Chapter 1 The Princess's Visit

The Princess's entourage arrived sooner than expected.

Originally, Xue Hai Pass had dispatched a welcoming escort, planning to protect the Princess's party and have them camp out for the night.

After all, the Yan Emperor had no daughters, and the Princess was essentially the most esteemed woman of the second generation, a true golden branch and jade leaf.

However, the Princess clearly didn't intend to camp outdoors, arriving outside Xue Hai Pass late at night.

There was no choice.

Since she had arrived,

The proper procedures and rules had to be followed.

Zheng Boye was a refined egoist. If he could eliminate some trouble, he wouldn't mind doing some superficial work.

Moreover, the most important point was that everyone now knew that he, the Earl of Pingye, was a favorite general of the Jingnan Marquis.

But when it came to Zheng Fan's background, this Princess was his original patron.

It was just that the Earl of Pingye's subsequent performance was so dazzling that the Princess was constantly held up as a negative example because of it.

Because the message brought by the messenger earlier stated that the Princess was traveling in a private carriage, Zheng Boye didn't wear his official uniform or armor, but rather ordinary clothes. And because it was already cold at night, Si Niang helped him add a cloak.

The armored soldiers lined up early on both sides. Because it was late at night, Xue Hai Pass was relatively quiet, without much of a crowd. Only the sound of wheels slowly turning could be heard as the carriage rolled in.

The carriage stopped in front of Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan cupped his fist and said,

"Zheng Fan, commander of Xue Hai Pass, greets the Princess."

Kneeling was no longer necessary.

After years of struggling, campaigning north and south, what he sought was to kneel to fewer people.

However, lowering his posture a bit wouldn't hurt.

It was like the group of centurion leaders in Beifeng County. Everyone seemed to be a centurion, but they could still be divided into different levels based on the number of soldiers under their command and their backgrounds.

Based on the Princess's background,

Even the current chief minister, Zhao Jiulang, had to treat her with respect.

The carriage curtain was lifted.

Zheng Fan had expected a maid to stick her head out and relay a message,

But unexpectedly,

The Princess, Li Qian, herself boldly lifted the curtain,

And smiled at Zheng Fan, who was standing in front of the carriage:

"I'm being an intrusive guest. I hope the Earl of Pingye isn't annoyed."

Look,

Listen,

How reasonable and understanding her words were!

This wasn't the tone of voice from back then when she coldly asked why he wouldn't become a retainer of the Li family.

Ultimately, respect was earned through one's own abilities.

"It's my honor that the Princess has come to my Xue Hai Pass. How could there be any talk of intrusion?"

The Princess's gaze skipped over Zheng Fan, looking behind him, and said:

"Earl of Pingye, I have a piece of military intelligence here. Please come to the manor quickly to discuss it."

After speaking,

The Princess lowered the curtain.

Military intelligence?

Zheng Fan didn't believe it.

If there really was military intelligence, the soldiers who had been sent out as escorts would have sent someone ahead to deliver it. No matter what, riding alone would definitely be faster than a carriage.

However, this reason directly blocked the words Zheng Fan was planning to say next, such as preparing a residence for the Princess to rest in.

Zheng Fan glanced at the blind man standing beside him, who sighed and nodded.

Since she had come, let her be.

A smile also appeared on the corner of Zheng Fan's mouth as he stepped aside.

The Princess wanted to go to his manor, fine, let her come.

After all, Xue Hai Pass was surnamed Zheng. As the master of the house, Zheng Boye had this much confidence.

The Princess's carriage began to move forward, and Zheng Fan followed behind, just in time to see an old man with a sword following behind the carriage, and that old man was also looking at Zheng Fan.

The carriage went ahead,

And Zheng Fan naturally walked together with the old man.

In fact, Zheng Boye was reluctant. After spotting the old man, Zheng Boye immediately shifted his gaze and planned to lag behind a little, trying to stay away from this swordsman who could unleash the strength of a Second Rank.

After all, even with the demonic core, he was only a Sixth Rank martial artist. At this close range, if Seventh Uncle wanted to kill him, it would be a sure thing.

But even if you want to avoid him, he insists on coming closer.

Seventh Uncle took the initiative to walk up to Zheng Fan, cupped his fist, and bowed:

"Earl."

"Seventh Uncle, why are you doing this? You're being too polite."

"Earl's talent in cultivation is truly embarrassing for this old one. In just three short years, you've already reached the Sixth Rank."

When he first met Zheng Fan, Zheng Fan had just begun his path as a martial artist. In just three years, he had already reached the Sixth Rank.

Some people are like unpolished jade, initially buried in the rocks, not showing any brilliance. But once they are excavated, with a little polishing, they can immediately become crystal clear.

Back then, Seventh Uncle had even had the thought of taking Zheng Fan as a disciple, and he was certain that he had expressed this intention. However, Zheng Fan at that time was thinking about returning to reunite with the demon kings as soon as possible, and had no intention of staying to become a disciple.

Thinking about it now,

He had really made the right choice back then.

This wasn't about the power and army he now controlled, but rather, if he had become Seventh Uncle's disciple and learned martial arts from him, wouldn't he also have to cultivate that damned One Sword for a Lifetime?

In Zheng Boye's view, this move could be called "Showing off once in a lifetime" swordsmanship,

And it was even very likely that it would accidentally become "Never getting to show off even once in a lifetime" swordsmanship.

"Seventh Uncle is too kind."

"Why is the Earl sweating?" Seventh Uncle asked.

"Probably because I've been having excessive internal heat lately."

"The Earl is young and should pay more attention to taking care of his body."

"Thank you, Seventh Uncle."

"I've long heard that the Sword Saint of Jin, Yu Heping, is here with the Earl? This old one is obsessed with swordsmanship and would like to meet this Sword Saint. I hope the Earl can introduce me?"

"Yes, the Sword Saint did fight alongside me at Xue Hai Pass to defend against the barbarians. But after the barbarians were defeated, the Sword Saint went out to travel.

He does come back to visit sometimes, to drink with me, but he leaves the next day after drinking. I don't know if he's currently at Xue Hai Pass, in the snow plains, or in Ying Du."

"That's truly a pity."

"Seventh Uncle, don't worry. The next time I see him, I'll help you get introduced."

"Thank you, Earl."

"Seventh Uncle, you're too polite."

Before long,

The Princess's carriage drove into the Earl of Pingye's manor, and Zheng Fan immediately arranged for preparations to be made for the reception.

As for Zheng Fan himself, he first sat in the small hall to wait.

Seventh Uncle stood opposite him, not sitting down to drink tea, just standing there, as if he had long been used to it.

Zheng Boye picked up his teacup and took a couple of sips.

To be honest,

After receiving Xiao Liuzi's letter earlier,

Zheng Boye really felt a bit nervous when facing Seventh Uncle.

As the saying goes, you regret not reading enough when you need to, and it's the same with practicing martial arts.

He didn't have to wait long before the Princess quickly came out again. He saw the Princess wearing a long black dress, full of an oriental elegance.

To be fair, the Princess was indeed very beautiful.

Therefore, Zheng Boye could somewhat understand why the Barbarian King back then was so beastly. It was very likely that the Princess had already begun to develop into a beauty at that time.

"Princess, the military intelligence?"

The Princess didn't go to sit in the head seat in the center, but sat down opposite Zheng Fan, leaving the head seat completely empty.

Hearing Zheng Fan's question, the Princess immediately smiled,

And said:

"Earl, you're really something. You know that I was joking, so why are you taking it seriously now?"

"Princess, please don't blame me. The world only knows that a ruler's words are never a joke, but in the military, there are also no jokes. The Princess should understand this principle."

After all, you have also led troops and fought battles, so you should know how serious the consequences are of joking about military intelligence.

The Princess stood up, gave a slight bow to Zheng Fan,

And said:

"Yes, Qian'er is guilty, please forgive me, Earl of Pingye."

"Princess, you…"

The Princess then showed a smile again, sat back in her chair, and looked around before saying:

"I was really curious about what the Earl of Pingye's manor would be like. After seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation."

"Hehe, Princess, you're joking. I've only just moved into this manor myself. Where did it get its reputation from?"

"How could it not? The Earl of Pingye's manor is built in the north of the city, adjacent to the North Gate, just like the Earl of Pingye himself said, the Zheng family guards the gate for the country. This kind of heroic spirit is truly admirable.

Back then, in the desert, Qian'er even wanted to take the Earl of Pingye in as a retainer. Now, whenever I think of this, I feel ashamed.

I can only blame Qian'er for being short-sighted back then and failing to recognize a great talent. Qian'er is here to apologize to the Earl of Pingye."

With Qian'er this and Qian'er that,

Zheng Boye felt a bit uneasy.

The Princess was lowering herself so much that it was like a duet. When a partner lowers the tune too much, you have to force yourself to follow her. This difficulty was really too great.

Zheng Fan reached out and rubbed his forehead, not picking up on the Princess's words, but just smiling helplessly,

Looking at the Princess,

And said:

"Princess, I, Zheng, am a rough person, a soldier, so it's better for us to get straight to the point.

If the Princess really just came to my Xue Hai Pass to admire the snow, although it's not yet winter and the vast snowy scene hasn't arrived, some places deep in the snow plains should already have frost. I can send someone to escort the Princess to admire the snow;

If the Princess has anything else, you can tell me. If I can do it, I will definitely try my best to do it for the Princess."

"Earl of Pingye, your words are really too distant. I didn't have any ministers accompanying me on this trip, nor did I have any imperial envoys. It's just that some things have happened recently and I wanted to come out to relax. It seems that I've really caused trouble for the Earl."

Zheng Fan nodded,

And said:

"The Chu people over at Zhennan Pass are not very peaceful right now. I've been troubled by this recently. Please forgive me, Princess, for my inadequate hospitality."

"Naturally, military affairs are important. Actually, I don't need the Earl of Pingye to worry about anything. I'll just walk around and take a look, and enjoy myself.

It's convenient for both of us."

"If that's the case…"

Zheng Fan stood up,

Cupped his fist to the Princess, and said:

"If that's the case, after the war is over, I will come to apologize to the Princess for my inadequate hospitality."

"Earl of Pingye, you're too serious. The Chu slaves are arrogant and dare to start border disputes again. Please teach them a lesson."

"The west residence of the manor has been prepared. The Princess must be tired from traveling east all the way. Please rest well."

"Thank you, Earl of Pingye."

Zheng Fan walked out of the small hall.

The Princess's people, under the arrangement of the Earl's Manor, moved into the west residence.

In the room,

The Princess sat in a chair,

And three maids began to search up and down. After confirming that there were no secret passages or secret rooms, they bowed and left.

In the room, only the Princess and Seventh Uncle were left.

The Princess took off her hairpin, letting her long hair fall, and said at the same time:

"Seventh Uncle, you can see that our Earl of Pingye is really a little afraid of you."

Seventh Uncle smiled.

The Princess then said:

"I didn't expect that Xiao Liuzi and Zheng Fan's relationship would be so good. He clearly told Zheng Fan about what happened that night in their correspondence."

"Yes." Seventh Uncle nodded, obviously he also thought so.

"That day outside the manor, Zheng Fan saved Xiao Liuzi. That should have been their first meeting. Seventh Uncle, do you think there are really such solid relationships in this world?"

"It's hard to say, but for the Sixth Prince to tell the Earl of Pingye about what happened that night is enough to prove that their relationship is much better than we previously thought."

The Princess's side wasn't really afraid of Xiao Liuzi making use of what happened that night. Assassinating a prince would definitely be a major crime, but for a prince to be able to predict the Empress's death in advance was actually even more terrifying.

When both sides possess handles that can kill the other, the so-called handles are actually not that important anymore.

"This Zheng Fan, his wings have finally hardened. That's right, what I can give him now, the Jingnan Marquis can also give him. In fact, what I can't give him now, the Jingnan Marquis can still give him.

He has Tian Wujing as his backer. He really has the confidence to sit on equal footing with me, a woman who has been away from home for a long time.

Each enjoying themselves, each taking their freedom.

He agreed so readily, it seems like he's on guard."

"Therefore, Miss, I think we shouldn't do anything tonight. Anyway, the situation is about to change. It's better to wait and see which way the wind blows."

"Seventh Uncle is right. Right now, there are two things that need to be done. First, I'll trouble Seventh Uncle to wander around this manor more, starting tonight.

Second, in the next day or two, I'll test the price of this Earl of Pingye again."

When it comes to business, there must naturally be give and take.

As for the Northern Garrison Army in Jin, leaving aside Li Fusheng's part, the Northern Garrison Army soldiers originally under Li Bao;

Sending them to the imperial court was sending them,

Sending them to the Jingnan Marquis was also sending them,

It would be better for the Li family to set up a stage inside. As long as the profits were sufficient, who they sent them to didn't matter, right?

Anyway, there was no way to not send them. After all, these two parts were vastly different from the part led by Li Liangshen, which was that unless the Northern Garrison King personally came forward, these two armies would be destined to grow further and further away from the Northern Garrison King's manor.

...

"There are two things, give the orders.

The first thing, San'er…"

"This subordinate is here. This subordinate has failed in my duty. Please punish me, Master."

"Investigate. The focus is on the workers who helped build the underground prison of the Earl's Manor. There's no doubt that someone among them must have leaked the information."

"Yes, this subordinate will immediately catch that fly."

Espionage work is sometimes so helpless. When you want to develop and want population, it's often the comfortable period for those spies to be active.

Immediately after, Zheng Fan looked at Si Niang again and said:

"Did you bring Tian Tian out?"

"Master, she's already been settled in advance. However, the coffin of Shatuo Queshi has not been re-settled."

"That one, just leave it there for now. Brothers, don't sleep tonight, keep watch until dawn."

"Yes, Master."

...

It was late in the second half of the night. The Princess had already washed up and was sitting on the edge of the bed,

Slowly lying down.

And inside a coffin below the back house of the Earl's Manor,

A tall and stalwart figure of a man,

Slowly from inside the coffin,

Sat up.

————

I wasn't in a good state today, I'll try to write more tomorrow. Good night everyone.