The spring chill intensified after the startling of insects. A fine drizzle had been falling over the capital for days, dampening even the breath.

Yue Si Chao, holding an umbrella, her long lashes drooping, carefully walked towards the city gate, but a passing carriage still splashed a few spots of spring mud onto her water-colored skirt.

So annoying.

This was the only new skirt she had gotten this spring, and she had bought it with her own hard-earned money. If it weren’t for the fact that her other skirts were still wet from washing, she wouldn’t have worn her new clothes out in this weather.

She frowned almost imperceptibly and looked towards the distance.

In such gloomy weather, even the usually bustling East Market had few pedestrians, but quite a few people had gathered at the city gate, eagerly awaiting the triumphant return of the renowned Marquis Wu’an.

Marquis Mu Zhao, at the age of sixteen, led only a hundred men in a surprise attack on a river valley, beheading the enemy general, and thus rose to fame.

Years passed, and his numerous achievements continued to mount.

It was said that although he was a brave and valiant general, he also possessed exceptionally handsome features, with picturesque brows and eyes, making him the dream man of countless noble ladies in the capital.

But none of this had anything to do with her.

She was merely the lowly daughter of a fifth-rank official, her mother already cast aside by her father, struggling to survive under her stepmother’s thumb. She had never even met a high-ranking official, let alone a member of the royal family.

The Mu family, however, could almost be considered to share the governance of the empire with the emperor, placing them worlds apart from her.

Yue Si Chao’s only advantage was her clear-headedness; she never harbored unrealistic fantasies.

The reason she had come to the city gate today was because her cousin, Yue Shu Yao, knowing that she secretly earned money by writing for others, had given her a gold bracelet with a linked-pearl pattern, asking her to write the story of that night with Mu Zhao into a storybook, so she could relive it again and again.

But Yue Si Chao had never met Mu Zhao.

Unsure how to begin writing, she thought that hearing is believing, seeing is believing. She had taken the money, so she should strive for accuracy, and she should see for herself what he looked like.

The rain gradually stopped. She chose a willow tree a short distance from the city gate, put away her umbrella, leaning it against the trunk. Then she heard a sudden commotion at the city gate.

Was Mu Zhao entering the city?

Yue Si Chao curiously looked towards the noise, but before she could see anything, a sudden gust of wind blew up.

The willow branches swayed, ruffling her already mud-stained skirt. Her umbrella, tied to her waist with a silk ribbon, was caught by the wind, “thumped” to the ground, and rolled towards the road ahead.

Oh no!

Yue Si Chao inwardly felt a sense of dread.

This was the only good umbrella they had left in their room. If she waited until Mu Zhao’s cavalry passed before picking it up, it would certainly be trampled!

And he hadn’t even entered the city yet.

Without hesitation, she ran a few steps forward to retrieve her umbrella.

Perhaps because she was closer to the ground while bending over, the sound of horses’ hooves, which had been muffled by the crowd’s clamor, finally became clear, gradually growing louder in her ears, as if the next moment they would be hanging over her neck, snapping it.

It’s too late to run now!

Yue Si Chao suddenly snapped back to reality, immediately crouching down and raising her umbrella to protect her head.

As she closed her eyes, she felt herself enveloped in darkness, hearing only the sounds of horses being reined in rising and falling, finally overpowering the clamor of the crowd.

The surroundings became quiet, leaving only the sound of her relieved heart pounding, accompanied by the soft sound of hooves on the ground.

With trepidation, she lifted her head from her arms. A man in black military attire sat high on his horse, his white, slender fingers gripping the reins, his stray bangs clinging to his handsome and noble face, damp with rain.

A golden saddle and jade bit, picturesque brows and eyes.

The rumors were true.

Yue Si Chao was lost in thought for a moment, instantly inspired on how to write her story.

She hadn’t gambled wrong. A man called a “god of war” by the people wouldn’t harm her life.

Her mood improved, and she couldn’t help but look at this unparalleled face for a moment longer. She tried to find a hint of apology for almost injuring her, but instead, she saw a trace of annoyance in this seemingly emotionless cold face.

He’s handsome, but that’s about it.

She quickly came to this conclusion, her good impression of him instantly plummeting.

However, she had been the one to collide with him, blocking his horse. While he was indeed somewhat arrogant, even her cousin could pick on her because of their different statuses, let alone someone like Mu Zhao, a heaven-favored prodigy?

Understandable. The capital was a place where people looked down on those of lower status.

Yue Si Chao didn’t want to cause trouble. She quickly got up, bowed slightly to apologize, and quickly retreated back to the willow tree.

She thought this was just a minor incident, and Mu Zhao would soon ride past, but the man didn’t move, only glancing down at her.

“Stop your scheming. Next time, you might lose your life.”

As he said this, he stroked his horse’s mane, his expression calm, but his voice low and drawn out, with a warning tone.

Scheming?

What scheming?

Yue Si Chao was stunned, momentarily unclear why he would say that.

But she knew his words were not kind, and she disliked such speculation.

Although she didn’t like to cause trouble, she wasn’t afraid of it either.

So she looked up, saying with a hint of regret, “I’ve heard that Your Lordship’s military achievements are brilliant, but I never expected that after so many years, even the common people on the road can’t avoid you.”

“But you’re willing to share this weakness… Thank you.”

She paused, then looked up at him with an ambiguous expression. Although she had a grateful yet perfunctory smile on her face, Mu Zhao still caught the fleeting slyness.

What a sharp-tongued woman.

He frowned slightly, before he could say anything, he saw her slender fingers grasp the umbrella handle, turning and leaving leisurely. Her fingertips were slightly calloused, her skirt stained with mud, the water-colored fabric swaying with her steps, like a cloud drifting from the mundane world.

Mu Zhao watched that cloud disappear around the street corner, feeling that in his twenty-two years of life, he had never been so humiliated.

The sarcasm in her words was too obvious.

If he hadn’t reined in his horse, he was either relying on his status to bully others, or his horsemanship had deteriorated—but if a general couldn’t even control his own horse, how could he go into battle?

Her counterattack was well-executed, skillfully refuting his words without making herself a laughingstock at the city gate.

However, this also revealed something.

She was certain that he wouldn’t disregard the law and take a life, so she deliberately blocked his horse.

Otherwise, why would anyone risk their life for a broken umbrella worth a few coins?

Mu Zhao had seen countless girls like her.

The current era was one of flourishing civilization and relatively open social customs, with women pursuing the men they liked being commonplace.

He didn’t know when it started, but whenever he went out, there were always noble ladies in the capital trying to attract his attention in various ways.

At first, they would throw sachets and handkerchiefs at him. Seeing that he never responded, they learned to pretend to fall, hoping he would lend a hand.

At first, he was kind and helped a few times.

After being deceived too many times, he learned to ignore them.

Unexpectedly, now these women had gone to the extreme, risking their lives to impress him.