Since it had been decided to return to the stronghold, Pei Zhaoye made up his mind to go quickly and return quickly.

He called Gu Bing’an, who had consciously turned his back under the corridor, to step forward and gave a few instructions. Lizhu was a little surprised; she had thought Pei Zhaoye would take Gu Bing’an along with him.

“Please rest assured, Princess.”

Gu Bing’an stood with Lizhu atop the city tower, watching together as he departed, and said warmly:

“To deal with the water bandits of Jiacao Canal, there’s no need for elaborate strategy. With the Mountain Lord present alone, our army possesses the courage of ten thousand men, while the enemy’s hearts are filled with terror.”

Outside the city gate, the grass stretched to meet the vast sky. Lizhu gazed in the direction where his figure had disappeared, but her heart was shrouded in a layer of gloom.

The last time she had sent him off to war in her previous life, she had also stood upon the city tower of Luoyang’s Pingcheng Gate, watching his figure on the Yexiao Horse disappear over the horizon.

When he was brought back to Luoyang, there was only a broken suit of armor and a cold corpse.

But this time was different.

She was no longer the woman who could only wait for his return in the Princess’s residence.

Lizhu lifted her skirts and descended the tower stairs, asking casually as she walked:

“You say this—then in your stronghold, whenever there is battle, does Pei Zhaoye personally take the field?”

“Of course. Otherwise, how could the Mountain Lord, at only nineteen years of age, subdue so many hardened men who have killed without blinking? Back then, when the government soldiers falsely accused the disaster victims of rebellion and began a massacre, it was the Mountain Lord alone who took up his blade and cut down over fifty men, carving out a path of life for everyone…”

As Gu Bing’an spoke, he grew somewhat lost in thought, then soon smiled again:

“In short, once the Princess meets him, you will understand what it means to be born with unmatched valor. Whenever the Mountain Lord charges ahead, even if he leads merely a thousand against ten thousand, the brothers of the stronghold follow without hesitation, without a single word of complaint. Since the founding of Hongye Stronghold, there has never been a single defeat. That is why everyone submits to him wholeheartedly.”

Lizhu and Xuan Ying both listened with mild astonishment.

“Such a prodigy at so young an age?”

Xuan Ying could not help but exclaim.

In this dynasty, the literary spirit flourished, but military stars were rare and waning. Tales such as this were almost only seen in storybooks.

“…That is good then.”

Hearing this, Lizhu felt a little lighter in heart.

She had never seen Pei Zhaoye’s appearance on the battlefield. In her previous life, he had risen to the rank of Grand Marshal; on the field, he was the commanding overseer and did not need to personally slay enemies.

If he was truly as Gu Bing’an described, she could be at ease.

She then asked about the whereabouts of Danzhu and the other two.

Gu Bing’an replied, “They haven’t returned yet. If the Princess is anxious, I can send someone to inquire.”

Lizhu nodded. “If Danzhu’s elder sister is unharmed, let her return to the stronghold as well. I have enough people remaining here.”

At these words, Gu Bing’an could not help but give Lizhu another look.

If he had not witnessed everything with his own eyes, who could imagine that this princess—who had known the Mountain Lord for barely half a month—had truly fallen for him so deeply?

Even her regard for Hongye Stronghold had become one of affection by association; she did not see them as rebels deserving of death.

The group returned to the Pei residence.

No sooner had they entered the gates than Lizhu saw a figure with light gauze fluttering leap into her view, as if intending to throw herself at her.

Unfortunately, before she could reach Lizhu, Lu Yu seized her by the collar and slammed her to the ground.

“Who dares to attempt an assassination on the Princess!”

Lu Yu’s voice was cold as he questioned the woman pinned under his knee.

The woman had practically been flung onto the floor; her eyes immediately welled with tears as she said, trembling,

“I… I wasn’t trying to assassinate… I’m a dancing girl of the residence…”

Lu Yu said, “Xuan Ying, trouble yourself to search her.”

Xuan Ying stepped forward at once.

In truth, there was no need for a search. Having once worn such attire herself, Lizhu knew there was little room to conceal any weapon.

Indeed, nothing sharp was found.

But for some reason, Lizhu noticed many bruises and marks on the woman’s body.

“To block the Princess’s path and offend her, what was your intent?”

Gu Bing’an narrowed his eyes, studying her for a while, seeming to think of something.

The dancing girl sobbed, “I… I heard that you are all heroes of Hongye Stronghold, and that your stronghold forbids the violation of women. A few days ago, there was a failed attempt, and one of your men was even executed for it — is that true?”

Lizhu did know of that incident. She turned her gaze to Lu Yu.

Lu Yu frowned. “It is. What of it?”

Sensing what she might be about to say, Gu Bing’an felt a jolt of dread and immediately cried, “Lord Lu, stop her mouth—!”

“Last night, the leader of Hongye Stronghold ignored my resistance and dragged me into his room to commit acts worse than those of a beast. Afterward, he ordered one of his women to send me back to the rear courtyard — many saw it with their own eyes along the way; it is by no means a lie!”

As she spoke, the dancing girl lifted her sleeves and skirts; her wrists were still covered in bruises.

With tears like falling pear blossoms, she looked straight at Gu Bing’an.

“I may be a lowly dancing girl, but you are all heroes! How could you say one thing to the face and do another behind the back? Since your stronghold has such a rule, why would your leader break it?”

In that instant, Gu Bing’an understood her intention and roared in fury, “Shut your mouth!”

So that was it!

He had wondered why he had seen this woman lingering several times outside the Mountain Lord’s courtyard. He had thought, with the residence surrounded by the mountain men for days, that these women, desperate for safety, had only taken such measures to survive.

Who would have thought it was a trap!

This place was by the inner gate, already guarded by many of the mountain men. Her shout instantly drew everyone’s attention.

Gu Bing’an immediately turned to Lizhu and said, “She’s spewing nonsense! The Mountain Lord, he—”

Gu Bing’an stopped halfway through his words, he could not possibly speak of what truly happened the previous night here.

Even though the Mountain Lord had immediately withdrawn and ordered Danzhu to take the people away, such a matter could not be clearly distinguished once spoken aloud.

“Last night… I did see the Third Commander carrying someone, wrapped tightly in a blanket.”

“I saw it too. I thought he was burying a corpse!”

“Could it be that what she said is true?”

“Didn’t Li Erhu get executed on the spot by the Mountain Lord that day? If this is true, then doesn’t that mean…”

“Mean what!”

Gu Bing’an’s face darkened. “If the Mountain Lord were truly that kind of lecherous man, why would he have made such a rule in the first place? You people must be itching for a beating, to believe an outsider over your own Mountain Lord!”

His voice pressed down the murmurs of the bandits.

Yet they exchanged glances among themselves, and still, faint signs of defiance showed on their faces.

Gu Bing’an could feel the undercurrent of unrest spreading through them.

“Lu Yu, lend me your cloak for a moment.”

A sweet and gentle young voice cut through the murmurs of the mountain men.

Lizhu, under Lu Yu’s puzzled gaze, took the cloak he handed over. The bandits’ eyes all turned toward her.

She slowly crouched down and wrapped the still-dazed dancing girl in the cloak, smiling as she said:

“Though you are not allowed to leave the premises, your food, clothing, and shelter have all been properly arranged. The autumn frost is harsh, didn’t I ask Xuan Ying the other day to open the storeroom and give each of you an extra quilt and autumn garment? Why are you still dressed so thinly?”

The dancing girl was caught off guard by her reaction. Her pale lips trembled in the cold.

Lizhu tied the cloak’s fastening for her.

“To have clothing that wards off the chill for one night is simple, but to live in warmth for a lifetime is not. When fate offers a choice, one wrong step can lead to an entirely different end.”

Though she was wrapped in a cloak, the dancing girl instead felt a deeper chill seep into her bones.

She swallowed hard.

“Princess… what do you mean by that? Could it be that you and that leader are close — or… that you share deep affection, and so you side with him, refusing to believe my words?”

“Your words contradict themselves!”

Gu Bing’an’s face flushed with anger; pointing at her, he shouted: “You and the Princess differ like cloud and mud! If there truly were deep affection, the Mountain Lord and Princess are together day and night — why would he need to force himself upon you!”

Unexpectedly, the dancing girl lifted her gaze and gave a slight smile.

“The Princess is like the bright moon, far beyond reach. Women like us, however, can be grasped at will. He too is a man, don’t pretend you don’t understand. When it comes to such things, men are rarely so particular.”

Gu Bing’an was struck speechless by her retort.

“I think she’s telling the truth.”

From within the crowd, a voice called out loudly:

“The Mountain Lord forbids us to seize women, but when we go to the brothels on Parasol Lane for pleasure, he never joins us. We’ve all been his age, what man has no desires? I think he just lost his head after drinking too much!”

“That’s right. Still, the Mountain Lord isn’t like us. We can’t exactly chop off his head, can we? As long as he loosens the rules from now on and doesn’t restrain us, everything will be fine.”

A faint thread of unrest was stirred by those few words.

The sky was gradually darkening; the light shifted between dusk and night, and on each man’s face flickered a different expression.