At Tiger Pass, Jiang Kangning was dressed in a neat short-sleeved attire. He was seeing off a group of generals and soldiers, led by the Grand Marshal Dai Mingrong. Jiang Kangning safely delivered the box of gold and the grain and supplies purchased for Tiger Pass soldiers, completing his mission, and he was now ready to return to the capital. In front of the assembled crowd, Dai Mingrong took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Jiang Kangning, extending it with both hands, saying: “Please deliver this letter to Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Emperor. We, the generals and soldiers at Tiger Pass, extend our distant well-wishes to Our Emperor and Our Empress for a peaceful night.”

Jiang Kangning accepted the letter with both hands and replied: “I will convey the Grand General message to His Majesty and Her Highness. The Grand General, the Junior General, and all the valiant soldiers here have considered this border their home, defending it day and night, and have contributed significantly to the defense of our Great State of Yan against external threats. Upon my return to the capital, I will provide an accurate report to His Majesty and Her Highness. I also wish the Grand General and all the soldiers good health and safety in all matters.”

Tucking the letter into his chest, Jiang Kangchen mounted his horse. After saluting the soldiers led by General Dai Mingrong, he moved his riding crop. Since he had no supplies to transport back, the several hundred people who had come with Jiang Kangchen traveled lightly, galloping all the way back to the capital city.

Jiang Kangchen departed, leaving everything at the Tiger Pass as it was. Dai Mingrong’s gaze turned resolute, as he gave a stern command: “Attention, all soldiers of the Tiger Pass!”

“At your service!”

“Starting today, all commanders will lead their troops in training, and in ten days, there will be a competition between the various battalions.”

“Understood, General!”

Jiang Kangchen influence would quickly dissipate with this order. For the soldiers stationed at the border, rigorous training and defending against external threats to protect their homeland were their primary duties. As for the capital city, Master Cen had been confined in Weng Mansion. Using the term “confined” might not be entirely accurate. Master Cen’s original intent in coming to the capital was to deliver books to his Senior Brother Weng. He planned to reconnect with his old friends and students in the capital and then return to Yongxiu County but little did he know, that Master Weng wouldn’t allow him to leave.

Master Weng was well-versed in the knowledge contained in those books, surpassing Master Cen’s understanding. However, aside from sharing the knowledge with Master Cen and Kang Rui, he couldn’t show these books to anyone else. Emperor Yongming was aware of the existence of these books, but he was fundamentally a martial artist, and the affairs of the empire kept him busy. Thus, he couldn’t spend his days studying these texts. Consequently, Master Weng didn’t want Master Cen to leave, making him stay and study these valuable texts together. If it weren’t for the fact that Yongxiu County had only two scholarly positions, Master Weng would not have allowed Kang Rui to leave either. Master Weng had already made up his mind that he would soon choose a suitable scholar from among Yongxiu County’s students to replace Kang Rui and bring him back.

Master Cen practically lived at Master Weng’s residence. To the point that his wife, Madam Cen, also spent most of her time there, accompanying Master Weng’s wife. Still, on occasion, Madam Cen returned to her son’s home for a few days, as both her son and daughter longed to spend time together with her. This day, Madam Cen returned to her son’s house in a sedan chair. As soon as she entered, she was informed that her granddaughter, Cen Bihua, was crying. After inquiring about the reason, she discovered that Cen Bihua’s beloved seashell bag had been destroyed by someone.

Madam Cen was deeply saddened: “Who damaged our Bihua’s bag?”

Mother and daughter looked up upon hearing her voice. Cen Bihua’s mother quickly called out: “Mother, you’re back.”

“Grandmother,” Cen Bihua rushed into her grandmother’s arms, weeping bitterly: “Grandmother, my cousin ruined my bag…”

Madam Cen glanced at her daughter-in-law and received a hint not to speak. She embraced her granddaughter and consoled her: “Don’t cry, my dear. If the bag is damaged, your little uncle can make another one for you. You don’t need to cry, Bihua.”

Madam Cen took her granddaughter away, and Cen Bihua’s mother sighed: “It’s nothing serious, just a little playful squabble between the cousins. We can have your little uncle make a new one later. We mustn’t make your parents go to their house and confront them, right?”

Choked with sobs, Cen Bihua held onto her grandmother even more, making her cry even more bitterly.

Cen Bihua’s mother looked at her daughter, who was standing by her side with her head bowed and not daring to speak, and instructed her two personal maids: “In the future, keep an eye on our young lady and prevent her from getting too close to the young ladies of the Chu and Wei families. If you happen to encounter them, just avoid them.”

“Yes.”

Madam Cen took her granddaughter to her room. After wiping the tears from her face, she asked: “Bihua, can you tell Grandma who bullied you?”

Tears welled up in Cen Bihua’s eyes again, but she pursed her lips and refused to speak. Madam Cen wiped her tears and said: “Grandma is just asking. If your little uncle asks, you should also tell him the truth. You shouldn’t lie, right? Tell Grandma how your bag got damaged.”

Coaxed by her grandmother, Cen Bihua finally revealed the truth. It turned out that she had been invited to play at the mansion of her cousins, the daughters of the Duke Chu and Wei. Cen Bihua’s seashell bag was famous among the high-society young ladies in the capital. Everyone knew that she had a limited edition seashell bag produced by the Yunlong Bag Shop, which only had a store in Yongxiu County. The store in the capital had not opened yet, and her bag was the only one of its kind in the world. Cen Bihua grandfather lived in Yongxiu County, which is why he was able to obtain such a bag for her.

The Cen family had a scholarly background, and their status couldn’t compare to those who were born as dukes and marquises. This seashell bag became popular in the capital, and it was impossible for anyone with a decent background to have one, even if they had talented embroidery workers, carrying a knockoff was simply laughable. When the daughters of the Duke Chu and Wei saw Cen Bihua’s unique and genuine bag, they couldn’t help but feel envious. Despite their higher status, they didn’t have a seashell bag, while Cen Bihua was believed to have it due to her grandfather’s influence in Yongxiu County.

A young girl like Cen Bihua wouldn’t be aware of the secrets behind her bag. When the two duchesses’ daughters wanted to see Cen Bihua’s seashell bag, Cen Bihua felt reluctant but understood that she couldn’t afford to offend them so she showed it to them. However, the two girls intentionally pulled apart the bag’s strap and “accidentally” dropped it into a muddy lotus pond. Cen Bihua’s maid quickly had it retrieved, but it was beyond repair. Cen Bihua returned home in tears, deeply saddened by the loss of her prized possession. She couldn’t help but notice that it was done deliberately, but what could she do? The daughters of the Duke Chu and Wei were not legitimate princesses, but they belonged to the family of dukes so the Cen family had to act careful when dealing with them. That’s why Cen Xueshi didn’t want Cen Bihua to speak about it.

Edited by: Jaisland

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