◎Wedding Banquet◎

Ever since that great victory, Yan Fu seemed to have gained some divine favor. Chu Lin handed him command of the western garrison’s left guard, and he quickly became a central figure within the western frontier army, winning battle after battle against Xishao with unstoppable momentum.

The following spring, Xishao retreated once more beyond Lishao Pass.

Yan Fu was summoned back to the capital once. Chu Lin praised him without end, remarking with satisfaction that the western frontier would have a worthy successor after his own hundred years were up—words that moved Song Chang deeply as well, who personally pinned a plume to Yan Fu’s cap with his own hands.

Fortunately, the household registration Zhou Tan had forged for Yan Fu was meticulously done, and no one ever questioned his identity—not even the Crown Prince or Li Wei, who both simply assumed he was some obscure young soldier under Wang Juqian’s command.

Song Chang entrusted him with the first letter to be sent to Zhou Tan.

Yan Fu accepted every gift sent his way from all directions, packed them all into two cartloads, and happily returned to the western frontier.

He gave one entire cart away to Xu Zhi, and divided the other among his brothers-in-arms. Qu You watched, torn between laughter and exasperation, as “Flying Tiger” and “Bull Horn,” two soldiers close to Yan Fu, played marbles with cat’s-eye moonstones the Crown Prince had somehow gathered from who knows where.

Zhou Tan, having received Song Chang’s private letter, asked from the side, “Didn’t you keep anything for yourself?”

Yan Fu answered, “My elder sister has already passed, and my parents are gone too—all I have left is my foster father and these brothers of mine. Giving it all to them costs me nothing. I did keep something aside for you, Lord Zhou…”

Qu You quickly said, “No need, no need. We don’t lack for anything.”

Yan Fu continued, “I kept some fashionable fabrics and jewelry from the capital—Nanny Yun said they were all top quality. I gave half to Sister Yiran, and the other half…”

Qu You immediately changed her tune. “Xiaoyan, thank you so much!”

Zhou Tan let out a soft laugh, quickly covering it with his hand, then said seriously to Yan Fu, “So you’re not planning to marry, then?”

“What’s the rush,” Yan Fu said, blushing immediately. “Back in the capital, several old officials wanted to marry their daughters to me, but the moment they heard I’d be coming to the western frontier, they all changed their minds. Only one young lady, surnamed Gao, remained remarkably persistent…”

At this, Qu You perked up with interest. “Miss Gao? Is she still unmarried?”

Yan Fu said, “You know her, my lady? Ah… she had someone intercept me, saying someone wanted to ask after me. I thought it was just an excuse, so I didn’t go to the meeting. Oh no, come to think of it, what she probably wanted to ask about was you, my lady.”

“That heartless girl—wanting to ask about me and not even bothering to write me a letter,” Qu You said with mock reproach. “I wonder how she’s doing these days.”

“As you instructed, my lord, I made a round of the shops and residences along the main street, and shared a cup of tea with Proprietor Ai,” Yan Fu said, lowering his voice since there were no servants in the room. “Young Master Su is quite the rising star at court these days and couldn’t spare the time to see me, but Proprietor Ai says the young prince is doing well. These days, when he goes out, a physician surnamed Bo accompanies him at all times—please set your mind at ease, my lord.”

Zhou Tan responded simply, “Good. That’s good to hear.”

Though Yan Fu came across as straightforward and carefree, seemingly without a scheming bone in his body, he was in truth someone who played the fool while being remarkably astute. Accepting every gift offered to him in the capital had been a deliberate move—he wanted the Emperor and the Crown Prince to see him as nothing more than a battle-obsessed simpleton, hopelessly clueless about court politics and social maneuvering.

That way, they would let their guard down around him.

But in truth, Yan Fu, orphaned since childhood and raised scraping by among beggars and rough soldiers, was remarkably sharp and skilled at reading people. The moment Zhou Tan finished speaking, he understood that his lord couldn’t share the Emperor’s private letter with him—not that he had any interest in reading it anyway—and immediately picked up the unfinished pastry Qu You had made by hand and took his leave.

Zhou Tan broke the wax seal on the letter and read it carefully. In it, Song Chang expressed concern for his health, said he thought of him often, and wrote at great length in a rambling manner, vaguely mentioning that his own health hadn’t been good lately, and telling Zhou Tan he could return to the capital whenever he wished.

Qu You reflected that Emperor De’s health had indeed begun declining around this time, so at least he hadn’t lied about that.

Zhou Tan let out a cold laugh, however, and immediately burned the letter over a candle flame, saying coldly, “As people grow old, they start putting on airs of sentimentality—probably sensing their own mortality approaching, and wanting to do some good deeds to make up for it. But… it’s far too late for that.”

The moment he finished speaking, his expression softened. Having burned the letter, he stroked Qu You’s hair, sounding somewhat apologetic. “Though, to avoid letting anyone in the capital notice how close Xiaoyan and I have become, I didn’t dare have him pay a visit to your parents on your behalf…”

“It’s fine. My parents and my younger siblings all write to me regularly—seeing their words is almost like seeing them in person,” Qu You said, nuzzling against his palm with a smile. “Xiangwen has really come into his own this year—he passed the spring examination on his very first attempt. By the time we return to the capital, he’ll be a valuable ally for you too.”

Zhou Tan rested his head against her shoulder with an air of deep attachment, and every time he did this, she found herself utterly unable to resist, never quite sure how best to express her affection in return.

She heard him murmur softly against her ear, “Good. Now there’s just one thing left…”

Qu You asked curiously, “What thing?”

Zhou Tan, with a touch of wistful reproach, nipped gently at her earlobe. “Last July, we never got around to holding our wedding banquet.”

After the war, there was a great deal of business to attend to—comforting the wounded, resettling displaced civilians, rewarding the troops. Chu Lin remained in Ruozhou for some time longer, working with Zhou Tan to arrange a banquet honoring the soldiers.

He’d met Zhou Tan once before back in the capital, though they’d never been close, and he’d only heard rumors about him—rumors that had left him thoroughly unimpressed. But after working alongside him day and night for a while, he discovered that though the man was cold and reserved by nature, he was, in truth, a solidly conscientious official who genuinely cared for the people.

Nor did he put on airs. When Xishao’s forces had pushed all the way to Ruozhou’s gates, while Yan Fu had been fending off another enemy contingent over twenty li away, Zhou Tan himself and Wang Juqian had personally manned the city gates, eating and sleeping alongside the soldiers, holding the line without rest for three days straight—never once idle the entire time, and even while wounded himself, still concerned with getting treatment for the injured soldiers.

After the gates reopened, he rested for only a few hours before immediately turning his attention to the problems of the refugees and food supplies. The people of Ruozhou, having witnessed all this firsthand, came to hold him and Prefect He Yuankai in even greater, more genuine esteem. By now, the two of them were deeply beloved throughout Ruozhou—something that had rather surprised Chu Lin when he’d first arrived.

Qu You, too, had been run off her feet these past months. Besides helping the city’s physicians treat wounded soldiers, she’d also worked alongside Wang Yiran to comfort the city’s elderly, weak, and disabled. For the women who’d lost their husbands in battle and had no means of supporting themselves, she came up with an idea—opening a restaurant on a nearby street and teaching everyone to prepare dishes uncommon in this era.

The venture proved remarkably successful, and business at the restaurant flourished almost immediately.

Sometimes Qu You found herself thinking that, despite not being a science or engineering student, without any world-changing technical cheat skills to speak of, the most useful ability she’d brought with her into the great Yin dynasty had turned out to be cooking.

Before Chu Lin left Ruozhou, Zhou Tan hosted a small banquet for him. The two sat facing each other, talking, and Chu Lin sighed. “Young Master Zhou, a place like the capital, full of scheming and treacherous hearts one can never truly read—if you don’t have a mind sharp enough to navigate all seven twists and turns of it, you’ll never survive there… It’s just as well you didn’t stay in that filthy place. Back in the capital, they saw you as some kind of savage beast. Even I never expected you to turn out to be the sort of man you actually are.”

He reached out and clapped Zhou Tan firmly on the shoulder. “Everyone in Ruozhou city sings your praises—I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You have the talent to govern the realm itself, and yet they still managed to smear your name with filth. That court, ah…”

Qu You brought over another jug of wine for the two of them and sat down to join the conversation for a while.

Zhou Tan showed little reaction to Chu Lin’s praise, only offering a wry smile. “Old General Chu flatters me too much. Actually, there’s something I’d genuinely like to discuss with you.”

Chu Lin, not yet too far into his cups, glanced at Qu You beside him and probed cautiously, “I’ve heard that Young Master Zhou was demoted to Ruozhou because of factional strife around the Crown Prince…”

As for the matter of Fu Qingnian, everyone only knew that Zhou Tan had been the victim of his schemes, never suspecting the role Zhou Tan himself had played in the affair—they merely assumed the Crown Prince had gotten hold of some serious leverage against him, and that the Emperor, enraged, had ordered Fu Qingnian’s death as a result.

Zhou Tan said, “Old General Chu, you’ve just returned from the capital—from what you’ve seen, how do things stand there?”

He didn’t answer Chu Lin’s question directly. Chu Lin, understanding the gesture, pointed at him knowingly and poured himself another cup of wine. “His Majesty’s health is failing, and yet he keeps delaying, unwilling to let the Crown Prince take over state affairs. He must have some other scheme in mind. Is Young Master Zhou asking because you’re concerned about His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Zhou Tan shook his head, which caught Chu Lin somewhat by surprise. “Then you…”

Zhou Tan answered evasively, “The troops under Old General Chu’s command, though stationed far away at the western frontier garrison, are disciplined and well-regarded by everyone in the city since their arrival—quite different from the impression General Li Wei left behind. Though you currently hold command over the great Yin’s military might, you’ve spent so many years stationed at the western frontier that it’s worth considering carefully whether the capital garrison can truly be trusted to serve as His Majesty’s loyal arm, rather than someone else’s. Please take great care not to make any missteps.”

Chu Lin had meant to probe him about his relationship with the Crown Prince, but instead received this earnest reminder about loyalty to Emperor De, which left him rather solemn. He sat up straighter and raised a cup to Zhou Tan in respect. “Young Master Zhou speaks wisely. Once I’ve settled matters on the western front, I’ll return to spend some time in the capital.”

Qu You, who had been mulling something over beside them, finally couldn’t hold back, and as she refilled Chu Lin’s cup, said softly, “Should the capital ever face upheaval and call General Chu back, please proceed with the utmost caution and careful deliberation. As you said yourself, the whirlpool of power is no less dangerous than the battlefield—perhaps even more merciless. General, please take good care of yourself.”

Chu Lin simply laughed the remark off.

In early April, before Yan Fu led the western frontier garrison’s troops back to camp, He Yuankai and Zhou Tan held a simple wedding banquet together on the same day.

In truth, everything had already been prepared back in July of the previous year, only for the sudden Xishao invasion to force a postponement. Now, picking up where they’d left off, it was easy enough to arrange something respectable.

With the war so recently ended, no one wished for anything too extravagant. Wang Yiran’s relationship with He Yuankai had progressed remarkably in the meantime, the two of them now utterly devoted to each other, caring little for such formalities.

Qu You and Zhou Tan, as a couple, were now deeply beloved by the people of Ruozhou. As Zhou Tan rode through the streets on horseback, warmhearted old women and men came out bearing fruit and flowers to see him off, creating quite a lively scene outside the Wang residence.

He Yuankai rented out nearly every restaurant in Ruozhou, inviting everyone to celebrate together for three days.

Nanny Yun sat at the head of the hall, holding the ancestral tablets of Zhou Tan’s parents, watching as the two of them bowed to her several times.

This wedding was utterly different from the last. This time, their hands were clasped tightly together, their faces flushed with contentment.

Remembering the past, she couldn’t help the tears welling in her eyes. Helping the two of them to their feet, she said in a choked voice, “If the young master and young mistress could see this day, seeing you and your wife like this, they would be so happy.”

Qu You and Zhou Tan sat together in the bridal chamber, red candles flickering, waiting for Nanny Yun to bring the maidservants in to scatter the bedding blessings, sing the wedding hymns, and carefully snip a lock of hair from each of them with a small silver scissors.

“For a thousand autumns, ten thousand generations—may your hair remain tied together in lasting life.”

Zhou Tan drank the cup of union with her, then leaned close to her ear, his voice low. “Living, I shall surely return to you…”

Qu You thought this sounded rather inauspicious, but she no longer had the heart to dwell on such worries about the future. She simply looked at the man before her and made her own solemn promise in return. “Dying, I shall… long for you still.”

“You’ve finally married me,” she heard Zhou Tan say.

To marry the person whose heart she truly understood, to receive the blessings of family, friends, and even the entire city, with fireworks filling the sky and guests filling every hall—it all felt almost too good to be real.

“I never imagined,” he said, “that I would ever live to see a day like this.”