For a moment, Jiang Zhan was stunned.
The ice had cracked in front, yet the people walking ahead were fine, while the Northern Qi Princess he was protecting behind him had fallen in.
Out of the entire convoy, only the Northern Qi Princess had fallen in.
After the brief shock, Jiang Zhan quickly took off his heavy cotton coat and dove into the ice hole.
“General—” The soldiers, reacting a bit slower, shouted anxiously.
Submerged under the ice, Lu Chuchu was immediately engulfed by the cold, her entire body freezing almost instantly. Her first reaction was to curse loudly in her mind.
She knew it would be her again!
Originally, with her martial arts skills, she wasn’t some delicate noble lady who needed to be carried across the river by an old woman. She had only considered her luck and didn’t dare to be willful.
And the result?
Lu Chuchu cursed inwardly but, experienced as she was, kept her mouth tightly shut and relaxed her body.
This would greatly increase her chances of survival.
She was a good swimmer, but unfortunately, the fall was too sudden, and the river water was bitingly cold, robbing her of the ability to save herself.
A large hand grasped Lu Chuchu’s wrist, pushing her upwards.
Lu Chuchu breathed a sigh of relief, cooperating by relaxing her body.
Jiang Zhan was even more surprised.
It was rare to see someone so calm after falling into an ice hole.
It seemed this Northern Qi Princess wasn’t entirely without merit.
After sending Lu Chuchu up, Jiang Zhan was already stiff with cold, but fortunately, he was quickly pulled up by the soldiers.
The convoy reached the other side of the river and, due to this accident, stopped their journey, setting up camp by the roadside and lighting bonfires.
Lu Chuchu, having changed her clothes and drunk hot ginger tea, sat by the fire to warm up, still shivering all over.
Jiang Zhan, who had also changed his clothes, rubbed his hands not far away, his lips purple from the cold.
Damn, it was too cold. In the future, if anyone assigned him to escort someone again, he’d give them a piece of his mind!
Lu Chuchu glanced at Jiang Zhan and said sincerely, “Thank you, General Jiang, for saving me.”
Jiang Zhan felt somewhat ashamed, “It was my fault for not protecting the Princess well.”
But this was truly unpredictable!
He had thought the Northern Qi Princess would throw a tantrum, blaming the soldiers who had cracked the ice surface but didn’t fall in, or vent her anger on him as the leader. He didn’t expect the Northern Qi Princess to be so magnanimous, not even mentioning it.
Jiang Zhan’s poor impression of Lu Chuchu began to improve.
“Now you understand, don’t you?” Lu Chuchu said softly.
“Understand what?”
Lu Chuchu smiled bitterly, “In all my years, the two years I spent in the Great Zhou capital were my most fortunate days. Yet you discovered me and are sending me back. Now, before even setting foot on Northern Qi territory, my bad luck has started again…”
After listening to Lu Chuchu recount her illustrious history of misfortunes from childhood to now, Jiang Zhan was dumbfounded.
This… this was too tragic.
It was truly remarkable that this girl hadn’t become twisted in personality after living through all this.
“Is this why the Princess tried to escape midway?”
Lu Chuchu laughed self-mockingly, “What else? Did General Jiang think I was just an ignorant little girl running away from home for fun?”
Jiang Zhan laughed dryly, feeling a bit of sympathy in his heart. Suddenly, an idea struck him, “If the Princess always encounters bad luck in Northern Qi and wants to live elsewhere, it’s not difficult.”
Lu Chuchu’s eyes lit up, “You have a solution?”
“It’s simple. As the saying goes, ‘Marry a rooster, follow the rooster; marry a dog, follow the dog.’ You could just marry someone from Great Zhou or Western Liang. Don’t consider someone from Southern Lan, as you’re on good terms with my Fourth Sister, and marrying a Southern Lan person would put her in a difficult position.”
Lu Chuchu was momentarily stunned.
Jiang Zhan, quite pleased with his cleverness, said proudly, “Isn’t this method much better than the Princess running away from home?”
Lu Chuchu came to her senses and scrutinized that handsome face, pale from the cold, saying meaningfully, “General Jiang makes a good point.”
Jiang Zhan suddenly sensed a hint of danger but couldn’t understand why.
It must be an illusion caused by the extreme cold!
“If the Princess has rested enough, shall we continue our journey?”
Lu Chuchu looked at Jiang Zhan and smiled, “Mm-hmm.”
Jiang Zhan: “…” He felt as if something terrifying was about to happen.
Lu Chuchu sat in the carriage, leaning against the wall with a smile.
Marrying into Great Zhou seemed like a good, once-and-for-all solution. Perhaps she could even continue being the second shopkeeper of Lu Sheng Xiang.
Thinking about those rumors made her angry. She was the second shopkeeper, yet they said she was just a shop assistant!
As Lu Chuchu thought about this, she secretly lifted the corner of the curtain and peeked outside.
Suddenly, she felt that going home now wasn’t so bad. Spring in Northern Qi was just around the corner.