The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

Meanwhile, in the pavilion in the backyard of the temporary commander's mansion in Yingzhou City, a thousand miles away.

'Achoo! Achoo—'

Just as Sikong Jin was about to drink her wine, she suddenly sneezed twice. She raised her hand to rub her nose and cursed, "Which bastard is cursing me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle voice entered her ears, "You have such leisure and elegance that you invite the bright moon to drink together, but you don't even invite me. You're quite carefree."

Upon hearing the sound, Sikong Jin suddenly raised her head and saw Tuoba Yu standing on the steps under the pavilion. The night wind made his azure robe flutter, and the moonlight, like water, shone on him, cascading down his body with a holy and pure radiance.

Tuoba Yu walked over and saw a jar of wine that had just been opened on the table. He smelled the faint aroma of wine wafting in the air, silently savored it for a moment, and then smiled calmly, "A vintage, top-quality Daughter's Red wine. I didn't realize you were such a wine lover."

As he spoke, he put the unopened bottle of wine he had brought over aside and sat down opposite Sikong Jin.

Seeing this, Sikong Jin glanced at him, smiled faintly, put down the half-full wine bowl in her hand, picked up another empty bowl next to her, filled it up, and said, "I was just worried about not finding someone to drink a few bowls with, and it just so happens that you came. I was thinking of going to find you, but I saw that the light in your room was off, so I thought you were asleep and didn't plan to disturb you."

Tuoba Yu smiled and shook his head. "I don't have the habit of going to bed early either. With such a beautiful moon tonight, would you like to play a game of chess?"

Without waiting for Sikong Jin's reply, he moved the wine jar aside and set up a chessboard.

Under the moonlight, Sikong Jin quietly watched him fiddling with the chess pieces, and she vaguely sensed a hint of loneliness and melancholy in his seemingly warm smile. She took a deep breath, didn't ask any questions, picked up the wine she had just put down, drank it down in a few gulps, and then said, "This time, I'll choose black. It's been a long time since I played chess, so I'm probably quite rusty. I don't mind if you give me a three-piece handicap."

Without hesitation, he picked up a black piece and placed it on the board.

"I wouldn't dare, Sikong Jin. I'm increasingly afraid to underestimate you. Let alone three sons, even one son could put me in a deep predicament, or even put me to death. I'm also very afraid of dying." Tuoba Yu smiled calmly and shook his head gently.

Sikong Jin smiled and poured wine, saying, "Your Highness flatters me. I, Sikong Jin, am a commoner. I have never been proficient in such refined things that can be called art. I have only dabbled in them. Besides, I don't have these kinds of things in my head. Your high regard for me makes me a little uneasy."

As Tuoba Yu smiled and placed a piece, Sikong Jin followed suit swiftly.

"We've played games like this before."

Tuoba Yu said in a low voice, seeing that Sikong Jin opposite him was looking at the wine bowl in front of him with a low gaze. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "I didn't expect that the Emperor of Dayong would actually send you here. Moreover, I heard that the situation in Tashe City seems to be not very good."

Sikong Jin was taken aback. She slowly raised her head and looked at him calmly, but her eyes became somewhat strange. She smiled and said, "I am a general of Dayong and a retainer of the Sikong family. Wherever the emperor sends me, I will go. I will resolutely obey the orders of my superiors."

As he spoke, the black stone he was holding fell to the ground again.

Such a calm and composed tone, surprisingly, made Tuoba Yu feel a slight sense of unease for a moment. Looking at her serene expression, a series of complex and intertwined fragments flashed through his mind. He finally understood her hardships. After much thought, he couldn't help but look deeply into her eyes and say softly, "Sikong Jin, I know that time by the Shenglan River... that man in black with a bamboo hat was you... and you were the one with the most reason to do it... Injuring you was not my intention. I didn't expect that person to be you... If I had hit you any harder... you would have died, Sikong Jin..."

At this point, Tuoba Yu's hand suddenly froze in mid-air, the chess piece in his hand momentarily unsure of what to do with it. His gaze remained fixed on Sikong Jin's delicate and bright face, and for a fleeting moment, that face overlapped with the face of the one with long, flowing hair that had fallen into the river...

He noticed a hint of femininity hidden beneath her deep pupils. He kept telling himself that he should do something, but he didn't know what he could do at that moment. He was suppressing a very strange impulse, an impulse that had existed for a long time, and had become increasingly intense in the last half month. His intuition told him that Sikong Jin always appeared before him as if veiled.

He really wants to unveil this mystery now!

Sikong Jin didn't expect him to bring this up again. Originally, she should have retaliated when he knocked her down into the Shenglan River with a single blow. However, as time went by, two years passed in the blink of an eye, and the intense resentment she felt at the time had subsided considerably. Now, all that remained was peace.

After all, they still need to work together. Let's put personal grudges and affections aside for now. She has always been clear about her grudges and affections and kept her public and private life separate.

However, seeing Tuoba Yu's certain expression, Sikong Jin didn't want to explain further. She suddenly smiled, a gentle smile that seemed innocent, yet Tuoba Yu could always sense a hint of desolation. She lowered her voice and said, "Your Highness, in truth, there are many things in this world that are difficult for you and me to control. I've heard people say that often only things change people, and people cannot change things. But some people always think about whether they can change certain things, and I, Sikong Jin, am one of those people."

“This isn’t self-deprecation; it’s my belief, my determination.” She suddenly lowered her eyes, quietly staring at the chessboard before her. After a long while, she finally placed a chess piece between her fingers, then picked up the few white pieces that had been captured. “Persisting in something that seems impossible can be exhausting at times, but if you can see hope, you can’t give up. Without them, Sikong Jin today… probably wouldn’t exist…”

After speaking, she handed the few white pieces in her hand to Tuoba Yu.

Tuoba Yu was startled, his handsome face suddenly stiffening. The look in his eyes as he gazed at her shifted several times in an instant, from respect and heartache to tenderness—a complex mix of emotions...

After a long pause, he nodded, a strange glint in his deep eyes. His voice suddenly softened, "I know, Sikong Jin... I never expected that you would teach me such a profound lesson. You are wise, and I respect you!"

As he spoke, he picked up the wine in front of him.

Sikong Jin smiled calmly, raised her wine cup with pleasure, clinked glasses with his, and drank it all in a few gulps.

"Time flies, another month has passed. I didn't expect to see such beautiful moonlight here tonight. May 1st seems to be a very lively day in the Great Zhou Dynasty as well..."

Tuoba Yu suddenly remembered what his ministers had just mentioned about the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou, Emperor Bei Zun, ascending the throne.