Chapter 506: IF Route - The Willing Take the Bait

The matter was too important; Li Yuzong had to confirm. “Princely Heir,” he asked, “when you say ‘her’… are you referring to Lady Zhang or Doctor Ji?”

Zhao Mingyan’s gaze was as sharp as an arrow. “What would you think about moving a Xijin spy into the tent next to the commander-in-chief’s?”

Li Yuzong choked on his words and muttered under his breath, “But didn’t the Princely Heir just suspect Doctor Ji was in league with that Xijin spy, Lady Zhang?”

Zhao Mingyan shot him a cold glance.

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Li Yuzong clutched his neck and made a hasty retreat.

Zhao Mingyan placed the letter in a secret lockbox. At the very bottom of the box lay a small, sky-blue revolving vase.

He took the small bottle out, turning it over in his hand. After finding it that night, he had, for some unknown reason, placed it in the box with his secret correspondence and other important items. He hadn’t taken it out since.

He really hadn’t expected to see her again here in the Northern Border Camp.

And Li Yuzong suspected Ji Wu was a spy for Xijin.

Zhao Mingyan scoffed.

‘She could never be a spy. A single glance is enough to see through her; those bright, clear eyes give away far too much.’

‘Her name isn’t Ji Wu.’ She hadn’t revealed her real name, which was why he’d had Li Yuzong send men to investigate.

Zhao Mingyan returned the small bottle to its place and closed the lockbox.

‘This girl… she’s terrible even at using a honey trap. What a waste of her natural beauty.’

‘Other women use flirtatious glances and sweet nothings, their every look a baited hook. She, on the other hand, is completely straightforward. When she leaned on his arm, she was even more rigid than he was.’

‘If that’s supposed to be seductive…’

Zhao Mingyan rubbed the fingers that had applied ointment for her. He let out a nearly imperceptible sigh.

‘One can only say that the target was a willing catch.’

*

Li Yuzong worked efficiently. That very evening, Ji Qingwu was moved into the tent next to the main command tent.

Though she didn’t know what had happened, her happiness skyrocketed at being moved from a three-person tent to a single. It also made getting around much more convenient.

For example, it was now only a few dozen steps from her tent flap to the entrance of General Dingbei’s tent.

「Late into the night, the main tent was still lit.」

Ji Qingwu couldn’t sleep and had come out specifically to admire the moon.

However, dark clouds obscured the sky. Ji Qingwu didn’t care whether she could see the moon or not; she was preoccupied with watching the main tent, where the light silhouetted a tall, imposing figure hunched over a desk inside.

She passed in front of the main tent again and again, her footprints forging a well-trodden little path in the sand.

「Inside the tent.」

This was the twelfth time Li Yuzong had caught the Princely Heir spacing out tonight. He finally realized the situation was more serious than he’d thought. He’d been too naive.

‘Doctor Ji is already more captivating than a military treatise.’

Li Yuzong began to turn his attention outside the tent as well.

Every time Ji Qingwu passed, her gait was different. It was nothing like the graceful, gliding walk of a noble lady from the Imperial City. She even walked backward on one of her passes.

Li Yuzong watched in amusement. It was actually quite invigorating.

Unfortunately, after about ten minutes, the figure disappeared.

Then, the pitter-patter of rain began to sound from outside.

‘It’s started raining. Doctor Ji must have gone back to her tent,’ Li Yuzong thought, just as he was about to refill the Princely Heir’s tea.

A soft voice sounded from just outside the tent flap.

“Is anyone there?”

Inside, both master and servant froze.

The woman at the entrance moved closer, her form now clearly visible as a silhouette against the tent fabric.

“May I come in to take shelter from the rain?”

Li Yuzong thought, ‘This girl’s ploys are so clumsy. The two tents are only a few yards apart. She could have been back in her own tent in the time it took her to ask. What kind of rain is she trying to shelter from in here?’

Zhao Mingyan set down the scroll in his hand and asked, feigning indifference, “Is it raining outside?”

Li Yuzong stared at him blankly.

‘Isn’t the sound of the rain obvious enough?’

When he caught on, he smiled and said, “Yes, it is raining, and quite hard at that. The young lady will fall ill if she gets soaked.”

Zhao Mingyan nodded and grunted in affirmation.

Li Yuzong let out a silent, weary sigh and walked to the entrance to lift the flap.

When he saw Ji Qingwu, he gasped in surprise.

Li Yuzong glanced outside. The light rain had only just begun to dampen the ground. How on earth did the young woman before him look like she had been caught in a torrential downpour?

“Th-th-this…”

Ji Qingwu asked, “May I come in?”

Li Yuzong hurriedly stepped aside. In stark contrast to her cautious question, her actions were anything but reserved; she walked straight to the center of the tent.

Zhao Mingyan lifted his eyes to see the rain-soaked fabric clinging to her chest, revealing the graceful curves of her figure.

Higher still were her damp eyes, long lashes drooping like a butterfly’s wings weighed down with dew. A few stray strands of hair clung to her cheeks, making her look pitifully endearing.

The look in Zhao Mingyan’s eyes flickered with a complex series of emotions.

‘I underestimated her.’

A drop of water fell from the tip of her hair onto a stack of official documents on the long desk, causing the ink on the page to bleed and blur.

Seeing this, Ji Qingwu immediately looked for something to wipe it with, but there wasn’t a dry spot on her. She took two embarrassed steps back, not wanting to damage anything else on his desk.

As she backed away, however, she stepped on the hem of her dress. Ji Qingwu stumbled, teetering for a moment as if she would fall backward. After wobbling precariously, she managed to right herself.

Only Li Yuzong saw Zhao Mingyan’s left arm, which had started to lift, drop back to his side.

“Fetch a towel.”

Li Yuzong acknowledged the order and left.

A moment ago, Ji Qingwu had happened upon a water vat just as the rain began to fall. An idea had struck her, and she had promptly doused herself with a ladleful of water.

The night air was already cool, and Ji Qingwu was soaked to the bone. She hugged her arms and shivered. Her trembling shoulders were like newly unfurled lotus leaves, unable to bear the weight of the water.

Zhao Mingyan’s brow furrowed slightly. Since entering, Ji Qingwu hadn’t actually done anything untoward.

He asked in a low, cold voice, “What are you doing here?”

Thinking she had interrupted his work, Ji Qingwu explained softly, “I came in to get out of the rain.”

Zhao Mingyan’s gaze swept over the unevenly soaked patches on her clothes. “And?”

Ji Qingwu touched her earlobe, knowing her excuse was flimsy. “And… well… I wanted to see the General.”

Zhao Mingyan stared into her eyes. “Is that all?”

Ji Qingwu shook her head. “No.” Fearing he didn’t believe her, she repeated, “Really, that’s all. I just wanted to see you.”

‘In her plan, seeing him often—always being in his line of sight—was the most crucial step to cultivating feelings.’

A faint blush crept up her cheeks. ‘As for the next step… the time isn’t right yet.’

Zhao Mingyan could tell she wasn’t lying. “Have you had your fill of looking?” he asked. “If you have, then go back.”

A glint appeared in Ji Qingwu’s eyes. “Does that mean I can stay here as long as I haven’t had my fill?”

Zhao Mingyan stared at her for a long moment before he was the one to back down, picking up another military treatise.

Just then, Li Yuzong returned with the towel. Ji Qingwu used it to dry her hair a bit before draping it over her shoulders, mulling over the meaning of Zhao Mingyan’s words.

Then, she moved slowly, inching her way to his side.

‘As they say, to love someone, you have to know everything about them.’

Ji Qingwu frowned as she looked at the dense, inscrutable military text in his hands.

Zhao Mingyan found his reading pace slowing to a crawl as the sound of a woman’s soft, shallow breaths drew steadily nearer to his ear.

“Why haven’t you turned the page?” Ji Qingwu asked. “Even I’ve finished reading it.”

Zhao Mingyan turned his head to look at her, and her cool lips brushed against the curve of his left ear.