Since taking the name “Chao Jing,” Ni Qiu felt that he had grown up considerably and should start doing adult things.

The roadside tent had already been set up. Chao Jing stepped onto the grassland and raised his hand to wave at Qingting in the distance.

Qingting was Jin Chuiduo’s maid. She was strolling leisurely by the stream. Seeing Chao Jing approaching, she also smiled and waved back.

“Look, there are fish in the stream,” Qingting said excitedly.

Chao Jing glanced over and shook his head. “Too small. At Guaizi Lake, nobody would want fish like these. Only children would catch them to play with.”

“Aren’t you a child yourself?”

Chao Jing’s face reddened slightly as he protested, “I’m sixteen years old!”

“Fine then, sixteen it is.” Qingting shaded her eyes with her hand and looked into the distance. “Those two have run so far we can’t even see them anymore.”

“Don’t worry, there are so many soldiers guarding the area. Nothing will happen, unless…”

“Unless what?” Qingting asked seriously.

“Unless your Xiongnu people come back to attack,” Chao Jing said with a laugh.

“I’m not Xiongnu.”

“Then why do you wear Xiongnu clothes and want to return to the steppes?”

Qingting scratched her head. “I wear Xiongnu clothes because changing back and forth is too troublesome. As for returning to the steppes, I go wherever the Young Lady goes.”

“Heh, that’s not ‘Young Lady,’ that’s ‘Noble Consort Jin.'”

Qingting thought for a moment. “Noble consort is temporary, but Young Lady is forever. It’s like how you changed your name to Chao Jing—does that mean you’re no longer Ni Qiu? If I changed my name , would I stop responding when people called me Qingting?”

“Ah?” Chao Jing was left speechless. When it came to catching fish, he could jump into the stream right now and feel around for several. But when it came to verbal debates, he couldn’t even understand what the other person meant. “Anyway… in any case… do you really have to return to the steppes?”

“Did the Emperor send you to ask?” Qingting said with a smile.

Chao Jing shook his head. “To tell the truth, we’re all puzzled about why His Majesty doesn’t try to keep Noble Consort Jin, but instead brings her along on this tour, getting closer and closer to the frontier. It’s almost like he’s seeing you off. You don’t know how nervous everyone is.”

“Nervous about what? I think the Emperor and the Young Lady get along quite well. They’re together every day. I’ve never seen the Young Lady in such a good mood before.”

“The Xiongnu just left the pass. We’re too close to them.”

“We were even closer before, and the Emperor wasn’t afraid then. What’s there to fear now? Don’t worry, with the Young Lady here, the Xiongnu wouldn’t dare attack.”

Qingting spoke lightly, but Chao Jing, like most people, didn’t believe Noble Consort Jin had such power. He asked again, “Do you really have to leave?”

“What else would we do? Return to the Capital? The Young Lady said that since we’ve left, we’ll never go back. Besides, the Emperor has an empress in his palace, and he’ll marry more consorts in the future. After she enters the palace, she’d just be one among the imperial harem, with so many rules—even less comfortable than in her old home. She would rather die than return to the Capital. The Emperor probably understands her feelings, so he hasn’t tried to persuade her otherwise.”

Chao Jing nodded repeatedly, committing all these points to memory.

Qingting looked at him and smiled. “You’re from the palace, so you wouldn’t understand such things.”

Chao Jing immediately shook his head in denial. “I’m not from the palace. When the Emperor leaves the palace, I serve as an attendant. When the Emperor returns to the palace, I don’t follow him in. I’m a normal person… I’m not a eunuch.” Chao Jing spoke solemnly. “I’ve even saved up a lot of money—more than everyone in the entire village combined.”

Speaking of the entire village, Chao Jing sighed. In the Battle of Jincheng City, quite a few villagers had died. But being young, he adjusted his mood quickly and said cheerfully, “All this money was given to me by others. His Majesty said I have to turn it in, but I can keep a little. Even a little is quite a lot—enough to buy plenty of good farmland and build a very large house.”

Qingting smiled. “Are you also planning to marry a very beautiful wife?”

Chao Jing’s face grew even redder, and he mumbled something unintelligible.

“There are many beautiful women in the Capital. You can take your time looking when you return. But right now, someone over there is looking for you.” Qingting pointed toward the roadside tent.

Chao Jing was pondering the meaning behind Qingting’s words when he turned to look and saw someone waving at him from in front of the roadside tent. “Zhang Youcai! He’s back from the Capital already—that was really fast.”

Zhang Youcai had returned to the Capital to report the Emperor’s safety to Maiden Wang, then was immediately sent back. He had ridden without rest and just caught up with the Emperor, travel-worn and dusty, his whole person considerably darker from the sun.

“Ha! Zhang Youcai, did you fall into a charcoal pile?” Chao Jing laughed.

“Stop talking nonsense.” Zhang Youcai was two or three years older and put on a mature air, coughing twice as he glanced toward Qingting in the distance. “That’s Noble Consort Jin’s maid, right?”

“That’s right, you’ve seen her before.”

Zhang Youcai pursed his lips, expressing dissatisfaction with her Xiongnu attire. “Where are His Majesty and the Noble Consort?”

“They went off horseback riding and wouldn’t let anyone follow, so we’re all waiting here by the roadside.”

“The Noble Consort… is she also wearing that outfit?” Zhang Youcai pointed toward Qingting in the distance.

Chao Jing nodded.

Zhang Youcai shook his head. “Come with me, I have something to ask you.”

There were others in the tent. Prince Donghai, Cui Teng, and Liu Jie had been waiting there for some time, and Zhang Youcai had arrived just in time.

Chao Jing roughly recounted what Qingting had said.

“Uncomfortable in the palace? What… what kind of talk is that?” Liu Jie was deeply shocked. “The Jin family has been loyal to Great Chu for decades, and their daughter was born and raised in the Capital. How could she…”

Since she was, after all, an officially invested Noble Consort, Liu Jie didn’t dare speak too plainly and could only shake his head repeatedly.

“This is actually good—send her back to the Xiongnu and all problems will be solved.” Cui Teng had finally figured out the potential impact Noble Consort Jin might have on his own family and was delighted to hear she really intended to leave. He then glared angrily at Liu Jie. “You’re quite something, insisting on arranging that marriage proposal with the Deng family. You’re unhappy that His Majesty isn’t bringing back a consort, aren’t you?”

Liu Jie snorted and, unwilling to argue with Cui Teng, swept his sleeves and walked out of the tent.

“Eunuchs are all born looking like treacherous ministers.” Cui Teng’s anger hadn’t subsided. He then turned to Zhang Youcai, completely forgetting what he had just said, and smiled. “What news is there from the Capital?”

Zhang Youcai understood Cui Teng’s temperament and didn’t pay much attention, but said in surprise, “A marriage proposal with the Deng family? The General of Chariots and Cavalry?

“Exactly! Isn’t this absurd? The Xiongnu siege was just lifted, and now marriage proposals are surrounding us again. They really won’t let His Majesty have a few peaceful days!” Cui Teng was filled with righteous indignation.

Prince Donghai said lazily from the side, “Cui Teng, where did your ears go? Lord Liu was just relaying a message for Deng Cui—he never said he supported it. He even suggested His Majesty should strictly control Deng Cui.”

“If he were a loyal subject, he shouldn’t have brought up this matter at all. Although His Majesty didn’t immediately agree, I could tell that some of the accompanying ministers are in favor.” When it came to his family’s interests, Cui Teng held others to rather high standards.

Prince Donghai just smiled and asked Zhang Youcai, “The palace is very much hoping His Majesty will bring back several more consorts, isn’t it?”

Zhang Youcai made a strange expression and hummed in acknowledgment.

Cui Teng exploded, leaping in front of Zhang Youcai. “What? One Noble Consort Jin isn’t enough?”

Zhang Youcai said hesitantly, “His Majesty… is not young anymore. Even if the palace doesn’t urge it, the court must make arrangements. Even the Empress supports it.”

“You’ve seen my sister?”

“Yes.”

“How… how is she?” Cui Teng had always valued this sister highly and felt even more heartbroken now.

“Very well. The Empress asked me to tell His Majesty that all is well in the palace and His Majesty shouldn’t worry.”

Cui Teng felt even more sorry for his sister, breathing out heavily, unable to find a target for his anger for the moment.

Prince Donghai asked with a smile, “No matter how hard His Majesty tries, he can at most bring back a few consorts from outside. The Capital is where the real action is—the consort selection process has already begun, hasn’t it?” 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“It has begun, personally overseen by the palace and the Empress,” Zhang Youcai said.

“What?” Cui Teng jumped up.

Prince Donghai walked over and patted Cui Teng’s shoulder twice. “Even if you jumped to the heavens it wouldn’t help. His Majesty should indeed expand the imperial harem—this is proper important business. Rather than worrying here, you’d be better off helping His Majesty select some virtuous and wise women.”

“I have to help too?” Cui Teng clenched his fists.

Prince Donghai didn’t care and said flatly, “The consort selection is inevitable. Whoever selects the women will naturally be closer to their families. The Empress is much smarter than you.”

Prince Donghai also walked out of the tent. He was working hard to cultivate the image of a external subject rather than a family member of the emperor, and didn’t want to compete with Cui Teng for favor anymore.

Cui Teng was still pondering Prince Donghai’s words when Chao Jing asked in confusion, “What’s the situation? Are we bringing Noble Consort Jin back to the capital or not?”

“We’re not bringing her,” Cui Teng said decisively.

“It would be best to bring her back,” Zhang Youcai offered a different opinion, explaining to Cui Teng whose angry expression was becoming increasingly obvious: “She is, after all, a noble consort of Great Chu. What does it mean to leave her with the Xiongnu?”

Cui Teng was about to speak when Liu Jie burst in from outside and said seriously, “Chao Jing, go find His Majesty immediately.”

“What’s the matter? His Majesty said that unless it’s the Xiongnu…”

“It is about the Xiongnu. A victory report has been sent from beyond the frontier. Deng Cui led troops in an ambush against the Xiongnu, killing over thirty thousand men, with countless cattle and sheep captured.”

“Haha!” Chao Jing laughed loudly as he ran out.

After waiting a moment, Cui Teng also burst into loud laughter. “His Majesty can’t bring Jin Chuiduo back to the capital now!” With that, he strode away triumphantly.

Zhang Youcai asked in surprise, “This General of Chariots and Cavalry… did His Majesty order him to do this?”

“Of course not. Deng Cui… is a madman,” Liu Jie murmured, recalling his encounters with Deng Cui and becoming even more certain of this judgment.

“Then we definitely can’t accept the Deng family’s daughter.”

“But he’s a clever and bold madman. His Majesty probably needs exactly this kind of general.” Liu Jie sighed, somewhat regretting having told His Majesty the story of the Martial Emperor’s selection of Deng Liao. Deng Cui had quite a bit of the Deng family’s legacy, only he was even more unpredictable.

“How is this selecting consorts? His Majesty is clearly using himself as a reward, while the palace… will need even more concubines to counter the Cui family. This… this… Lord Liu, you have rich experience—you must give His Majesty some advice.”

“Bah! What experience do I have? This kind of matter… can only be resolved by His Majesty himself. If I have any experience, it’s just this: the imperial harem is like a battlefield. His Majesty must find one or two capable ‘generals’ to manage the harem properly.”

“The Empress…” To be fair, Zhang Youcai sided with the Empress, but he felt she could hardly be called a “general.”

Liu Jie shook his head as he walked out of the tent.

Chao Jing rode his horse at full gallop, racing over three gentle slopes before finally seeing the Emperor and the noble consort in the distance. The two were sharing a single horse, leisurely wandering through the grassland with loose reins.

Chao Jing was rather simple-minded and, not considering Jin Chuiduo’s presence, excitedly shouted, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Xiongnu have been defeated!”

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