Chapter 7: The Deershaped Jade Pendant.

Chapter 7: The Deer-Shaped Jade Pendant.

The ginger soup bubbled fiercely over the fire, steam rising in waves that softened Huo Ling's outline and blurred the ribbons in her hair and around her wrist—only the delicate feather ornament remained as clear as ever.

Prince Duan’s gaze lingered on her wrist for a moment. "Wasn’t this ginger soup meant for the refugees?"

Huo Ling turned slightly, fetching a bowl freshly rinsed with hot water.

With this movement, she emerged from hazy to sharp, like an ink-wash painting suddenly infused with vibrant colors, bringing the entire scene to life.

"The ginger soup is for anyone."

Scooping up a ladle of the soup, Huo Ling handed the bowl to Prince Duan.

A guard moved to inspect it, but Prince Duan glanced at him, and the guard immediately lowered his head and retreated.

Prince Duan reached out to take it. "Thank you."

Huo Ling poured another bowl and passed it to the guard.

Then came Fang Jianbai.

Fang Jianbai stared intently at Huo Ling, his eyes full of things left unsaid, yet unable to voice them, almost dropping the bowl.

Huo Ling helped steady it for him. "Be careful."

While distributing the ginger soup to the guards, Huo Ling wondered why Prince Duan had come.

Was it Magistrate Qiu’s petition that had caught Prince Duan’s eye regarding Yong’an County?

After serving everyone, Huo Ling turned to Prince Duan again. "The wind is strong outside. If sir isn’t in a hurry to leave, why not come inside the shelter for a while? It would also allow the victims to approach and collect their ginger soup."

Prince Duan and his retinue, even disguised as commoners, still stuck out like a sore thumb among the disaster-stricken crowd.

The ginger soup was ready, but the victims hung back, afraid to approach, fearing they might offend them and bring trouble upon themselves and their families.

The guards tensed at Huo Ling’s bold suggestion—this young lady was pushing her luck.

Yet Prince Duan handled it gracefully, not only stepping aside but also sending two of his men to help distribute the soup.

One of them happened to be Fang Jianbai.

Huo Ling set down the ladle. "Then I’ll leave it to you to handle."

Wu Mo had been busy crouching by the stove, pulling logs from the fire.

Now that the soup had boiled, the flames no longer needed to be so fierce—just enough to keep it warm.

She doused the extracted logs with water, snuffing out the embers.

While Huo Ling spoke with Prince Duan, Wu Mo paid little attention—until Fang Jianbai approached and called her name, startling her.

Why was Master Fang here?

"Go stay with your mistress. I’ll take care of this," Fang Jianbai whispered.

Wu Mo followed his gaze and flinched.

Wasn’t that the nobleman from before?

On the other side of the soup kitchen, Huo Ling walked up to Prince Duan.

"Your Highness is traveling in disguise—could it be to inspect the relief efforts in various counties?"

This was only their second meeting, and their statuses were miles apart, yet Huo Ling's demeanor hit just the right note—neither overly familiar nor excessively distant.

Prince Duan couldn’t help but recall her earlier conduct in front of the physician and the magistrate—just as poised and level-headed, which only made the other two seem overly emotional and lacking in restraint.

Since she addressed him as "Your Highness," Prince Duan refrained from referring to himself as "this prince."

"On my journey, I passed through four towns, and only Yong'an's performance was passable."

—So Prince Duan was indeed inspecting the counties.

Huo Ling said diplomatically: "The other magistrates surely wouldn’t dare neglect their duties. They simply lack the manpower edge Magistrate Qiu has, which delayed their efforts."

Perhaps it was Prince Duan’s imagination, but he detected a playful jab in her mention of "manpower edge."

Bringing up Magistrate Qiu, Huo Ling ventured another question: "Would Your Highness like to meet Magistrate Qiu?"

"After finishing his official duties at the county office each day, he always comes to the refugee area. He could accompany Your Highness and show you around."

Prince Duan replied, "Why look further when what’s nearby will do?"

"I’m just here to look around casually and don’t wish to disturb too many people. The Yong'an County Magistrate’s memorial praised the Huo family and you, Miss Huo. I imagine you must be quite familiar with the situation in Yong'an. Might I trouble you to guide me and introduce me to the area?"

Huo Ling’s earlier question had been more like testing the waters.

Prince Duan’s response confirmed her hunch.

—Whatever Prince Duan’s purpose in coming to Yong'an, ever since he arrived and met her, he had shown a clear interest in her.

By the time Qiu Hongzhen received the news and hurried over with Advisor Zhang, only Fang Jianbai, a Royal Guard, and pots of ginger soup nearly scraped clean remained in the soup kitchen.

The able-bodied men in the refugee area had been organized to chop firewood, pitch tents, and clear snow.

***

Thus, the city gates were not buried in snow—only ice packed down by constant trampling.

Huo Ling walked slowly but steadily, occasionally pointing things out.

Prince Duan matched her pace, walking alongside her and occasionally asking questions.

Though the refugee area was large, most of it consisted of clusters of tents, with little else worth seeing. In just half an hour, they had already left the area.

The pale winter sun hung high in the sky—it was nearly noon.

Prince Duan asked, "Are there any decent eateries in Yong'an County?"

Huo Ling replied, "Even the most famous eateries in Yanxi probably wouldn’t impress Your Highness, let alone this little backwater. However, Yong'an has something that even the capital doesn’t have."

"What might that be?"

"Flowers called *Moshang*."

*Moshang* was actually just the flower’s alternative name.

But over time, people gradually forgot its original name, and only this nickname stuck.

This flower isn’t rare or pretty. Despite its tenacious vitality, thriving even in Yanxi’s harsh, barren lands, it can’t survive in more favorable environments elsewhere.

Prince Duan paused, his tone slightly peculiar: "Miss Huo, are you asking me to go look at flowers?"

Huo Ling couldn’t help but laugh: "At this season and this hour, I’m not in the mood for flower appreciation. But maybe Your Highness would like to try the wine brewed from these flowers, or perhaps try the pastries and tea made from their petals?"

Prince Duan also smiled: "First time I’m hearing that these flowers can be used to brew wine."

"Plum blossoms and pear blossoms can be made into wine—why not these?"

Huo Ling led the way: "But the wine isn’t very strong and tastes kinda grassy-bitter, so many don’t like it, which is why it’s not well-known. Yet, with time, it offers a unique charm."

Prince Duan asked: "What’s the wine called?"

"Your Highness might try guessing."

The allusion of the flower’s name wasn’t lost on Prince Duan: "‘Old Friend’s Return’?"

Huo Ling nodded: "It’s called ‘Wanderer’s Homecoming.’"

She brought Prince Duan and his entourage to Yong’an County’s best tavern.

Though called the best, the place was pretty basic for Prince Duan.

The tavern had no private rooms, so his Royal Guards secured the entire second floor, spreading out at different tables.

Huo Ling and Prince Duan took seats by the window.

With the guards watching, Wu Mo kept hesitating but didn’t dare join Huo Ling, choosing instead the nearest table.

The drinks and snacks came quick. Prince Duan took a sip of the wine and sampled a pastry: "Hmm, interesting."

The implied meaning was clear—the taste was mediocre, only interesting because it’s different.

Huo Ling was unsurprised by his assessment and poured him a cup herself of tea made from the flowers.

This time, Prince Duan finished it, his index finger tracing the rim of the cup: "Speaking of which, my trip to Yanxi actually connects to Commander Huo."

Huo Ling wouldn’t bring up her father before Prince Duan, but if he broached the subject, she did not evade it: "Your Highness came to Yanxi regarding the Qiang Rong rebellion. The memorial warning of their potential uprising was indeed first submitted by my father."

A hint of smile showed in Prince Duan’s eyes: "Commander Huo was the first to submit the memorial, but he might not’ve been the first to spot trouble."

Huo Ling’s hand paused mid-sip.

She set down her cup, her sharp eyes locked on Prince Duan.

This was the first time she truly studied him.

In truth, Prince Duan was just twenty-six. Guys his age are usually just settling down.

Yet every move showed that easy confidence born of immense power and boundless wealth, making you might miss how good-looking he is.

Now, dressed in a plain blue-green robe with only a jade pendant at his waist and a jade crown binding his hair, he appeared even younger than his years.

After a long silence, Huo Ling lowered her gaze: "Why would you say that, Your Highness?"

Prince Duan allowed her scrutiny, then chuckled softly as her lashes fell: "After arriving in Chang’an County, I carefully reviewed Huo Shiming’s memorial."

"In the report, Huo Shiming mentioned that his initial suspicion arose when his family informed him that the sales of unrefined salt and tea in their shops had spiked unexpectedly within a short period."

Had Prince Duan not coincidentally met Huo Ling, he might not have paid attention to this statement.

Even if he had noticed it, he might not have given it much thought.

But after meeting Huo Ling, when he revisited those words, Prince Duan almost instinctively concluded: the first person to notice something amiss was none other than Huo Ling.

This spontaneous thought piqued his curiosity about her.

Such curiosity might have faded over time or amid the ongoing wars, yet recently, he saw Huo Ling’s name again in a report submitted by the Yong'an County Magistrate.

Yong'an County’s disaster relief efforts had been handled remarkably well.

Prince Duan didn’t need to inspect the area, but he came anyway.

...

A spark lit up Huo Ling’s eyes, as if flames had ignited within them: "Indeed, I was the first to notice the anomaly."

Prince Duan refocused: "Might I ask how Miss Huo detected the irregularity?"

The corners of Huo Ling’s lips curved slightly, her lovely eyes curving into amused crescents: "Even storytellers get tips from their listeners. Does Your Highness truly expect me to divulge information for free?"

Prince Duan played along, teasing: "Shall I treat you to a meal?"

Huo Ling matched his faux surprise: "I served you ginger soup and guided you here. Isn’t it only natural for Your Highness to treat me to a meal?"

Prince Duan chuckled: "My mistake."

Huo Ling picked up a pastry and remarked casually, "Even without all that, would Your Highness refuse to indulge me?"

If he claimed unwillingness, the young lady before him would surely get up and storm off, just as she had that day.

Besides, Prince Duan couldn’t lie to her face.

He unfastened the jade pendant from his waist and slid it toward Huo Ling: "A meal’s hardly splurging. This pendant is a cherished possession of mine. I offer it to you, Miss Huo, in exchange for your insights."

Huo Ling shot him a brief look. As his right hand withdrew, her fingertips pressed lightly against the deer-shaped jade pendant before casually tying it to her own belt.