Chapter 40: The Mysterious Young Lady

It was already noon, and the snow suddenly intensified. The gusty wind carried heavy snowflakes that struck people’s faces and bodies. It was impossible to see the road even a dozen steps away. Outside the Mingde Gate, a tea pavilion was crowded with people seeking shelter from the snow and eating. Li Qing’an and his group also found a few empty tables to eat, waiting for the snow to subside before continuing their journey. Yet the snow kept getting worse, showing no sign of abating.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves came from afar. Gradually, a carriage appeared through the snow, accompanied by over a dozen attendants on both sides, speeding toward them. The carriage stopped in front of the tea pavilion.

A middle-aged attendant rushed to the carriage and said respectfully, “Madam, Chang’an is just ahead. Please get out and rest for a while!”

“Alright, Eunuch Shang. You’ve worked hard too. Let’s all eat something together!”

The woman’s voice was pleasant and melodious, suggesting she was quite young.

The door of the carriage opened, and two women got out. The one in front was a maid, while everyone’s attention turned to the young lady behind her. She was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a bright blue long robe with a red sash over her shoulders. The clothes fit her perfectly, highlighting her slender figure and full breasts.

Her black hair was styled high and curled backward, forming a flowing black cloud above her neck. She was very beautiful, but what impressed people most was not her beauty alone, but her naturally delicate features—her brows lightly arched, without any makeup, giving her a serene and graceful appearance.

“She must be from the royal family,” Duan Xiushi whispered to Li Qing’an. “Did you see? That middle-aged attendant beside her is an eunuch.”

Li Qing’an nodded. He had already heard her call the middle-aged attendant Eunuch Shang. Moreover, her accent seemed different from others, somewhat similar to Qian Mian’s, who originally came from Chengdu in Yizhou.

The tea pavilion was packed, with only a few empty seats left at Li Qing’an’s table. Ordinary people didn’t dare sit with them.

The young lady frowned slightly, glanced around, and finally fixed her gaze on Li Qing’an’s table before walking over quickly.

“General, may I sit next to you?” she asked politely, offering Li Qing’an a bright smile.

Li Qing’an waved his hand and said with a smile, “Please, madam, sit down!”

He grew somewhat interested in her. Other women would avoid them at all costs, but this woman showed no fear at all. Her beauty made it hard not to feel fond of her.

The young woman sat down. She turned to the middle-aged eunuch and said a few words, and he immediately went into the room to buy food. At that moment, Li Fei Yuanli, with sheer audacity, smiled and asked, “May I ask your name, madam?”
His brother, Li Fei Shouyu, who was beside him, immediately grew stern and scolded, “Elder brother, don’t be rude!”
But the young woman raised her delicate eyebrows and smiled charmingly, “My name is Hua. May I ask where you soldiers come from?”
Li Fei Yuanli grinned widely and said, “We’re from the Anxi Army, coming from Lianyun Fort.”
The young woman covered her mouth and chuckled. “No wonder your clothes are tattered; you don’t look like ordinary soldiers. So you’re from Anxi.”
Despite Li Fei Yuanli’s attempts to please her, she seemed more interested in Li Qing’an. There was a unique charm about this young man that attracted her—different from all the men she had met. Especially that long scar on his forehead added to his masculine appeal.
“This general, I’ve already told you my name, but you haven’t told me yours at all. That seems a bit…”
“Madam, let me introduce him. This guy’s name is Li Qilang. Don’t be fooled by his delicate looks; he’s completely clueless when it comes to women. Even the charming and beautiful Tubo princess was killed by his arrow. He’s nowhere near as good at taking care of women as I am, old Li.”
“You big-bearded guy are quite cute too!”
The young woman teased him, then leaned closer to Li Qing’an and asked curiously, “General Li, was the Tubo princess you killed really that beautiful?”
Li Qing’an shook his head with a smile. “She was just an ordinary Tubo woman, not a princess at all. I didn’t kill her either; she fell off a cliff by accident.”
“You’re lying…”
Before Li Fei Yuanli could finish speaking, Li Fei Shouyu punched him hard. Seeing everyone glaring at him, he suddenly remembered Gao Shuai’s strict order not to reveal this matter. Feeling guilty, he scratched his head and forced a laugh, “It doesn’t matter. It was just an ordinary girl. What’s there to fear?”
At that moment, Li Qing’an stood up, bowed slightly to the young woman, and said with a smile, “Madam, please enjoy your meal. We’ll be leaving now.”
He waved his hand and said, “Let’s go!”
The group followed him out of the teahouse, mounted their horses, and set off toward Chang’an City in the snowstorm.
The young woman watched his retreating figure, her eyes filled with interest. “Killed a beautiful Tubo princess with just one arrow. This Li Qilang is quite interesting,” she murmured to herself.

Chang’an was vast in size, divided into the Imperial Palace City, the Imperial City proper, and the outer city walls. The Imperial Palace City was located at the northern center of the city and served as the residence of the emperor. The Imperial City proper lay to the south of the Imperial Palace City and functioned as the administrative center of the Tang dynasty court. The outer city walls extended in all directions—east, west, and south—centered around the Imperial Palace City and the Imperial City proper. With Zhuque Street as its central axis, it was divided into two cities and 108 districts, each governed by Chang’an County or Wannian County. The entire city of Chang’an was home to millions of locals and hundreds of thousands of travelers from all over the country.

Upon entering Mingde Gate, Zhuque Street lay right in front. About a hundred steps wide, it could accommodate around seventy carriages side by side. The snow had stopped falling heavily, and there were few pedestrians on Zhuque Street, making it appear even more spacious and endless. The straight street stretched for over ten miles, ending at Zhuque Gate, the main entrance to the Imperial City.

High trees lined both sides of Zhuque Street, their canopies resembling umbrellas, covered in snow. Next to the trees were tall and thick walls separating the districts. Eighteen districts were arranged neatly on either side of Zhuque Street like a chessboard, with white walls and yellow tiles, stretching as far as the eye could see—a truly spectacular sight.

There were few pedestrians on the street, many holding oil-paper umbrellas. Most men wore robes, tall, robust, and full of energy, while the women looked especially graceful in the snow, wearing embroidered silk blouses and colorful skirts dyed with pomegranate hues—reds, purples, yellows, and greens, with red being the most common. “Their eyebrows match the color of daylilies; their red skirts outshine pomegranate flowers.”

As they walked along Zhuque Street, they soon arrived at Chongren District on Chunming Street. This area housed various envoy offices, mainly for local officials to stay and dine when coming to the capital. The Anxi Protectorate also had an envoy office here, quite large, with over a hundred guest rooms, managed by a low-ranking official from Anxi.

The officials at the envoy office had already been informed and had everything prepared. They welcomed them warmly as soon as they entered.

“Gentlemen, thank you for your hard work. I’ve prepared hot water and clean bedding for you. Take a nice bath first, then get some good sleep—this will restore your energy right away.”

“Military Officer Luo, are there any horse racing fields nearby?” Duan Xiushi asked with a smile.

“Yes! There are two in Chongren District. They’re always full of people practicing horse racing. But you’ve arrived a bit late—the Fanyang army’s horse racing team arrived three months ago.”

At that, Military Officer Luo glanced around and lowered his voice. “I heard their military governor, An Lushan, is leading the team himself, claiming he must win the championship this time.”

“Hmph! Let them dream!” Bai Yuanguang snorted.

“Yuanguang, don’t underestimate them. Last time, they already had the strength to win the championship, but they clearly gave it to the Yulin Army Horse Team. Our loss to them was due to our inferior strength.”
“This year, we have Li Qilang with us; it’s still uncertain who will win!”
Everyone discussed it fervently. Li Qing’an had other duties to attend to, so he quietly said to Duan Xiushi, “Lord Cheng, Commander Gao has assigned me a task. I’d like to take care of it first.”
“Go ahead! Be careful on the way.”
Li Qing’an left the Imperial Secretariat quietly and, along with Han Jinping and another brother, went to Pingkang Fang. They stopped in front of a large mansion covering a vast area—this was the residence of Li Linfu, the Right Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty.