As dusk deepened, the guard leaped from the locust tree. The two characters "Feng Ming" on the secret report were circled in red ink. When the palace lanterns were lit one after another, the secret report was already lying on the sandalwood desk in the Silijian.
The morning mist on Qingque Street was crushed by iron hooves as the black-armored cavalry formed a long, winding line into the city. The three war horses at the front, reined side by side, marched in unison. The middle horse, Zhao Yebai, suddenly raised its front hooves. The young man in brocade robes on horseback tightened the reins, and the dragon-patterned jade pendant on his waist jingled against his heartguard.
"When I left, snowflakes were still drifting outside the Great Wall. When I returned, I saw new buds sprouting from the willow branches along the moat." Xin Yiwei rested his folding fan against his chin, suddenly tapping the rib to the right. "Yihuan, do you think our father would appreciate two jars of pear blossoms when he sees us, so dusty and dusty?"
The summoned young general was still wearing his black armor, his wrist guards stained with dark brown blood. He tugged on the reins, putting half a horse's length between him and the Second Prince, his cold jawline tensing even more. The lieutenant general behind him saw this and tried to smooth things over: "Second Prince, you're joking. The Emperor's greatest reward is to see you return safely."
"drive!"
Jiang Yihuan suddenly clamped his grip on his horse's belly and charged forward, his Ferghana horse's mane brushing against Xin Yiwei's gilded saddle. The veins on the back of the Second Prince's hand bulged as he gripped the fan handle, but his face held a gentle smile. "The Prince of Yongding is anxious to see his sister."
This attracted the young general on the left to join in the fun: "I heard that Princess Jiaqing is very popular in Yanjing, even His Highness the Fourth Prince is very popular."
"Be careful with your words." Xin Yiwei knocked the young general's breastplate with his fan bone, the smile in his eyes not quite reaching its full depth. "But I'm also curious, what kind of extraordinary woman could make my father make an exception and grant her the title of County Lady?" He suddenly leaned forward, his black cloak brushing against Jiang Yihuan's quiver. "Speaking of which, should your sister be called Miss Hao now, or Concubine Xinyi?"
With a snap, the whip in Jiang Yihuan's hand broke in two. The letter from three months ago flashed before his eyes—the yellowed paper was stained with rouge and tears, and his younger sister Yuyao's hairpin-shaped small characters had written: "Brother, I feel like I'm seeing you. Since Hao returned home, my grandmother has been doting on me even more. The other day, when the Fourth Prince came to visit, she actually did it in public."
"Second Prince." Jiang Yihan suddenly turned his horse's head, and the black iron wristband reflected a cold light. "It is not the place for outsiders to gossip about the affairs of the Yongding Marquis' Mansion." The Ferghana horse neighed and stood up, its iron hooves heavily crushing the ice in the cracks of the bluestone slabs.
Xin Yiwei watched the dark figure disappear into the distance, his folding fan swish open to hide his sneer. The ink-splashed landscape on the fan faintly revealed the outline of the Fourth Prince's residence—some of the wall bases would require personal digging to satisfy the urge.
..
At the vermilion-lacquered gate of the Yongding Marquisate, the butler, standing on tiptoe, shivered at the sound of horse hooves. As Jiang Yihuan dismounted from his horse, he suddenly caught sight of two brand-new glazed palace lanterns hanging under the doorway. The emblem of Princess Jiaqing on the lampshades pricked his eyes, causing them to ache.
"My Lord, the old lady came early this morning."
"Where's Yuyao?"
The butler's hand, which was about to offer the handkerchief, froze in mid-air. "The second young lady got married last month and is now living in the Fourth Prince's residence."
The black iron wristband struck the stone lion, sparks flying, and Jiang Yihuan's eyes were bloodshot. The words in that letter three months ago, Yuyao's tearful complaint about being forced into concubinehood, pierced his heart like a needle. If it weren't for Jiang Songyi's interference, his little sister would have been the legitimate wife!
The tinkling of bells and bracelets echoed from the main hall, and the veins on Jiang Yihuan's hand bulged as he pressed against the hilt of his sword. A young woman with cloud-like hair emerged from behind a gilded screen. Her pomegranate-red skirt and blouse illuminated the entire room, but the golden hairpins in her hair cast a cold light.
"Brother, how are you?" The girl knelt down and saluted, with a red prayer string wrapped around her exposed wrist - exactly the same one he had tied with his own hands when Yuyao came of age.
Jiang Yihuan suddenly drew his sword, the blade brushing against the girl's ear, slicing off half of a pearl hairpin. Looking at the face that bore a striking resemblance to his deceased mother, his voice was colder than the cold iron of the frontier: "Miss Hao, are you worthy enough to enter the Yongding Marquis's Mansion?"
Amidst the crisp sound of a pearl hairpin cracking as it fell to the ground, Jiang Songyi slowly raised her eyes. The spring sun shone through the window lattice, casting shadows on her eyelashes, obscuring the turbulent undercurrents in her eyes.
…
Qi Yingxiong, the eldest son of the Dingwei Marquisate, tightened the reins, his black iron wrist guard clanging against the saddle. He sneered at Jiang Yihuan's retreating figure, "The third son of the Jiang family is quite stubborn. He even dares to turn his back on the prince. Who doesn't know that he treats that fake sister like his own sweetheart?"
The autumn wind blew dead leaves across the bluestone pavement. Xin Yiwei stroked her gilded whip and chuckled, "I have to find out where his weakness is." Suddenly, she turned to look at Qi Yingxiong's dark face. "Mo'er wrote the other day saying her baby is moving very fast. I've paid my respects to the Queen, and will you come with me to see your nephew?"
Qi Yingxiong grinned, revealing his white teeth. "It's been eight months already. Last month, she felt so bored at home that she even climbed over the wall to pick persimmons." He stopped talking abruptly and slapped his forehead, shouting, "Your Highness, please stop her!"
As the two chatted, Jiang Yihuan and the Black Tiger Cavalry had already turned the corner down the long street. In a carriage surrounded by black-armored cavalrymen, Bai Linxi was lifting the curtains for some fresh air, the silver bell on her wrist tinkling with the bumps.
"Miss Xue, sit tight." She shrank into a corner, trying to stay as far away from the foreign girl covered in colorful ropes and bells. If she hadn't broken her leg saving the girl the day before, she wouldn't have been stuck in the carriage smelling the incense.
When the four gilded characters "Marquis Yongding's Mansion" caught his eye, Bai Linxi couldn't wait to lift the curtain and peek in. A crowd of people stood in front of the mansion gate. A girl in a lilac-colored skirt, standing at the front, looked up, the autumn sun shimmering on the pearl hairpin at her temples.
"Be careful!" Seeing Bai Linxi about to fall off the carriage, Jiang Songyi rushed forward, her skirt in hand. The fragrance of osmanthus filled her face, and the girl in red fell firmly into her arms.
"Fairy sister!" Bai Linxi exclaimed, clutching Jiang Songyi's sleeve. Looking closer, she felt that her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, especially the cinnabar mole at the end of her eye, which looked like red plum blossoms falling in the snow.
Jiang Songyi's ears felt hot from her fiery gaze, and memories of her past life came flooding back - in her previous life, Bai Linxi had the same sparkling look in his eyes when he protected her from the fire.
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