoed in the air, no one came to let them pass.

The commander, his face grim, knocked on Feng Mian's carriage window and said, "Princess, that was the drum signaling lunch. Lunch has already been served in the camp."

"What's wrong with the young master? He's left the princess standing here all day!" Liu Ying said angrily. "And they've started eating!"

"Let's go down and take a look."

Feng Mian alighted from the carriage and walked straight to the camp gate. Although the guards greeted the princess, the two halberds blocking their way remained unmoved.

"No one is allowed to enter without the young general's orders!"

Lu Mingzhu stepped forward to protect Feng Mian and rebuked, "The princess is a noble lady of the imperial family and the future crown prince's wife. Why does His Highness hesitate to even come out to see her?"

The two guards didn't know how to respond, so they kept their faces tense and remained silent. Since they had no orders, it wouldn't matter what they said.

"Watch out!"

A cry of alarm arose as an unidentified object suddenly flew out of the camp and hurtled straight toward Lu Mingzhu.

Fortunately, Feng Mian was right next to Lu Mingzhu, and the commander, who had been watching Feng Mian closely, immediately reached out and pulled the two of them back from the left and right.

That day, the foreign object crashed straight to the ground with a crisp sound, shattering into pieces. It turned out to be a bowl of vegetable soup in an earthenware pot, the soup splashing everywhere, all over Lu Mingzhu.

Two soldiers rushed out of the camp in a panic, shouting, "Did anyone get hit?!"

The commander stood in front of Feng Mian, sword drawn, and shouted angrily, "How dare you! You almost killed the princess!"

The two men's faces changed drastically, and they knelt down, their faces ashen, begging for mercy: "Princess, spare our lives! We truly didn't mean it!"

"I don't know what happened, I just tripped and the pottery jar flew out... This strange thing has never happened before!"

"Yeah, yeah, what bad luck..."

As soon as the word "bad luck" was uttered, everyone except those from the Swift Feather Camp instinctively turned their gaze to Lu Mingzhu.

That pottery jar just now seemed to be aimed at Lord Lu.

The commander shielded Feng Mian behind him, still shaken, and said, "Princess, it would be best if you stayed a little further away from Lord Lu."

Lu Mingzhu stood there awkwardly, his expression frozen, his gaze darting nervously to the ground, his ears burning red, his hands fidgeting with the corner of his sleeves. His robe was still stained with soup, making him look quite disheveled.

Feng Mian didn't respond to the commander's words. Instead, she stepped aside and asked the guard, "Whether it was premeditated or malicious, murdering a princess is a serious crime. May we go in now and meet with His Highness the Crown Prince?"

The guards were also shocked by this sudden turn of events and turned pale. They naturally didn't care about orders at the moment. They immediately removed the halberds blocking their way. One of them ran into the camp to report to the prince, while the other hurriedly made a welcoming gesture, "Please, Princess."

Feng Mian then walked up to Lu Mingzhu, winked at him, and said, "Lord Lu, you see, every cloud has a silver lining. I was able to enter the Swift Feather Camp smoothly thanks to your extraordinary abilities. I thank you very much, Lord Lu."

She gave Lu Mingzhu a proper fist-and-palm salute, the curve of her lips not mocking, but a warm and reassuring smile.

Lu Mingzhu stood there blankly, as if everything around him had disappeared from his world. All the piercing gazes vanished, and all his senses were focused on the girl in front of him. Her playful expression and gentle voice seemed to be coated with a faint light, striking his heart, which was wrinkled with embarrassment, self-blame, annoyance, and shame.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He could only force a sincere smile back, raise his hands, which had become somewhat powerless due to the bittersweet warmth that welled up in his heart, and return the gesture of cupped fists.

That's wonderful. That's wonderful. It's a privilege to escort the princess to the northern frontier.

A note from the author:

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Baili Xunzhou: It really wasn't me! [crying emoji]