Chapter Forty-Two: An Unexpected Encounter with the Third Prince

From a young age, Lin Miaomiao loved to recite ancient poetry, and now she effortlessly recited a poem from the Book of Songs, leaving the Third Prince, Li Tai'an, momentarily stunned. Xiao Gexu, hearing Lin Miaomiao’s spontaneous recitation, was also taken aback before praising her, "What a beautiful poem."

Lin Miaomiao touched her nose, feeling a little guilty. When she caught sight of Xiao Gexu, she paused, then broke into a sweet smile.

"Big brother, are you a strategist? The kind who commands from behind the scenes and secures victory a thousand miles away?" The man standing before Lin Miaomiao was truly striking.

In the modern world, Lin Miaomiao had always preferred men who gave her a sense of security, but this man exuded a gentle and refined demeanor.

Standing together, the two really did look like a perfect pair. Lin Miaomiao was a woman who liked men, but that didn’t stop her from indulging in shipping other couples.

Xiao Gexu heard Lin Miaomiao’s words and shook his head, replying, "Young lady, I am not the strategist here. I am His Highness’s study companion."

Lin Miaomiao nodded at his words, then suddenly remembered that "Your Highness" wasn’t a title commoners could use so casually.

She covered her mouth in disbelief and looked at the Third Prince, Li Tai'an, exclaiming, "Your Highness, are you a prince? Oh, wait, that might not be right—maybe 'prince' isn't addressed as 'Your Highness.'"

Xiao Gexu was about to correct her, but Lin Miaomiao quickly waved him off. "Don’t say anything—let me figure this out myself."

She tilted her head in thought, then suddenly remembered how, in historical dramas, they always called the Crown Prince "Your Highness."

She turned to Li Tai'an. "Could it be that you are the legendary Crown Prince?"

When Lin Miaomiao said this, she deliberately emphasized the words "Your Highness," wanting to show she was confident in her guess.

Li Tai'an chuckled at her words and replied, "No, I’m not the Crown Prince."

Lin Miaomiao stroked her chin and nodded thoughtfully. "So, not the Crown Prince, but addressed as 'Your Highness'—you must be someone of very high standing!"

"Hmm, then are you the Regent?" she asked offhandedly.

Li Tai'an burst into laughter at her question. "Young lady, you’re quite young, yet you know what a Regent is?" he teased.

Lin Miaomiao nodded earnestly. "I know quite a lot, actually. For example: the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Prince, the Commandery Prince, and also those marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons."

She counted them off on her fingers, then after thinking for a moment, asked, "Did I get them right?"

Li Tai'an nodded. "You did."

Lin Miaomiao looked satisfied. "Actually, I know plenty more. But what exactly is your status?"

Back in the modern world, Lin Miaomiao was a fan of historical dramas, especially those set in the palace. Yet she never really understood the intricacies of those palace intrigues.

But boredom was relentless. Once, a classmate used her as a pawn, and in her frustration, she complained to her best friend.

Her friend replied indifferently, "You’re too naive. If you can be used as a pawn, you’re not thinking straight. I suggest you watch more of 'Empresses in the Palace.'"

Determined to improve, Lin Miaomiao resolved to study "Empresses in the Palace" to learn the art of silent warfare. She watched it all summer, but still couldn’t fathom the schemes.

But with the internet at her disposal, and plenty of free time, she ended up browsing through all sorts of articles on palace intrigue shared by helpful netizens.

After reading them, she realized she was unworthy of the Emperor’s favor. If she ever transmigrated into the inner palace, she’d probably perish within the first episode, most likely beaten to death. As she chatted with Li Tai'an and the others, her mind drifted into a daze.

Li Tai'an, watching Lin Miaomiao lost in thought, wondered how such a clever girl ended up following his second brother.

She noticed him scrutinizing her, so she scrutinized him in return. It was the first time Li Tai'an had been regarded so closely by someone.

"What are you looking at?" he asked curiously.

Glancing at him, Lin Miaomiao replied, "I’m reading your face. Back in the day, people called me 'Half-Immortal Lin.'"

During high school, with little extracurricular activity or reading material, boredom often drove her and her classmates to mischief. One day, a boy in her class brought a book from the library called "The Book of Changes and Eight Trigrams."

That boy set up a fortune-telling stall in class, reading palms and faces for everyone.

Lin Miaomiao, tomboyish and unrestrained, counted the boy as her lackey. Every class, she’d join in, delving into the mysteries of metaphysics.

She still remembered how her homeroom teacher once caught her and admonished, "If you’re no good at your studies, why bother with fortune-telling? All the real masters are highly educated."

When Lin Miaomiao learned that fortune-tellers could make good money, her greatest childhood wish was to become a metaphysical master, earn a fortune, and reach the pinnacle of life. Never did she expect that her dream of being a charlatan could actually come true in ancient times.

Li Tai'an found her words amusing. "You know how to tell fortunes too?"

She nodded seriously. "Is there anything I can’t do? My knowledge stretches from the stars above to the earth below."

In high school, she studied liberal arts, and perhaps out of habit, whenever she saw a landscape, she would ponder what kind of terrain it was.

She challenged Li Tai'an, "I won’t give you the charlatan’s spiel. Let me test you: tell me, what kind of terrain and climate does Da’ankou have?"

Of course, Li Tai'an had no idea what kind of terrain or climate Da’ankou had.

Seeing he couldn’t answer, she grinned and explained, "This is a hilly region. If you observe carefully, you’ll see there are mountains, but they’re not steep—so, hills it is."

Da’ankou’s climate is: temperate continental monsoon. Four distinct seasons—long, cold winters; dry, windy springs with frequent sandstorms; short, hot summers with concentrated rainfall; crisp, temperate autumns. The plateau receives abundant sunlight, with large temperature differences between day and night.

Swaying her head, Lin Miaomiao explained, "I’m using technical terms, but to put it simply, there’s a huge difference between day and night temperatures. In the morning and evening, you need a padded coat, but come noon, you’ll want to wear just a shirt."

"'Just a shirt'?" Li Tai'an was puzzled by the phrase.

"It means a single-layer garment. Sorry, I misspoke," she laughed awkwardly, scratching her head. Li Tai'an only smiled and said nothing, glancing at the sky. She looked at him and said, "Now hurry up and tell me your status."

"Once you do, I can go cook for Brother Li."

Li Tai'an replied, "I am a prince."

Lin Miaomiao’s reaction was understated. She simply nodded.

Then, as if struck by a thought, she asked, "What’s your relationship with Brother Li?"

Li Tai'an looked at her and replied, "Brothers. I’m the third, he’s the second."

She nodded, then dusted herself off.

As she got up to leave, Lin Miaomiao turned back and said, "It’s fun chatting with you. Let’s do this again sometime."

"Chatting?" Li Tai'an echoed the word. Xiao Gexu and Li Tai'an also left the spot where Lin Miaomiao had been sitting.

Little did Lin Miaomiao know that, not long from now, these two elegant and refined young men would lose their composure, live out their days in haste, and after death, be hurriedly buried in the imperial mausoleum.

When she returned to Li Yanhe’s tent, she found him frowning and scribbling incessantly.

She glanced at him, sat down beside him, and said, "What are you thinking about? If you can’t figure it out, share it with everyone. Maybe someone will offer a new perspective."

Li Yanhe looked up at her, set his brush aside, and replied, "Just as you said, there’s a problem with this tunnel warfare, but I can’t find a solution."

She nodded. "Each place is different. There are general principles, but you have to adapt to the situation. If you really can’t figure it out, go and take a look for yourself—you might just find a good answer."

Li Yanhe nodded at her suggestion.

That night, Lin Miaomiao made a hotpot. In modern times, she loved hotpot so much that in college, she’d go out for it at least once a week.

Thanks to her hotpot habit, her weight soared through university, but to her, winter was made for hotpot—nothing else was as warming or lively.