Chapter Seventeen: The Heroic Woman Like a Soaring Wild Goose

The midday sun blazed fiercely, making one drowsy. Even the bustling main street had quieted considerably.

Yet, in front of the Sixth Prince’s residence, the commotion persisted.

“People from the Sixth Prince’s mansion, come out quickly and move these things!” shouted several city constables outside.

Hearing this, Miao Fa led some people out the main gate and saw several heavy wooden crates placed there. Seals from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and Ministry of War were affixed to the boxes.

Clearly, these were records sent from the military camp by the three ministries.

“The lord’s affairs are proceeding surprisingly smoothly!” Miao Fa smiled.

“Do you wish for my endeavors to fail?” came a reproachful voice.

At once, Gao Changsheng’s displeased face appeared before Miao Fa.

“My lord!” Miao Fa felt awkward and hurriedly ordered the crates brought inside, hoping to avoid answering Gao Changsheng’s pressing questions.

“You haven’t yet answered my question,” Gao Changsheng pressed on, unwilling to let it go.

“Venerable Lord of Boundless Heaven,” Miao Fa began, feigning profundity, “there is a saying in the Dao: non-action yet not doing nothing is the natural way. Not asking is also a kind of non-action!”

As a Daoist who had voluntarily stepped into worldly affairs, he dared to quote the Daoist teachings. If Old Lord Lao were to find out, he might be so enraged as to descend personally and set things straight.

“Cut the act. Your tricks won’t fool me,” Gao Changsheng sneered. “Instead of wasting time on those thoughts, why not help me figure out how we’ll survive once we leave Jinyong City?”

“In wisdom and strategy, my lord’s intelligence is no less than mine,” Miao Fa said, seeming to see through his mind. “You’ve been to the Empress’s chambers; surely you’ve already formed some plans there.”

This was the point Gao Changsheng was most curious about. What had Miao Fa been studying besides Daoism in the temple?

“There are some ideas, but I’m not yet certain if they will work,” Gao Changsheng admitted doubtfully.

He was not Miao Fa. In this life-or-death game, Miao Fa could leave anytime, but Gao Changsheng faced death and obliteration if he slipped up.

Thus, he would not allow himself the slightest error.

“My lord’s reservations are understandable, being caught in the midst of it all,” Miao Fa said, “but it is these very concerns that cloud your judgment.”

“Human hearts are not immutable; often a single word or gesture can seize the initiative.”

“And for my lord, mastering the right moment is the key to victory!”

Miao Fa’s words were profound, even somewhat obscure. But precisely because Gao Changsheng was immersed in the situation, he could easily grasp Miao Fa’s meaning.

“Mastering the right moment is the key to victory?!” Gao Changsheng scoffed.

“Ha! Miao Fa, you strategists aren’t just good with calculations, you’re masters at playing with hearts and minds!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Miao Fa shrugged carelessly.

“But if my lord intends to go to the military camp, it’s best to go through the Ministry of War.”

“Even if Dou Yuan, because of the Empress’s influence, will not trouble you for now,” Miao Fa added, “there are still many of the Crown Prince’s men in the camp. I fear if the Crown Prince learns you go alone, it will be disadvantageous for you.”

Miao Fa rarely grew serious, but this was no trivial matter.

His concern was understandable. The camp was currently under Dou Yuan’s control. On the surface, he had little connection to the Crown Prince, Gao Changling.

If anything happened to Gao Changsheng in the camp, the Crown Prince could easily shirk responsibility, blaming Dou Yuan entirely.

Given Dou Yuan’s ties to the Empress’s faction, it was possible Gao Changling was deliberately setting Dou Yuan up to target the Empress.

In such a way, the Crown Prince could strike against Gao Changsheng without him even leaving Jinyong City.

He had to be cautious.

“I feel like a fragile porcelain doll, ready to shatter at any moment,” Gao Changsheng sighed helplessly.

“My lord will be accompanied by the daughter of the Minister of War,” Miao Fa said cheerfully, “so I’m not worried at all.”

“I’ll stay home to guard the military records sent by the three ministries, just in case some villain tries to destroy them.”

Though Gao Changsheng agreed with Miao Fa’s logic, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Miao Fa, the servant, was leisurely at home while he, the master, was constantly running about. It was as if he were the servant and Miao Fa the master.

“Go away. I’m going back to the mansion to change,” Gao Changsheng said.

“And don’t think I’ll let you off easy. Write a letter to the Chu family. I’ll be waiting for her at the Wenxiang Pavilion!”

...

Half an hour later.

A man and two women emerged from the Wenxiang Pavilion.

The man was dressed in the uniform of the city’s garrison soldiers, his features clear and bright.

“This outfit doesn’t look like a garrison soldier’s at all,” Zhu’er said, eyeing Gao Changsheng up and down, shaking her head.

“Garrison soldiers are weather-beaten and tanned, but Your Highness is pale-skinned. Someone who didn’t know might think you were a woman disguised as a man.”

This girl had grown bolder, daring to critique a prince like Gao Changsheng.

“Zhu’er!” Chu Yunyan immediately reprimanded her.

“No harm done,” Gao Changsheng chuckled dryly. “Zhu’er isn’t entirely wrong. That was my oversight.”

“Don’t listen to Zhu’er’s nonsense,” Chu Yunyan said. “Here in Jinyong City, many of the garrison soldiers under high officials are just relatives forced into service by other relatives.”

“Relying on these connections, they don’t even need training.”

“Even in the Chu family, there are many delicate young masters as soldiers, and even my father can’t do anything about it!” she complained.

Gao Changsheng was utterly unaware of this.

No wonder—he was a prince. Even if he had relatives, they were royal blood, unlike high officials who suddenly had distant relations appear from remote places.

“As long as it doesn’t arouse suspicion in the camp, it’s fine,” Gao Changsheng said.

“But the camp isn’t safe either. Miss Yunyan, aren’t you afraid of trouble?”

“Trouble?” Zhu’er frowned, sensing something ominous.

Any trouble involving Gao Changsheng was bound to be life-threatening.

He wasn’t just asking for help; he was dragging them into the den of wolves!

“Your Highness is going to the camp to meet General Dou Yuan, naturally.”

“General Dou Yuan commands the three armies. Your safety and prospects on the northern border hinge on him. This concerns the greater picture.”

“Since I have staked the Chu family’s entire future and life on Your Highness, I must share the risks with you.”

“If I can’t even accompany Your Highness to a small military camp, how can I earn your trust?” Chu Yunyan smiled lightly, unconcerned.

A perfect answer.

Gao Changsheng pondered it several times but found no fault.

What impressed him most was Chu Yunyan’s decisiveness and courage, no less than a man’s.

Regardless of how the Chu family or Chu Jiangnian treated him, at least Chu Yunyan was an ally worth valuing.

“Pity you’re not born male. Otherwise, your achievements wouldn’t fall short of any man’s!”