Her long, dark blue hair was hastily tied into a bun with a wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands of hair sticking to her side. Her earlobes were bare, without any jade earrings.
The bamboo-green cotton-linen narrow-sleeved robe is just an ordinary homely garment with a subtle pine-patterned design.
He wore a white silk half-sleeved robe with an ash-gray lining to ward off the chill of the autumn night, and loose-fitting trousers in moon-white silk fabric with the cuffs tucked into deerskin boots.
Although the "escort" mission was not supposed to be luxurious, Qin Zhaoqiong was still somewhat surprised.
This outfit is too plain in terms of material, color, and style.
My gaze fell on her face; her eyebrows resembled distant mountains shrouded in frost, and the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned.
When her phoenix eyes moved, they were like the morning stars that suddenly appeared on the snowfield; her lips were very pale, as if they had been stained by the snow that never melts in the northern border.
Xiao Yunshuo stood up and took three steps forward to greet him. She had heard the old woman's question earlier and naturally knew who the person in front of her was.
After standing still, gently press your right palm inward onto your left shoulder, bow slightly, keeping your line of sight level with the other person, and offer a salute.
This was a custom from the North, which Qin Zhaoqiong was familiar with.
He returned the greeting with clasped hands, the cold, hard sound of his armor clanging against each other.
"General Qin."
"Lord Yunhui Pavilion".
Qin Zhaoqiong was only on this trip to supervise the army.
However, having previously held the rank of general in the North and now donning armor, it's perfectly acceptable to address him as general in informal settings.
Qin Zhaoqiong's address to her—"Master of Yunhui Pavilion"—was not an official title, but a sinecure at the Shuofeng Dynasty's library.
"Please sit down."
Xiao Yunshuo remained extremely calm in the face of the unexpected visit.
As soon as Qin Zhaoqiong sat down, she smelled a chilling odor.
Moonlight, like scattered snowflakes, filtered through the latticework window, barely illuminating the half-rolled scroll of poetry on the desk.
The bronze sparrow holding a ring lampstand was almost completely empty, and the Xuan paper, soaked with pine soot ink, glowed a warm yellow under the lamp.
The ink on it was still moist, and the half of the poem he had copied had blotted out with fine down, much like frost flowers falling on the collar of a cloak.
A celadon teapot with crackle glaze and a handle, paired with a celadon cup, evokes the image of enjoying tea and composing poetry after dinner.
But Qin Zhaoqiong clearly smelled alcohol; the other party was using a teacup to hold strong liquor.
Moreover, there was no condensation on the teacup, and the wine was served cold.
Noticing Qin Zhaoqiong's gaze, Xiao Yunshuo's usually calm expression froze, and he spoke somewhat awkwardly:
"It's cold, so have some to warm your stomach. General Qin, would you like a cup?"
It's cold? Compared to the winter in the Shuofeng Dynasty, it's hardly worthy of the word "cold."
I've never heard of warming the stomach with cold wine.
Qin Zhaoqiong shook her head and refused.
Not to mention that she doesn't have this strange habit, she wouldn't rashly use other people's food and water when she's out.
However, this Princess Shuofeng seems to be quite different from what I imagined.
"Is General Qin heading to the border?"
"Yes, why did Pavilion Master Xiao invite the military supervisor of the border camp to Fengjing to participate in the imperial examination?"
Xiao Yunshuo was surprised, not expecting the other party to be so...frank.
Qin Zhaoqiong admitted that she didn't have the same cunning as her sixth sister... no, she wasn't as clever as her sixth sister.
Compared to a scholar like him, I'm afraid I won't gain any advantage in a verbal exchange, so I might as well speak frankly.
It would be best to get some information, but it's also acceptable to leave the other party with the impression of being straightforward.
Anyway, it wasn't a secret that she was going to the North to oversee the army. Whether the other party knew or pretended not to know, she was telling the truth.
“I’m honest and straightforward. If you’re going to play mind games and be hypocritical, then you’re no good.”
In Sixth Sister's words, this is called a psychological advantage.
Xiao Yunshuo spoke leisurely, "I have long heard that the Empress of Daqian has established a civil service examination for women, and I yearn for it."
Why did they have to come at a time when the two countries are at war?
"That's all?"
Xiao Yunshuo lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the armor.
"General Qin, the north wind is different from the great Gan region. There are very few women in their early twenties who are still unmarried."
Even though I am a princess, I am already nearing my limit.
This major undertaking was something I fought for, and it might be my last chance.
The hand resting on the celadon cup suddenly curled up, and the scallion-like nails pinched a crescent moon in the palm, as white as snow.
Qin Zhaoqiong saw that her expression did not seem to be feigning, so this reason was plausible.
During the Great Leap Forward, although women have not yet achieved equality with men, there are far more women studying, taking exams, and going out to work than in the old lunar calendar.
With the addition of the option to establish female households, women had more choices than just getting married, and the average age of marriage was pushed back.
Among the imperial heirs, she herself had already given birth to a son and a daughter, and her third and fourth younger sisters also had children.
For a princess, having children early is a good thing.
Needless to say, the second and fifth brothers had quite a few children.
The sixth sister was the most playful, yet none of her children were taken into her room.
It's almost Double Ten, and the Empress has never urged us to hurry up or even mentioned it.
Thinking of this, Qin Zhaoqiong's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no! My sixth sister's birthday is in November, which is exactly 10th. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it back to Beijing in time.
What are some suitable gifts from the North, preferably something expensive? My sixth sister likes valuable things...
Xiao Yunshuo spoke frankly, wanting to see the other party's reaction.
But then he fell into deep thought, sometimes frowning, sometimes a slight smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
Why? What kind of emotional journey did you go through?
"I'm telling you about my sad stories, and you're laughing? What the hell are you laughing at?!"
Thinking this to himself, Xiao Yunshuo asked again, "General Qin, what are you laughing at?"
Qin Zhaoqiong suddenly snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I was thinking about something happy."
Xiao Yunshuo: ?
Is this princess who's doing all this stupid? Impossible!
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