The cold wind howled, and snow filled the sky.
The servants had just brewed the second pot of tea and brought out some pastries.
The conversation among the women of the Pei family continued.
"Sister, what does Sikong plan to do?" Pei Wan hesitated for a moment before asking.
Pei Fei smiled faintly, her gaze shifting to the soldiers on duty in the distance.
After a long pause, she said, "He has courage, but not enough strength. Whether it's Prince Qi or Prince Changsha who wins, he will side with the victor. The winner will need allies, and as long as he makes his stance clear once the dust settles, he can still gain some benefits, albeit not major ones."
Pei Wan's eyes also fell on the soldiers.
They were a group of young boys, their spirits high, but could they really fight? Little Pei looked up, following her aunt's gaze, and saw a burly warrior patrolling the snowy grounds, armed with a bow and a sword.
Pei Fei glanced at her niece and said, "That's a squad leader. Someone reported to Mi Huang that he was secretly gathering young men, as if harboring rebellious intentions. Mi Huang doesn't handle such matters, so it falls to me to investigate."
Little Pei gasped in surprise.
Pei Wan also took a closer look.
The man was taller and more robust than her own husband.
His face wasn't clear, but he seemed decent-looking.
In the heavy snow, his posture was upright, his movements deliberate as he inspected the sentries.
He even took the time to draw and sheathe the sentries' swords, checking if they were frozen.
"He's quite meticulous," Pei Wan praised.
"In these times, even bandit leaders are being recruited, let alone someone from our own household. Sister, you might not know, but in Bingzhou, there's been a severe drought for years. Refugees are everywhere, and the barbarians are causing chaos. Many noblewomen have been abducted, their fates unknown. Some even say they've been reduced to mere sustenance... This squad leader looks strong and capable. Why not take him under your wing?"
In the world of the Jin dynasty, where gentleness was highly valued, Pei Wan's husband was soft and delicate, sometimes even wearing light makeup when going out.
In Pei Wan's world, such men were common, and she had long grown tired of them.
Seeing this rugged warrior now, she found him not so crude after all, but rather intriguing.
When her husband was affectionate, he often needed to rest.
But this sturdy warrior, she thought, could probably go all the way without stopping.
At this thought, her face flushed, and she scolded herself for having such inappropriate thoughts.
Pei Fei remained noncommittal.
Did Shao Xun have ambition? Of course, he did.
Did he have ability? It seemed so.
A decade ago, Pei Fei would have thought harsh punishment was the right course of action for such a man.
But now, she hesitated.
Everyone had their own ambitions these days.
Times had changed, and she felt a mix of melancholy and resentment.
The conversation with her sister and niece had shaken her.
"Has Bingzhou really come to this?" she murmured.
She didn't need her sister to answer; she had already heard the rumors.
The Begging Army had marched to Hebei, and among its ranks were many officials, generals, and nobles from Bingzhou.
The chaos caused by Qi Wannian years ago had driven tens of thousands of people from Guanzhong to flee south to Shu, and the unrest had only grown since then.
The letters from home had mentioned many tragedies.
She could sit here in Pan Garden, sipping tea and eating pastries, but what about the future?
She felt a sense of dread.
The feeling of not being in control of her own fate was truly terrible.
"Sister, some of my close friends haven't been heard from in a long time," Pei Wan said.
Pei Fei sighed, making a decision in her heart.
The guests had long since left, and the tea had grown cold.
Pei Fei stared at the last wisp of steam rising from the tea bowl, lost in thought.
The faint aroma of the tea reminded her of the fragile royal authority of the Jin dynasty.
"Greetings, Princess."
Shao Xun arrived at the corridor and bowed.
Pei Fei looked up at the young soldier.
He was indeed tall, with bright, eager eyes full of ambition.
His hands hung at his sides, large and rough, with thick calluses.
In the biting cold, his fingers were red and swollen, with several cracks.
These hands were nothing like the delicate ones of the refined gentlemen or even her own husband, who, in his thirties, had hands as soft as a woman's.
This was a man from a different world.
In their world, there was no room for romantic fantasies, only the struggle for survival.
In their world, there were no elegant gatherings or lofty discussions, only backbreaking labor.
In their world, there was no grace or refinement, only the brutal reality of facing the blade.
The barrier between these two worlds had once been impenetrable, but now it was crumbling.
The women of the Pei family were already considering marrying fortress commanders.
Pei Fei suddenly felt her confidence wane.
She wasn't one to be aggressive, and after a moment of silence, she asked, "I heard you're teaching children?"
"Yes," Shao Xun replied.
There was no hiding it; it was only a matter of time before it came out.
But he felt a pang of anxiety.
Had he been too careless? Since arriving in this world, had he not fully integrated? Had he not yet internalized the rules of this world? Some things that seemed normal in the future might not be so here.
He straightened up, waiting for her next words.
"Why are you doing this?" Pei Fei asked.
"These children, who should be playing at their parents' feet, are instead forced to take up arms and march thousands of miles to this troubled land," Shao Xun replied.
"At night, I hear their cries, and it pains me. I thought of teaching them to read, so even if they return to their villages, they'll have a skill to rely on."
"That's kind of you," Pei Fei said, her slightly furrowed brow relaxing a little.
"But there are countless displaced children in the world. How many can you save?"
"I'll save as many as I can."
Pei Fei's gaze turned to the empty courtyard.
In the heavy snow, the young sentries stood stiffly, their faces red from the cold.
She remembered the chaos in Luoyang years ago, when the defeated fled in panic, often abandoning their wives and children.
To others, this might not seem like a big deal.
A man could always remarry and have more children as long as he survived.
But she was a woman, and she couldn't think like a "man."
Last year, when Sima Lun's rebellion failed, the princes raised armies for over sixty days, resulting in a hundred thousand deaths.
The fate of the wives and daughters of the defeated was too gruesome to contemplate.
Even those not involved in the rebellion, but caught in the crossfire, often saw their wives and daughters sold into slavery during their flight.
She didn't want to end up like that.
"If I give you some leeway, will you repay me in the future?" Pei Fei turned her gaze back to the young man before her.
His face bore the marks of sun and rain, his skin not exactly dark but a weathered bronze.
A warrior, naturally, couldn't compare to the pampered nobles.
But in these times, she found this rough-handed, bronze-skinned, ambitious warrior more reliable than the elegant sons of noble families.
"I always repay my debts," Shao Xun replied without hesitation.
His voice was soft but firm.
Pei Fei nodded slightly and was about to dismiss him when, almost involuntarily, she asked, "Repay whom?"
Shao Xun didn't hesitate.
"Repay you, Princess."
Pei Fei's hand clenched slightly, and she asked softly, "How will you repay me?"
"With my life."
Pei Fei turned to look at the courtyard.
The bare trees swayed in the wind, and a shiver ran down her slender, pale neck.
"A tree that stands out will be felled by the wind. You and the other squad leaders must get along. You may leave," Pei Fei said, picking up her tea bowl.
"Yes," Shao Xun understood.
Someone had been spreading rumors about him.
He bowed and quickly left.
Pei Fei set down the cold tea and sighed softly.
In these times, everyone was at the mercy of fate, everyone instinctively grasping for a lifeline.
But in this unpredictable world, who could truly be anyone's lifeline?
(End of Chapter)