Chapter 24: The Private Seal Was Taken

“Damn it…” Tong Linian slammed his hand on the edge of the bed with such force that his fingers instantly turned red.

While hurriedly covering his hand, he cursed those Northern Yue bastards.

He swore up and down, calling on his father, mother, and ancestors of eighteen generations.

The messenger knelt on the ground with his head lowered. After all, the cursing wasn’t directed at him personally.

General Tong’s mouth was certainly more formidable than his martial skills. It was a pity Northern Yue couldn’t be defeated in a war of words.

After venting his anger, Tong Linian still didn’t dare to confront Northern Yue head-on. He ordered the messenger to inform Deputy General Ge that they should wait for the emperor’s decree before making any further moves.

The messenger left and made his way to Deputy General Ge’s tent, where he found the tall and imposing deputy general anxiously waiting. Next to him sat a young man who, in contrast, showed no sign of worry at all.

The messenger shook his head, and Deputy General Ge cursed, “That coward! He’s too scared to go to battle and now we’re all suffering because of him.”

If it hadn’t been for the young master’s message, the Iron Cavalry would’ve been ruined by those two fools.

“Jibai, say something. We can’t just sit here and wait for Northern Yue to kill General Tong and toss his corpse back to us, can we?”

Deputy General Ge was skilled in military tactics at the frontier, but when it came to the political maneuvering of the court, he didn’t have the slightest clue.

He thought, “The emperor is far away, so let’s just fight and rescue the man first.”

This lack of finesse was also the reason why Ge hadn’t been able to take command of the Iron Cavalry and assume the title of general. He was a straightforward man, only showing strategic acumen when dealing with Northern Yue.

Ling Jibai, however, wasn’t the least bit surprised by Tong Linian’s actions. He calmly reassured his uncle, “The Second Prince of Northern Yue wouldn’t dare. Is he not afraid of facing our army of a hundred thousand men, forcing him into a fight to the death?”

Right now, General Tong was simply suffering over there, and the Great Qi had lost some face.

If the Northern Yue prince were to kill General Tong, it would completely enrage the soldiers of Great Qi, uniting them against Northern Yue.

Better to keep them in the current state—so worn down by Tong Linian that they’ve practically lost their spirit.

Deputy General Ge dismissed the messenger and quietly asked his nephew, “I secretly sent a thank-you letter to Young Lord Yan. That should be fine, right?”

Ling Jibai, with his scholarly, refined features and a folding fan in hand, looked every bit the gentleman—except for the fact that they were currently in the freezing cold northwest.

“It’s no problem. After all, the Iron Cavalry was raised under the Yan family’s leadership. A few letters exchanged between us won’t concern the emperor.”

Besides, Ling Jibai suspected that the letter was stamped with the Duke of Xiang’s seal, but might not have been written by Young Lord Yan himself.

“Your wedding day is approaching too, isn’t it? When you return, make sure to stay home for a while,” Deputy General Ge patted his nephew on the shoulder. The Marquis of Zhongyong had three sons and wasn’t shy about sending one of them to the frontier to endure hardship.

Ling Jibai had spent seven years at the border, and his face was still as pale as ever. No one knew how he maintained his complexion.

Deputy General Ge leaned in for a closer look, “Kid, you aren’t secretly putting on women’s powder behind your uncle’s back, are you?”

Ling Jibai couldn’t be bothered to respond. His uncle had a habit of saying whatever came to mind.

“It is time to go back.”

A few days earlier, a letter had arrived from home, mentioning that there had been some minor issues at the Duke of Ding’s residence, but thankfully, they had all been resolved. The wedding would proceed as scheduled.

Ling Jibai couldn’t help but give more instructions. Despite his uncle being older than Tong Linian, he was too honest and easily deceived.

Deputy General Ge’s letter arrived at the Duke of Xiang’s residence in mid-July. When Yan Ziqi received it, he was utterly bewildered.

“Steward, when did I write a letter to Uncle Ge?”

The letter didn’t mention anything about the frontier, only expressing gratitude, leaving Yan Ziqi completely puzzled.

The steward looked conflicted and guilty but eventually spoke up.

“It was Princess Ning’an. She went into your study and took your seal. As for what she wrote, this old servant doesn’t know. Nor where she sent it.”

“You just gave it to her because she asked?” Yan Ziqi couldn’t bring himself to scold the steward, but the way his chest heaved made it clear how furious he was.

Lately, he hadn’t seen Li Ning’an and didn’t know what she was busy with.

He had settled comfortably into the residence he had prepared for her, thinking she would be visiting Fu Minglang again. But now that Fu had been promoted, she hadn’t gone to see him either.

“Old servant didn’t give it to her. The princess wanted to go in, and she just slipped it into her sleeve. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

He couldn’t exactly grab it back—after all, she was a princess, someone of noble status.

He was just a mere steward of the Duke of Xiang’s household.

The steward also felt wronged. What kind of game was Princess Ning’an playing with the young master?

When he received the letter from the frontier, he was so frightened his heart almost leaped out of his chest.

Five years ago, after the young master returned home from escorting a funeral, his whole demeanor visibly changed. He became depressed and withdrawn.

It was Princess Ning’an’s playful banter with him that seemed to bring some life back into him.

Unfortunately, Princess Ning’an had been blind for three years, foolishly infatuated with that doctor, Fu Langzhong, who now appeared to have been promoted to Assistant Minister Fu.

As for the young master, he had been indulging in beautiful women, spending his days at brothels.

Otherwise, he’d just play around with cats and dogs, not focusing on serious matters.

The steward had dared not let the young master get involved with frontier affairs again. When Deputy General Ge used to write letters, the steward would turn him down.

Once General Tong took charge, the steward feared people would think the young master was overestimating himself, so their correspondence with the frontier dwindled further.

Suddenly receiving this letter, the steward was so frightened he almost lost his soul.

Could Princess Ning’an really have written something to the frontier under the young master’s name?

“Young master, maybe you should go check on the other residence?”

Princess Ning’an had been spreading word that she was the concubine of the Duke of Xiang’s heir, calling herself his “external wife” everywhere she went.

At the very least, the neighbors of Yong’an Lane all knew that a supposed concubine of Young Master Yan was living in that house.

The only odd thing was that Young Master Yan never showed up.

Of course, people like them didn’t know much about princesses or heirs of the imperial family.

But indeed, there was a very wealthy lady living in that house, although no man ever came to visit.

On the day of the move, however, some rather flamboyant people came and delivered goods that filled two streets.

When they realized they couldn’t fit everything in, the lady’s maid regretfully sent some of the things back.

Even so, it was enough to make people envious.

And when they heard she was Young Master Yan’s concubine, everyone assumed it was just a joke.

Li Ning’an didn’t care about what people said. After taking Yan Ziqi’s seal, she sent a letter to Deputy General Ge, using a horse groom she had bought.

As it happened, the groom had once worked in the Iron Cavalry, and he was especially good at taking care of horses.

After the death of the Duke of Xiang, the whole household had been thrown into chaos. When General Tong took command of the Iron Cavalry, the border finally had a proper leader.

The groom had spent his days caring for the soldiers’ horses. But one day, due to some oversight, a horse had thrown General Tong off, and the groom had been dismissed and sent back.

All he knew was how to take care of horses, and he couldn’t find a new master. By the time he returned, his wife had passed away.

His family, resentful that he had neither achieved any merits nor brought honor, and having offended the Tong family, had driven him away. His son and daughter-in-law didn’t want anything to do with him.

With no other choice, he had sold himself to a broker.

Fortunately, he had met the kind-hearted Princess Ning’an.

Knowing that she wanted to send a letter to the frontier, he had immediately volunteered to deliver it.

Li Ning’an knew how critical this matter was, so she carefully tested the groom’s loyalty before entrusting him with the letter.

The letter, sent under the name of the Duke of Xiang’s heir, was personally delivered to Deputy General Ge.

Due to his unwavering trust in the late Duke of Xiang, Deputy General Ge extended the same trust to Young Master Yan.

Seeing the personal seal, he discussed with Ling Jibai and made a two-pronged plan. If General Tong became too arrogant, they would keep a close watch on the Iron Cavalry.

After all, Deputy General Ge still had a beloved sister in the palace.

And there was no one else protecting the Iron Cavalry.

Li Ning’an was unaware that Deputy General Ge had sent a reply to Yan Ziqi. She had been too busy with her restaurant business lately, feeling as if she had lost ten pounds.

At this moment, she was standing in front of a bronze mirror, looking at herself.

“Xinger, do you think I should eat more?”

From outside, Yan Ziqi’s voice suddenly roared.

“Li Ning’an! Come out here!”

His outburst stirred the curiosity of the neighbors.

“Isn’t that Young Master Yan?”

“Wow, such a handsome young man!”