When Ying Yue returned to the room where Jia Xu, Zhao Kuo, and others were, she caught the scent of roasted meat.

Looking around, she saw Huo Qubing holding a roasted rabbit skewered on a stick. 

“Do you want some?” Huo Qubing asked her, waving the rabbit.

“Darn it,” Zhao Kuo grumbled. “Why didn’t you offer it to me earlier?”

Huo Qubing glanced at Zhao Kuo disdainfully and replied, “You’re not as pretty as her.”

Zhao Kuo: ???

First, Zhao Kuo was dismissed as incompetent. Now, he was being called unattractive?

In fairness, Zhao Kuo wasn’t bad-looking, but compared to Ying Yue’s striking beauty, anyone would pale in comparison.

Ying Yue accepted the offer, smiling and saying, “Thank you, Qubing.” Then she asked Zhao Kuo, “Where is Wen He?”

Zhao Kuo shook his head. “He’s busy with something and didn’t tell me.” Then indignantly, he added, “Isn’t that too much? I’m his elder brother, and he just ignores me!”

“But,” Ying Yue replied hesitantly, “Wen He never admitted he was your younger brother.”

Zhao Kuo: …

Turning to Huo Qubing, Zhao Kuo asked, “Aren’t you a neat freak? How are you grilling meat?”

Huo Qubing looked annoyed and gestured at his clothes.

Zhao Kuo was puzzled. “What’s wrong with your clothes? Aren’t they new ones I gave you?”

Huo Qubing complained, “Wearing such rough clothes is unbearable!”

Zhao Kuo: “Damn it!” Why not stick to your dirty old fancy clothes, then?

Hearing their banter, Ying Yue laughed while nibbling on a rabbit leg.

It seemed that no matter who Zhao Kuo interacted with, amusing incidents were bound to follow.

_

The time the two teenagers spent playing and fighting passed quickly. At about 3 p.m., Jia Xu, who Zhao Kuo had mentioned earlier as missing, returned to Ying Yue and the others.

At the same time, a girl named Shen followed behind him. It was obvious that he had been talking to her earlier.

Jia Xu asked Ying Yue, “My lord, can you ride a horse?” Zhao Kuo had sent the children rescued from the secret room back home, but the carriage wheels broke on the way back, so he abandoned the carriage. Now, they could only ride horses to reach Beidi County.

Walking was an option, but it would waste too much time.

Ying Yue slightly shook her head at Jia Xu’s question.

This did not surprise him much, so he asked another question, “Does the lord dare to ride a horse?”

Ying Yue bit her lower lip and finally nodded. “I can try.”

The group went to the stable. Since this was Ying Yue’s first time riding a horse, Jia Xu chose a gentle-looking horse for her to try.

Things went more smoothly than Ying Yue expected. When the horse was led out and saw her about to mount it, it lowered its body to make it easier for her to climb on. Ying Yue simply put her arms around its neck and climbed up.

Seeing this, Jia Xu’s eyelids twitched. He was almost certain that the horse’s docility wasn’t a coincidence and that Ying Yue truly had an affinity for animals. Even he couldn’t help but feel envious of her luck and talent.

After some practice and ensuring that Ying Yue was fine controlling the horse, Jia Xu looked toward a foal in a separate section of the stable. He called out to Zhao Kuo and Huo Qubing, who were busy fussing over the Red Hare ^[1]a legendary horse from Chinese history known for its strength and loyalty., “Generals, stop playing and choose your horses. We’re leaving for Beidi County.”

Zhao Kuo responded, “No! I already have a wife. How can I ride another horse?”

Huo Qubing, equally fascinated by Red Hare, joked, “Why don’t you give me your ‘wife,’ and then you can pick another horse?”

Listening to their antics, Jia Xu felt it was time to use his wits. If you don’t discipline naughty children, they won’t learn their lesson.

Sensing danger, Zhao Kuo and Huo Qubing quickly stopped their jokes and obediently picked fierce-looking horses from the stable.

_

The group set off for Beidi County.

The distance between Bianchun Mountain and Beidi County was not far. Even though they had to slow down for Ying Yue, a beginner, and Miss Shen, who hadn’t ridden in years, they arrived around the hour of You ^[2]a time period in ancient China roughly corresponding to 5-7 p.m..

According to Jia Xu, Bai Qi had likely entered the city earlier since he set out before them and traveled faster.

“Are we just going in like this?” Ying Yue asked as they approached the city gate.

Miss Shen shook her head gently. “We can’t.” She pointed to the guards at the gate. “These men are my father’s confidants. They know what I look like. In fact, I suspect my father’s men sold me to the Hu people with the help of those bandits.”

Hearing this, Jia Xu nodded. “I understand.”

The scholar in green turned to Zhao Kuo and Huo Qubing. Though his expression remained gentle, his words were sharp. “Generals, please kill those men.”

Although Ying Yue intended to take over Beidi County, certain obstacles needed to be removed, and the magistrate’s close associates were among them.

Zhao Kuo asked, “Do it now? It’s not even dark yet.”

Jia Xu smiled. “It’s fine. There’s no one else entering or leaving the city at this hour. Just move the bodies far enough away.”

Zhao Kuo nodded. “Understood.”

_

Zhao Kuo and Huo Qubing quickly dealt with the guards at the gate, and the group entered the city smoothly.

Miss Shen led them to the rarely used back door of the county magistrate’s mansion. When someone came to answer the door, Zhao Kuo and Huo Qubing dealt with them quickly before entering.

According to Miss Shen and their own judgment, no one in the county magistrate’s mansion could be left alive to avoid future problems.

Zhao Kuo followed Miss Shen and helped her clear out the magistrate’s loyalists, who were mostly untrained and unarmed. Meanwhile, Huo Qubing stayed close to Ying Yue and Jia Xu to ensure their safety.

He casually cut down two servants who were dressed as house slaves when they crossed his path. The young boy Huo seemed uninterested and appeared somewhat listless.

Jia Xu was talking to Ying Yue about the plans after they dealt with the County Magistrate’s Mansion tonight and took care of some of the County Magistrate’s allies with Bai Qi. “Tomorrow, Miss Shen will gather the people of Beidi County and speak on behalf of the lord as the County Magistrate’s daughter. She will claim that the lord has an extraordinary background and that the ill County Magistrate of Beidi County will voluntarily step aside for a more virtuous person.”

“My Lord, you don’t have to say anything then, just smile softly.”

“Hmm…” the little girl responded softly.

Suddenly, Jia Xu’s expression changed slightly.

Before the little girl responded, he clearly heard a sound –

[Congratulations to the host for getting a chance to draw a card. Do you want to draw a card now?]

The system asked first, and Ying Yue responded later, so the conditions for drawing a card were met.

In the next moment, Ying Yue, Jia Xu, and Huo Qubing, who were all present, watched as a transparent system panel appeared. After a flash of light, it stopped.

The little girl and young boy Huo couldn’t help but take a deep breath; after all, it wasn’t an ideal time to draw cards.

However, something unexpected happened with the system this time. After the little girl’s response, she could clearly see the figure that appeared, but the system’s prompt didn’t sound until later.

Ying Yue stared blankly at the woman who appeared. She was undeniably beautiful, but what stood out even more than her looks was the scholarly aura she carried. At first glance, she seemed like a refined lady who had stepped out of a painting.

At the same time, she had an air of coolness, like a cold moon and solitary frost, making her appear somewhat distant.

However, that cold frost seemed to melt the moment their eyes met, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips, like a winter plum blossom blooming in the frost and snow.

Then, Ying Yue heard the woman speak in an elegant and pleasant voice, “So you’re my younger sister.”

At the same time, the system’s belated electronic sound finally came through –

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning one of the four great talented women: Cai Yan!]