Chapter Seventeen: Qiao Rui Journeys North, the Two Qiaos Visit Again

Early summer, the beginning of June.

The blazing sun had begun to bake the earth.

In the city, behind the Qiao residence.

At this moment, Qiao Rui returned, his stride bold and powerful, a smile on his face. The sight of his two beloved daughters playing the zither and dancing in the rear courtyard filled him with even greater joy.

“Father, what has you so cheerful today?” Little Qiao approached with a smile, asking her question.

“Haha! His Majesty has appointed me Grand General of Cavalry. Soon, I will lead the army north to campaign against Cao Cao,” Qiao Rui replied with a hearty laugh. This was, indeed, excellent news.

Especially since Cao Cao would never anticipate this attack.

Yet as soon as he spoke, both sisters’ faces drained of color, their bodies going weak.

He had said it again. He'd predicted it again.

When Qiao Rui returned some time ago, the sisters had been both happy and anxious. But since no war was brewing, they hadn't dwelled on it. Now, however, panic took hold.

If what Chu Feng said was true—

In this campaign, Qiao Rui would die!

“Father, do you remember the master of the Chu family manor I mentioned before? He predicted your return, and foretold that you would soon go to war,”

“He also said you would die in—!”

As she spoke, Elder Qiao’s eyes reddened. She looked at Qiao Rui pleadingly, “Father, please resign as Grand General, don’t go to war. I beg you!”

“Nonsense, utter nonsense!” Qiao Rui’s good mood evaporated. “How can you believe the words of a wandering fortune-teller? His Majesty trusts me, which is why he’s given me command. How could I betray that trust?”

The joy he had wanted to share now turned into a bellyful of anger; his daughters actually believed a charlatan’s curse about his death. They were getting more and more foolish.

“Father, just this once!” Both sisters’ beautiful eyes grew red as they pleaded.

“Enough! Say no more!” With a flick of his sleeve, Qiao Rui strode away, his disappointment heavy. He had come to share glad tidings, only to leave in a huff.

Watching their father leave, Little Qiao burst into tears.

“Sister, Father won’t listen to us at all. What should we do now?” she sobbed, her face streaked with tears.

“We must find the man whose fate bears imperial destiny. The manor master said that if we, as sisters, marry him, Father will be safe.”

Elder Qiao recalled Chu Feng’s words from that day.

“But sister, where could we possibly find a man of twenty whose destiny carries the aura of an emperor?” Little Qiao was desperate. He was nowhere to be found, or rather, impossible to identify.

“The manor master said that if fate allows, we will meet him,” Elder Qiao replied, though she was on the verge of collapse. In such a vast world, how could they hope to encounter him?

Besides, how could they recognize this imperial destiny? Should they just choose someone at random to marry? That was impossible.

“Sister, it’s hopeless to search blindly among the masses. Why don’t we go find the manor master? He must know how to seek him out,” Little Qiao suggested, her eyes bright with hope.

Elder Qiao hesitated, but then nodded in agreement.

——

Elsewhere,

In the military camp, Chu Feng was practicing with his great halberd.

After several months of development, his personal force of three hundred elite soldiers had taken shape. Their skills in forced marches, survival, horsemanship, swimming, and solo combat had all improved significantly.

Their only weakness: they were still unfamiliar with mounted archery.

He also had eight hundred regular armored soldiers. To develop his private troops, Chu Feng exercised extreme caution, wary of attracting Yuan Shu’s attention.

Additionally, he possessed two hundred suits of cloth armor, eighty repeating crossbows, eighty warhorses, and fifty thousand measures of grain, along with assorted pigs, cattle, and sheep.

These resources were the fruits of Chu Feng’s recent efforts. Grain, however, remained a hard currency, and was difficult to acquire.

Chu Feng’s plan was simple: Yuan Shu’s usurpation of the imperial title made him a target for all. Chu Feng would train his troops carefully, and when Yuan Shu found himself isolated and friendless at year’s end, he would personally see to the man's demise, earning fame across the land and attracting heroes from everywhere.

Then, he would seize Yuzhang, perhaps even Lujiang, and through alliances, might vie for control of the realm, perhaps even founding an empire. At the very least, he could carve out a territory and act as a true lord, fulfilling his father’s hopes.

Of course, if the opportunity to unify the land presented itself, so much the better.

When he finished his halberd routine, Chu Feng was already drenched with sweat. Yet beneath the sun, the armored soldiers still stood in formation, enduring the heat as a test of will.

“Master, the Qiao sisters have come again, bearing many gifts. They’re waiting outside the residence, seeking an audience,” his trusted aide reported, bowing nervously.

“The Qiao sisters again?” Chu Feng wiped his brow, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes. It must be related to their father—could Yuan Shu truly be planning to launch his campaign mid-month?

Chu Feng fell into thought. Could it be his father who had revealed this? Logically, Yuan Shu should wait until autumn, the ninth month, before marching. Was his father hoping for Yuan Shu's victory?

Yet, his own predictions were nothing but wild guesses!

“Zhao Fan, keep an eye on their training. Remember: sweat more in peace, bleed less in war,” Chu Feng instructed, then mounted his horse.

Riding his jet-black steed, he raced toward his residence.

Before long, in the side hall.

He had met the Qiao sisters before, but seeing them again, he was still taken aback by their beauty—truly, they were of national renown.

He once thought himself partial to mature women, but now he realized he had not understood himself at all; what he truly loved were beauties, regardless of age.

Was there any need to choose between young maidens and mature women?

Only children make such choices—he wanted them all!

“Master Chu, General Qiao has received his orders and will soon march north against Cao Cao. Our efforts to dissuade him have failed. We beg you for guidance,” Elder Qiao implored, her usually composed manner tinged with anxiety. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Chu Feng, silently pleading for his advice.

“If persuasion worked, would I have asked you to seek the man with imperial destiny? You simply don’t understand my good intentions,” Chu Feng shook his head, as if disappointed by their naiveté.

“We admit our mistake, but we truly don’t know how to find such a man. You said fate would bring us together, but how will we recognize someone with the aura of an emperor?” Elder Qiao pressed, as puzzled as ever.

Little Qiao’s eyes glimmered with tears, her expression pitiable.

If they didn’t know their father would die in this campaign, perhaps they wouldn’t be so desperate. But knowing, how could they not try to save him?

“Don’t worry, ladies. As I said, fate will bring you together. For now, wait patiently at home,” Chu Feng replied with a gentle smile.

“But…” Elder Qiao hesitated.

“It’s settled. Just wait,” Chu Feng said, gazing at the sisters with a sigh. Such beauties, cast adrift by chaos—how could one not feel pity?

In the end, the Qiao sisters left, anxious and uneasy.

In the hall, Chu Feng sipped his tea. “Uncle Li, send word to my father. Ask him to arrange for a proposal to the Qiao family. I intend to marry those beauties.”

Uncle Li’s legs nearly gave way in shock.

The man with imperial destiny Chu Feng spoke of—was it himself?

“Master, should the proposal be for Elder Qiao or Little Qiao? And when should we send the matchmakers?”

“Both, of course. Why choose? As for the timing, ask my father. See when Yuan Shu plans his northern campaign; the wedding will be set for that very day.”

Chu Feng rolled his eyes. Only a child would make such choices. As for the alluring little sister-in-law—leaving such a beauty unprotected was unsafe.

Bringing her home, she’d still be a sister-in-law all the same.