Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Rain in Weicheng, the Young Man Has a Companion

In the thirteenth year of the Tianqi era of the Tang Empire, it rained in Weicheng.

This military frontier town, located at the northwest end of the vast empire, had thick earthen walls on all four sides to guard against the barbarian invasions from the grasslands. From a distance, it looked like a sturdy earthen enclosure.

During dry spells, the loose soil on the walls would be whipped by the northwestern winds, scattering everywhere, settling on the simple barracks and the soldiers, turning the entire world into a yellowish-brown hue. At night, when people shook out their bedding, they would stir up a sandstorm.

It was currently a spring drought, and this rain came just in time, welcomed enthusiastically by the soldiers. The drizzle from last night until now had washed away the dust from the rooftops, making people's eyes seem much brighter.

At least Ma Shixiang's eyes were very bright at this moment.

As the highest military officer in Weicheng, his attitude was very humble. Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with the yellow mud footprints on the valuable carpet, he successfully concealed this dissatisfaction, turning it into a look of appropriate surprise.

He bowed respectfully to the old man sitting by the low table and asked in a low voice, "Respected elder, I wonder if there is anything else the noble person in the tent needs. If the noble person insists on setting out tomorrow, I can immediately assign a hundred-man squad to escort them. I will record this and send it to the military department right away."

The old man smiled gently, pointed to the figures in the tent, and shook his head, indicating that he had no objections. At this moment, a cold and proud female voice came from inside the tent: "No need, just take care of your own duties."

This morning, after the convoy rushed into Weicheng in the rain, Ma Shixiang did not take long to guess the identity of the noble person in the convoy. Therefore, he had no objections to their cold and proud attitude, and he did not dare to have any objections.

The people in the tent were silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "From Weicheng to the capital, the road through Min Mountain is difficult. It looks like the rain will continue for some time, and some mountain paths might be washed away... Send me a guide from the army."

Ma Shixiang was taken aback, thinking of a certain despicable person. After a moment of silence, he lowered his head and replied, "There is a suitable candidate."

Outside the barracks, several officers exchanged glances, their expressions varied—some were regretful, some were reluctant, some were relieved, and some were shocked. Clearly, they did not expect Ma Shixiang to choose that person as the guide for the noble person.

"General, are you really going to let him go like this?" an officer asked in surprise.

Weicheng was not large, and the total number of officers and soldiers did not exceed three hundred. The military camp, far from the bustling areas, sometimes resembled a bandit's den. The so-called general was merely a low-ranking officer. However, Ma Shixiang was a strict commander, or perhaps the leader of the Weicheng bandits enjoyed being called "general," so even in daily conversations, his subordinates dared not forget to address him as "general."

Ma Shixiang wiped the rain from his face, looked at the yellowish-brown puddles around the barracks, and sighed, "We can't keep him in this godforsaken place forever. The response to the recommendation letter has been back for almost half a year, and a bright future awaits that young man. Since he is going to the capital for the preliminary examination at the academy, it's convenient for him to travel with the noble person's convoy. It's also a favor to the noble person."

"I don't think the noble person will appreciate it..." the officer replied angrily.

The door of the barracks behind them was pushed open, and a young and pretty maid walked out, looking at Ma Shixiang and the officers coldly and said, "Take me to see that guide."

Being a close attendant to the noble person, she did not hide her faint arrogance even when facing a border general.

Prime minister's gatekeeper, noble person's close attendant, prince's guest—these were the most troublesome roles in the official world. They were close enough to cause resentment, and distant enough to cause trouble. Ma Shixiang really did not want to deal with such people. He chatted casually for a moment, then waved to an officer, instructing him to take the noble person's maid to find the guide.

The rain paused, and Weicheng looked particularly fresh after the light rain. A few willow trees by the road were budding with spring green, but the scenery, though beautiful, was overshadowed by the small size of the city. After a few steps, the officer led the maid to their destination, a simple and lively barracks.

Hearing the chaotic sounds of shouting and drinking inside, the maid frowned, wondering if someone dared to drink in the military camp in broad daylight. The door curtain was blown by the wind, and the sounds inside became clearer. Indeed, they were playing a drinking game, but it was not a proper one. The content of the game made the maid's face flush with embarrassment and anger, and she clenched her fists inside her sleeves.

"We are playing a lewd game! Who is lewd, you are lewd! Who is lewd, I am lewd! Who is lewd, he is lewd!..."

The lewd game continued, and it took a long time to determine a winner. The maid, growing increasingly angry, lifted the corner of the door curtain and looked inside with a very unfriendly expression. Her first sight was a young man sitting across the table.

The young man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, wore a common military cotton shirt, which was covered in oil stains. His black hair, whether naturally curly or unwashed for years, was greasy. However, his face was very clean, making his features stand out, and the freckles on his cheeks were particularly noticeable.

"Who is lewd, you are lewd!"

Contrary to the lewd content of the game, the young man's expression was very focused and serious, with no hint of lewdness. His right hand moved rapidly, making gestures of rock, paper, and scissors, as if the outcome of the game was more important than his life.

Several green-headed flies, survivors of the harsh northwest environment, tried to land on the oil-stained front of the young man's shirt but were repeatedly driven away by his gestures.

"I won!"

The long game, which seemed to have drained all the air from the lungs of the two players, finally ended. The black-haired young man waved his right arm forcefully, declaring his victory, and smiled happily, revealing a cute dimple on his left cheek.

His opponent, however, refused to admit defeat, insisting that he had changed his gesture at the last moment. The room erupted into a heated argument, with the soldiers taking sides, but no one could convince the other. Suddenly, someone shouted, "According to the old rules, listen to Sang Sang!"

Everyone turned their gaze to a corner of the room, where a young girl of eleven or twelve was moving a bucket. She was short and thin, with dark skin and ordinary features. The servant's dress she wore, which her owner had stolen from somewhere, was clearly too loose, and the hem dragged on the ground. She was struggling to carry a bucket that was probably heavier than herself.

The young servant, named Sang Sang, put down the bucket and turned around. The soldiers watched her nervously, like gamblers waiting for the dealer to reveal the final result. Clearly, this scene was not new.

The young servant frowned at the young man, then looked at the soldier across the table who was still fuming, and said seriously, "In the twenty-third round, you played scissors, and he played rock, but you said he was lewd, so you had already lost at that point."

The room erupted in laughter, and the crowd dispersed. The soldier grumbled and paid up, while the young man happily took the money, wiped his hand on the oil stains on his chest, and patted the soldier's shoulder in sincere comfort.

"Think positively, in all of Weicheng... no, in the entire world, who can beat me, Ning Que?"

The maid's face was very unpleasant, and the officer, who had been secretly observing her, also looked unhappy. He grabbed the door curtain and took a deep breath, preparing to cough, but was stopped by the maid's stern glare.

To avoid alarming the young man, the maid followed him and the servant girl out of the barracks, observing them silently. The officer, not knowing what she intended to do, attributed her behavior to the typical cautious and peculiar habits of a noble person's close attendant.

On the way, the young man, Ning Que, did not show any special qualities. He bought some food and greeted a fat aunt in a roadside tavern, appearing very relaxed. The only thing that made the maid feel strange and increasingly unhappy was that the small servant girl was struggling to drag the bucket behind him, and he did not offer any help.

The empire was a country with a strict class system, but the people were simple. Even in the capital, Chang'an, with its opulence and darkness, even the coldest noble person would not remain unmoved by seeing a young girl of eleven or twelve struggling so hard.

"Is it allowed for soldiers to keep servants in the army?" the pretty maid asked, suppressing her anger, to the officer beside her.

The officer scratched his head and replied, "A few years ago, there was a great drought in Hebei, and countless refugees flooded south and to the border counties. There were dead bodies everywhere on the road. I heard that Sang Sang was picked up by Ning Que from a pile of corpses. Ning Que is also an orphan, and since then, the two have been supporting each other."

"He joined the army with the condition that he could bring this little girl to Weicheng." He glanced at the maid and explained carefully, "Everyone knows that this is not allowed in the army, but their situation is special. It's impossible to force a little girl into a dead end, so everyone just... turns a blind eye."

Hearing this explanation, the maid's face improved slightly, but when she saw Ning Que carrying half a roasted chicken and the small servant girl struggling to drag the bucket a few meters behind, her mood worsened again. She said coldly, "This is not mutual support; he clearly wants to take the girl's life."

Weicheng was indeed small, and it didn't take long for the four of them to reach a house in the south. Outside the house was a small stone yard surrounded by a simple fence. The maid and the officer stood outside the fence and looked in.

The small servant girl struggled to move the bucket, which was as tall as her, to the water tank. She climbed onto a stool and, with all her might, poured the water into the tank. Then, she began to wash rice and vegetables. While the rice was cooking, she took a cloth and started cleaning the tables, chairs, and windows. Soon, a mist rose, enveloping her small body.

Although it had rained last night, the rain was not heavy enough to wash away the yellow soil on the windows and doors, which had turned into ugly mud streaks. The small servant girl quickly removed these mud streaks with her cloth, making the house and yard clean and bright.

It was clear that she did these household chores every day, and she was very skilled and quick. The small black servant girl, like an ant, worked diligently, running around like a housewife, sweating and blushing, which looked both amusing and pitiful...

The person called Ning Que clearly lacked these emotions. He lay quietly, or rather, comfortably, on a bamboo recliner, holding an old book in his left hand and a hard stick in his right, drawing on the wet mud ground. Occasionally, when he was deep in thought, he would casually throw the stick and extend his palm upward. A moment later, a pot of warm tea would appear in his hand.

The soldiers in Weicheng were already accustomed to the daily life in this small yard, so