Chapter 84.

Chapter 84.

September 29th.

In the deep night, Xiao Luolan circled the date on the calendar with a brush.

In the military camp, her tent was empty, with only two oil lamps burning quietly. The dim candlelight flickered occasionally from the wind at the tent entrance. Xiao Luolan, wearing a new fox fur cloak, sat on the bed, restless. Zhou Xu and his troops had left silently earlier, taking with them two thousand Xuanjia cavalry, a thousand Tabghach cavalry, and nearly five hundred Tiele light cavalry, along with the captives.

About a thousand men were left in the camp.

Most of them were Xuanjia Iron Cavalry under General Li Xun. Generals Li Xun, Zhou Xuan, Zhou Lingzhi, and both Tabghach brothers had gone to the battlefield, leaving only General Shi to stay behind.

Xiao Luolan, looking into the darkness of the cave, hesitated to enter. But with the rain intensifying outside, she had no choice but to seek shelter inside.

Zhou Xu quickly returned and lit the tinderbox to illuminate the cave, revealing his wife's softly glowing eyes.

Zhou Xu smiled faintly, taking his wife's hand and leading her into the cave. He had previously cleared a small pile of twigs and leaves inside, which he now ignited. He placed a small copper pot from his saddlebag over the fire to heat it.

"...Even if my lady were to remarry, I would still follow you," Zhou Xu said, knowing it was impossible, but he wanted to test his wife’s attitude.

Once married to him, she could never marry another, not while he was alive, and certainly not after his death. She represented Youzhou; who would dare to marry her? Even if she wanted to, Youzhou's cavalry, his son, and his men would not allow it.

Hearing this, Xiao Luolan inwardly cursed Zhou Xu for thinking about such things. He was not even dead yet, and he was worrying about what she would do after his death. Her anger made her speech falter, "You, once you're gone, how can you... follow me?"

Zhou Xu, burying his face in laughter, replied, "Even as a ghost, I would follow my lady."

Xiao Luolan wanted to say there were no ghosts in this world, but considering her own bizarre experience of time-travel, she began to doubt.

Zhou Xu noticed his wife shiver and kissed her, "Don’t be afraid, I was just teasing you."

Xiao Luolan bit her lip, knowing that his reassurance was the real lie.

Chapter 84.

September 29th.

In the deep night, Xiao Luolan circled the date on the calendar with a brush.

In the military camp, her tent was empty except for two quietly burning oil lamps. The dim candlelight occasionally flickered from the wind at the tent entrance. Xiao Luolan, wearing a new fox fur cloak, sat on the bed, unable to sleep. Zhou Xu and his troops had already left, taking with them two thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, a thousand Tabghach cavalry, and nearly five hundred Tiele light cavalry, along with the captives.

About a thousand soldiers remained in the camp.

Most of them were Xuanjia Iron Cavalry under General Li Xun. Generals Li Xun, Zhou Xuan, Zhou Lingzhi, and both Tabghach brothers had gone to the battlefield, leaving only General Shi behind.

Zheng Yuxin, feeling a bit embarrassed, nodded. That was indeed her concern.

Xiao Luolan smiled and took the young girl’s hand, reassuringly saying, “Don’t worry, Xingxue won’t eat anything recklessly.” Neither she nor her daughter dared to eat raw fish slices from ancient times, always drinking boiled water. They would certainly not dare to try something as strange as Wushi Powder.

“That’s good,” Zheng Yuxin blushed at the sight of her mistress’s gentle smile.

The popular pursuit of Wushi Powder was partly because it was believed to enhance male virility, allowing men to entertain multiple women in a single night. Some, particularly those indulgent in female company, revered it almost as a sacred medicine. But discussing such matters might offend her mistress, so Zheng Yuxin chose to remain silent. Generally, it was consumed by men, as it was said to make women’s skin fairer. A common trait of those who took it was their inability to withstand heat, requiring them to wear thin, loose clothing. Some scholars would even wear soft, worn clothes to avoid irritating their skin.

Seeing many books by her mistress’s bedside, Zheng Yuxin’s gaze lingered a little longer.

Xiao Luolan handed her one, “Let’s read together.” She herself picked up another book. Initially, Xiao Luolan found it hard to read ancient books, but luckily Zhou Xu had chosen relatively simple ones. During long journeys, she had flipped through the Thirteen Classics, not delving deep but just enough to understand them. The rest, like travelogues and poetry collections, she read as if they were novels.

Worried that the young girl might find the texts dull, Xiao Luolan chose a more interesting storybook for her.

“Mistress, how do you read this word?” Zheng Yuxin asked with a blushing face.

"Xiao Luolan glanced down and saw the character 'Li'."

"It's the 'Li' character, as in 'Li River flows into the Yangtze'," Xiao Luolan noted, observing the young girl who didn't seem from a poor family, her dress and accessories quite fitting. Except for her accent, she seemed no different from other girls. Xiao Luolan wanted to ask more but hesitated, worrying about making the girl self-conscious.

Zheng Yuxin, on the other hand, chuckled behind her hand. With twinkling eyes and her silver hair ornaments jingling, she spoke of her homeland for the first time, "I come from a village in the Wuling Mountains. It's a land of rolling hills and scarce flatlands, with treacherous terrain and miasmas. We belong to the Red Miao tribe, living in clustered settlements."

Xiao Luolan found this utterly fascinating and listened intently.

"My father is the tribal chief, and my mother is the daughter of a neighboring tribe's chief. After having three sons, they had me, so I was quite pampered. I fell in love with the world outside our mountains during my rare visits, so my father hired a tutor to teach me the Central Plains' language and script."

Hearing this, Xiao Luolan glanced at the beautiful Zheng Yuxin, slightly surprised.

Zheng Yuxin grinned, "When the old tutor felt I had learned enough, desperate to leave the mountains, I persuaded my father to give him some silver to make his departure."

"But now that I've grown up, I've forgotten some of the harder characters," Zheng Yuxin lamented. "Can I come to you for help if I find characters I don't recognize?"

Xiao Luolan nodded, "Of course." She curiously asked, "Given your beloved status and wealthy family, why did you end up in Youzhou as a guest?"

"Life in the tribe was too boring, not fun at all. The outside world is much better. I nagged my father until he let me leave the mountains. He sent many to accompany me, but I shook them off," Zheng Yuxin said, swinging her legs, recalling the past as if it was a fun tale. "Once I descended, I took a boat to Jiangnan. It's so beautiful and fun there, full of people, though they looked down on my accent."

"After tiring of Jiangnan, I went to Luoyang to see the famed courtesans. In Chang'an, they're called 'Duozhi', but in Jiangnan, they're mostly referred to as 'Huakui'," Zheng Yuxin elaborated, knowing her mistress lived a secluded life away from worldly matters. "Luoyang hosts a courtesan contest every five years. The winner can command a fortune for one night. Many scholars from Jiangnan travel there to attend the 'Jing Shi Banquet', as literary men are often quite romantic."

"After the top courtesan is selected, the rest is up to the high officials and noble sons, as courtesans are not cheap."

"But I only know this from others; I've never actually seen a courtesan," Zheng Yuxin said, resting her chin in her hand and looking at her mistress with a smile. "The next 'Jing Shi Banquet' is next year in Luoyang. I wanted to return to my tribe, but then I met He Jin and followed him to Youzhou's Lang Ge."

"My father's allowance is running low, and seeing how well He Jin, the Jiedushi, treats his guests, I volunteered myself and became one of his guests. That's pretty much it," Zheng Yuxin summarized her story truthfully, albeit omitting some details.

Xiao Luolan looked at the young Zheng girl, amazed that someone her age had traveled so extensively.

"Are you bothering the mistress again?" Dongxue entered, parting the curtains, her eyebrows arching in disapproval: "It's so late, and yet you disturb the lady's rest."

Zheng Yuxin immediately stood up straight, looking utterly innocent.

"It was I who wanted to hear about the outside world and asked Yuxin to come in and chat," Xiao Luolan interjected, handing out fruits to the two young girls.

"Now that Sister Dongxue is here, I'll take my leave," Zheng Yuxin said with a smile, waving goodbye to her mistress.

After her departure, Dongxue reported to her mistress: "Doctor Li has transferred all his patients to Doctor Wang. I went to check, and the Tuoba cavalryman is much better. His life should be safe."

Hearing this good news, Xiao Luolan's lips curved into a smile.

Dongxue fiddled with the coals in the brazier to warm up the tent before drawing the bed curtains.

She intended to keep vigil for the mistress, especially since the lord wasn't present tonight.

Suddenly, the mistress reached out her delicate, jade-like hand from behind the curtains, gently grasping hers.

Dongxue's heart skipped a beat.

"As long as you're not cold," Xiao Luolan said, feeling Dongxue's hand for warmth before relaxing, then remembered another concern: "Dongxue, do you have enough charcoal in your tent?"

"I do," Dongxue replied. As the personal maid of the mistress, her needs were well taken care of. Besides, being trained in martial arts, her constitution was stronger than most men's, so she rarely needed the warmth of charcoal at night.

"You should rest, I'm quite safe here. There's no need for a night watch. Come later tomorrow morning," Xiao Luolan said.

Dongxue, touched by her mistress's caring words and the gentle pat on her hand, as if to soothe her, blushed even more.

"Understood, my lady."

Leaving the tent, Dongxue left a small gap in the curtain for ventilation. She saw Zheng Yuxin from the Miao borderlands, straightened her skirt, and walked past her without a glance.

After everyone had left, Zheng Yuxin chuckled and nudged He Jin, who was sitting nearby: "Monk, chant some Buddhist scriptures for me."

He Jin, tapping on his wooden fish, obligingly recited a scripture with good humor.

Amidst the sound of the wooden fish, his eyes closed, he resembled a compassionate and wise monk.

Xiao Luolan, listening to the faint chanting, slowly closed her eyes.

September 29th.

"The White Tiger governs, foretelling a calamity of bloodshed."

Under the distant, pitch-black night sky.

A troop of Tujue light cavalry and a group from the Abusi tribe were shocked and turned to flee at the silent approach of the Youzhou iron cavalry.

Zhou Xu looked at the frantically fleeing horsemen and smiled faintly, appearing like a demon in the dark night.