Chapter 5:- “Entering the Game”

Though the night was deep, the camp was still alive with laughter and noise, far from silent.

Amid the clamor, Chen Lian’s light, casual repetition drifted clearly into Jiang Rao’s ears.

“Xiao Qi.”

The way he said it, it made one’s heart itch.

He spoke the name once, his tone unhurried, yet hearing that casual nickname, one she had so carelessly invented uttered by him, somehow made Jiang Rao uneasy.

It felt strangely familiar, as if she had heard him call her like this before.

The next instant, an image rose unbidden in her mind: herself cradling a soft little white kitten in her arms, stroking its fur while murmuring the same name.

She shouldn’t have used her kitten’s name so casually!

Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment. She lowered her head, no longer daring to look at him, and was about to bid farewell, only to bump right into Li Hu coming from the other side.

Li Hu seemed to have been looking for her. When his eyes found her, he was startled at first, and then strode quickly forward. Once sure it was indeed her, his gaze turned sharp, landing coldly on the man behind her.

“Chen Lian, what are you doing following behind my young lady?” Li Hu’s steps quickened, his face taut with vigilance, his tone unmistakably hostile.

It might have been luck that it was Li Hu who found them, yet Jiang Rao’s heart sank all the same.

She hadn’t expected Li Hu to act so rudely. She had spent all this time thinking of how to win Chen Lian’s favour yet now, the very first thing her subordinate did was hurl offense.

Wouldn’t that make all her effort tonight completely wasted?

“Deputy Li, mind your manners! He was merely kind enough to walk me back.”

But Li Hu clearly didn’t believe her. His face remained hard, his tone full of disdain. “What kindness could he possibly have?”

“Deputy Li!”

Her sharp rebuke stopped him short. She didn’t know if it would salvage the situation, but in her anxiety she turned toward Chen Lian. His face, however, stayed impassive, betraying nothing.

Jiang Rao had no choice but to press on, forcing herself to speak. “I must apologize. Deputy Li spoke out of turn; please don’t take it to heart.”

He still said nothing. His gaze lifted slightly, cool and unreadable, but beneath that calm, Jiang Rao sensed a flicker of impatience.

She didn’t move, waiting quietly for him to respond, afraid he might truly be offended. Li Hu, seeing her so cautious, dared not add another word. Only after a long silence did Chen Lian finally nod a small, indifferent gesture.

That must mean… he wasn’t holding a grudge?

Seizing the moment before Li Hu could expose her false identity, Jiang Rao said, “Then thank you for escorting me, Deputy Commander. Please, you may return.”

Having made a fool of herself earlier by calling him General, this time she carefully chose a neutral address, surely this one couldn’t be wrong.

“The young lady changes her forms of address so often,” Chen Lian said, glancing at her, a rare flicker of amusement in his tone. “How am I supposed to keep up?”

“And what should I call you, then?”

Jiang Rao’s eyelashes trembled. She knew perfectly well what he meant, but remembering her earlier embarrassment, she pretended not to understand.

“Call me by name,” he said lightly. “Didn’t you already do that before?”

Jiang Rao hesitated, wondering if there was another meaning beneath his words. Her lips moved once, and then she obeyed softly, “Chen Lian.”

The corner of his mouth curved faintly. “Mn.”

Then, as his gaze drifted away from her, he added, tone lifting slightly, “I’ll be going. Xiao Qi.”

He said her name again.

A strange feeling stirred in Jiang Rao’s chest. She didn’t know what it was, only that his tone confirmed he wasn’t angry and that alone eased her heart.

At the side, Li Hu listened to their exchange without understanding. Seeing Chen Lian’s faintly smug air made him even more displeased. To his eyes, it looked as if his lady was being taken advantage of.

He strode forward, muttering resentfully, “My lady, you needn’t be so polite with him. You don’t visit the camp often, so you may not know but this fellow’s a nobody and just a drudge who tends His Highness the Prince Chen’s horses.”

Jiang Rao was stunned; she could only wish he would shut up!

So that was it, Li Hu had assumed her politeness meant she mistook Chen Lian for someone of high rank. She had never known her subordinate’s tact could be this non-existent; saying such things right to the man’s face!

Chen Lian, who had not yet gone far, stopped at once. Turning back, his expression darkened, eyes fixed coldly on Li Hu.

Since their first meeting, his face had been calm and detached but now, there was unmistakable displeasure there.

Li Hu, misreading his reaction as weakness, raised his voice in deliberate provocation. “My lady, with your noble birth, there’s no need to bid him farewell. The fact that he leaves without kneeling is already his greatest honor!”

“Deputy Li, that’s enough!”

Jiang Rao’s glare could have cut stone, but Li Hu, blind to her warning, simply couldn’t stop himself.

With each word, he was pushing her higher and grinding Chen Lian deeper into the dirt.

Jiang Rao had known that Chen Lian came from humble origins and would climb his way up through battle, but she hadn’t realized how bitter those beginnings truly were.

Inwardly, she made a silent vow: while his life still lies in hardship, she must find every chance to treat him well.

So that when the Jiang family falls and he rises to glory, she’ll have the right to shamelessly demand repayment.

“My lady, it’s time to go,” Li Hu reminded softly, seeing her thoughts drift.

Jiang Rao blinked back to herself, realizing her eyes had lingered on Chen Lian far too long. His expression had shifted from irritation, back to icy composure.

Before she could speak, his cool voice cut in.

“Still not leaving, my lady? Are you waiting for me to kneel and bid farewell?”

The words sent a chill down her spine.

“Of course not!” she waved her hands quickly, flustered. He was the man she meant to rely upon so how could she ever accept his bow? Then, as a thought struck her, she hastily offered an excuse, “It’s only that… when I delivered the wine earlier, I seem to have left a handkerchief in your tent. I’ll trouble you to keep it for me, just for now.”

That handkerchief was no accident, she had left it on purpose, hoping he would notice it later. Perhaps it would give her a reason to see him again.

Now, her words might test his reaction as well.

Eyes shimmering, she looked up at him, deliberately softening her expression into a pleading sweetness, Jiang Rao always knew how to make the most of her charms.

But this time, Chen Lian didn’t respond at all. His eyes flicked past her face indifferently; without a word, he turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Jiang Rao couldn’t help a pang of disappointment. So, Chen Lian wasn’t the kind to melt under a woman’s coquettishness after all.

He was gone, yet Li Hu still hadn’t grasped what had happened. Seeing his lady’s downcast look, he grew both puzzled and anxious but before he could ask, Jiang Rao spoke first.

“Deputy Li, what just happened must not be mentioned to anyone, not even to my second brother. Do I have your word?”

Li Hu frowned, clearly unhappy. “Forgive me, my lady, but I truly don’t understand, why treat that Chen Lian with such respect? He’s only a….”

Her warning glance silenced him at once.

Her tone grew steady and stern. “You withheld his due reward earlier, which shamed our Marquisate. My going to deliver wine was simply to make amends. Moreover, the Emperor himself decreed tonight’s feast as a celebration for all three armies. Whether officer or soldier, all should be treated equally. If word spread otherwise, what would people think of us? That we slight the soldiers or that we disrespect His Majesty’s favor?”

Li Hu finally realized the gravity of the matter. It was he who had provoked first, forcing his lady to apologize in person. He vowed to keep his mouth shut and never trouble Chen Lian again.

Only then did Jiang Rao nod, satisfied but the weight in her heart did not ease.

She could not tell whether, in this first meeting with Chen Lian, she had gained any real advantage.

Still, she comforted herself: At least before Li Hu appeared, their conversation hadn’t gone badly… right?

When she returned to the main tent, the banquet was nearly over. Jiang Rao sat down beside her elder sister. Jiang Yuan took her hand; it was icy coldmand clasped it in both of hers to warm it.

Then she asked with gentle concern where Jiang Rao had gone. Jiang Rao only said she’d stepped out for some air.

Jiang Yuan nodded without pressing further. Her gaze shifted toward their brother, Jiang Ming, who was deep in conversation with the Crown Prince. Though she couldn’t hear their words, both men’s faces showed pleasant smiles a picture of amiable talk.

“Didn’t Second Brother always have a poor tolerance for wine? Why is he still drinking cup after cup?” Jiang Rao asked worriedly.

“Because all the officers of the three armies honored our house by coming tonight,” Jiang Yuan said softly. “And with both the Crown Prince and Prince Chen present, Ming’er must play the perfect host.”

Jiang Rao nodded. Raising her eyes again, she saw her brother already slightly unsteady with drink, while the Crown Prince’s gaze remained clear and sober.

Mu Ling smiled at him, personally pouring yet another cup, utterly unassuming, despite his exalted rank.

The scene looked harmonious enough but to Jiang Rao’s eyes, it was painfully ironic.

Mu Ling’s courteous warmth was nothing but calculated humility. He bowed only because, for now, the Jiang family was still worth his favor.

For the first time, Jiang Rao saw clearly a shadow of the darkness within him. In her previous life, when he annihilated the Jiang family; one hundred and twenty souls, had there been an element of vengeance in it?

Did he slaughter them to vent the humiliation he once felt for having to curry favor with a military family, a mere general, despite being the proud Crown Prince?

All the bitterness of the past gathered now into understanding and hatred. Yet in truth, all that hatred had been born of his own choices.

At that moment, Mu Ling lifted another cup and drank. As he tilted his head back, his gaze drifted and met hers across the tent.

He set the cup down smoothly, his smile gentle as ever, his eyes filled with tenderness that seemed almost real.

Any other woman might have melted under that look.

But Jiang Rao, having seen the blade hidden behind that warmth, felt no flutter of the heart, only a chill spreading down her back.

She looked away, and her gaze fell on Prince Chen, robed in white, sipping his wine in carefree ease, otherworldly and unbothered.

Because her eyes lingered on Prince Chen a little too long, she caught, out of the corner of her vision, the Crown Prince’s expression darkening.

So even this small act was enough to stir his jealousy and irritation. Jiang Rao’s lips curved in a cold smile.

This is only the beginning, she thought.

Mu Ling, are you ready to enter the game?