The moment she sat up in bed, the door creaked open. Murong Jin looked up to see her father, Murong Yan, walking toward her, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Father," she said with a bright smile.
"Sneaking back here without a word. Do you even remember you have a father?" he said, his face stern as he looked down at her pale features. "If you hadn't run into the Fourth Prince, you wouldn't be alive to call me that now."
Murong Jin lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Father," she whispered.
Seeing her crestfallen look, Murong Yan sighed deeply and patted her on the head. "Did Xue Liulan mistreat you?" he asked, his voice softening.
"What? No, not at all," she said, her head shooting up, a genuine smile in her eyes. He was still her father, after all. Worried his daughter was being bullied in her new home.
He hadn't expected her to deny it. He sat on the edge of the bed. "Jin, when I married you to him, it was for the sake of our family. But you are my daughter. Of course I want you to be happy."
"I know, Father," she said, taking his hand.
"So if the Fifth Prince ever bullies you, you tell me. The Murong family may not be what it once was, but no one is allowed to harm my daughter."
She stared at her father. The fierce frontier winds had carved deep lines into his face, but the look in his eyes when he gazed at her—that soft, loving look—had not changed in all her memory.
"Father, are they taking good care of you while I'm away?" she asked, studying his face.
He smiled. "I'm fine. The border has been quiet lately."
She nodded, relieved. If the border was quiet, her father was safe.
"Jin, the men who attacked you. Do you know who they were? The Fourth Prince said they were dressed as northern raiders." The mere mention of the attack made his expression turn cold.
"Yes, but I am certain they were not. Their skills were too refined." She recalled the fight, how they had moved. "Their fighting style was from the heart of the kingdom."
Murong Yan's brow furrowed. "Who else knew you were coming back?"
She shook her head. "I locked down the prince's residence. And I had Die Man brought in to stay with Xue Liulan. No one should have known I had left Jindu."
"Die Man? The courtesan the Fifth Prince once got into a brawl over?"
"Yes," she said, looking away to hide the flicker of unease in her eyes. Perhaps the thought of them together still bothered her after all.
Seeing she didn't want to discuss it, Murong Yan changed the subject. "Then there is a spy in the Fifth Prince's residence."
Murong Jin breathed a small sigh of relief. "It would seem so. If we can find out who the assassins were, we might be able to find the spy."
"The Fourth Prince said he would look into it. I have also ordered the Vermilion Bird Camp to investigate." He rose and pulled the quilt up over her shoulders. "You're injured. Rest. Now that you are home, you don't have to worry about these things."
"Mm," she said with a smile.
But as the door closed, her own smile faded.
Everything here was so familiar—the armor on its stand, the whip on the wall, the ink-wash bamboo pattern on the bed curtains. It was as if no time had passed. As if her days in Jindu had been nothing but a loud, chaotic dream.
But it wasn't a dream. And the name Murong Jin was now tied to Xue Liulan, forever.
After a few days of rest, the wound on her leg had mostly healed. Murong Jin stood before a bronze mirror, dressed once more in her silver armor. Murong Yan, knowing how much she missed it, had given her permission to join him on his inspection of the Vermilion Bird Camp.
"Commander!"
When Murong Jin strode into the command tent, every officer present shot to their feet, their faces a mixture of shock and awe.
Murong Yan sat in the central seat, a proud smile on his face. She was still his brilliant, formidable daughter. The decadence of the capital had not dulled her edge.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.
"Sir."
As she sat, the other officers finally recovered. It was true. Their general had returned.
"Yi, what have you found?" Murong Yan asked one of the men.
A young officer stepped forward. "Sir, the assassins' raider clothing was indeed stolen from civilians on the border. We found their bodies in a snowdrift not far from the posthouse. But we found nothing on the assassins themselves that could identify them."
Murong Yan glanced at his daughter. She just smiled. It was just as Xue Zhuoran had predicted.
"Liu, what is the situation in Sushen?"
"Sir, the Yanyun did attack Sushen. After the commanding general was killed, the Fourth Prince's strategy saved the fortress. For now, they are holding their position." Liu finished his report, then couldn't help but glance at Murong Jin. Weren't they told she had married the Fifth Prince? Why was she back? Did she get sent home in disgrace?
"If that is all, you are dismissed."
The officers filed out, leaving the father and daughter alone.
"Your intelligence unit is the best in the kingdom, Father."
He gave her a knowing look. "You've never been one for empty flattery. What is it you want from me?"
She smiled, a little embarrassed. "Am I so obvious?"
"Are you asking for the Vermilion Bird Camp as a wedding dowry?" he boomed with a laugh.
"The camp is your life's work, Father. I wouldn't dare. Besides, without them, the blame for any military failures would fall on my head."
"Oh?" he asked, his interest piqued. "Jin, you didn't sneak all the way back here just to see your old father. You've been holding something back, afraid I'll say no."
Her smile faded. She rose to her feet. "You know me too well, Father. There is something I must ask of you. And I am afraid you will refuse."
"Let's hear it."
"I need two of your men. Only two," she said, holding up two fingers.
"Two?" He laughed, a sad note in his voice. "An army is easy to raise, but a single good soldier is hard to find. Who do you want?"
"Yi and Liu."
The answer surprised him. He had expected her to ask for his political agents at court. Yi and Liu were skilled, but they were not the best the camp had to offer. "What do you need them for?"
"To gather intelligence, of course. If Xue Liulan had known what the Seventh Prince was planning, he wouldn't have been caught so off guard and taken fifty strokes of the staff for nothing."
"Ah, so you're worried about your husband now?"
"Father," she said, her cheeks flushing. "Since our family has chosen him, we must support him fully. It is my duty."
"True," he said, not pressing the matter. "But why Yi and Liu? They are good, but not the best. Jindu is a viper's nest."
"The best should stay here with you, to fight the raiders. For a place like Jindu, Yi and Liu are more than enough. They are both from the capital and know it like the back of their hands. Yi is young, but his lightness skill is excellent. And Liu is a master of disguise who knows the ways of every walk of life. In a city like Jindu, he is the perfect choice."
"You've chosen well. Using people according to their talents."
"You were the one who taught me," she said, the smile returning to her eyes, a daughter's smile that seemed so out of place with the cold armor she wore.
He smiled back fondly. "Then I will send them with you."
"Thank you, Father." She finally relaxed. "Oh, and Father, the Vermilion Bird Camp is a secret unit. Please remind the others to be discreet. We don't want any news of this reaching the wrong ears."
A look of pure admiration spread across his face. She was a wife now. And she was more meticulous, more cunning, than ever before.