Chapter 4 "I haven't had enough of you yet, how could I let you go..."

For a fleeting moment, Xue Mingyao's palms felt like they were covered in icy snow, while the backs of her hands felt like they were warmed by Xie Zhuo.

Just as a surge of shock and anger welled up in his heart, the warmth in his hand vanished instantly. Xie Zhuo followed her fingertips and naturally picked up the glass bead, moving it two inches to the right.

"The princess placed the beads too far to one side."

His tone was so casual, as if he had simply touched her hand unintentionally while moving the glass bead.

Xue Mingyao sneered, pried the bead out, and placed it back in its original position near the center. She slapped her palm hard, embedding the bead deeply into the snow.

“This princess’s snow lion is not for the general to comment on. It only has one eye, and it just so happens to be right here.”

In the dim sunlight, the one-eyed lion stared blankly at the two, its eerie blue eyes gleaming.

Xie Zhuo took two steps back, his tone indifferent, "I'm sorry, it was me who was meddling."

His gaze swept over her jade-like neck, accentuated by the collar of her bright red cloak. Just now, standing behind her, he had to suppress the urge to place his hand on the back of her snow-white neck.

Although he wasn't sure whether he wanted to put it on and touch it, or... pinch it.

Or perhaps, both.

Green Branches came carrying the Ren Gui Grass.

Xue Mingyao glanced at Xie Zhuo, who seemed lost in thought, but ultimately didn't go back on her word and withhold the medicinal herbs from him.

Not long after Xie Zhuo left with the herbs, around dusk, people from the Xie family delivered a gift of thanks.

The gift was wrapped in brocade, about a foot wide and four or five feet long, and quite heavy.

When Xue Mingyao opened it, she found it was a bow. The bow was made of mulberry wood and rhinoceros horn, with gold-inlaid animal patterns on the bow tip. It was smooth and hard all over, and the workmanship was excellent. At a glance, it was clear that it was a fine bow.

Why did Xie Zhuo give her a bow?

Xue Mingyao came from a military family and learned archery and horsemanship with her elder brother when she was young, becoming quite skilled in the art. However, there were too many things to appreciate and enjoy in Zhongjing, so she didn't devote much attention to archery. Later, she became a widow in Xichuan, a barren and impoverished place filled with endless mountains and fields, offering no places for entertainment and no noble ladies to socialize with.

Out of boredom, Xue Mingyao began to frequently go hiking and horseback riding, and gradually she was able to hunt some small prey. Of course, Xue Mingyao's most prized prey was Xie Qinglang.

Xie Zhuo sent her the bow, presumably because he was a military general, and she was the daughter of a military general.

Xue Mingyao played with the horn bow, feeling a bit itchy to practice. So she went to the training ground in the mansion, aimed at the bullseye, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring taut like a full moon.

Swoosh—

An arrow pierced the air and landed firmly in the center of the wooden target.

In the courtyard of the Xie residence, Xie Zhuo held a large bow. After shooting an arrow, he did not stop. Amidst the cheers of Liu Quan, he changed arrows, drew the string, and fired several more in succession, all hitting their targets.

Liu Quan jogged back to collect the arrows. "General, we've already shot dozens of arrows. You're still ill, so it's not good for you to overexert yourself. How about we practice again tomorrow?"

"One hundred arrows every day, without fail."

Xie Zhuo spoke without stopping, his iron arm moving fluidly. In Liu Quan's view, the general seemed to have no intention of looking at the target, relying entirely on his feel to ensure that his arrows never missed.

Liu Quan sincerely admired him, saying, "General, your archery skills are superb; you must have been practicing since childhood, something ordinary people can't match."

Childhood training?

Xie Zhuo narrowed his eyes and fired an arrow fiercely.

Born into a poor family, he lost his parents at a young age and had to travel around seeking refuge with relatives to pursue his studies. He never had the opportunity to learn riding and archery like the children of noble families.

This also made him feel intimidated in front of Xue Mingyao.

At that time, she was practicing archery at the mansion and forced him to shoot one for her to see. His technique was not good, and the arrow flew out and landed on the edge of the target.

Xue Mingyao laughed loudly, "Xie Qinglang, you can't do this! You're good at reading and writing, but you're not strong enough to even kill a chicken. You can't even shoot an arrow accurately!"

He didn't want to talk to her, but she insisted on coming over, complaining that his movements were awkward, and helped him adjust them hand by hand.

His second arrow was very well shot, not far from the bullseye. Xue Mingyao seemed quite pleased with herself, saying that if he could hit the bullseye with all three of his arrows, she would let him go and give him his freedom.

He gritted his teeth and practiced for a long time, and finally succeeded. Xue Mingyao, however, denied it, saying, "I only said that to motivate you to learn archery. I haven't had enough of you yet, how could I let you go?"

Enraged, he drew his bow and shot an arrow at her white fox fur coat, which lay to the side, ruining her beloved garment. Xue Mingyao's eyebrows furrowed in anger; she grabbed her quiver and smashed it down, causing blood to gush from his forehead.

Xue Mingyao's voice, filled with anger and anxiety, came crashing down on him, "Xie Qinglang, are you an idiot? Why didn't you dodge? If you're disfigured, I'll never let you go again!"

Xie Zhuo slid his hand to his left forehead, brushed aside the stray hairs, and stroked the shallow scar that was nearly an inch long, the old pain slowly burning back up.

Over the years, her temper seems to have improved considerably.

A-Lian came over to report, "General, the princess has accepted the gifts."

Xie Zhuo hummed in agreement, covered his scar, and picked up his bow again to fire an arrow.

A-Lian whispered to Liu-Quan, "Princess Yongning is indeed beautiful, exuding nobility. I have never seen such a beautiful lady before."

"Of course, how many important people have you met?"

A-Lian began to ponder, "They say heroes should be paired with beauties, so our general will definitely marry a beautiful and intelligent noblewoman in the future. Hehe, in my opinion, the general could even marry a princess."

"Whether he will marry the princess or not, I don't know. I only know that many families have sent visiting cards these days, and matchmakers have even come to our door. It's a pity that the general cannot receive guests..."

Amidst their whispered conversation, Xie Zhuo resolutely fired all one hundred arrows.

......

A few days later, Xue Mingyao planned to enter the palace again to carry out her grand plan to gradually target Chen Liangqing.

As usual, Green Branch styled her hair with a "gentle and elegant" look, muttering, "Princess, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to be going to the Hanlin Academy every few days?"

"It's not like it happens every few days. We didn't see anyone last time. Besides, the Hanlin Academy is inside the palace, not some government office outside."

The Hanlin Academy was a newly established inner court institution in recent years. It selected trusted officials who were skilled in writing to serve as tutors to the emperor and draft imperial edicts. Compared to the various government offices located outside the imperial city, it had fewer rules.

Xue Mingyao was used to coming and going in the Forbidden City and didn't feel that there was any place she couldn't set foot in.

"And don't forget that I have a legitimate reason."

The suppression of the rebellion of the southern barbarians was a major event since Emperor Deyuan ascended the throne. The emperor decided to compile the "Records of the Southern Expedition" to record the customs and culture of the southern frontier, summarize the efforts made by several generations to recover the southern frontier, and leave a lasting mark on history to highlight the emperor's achievements.

He assigned this task to Chen Liangqing.

Chen Liangqing was born into the Duke of Ying's family. He was a man of great literary talent, and his poems, lyrics and essays were all first-rate in his time. He was highly respected among scholars and was a leader of the younger generation of the literary world.

What is admirable is that he did not seek official position or wealth, but devoted himself to scholarship. Although he was in the Hanlin Academy, he was engaged in compiling national history. It was most appropriate for him to preside over the compilation of "The Southern Expedition".

General Xue had also managed the southern frontier, so it is reasonable for Xue Mingyao to provide information for the "Records of the Southern Expedition" on behalf of her father.

She used the same excuse when she last met with Chen Liangqing. Chen Liangqing was diligent in compiling history, striving to fill in gaps and correct omissions; he wouldn't refuse her if she used this reason.

Xue Mingyao was used to wearing bright and vibrant colors, which Xie Qinglang often ridiculed as vulgar. She thought that Chen Liangqing and Xie Qinglang were both scholars, and Chen Liangqing was particularly calm, so she guessed that he also preferred a simple and understated aesthetic. Therefore, whenever she was going to see him, she would deliberately toned down her flamboyant style and dress more like a demure young lady.

Today, she wore her hair in a low bun with a wisp of black hair hanging down her chest. She wore a light green outer skirt and a moon-white cloak, looking like a lady who had stepped out of an ancient painting.

It hadn't snowed for the past two days, but the weather was mostly overcast with little sunshine, and a damp, snowy mist often hung in the air, making clothes feel damp. After getting off the carriage, Xue Mingyao still carried her blue silk umbrella, intending to drape it over her simple and elegant clothes.

As she wished, Chen Liangqing was in the Hanlin Academy this time.

He held a high position and had a private room in the Hanlin Academy, located in a secluded spot, with a small door connecting to the palace gardens outside for easy access.

Chen Liangqing preferred quiet. Except when he was occasionally summoned by the emperor and buried in old papers all day, he was rarely disturbed. This place became his own quiet little world.

Xue Mingyao, holding an umbrella, and Lüzhi, carrying things, walked through the small door. The clerk quietly led them into the room, stopping them in the outer room, and said, "Princess, please be at ease. Hanlin Chen is receiving guests in the inner room."

Xue Mingyao was somewhat disappointed.

However, after the official went in to report, he came out again and said to her, "Princess, please come in."

"Aren't we having guests?"

Chen Hanlin said it was no big deal.

But she felt it was somewhat of a nuisance...

She had come to spend time alone with Chen Hanlin; what would it look like with other people around? Besides, with guests present, she couldn't stay too long.

Xue Mingyao said softly, "Let him focus on meeting guests and discussing matters. I can wait as long as I want. If it's inconvenient, I can come another day. Good things take time, so it doesn't matter if I come a few more times."

A few years ago, Xue Mingyao would never have said such a thing. She never wronged herself, not even verbally. And with her status and beauty, she could indeed get whatever she wanted, whoever she wanted, with a mere wave of her hand; she was always successful.

Xie Qinglang was the only exception.

Men with integrity are not easy to deal with; that's the lesson she learned from him.

She had no choice but to pretend to be understanding and take the approach of using gentleness to overcome strength.

However, Xue Mingyao was determined to wait no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. She couldn't bear to sit and wait in vain for a man.

Ideally, Chen Hanlin would immediately send his guests away to see her. If he refused, she would have no choice but to return home. Thinking of this, Xue Mingyao felt frustrated. Why was it so unfortunate that Chen Liangqing wasn't a sociable person, and yet he had guests when she arrived?

After delivering the message, the official invited her in again, saying, "Princess, Chen Hanlin said that you don't mind having guests here."

Xue Mingyao had nothing to say. "Never mind, let's meet her first and then talk about it."

She followed the minor official, gracefully passing through the gate and entering the inner room.

Chen Liangqing's reception room was spacious, with snow reflected in the small window and steam rising from the tea table. His guest had her back to the door, but turned around the moment she entered.

The silver mask reflected a cold luster, and his deep, enigmatic gaze fell upon her.

"We meet again, Princess," Xie Zhuo's deep voice rang out.