This matter was casually laughed off by the court of Xia, as the officials thought that Yan Bei had been driven nuts by poverty to actually offer to carry out trade with Xia. Although Xia lacked warhorses and iron ore too, they could still trade with Tang and Song. As for Yan Bei, as long as Tang shut off their trade routes, they could only turn to Xia for help.

  Xia would naturally ignore Yan Bei regarding matters of this nature. Instead, Xia’s Central Surveillance Organization and the head of the secretariat joined forces for the first time, drafting out a long essay to mock Yan Bei’s actions.

  This matter was regarded as insignificant to both empires, but it evidently highlighted Yan Bei’s gradual decline towards poverty. Although Xia was not better off, the morale of their officials was boosted upon seeing their enemy struggling along with them. They began to verbally advocate the idea of eliminating Yan Bei as if it had become an easy task. Even some relatives of the royal family, stationed outside the capital, wrote to Zhuge Yue, requesting that he invaded Yan Bei immediately, to eliminate all the beggars there.

  Zhuge Yue looked on coldly in court, at the officials whose emotions had been stirred up. He thought to himself Yan Xun’s tactics are not clever, but it addresses his problem directly. He has managed to unsettle the entire court with just a few sentences.

  When he spoke these words, Chu Qiao felt unsettled. Zhuge Yue had a thought process that extended deeper as compared to a normal person. He knew that Yan Xun pretended to be vulnerable, in order to bait the Xia army towards him. She had lived with Yan Xun for many years and knew him well. Given his character, even if he fought to the death, it was unlike him to do this. Was it really worth this sacrifice for him to unsettle the enemy?

  As springtime arrived, the flowers started to bloom. However, the cold winds refused to dissipate. When one pushed open their windows, icicles could still be seen. This winter seemed to last longer than usual. However, Chu Qiao subconsciously knew that some things were not far away from happening.

  Zhuge Yue had been away on a business trip to the City of Ye for half a month. Three days ago, Chu Qiao received the news that a conflict had arisen outside of Yanming Pass. However, it was just an army of about 30 drunken soldiers who ventured to the gates of Longyin Pass, letting out a flurry of arrows. As a result, one soldier from the Yan Bei army lost his life, while three others were injured. Despite this, Yan Bei did not retaliate.

  It took ten days before the news managed to reach Zhen Huang City. On the paper containing the message, the general by the border requested the court to dispatch troops towards Yan Bei, claiming that Yan Bei lacked manpower and was suffering from a bout of famine. Their military resources had been depleted, while conflicts broke out internally. Furthermore, he went on to claim that the news was reliable and that this was the best time to start another conflict up north. Once the opportunity was missed, it would be hard to invade Yan Bei again.

  Even before this message, there were noises within the court to invade Yan Bei. This message only served to add fuel to the fire, stirring up Xia’s intentions to start another war. From the court to the civilians, everyone’s passion was ignited. The lieges of Xia were from outside the pass; they were a race that liked to fight it out. At this time, under the instigation of another party, they became even more enthusiastic to the idea of another conflict. As night fell, sounds of knives being sharpened could be heard throughout the city; officials from the Central Surveillance Organization set up booths on Rose Square to draft conscripts into the army. A long list of names were scrawled onto the noticeboard and hung up in front of Rose Square, with each person having taken a blood oath before that. This was intimidating enough to send chills up one’s spine.

  Despite the passion of the public to go to war, Sheng Jin Palace delayed the issuance of the official decree. The emperor’s ailments had resurfaced, as he had not been to court for seven to eight days. Under the deliberate instigation of the Elders’ Clan, the pre-conflict preparations for the civilians commenced. Even self-formed armies from various territories started to congregate at the capital with their swords in their hands.

  Chu Qiao wrote to Zhuge Yue four times, but before she received a reply, she received a visit from Zhuge Huai, who had disappeared for a long time. This caught her off-guard momentarily.

  Zhuge Huai had arrived back at the capital from the Zhuge family’s self-governed land. Although Zhuge Muqing had chased him out of the family after misfortune befell Zhuge Yue, he was reinstated into the family registry once Zhuge Yue returned in glory, as if nothing had happened. He had left the capital for three years. The reason why he came back was to attend the wedding of Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue.

  One month ago, Chu Qiao’s dowry entered the gates of Zhen Huang. It was estimated that there were over 400 carriages of material goods, escorted by 50,000 people. The officials of Tang were dressed flamboyantly, resembling that of a royal wedding.

  It was a joyous sight as the city was painted red. Flower petals were strewn everywhere as 3,000 palace servants led the way, flanked by 20,000 soldiers in full body armor from the Xiuli Army, and 20,000 soldiers from the Wolf Army. It was an intimidating sight; even the royals themselves did not hold such an extravagant ritual.

  The civilians of Zhen Huang, along with the officials of Xia, were dumbfounded. This was the dowry that Li Ce had spent two years preparing for her. This was the ultimate gesture of extravagance, honor, and prestige. Even when he had passed away, he watched after her dutifully through such gestures, ensuring that she was not looked down upon by others.

  The status of the Zhuge family was instantly elevated due to their union with the Tang Empire, through Chu Qiao. Zhuge Muqing, who had been plagued with illness, returned from his self-governed land, engaging in formalities with the Tang officials. Zhuge Yue, with his resourcefulness, managed to gather many distant relatives from the Jing family, many of whom Chu Qiao had not even seen before. However, these white-haired, elderly people cried out upon seeing her, expressing how much they missed her, having not seen her for many years.

  Some of the elderly people from the Jing family were given a place in the chief marshal’s residence to live in. Although Chu Qiao did not have a good impression of them, Zhuge Yue ordered his servants to treat them well. Over the next few days, all Chu Qiao did was to sit in her room, as she listened to these people teach her the customs of marriage, the responsibilities of being a wife, including the dos and don’ts.

  As her wedding day approached, she felt more and more uneasy. As the eyes of the whole world focused on her, she was not able to feel at peace, often feeling the hidden danger behind this extravagance. As a result, she was not able to eat or sleep well. Zhuge Yue tried to console her by saying that she had been overwhelmed by joy, while she consoled herself by agreeing with him. She hoped that it was just a bout of pre-wedding blues, instead of a bad premonition caused by her sixth sense.

  However, after Zhuge Yue left, her unease started to become more obvious. Thereafter, bizarre pieces of intel from Yan Bei and matters in court only served to exacerbate her current emotional state. She could only sit and watch on as she took her necessary precautions, while she awaited Zhuge Yue to return for the wedding.

  The rays of sunlight shone through the canopy, coloring the landscape a slight golden. Shadows of the flowers were projected into the room and her eyes through the willow branches. She held a letterhead between her fingers, which smelt of body armor and gunpowder. The words had been written forcefully and in abundance.

  Chu Qiao was dressed in a pale white dress as she leaned on a soft mat. A birdcage hung by the window, with its gates open. A white bird with three red feathers on its tail slept inside the cage lazily, devoid of its usual imposing stance. Yue Qi had said that this was Zhuge Yue’s personal pet, a snowy owl. This was the fiercest flying beast in Qinghai; it was fast, agile, smart and had sharp claws and teeth.

  Chu Qiao used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised meat with sauce on it. The bird, without even batting an eyelid, snatched the piece of meat from her with one swift motion and swallowed it after chewing on it twice. Then, it continued to sleep with its head tilted to one side.

  This was a lazy bird indeed. It did not even make a single sound all day.

  Chu Qiao looked up at it as her fingers brushed against the letterhead. A tinge of joy brewed from within her heart. Although it was lazy, it was still useful.

  Letters of this nature used to be known as a conversation between two unrelated people. Presently, it had turned into a conversation between two family members.

  The day of the wedding inched closer. In two days, he would be back. Thereafter, she would put on her crown and cloak and board an exquisite sedan. Under the deafening sounds of the drums and musical instruments, she would officially become a part of his family, becoming legitimately known as his wife. The golden piece of paper with her birth characters written on it was still placed under her pillow. It was decorated with drawings of mandarin ducks, birds, and blooming flowers, with their names written on it.

  Chu Qiao thought to herself that perhaps, she was the snowy owl from Qinghai who had shed off its ferociousness and its desire to kill, choosing to live its life happily after in peace in a house made of gold, never wanting to venture out again.

  There were countless doors in this world. Those that obstructed the progress of people often tended to be invisible. He was the chief marshal of the Xia army, and a feudal lord with a dukeship. She was to marry into his family like how a princess did; her dowry was gathered entirely in a courtyard, appearing like a treasure ground. The people who were in charge of palace outfits picked out her wedding attire. She received many gifts from the royal families as well, as the palace was filled to the brim.

  She also behaved more excitedly, which was rare. Occasionally, she would flip through the gifts with Jingjing, Meixiang and Huan’er. As they had not seen much of the world before, upon seeing a rare gift, they would exclaim in joy, behaving like country bumpkins.

  This night, she would move into the mansion of the Zhuge family, as the female head of the Zhuge household helped her to work on the wedding preparations. As she had no family, she could only live in the Zhuge residence before her wedding, where she had lived when she was young. From there, she would officially enter the chief marshal’s residence, becoming his wife.

  Time passed by in a flash; in no time, dawn broke, signaling the start of the next day.

  After she moved into the Zhuge residence, she did not see the female head of the household. Instead, she was accompanied by people from the Jing family. Chu Qiao kept a little girl named Yu Xiaohe by her side to be her personal attendant. Whenever she fell into a daze, this little girl of lowly social status would light up some incense. This incense had a familiar smell, which reminded her of a recipe that she had learned when she was young.

  Although the assortment of mixed medicinal herbs were not valuable, the smell it gave off was calming for the soul, allowing people who had been suffering from nightmares to get a good night’s sleep.

  Two days later, a servant came with the news that Zhuge Yue had arrived back in the city, and that he had visited his parents in the residence of the eldest family. However, due to tradition, he was not allowed to visit her. When she heard the news, she was taking a warm shower. A maidservant handed her a letter as she opened it with her wet hands. The letter had only one sentence written on it.

  “I’m back, I’ll fetch you in five days.”


  Their wedding day was in five days.

  That night, Chu Qiao brushed aside a dried vine, causing some white powder to rub off on her hands. As she washed it off in a basin of water, she felt some emotions surge up from the bottom of her heart.

  The basin of water glowed a slight golden as the letterhead was submerged beneath its surface. Faint traces of words in small, neat rows started to appear; that was the real message that he intended to convey, which was hidden beneath the surface of the letter.