Chapter 24: The Land of Yuzhou

Chapter 24: The Land of Yuzhou

The border of Yuzhou.

Along a wide, well-lit imperial road, the rhythmic clatter of hooves filled the air as a procession of ornately decorated carriages swept past, each one carved with exquisite patterns.

This road ran alongside one of the realm's most prosperous provinces — Yuzhou, the heartland of the Central Plains — and so it was broad and paved with bluestone, teeming with travelers in a constant, bustling flow.

The passersby were of every sort: traveling merchants and settled traders, camel caravans and horse gangs, as well as scholars in blue robes and cloth shoes, square caps on their heads, making their way to the examinations.

There were also jianghu wanderers, common folk from the streets, and of course the sons of noble houses, riding in ebony carriages with all the swagger of the privileged.

Great Jin was at the height of its power. Though corruption persisted in many corners of the realm, beneath the cover of the dynasty's strength, the common people could at least fill their bellies — and calling it an age of prosperity was no exaggeration.

On the imperial road, most carriages were rough-hewn affairs of plain timber. The occasional ebony carriage of some dignitary would draw stares and murmurs of admiration from those it passed.

Then, without warning, hoofbeats thundered like a storm, dust billowing up from the bluestone road as the shrill cry of blood-red warhorses split the air.

Every traveler on the road turned to look. Seven riders in dark armor came charging forward in tight formation, each wearing a black iron mask that concealed all but their eyes — eyes that gleamed with a cold, piercing light. The blood-red steeds beneath them were enough to make the eyes of many noble sons go wide.

If they weren't mistaken, those were the rare dark-coated breeds exclusively supplied by the Longright Horse Ranch of Xizhou!

Trained within the military from birth, fierce and unyielding in temperament — countless noble sons had traveled thousands of miles just for the chance to obtain one. To own such a horse was to be the envy of every peer.

And yet here, they were merely the mounts of bodyguards?

Who on earth was inside that carriage?!

Many eyes drifted toward the carriage itself, mouths falling open without their owners even noticing.

A base of vermilion lacquer, adorned with golden cloud patterns; hanging silk banners embroidered with dragons, phoenixes, and Vermilion Birds; the canopy dressed in jade-green feathers that shimmered with flowing light; the carriage shafts inlaid with gold and wrapped in silver, carved into the shapes of lions and tigers.

They had seen the lavish carriages of great noble houses before — but one as magnificent as this? Perhaps only those few fortunate young lords who had once entered the Imperial Capital could claim to have laid eyes on its equal.

"Good heavens! I've never seen such a grand carriage in all my life."

"If even one piece of jade fell off that thing, it'd buy a hundred acres of farmland, easy!"

"Last March, when the eldest son of the Qiu Mountain Wang family rode out, his carriage looked like a mud cart compared to this one..."

Many travelers on the road simply stopped their vehicles and stood staring, transfixed by the vermilion carriage.

Even the fine carriages of high officials pulled aside, their occupants unwilling to risk any chance of offending the noble personage within.

"It's the Heir of the Northern Marquis! It must be the Heir of the Northern Marquis!"

Someone cried out, and the color drained from — or flushed into — the faces of those around them.

Word had spread in recent days: the Heir of the Northern Marquis had visited Liu Gongyun, the governor of Bingzhou, and seven days ago had bid farewell to Lin'an Commandery, heading south. He had passed through Zezhou, Luzhou, Huaizhou, Mengzhou, and Zhengzhou — and now he had arrived at the borders of Yuzhou.

A cluster of well-informed old jianghu veterans gathered together, faces flushed, gazing into the distance at the vermilion carriage as it receded in a cloud of dust, their eyes bright with excitement.

Some murmured to themselves —

"Our ancestors must have accumulated great virtue for us to encounter a personage of this stature!"

"Ha! Now I can say I've seen the Heir of the Northern Marquis with my own eyes!"

"Exactly! Old Liu once crossed paths with Crown Prince Jing on his southern tour at Qin River in Linzhou, and he's been boasting about it for twelve years straight. Today we breathed the dust of the Young Lord's carriage on the imperial road — that's no small thing either..."

Long after the carriage had vanished from sight, many on the road still hadn't quite come back to their senses.

A number of farmers rushed forward to pick up a few stones that had been rolled over by the Young Lord's carriage wheels, hoping to bring them home — perhaps some of that noble fortune might rub off.

They all understood, deep down, that in all the years left to them, they would most likely never again lay eyes on a personage of such exalted rank.

* * *

Inside the vermilion carriage, now far down the road.

Pei Su could feel the growing density of travelers they had passed throughout the journey.

"Banxia, where are we?"

"About four hours from the border pass into Yuzhou."

"Yuzhou..."

Pei Su murmured the name softly.

Unlike Bingzhou's rugged, imposing northern terrain, Yuzhou sat squarely in the heart of the Central Plains — vast, open flatlands crisscrossed with fields, fed by the Huai River and the Yellow River. It was a granary blessed by heaven itself.

Its capital, Luodu, was known as "the center of all under heaven" — a city of natural strategic advantage, where dragons coiled and tigers crouched. In its days of glory, it rivaled even the Imperial Capital of Great Jin.

Pei Su recalled visiting Luodu in Yuzhou as a child, accompanying his grandfather on an inspection tour. What had stayed with him most vividly was the sight of Luodu's peonies — said to be "the finest wonder under heaven" — blooming in lush abundance along the banks of the Luo River, their fragrance drifting for miles without fading.

"Zheyue."

Pei Su called out softly.

The young woman standing to one side, dressed in a pale gold long skirt, seemed to be lost in thought. It took a full three breaths before she snapped back and replied, "Mm."

When Pei Su said nothing further, Jiang Suining asked tentatively:

"What is it, Young Lord?"

Pei Su's brow furrowed slightly. He turned his head to the side without responding, as though gazing through the bead curtain at the scenery outside.

Banxia glanced at Pei Su, then turned to Jiang Suining:

"Zheyue, now that you serve as the Young Lord's handmaid, how can you address him as 'Young Lord of the Northern Marquis'? That is how outsiders refer to His Highness. To speak that way yourself is far too distant."

Jiang Suining stood rooted to the spot, looking as though she had made a mistake and didn't know how to correct it. After a long pause, she said timidly:

"What is it, Your Highness?"

Only then did Pei Su slowly turn his head. There was not a trace of displeasure on his face. He said gently:

"Your Highness the Princess, I do not mean to make things difficult for you — but from now on, if you reveal your identity in front of others, you know as well as I do that even my Duke Pei's Manor would struggle to shield you from the imperial Li family..."

Jiang Suining said quietly, "I understand."

At that moment, her feelings toward Pei Su grew complicated.

He had kept her at his side through what amounted to a half-threat — and yet in every matter, he spoke to her with warmth and care.

"It's all right," Pei Su said reassuringly.

"Having a princess serve as a handmaid is indeed asking a great deal of you. There's no need to rush — just watch how Banxia speaks and conducts herself, and follow her lead."

Pei Su finished speaking, then paused suddenly, his gaze flicking toward the bead curtain.

A white dove had arrived, alighting just outside. Pei Su extended his hand and retrieved a small bamboo scroll from the band around its leg.

He opened it.

Pei Su read through it slowly.

After a moment, he closed the scroll, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curving the corner of his mouth.

"Banxia."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"What do you make of Xiao Lin?"

Banxia's brows drew together in puzzlement, but she answered dutifully:

"A man who could serve as imperial guard commander was clearly no ordinary talent. The fact that he evaded the court's detection for twenty years shows he had his methods.

"In speech and action he was decisive and ruthless — more like a jianghu blade-fighter than the disciplined soldiers of the imperial guard. And then there was that counter-scheme of his earlier. If Your Highness hadn't anticipated it in advance, he might well have slipped away. And as for his adopted son..."

"Mm... there's something strange about it."

"Strange how?"

"When he first went along with the flow of things, he clearly gave no thought to how Zhao Lan would bear the brunt of your Pei clan's wrath — and yet at the very end, facing death, he showed the deepest concern for Zhao Lan..."

Banxia couldn't quite put her finger on what felt off. She asked:

"Your Highness, why bring up a dead man?"

Pei Su gave Banxia a languid sideways glance.

"Who told you Xiao Zhongyong was dead?"