Thick furs were laid down on the floor of the tent, and there was a charcoal brazier burning within. It was much warmer in here than outside. Although the decor was rather simple, each of the items were still of high quality.
There was a screen painted with pictures of Chinese plum blossoms and orchids in the center of the tent. Behind was a simple, narrow bed. There were two sets of white clothes placed on the table beside it, as well as a pair of deerskin boots on the carpet nearby.
Although the boots were made of steel and leather, judging by their size, Chu Lian surmised that they were probably worn by a woman.
Chu Lian’s expression changed slightly. This was most likely the tent of General Sima, the female general that the book had mentioned only in passing.
She looked around her surroundings curiously. This was the first time she had seen a female general’s tent. However, it wasn’t much different from normal tents, apart from the slightly higher quality items and warmer decor. While looking at the tent, she thought of He Changdi and wondered what his tent looked like.
Chu Lian decided to ask Captain Guo to take her to He Changdi’s tent to have a peek after she was done with official business. For some reason, once she decided on that, there was a secret trace of delight in her heart.
Wenqing and Wenlan weren’t as relaxed as Chu Lian was.
They were also looking around the tent like Chu Lian was. Wenqing helped her master out of the large squirrel fur coat and set it down on a wooden chair nearby. She then took the hand warmer from Chu Lian and refilled the charcoal within. While Wenqing was doing all this, she had the strange feeling that the women behind them dressed in battle attire were staring at her master with hostility.
Wenlan couldn’t hold back her unease. She carefully poked her older sister in the side and used her eyes to ask Wenqing: why were there so many women in the army camp?
Wenqing shook her head at her and looked pointedly at her hands, instructing her to keep her focus on serving Third Young Madam.
Xiaoyan was standing to the side. Her figure was similar to Sima Hui’s, and they were both tall women. However, she was the skinnier of the two. Due to the long years of training in the army, she had an imposing air that most normal women didn’t have. As she stood at the side and looked down at the weak woman seated next to her, even though her tone was calm, there was still a hint of contempt and arrogance in her words.
“This subordinate greets Honoured Lady Jinyi on the general’s behalf. Honoured Lady must know that our general has already led most of the Right Wing Army to the frontlines yesterday and that Captain He was also amongst them. Thus, this subordinate takes the place of our general to welcome Honoured Lady. This subordinate hopes that Honoured Lady Jinyi doesn’t take offence.”
After Xiaoyan finished speaking, she took a cup of tea from one of the handmaids next to her and offered it to Chu Lian by placing it on the side table with both hands.
When Wenqing heard this female adjutant’s words, her brows furrowed and she turned to her master with worry.
Chu Lian shifted her gaze from her surroundings and looked up at the adjutant who had just spoken. She blinked and smiled before replying courteously, “General Sima is too kind.”
Xiaoyan kept her eyes on the face of the He Family’s Third Young Madam, which still held the traces of her tender youth. Upon hearing her calm reply, Xiaoyan didn’t know how to react. What was she trying to pull here? Couldn’t she tell that the expressions of her two maidservants had already turned stormy?
The adjutant lost a little of her composure. She could only do her best to try and smile as she said, “It’s fine as long as Honoured Lady doesn’t blame this subordinate.”
Chu Lian smiled as well and took the refilled hand warmer from Wenqing’s hands. She turned to Wenlan and said lightly, “I’m a little thirsty.”
Wenlan quickly took out a small copper pot wrapped in cloth from the little bag that she always carried around. She took out a porcelain cup as well and poured out a steaming hot cup of honey water for Chu Lian.
Xiaoyan looked at the actions of the master and servant before her, her eyes filled with disdain. As she had lived in the Sima Estate ever since she was a child, she had grown up around all sorts of luxury items and foods- naturally, she could tell that this honey water wasn’t just any normal honey water. But who cared about the quality? In the end, only poor country bumpkins favored honey water over sencha.
This Honoured Lady Jinyi couldn’t even recognize high quality sencha when it was right under her nose. Xiaoyan couldn’t resist remarking, “Honoured Lady might not know this, but this subordinate just offered some Zhengshan tea to Honoured Lady. This tea is what our general usually drinks.”
