Chapter 64: Department of Liming, White Tiger Army

Evening.
The Imperial City.
Inside a pavilion.

In an elegant chamber, Qin Yunmian met with her elder sister—the First Princess of the Great Yu, Princess Zhaoyue, Qin Yunxi.

Already past twenty, Princess Zhaoyue wore a moon-white long dress. She sat at a desk, holding a book in one hand and turning the pages with serene grace.

This eldest princess was cold, noble, and imposing. Instead of looking like a sheltered young lady skilled in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she resembled a female general returning from the battlefields.

And indeed, she was. Unlike other princesses, this fourth princess studied not only poetry and books, but also martial arts. She was proficient in military strategy, calligraphy, and Go.

At the age of eighteen, she had led an all-female army to fight the Xiongnu in the north, slaying thousands of enemies and winning resounding merits. Because that army wore silver robes and flew white tiger banners, they were called the White Tiger Army, and the fourth princess herself became known as the White Tiger General.

Currently, she even commanded the Liming Bureau, a secret intelligence agency of the Great Yu that supervised the entire realm.

Had this eldest princess not been a woman, the crown prince would likely have had no claim to the throne.

"Fourth Sister, why are your brows knitted so tightly?" Princess Youwei was introverted by nature and had always been closest to this fourth sister since childhood. Ever since her fourth sister became the commander of the White Tiger Army, they met less and less often, but fortunately, their bond had not grown distant because of it.

Princess Zhaoyue put down her book and sighed, "A capable individual has emerged among the Xiongnu in the north. Three years ago, he successfully conquered two Xiongnu tribes and merged them into one. Through three years of development, the current Xiongnu forces have grown immensely formidable. They are eyeing the Great Yu with covetous eyes and will surely invade in the future... In the southern coastal regions, a group of Japanese pirates appeared three months ago, plundering wealth, killing and burning, then fleeing back to the sea once they were done—simply odious... I originally intended to travel south, but the Xiongnu are growing restless once again..."

Qin Yunmian said, "Surely these... are of no great concern? The imperial court must have countermeasures against the enemy."

"Those in the imperial court see only immediate benefits; how can they perceive the crisis beyond the court halls?" Princess Zhaoyue smiled faintly, as if sneering.

Suddenly, she shook her head and laughed, "Why am I telling you all this? Have you eaten yet? I shall have Siqi prepare a feast."

"Fourth Sister, I obtained a bottle of specially made seasoning from Jiang Han. I'll have the cook add a little of it to the dishes." Qin Yunmian took a small bottle out from her bosom.

Curious, Princess Zhaoyue picked it up, opened the stopper, and sniffed. The rich, slightly pungent umami aroma made her frown slightly.

"Siqi, take this down and add a little to the dishes."

After instructing her maid to take the bottle of chicken bouillon away, Princess Zhaoyue looked at Qin Yunmian with smiling, sparkling eyes and asked, "Come to think of it, have you truly taken a fancy to that Jiang Han?"

Qin Yunmian's cheeks flushed slightly, and she did not reply.

Princess Zhaoyue continued, "If he were merely good at poetry, Luoyang is full of talented scholars, and the descendants of nobility are not lacking in exceptional men..."

Qin Yunmian spoke softly, "Which talented scholar could compose poems like *Everlasting Longing* or *Cherishing the Empty Goblet*? Which talented scholar could make Zhongli You willing to swear a oath of brotherhood with him?"

Princess Zhaoyue said, "That may be so, but have you ever considered that if His Majesty were to grant you a marriage, he would certainly choose from the descendants of the nobility or perhaps top scholars... He is merely a commoner; how could His Majesty ever look upon him favorably? Even if he has become Meng Hongshang's disciple, he remains nothing more than a martial artist of the pugilistic world."

Qin Yunmian frowned. Naturally, she had thought of all this. She asked, "What does Fourth Sister suggest we do?"

Princess Zhaoyue smiled. "How about having him join the White Tiger Army?"

"Your White Tiger Army consists entirely of women. How could a grown man survive amidst a crowd of women?" Qin Yunmian furrowed her brows deeply. The White Tiger Army was composed of women aged sixteen to forty, with rare exception for men.

If Jiang Han were to enter the White Tiger Army, he would likely be devoured down to the bones in less than a month. She would not fall for her fourth sister's trap.

Princess Zhaoyue rolled her eyes. "Then how about having him enter the Liming Bureau?"

"The Liming Bureau... has a poor reputation." Qin Yunmian raised her eyes to look at her fourth sister. "Besides... even if he becomes a Liming Envoy, His Majesty still might not think much of him!"

Princess Zhaoyue chuckled lightly. "What if he were to become the Commander of the Liming Bureau?"

Qin Yunmian asked in astonishment, "You are willing to cede your position to him?"

Princess Zhaoyue replied, "If he possesses the capability, why not give it to him? You know I never cared for this position."

Amidst their idle chatter, the cook finally served a succession of delicacies, and the rich aroma of food drifted through the room.

Princess Zhaoyue raised her eyebrows slightly. Why did today's dishes smell even more fragrant than usual?

She had Siqi ladle her a bowl of bamboo shoot and spare rib soup. Taking a small sip, her eyes suddenly lit up.

A powerful umami flavor flooded her palate; this soup was actually more savory and delicious than ever before.

"This soup is astonishingly fresh and sweet... What is that seasoning called?" Princess Zhaoyue asked in wonder. She tasted the other dishes as well, and all of them were more savory than usual.

Seeing her fourth sister's unsparing praise, Qin Yunmian wore a joyful expression and said, "Jiang Han calls it chicken bouillon."

"Chicken bouillon?" Princess Zhaoyue's expression turned peculiar. Why choose such a bizarre name?

"Siqi, bring me that bottle of chicken bouillon to look at."

Taking the porcelain bottle from the maid's hands, Princess Zhaoyue looked down with curiosity on her fair, delicate face, inspecting it closely. How could this substance be so miraculous...

Her curiosity regarding Jiang Han truly grew deeper by the minute.

Qin Yunmian said with rising enthusiasm, "As soon as Jiang Han finished making the chicken bouillon, he specially brought a bottle over to me. He said it was very difficult to produce, taking a whole day to make just one bottle... Oh, right, he even cooked a bowl of noodles for me. While a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, he was willing to cook for me..."

"A single bowl of noodles was enough to steal your heart away?" Princess Zhaoyue listened while quietly sliding the porcelain bottle into her sleeve without a sound.

Having finished speaking, Qin Yunmian glanced across the table and suddenly noticed the bottle was gone. She looked up at Princess Zhaoyue in bewilderment and asked, "Fourth Sister, where is the bottle of chicken bouillon?"

"I don't know," Princess Zhaoyue said calmly, continuing to eat.

Qin Yunmian's mouth dropped open. "Fourth Sister, did you steal my things?"

"Is your imperial sister that kind of person?" Princess Zhaoyue said indifferently.

"Then where did my chicken bouillon go?" Qin Yunmian searched the floor around her, found nothing, and looked up suspiciously at Princess Zhaoyue.

Princess Zhaoyue stared back at her and said calmly, "It's just a bottle of seasoning. You can just ask Jiang Han for another one later."

Qin Yunmian protested, "Fourth Sister, you definitely took it! I just saw you take it into your hands."

"This princess did not."

"You never refer to yourself as 'this princess' in front of me unless you're trying to trick me! Give it back!"

"......My dear sister, surely you wouldn't want Jiang Han to lose the position of Commander of the Liming Bureau, would you?"

"......"

Late into the night, watching Qin Yunmian puff out her cheeks and stomp off in a huff, Princess Zhaoyue's fair face broke into a smile.

"Chicken bouillon... indeed a rather interesting thing! Siqi, tell me, should we have him enter the White Tiger Army or the Liming Bureau?"

Siqi looked at the cold and elegant Princess Zhaoyue, pondered for a moment, and said, "Your Highness, this servant believes it would be better to have him enter the Liming Bureau."

"Why?"

"Firstly, the White Tiger Army consists entirely of women. If he enters the White Tiger Army, it will inevitably cause controversy, and the Ninth Princess would not be pleased. Secondly, Jiang Han has already entered the Manifestation Sect and become Meng Hongshang's disciple... If he enters the Liming Bureau, we can monitor the movements of the Manifestation Sect, and when appropriate, we can even utilize the Manifestation Sect to act on our behalf."