Chu Lian thought that He Changdi must have given them some sort of secret mission, so she stopped prying into the matter. When Manager Qin exited the parlour, he let out a terrible sigh.

Manager Qin wondered what kind of fit Third Young Master was having. He had ordered them to tell all the men in the estate that they weren’t allowed to shave their facial hair, at all, as long as they remained in Liangzhou. Anyone who disobeyed the orders would be thrown out of the party.

Manager Qin was only in his twenties this year. Now that he was working under Chu Lian, he was a main steward that plenty of people would respect. Just as he was thinking about settling down, the young master had given out this mysterious order. What was he going to do? With a face full of stubble, were any ladies going to take a liking to him?

They were the innocent casualties of a series of unfortunate events.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

By the time He Changdi managed to rush back to the northern border camp, there was just a sliver of the setting sun left on the horizon. The army cooks would have just started preparing dinner. The camp was at its busiest at this time, as it was around now that the soldiers also changed shifts.

He Changdi pulled at his reins and urged his horse to slow down as they neared the wooden barricade surrounding the camp

The soldiers who had just taken their shifts stood by the entrance. Even though the cold winds had caused the tips of their noses to turn red, the grips they had on their spears hadn’t loosened one bit.

He Changdi didn’t find anything wrong with this. He didn’t bother to get off his horse and simply made his way forward as he normally would. However, before he could enter camp, two spears appeared in front of him and blocked his path.

One of the soldiers lifted his chin and tried to make himself look imposing. He raised his voice and shouted, “Who are you and where did you come from? This is an army camp! Any trespassers will be killed!”

He Sanlang’s freshly shaven face turned grave, making him look even more cold and stiff. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to scare the soldier blocking his way.

The soldier’s eyes turned into narrow slits. This person seemed a little familiar to him. However, beautiful people were difficult to forget, and he couldn’t remember seeing a guy with this level of outstanding looks anywhere in camp. It was suspicious. Not only that, but the Captain had reminded everyone to be on the alert. There had been an increase in Tuhun spies lately; whatif this person was one of them?

He Changdi’s sharp eyebrows furrowed together. He reported his identity, “The Right Wing Army’s Infantry Captain He Changdi!”

The two soldiers exchanged glances, their eyes full of suspicion. One of the soldiers harrumphed. “Captain He doesn’t look like you at all! Stop talking nonsense and hand over your pass!”

He Changdi’ expression turned even darker. He had gone out on an investigation under the secret orders of Great General Qian, so he hadn’t brought out his pass. How could he bring it out at this time?

The two subordinates behind him were starting to get anxious. They tried to help explain, “Brothers, this is really Captain He. We’re not trying to deceive you. If you don’t believe us, you can ask for Captain Guo to identify him.”

The soldiers were still wary about their identities. One of the soldiers mumbled under his breath, “Do they think we’re blind? Isn’t Captain He’s face covered in a beard? This pretty boy doesn’t look the slightest bit like our heroic Captain He!”

Even though they didn’t believe the intruders, one of the soldiers still ran off to find someone who could verify their identities.

Although the soldier had only been mumbling, He Sanlang had still heard what he had said. A twitch developed in his eyes and he started to regret shaving away his beard.

Sima Hui stepped out from the commander’s tent, two of her female lieutenants by her side. She was being escorted out by the tall and burly Gao Zhangwei.

“General Sima is a hero amongst women. With your help, I’m sure the Tuhun soldiers will no longer be a threat to our border troops.” Although Gao Zhangwei was tall, his eyes were narrow and long. His forehead stood out more than average. As he talked, his eyes kept drifting all over the place, landing from time to time on Sima Hui’s chest and neck.

Sima Hui was currently dressed in full battle attire. Although her skin wasn’t as fair as most noble ladies, she was tall, with long legs and a full bust. Her long hair was tied up into a ponytail with a single red feather, and it dangled behind her back. She carried a heroic spirit in the arch of her brows. Her actions and words weren’t coy or reserved and were instead direct and open. She was a very special woman.

Of course, Sima Hui had already noticed Gao Zhangwei’s leers. Although she felt contempt towards him, she didn’t display it outwardly.

She made a cupped fist salute towards Captain Gao. “Captain Gao, thank you for escorting me this far. My camp isn’t too far from here. I’ll have to depend on your guidance in the future as well.”

“It’s no trouble at all. General Sima is a great heroine to us border troops. When the Tuhuns attacked us a few days ago, if not for General Sima’s timely arrival, our Left Wing Army would have suffered serious casualties. To demonstrate my appreciation, it would be better for me to escort General Sima all the way.”

Sima Hui frowned slightly. This time, she didn’t refuse his offer and nodded, turning to leave swiftly.

Gao Zhangwei shot a look at his two subordinates and followed behind Sima Hui.

He glanced sideways at these two subordinates, whose looks could be ranked lower than average, and felt a thread of satisfaction within. Although he didn’t look as heroic as Captain Guo nor as scholarly and refined as Zhang Mai, he thought that his looks weren’t too bad compared to most of the soldiers in camp- especially when he was dressed in a set of shining armour like he was now, with his hair neatly combed back and his face clean shaven. With his two subordinates acting as his foils, at least he looked better than that beardy He from the Right Wing Army! Sima Hui was just an overaged tomboy; she was already in the bag with looks like his.

Gao Zhangwei’s confidence exploded through the roof, as if Sima Hui was already his.