The hot breath hit Song Chuyi’s face, and she reached out to push that wolf face a little farther away.
Before Song Chuyi could even feel happy, out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed the armored soldiers already with arrows nocked on their bowstrings. She hurriedly shouted, “Don’t shoot! This is my little pet.”
Everyone froze for a moment. Seeing that the large snow wolf really was only playing with Song Chuyi and showed no posture of attack, they hesitantly lowered their bows and arrows.
Song Chuyi let out a breath of relief, then suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming. She turned her head and saw, in the misty drizzle, a black steed galloping toward them, and on the horse was a man in black martial attire.
The horse charged to the entrance of the relay station like an arrow, suddenly raised its hooves, gave a loud neigh, and came to a hard stop.
The rider swung down from the horse and stood outside the fenced courtyard. He had a pair of long, straight legs, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and an incomparably handsome face. His long brows slanted sharply toward his temples, and his eyes were like cold stars. It was none other than Zhao Yilou.
Song Chuyi stood up and said to the guards, “Let him in.”
Early spring in the dusk was still a little cold. Zhao Yilou exhaled a large cloud of mist. Seeing Song Chuyi full of smiles, he could not help frowning and saying, “White Blade ran off. I came to chase it back.”
“Since that’s the case, why don’t I see any guards?” Song Chuyi stood on the corridor, folded her arms, and looked at him with a smile.
He was, after all, the ruler of a country. If he had really come out to chase a wolf, he would surely have brought many guards. Zhao Yilou, one man and one horse, hardly looked like the bearing of a monarch.
Zhao Yilou looked somewhat embarrassed, and his brows knitted even tighter. “I prefer to be alone. What business is it of yours?”
“None of my business. Now take your White Blade and you can go back,” Song Chuyi teased shamelessly.
Zhao Yilou walked straight under the corridor. “I want to take shelter from the rain.”
Song Chuyi smiled and cupped her hands toward Min Chi. “Sorry, I must entertain a guest. Let’s play chess another day.”
Min Chi carefully sized Zhao Yilou up a few times, then nodded. “As you please.”
As for the position of ruler of a country, even if it was only a nominal throne, for Zhao Yilou being able to have ample food and clothing was already an unimaginably good life. Yet he cast it aside just like that, quite effortlessly and unrestrainedly.
Back in the room, Song Chuyi found a loose robe for Zhao Yilou and told him to go bathe and change clothes.
White Blade had not seen Song Chuyi for a long time, and rolled around beside her acting spoiled. Song Chuyi reached out and rubbed its belly, smiling as she said, “The more you eat, the fatter you get. One day you won’t be able to walk.”
White Blade grinned happily and sprawled out its belly for her to scratch.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhao Yilou wore a plain-colored broad-sleeved loose robe, his black hair still wet and spread behind him, some tips still dripping water, presenting quite a world-stunning appearance.
Song Chuyi stared straight at him for quite a while. “After not seeing you for some days, you’ve grown much taller and much stronger too.”
Zhao Yilou gave her a faint glance, feeling that this was simply nonsense. He was at the age of growing his body; eating meat every day, how could he not grow taller and stronger? Song Chuyi poured him a cup of hot water and asked, “How did you escape?”
The palace of Zhao must have been heavily guarded. Although the several clan factions did not care about Zhao Yilou, this puppet ruler, they would not be so careless as to let him slip out alone in secret.
“It was Gongsun Yan who helped me.” Zhao Yilou took a sip of tea, paused, and then said, “He escaped together with me.”
Song Chuyi was slightly stunned. “Gongsun Yan? Why would he flee from Zhao?”
“They say it was because he was dissatisfied with Gongzi Fan’s brutality,” Zhao Yilou said.
Song Chuyi nodded, but in her heart she felt that the real reason was most likely not that. If Gongsun Yan wanted to leave Zhao, he could have done so openly and honorably. Sneaking around like this instead made people suspicious. But since Zhao Yilou had already left Zhao, even if Zhao were destroyed, it would have nothing to do with her at all, so she might as well spend her time worrying about the matters right before her eyes.
“What plans do you have for the future?” Song Chuyi asked.
Zhao Yilou said solemnly, “Since White Blade wants to stay with you, I will reluctantly travel together with you.”
“Do you know that my prospects on this journey are uncertain, and it is very likely I may die?” Song Chuyi asked.
“Is there a single day when I don’t live from one meal to the next, never knowing what tomorrow may bring?” Zhao Yilou retorted.
“That’s true enough.” Song Chuyi said this, but she understood what kind of free-spiritedness and resolve it took to choose to abandon the throne, so she simply let Zhao Yilou, this awkward youth, keep up his stubborn talk.
It rained all night, and the next day was bright and sunny. Because they had to wait for the roads to dry, they stayed another day.
The road to Daliang was not too far, and they arrived safely all the way.
During this period, however, Puyang was in an uproar. All kinds of rumors about Min Chi spread rapidly, and within a few days his character and moral conduct were subjected to unprecedented questioning.
And the news, through the channels of secret agents, had already entered the Wei palace ahead of time.
As soon as they arrived in Daliang, Song Chuyi and Min Chi were immediately settled into the most luxurious post station and separate villa in the State of Wei, waiting for the King of Wei to grant them an audience.
In the past, Song Chuyi had lived in Yangcheng, which, although situated on the border between Qin and Wei, meant she had never seen the King of Wei.
From the bottom of her heart, Song Chuyi was extremely curious about this old political rogue, but she had never had the chance to meet him. This time, she would have to take the opportunity to pay him proper respects.
They waited a day at the relay station. The next morning, palace eunuchs came to invite them.
Wei, as a fierce tiger that had just begun to decline, still had a capital city whose prosperity and palaces whose grandeur many great cities could not compare with.
The palace complex of Wei stretched for twenty miles, with high ridges, flying eaves and bracket sets, long corridors like ribbons, and countless pavilions and towers.
Song Chuyi and Min Chi walked toward the main hall without looking sideways the whole way, each secretly surprised that the other seemed not to notice the magnificent buildings on both sides.
Song Chuyi had already lived one life, so it was one thing for her not to care about such impressive architecture, but Min Chi, though young, was actually able to remain so composed, which made Song Chuyi regard him with new eyes.
“Master Huaijin and Master Zihuan have arrived!” a shrill-voiced inner attendant called out loudly.
The two stopped before the main hall. Only after another inner attendant came to guide them did they calmly ascend the steps.
Inside the great hall, the ruler and officials of Wei were all present. When the two entered side by side, all eyes turned toward them in an instant. Yet what they saw was a youth slowly walking in. Min Chi was slightly older, and in his present appearance could already be considered a young man, while Song Chuyi was even younger.
For scholars of their age, having some practical views was already considered quite good, but who could have thought that the person stirring up conflict among the various states would turn out to be so young?
“Foreign subject Song Huaijin pays his respects to the King of Wei.”
“Foreign subject Min Zihuan pays his respects to the King of Wei.”
The two said one after the other.
On the main seat, an old man with graying beard and hair, dressed in dark brown, carefully sized the two of them up.
At the same time, Song Chuyi was also quietly observing the King of Wei.
The loose flesh on the King of Wei’s face made it difficult to discern what he had originally looked like; only a pair of leopard-shaped eyes seemed especially bright.
