32: Chapter 32 Beautiful Women Have Often Fate (Part 3)

03

Two years is neither short nor long.

After the Liang State capital, Yandu, was broken and Emperor Liang committed suicide in the front hall, East Lake, Jiangnan, West Chu, Beichuan, and Wuzhong had been locked in a stalemate for nearly two years; none wanted to withdraw from Yandu, yet none dared to be the first to make a move, so they just dragged it out.

The feudal princes had returned to their respective states over a year ago, leaving behind capable heirs and confidants to negotiate subsequent matters, but even so, they could not afford to continue this consumption.

In the end, the five states reached a strange balance: they supported the Liang Crown Prince, Li Hong, to ascend the throne, with each state taking turns to send troops to garrison the Liang State capital every three years.

Privately, they agreed that whoever found the Imperial Jade Seal first would claim the throne.

On that day, when Emperor Liang heard that the Empress had committed suicide to avoid humiliation, he was overcome with grief and, taking advantage of the moment when everyone was distracted, also committed suicide before the hall, following the Empress. This move caught the five states off guard, as they had not yet had the chance to ask about the whereabouts of the Imperial Jade Seal.

Since the founding of the Liang State, the founding Emperor, Emperor Wu of Liang, had commissioned the creation of a jade seal, which became the Imperial Jade Seal. Since then, the Liang State had enjoyed prosperity and was passed down for hundreds of years.

There had long been a saying in the world: "He who holds the Jade Seal is the destined ruler."

Therefore, everyone coveted the Imperial Jade Seal in order to ascend the throne legitimately.

Regardless, the Liang State had fallen and completely become a puppet state of the five kings.

Among the five states, Beichuan possessed the strongest power, so this first three-year term was given to Beichuan. Next were East Lake, Jiangnan, West Chu, and Wuzhong.

Two years were enough for Fu Chu to believe that Princess Anle was the most talented martial arts genius he had ever seen.

At first, he worried that the little princess could not endure the hardship and would give up halfway. Later, he ended up following behind the little princess like a mother hen, constantly nagging her not to push too hard, not to stay up late, to eat one bite at a time, and to practice martial arts the same way.

Watching the graceful figure in the center of the training ground, who could wield a long spear with such ferocity, Fu Chu was filled with mixed emotions, feeling both gratified and heartbroken.

What broke his heart was that their little princess of the Liang State, who should have been living in luxury and splendor, wearing fine silk and satin, and enjoying supreme nobility, was now rolling around in the dirt among a bunch of rough men, sweating profusely on the training ground, with a perseverance far exceeding that of men.

What gratified him was that after the Liang State fell, the little princess did not wallow in self-pity or become depressed; instead, it ignited her fighting spirit, and she practiced martial arts daily without slackening.

The little princess did not say it out loud, but Fu Chu knew that she always kept the grand cause of restoring the nation in her heart.

When they first arrived at the stone chamber, the little princess just practiced martial arts fiercely—practice, eat, sleep—repeating the cycle.

It was about a year ago that the little princess, having achieved some success, brought him into the innermost secret chamber left to her by the late Emperor. They took out twenty full chests of gold and silver treasures, each chest large enough for an adult to curl up in.

After that, the little princess began ordering people to go out and set up outposts, opening shops across the five states, ranging from small rice and grain stores to large gambling dens and restaurants. She did not need these people to do anything else; they only needed to be content and honest in their respective positions.

She also sent people to travel across the land to deliver messages and hand-drew a map of the Central Plains, updating it in real-time. She would often stand in front of the map, staring at it for an entire afternoon.

Before the little princess appeared, they were like the living dead, living without emotions or goals; what was the difference between living and being dead? After the little princess arrived, they gradually became vivid, had their own names, began to taste delicious food, and could even laugh heartily; at the very least, they became like human beings.

The little princess was the faith of these people.

"Young Master, Young Master, you have been practicing for an hour, you must be tired, right? This servant has brewed milk tea for you, with the taro balls you wanted. Would you like to taste it? Please give this servant some guidance."

Distracted, Fu Chu saw his Young Master finish with a beautiful spear flourish, while that little girl, Ming Xia, was eagerly holding a cup, running up to offer the treasure.

Two years ago, Ming Xia and Little Seven had also started learning martial arts together, but their aptitude was truly too poor. In the end, seeing that Little Seven was literate and loved reading, Zhao Yan let Little Seven apprentice under the team's physician to learn medicine.

Zhao Yan also found a job for Ming Xia: to study gourmet food and make the most delicious food for everyone.

Zhao Yan's exact words were: "Delicious food can make people feel happy in body and mind."

Ming Xia's disappointed look at that time immediately brightened. That's right! Serving the Young Master anywhere was still serving. The Young Master worked hard practicing martial arts, so she should eat something good, and the Young Master's physical foundation was not good, so she needed to be well-nourished! She, Ming Xia, must be the thoughtful person by the Young Master's side, anticipating the Young Master's needs.

Since then, Ming Xia's culinary skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

Not only did Zhao Yan get a share, but all the secret guards who remained in the stone chamber enjoyed it.

Wasn't this because when Ming Xia prepared new food for the Young Master, she needed someone to taste it? This job as a food taster was great! Good food and drink, and being served by the gentle Ming Xia—everyone scrambled to get in. This actually added quite a bit of liveliness to their group.

Zhao Yan took a sip of the milk tea; the taro balls were cooked just right, soft, glutinous, and sweet. It tasted so good that she couldn't help but squint her eyes, her brows and eyes curving like a new moon.

Seeing that expression, Ming Xia felt her heart melt; she was touched beyond words. How could her Young Master be both so beautiful and so cute?

"Young Master, there is news from Bai Ke and Ye Chen. The King of West Chu, Chu Yao, has returned to his fief, and accompanying him is a woman in white. Her clothes are whiter than snow, her appearance is passable, and the two are acting intimately, with a relationship that is not ordinary. Not only that, the heir to the King of Jiangnan, Li Nanxi, is following closely behind."

Zhao Yan's brows moved slightly. Why did she suspect Bai Ke and Ye Chen's aesthetic judgment?

"Passable? She is not just passable."

If it were said that in her first life, Li Yuan was a disaster of a beauty who was reviled by others, that woman was the moonlight in the hearts of those heirs and feudal princes.

Bai Qingxue was the Saintess of the Bai Clan from the hidden families for this generation, and also the woman whom her brain-dead Crown Prince brother loved but could not have.

There were many rumors about the hidden Bai Clan in the outside world, saying they were talented, knowledgeable about the past and present, capable of divination, and knew things about the future. But what attracted those in power the most was this: the Bai Clan either did not come out of the mountains, but once they did, they would choose a wise ruler of the world to assist.

The old man said solemnly: "It is just passable." Anyone who had seen his Young Master, who else could be called a peerless beauty? In fact, he privately thought that even the "passable" comment from those two boys was an overestimation.

"Uncle Fu, order people to spread the news that the Saintess of the Bai Clan has come out of the mountains. Chu Yao wants to hide it, but he won't be able to."

"The Bai Clan?" Fu Chu frowned and immediately realized, "Young Master, are you saying that the woman beside Chu Yao is the Saintess of the Bai Clan?"

"She is now, but she won't be later." Zhao Yan smiled, winked mischievously at Fu Chu, and instructed Ming Xia: "Go, prepare a set of white clothes as white as snow for this Young Master. The more ethereal, the better. This Young Master wants to dress up."

The old man clutched his heart. My little darling, please take it easy. Stop smiling; how many men can handle that?

Ming Xia was stunned for a moment. White clothes? Didn't the Young Master dislike white the most? She was always complaining that it was easy to get dirty while practicing martial arts.

"The time has come; it is time for us to go out and take a stroll."

...

At this moment, on the road to West Chu, Chu Yao glanced at the horses following not too far behind, feeling a wave of annoyance in his chest.

He didn't know what was wrong with Li Nanxi. Ever since he had followed him and seen Qingxue, he had been trailing them. If they stopped, he would approach with a cheeky smile to talk to Qingxue; if they walked, he would follow at a distance, like a tail that couldn't be shaken off, making people extremely annoyed.

Back in Yandu, Li Hong, that piece of trash, was one thing; if he dared to pester Qingxue, Chu Yao would have taken action directly.

But Li Nanxi was different. This person was not as harmless as he appeared; he was truly treacherous and hard to guard against. Since he was following like this, he must have some scheme. Thinking of Qingxue's identity, Chu Yao couldn't help but feel defensive. Could it be that Li Nanxi had guessed Qingxue's identity?

At this moment, inside the carriage beside him, a pair of slender, fair hands gently lifted the curtain, revealing a face as beautiful as jade. She was otherworldly, dressed in white as pure as snow, as icy and clean as a snow lotus on a snowy mountain.

"Qingxue, what's wrong? Are you tired?" Chu Yao rode his horse forward and asked in a softened voice.

Bai Qingxue shook her head, her cold, clear eyes revealing a trace of affection: "It's just a bit stuffy in the carriage."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yao deliberated: "Would you like to ride with me?"

Bai Qingxue lowered her eyes, her cheeks flushing slightly, her voice as soft as water: "That would be nice."

Before long, Li Nanxi saw the beauty he had been longing for being held loosely in Chu Yao's arms, the two riding on the same horse. Occasionally, the beauty would turn her head to look at Chu Yao, their deep affection making him incredibly jealous.

Unable to restrain himself for a moment, he rode forward, wanting to throw a few snide remarks at him.

Unexpectedly, before he could even reach them, two guards dressed in the uniforms of Jiangnan soldiers suddenly appeared out of thin air, blocking Chu Yao's mount in front of him.

"Young Prince, why do you need to do it yourself?" With that, without another word, they charged at Chu Yao.

Li Nanxi was a bit dazed. Were these his men? Why didn't he remember having such observant guards?

The two were quite skilled, attacking Chu Yao from above and below, occasionally playing dirty tricks to leave marks on her snow-white dress.

Chu Yao's martial arts were quite good, but since he was on horseback and had to take care of Bai Qingxue in front of him, he really couldn't unleash his full potential.

Seeing their master under attack, the guards of West Chu immediately surrounded them, and Li Nanxi's guards were not to be outdone, with both sides instantly clashing.

Bai Qingxue was stuck on the horse, unable to stay on or get off. She was swayed back and forth by Chu Yao's fighting movements, and the two guards attacking them kept pressing in, entangling her. She could no longer suppress the irritation on her face, and her elegant, otherworldly fairy image began to crumble.

At this moment, she felt a slight resentment toward Chu Yao. If he struggled so much to repel two small guards, was it too late to change the male lead now? She thought Li Nanxi was actually quite good; indeed, one shouldn't settle on their true love too early.

Bai Qingxue brushed away Chu Yao's arm, used her lightness skill, and gracefully flipped off the horse. When she landed on a stable patch of ground and looked down to see two black footprints on her long white dress, she, who had always loved cleanliness, could not bear it any longer.

Bai Ke and Yechen had already successfully retreated into the crowd of fighting guards the moment she flipped off the horse. They took off their soldier uniforms and sat by the roadside, laughing hysterically.

"I'm dying of laughter. You didn't see her furious expression just now. Does she think wearing a white dress makes her a fairy? Above the concerns of the mortal world?"

"It's truly nauseating. Traveling with such a pretentious ugly hag has made me lose weight. Her eyes were practically glued to Chu Yao, yet she still pretended to be cold and aloof."

"I'd better hurry back and see the Young Master to wash my eyes, even just looking at that little girl Ming Xia would do."

"Speaking of which, with us gone, who is benefiting from my little Ming Xia's delicious food?"

Bai Ke chattered on for a long time, and Yechen suddenly interjected: "Ming Xia is not yours."

"Fine, fine, not mine, everyone's, okay? I really miss the Young Master and Ming Xia."

"Do you miss how the Young Master would punch you to the ground?" Yechen exposed him mercilessly.

Bai Ke was so angry he jumped up: "Yechen, if you keep talking like that, you'll lose me as your loyal partner!"

"Partnering with Hong Yun is less of a headache."

"Fine, I knew you had ulterior motives and wanted to abandon me!"

Thinking about seeing the Young Master and the others soon, Yechen's cold, stiff lips couldn't help but curl upward.

He and Bai Ke had followed Chu Yao and Bai Qingxue the whole way. Seeing that they were about to enter the territory of West Chu, they received orders from the Young Master to return to the Stone Chamber to wait for instructions; the subsequent work would be taken over by the secret guards who had long been lying in wait within the borders of West Chu.

...

And what about Zhao Yan, whom the two were talking about?

She was not idle at all.

In the past few days, the Beichuan Army had already stationed themselves in Yandu of the Liang State, and the Young Princes of East Lake, Jiangnan, West Chu, and Wuzhong had all set off on their return journeys.

The Young Prince of Jiangnan, Li Nanxi, had followed the King of West Chu, Chu Yao. There was only a negotiation delegation from Wuzhong; neither the King of Wuzhong nor the Young Prince Xiao Mu had come. The Prince of Beichuan was still staying in the Liang Imperial Palace to preside over the overall situation; no one cared whether he left or not, as the Liang State was currently his anyway.

The East Lake team was passing through a mountain pass flanked by hills. Wei Qingli looked up at the lush trees on the slopes on both sides. From the perspective of military strategy, this place was extremely easy to set an ambush. Moreover, why couldn't even the sound of birds be heard in the surroundings?

"Tell General Zhao to be careful; something is not right here."

The team continued forward. Just as they reached the middle of the mountain pass, a loud noise suddenly erupted from the hills on both sides, and many rocks rolled down from the slopes, disrupting the formation.

"Retreat, retreat! Protect the Young Prince!"

For a time, the sounds of fighting echoed constantly in the valley.

Wei Qingli had considered many possibilities about whose men this group could be; he even thought it might be his good father, the King, fearing him. But once the fight started, he realized that this group might not belong to anyone. After all, who would come up attacking with hoes? And the attackers had no discipline in their fighting, looking more like bumpkins blocking the road for robbery.

The battle situation was clearly leaning in their favor.

Suddenly, the sound of a horse being reined in came from behind: "Whoa—"

"Reporting to the Young Master, there is fighting ahead; I'm afraid we cannot pass." The man reining in the horse was a middle-aged man with an honest appearance.

"The Young Master said to wait until they finish fighting before passing; we shall wait on the side for now." A cold, sharp female voice came from the carriage. The voice sounded like a blade being unsheathed; just hearing it, one knew this person was not someone to be trifled with.

Wei Qingli had excellent martial arts, and his hearing was naturally excellent as well; he had long heard the commotion on this side.

Since they were robbing, it naturally had to be fair, what's more—

He raised an eyebrow and looked at that carriage. They really weren't afraid of being targeted by thieves. The wheels of the carriage were made of gold and silver materials, the entire carriage was wrapped in expensive and exquisite silk on all four sides, and the gold-inlaid, jewel-encrusted window frames were hung with tasseled pearl curtains, which swayed with the wind, emitting a pleasant sound.

He was curious, what kind of person could deserve such a carriage?

Obviously, he was not the only one thinking this, but also those robbers whose eyes had turned red with greed.

They originally thought the first group of people were big fish, but they ended up being beaten like dogs!

Unexpectedly, there was a second opportunity!

As soon as Zhao Yan's carriage appeared, it blinded the others; the wheels were practically glowing.

The two sides who were fighting stopped; the robbers all rushed toward the golden-wheeled carriage. Unloading a golden wheel would mean no worries about food or clothing for a lifetime.

Seeing that the robbers' hands had already reached into the wheels—

By cutting, carrying, or even biting, they had to drag the carriage wheels away!

Suddenly, the few robbers facing the carriage door fell back like kites with broken strings, tumbling several feet away, falling into a heap of chaos.

A large broadsword appeared out of thin air, ripped open the cloth curtain, and a red shadow charged out.

With lightning speed, so fast that before anyone could even see how she made her move, she was already standing gracefully to one side, holding her blade against the necks of those few people.

"Spare us, hero! Spare us, heroine—"

"Hong Yun, stop."

The voice was mellifluous and lingering, like an orchid in an empty valley, softening the heart and refreshing the soul.

A slender, white jade-like hand lifted the door curtain, and the young girl bent slightly. Her waist was slender and delicate, barely graspable. She stood in the wind in a white dress, her hair as black as ink cascading down. Her skin was like coagulated fat, appearing purer and more flawless than the whitest mutton-fat jade; her red lips were more tender and vibrant than hibiscus petals. Her pair of peach-blossom eyes, shimmering with brilliance, were clear to the bottom and captivating to the heart.

Her cold, clear profile did not look like that of a mortal; in her white dress, she looked ethereal, standing aloof from the world, as if she would ascend to immortality in the next moment.

A distinct sound of gasping came from the surroundings.

"Clang—" Who knew whose weapon had fallen to the ground.

At a glance, a lifetime. Wei Qingli's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He had originally scoffed at the decadent words that pedantic scholars used to describe beauties, but when he truly saw one, he realized it wasn't that they had written too much, but too little, to the point where he couldn't find suitable verses to describe her.

What was he thinking just now? What kind of person could deserve such a carriage?

He should change it: What kind of ride could deserve such a beautiful maiden.