That evening, when they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone went back to their rooms.

Ning Chen went to Feng Qizheng's room.

The moment he was inside, Ning Chen shut the door and dragged a table over to brace it.

Every window was locked fast.

He had not been lying down long when a hammering came at the door.

"Ning Chen, come out here!"

Feng Qizheng was furious.

Where were the beauties he had been promised?

He and Gao Ziping had gone to Ning Chen's room, told that two beauties were waiting, one for each of them.

They went in and found — good God — a place like a haunted house.

Only then did Feng Qizheng understand that he had been taken in.

Ning Chen lay on the bed with a dirty grin on his face.

"Stop knocking. There's nobody in here."

Ning Chen shouted it toward the door.

Feng Qizheng was angrier still. "If there's nobody in there, is it a ghost talking?"

"Old Feng, squeeze in with Old Gao tonight... or I'll tell Miss Yue about this."

Feng Qizheng went off cursing.

Ning Chen got up and quietly opened the window a crack.

There was a brazier in the room, and dying of carbon monoxide would be a ridiculous way to go.

He slept right through to full daylight the next morning.

It was a very comfortable night's sleep.

He shifted the table, opened the door and came outside.

More snow had fallen in the second half of the night.

A man with a broad square face, in armor, came up quickly with several others behind him.

He came to a stop in front of Ning Chen and bowed low, worship all over his face. "An Zhiguo greets my lord prince."

"I came back late from my round of the hills last night and did not dare disturb my lord prince's sleep."

Ning Chen gave a slight nod.

An Zhiguo had been Yuan Long's trusted man, and he could be relied on.

Ning Chen took An Zhiguo aside and gave him a few instructions.

An Zhiguo…