Chapter 6

The morning breeze was biting, and his voice, caught in the harsh winter wind, seemed to lose some of its warmth.

Yan Nanjing turned back to look. The young man stood there; he was tall and striking in appearance. Even clad in robes that did not quite fit him, he carried an air of refined nobility.

"Is the gentleman afraid that my household might have poisoned the morning meal?"

She smiled.

Yan Nanjing possessed a beauty as soft and ethereal as mist. Unlike the aggressive, striking glamour of northern women, hers was a gentle, tender loveliness that stirred a sense of protectiveness. Even the sharp words emerging from her ruby lips carried the distinct, melodic softness of the Chu region.

The young man before her smiled, showing no sign of shame or anger at being called out.

"The lady is clever. However, I hope you understand our predicament; we are forced to be cautious these days." He offered a faint smile. "I truly have no intention of offending you."

The smile spread across his face, softening the sharp, angular lines of his features.

"No offense?" Yan Nanjing looked back at him, her expression one of amused detachment. "The General nearly turned my estate upside down last night—and you call that no offense?"

Despite her soft and sweet appearance, her tongue was as sharp as her looks were delicate.

A-Yuan, who had just approached, arrived in time to hear Yan Nanjing’s pointed retort. Her face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively hurried forward, trying to place herself between her mistress and the man. If anything were to happen, she would be the one to bear it first.

Just as she stepped off the veranda, the long-limbed man raised a hand, signaling her to stop. He was young, yet possessed an air of authority rarely seen in others. A-Yuan felt a natural, ingrained fear of such noble figures; at his gesture, her footsteps came to a dead halt. She dared not advance, yet could not set her mind at ease, so she stood there watching with anxious eyes.

"Circumstances forced my hand; I had no choice. Had I knocked politely, would the lady have opened the door to welcome us, or would you have bound us both and sent us to the authorities?" He laughed, raising his lips. "That is why I had to resort to such desperate measures."

"The gentleman is mistaken," Yan Nanjing said, gently smoothing the circle of snowy rabbit fur stitched to the cuff of her padded robe. "If the gentleman had truly wished to come, how could a few elderly, weak, and defenseless women like us possibly have withstood the formidable martial might of the General?"

The man smiled. "Please forgive the offense caused last night."

He wore the same expression as before. Though his words asked for forgiveness, there was not a trace of genuine remorse in his tone.

"As we are the guests, there is no reason for us to abandon our host," he said, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Seeing this, she gave a slight nod and turned to instruct A-Yuan, "Bring the wolfhound that watches the gate."

It was unclear whether the dog had grown sluggish from the bitter cold or if these men possessed some special craft, but the hound had not let out a single bark.

A-Yuan responded and followed closely behind her mistress, keeping herself between the two. The young man noticed this and turned around, walking ahead.

*Look at that,* she thought. *He puts on a fine show of manners while acting the part of the cuckoo nesting in another’s home.*

So, there was no reason to trust a word he said.

Yesterday, A-Yuan had led them to Yang Zhijian’s bedroom. Yang Zhijian served in the provincial government but returned to stay occasionally, so his courtyard and chambers were kept tidy. As she entered, she saw two sets of leather armor piled carelessly by the door—expensive items worth dozens of gold pieces, discarded like trash.

"Jingyue," the youth from the previous night appeared, seeing Yan Nanjing arrive with the others.

Even with the lamps lit the night before, the room had been murky, barely better than pitch black. They could only make out vague outlines of one another's faces; there was no telling who was handsome or ugly. The winter morning was as gloomy as the dusk, though brighter than the night.

The youth bumped into Yan Nanjing and saw her face. A look of impatient agitation clouded his features.

Yan Nanjing nodded at the youth, whose blank, almost comical expression remained, and then signaled to A-Yuan.

A-Yuan understood and went inside with the provisions. The four-legged dining table had already been set. She opened the food containers and laid out the prepared meal.

In winter, the fare was limited: millet porridge and a few strips of dried meat. She also set out a few citrus fruits that looked as if they were on the verge of drying out.

Yan Nanjing saw the undisguised disdain on the youth’s face as he looked at the food. "My apologies, honored guests. It is midwinter; aside from millet porridge, we have only dried meat. As for fresh fruits and vegetables, even the Governor’s mansion might not have them."

The climate in Jingzhou was humid; even in winter, it was a damp cold, not the dry cold of the north. Produce was difficult to store, and these few citrus fruits had been kept only with great effort.

As she spoke, A-Yuan took the eating utensils and served the porridge into the bowls.

"My Lady." A-Yuan hurried to Yan Nanjing’s side.

The youth watched her, bewildered, his eyes darting to the food in A-Yuan’s hands, even more confused than before.

At that moment, the sound of paws crunching on the snow drifted in from outside. There was only a thin layer of snow on the ground; a person would have made no sound, but the dog did.

Yan Nanjing nodded.

A-Yuan took the bowl in her hand and set it before the wolfhound.

The dog had been a special request by Yang Zhijian from the Governor’s mansion—a northern breed, tall and imposing, with a fierce temperament. Aside from its master, it was wary of everyone else.

Last night, the two men had somehow managed to knock it unconscious, and even now, the dog walked unsteadily, its head swaying from side to side.

The youth, not understanding the situation, stared at Yan Nanjing with a frown. When he saw A-Yuan set the bowl down before the hound, the dog lowered its head to sniff, looked up at Yan Nanjing, and, upon receiving a gesture from her, began to devour the food ravenously.

"You!"

The youth’s expression shifted. "What are you doing, woman? You injured us with a blade last night, and we did not hold it against you, yet you resort to such methods to humiliate us!"

To feed their meal to a dog first—it was simply too insulting!

His anger flared even hotter than before. A-Yuan was terrified, but seeing his fury, she stood her ground, bracing herself in case the youth should lash out.

Yan Nanjing looked up, past the enraged youth, and fixed her gaze on the man who stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, silent. He was a youth himself, only slightly older than his irritable companion.

"Is the gentleman not worried that we might have poisoned the meal?" Yan Nanjing ignored the youth’s outburst entirely and addressed the man who had been quiet all along. "The gentleman said he would not trouble women or children, so checking the food this way is the best method."

The man laughed aloud. "The lady is clever."

The wolfhound finished the food and licked its paws. In a short while, it looked even more spirited than before. There was not a single sign of poisoning.

"Everything is well, then," he said with a smile.

The youth was agitated. "Jingyue! She—"

A hand landed on his shoulder. A pair of slightly sharp eyes looked down, gazing at him in silence. Instantly, all the angry retorts he had intended to voice were swallowed back into his throat.