“If that wine jar had really smashed into Young Madam’s foot, her bones would’ve shattered!” In the inner courtyard, the maid Jian Jia, who had just caught the jar, was recounting the incident to Ji Momo in a hushed tone. “There’s no way it was just a coincidence. If you ask me, Eldest Young Lady did it on purpose, using her drunkenness as an excuse!”
Ji Momo frowned. “Keep a close eye on her from now on. We must guard against any further misdeeds.”
“I understand. And one more thing. When Bailu and I stepped in to protect Young Madam, Young Master acted immediately too. From the way he moved, it’s clear he still has his martial foundation.”
Ji Momo nodded. “That’s rare.”
Rumor had it that back in the day, Huo Erlang was a prodigious martial talent, born with exceptional bones. Even at a young age, he excelled in horseback riding, archery, swordplay, and spear techniques. At fifteen, he entered the battlefield for the first time and emerged victorious. By seventeen, he led a daring raid with just three thousand elite cavalry against the Western Qiang during the Northern Campaign, defeating a much larger force and personally beheading the enemy general. His feat shook the court and country, and his fame spread far and wide.
“From whose house does a young hero rise—Huo of Hexi laughs in the face of danger.” In Bianjing, scholars competed to compose poems in his honor, imagining his invincible presence on the battlefield, a warrior unmatched by thousands.
But just as swiftly as his star rose, it fell. Within six months, during another Northern Campaign, this brilliant young general lost his future in a single night. And with him, Great Qi lost Hexi.
Ten years have passed, and the court has yet to reclaim its lost territory or erase the shame of that defeat. The legend of Huo of Hexi—“ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no rest”—has faded into history, rarely spoken of anymore.
Last year, when Western Qiang launched a fierce invasion and were thwarted by a forest Huo Liuxing had planted long ago, the name that once struck fear into the northwest tribes briefly returned to public attention. Yet people merely called it “a stroke of luck.” When talk turned to the Huo-Shen marriage alliance, they dismissed him as a cripple and couldn’t help but sigh with pity for Shen Lingzhen—“what a shame, what a shame.”
But if all those petty speculations were true, then why would His Majesty personally arrange this marriage? Surely it wasn’t because he thought his own niece was living too comfortably.
Before coming to Qingzhou, Ji Momo had heard the Princess Royal say: “They really believe that planting a few rows of poplar trees here and there could stop the Western Qiang’s iron cavalry? A year to grow grain, ten to grow trees, such foresight and strategic brilliance is the mark of true wisdom. Just as they say ‘beauty lies in the bone, not the skin,’ so it is with military talent. Even if he can no longer mount a horse and dominate the battlefield, as long as his spirit remains unbroken, Huo Erlang can still command armies and win battles from a thousand miles away.”
Ten years passed, yet his martial skill remained intact. Ji Momo thought, perhaps the Princess Royal had not misjudged this man after all.
Inside the room, another maid, Bailu, was testing the breakfast dishes with a pair of silver chopsticks. “Young Master sent word: His Highness the Fourth Prince isn’t in a rush to return to the capital. He plans to take this opportunity to inspect Qingzhou’s border defenses. So you needn’t go see him off today, please enjoy your breakfast at leisure.”
Shen Lingzhen nodded and glanced at the spread before her.
The Huo family had been thoughtful in their preparations. Half the table featured local delicacies—almond tea, sago dumplings[mfn]
[/mfn], alfalfa buns[mfn]
[/mfn], and heluo noodles—for her to try something new. The other half was tailored to her usual tastes, based on what the Shen family’s attendants had shared: soup-filled dumplings, tofu pudding, lotus pastries with three fillings, and sticky rice cakes, so she wouldn’t feel out of place.
Watching Bailu’s meticulous movements, Shen Lingzhen laughed and teased, “With this many dishes, are you planning to test them until the Year of the Monkey? That wine jar scare earlier left me starving!”
“Forgive me, Young Madam,” Bailu replied. “It was the Duke’s instruction. He said since we’ve just arrived, and people’s hearts are unpredictable, we should tread carefully. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
The breakfast itself took less time to eat than the inspection did. Shen Lingzhen, both amused and exasperated, set down her chopsticks. Just then, a childish voice called out:
“Are you my Second Sister-in-law?”
She turned toward the sound and saw, through the half-open rear window, a little girl peeking in over the sill, her bright black eyes sparkling.
“I am,” Shen Lingzhen replied with a warm smile, rising to greet her. She searched her memory for the girl’s name, Huo family’s Second Young Lady. “Miaoling, isn’t it?”
Huo Miaoling nodded, struggling to stand on tiptoe as she clawed her way up a few more inches. “Sister-in-law, I can’t get in…”
Shen Lingzhen paused in surprise. “Why didn’t you come through the front door?” she asked, signaling to Jian Jia behind her with a glance.
Jian Jia stepped forward and scooped Miaoling up, then took a clean handkerchief and carefully wiped the mud from her hands and the hem of her skirt.
Miaoling thanked her politely, then turned to Shen Lingzhen and gave a proper curtsey. “Miaoling greets Sister-in-law. Sister-in-law, my Elder Sister caused trouble. She got drunk and passed out. Mother punished me along with her and forbade me from leaving the courtyard. I snuck out, so I had no choice but to climb through the window!”
First Madam practicing martial arts at dawn, then Eldest Young Lady drinking on the rooftop, and now the Second Young Lady climbing in through a window. This Huo household certainly had a bold and unrestrained family style.
Shen Lingzhen smiled and instructed Bailu to bring over a gift box. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I picked a set of scholar’s tools suitable for a young girl.”
Miaoling took the box and opened the lid. Her eyes lit up instantly as she pointed to each item in turn. “Purple hair brush, lacquer soot ink, drifting sand paper, an inkstone…”
“You know them well. Do you use these regularly?”
“How could I? I can’t afford such things.” Miaoling cradled the items carefully, examining each one with admiration.
Every piece in this set was crafted by renowned artisans, fine enough to be offered as tribute. It was clear the Shen family had deep resources.
“Sister-in-law, yesterday I overheard someone say that our storerooms were completely full and could only hold half your dowry. I didn’t believe it, but now I’ve seen it with my own eyes!”
Shen Lingzhen was a little surprised and turned to Jian Jia and Bailu. “So where did the other half of the dowry end up?”
“For now, it’s stored in an empty courtyard,” Bailu replied. “The maids were waiting to discuss it with Madam before making any arrangements.”
Using a residential courtyard to store the bride’s dowry was bound to raise eyebrows. Shen Lingzhen said, “In that case, take me to see which items don’t have a proper place. Once I have a sense of things, I’ll speak with Mother-in-law.” She then looked down at Huo Miaoling. “Sister-in-law has business to attend to now, so I’m afraid I can’t entertain you. Shall I have someone escort you back?”
Miaoling nodded and took a few steps toward the door, but then turned back, twisting her fingers. “Can I come with you? I won’t touch anything, I just want to look.”
Knowing that her dowry surely included rare and precious treasures, it was only natural for a child to be curious and want to see something new. Shen Lingzhen agreed without hesitation and had someone summon the stewardess of the Huo household to explain the situation and unlock the storeroom.
But what she saw inside made things even more awkward. The original belongings of the Huo family had been shoved into a dark corner like scrap metal, while the boxes she brought gleamed in the center of the room.
After a moment’s thought, she instructed the maids, “This won’t do. I remember Father prepared a residence for me here in Qingyang, didn’t he?”
“There is such a place,” one maid confirmed.
The Duke, doting on his daughter, had worried she might not adjust well to life in the Huo household, or worse, be mistreated, so he had wisely purchased a ready-made residence in advance.
“I’ll sort through things here. Move whatever we won’t need for now to that house,” Shen Lingzhen said, stepping inside and inspecting the boxes one by one.
Miaoling followed behind her, marveling as she looked around. “These pieces of jewelry are so beautiful.”
“Leave those here. If you or your sister see anything you like, feel free to take it.”
Miaoling quickly waved her hands. “This is Sister-in-law’s dowry, we can’t touch it. Besides, I’m still young and don’t need it. My sister dresses like a boy most days and never wears things like this. But… but it’s nice to keep them here. “Sister-in-law can wear a different set every day and look so pretty. It’ll give my Second Brother something lovely to admire!”
Shen Lingzhen was just about to laugh when her gaze fell on a sword rack in the corner and the sword resting across it. Her expression suddenly froze.
That sword… that sword…
“What’s wrong, Young Madam?” Jian Jia asked.
Shen Lingzhen didn’t respond. Instead, she beckoned, “Bring me the oil lamp.”
She took the lamp and slowly approached the wood sword rack. As the dim glow illuminated the sword resting atop it, her gaze locked in place.
The heavy sword’s scabbard was carved with a scrolling lotus motif, and the hilt was inlaid with eighteen bodhi beads, exactly like the sword held by the man who had once saved her life.
She turned in astonishment. “Miaoling, do you know whose sword this is?”
“It should be my Second Brother’s. I heard that back when he led troops into battle, he was so impressive! This heavy sword felt as light as a pair of chopsticks in his hands. But it hasn’t been used in years, so now it just sits here gathering dust…”
Miaoling chattered on, praising her brother’s former glory, but Shen Lingzhen didn’t hear another word.
Could there really be so many coincidences in the world? Once or twice might be chance, but three times? That was no longer believable.
She stood frozen, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Shen Lingzhen remained distracted the entire day. Even when Huo Liuxing took her to tour the training grounds that afternoon, her thoughts were elsewhere.
During dinner, Huo Shuyi didn’t appear. Word was she was being punished after sobering up.
Normally, Shen Lingzhen would have gone to check on her and help smooth things over. But her mind was consumed by that sword and the man beside her. So she simply spoke a few words in Huo Shuyi’s defense at the table.
The rest of the meal, she spent glancing at Huo Liuxing, once while picking up food, again while ladling soup.
In truth, she was already seventy to eighty percent certain of her savior’s identity. The remaining doubts were only about one thing: If it really was him, then what had happened to Huo Liuxing’s leg?
Clearly, asking him directly wouldn’t yield answers. If he had wanted to explain, he wouldn’t have lied last night, claiming he hadn’t been to Bianjing since he was fifteen. Since he was deliberately hiding the truth, he’d surely have another story ready to dispel her suspicions.
She thought, the best way forward was to see it with her own eyes.
Her savior had an old scar, roughly two inches below the left collarbone, shaped almost like a square. If even that detail matched, then Huo Liuxing’s supposed leg injury might very well be a lie.
But that was such a hidden spot…
Shen Lingzhen was stumped. Even by bedtime, she hadn’t found a chance to confirm it.
As she stepped out of the washroom, she saw Huo Liuxing, just like the night before, dressed in his inner robes and reading by lamplight. She tiptoed over and quietly approached him from behind, trying to sneak a glance down the collar of his robe.
But the neckline was fastened too tightly, she couldn’t see a thing. Huo Liuxing, however, noticed her gaze and looked up. “What’s wrong? You’ve seemed distracted all day, either lost in thought or holding something back. Are you upset about what happened this morning?”
“No,” Shen Lingzhen quickly waved her hands, feigning confidence with a guilty air. “I just saw how focused you were and wondered what book had you so absorbed.”
Huo Liuxing closed the scroll and turned it so she could see the spine. “The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. It’s about the teachings and life of Huineng, the founder of Zen Buddhism. Would you like to read it?”
She had no interest in scriptures, her mind was entirely preoccupied with having a peek down his collar.
Shen Lingzhen shook her head and hinted, “I’m feeling a bit sleepy.”
“Then rest,” Huo Liuxing said with a smile, extinguishing the oil lamp on the desk and leaving a single candle lit for the night.
Shen Lingzhen lay down first, curling up on the inner side of the bed. She turned her head slightly, watching him closely. She saw him wheel himself over, fold up one side of the wooden armrest, and use the strength of his arms and waist to shift himself smoothly onto the bed. The entire motion was fluid and practiced.
But he truly hadn’t used his legs at all.
Feeling conflicted, Shen Lingzhen closed her eyes. She sensed him lying down beside her on the right, pulling the quilt over himself. Everything was in place, now she just had to wait for him to fall asleep.
She silently counted in her mind. After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, she heard his breathing deepen. Quietly, she inched closer, tugged the quilt down slightly, and slowly reached for his collar. Her fingertips pinched the edge of the fabric, and she began to peel it back, bit by bit.
Holding her breath, Shen Lingzhen’s heart pounded like a drum. She was just about to reach the “critical spot” when Huo Liuxing’s steady breathing suddenly hitched and in the next instant, her wrist was firmly caught in his grip.
She looked up, and their eyes met in an awkward, frozen stare.
“What are you doing?” His gaze was sharp and alert, as if he’d never been asleep at all.
Half her body was still leaning against him. A rush of heat surged to her face, turning it crimson. “I…” She swallowed nervously and forced herself to lie through her teeth. “I was just tucking in the quilt. I saw your collar was loose and didn’t want you to catch a chill…”
He lowered his eyes and looked at her calmly. “My collar was loose?”
“Maybe… maybe your sleeping posture shifted it open…”
“Oh.” A man known for his extraordinary self-control, who could sleep suspended from a tree branch all night without moving an inch, nodded as if suddenly enlightened, and released her wrist.
Shen Lingzhen quickly pulled her hand back, wincing as she rubbed the spot where he’d gripped her.
Huo Liuxing glanced down at the red mark on her wrist, then flexed his empty hand slightly, as if surprised that such force could bruise a delicate girl. When he spoke again, his tone had softened. “Yes, my sleeping posture is indeed ‘poor.’ Thank you for your thoughtful care.”
Shen Lingzhen jolted upright, then obediently lay flat and burrowed into the quilt, shaking her head. “No trouble at all… really…”
Huo Liuxing tightened his collar and closed his eyes again, though his mind was far from calm.
How was it that he, a grown man in the prime of life, remained composed as ever, yet this young lady had already started sneaking around with wandering hands?
Author’s Note: Huo Liuxing, deep in thought.
