Xu Shu finally released the young Master Huang, who looked as though he were about to faint from terror. He then strode forward, grabbed Xiao Nanhui, and pulled her toward a cluster of pine trees atop the hill.
Yao Yi lifted his eyelids to watch the two figures disappear before standing up to smooth over the mess left behind.
"Oh, Master Huang, do be careful. That young lad must have had a few too many drops of wine and let it go to his head. Why stoop to his level? I am truly sorry this happened today. Next time you visit Wangchen Tower, the wine is on the house. Consider it this shopkeeper’s way of making amends..."
Beneath the shade of the pines and cypresses, Xiao Nanhui wrenched her arm free from Xu Shu’s grip, her face a mask of confusion. "What on earth are you—"
Before she could finish, Xu Shu clamped a hand over her mouth, threatening her fiercely. "I’ll make this quick. If you breathe a single word about today, I’ll find a way to make your life miserable!"
Threatened for no reason, a spark of anger flared within her. She shoved him away with a palm. "Have you gone mad?! I’ve never cared for your nonsense, but if someone asks, am I supposed to clean up your messes for you?"
Xu Shu didn't speak. He merely gritted his teeth and glared at her, the veins at his temples bulging. He seemed consumed by a strange, suppressed fury.
Xiao Nanhui’s suspicion deepened. Though Xu Shu loved to pick fights, he rarely lost his composure like this in front of her. She couldn't help but recall the girl who had walked along the banks of Yueqi Lake just as Master Huang was being struck.
"It couldn't be..." She looked Xu Shu up and down, voicing her inner deduction. "You couldn't possibly have fallen for that Cui Xingyao, could you?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Xu Shu’s expression fractured. Xiao Nanhui, accustomed to his usual arrogant and insufferable demeanor, found the sight before her quite remarkable.
"So, you actually have a woman you like. I thought you were born with a distaste for the gender. It’s a pity, though; Cui Xingyao is almost certainly destined for the palace. Let today be the end of it, and you’d best restrain yourself in the future. After all, she is the Emperor’s woman. Even your father might not be able to snatch her back for you."
Xu Shu clenched his fists and took a deep breath, forcing his features back into a mask of cynical indifference.
"Xiao Nanhui, since when is it your turn to make a joke out of me?" He leaned in close to her ear, his voice a low hiss. "My younger sister is at the perfect age, and she was quite smitten after seeing Marquis Qinghuai the other day. What if I go back and have a word with my father? Do you think he might take an interest in arranging a marriage alliance with the Marquis’s manor?"
Xiao Nanhui’s face turned pale. She glared at Xu Shu, who met her gaze with a malicious smirk. With a final glance toward Yao Yi in the distance, he vaulted onto his horse and galloped away in a cloud of dust, leaving her standing frozen in place.
Xu Shu’s words felt like a heavy weight of iron, dragging her heart down into a dull ache.
Xiao Nanhui’s love for Xiao Zhun was a secret, and secrets were meant to stay hidden.
Furthermore, a vast, insurmountable chasm had existed between her and Xiao Zhun from the very beginning. Even as an adopted daughter, the feelings between them were not something that could be easily spoken of.
Sometimes she wondered if being adopted by Xiao Zhun was a blessing or a curse.
If she had never entered the Marquis’s manor, she would never have known him; yet it was precisely because she had entered that manor that, from that moment on, she could only ever be his family—related by bond, not blood—with no other possibility allowed.
She always told herself it didn't matter. These were things she had known and anticipated long ago. She could endure it.
But since when had loving someone become such an unbearable, humiliating thing?
Xiao Nanhui’s eyes felt hot and stinging.
"What are you doing squatting on the ground?"
Xiao Nanhui looked up to see Yao Yi standing there. She didn't know when he had approached.
Lost in her dejection, she only now realized she had been crouching under the tree for a long time.
Yao Yi’s face remained cold—perhaps he was still displeased about the silver he’d lost in the settlement—but he nonetheless reached out and pulled her up.
"You are a General of the Guangyao Camp. What do you look like, squatting on the ground like that?"
Xiao Nanhui ignored his scolding. She gazed toward the palace walls, a trace of dazed longing in her eyes.
"Do you think the Emperor is the only one in the world who can love whoever he wants? Without having to care about what anyone else thinks?"
Yao Yi knew exactly what she was brooding over and let out a soft huff.
"What about the Emperor? The Emperor is only human. As long as a person isn't doing anything wicked, whether they like the old or the young, men or women, cats or dogs—it has never been something to be ashamed of. What do you have to be depressed about?"
Xiao Nanhui glanced sideways at Yao Yi. "Just like how you liked Chu Nian?"
Chu Nian had once been the most famous *xiaoguan* at Quecheng’s Wangchen Tower. True to the name, he was a person so beautiful that one could never forget him after a single glance.
Xiao Nanhui had always felt that Yao Yi harbored a secret crush on the man. When Chu Nian decided to leave the establishment years ago, Yao Yi—the shopkeeper who usually worked through wind and rain—had actually claimed to be ill for three days.
Of course, Yao Yi had never admitted to liking Chu Nian. He only admitted to liking money.
Despite this, upon hearing that name which hadn't been mentioned in a long time, his thick-skinned old face flushed a rare shade of red. Xiao Nanhui suspected it was more out of embarrassment turning into anger.
"I try to advise you out of the goodness of my heart, and you turn around and slander me?! You’ve been led astray by that scoundrel Xu Shu. Kindness treated as a donkey’s liver and lungs..."
He had even harsher words ready, but in the next instant, he was met with a long-overdue hug.
"I understand."
She understood Yao Yi’s heart. Just as Yao Yi always understood hers.
"Xiao Nanhui."
"Mm."
"...You got snot on my clothes."
Half an hour later, Yao Yi had resumed his persona as a cold-faced, greedy merchant, barking orders at her to move this and that.
By the time Xiao Nanhui had stuffed the pile of cushions and small tables into the carriage, the young masters who had come to see the beauties were long gone. The sun dipped toward the west, casting flickering shadows across the mountain path. The only sounds were the chirping of insects and the quiet movements of Yao Yi’s group.
The road down the mountain was somewhat bumpy. Xiao Nanhui slowed her pace, letting Jixiang trot alongside Yao Yi’s carriage while she chatted idly with him through the curtain.
Having been her "unsolicited advisor" for many years, Yao Yi had long since seen through her troubled mind.
"Coming all this way to find me today—was it really just to watch the spectacle?"
After the encounter with Xu Shu, Xiao Nanhui felt even more depressed as she remembered why she had come.
"The Emperor summoned me to the palace today."
"Oh?" Yao Yi’s voice held no worry; instead, it was tinged with interest. "Is the Emperor so bored that he wants to see a powerless little official who just took office? He’s likely up to no good."
Yao Yi’s words were harsh, but they were often the truth.
"One piece of good news, one piece of bad news. The good news is that the Emperor has finally resolved to pull out the thorn that is Bijiang."
"And the bad news?"
Xiao Nanhui let out a long, dejected sigh. "The bad news is that the Emperor wants me to hide my identity and head to Lingxi in Jizhou first to scout the situation. I can’t go with the main army."
Having known her for so many years, how could Yao Yi not understand the implication? He was somewhat disdainful of her pathetic, love-struck state. His lip curled as he scolded her.
"Xiao Nanhui, you are blinded by your feelings. Do you have to be stuck to Xiao Zhun’s side every single day? What’s wrong with acting alone? You won't have to fight for military merit with those hicks who look down on you. Who knows, you might even get another promotion when you return. You are only the Marquis’s adopted daughter; you aren't actually related to him. The Marquis’s manor isn't some eternal mountain you can lean on forever. For you, rising in rank and making a fortune is the only proper path."
"Fine." Xiao Nanhui remained listless.
Yao Yi was right about everything, but what did he know? For ninety-nine percent of his life, he was nothing but an abacus that only recognized money. Could one really expect an abacus to agree that "love" was greater than "gold"? Pure fantasy.
Her name carried Xiao Zhun’s lifelong wish. Now that the wish was on the verge of coming true, she couldn't be by his side. The Emperor’s timing for this promotion was truly terrible.
"Tell me, why did the Emperor pick me of all people?"
Yao Yi was busy counting the silver in his jar and didn't even look up. "Your face isn't well-known. It makes things easier to handle."
Xiao Nanhui paused, then realized there was some logic to that.
Who didn't know the famous, battle-hardened generals of Tiancheng? The Bai clan must have put a lot of effort into gathering intelligence. If someone too prominent were sent, word would likely reach the enemy’s ears before they even crossed into Jizhou.
She was different.
Before her promotion, she was just a minor squad leader. Aside from her status as the Marquis’s adopted daughter, no one would pay her any mind.
Furthermore, she was a woman. The world held many prejudices against women, but sometimes those prejudices served as an excellent disguise.
A surprise force could sometimes far surpass a fierce general. The Emperor truly had a knack for using people.
She just wondered what would happen if a person with such an exquisite, calculating mind were to go up against the one from the Prime Minister’s manor.
Xiao Nanhui thought for a moment before asking, "Have you ever heard of the surname Zhongli?"
Yao Yi paused. He clearly remembered something, but in the end, he only said vaguely, "It’s a rare compound surname. Why do you ask?"
She was still lost in thought and didn't notice Yao Yi’s expression. "I met someone with that name on the way to Huozhou. He said he was a retainer of the Prime Minister’s manor."
Yao Yi’s tone took on a hint of agitation that even he didn't notice. "He said it and you believed him? How long have you two even known each other?"
Xiao Nanhui looked at him strangely. "I didn't take it seriously. Why are you getting worked up?"
Yao Yi’s words seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, but after a few turns, he swallowed them back down. He merely said brusquely, "When traveling abroad, who doesn't use a few random names? Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?"
Xiao Nanhui snorted inwardly.
She wasn't stupid; she had even used *his* name.
Of course, she couldn't tell Yao Yi that. If he found out, she would be in for a miserable time for the rest of the journey.
Xiao Nanhui was chuckling to herself when a figure suddenly appeared at the end of the dirt road, riding fast.
She squinted and saw the person was wearing official robes, which boded ill. As they drew closer, she realized it was none other than her daily nemesis, Su Pingchuan.
Xiao Nanhui reined in her horse and knocked on the carriage panel.
"Hey, has someone set their sights on your stingy business? An officer is coming, and it looks like he’s here to arrest you."
Yao Yi pulled back the small window and poked half his head out, his small eyes full of disbelief. "Impossible! I’ve already greased all the necessary palms. Except for that newly appointed Left General, but he’s usually guarding the west at this hour. Why would he be here?"
Xiao Nanhui frowned; she didn't know either.
Yao Yi was cunning and always cautious about such matters; he shouldn't have been targeted like this.
Moreover, this person had likely just attended the "viewing," which was why his timing was so precise. A name popped into Xiao Nanhui’s mind after a moment’s thought.
Who else could it be but that bastard Xu Shu?
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
难堪 | Nánkān | Unbearable / Embarrassing / Humiliating (The chapter title)
小倌 | Xiǎoguān | Xiaoguan | A young male entertainer/courtesan
初念 | Chū Niàn | Chu Nian | A former famous entertainer at Wangchen Tower
夙平川 | Sù Píngchuān | Su Pingchuan | An official/officer and rival of Xiao Nanhui
左将军 | Zuǒ Jiāngjūn | Left General | A military rank
钟离 | Zhōnglí | Zhongli | A rare Chinese compound surname
纪州 | Jìzhōu | Jizhou | A geographical region/province
岭西 | Lǐngxī | Lingxi | A specific location within Jizhou (West of the Ridge)
