The heavy snow stopped.

The red tassels on the helmets of the Chiansui Army fluttered across the snowfield, like a grand banner heading north.

Chen Ji rode at the very front, white mist exhaling from his nostrils drifting far away with the wind. He felt a gloom in his heart dissipate, finally feeling alive in this world.

Bai Li, wrapped in a white mink fur coat, with picturesque features, rode behind him and asked loudly, “Chen Ji, what do you most want to do when we get back to Luocheng?”

Chen Ji tugged on the reins, slowing his warhorse to ride alongside Bai Li. He answered with a smile, “Take a hot bath, then sleep for days.”

Bai Li smiled and said, “Your clothes are torn in many places. After you wake up, come with me to Li’s shop. Let them measure you and make two new outfits. And boots and a hat.”

Chen Ji replied, “I can still wear these if I mend them.”

Bai Li, assuming he was concerned about money, quickly said, “I’ll pay. You don’t have to worry about the cost.”

“Huh?”

Chen Ji paused, “Isn’t that a bit much?”

Bai Li pondered for a moment, “What’s wrong with it? If it weren’t for you this time, I certainly wouldn’t have made it back alive. Plus, you helped me out during the Buddhist debate. What’s two outfits compared to that!”

Chen Ji smiled, “Alright!”

Bai Li said with a beaming smile, “Lunar New Year is just a month away. Will you be returning to the Chen family for it?”

“No!”

Bai Li asked with a smile, “If you don’t want to go back to the Chen family, why not come to the Prince’s Estate? We can all play pai gow on New Year’s Eve and set off firecrackers in the streets together.”

Lunar New Year is the Spring Festival, followed closely by the Lantern Festival, where people eat tangyuan and visit lantern displays.

Chen Ji thought for a moment, “At that time, Senior Brother Liu and Senior Brother She will both have to go home for New Year’s Eve. Only Master will be left at the medical clinic. I should stay with him there.”

Bai Li pondered for a long time, then asked, “Then how about my brother and I come to the medical clinic to celebrate New Year’s Eve? In the morning, we can clean the house; in the afternoon, we can hang lanterns, make dumplings, and steam buns. In the evening, we can play pai gow and stay up late.”

Chen Ji looked puzzled, “Don’t the Princess and the Heir Apparent usually celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Prince’s Estate? Lunar New Year is always spent with family!”

Bai Li was silent for a moment, “There’s no New Year’s atmosphere at the Prince’s Estate. The steamed buns are prepared by servants, and the dumplings are made by servants. Father is always busy with state affairs, and Mother goes to bed early. It’s boring.”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “Then the Princess and the Heir Apparent should definitely come to the medical clinic. We can clean, hang lanterns, make dumplings, and steam buns together.”

Bai Li’s eyes sparkled, “Great, it’s settled then! Oh, by the way, did you secretly look at the red ribbon I tied around the apricot tree?”

Chen Ji shook his head, “No, Princess, don’t worry. That’s your secret. I wouldn’t peek.”

Bai Li let out a long ‘Oh…’ and said, “…That’s good!”

Not far behind the two of them, Prince Jing and Wang Daosheng rode side by side. Prince Jing’s red cape stood out strikingly in the white landscape.

Mr. Wang said, “Your Highness, this mobilization of the Chiansui Army occurred without an official order. If news of this reaches the capital, it will likely draw severe criticism.”

In earlier years, the Chiansui Army was Prince Jing’s direct forces, but ultimately, it was not a private army.

Deploying more than three hundred troops outside the camp required an official order from the Ministry of War.

Now, Prince Jing had gathered a thousand soldiers and surrounded Luhun Villa.

This matter could be deemed significant or minor, depending entirely on the Emperor’s mood.

Prince Jing, however, was unfazed. He said, “If I can’t even protect my own children, I might as well be a commoner. I believe His Majesty will be understanding once he learns of this matter.”

Wang Daosheng was puzzled. “For all these years, Your Highness has kept a low profile and protected your reputation, fearing that any misstep might incur His Majesty’s suspicion. Why are you so reckless today?”

Prince Jing merely smiled without answering.

He looked at Chen Ji and Bai Li’s distant figures and changed the subject. “Mr. Wang, you previously said Chen Ji would only be an auditor, not even an unofficial disciple. How has he now become your direct disciple?”

Wang Daosheng calmly replied, “He was surrounded by monks and couldn’t leave. He must have committed a major taboo during the Buddhist debate. As his teacher, I naturally have to find a way to protect him. This way, if Wuzhai’s masters and uncles want to vent their anger, they should come to me, not him.”

Prince Jing chuckled, “You are truly righteous, Master. However, this young man doesn’t study the classics. If his knowledge is ever tested in the future, I fear he might bring shame upon you.”

Wang Daosheng shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. With the Heir Apparent’s excellence already proven, Chen Ji’s less scholarly nature is no great concern.”

Prince Jing slowly stopped smiling and glared somewhat irritably at his eldest son beside him.

Seeing his father look at him, the Heir Apparent thought he was about to speak. He immediately rode closer. “Father,” he said, “I haven’t seen you in armor for a long time. You look as formidable as ever.”

Prince Jing replied, “In earlier years, I had to lead troops to suppress rebellions, but these days are peaceful, so there’s no need to wear it.”

The Heir Apparent suddenly remarked with emotion, “Seeing you in your old Mingguang armor, I just realized you’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Prince Jing was startled. Sometimes, people don’t notice their own weight changes until their old clothes no longer fit, or suddenly hang loosely, revealing they’ve gained or lost weight.

He looked down at his Mingguang armor, then looked up at the backs of Chen Ji and Bai Li, and suddenly asked, “Yunxi, what do you think of Chen Ji?”

The Heir Apparent looked forward, seeing Chen Ji with his whale saber hanging by his saddle, the young man’s back straight, like a young warrior from the Tianshan Mountains.

He thought for a moment before replying, “He’s good, very good. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

After speaking, he looked at Chen Ji and Bai Li, then at his father, a look of uncertainty crossing his face. “Father, what do you mean by asking that suddenly? Are you thinking…”

Before he could finish, Prince Jing interrupted, “Yunxi, is there any woman in Luocheng you are fond of?”

The Heir Apparent replied, “No, the young ladies from official and noble families are all so affected and pretentious; none of them catch my eye.”

Prince Jing casually said, “Years ago, I wanted to arrange a marriage for you, but you insisted on studying at Donglin Academy, saying you didn’t want to think about marriage before completing your studies. Now you’ve been at Donglin Academy for three years and have reached the age of adulthood. If you keep putting off marriage, this Prince’s Estate won’t keep you anymore.”

The Heir Apparent’s expression changed. “Are you going to get rid of me or something?”

Prince Jing retorted, annoyed, “I meant sending you to the border army.”

Just then, a person on horseback galloped across the snowfield.

The person wore a bamboo hat and a black cloak, their face completely obscured by the shadows beneath the hat.

Three long sabers hung by the person’s saddle, their black scabbards and hilts exuding a menacing aura.

“Protect His Highness!”

The Chiansui Army formation quickly converged on Prince Jing and the Heir Apparent.

A cavalry unit from the rear, armed with long lances, positioned themselves in front of Prince Jing.

But even with thousands of soldiers present, the uninvited guest showed no intention of stopping, neither avoiding nor yielding.

At that critical moment,

Following the sound of hooves, Chen Ji squinted to look, then suddenly turned to Bai Li. “Princess,” he asked, “is that the person who’s been following you many times before?”

Bai Li was startled. “It’s him.”

Earlier, outside the medical clinic, a middle-aged man had stood beneath a bun shop, secretly observing Bai Li. By the time Chen Ji tried to get a closer look, the man had already disappeared.

According to Bai Li, she had seen this person four or five times; it was certainly no coincidence.

Chen Ji wondered with alarm, “Why is this person here?”

As the person drew closer, Chen Ji halted his horse with Bai Li, waiting for the Chiansui Army to surround them.

As the middle-aged man’s black horse charged, its hooves kicked up waves of snow.

However, as he got closer and saw Bai Li on the snowfield, he slowly reduced his speed.

Chen Ji tightened the reins with his left hand, drawing closer to Bai Li, his right hand gripping the hilt of his whale saber as he quietly watched the middle-aged man approach.

But he gradually realized something was off: the man lifted his head, revealing a rugged, chiseled face, yet there was no trace of hostility.

Instead, he seemed to relax, his muscles loosening and his expression softening considerably, as if relieved.

Just then, the Chiansui Army surrounded Chen Ji and Bai Li, reaching them before the man.

The man, as if oblivious to their presence, rode past the outer perimeter of the Chiansui Army formation without saying a word.

From within the formation, Chen Ji peered out through the gaps between the red tassels on the helmets and noticed that the man was also observing him.

The soldier holding the Prince’s banner looked at Prince Jing and asked, “Your Highness, shall we apprehend him?”

Prince Jing gave the man a deep look, then gently shook his head. “We are all travelers; there’s no need to make things difficult for him.”

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