Martial Cultivator

Inside the carriage, Princess Anping lit a small stove, warming up the chilly carriage.

"I don't find it convenient to use the talismans from the Heavenly Imperial Institution. It's more comfortable to light a stove. Though you're young, it seems your martial arts realm is already quite high, you're naturally not afraid of the cold. But your elder sister can't take it, my body is unbelievably delicate and weak. I'm afraid I won't live much longer."

Princess Anping glanced at the snowy scenery outside the carriage. At this moment, heavy snowfall obscured the view. It should still be midnight, with several hours to go before dawn.

As if confirming her words, after speaking, she began to cough violently, her complexion showing an unhealthy flush.

She did not mind and took out a small jade bottle, poured out a pill, and put it into her mouth, then smiled and said, "An old ailment, it's nothing troublesome."

Chen Chao remained silent. He had become less resistant to this cousin of his, though he still did not talk much.

Princess Anping asked, "I heard you grew up in Wei Prefecture. Were you affected by the great flood that year?"

Chen Chao nodded and said, "I was right next to the Wei River. After the great flood, I had to flee to Cang Prefecture. I only returned to Wei Prefecture a couple of years ago."

Princess Anping empathized, "At that time, you were still young. Among the refugees, you must have suffered a lot, right?"

Chen Chao kept silent. In truth, the matter of suffering and hardship should not be repeatedly brought up.

Most of Chen Chao's experiences were well known to the prominent figures in the Divine Capital. Princess Anping's inquiry was probably just an attempt to find a topic.

Looking at the flames on the stove, Princess Anping seemed lost in thought. After a moment, she slowly said, "Do you really like that girl from the Xie Family? Actually, women from prominent families may not necessarily be good. As someone who has been through it, let your elder sister advise you, if it's just a crush and not genuine affection, letting go now might be a good thing. With your special status, getting involved with these aristocratic families will bring headaches for no reason. It's better to find a girl with a clean background, it's less trouble, and that would be the best."

Whether was it the imperial family or those prominent aristocratic families, just as Princess Anping mentioned, once you got involved, it was very easy to fall into trouble.

Chen Chao remained silent for a while and then shook his head.

Princess Anping looked at this cousin quietly and suddenly smiled, "You really look like your mother like this."

Chen Chao did not speak.

"But that girl is pretty decent. She topped the Myriad Willow Convention literary exam, and although this imperial highness isn't sure about other things, she must have studied a lot of books. In fact, among these prominent families nowadays, there aren't many who can really focus on studying. But now I heard she's practicing swordsmanship?"

Princess Anping frowned, "Talented, but will she be able to handle it in the future?"

"Should this imperial highness summon her to the palace in a few days and help you take her down a peg? Let her know that no matter how capable a woman is, she will still have to fulfill her duty as a wife and mother?"

Princess Anping chattered on, saying quite a lot, and Chen Chao felt his head hurt the more he listened.

"If she likes studying, let her study; if she likes practicing swordsmanship, let her practice. In fact, she doesn't need to live her life for anyone else. She is herself, and she can choose what to do and how to live her life."

Chen Chao slowly said, effectively rejecting Princess Anping's so-called goodwill.

Princess Anping did not get angry, she just smiled and said, "Whatever you say then. Ultimately, it's the two of you who will be spending your days together. However, I'll still bring her into the palace in a few days. With your mother and imperial mother gone, as your elder sister, I should take a closer look and show some care."

Chen Chao felt somewhat helpless towards this overly enthusiastic big sister, and he could not help but think of the neighbor madam from Tianqing County.

In fact, that woman, who had always felt a bit self-abased about her size, was also a rare good person.

"After finally having some time for us siblings to chat, I can't be the only one talking. You can't just stay silent here, right? Quickly, tell me, what interesting things have happened these years."

Princess Anping looked at Chen Chao with some anticipation.

Chen Chao had no choice but to speak and began recounting the events from the years in Tianqing County.

After listening to a lot, Princess Anping exclaimed, "Truly worthy of being this imperial highness' younger brother. Being the warden in Tianqing County, you are indeed the best warden in our Great Liang Dynasty."

But right after, Princess Anping asked, "What was the name of that guy living opposite to you? Why is he so interesting that he can argue with you every day he sees you?"

Chen Chao honestly replied, "Zhou Gouqi."

Upon hearing this name, Princess Anping mused for a moment. Suddenly, the smile on her face disappeared, leaving behind a mix of surprise and astonishment.

Noticing Princess Anping's change, Chen Chao asked, "What's wrong?"

Princess Anping remained silent and did not speak.

After a while, she asked softly, "Are you saying he's already married?"

Chen Chao nodded his head.

Princess Anping had no reaction, but for some reason, Chen Chao felt that the princess in front of him should be extremely sad at this moment.

However, it seemed absurd that a lazy man from a remote county in the south of Great Liang could have any connection with this Great Liang princess.

Chen Chao was suddenly surprised and looked at Princess Anping with some curiosity.

He seemed to recall something.

……

……

As dawn broke, Chen Chao walked out of the carriage. For a young martial artist like him, spending a night without sleep was not a serious matter.

The tall coachman glanced at Chen Chao but remained silent.

Chen Chao turned and walked towards the Left Guard's Office. The snowfall in the sky showed no sign of stopping.

Inside the carriage, it was still not too cold.

Princess Anping sat somewhat absentmindedly on the bed, tears streaming down her face.

For this princess who had long resided deep in the palace, no one knew exactly what was on her mind. Therefore, it was unclear why she was in tears at this moment.

Weng Quan stood guard at the Left Guard's Office the whole night, keeping everything as usual as Chen Chao had instructed. Therefore, even though there was some unusual activity last night, he showed no change. Seeing Chen Chao returning in the snow, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly approached, whispering something.

Chen Chao frowned, "Are you saying there's unusual activity in the area handled by the Right Guard?"

Weng Quan nodded and said softly, "This subordinate's patrol inspectors saw it. However, the orders from Commander were to proceed as usual, so they didn't investigate further. Looking at it now, should we report it to the Warden's Office to see what they think about it?"

Chen Chao shook his head, "The Lord Warden Commander isn't here, all sorts of demons and monsters have jumped out. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. The current Divine Capital is as if a giant fishing net was thrown out by a few people. But whether they can reel it in is hard to say."

Weng Quan was puzzled.

Chen Chao said indifferently, "You don't need to think too much. Just do what you normally do. All the changes will remain unchanged over here. When this storm passes, the Left Guard will still remain as the Left Guard."

Weng Quan could not understand the gains or losses of it and naturally could not ask more questions.

But in reality, what Chen Chao was doing carried risks. If this storm escalates, sweeping them up, but they choose not to participate, if those bunch of people emerge victorious after the storm, then their days would not be easy.

However, Chen Chao currently did not care too much about this matter because the Lord Warden Commander took the initiative to leave the capital, which indicated many things.

Furthermore, the most important thing was not these things but whether the Emperor could return safely. If he could return safely, then everything done would be as good as not doing it.

That was a clear fact.

Chen Chao glanced at the hazy sky, rubbed his cheeks, and said, "I need to get some sleep. If someone comes looking for me, make them wait."

Weng Quan hummed in agreement.

......