Chapter 108: Undercurrents

The snow continued to fall. Jun Jun Zijin stood in the courtyard, gazing at the snowflakes dancing across the sky, her brows knitted tight. If it kept falling like this, the snow would surely block the roads; workers wouldn't be able to retrieve the feathers, and how could the soldiers' warm clothes be made? No, she must retrieve all the feathers no matter what.

The atmosphere in the workshop instantly grew Solemn. Everyone realized the severity of the problem.

"Everyone, don't panic first!" A worker named Liu Ping turned around and shouted loudly, "We will go to the city and the suburbs immediately and try to transport the feathers back before nightfall!"

Hearing this, the workers nodded in agreement one after another. Liu Ping immediately led several strong workers, taking carts and tools, and ventured out into the snow to purchase feathers.

The heavy snow continued to fall, but the workers inside the workshop felt incomparable warmth. They knew that although they could not go to the battlefield themselves, their intentions had already been conveyed to every soldier's heart along with these down jackets.

The cold wind howled, whipping up snowflakes that filled the sky, leaving the world between heaven and earth a vast, desolate white. Quan Quan Aoyu rode on horseback, wrapped in a black cloak, his gaze sharp as a blade, piercing through the wind and snow to stare straight ahead.

Behind him, a elite force of twenty thousand men stood ready. The soldiers stood rigid as pines, their armor gleaming with a cold light in the snow. They all wore down jackets; some were sewn by Jun Jun Zijin's own hands. Though the soldiers stood in the biting wind, their morale was high. They felt warm inside and out. Quan Quan Aoyu often saw soldiers carefully stroking the collars of their clothes, as if Jun Jun Zijin's warmth still lingered there.

"Princess, Princess." Someone led the shout.

The sound was like a single spark of fire, instantly igniting the entire army. Twenty thousand soldiers shouted in unison: "Princess! Princess!" The wave of sound shook the snow from the tree branches, causing it to rustle down.

Jun Jun Zijin stood on the city wall. Hearing the soldiers' cries, her eyes turned red. She waved vigorously at the soldiers and shouted loudly, "My lords, you must return safely!"

Quan Quan Aoyu tightened his grip on the reins until his knuckles turned white. How could he not know the soldiers' feelings? Every stitch of these down jackets was soaked with Jun Jun Zijin's blood and sweat. Four days ago, she had led the city's embroiderers, craftsmen, and refugees, working day and night, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, her fingers worn raw. Four days, merely four days, and they had rushed to make 20,000 down jackets.

In the wind and snow, Quan Quan Aoyu sat on his horse, his gaze firm, like an unshakable mountain. He cast a deep look back at the city wall behind him; there, she was.

On top of the city tower, Jun Jun Zijin, wrapped in a white fox fur coat, stood silently in the wind and snow. Her gaze pierced through the swirling snowflakes, tightly following that tall figure. The biting wind blew her hair into disarray, yet it could not blow away the deep affection and reluctance in her eyes. With such fierce wind and snow, the march would surely be a thousand times more difficult.

She knew this parting might last for months, or even longer. The border war was urgent; the Crown Prince was leading the expedition personally, bearing the heavy responsibility of family and nation. And she had promised him to guard Jingcheng well for him, so he would have no worries behind him. She silently prayed, waiting for his return.

Quan Quan Aoyu's gaze met hers in the air, as if thousands of words were flowing between them. He nodded slightly, a gentle smile curving his lips, as if telling her: "Wait for me to return." Jun Jun Zijin nodded lightly, a glimmer of tears rising in her eyes, yet she forced herself not to let them fall.

"General!" The deputy general spurred his horse forward, "The time has come."

"Depart." Quan Quan Aoyu's voice was low and powerful, as if even the wind and snow could not mask his majesty. The column slowly set off, the horses treading on the snow, leaving a string of deep footprints on the white ground.

Hooves kicked up clouds of snow mist as the great army moved forward slowly. Quan Quan Aoyu's figure gradually disappeared into the wind and snow, yet Jun Jun Zijin still stood in place, unwilling to leave for a long time. In her heart, it seemed an invisible thread was tightly tied to him; as he moved further away, the thread grew longer and tighter.

"Woodhead, you must return safely..." she whispered softly, her voice swallowed by the wind and snow, yet deeply imprinted in the bottom of her heart.

Today, the Crown Prince led the army to launch an expedition to the Northern Frontier. The entire court and the common people were thrilled. The Northern Frontier war was urgent; the border was in crisis. The Crown Prince's personal expedition revealed the imperial family's determination and sense of responsibility. As the Crown Prince left Jingcheng, undercurrents surged within the court.

Noble Consort Gao stood by the window of Liulidian, her fingertips gently rubbing the carved patterns on the window lattice. Her gaze pierced through the lattice, looking toward the distant palace walls, as if she could penetrate the layers of walls and reach some corner of Jingcheng.

"Jun Jun Zijin is not dead, but since the Crown Prince is leading an expedition to the Northern Frontier today, the effort was not in vain." She murmured to herself, a faint smile curving her lips. That smile hid a bit of pride and a bit of calculation, as if everything was under her control. However, what she did not know was that her actions were also under someone else's control.

Quan Quan Aoyu, Jun Jun Zijin—these two names were like thorns deeply stuck in Noble Consort Gao's heart. Those two would be the greatest threat to her son. Although the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Noble Consort differed by only one character, their status in the harem was worlds apart. Her future, no matter what, could not be merely that of an Imperial Noble Consort.

Noble Consort Gao's eyes flashed with the light of ambition; her eyes were like cold stars, and a cold smile curved her lips. She turned and walked toward the desk, her fingers lightly tapping the tabletop, as if beating the rhythm of ruling the world.

The snow was still falling. Jun Jun Zijin stood on the city wall until the great army grew farther and farther away, finally becoming a tiny black dot, and then vanished completely. Only then did Jun Jun Zijin descend from the city wall. Her fingers had long since turned purple from the cold, yet she seemed to feel no chill; in her heart, there was only endless worry.

Melon seeds and Peanuts stood behind her and softly advised:

"My Lady, the Highness will surely return safely; please rest assured. Let us go back. It is freezing cold; if you stand here any longer, your body will not be able to bear it, and the Highness will worry."

Jun Jun Zijin nodded slightly. This was not the time to fall ill. With the Crown Prince leading an expedition to the Northern Frontier, someone in the court would surely be anxious to reshuffle the cards.

"Give the order: purchase a batch of grain and medicinal herbs from the entire city, and do it quickly. Additionally, continue purchasing feathers," Jun Jun Zijin said.

Although Quan Quan Aoyu had brought a batch of medicinal herbs, and her medicine processing workshop had rushed to produce medicine for four days, her finished medicines were in short supply with no stock left. Therefore, the finished medicines Quan Quan Aoyu took were not too many for the tens of thousands of soldiers. However, in such severe cold weather, falling ill was probably unavoidable; she must ensure the soldiers' grain and medicine supplies.

Jun Jun Zijin always acted with foresight to prepare for the worst, which was also the reason she had always proceeded smoothly.

She leaned against the bricks of the city wall and walked down the steps one by one. Her skirt swept over the snow on the bluestone steps, making a faint rustling sound.