The quiet night was deep, and the moonlight streamed like silver threads.
After a long day, Gordan stepped into the wooden tub, letting his body sink into the warm water. He gently stretched out his arms and closed his eyes, enjoying this brief moment of peace.
"Sir, do you think Prince Lin is interested in Sasha?" Yuno picked up a bath towel, dampened it with warm water, and began scrubbing Gordan's back gently.
The room was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.
"Sir, Prince Lin even invited Sasha to be the head chef just to see her. That's not something an ordinary person would do," Yuno continued scrubbing his arm while speaking seriously.
"Yuno, Sasha cooks in the small restaurant every day. Doesn't that mean we see her even more than Prince Lin?" Gordan opened his eyes in frustration and let out a deep sigh.
Yuno grinned and got straight to the point. "Sir, did you see those crisp white banknotes Sasha had in her arms earlier? She made five hundred taels from just one meal. In a small town like this, even the finest meal would cost only two or three hundred taels at most. Isn't Prince Lin obviously trying to please her? We've been saving and working hard, and even then, we could barely gather three hundred taels for Sasha. But if Prince Lin starts sending her gifts again and again, what if Sasha gives in to all those sweet gestures?"
"What are you trying to say?" Gordan's mood worsened with every word he heard. He felt like kicking Yuno back to Lin City.
Yuno paused and stammered, "Sir, you brought only a little money on this trip. If you try to compete with Prince Lin's wealth, you'll be crushed completely. But if you don't compete, he's going to take Sasha away for sure!"
"Why? Sasha isn't someone who chases vanity," Gordan sat up straight in the tub. Beads of water slid down his hair and traced over his well-defined eight-pack abs, making Yuno's eyes turn red with envy.
He wished his skinny frame could be as strong and toned as Gordan's.
"What are you staring at?" Gordan noticed Yuno staring at his chest and gave him a light flick on the forehead.
Yuno rubbed his head and answered, "Sir, if it were someone else, I'd trust Sasha wouldn't be swayed. But this is Prince Lin we're talking about — handsome, talented in both literature and martial arts, extremely rich, and highly respected. Don't you think Sasha might like someone like that? You know how crazy the noble girls from Lin City are about him. Last year, the daughters of the Minister of War and Duke Guo's family fought in public over him. You were there too."
Gordan fell silent completely. His mind drifted back to half a year ago. He had indeed witnessed the scene Yuno described. Those two noble ladies had fought so fiercely that they both ended up bloodied and had to be carried off to the Justice Court. Even there, they fought two more times. In the end, both the Minister of War and Duke Guo had to show up personally to take their daughters home before peace was restored.
Yuno wasn't wrong. Xian's charm was definitely no small thing.
"Tomorrow, write a letter to the house. Tell them I've met someone I like here in Misty River Town, and ask them to send the jade token."
Yuno was overjoyed. His master had finally set aside his pride and decided to reach out to the family.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the courtyard, Sasha lay on the bed spread-eagle, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She couldn't sleep at all!
Yiro had given her five hundred taels — just for a meal for two! Was Prince Lin trying to eat her alive? Or was he hinting at something else, like including a tip for her hard work?
The next morning, Wind Garden.
A faint scent of agarwood lingered in the air. Sunlight filtered through the carved wooden windows, casting dappled golden patterns across Xian's body, giving him a soft golden glow.
"Yiro, what did you find out?" Xian asked slowly while flipping through the colorful silk robes in the cabinet.
"Duke, this girl Sasha has quite a… special background," Yiro hesitated, choosing his words carefully.
"Oh? How is it special?" Xian paused what he was doing and looked up.
"Her household registration was arranged just two days ago. Gordan gave thirty taels of silver each to the village chief and registrar of Little River Village to set it up. The records show Sasha is eighteen years old, born on the first day of the second month, Year 821 of Dayong. Other than that, there's nothing. We couldn't find anything about her upbringing, and her parents' names aren't in the village's genealogy," Yiro reported truthfully.
"Do you think Sasha might be a spy from another country, trying to use Gordan to get close to Duke Guo and carry out some mission?" Yiro asked, uneasy.
"What kind of country would send a beauty like Sasha to spy?" Xian gave his subordinate a look, clearly unimpressed. No wonder he didn't get married until he was twenty-eight.
Yiro laughed awkwardly and scratched his nose, stepping back. The Duke was right — he hadn't thought that through. Using someone like Sasha to gather information wasn't espionage — it was practically gifting their kingdom a treasure.
"Go to Little River Village later. Have the village chief and registrar officially add Sasha's parents' names to the genealogy. Then tell Hagord to delay the report to the Ministry of Households for now. If anyone comes to check Sasha's records, make sure he informs us first," Xian instructed.
"Duke, falsifying a woman's household record is a serious offense. What if Hagord refuses to help?" Yiro asked cautiously.
Xian glanced at him, then lifted an official green robe from the cabinet. "You don't think Hagord can overlook a report? Even if he gets demoted, I can restore his position. I hear the governor of Yuzhou, Lord Wang, is retiring in a year. Many people have asked me for recommendations. Ask Hagord what he thinks."
"Yes, understood." Yiro could tell the Duke had feelings for Sasha and was already paving the way for her entrance into the royal court.
Xian took out the gold-plated hairpin from his desk drawer, gently rubbing it between his fingers. His eyes softened with an unconscious tenderness.
"Has the kitchen staff been arranged?"
"Yes, Duke. Everyone is ready. We're just waiting for Sasha to arrive."
"Good. Then bring her in early." With that, Xian clipped the hairpin to his collar.
Sasha got up early that day. After giving Gordan and Yuno detailed instructions for preparing the braised meat and hot dishes, she got into the Duke's carriage and followed Yiro to Linfeng Garden.
The palace kitchen was huge — about two hundred square meters, at least three times bigger than the Bright Moon Inn's kitchen.
Two rows of tall, well-postured men dressed like professional cooks stood before her. They shouted, "Greetings, Miss Sasha," and bowed in unison, nearly making her want to turn around and run.
"Miss Sasha, these twenty men are all military chefs. Whatever ingredients or dishes you need, just let them know," Yiro explained enthusiastically. He then pulled a five-hundred tael silver note from his pocket and handed it to her. "This is today's budget. Please use it as needed."
"You already gave me five hundred taels yesterday. That's more than enough. Please take this back," Sasha said, surprised. Another five hundred taels? How expensive did they think cooking was? She really didn't understand the world of the wealthy.
"Miss Sasha, the Duke said if there's any leftover, you may keep it as a reward," Yiro explained. Without waiting for her reply, he smiled and left the kitchen.
Sasha held the silver notes tightly, her heart burning. She came here today to repay the Duke for saving her life, but now it felt like she was sinking deeper and deeper into debt to him.