Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 34

The Southern Xin Dynasty and the Rong Dynasty shared the same origin, both tracing their roots back to the Jing Dynasty. The last emperor of the Jing Dynasty was incompetent and cruel, slaughtering loyal officials. Later, natural disasters struck, plunging the people into misery.

At that time, two prominent clans within the Jing Dynasty raised the banner of rebellion, using the Fen River as a boundary. The Lu clan occupied the north, while the Song clan held the south.

Thus, the Rong Dynasty in the north and the Xin Dynasty in the south were established, and friction between the two dynasties was frequent, with neither ever abandoning the ambition to annex the other.

Now, just after the heavy snowfall, the Xin Dynasty’s army had already reached the banks of the Fen River.

The soldiers of the Rong Dynasty, seeing the aggressive stance of the enemy across the river, couldn’t help but sigh in despair.

In Hongshui County, a female general stood atop the city wall, gazing into the distance. She observed the dense mass of enemy troops on the other side of the river and the numerous Song banners fluttering in the wind.

Her expression remained unchanged as she silently descended the wall. Along the way, she saw white mourning silk hanging from every household, and the sound of sorrowful weeping filled the air.

The relentless snow had buried countless lives, with innumerable people freezing or falling to their deaths.

She closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight or the sounds.

A commoner spotted her passing and immediately greeted her, “General Li.”

Li Min opened her eyes, showing no airs. “Aunt Zhang.”

Aunt Zhang wore a white cloth on her head her daughter had also perished in the heavy snow. It was only after the snow melted that her body was found. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and then knelt down, kowtowing to Li Min.

Seeing this, Li Min hurriedly helped her up. “Auntie, you mustn’t do this!”

Aunt Zhang was forcibly pulled to her feet. Staring at Li Min’s youthful face, which reminded her of her daughter, she couldn’t hold back her tears. Choking up, she said, “This bow is well-deserved, General. If it weren’t for you, my daughter’s body would never have been recovered.”

Before the enemy arrived, Li Min had been dealing with the aftermath of the snow disaster. Aunt Zhang’s daughter was found at the bottom of a valley, likely having slipped and fallen during the snowy weather.

The terrain was too steep, making it extremely difficult to retrieve the body. Unable to bear Aunt Zhang’s despair, Li Min had gone to great lengths to carry the body up herself.

Li Min felt she had only done what was right. She bent down and gently brushed the mud from Aunt Zhang’s knees. Though her armor was heavy, her movements were light and graceful.

“You flatter me, Auntie. This is the duty of a Rong Dynasty general.”

Aunt Zhang was even more moved and couldn’t help but curse, “That cursed emperor of the Xin Dynasty, attacking at a time like this utterly heartless! Heaven will surely punish them!”

Li Min could only offer a bitter smile. Her current situation was far from ideal. The roads had been blocked by snow, and provisions couldn’t be transported to the area. Even though the snow had melted, supplies wouldn’t arrive anytime soon.

The soldiers had endured a long and bitter winter, their morale low, and countless others had suffered frostbite.

If heaven truly had a spirit, Li Min would be its devout follower.

She turned her gaze to the banners fluttering atop the city wall, the character “Lu” standing out prominently. Suddenly, Li Min thought of the Eldest Princess.

The thought of the Eldest Princess renewed her courage.

She had received a secret report that the Eldest Princess would personally come to the battlefield. All she needed to do was hold out until Her Highness arrived.

After chatting a while longer with Aunt Zhang, Li Min returned to the government office.

Beneath the plaque inscribed with “An Impartial and Incorruptible Official,” a woman in official robes, with delicate features, was frowning over something on the desk.

Li Min removed her helmet, holding it in her hand, and walked over to take a look.

What the woman was examining was a register, densely filled with the names of those who had died in the snow disaster, along with some who were still missing and unaccounted for.

They also compiled a list of families in need of relief.

Li Min’s heart ached as she read it. She sighed and said, “You’re still as meticulous as ever.”

The delicate-looking woman finally looked up. The furrow in her brow eased at the sight of Li Min, and a hint of gentleness replaced her stern expression. “You’re back. Still no movement from the other side?”

“Same as always, no action at all.”

Li Min sat on a nearby stool, unable to fathom the enemy’s intentions. They clearly had the chance to launch an attack but had inexplicably waited all this time.

The delicate woman was He Youxian, the magistrate of Hongshui County. Carefully, she rolled up the papers on her desk, tied them with a string, and set them aside.

When she smiled, a shallow dimple appeared on her right cheek, a sight gentler than spring itself.

Yet, seeing her like this only deepened Li Min’s worry. She sighed again. “Youxian, I’m not afraid for myself, but what about you?”

The battlefield was perilous. If the city truly fell, their corpses would likely be hung on the walls to rot under the sun.

He Youxian’s expression turned cold at these words. “We’ve known each other for years. Why would you think I’d be afraid?”

Li Min felt ashamed and tried to explain, but in the end, she only managed to say, “I just want you to be safe.”

He Youxian ignored her. “We will both be safe. With Her Highness here, there’s nothing to fear.”

Realizing she had upset her, Li Min gave a bitter smile, feeling somewhat flustered. She changed the subject to regain her attention. “I heard Her Highness brought a newcomer, a young lady from an official family.”

As expected, He Youxian showed interest at the mention of the princess. She paused her work and asked, “Which young lady?”

This place was too far from Rongcheng, and news traveled slowly. If not for Li Min’s direct service under the princess, she wouldn’t have received such information.

Li Min placed her helmet on the desk, secretly pleased when He Youxian looked over. With a calm expression, she began to talk about the princess.

“It’s the Second Miss Ling. I met her once before always kept her head down, thin and small. Who would have guessed she was hiding her abilities all along?”

She then added with a hint of pride, “No matter how well she concealed herself, she couldn’t escape Her Highness’s sharp eyes. I wonder how the princess uncovered her.”

He Youxian fell into thought. Having served in this remote area for so long, the imperial capital felt distant, and she couldn’t recognize or remember all the nobles there.

But she trusted that anyone the princess valued must be exceptional.

The thought of possibly meeting the princess soon filled He Youxian with excitement something she wouldn’t have dared to imagine in the past.

If she performed well this time, perhaps she, too, could earn the princess’s favor and be taken under her wing.

Just then, someone entered and reported directly to He Youxian, “Your Honor, the refugees have been settled.”

He Youxian immediately stood up. After taking two steps, she seemed to remember something and turned back, inviting Li Min, “Come with me.”

Hongshui County was among the least affected by the disaster. Many people from nearby counties, now the sole survivors of their families, had come seeking refuge with relatives in Hongshui Town.

Their identities could still be verified, but those from farther away were harder to confirm.

In these turbulent times, He Youxian had to act with extreme caution. If enemy spies were to infiltrate, the consequences would be dire.

It was possible to drive these people away, but doing so would inevitably incite chaos.

He Youxian led Li Min to where the refugees were being housed. Several clerks were busy distributing porridge, and the scene was orderly, with no signs of disorder or scrambling.

She walked over to inspect the porridge and nodded in satisfaction.

Then she went to another area, where several clerks were verifying the identities of the disaster victims.

Li Min briefly scanned the refugees and finally noticed one who was exceptionally filthy so dirty that his face was barely recognizable.

The man stood obediently in line waiting for porridge. Though noticeably taller than most, he hunched his back, appearing timid and submissive.

After a brief glance, Li Min averted her eyes and followed He Youyun to another location.

The tall man, having received his porridge, retreated to the most inconspicuous corner of the crowd.

Holding the bowl, he listened to the crude slurping sounds around him, his eyes filled with disdain.

A nearby person, noticing he hadn’t eaten, kindly reminded him, “Don’t worry, Magistrate He of Hongshui is very kind. There will be more porridge in the days to come.”

Song Xuanze felt extremely impatient, but for now, he had to feign gratitude and force himself to drink the bland, unpalatable porridge.

After finishing it, he felt nauseated. Having been raised with the finest food and clothing, consuming such fare was a true ordeal.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, Song Xuanze even had to pretend he wanted more.

“It’s delicious. I haven’t had such good porridge in a long time,” he said.

The refugees around him smiled, their eyes full of hope for the future. “Yes, things will get better from now on. I heard the Eldest Princess has returned as well.”

Hearing the familiar name, Song Xuanze frowned as the refugees began praising the Eldest Princess’s virtues one after another.

He sneered inwardly: How ignorant and foolish, to admire someone as cold-hearted as Lu He.

Unwilling to listen to their praises, Song Xuanze quietly slipped away from the crowd after observing his surroundings.

His goal was simple: lie low until midnight, then find an opportunity to open the city gates from the inside.

It was somewhat frustrating, after being Crown Prince for so long, he now had to change his name and risk his life, using such methods to earn military merits and rebuild his influence.

To infiltrate the city, he had waited for days to find an opening, nearly falling to his death from the city wall in the process.

But heaven favored him, granting him this chance.

He couldn’t help but smile, envisioning the near future when he would reclaim his position as Crown Prince and have that sister of his, the one who stole his throne drawn and quartered.

After that, he would raise an army to annex Rong Dynasty. As for the Eldest Princess, if he wished, she would be nothing but a corpse.

Now hiding in an abandoned cellar, surrounded by darkness, he was startled when a creaking sound suddenly dispelled the gloom.

Setting aside all his future ambitions, he looked up and met the eyes above.

Lu He lifted the cellar door, looking down at the stunned Song Xuanze. Though she wore a smile, her eyes were filled with murderous intent as she taunted, “Well, hello there, little rat.”

Song Xuanze knew immediately that things had gone wrong she must have seen through his identity. Without a word, he grabbed a handful of dirt from behind him and flung it upward.

Lu He nimbly stepped back, avoiding the dirt aimed at her face.

Seizing the chance to escape, Song Xuanze leaped out and fled south.

In his panic, he glanced back and saw Lu He standing still, her gaze fixed on something ahead of him.

A sense of foreboding gripped him. Turning forward, he spotted a woman in red standing not far away.

An inexplicable fear surged within him, and he immediately changed direction to flee.

He ran swiftly, his light-footed skills evident.

But it was already too late.

Ling Yue sheathed her sword, the blood on the blade dripping down as she shook it off.

Watching Song Xuanze’s head roll to a stop at her feet, she suddenly felt the urge to cry.

But just then, someone gently patted her head and said with a laugh, “Silly girl, still crying like a child?”

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