Chapter 11 He rode his horse through the snow
Lu Zhaoruo took a half step back without showing any emotion, curtsied, and said, "Young Master Li, please be careful with your words. This woman is a lawfully wedded wife and is still registered under the Shen family's household register. As the son of the county magistrate, if you were to forcibly take a woman who has not yet been deregistered as a concubine..."
She shifted her gaze slightly and continued, "According to the Criminal Code, the crime of 'taking a wife or daughter from a good family as a concubine' is punishable by eighty strokes of the cane. Your father is currently undergoing a period of probation, so this may be inappropriate."
The attendant beside him hurriedly whispered, "Young Master, when you took your eighth concubine the other day, the Master already used family discipline..."
Young Master Li raised his foot to kick, but unexpectedly, he stumbled a few steps on the slippery bluestone slab. Taking advantage of his unsteady stance, he pressed himself against Lu Zhaoruo and whispered, "How about we become a couple for a while? I have a villa in Sweetwater Lane..."
"Young Master Li, please have some self-respect!"
Dongrou quickly stepped forward to separate the two.
"presumptuous!"
Li Yanei's face changed drastically. He slapped Dong Rou's face with his fan and cursed, "How dare a lowly servant girl like you interrupt?"
"Whoosh."
A streak of dark light pierced through the air, the hidden arrow precisely penetrating the fan ribs. With a clang, the remaining force of the arrow, along with the entire fan, nailed it to the inscription on the "Admonition Stone Pavilion" in the county government office.
"My hand warmer!"
Li Yanei, clutching his bruised hand, screamed, "This fan has Su Yuanying's own inscription on it! Ten taels of silver couldn't buy it!"
He flew into a rage: "Which blind fool is this! Don't you think I'm going to..."
Looking back, I was intimidated by the aura of the newcomer.
Lu Zhaoruo pulled Dong Rou behind her and looked up. Amidst the swirling snow, several warhorses were galloping towards them.
Leading the procession was a magnificent blue steed, upon which sat a general, his posture as upright as a pine tree. His heavy black iron armor gleamed with a cold, eerie light, and his dark cloak billowed in the north wind, forcing the swirling snowflakes back three feet.
With a neigh from his warhorse, he pulled on the reins and stood still. The wind and snow formed a hazy mist around him, with only his eyes breaking through the mist...
Lu Zhaoruo held her breath; those eyes reminded her of the coldest crescent moon in the depths of winter, its clear light chilling and devoid of any warmth.
Xiao Yeming dismounted, and the four armored officers behind him also dismounted. A groom immediately stepped forward and led the warhorses away.
He stood silently in the snow, his imposing presence instantly silencing the entire long street.
Lu Zhaoruo then saw his face clearly. His skin was extremely white, almost transparent under the snow, yet he did not appear weak at all. The contours of his brow bone and nose were as sharp as if carved by a knife, and his whole person exuded a sharp yet restrained temperament.
Upon closer inspection, however, his slightly pursed lips revealed a hint of stubbornness unique to young men.
A snowflake landed on his long eyelashes, seemingly intimidated by the sharpness in his gaze, and hesitated to melt.
Lu Zhaoruo possessed memories of her past life, and she knew that this was Xiao Yeming, the newly appointed naval commander of Linhai in Jizhou City.
Zhang Linhai, the commander of the naval forces, was a cold and taciturn man who did not curry favor with the powerful and wealthy. Yet, he frequently led ships and falcons to patrol the sea routes, suppress Japanese pirates, and protect merchant ships. The people all called him "Iron Face Xiao".
Although he was still a newly appointed commander, three years later, he swiftly and decisively wiped out the Japanese pirates, and the imperial court specially promoted him to "Commander-in-Chief of the Linhai Naval Forces".
At the young age of 23, he became the youngest naval commander in the entire province.
However, after becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the Linhai Navy, he returned to the capital. At the age of twenty-five, he personally led the "Tiger Wing Navy" on an expedition to the seven seas, and in ten years, he decisively defeated the main force of the Japanese pirates. The Emperor was overjoyed and exceptionally granted him the title of Marquis of Zhenhai County, appointed him as the Grand Commander of the Navy of all seas, and bestowed upon him the "Sword of Pacifying the Japanese Pirates," which could be used to kill traitors, spies, pirates, and rebels...
However, Xiao Yeming did not return to receive his title.
When the enemy ships were in a desperate counterattack against the main force of the Japanese pirates, the "fire dragon emerges from the water" attack hit the stern of the ships, and the oil mixed with the wood fragments exploded into a rain of fire.
He leaped into the raging waves.
The historians of the Great Court engraved the three characters "Xiao Yeming" on the cold stone tablet of the Temple of Loyalty and Martyrdom. Ten years later, he returned to the capital and came ashore with a fisherwoman. As for whether that fisherwoman was his wife, Lu Zhaoruo had no idea.
Because that year, she died in the woodshed.
In his previous life, when he was cracking down on salt smugglers in Jizhou City, Lu Zhaoruo had donated shipbuilding materials and medical supplies...
On the day Xiao Yeming arrived, he was still in his armor, and the stench of blood mingled with the sea breeze...
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her eyes and fiddled with the gold-threaded counting rods. Amidst the clinking of the sandalwood beads, a hoarse voice broke the stagnant air: "Xiao Yeming, the naval commander of Jizhou, has come to thank Master Lu."
That was the first time they met and looked into each other's eyes. She saw a scar on his brow bone, with sulfur dust still clinging to the edges of the scab. He noticed ink stains on her fingertips and a thin scar on the back of her hand, a callus left from years of using an abacus.
The next day, he returned to the capital.
The second time I met him was a few days before his expedition to the Seven Seas.
Lu Zhaoruo happened to be in Shucheng to expand her silk business and took the opportunity to meet her close friend Geng Qionghua.
At that moment, she stood on the deck of the merchant ship, the sea breeze brushing past her temples, ruffling a few strands of hair. As she raised her hand to gather her hair, her gaze suddenly froze.
It was him.
He stood at the bow of the ship, his black iron armor reflecting the sunset, like a long sword soaked in the flames of war, splitting the twilight in two.
The waves surged between the two, the spray blurring their vision.
As the mist cleared, she saw him raise his hand and press it against his left chest...
It was around that time that Lu Zhaoruo donated grain, as well as homemade pickled lychees and vinegar-soaked seaweed...
In that lifetime, they only met twice.
She admired his armored warriors who guarded the seas, and pitied his lonely figure amidst the turbulent waves for half his life.
Now, because he brought Dongrou to the county government office to get the seal, they met ahead of schedule.
"Who do you think you are, daring to meddle in my business? You shattered my Xiangfei bone fan and injured my hand. Do you even know who I am?"
Li Yanei continued his arrogant and boastful rebuke.
Lu Zhaoruo immediately took three steps back, placed her hands together at her waist, and performed a standard curtsy: "This humble woman, Lu, greets Commander Xiao."
Xiao Yeming's eyes flickered slightly when he heard the words "Lu family", but he did not reply. He simply raised his hand to adjust the fur collar, covering a scar on the side of his neck.
Commander Xiao?
Li Yanei was stunned for a moment.
At this moment, the deputy commander behind Xiao Yeming suddenly raised a fish-shaped tally, which was inscribed with the words "Jizhou Linhai Navy".
The arrogant young master Li immediately took three steps back, stepping on the fan pendant that had just fallen to the ground, and said in a panic, "I was blind and did not recognize your greatness, please... please forgive me, Commander Xiao!"
Xiao Yeming did not speak, but Deputy Commander Ban Ling looked at Lu Zhaoruo and asked in a loud voice, "How did this lady know Commander Xiao's identity?"
Lu Zhaoruo, mindful of etiquette, dared not look directly at Xiao Yeming's attire. Her gaze was lowered, but she remembered the appearance of the warhorse from earlier very clearly: "The 'Treatise on Judging Horses' says, 'Dragon's head and phoenix's chest, hooves like piled balls.' This 'Azure Cloud Steed' must be Qingcong without a doubt."
According to the "Military Essentials - Horse Administration", the commander of the naval forces should be equipped with a blue steed. If the commander is newly appointed, his mane should be tied with five strands of red silk so that the soldiers can easily recognize him.
"And that red silk must be made of fire-resistant silk from Fujian, which does not fade when wet and is dazzling in the snow."
She kept her head bowed: "A few days ago, the Maritime Trade Office posted a notice saying, 'Avoid horses with red braids.'"
She slightly raised her eyelashes, her eyes reflecting the clear, snowy light: "Three days ago, the storyteller in the teahouse was still saying that a young commander named Xiao was coming to Linhai, and that his archery skills were so good that he could shoot down flying fish leaping out of the sea..."
Lu Zhaoruo's gaze swept over the sleeve arrow with the tattered fan nailed to it, and she smiled: "That arrow just now shows that the person in front of me is Commander Xiao. I have witnessed that arrow."
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