In the courts of the Tiancheng Dynasty, there circulated a handwritten manual of secret techniques that no one had ever actually seen, titled *A Hundred Solutions for Glimpsing the Holy Countenance*.
As the name suggested, it supposedly contained a hundred ways to secure an audience with the Emperor. Whether such a manual truly existed was a subject of endless debate, but the very fact that such a rumor persisted illustrated one undeniable truth: the current Emperor of Tiancheng was famously averse to being seen.
Just how much did he dislike it? Rumor had it that on the day of his enthronement, the Emperor was supposed to ride the imperial carriage through the Guangming Corridor to Yuanming Hall, where the assembled officials waited to pay homage to their new sovereign. However, when the carriage was lifted, it was discovered that the Emperor had ordered a canopy added to it, draped with a layer of gauze so densely embroidered with intricate patterns that he could be observed only from a distance, never approached.
From then on, any official with a modicum of sense understood one thing: the Emperor did not like showing his face.
The Chief Eunuch was the first to take the hint, moving the dragon throne in Yuanming Hall back by another ten feet. Seeing this, the attendants of the inner palace followed suit, installing gauze screens in all the side halls of Yuanhe Hall. Even the candles in Yuanhua Hall were lit with such stinginess that it was whispered whether the beauties of the harem ever truly saw the Emperor’s face when receiving his favor.
Had Xiao Nanhui heard of such delicate, light-shunning behavior in the past, she would have laughed in her heart for a long time. *Heh, the Emperor must be so ugly he’s afraid of being seen,* she would have thought. *Or perhaps he suffered a stroke and his mouth is crooked. Regardless, it must be something; for a grown man to hide away like a maiden in her chambers is simply affected.*
Now, however, she found herself unable to laugh.
That morning, she had finally parted ways with the other three. Although she had ultimately been forced to knock Su Pingchuan unconscious, her journey westward had been relatively smooth.
Yet that smoothness was shattered by a sudden, piercing realization.
Did she even know what the Emperor looked like?
The answer was glaringly obvious.
The closest she had ever been to him was during that audience outside the Taihe Bathing Gardens, but they had been separated by a gauze screen. At the time, her limited wits had been entirely consumed by the effort of maneuvering around his questions; she hadn't had the presence of mind to try and glimpse his appearance.
How was she supposed to deliver vital information to a man she wouldn't even recognize?
Where was the Emperor’s campaign tent? What was his daily routine? Who was allowed inside? Most importantly—which one was the Emperor?
Xiao Nanhui sat in the parched, ancient bed of the Tianmu River, agonizing over these questions for an entire night. Her mind grew emptier by the hour, until nothing remained but cold wind and sand.
She had considered turning back, thinking it might be better to find Xiao Zhun first. She knew the North Garrison better than anywhere, and she would certainly recognize Xiao Zhun. She hadn't seen him in so long that she felt a desperate urge to rush to his camp.
Ultimately, her reason suppressed the impulse. Doing so would inevitably drag Xiao Zhun into this mess.
While the situation remained murky, one thing was certain: it was nothing good. Rumor had it the Emperor was exceptionally suspicious. With Xiao Zhun holding significant military power, he was already a target for doubt. In these turbulent times, she could not push him into the fire.
Dawn comes early on the Gobi. When the horizon brightened, she dared not waste any more time and set off in a daze.
According to the information she had squeezed out of Su Pingchuan, the Emperor was most likely with the Black Feather Camp. Based on the last secret message Bittern had sent her, the Black Feather main force should be stationed near the lower reaches of the Tianmu River.
Xiao Nanhui had caught a distant glimpse of that area once while escorting the Miss of the Tian family for her marriage. Thanks to the Sun family, the upper waters of the Tianmu River had been dammed. The downstream riverbed, deprived of water and battered by wind and sand, had gradually collapsed into a hundred-mile-long rift valley. It split the east and west cities of Suyan in two, its cliffs so steep they would make even birds and beasts tremble.
Such a natural barrier was an excellent hiding spot for an army, but a terrible route for a march. The Bai clan clearly understood this, which was why they had left that gap unguarded.
Having confirmed her target's location, two problems remained.
The first was her concern regarding the Emperor; the second was how to infiltrate the Black Feather Camp.
She didn't have a Black Feather waist token. Although she had spent years in the North Garrison, different camps were like different worlds. Without an object to prove her identity, a reckless intrusion would only cause chaos and alert the enemy. What if she disguised herself and slipped in at night? Setting aside the fact that the Black Feather Camp’s defenses would be incredibly tight, she wasn't confident she could come and go without a trace. Even if luck were on her side and she managed to sneak in, that first problem would still be waiting for her.
After racking her brain, only the stupidest method remained.
Taking a deep breath, she began to creep along the dried riverbank toward the lower reaches of the Tianmu River.
The further down she went, the deeper the ravines became. The jagged banks were devoid of vegetation, leaving every pebble exposed. Xiao Nanhui felt as though she weren't walking through a rift valley, but along the edge of a great blade suspended between Bijiang and Tiancheng.
Estimating she had reached the edge of the military camp, she stopped and found a crevice in the rocks to hide. She waited until dusk, when the world turned a hazy, ambiguous amber, before finally making her move.
The eyesight of the Black Feather scouts was truly formidable. She didn't even need to act suspicious; she had barely poked her head out and walked a few paces before an arrow was fired at her.
The first arrow was a mere probe, which she avoided with a roll.
Perhaps because her dodge was a bit too agile, the second arrow carried killing intent.
She didn't know which commandant had trained those archers, but despite her timely evasion, the arrow still buried itself in her thigh. Fortunately, it missed any vital points.
"Who goes there?"
A voice echoed from the cliffs through the valley.
Xiao Nanhui remained silent. She scrambled up and feigned an attempt to flee, but after only a few steps, she was pinned to the ground by Black Feather soldiers descending from above.
These men were scouts, hidden day and night in the nearby cliffs and crevices, striking whenever they discovered someone suspicious.
She was still wearing the Nanqiang clothes from the Bijiang village, and her face was covered in filth. When she opened her mouth, out came a stream of gibberish in the Lingxi dialect.
"It's a woman."
The Black Feather soldiers exchanged looks, seemingly having reached a conclusion about her identity.
"Search her."
She was held down, and everything she carried was turned out onto the ground.
"What does she have?"
"Nothing but a mid-sized stick and some dry rations."
Before the soldier could finish, a palm-sized object fell from Xiao Nanhui’s inner tunic. It hit the ground with a heavy *clank*, its texture clearly metallic.
She remained pressed against the dirt, catching a glimpse of a man picking up the iron token. Silence fell over the group. Then, someone whispered.
"Bring her back to camp."
***
When Su Pingchuan had been pestering her that morning, Xiao Nanhui had already been plotting against him.
Her journey west was a secret operation; strictly speaking, her identity as the Right General of Tiancheng had been temporarily "discarded." Consequently, if she ever reached a point where she needed to prove who she was, she required something authentic and reliable to demonstrate her stance. She had nothing of her own left, but she could borrow from someone else.
Thus, after knocking Su Pingchuan out, she had conveniently swiped his General of the Left waist token.
Now, it was indeed proving useful.
The Black Feather soldiers were clearly suspicious of her origins and purpose. Instead of executing her on the spot, they brought her to the prisoner camp and handed her over to their captain.
They spoke in low voices during the handover, but they didn't go out of their way to avoid her, likely assuming she was a Nanqiang local who didn't understand the official language.
"She had a Guangyao Camp waist token on her. Based on the style, it belongs to a general."
"Anything else?"
"Nothing. She’s alone, and just a woman..."
"Even so, you shouldn't be careless. Many women hold power in Bijiang. Besides, a Black Feather arrow actually missed its mark—is she that capable, or are you that lax?"
The scouts quickly begged for forgiveness. The captain ignored them, holding the thin, square iron token before Xiao Nanhui’s eyes. He asked in the Lingxi dialect:
"This. Where did you get it?"
She stiffened her neck and spoke with bold impudence. "Found it."
"Where?"
"Not telling you."
The captain snorted coldly. He grabbed the fletching of the arrow in her leg and gave it a sharp twist. Xiao Nanhui let out a howl of pain.
Truly, everyone in the world treated their enemies with the same brutality.
A few tears squeezed out of her eyes. "Killing me won't help you. I want to see your Emperor. I will only tell him."
The captain’s expression shifted instantly. "Who told you the Emperor was here?"
"I know even more! Take me to see the Emperor, and I’ll tell you everything."
At these words, the man clearly wavered. The woman before him was definitely trouble, but she might also be hiding military intelligence that could lead to a promotion or wealth. Killing a few enemies on the battlefield might not earn nearly as much merit.
Xiao Nanhui knew she had a chance. Just as she was waiting for the captain to probe further, a cool voice sounded from behind her.
"Looking at her, she doesn't seem like someone who can be pried for information. Better to drag her out of camp and behead her."
The moment the voice spoke, a familiar chill washed over her.
Before she could even place the owner of the voice, the captain spoke the name first.
"Greetings, Lord Lu."
Lu Songping, the Governor of Jizhou.
He wasn't in Tongcheng? What was he doing here?
But now was not the time for such thoughts. Lu Songping’s voice rang out again.
"How can such a heinous criminal be brought before His Majesty? If something goes wrong, do you no longer want your heads?"
*Lu Songping, you turtle bastard, you’ve ruined my plans time and time again.*
She was screaming internally, but she had to face reality. With a violent twist of her body, she tried to turn her "sincere" face toward the Lord Lu behind her.
"Great Lord! I beg you to spare my life! Everything I said is true! I really know many things! If you don't believe me, you can ask! I will tell you everything I know! We Nanqiang people never lie! If we lie, we are struck by lightning and cast into vats of boiling oil, never to be reincarnated after death..."
Xiao Nanhui knew the other man understood the Lingxi dialect, so she became even more loquacious in expressing her vigorous will to live, hoping he would give her a chance to "defect" in exchange for her earnest performance.
Lu Songping seemed disgusted by the filth on her body and took half a step back. Then, his eyes fell upon her face, and he suddenly froze.
His gaze was truly terrifying, making her heart begin to drum with anxiety. Logically, they had only shared a brief glance that night, and she looked completely different now; Lu Songping shouldn't be able to recognize her. Yet, for some reason, it felt strange.
"I promise I’ll be obedient! Everything I say is true! If you don't believe me, you can go ask! My village is right on the opposite bank! We have thirty yaks, a hundred and eighteen black-tailed sheep, and many chickens! It’s quite a large village! Once you pass Sanmu Pass and head west, go through a forest of red willows..."
"So noisy."
Lu Songping finally offered a summary of Xiao Nanhui’s long-winded speech.
In the next instant, an iron fist flew toward her, striking her squarely in the face.
Xiao Nanhui’s vision went black as she fell into a brief stupor.
***
The ringing in her ears from the heavy blow gradually faded, replaced by the rhythmic sound of fabric dragging across the ground.
She hadn't completely lost consciousness, but her eyes were blindfolded, and she had lost her sense of direction.
The hemp ropes around her seemed to have been tightened. During the dragging process, they chafed against the wound on her leg, causing searing pain. Her mouth was stuffed with something, making her jaw ache.
After a while, the person dragging her finally stopped. She heard the low murmurs of soldiers during a handover, and the stone hanging in her heart finally dropped.
The soldiers hadn't dragged her out to be beheaded after all. She didn't know if Lu Songping had sent word, but the captain had separated her from the other prisoners and brought her here alone. They had blindfolded her likely because they didn't want her to know the location of the main tent.
She tried to comfort herself: regardless, her stupid method had yielded some results. Though it wasn't even a stupid method anymore—it could practically be called a rotten idea.
Xiao Nanhui thought viciously, trying to ignore the arrow still stuck in her thigh.
Once she returned to Quecheng, she would definitely collect this blood debt from Su Pingchuan. Not only had he lost his own battle, but he had also dumped this thankless task on her head. She, an excellent scout, had endured hardships to become a village chief, only to nearly be exposed while saving him. Now, she was here cleaning up his mess.
The coarse ropes pinned her hands behind her back, and the blindfold remained. She felt that the punch from earlier had left her nose swollen and itchy. She tried to tilt her head to suppress the itch, but it surged back a moment later. Blood began to flow steadily from one nostril. Unable to wipe it away, she could only feel the warm blood tracing a red line down her face before dripping onto the ground.
The sense of humiliation in her heart had surpassed the physical pain.
She only regretted that she hadn't smeared the dirt on her face thick enough. If she were recognized by an acquaintance in a moment, she would resign her commission and return to her hometown, never to show her face in the military again.
Since she couldn't see, she steadied her breathing and pricked up her ears to listen.
The surroundings weren't as noisy as before, and the temperature was warmer, though she couldn't hear the sound of braziers or charcoal. She guessed she was in the outer area of a large tent. A few low voices drifted from not far away. Perhaps because they were separated by a felt curtain, even with her exceptional hearing, she could only catch a blur of sound and couldn't make out the specific content.
The soldier who had brought her in clearly didn't dare to enter the inner chamber recklessly, retreating to wait not far from her.
Xiao Nanhui, of course, had to wait as well.
But she was waiting in a position that could only be described as "eating dirt." Half an hour passed. Just as she was planning to shift her weight and let the other side of her face taste the ground, someone lifted the curtain. A deep, powerful male voice followed, sounding like that of a general.
"Who is outside the tent? Why was there no sound just now?"
"Greetings, Commandant Yan. I am on duty at the prisoner camp."
Just as she had feared meeting an acquaintance, one appeared.
Yan Guang, the Western Commandant. She had some impression of him. When she used to follow Xiao Zhun around, she must have crossed paths with this man many times. She remembered she had once even complimented him on how beautifully trimmed his beard was.
"Why has someone from the prisoner camp come here?"
"Reporting to Lord Yan, Lord Lu gave orders just now. He said a Nanqiang person was caught on the southern riverbank who has urgent matters to report to His Majesty..."
"Lu Songping?" The bearded Yan Guang’s voice turned cold instantly, his tone laced with undisguised disdain. "His reach is certainly long. His Majesty is discussing vital marching matters with us; how could he have the leisure to see such riffraff? Hurry up and throw her out. She’s an eyesore blocking the entrance. This isn't a place for you to linger either. Get out."
"Yes."
The soldier was clearly no match for Commandant Yan and didn't dare say another word. He followed the order and went straight for Xiao Nanhui, briskly grabbing the knot of the rope at the back of her neck to drag her back the way they came.
Was this a joke? She had gone through hell to get this far, and she was being sent back to square one?!
In a flash of desperation, she had a sudden idea. She twisted her head and opened her mouth, and through the piece of rag, her teeth clamped down hard on the back of the soldier's hand.
Xiao Nanhui was ruthless, using every ounce of her strength. A piercing scream rang through the camp, and the entire tent fell silent.
"I’ve long heard that these Nanqiang barbarians are wild. Since I’ve encountered one today, I shall teach her a proper lesson."
*Shring.*
She heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed.
In the next moment, cold steel pressed against her neck.
*Are you serious, brother? I’ve chatted with you before! Does your beard have no memory of me at all?!*
However, her protest remained stuck in her throat. Her tongue was locked in a death struggle with the rag, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make a coherent sound.
"Wait."
A low, raspy voice sounded from behind the felt curtain.
The breath caught in Xiao Nanhui’s throat slowly eased. During her struggle, the blindfold over her eyes had shifted slightly, granting her a sliver of vision.
She strained her eyes to look out, seeing only the gap between the felt curtain and the ground. A pair of white boots swayed into view from the distance, leisurely rounding the curtain and walking toward her step by step.
This angle of observation was peculiar, making her feel for a moment as if she had returned to her encounter at Yongye Temple months ago while seeking a fortune.
Back then, she had been just like this, watching through heavy banners as a pair of fine boots walked toward her.
The person drew closer. she saw the hem of a robe above the boots—exquisite ice-silk snow satin with beautiful embroidery, shimmering with a faint, ethereal blue.
It was moon-white.
For some reason, Xiao Nanhui found the color familiar.
"Your Majesty, please leave her to me to handle. I will ensure she does not offend your eyes..."
*Your Majesty?*
Xiao Nanhui felt her nose begin to itch again.
"No need," the voice said. "I have other plans."
***
**Glossary**
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