Chapter 145 -
The cold morning air was sharp at the camp as the army got ready to leave. Armor clanked, horses made noise, and soldiers stood in neat lines.
General Xi Wenzhe stood at the front on his big horse. His dark eyes searched the busy grounds. He looked at his big tent, then at the tent where Sue Yueqing stayed.
Where is she? Usually, she was out making a big scene, but today she was nowhere to be seen. He could not hear her thoughts either, that strange connection was totally quiet. It left him with an empty feeling as he prepared to ride out.
A few steps away, hidden between two supply tents, Sue Yueqing stood in the shadows. Wrapped in her thick, fluffy coat, she watched Wenzhe from far away.
Beside her, Lu Yue, her guard, shifted nervously.
"Madam," Lu Yue whispered softly. "Won’t you go say goodbye to the General? Give him a word of good luck?"
Yueqing pulled her coat tighter, her eyes fixed on Wenzhe.
"He doesn’t need my luck," Yueqing said quietly. "He is the General. He will come back safe."
Moments later, the war horn blew. Wenzhe led his men out of the gates, marching toward the mountains.
With the main force gone, the camp became very quiet. The guards stood at their posts, and the servants worked on their daily chores.
Inside her tent, Yueqing lay on her warm bed, eating dried fruit and looking at a map.
[Nine, will the new path work?] she asked in her head.
[System 009: Yes, Host. Wenzhe changed his path just like you planned. He will miss the trap. Just relax.]
[Good,] Yueqing sighed, stretching her arms. [Now if I only had hot tea and sweet cakes, this day would be perfect.]
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her tent.
Before Yueqing could shout, the front flap opened, and a tall man stepped inside.
Yueqing sat up fast, her eyes wide. "You?!"
It was Prince Xiao Chen. He wore a dark cloak and had a lazy smile on his face, looking totally relaxed.
"Third Prince?" Yueqing stammered, standing up fast. "What are you doing here?! How did you get into the camp?!"
"It was very easy," Prince Xiao Chen said smoothly, taking a step inside. "I remembered we did not finish our tea and snacks yesterday because of that hothead Wenzhe. It seemed sad to leave a pretty girl bored in a cold tent."
He gave her a friendly smile. "Come. Let me take you for tea and snacks."
Yueqing blinked.
[Snacks?] her mind echoed.
Hearing the word ’snacks’ made her guard drop instantly. Hot tea and sweet cakes sounded way better than sitting alone in a boring tent. Still, a tiny voice inside warned her that a prince should not be sneaking around an army camp just for food.
But he seemed nice enough, and he was polite yesterday.
"Real walnut cakes?" Yueqing asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The best ones in town," Xiao Chen promised, pointing to the exit.
"Fine. But you are paying," Yueqing said, grabbing her coat and walking out with him.
An hour later, Lu Yue came back to the tent with a tray of hot tea.
"Madam?" Lu Yue called out, setting the tray down.
The tent was empty. The bed was messy, but Yueqing was gone.
Worried, Lu Yue ran outside and stopped a guard. "Where is the Young Madam?"
The guard frowned. "She left an hour ago with a man in a dark cloak."
"A man?!" Lu Yue’s face went pale. "Why didn’t you stop them?!"
"The Young Madam told us not to follow," the guard said helplessly. "She said she had personal business."
Panic filled Lu Yue’s heart. "Oh no... Where did she go?!"
Outside the camp, Prince Xiao Chen had two horses waiting. He helped Yueqing get on her horse, and they rode fast down the mountain road to the town nearby.
Soon, they arrived at the lively teahouse. Bright lanterns hung everywhere, music played, and people danced. It was warm, noisy, and fun.
They sat at a small table on the second floor, looking down at the crowd. Soon, the table was full of hot tea, plum cakes, and warm walnut pastries.
Yueqing picked up a cake and took a big bite. "Okay, this is way better than staying in that boring camp."
Xiao Chen sat back, sipping his tea as he watched her. He gave a soft laugh.
"You are very different from other rich ladies," Xiao Chen said in a smooth voice. "Most wives would cry or pray while their husband is at war. But you are here, eating cakes with another man without a care."
Yueqing swallowed her cake and shrugged. "Wenzhe can take care of himself. Besides, crying does not make sweet cakes, does it?"
Xiao Chen smiled, but as he put his cup down, his friendly face slowly changed. He looked cool and sharp.
He leaned across the small table, his voice low and quiet.
"Tell me, Yueqing..." Xiao Chen said softly, looking straight into her eyes. "Your husband marched out today with his army. But why did his men change their path near the river? A smart General like Xi Wenzhe does not change his path for no reason... unless someone told him something."
Yueqing’s hand stopped in the air, her half-eaten cake frozen in her fingers, as she looked up into Prince Xiao Chen’s sharp, dangerous eyes.
Xiao Chen watched her closely, waiting for her to panic. But Yueqing didn’t flinch.
Slowly, she set her half-eaten walnut cake down on the small porcelain plate. She picked up her cloth napkin, gently wiped her fingertips, and looked directly back into the prince’s sharp eyes.
"Your Highness," Yueqing said, her tone cool, casual, and completely unbothered. "You overestimate my influence. General Wenzhe is a man of war. He looks at terrain, weather, and river currents, not the chatter of his wife. If he changed his route near the river, it is because he saw a path that served his army better. A good commander shifts with the wind. Only a fool marches straight into an obvious spot."
She leaned back in her chair, taking a slow, calm sip of her warm tea.
"Besides," she added, giving a soft, airy wave of her hand, "a bird trapped in a golden cage still dreams of the open sky. Why waste time staring at locked doors?"
The moment those exact words left her lips, Xiao Chen froze.
His entire body went completely stiff. His jaw locked, his breath hitched in his throat, and every bit of color drained straight from his face, leaving him pale as a sheet.
A bird trapped in a golden cage still dreams of the open sky.
It was the exact phrase his late mother used to whisper to him when he was a small, lonely boy in the cold palace walls... a phrase no one else in the entire world was supposed to know.
A sudden, strange warmth bloomed deep inside his chest. He stared at Yueqing, his dark eyes wide with utter shock, feeling an unexpected, heavy comfort in her presence that he hadn’t felt in years.
Yueqing blinked, her eyes widening as she noticed how white his skin had suddenly become.
"Your Highness?" Yueqing asked quickly, her voice full of sudden, sharp concern. "Are you alright?"
Outwardly, she looked like a worried companion. But inside, her brain was running at top speed.
[Nine! Is he dying?! Did someone poison his tea?!] she screamed in her head, her eyes darting nervously around the table. [If a Royal Prince drops dead right across from me, Wenzhe’s family and the entire imperial court are going to execute me for murder! I am NOT taking the blame for killing royalty today!]
"I... I am fine," Xiao Chen managed to say, his voice low and slightly shaky as he tried to regain his composure. He looked up at her, staring at her flushed face as if seeing her for the very first time.
"Are you sure?" Yueqing pressed on, leaning across the table to inspect his eyes, her heart pounding in her chest. "You look like you’re about to pass out! Is it the food?! Should I call a doctor?!"
Xiao Chen looked at her frantic, attentive face. Seeing how worried she was about him, that strange warmth in his chest turned even deeper. He truly believed she was deeply concerned for his well-being.
"I am truly fine, Lady Sue," Xiao Chen murmured softly, a genuine, gentle smile touching his lips. "Thank you for your concern."
Yueqing let out a long, quiet breath of relief, her shoulders dropping as she slumped back into her chair.
Thank goodness. No poison, no execution. The pastries are safe.