On the battlefield, apart from the howling wind, only deathly silence remained.
Several dozen zhang away, the rebel troops paused briefly as they reorganized their formation. A few young commanders on horseback looked back with varying expressions, awaiting orders from the central army.
Fan Changyu sat tall on horseback, her eyes calm and resolute, gripping her long saber tightly without a trace of fear.
For some unknown reason, no response came from the distant enemy camp.
Fan Changyu frowned. After Shi Yue and Shi Hu died at Yixian Gorge, and the Long Xin Prince was beheaded in Chongzhou, the rebels lost many of their great generals. Now, there were hardly any capable military commanders under Yuan Huai’s command.
Her risky strategy was meant to buy time.
If Yuan Huai saw through her intentions and was unwilling to sacrifice more of his capable generals, instead ordering his main force to advance, she and the dozen or so soldiers behind her would not be able to hold out for long.
After a moment’s thought, Fan Changyu formulated a plan. Pointing her long saber, she shouted, “Listen up, rebels! The Long Xin Prince has already fallen to my blade. Yuan Qing was captured at Kangcheng. The one you’re following is nothing but a coward who can’t even lift a sword. He doesn’t have a single brave general left who can fight for him on the battlefield. How could he possibly lead you to the capital? How could he promise you riches and glory? If you abandon the darkness and come into the light, all can be forgiven!”
These words caused visible unrest among the rebel troops opposite them.
Vice General He and others on the city walls, perceiving Fan Changyu’s intention, joined in the taunting: “Yuan Huai is nothing but a coward! He’s like a stray dog, fleeing from Chongzhou to Lucheng. He doesn’t have a single capable fighter left. He’s just counting on you rabble to sacrifice your lives to clear a path for him to escape south!”
“The Yuan family’s fortunes have long since run out. At least Yuan Qing was brave and skilled in battle. Everyone knows Yuan Huai is just a medicine pot barely clinging to life! Following Yuan Huai is nothing but seeking your deaths!”
The commotion among the rebel troops grew even greater.
A scout hurriedly ran back to report to the rear formation. After nervously relaying the situation at the front, a cold sneer emerged from within a carriage surrounded by several experts: “Meng Changyu?”
The voice from within the carriage was cold and eerie, like a chill wind blowing through a dark forest, raising goosebumps on the back of one’s neck.
He seemed to chuckle lowly: “What a good attempt at sowing discord and disrupting morale. Sui Ping, take some men and capture that Meng clan remnant alive.”
The burly family guard standing outside the carriage immediately cupped his fist: “This subordinate obeys the command!”
The military advisor, who had come upon hearing the news, quickly interjected: “Young Master, you must not! You must not!”
He reasoned: “That female general opposite us is using the technique of provocation. Currently, only General Sui Ping is capable of shouldering great responsibilities in our army. If anything were to happen to General Sui Ping, even if we take Lucheng, once Tang Peiyi and the Marquis of Wu’an hear the news and rush here, without a commander to lead the troops, how could we possibly resist the enemy? It would be better to focus on attacking the city immediately, using corpses and blood to fill the moat, and first climb the walls of Lucheng.”
A hand wearing a white jade ring lifted the carriage curtain. Due to long illness and lack of sunlight, the hand was pale and thin, with blue veins and tendons visible on the back.
The scout who inadvertently caught sight of this scene felt his heart tremble and quickly lowered his head.
There were already rumors in the army that the Young Master was plagued by a stubborn illness and had a gloomy, violent temperament. Those who served him closely often met with sudden deaths.
As the curtain was fully lifted, Yuan Huai was revealed with a large cloak draped over his shoulders. His pale face bore obvious signs of illness, but his thin lips curled in a faint smile, his entire being exuding a somber, sinister air.
He spoke unhurriedly: “The military advisor has worked hard, but after suffering several defeats, the army’s morale must be raised. That female general killed my royal father. If this grudge is not avenged, I have no face to see my father.”
The military advisor still had reservations: “But…”
Yuan Huai raised his hand to stop the advisor’s words. He slightly lifted his eyelids, and although he was a long-term invalid, the moment his eyes met the advisor’s, the latter felt an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Hurriedly averting his gaze, the advisor inwardly mused that this Young Master might not be the useless invalid sustained only by medicine as rumors suggested.
Yuan Huai took in the advisor’s expression fully, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as he said, “The main army left the city at midnight. Even if Tang Peiyi discovered something amiss after attacking Chongzhou and gave chase, it would take at least half a day to arrive. The Marquis of Wu’an is entrenched in Kangcheng and cannot come to their aid in time. It’s just one woman, what is there to fear? Don’t let those government dogs on the city walls laugh at us.”
The military advisor had only wanted to take Lucheng quickly to avoid unforeseen circumstances. After Yuan Huai’s explanation, his concerns were somewhat alleviated. He bowed and retreated.
Watching the military advisor walk away, Yuan Huai tapped his fingers on the carriage window one by one, then instructed his guards: “You go to assist as well. As long as the Meng woman is alive, it’s fine. Kill the rest without mercy.”
Half of the experts surrounding the carriage immediately dispersed.
Lan, the mother of Zhao Xun, carefully glanced at Yuan Huai and cautiously spoke: “Does Your Highness intend to use the Meng woman to expose the Jinzhou tragedy orchestrated by Wei Yan years ago?”
Yuan Huai half-lifted his eyelids, looking at Lan with an ambiguous smile, saying nothing.
Lan couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Ever since finding Yubao’er, Yuan Huai’s vigilance towards her mother and son had increased daily. She understood what Yuan Huai was worried about. Over the years, she had never harbored any different intentions, but once the seed of suspicion is planted in the heart of an imperial family member, it becomes a thorn that never goes away.
As there had been no further news from Zhao Xun’s side, Yuan Huai’s trust in her mother and son was likely diminishing even more.
After all, this was the child she had watched grow up. Lan felt somewhat uncomfortable and immediately lowered her head: “This old servant spoke out of turn.”
Yuan Huai suddenly suppressed the hostility in his demeanor, adopting a gentle countenance. He poured a cup of tea for Lan and said, “Aunt Lan has grown distant from me. Wei Yan is old and cunning. Even if the Meng woman were to identify Wei Yan, she wasn’t even born seventeen years ago, and the only evidence has fallen back into Wei Yan’s hands. Wei Yan would have plenty of ways to refute it. I’m just puzzled why Aunt Lan would think I want to use her to bring down Wei Yan?”
When he became gentle, he truly bore some resemblance to Crown Prince Chengde.
The sadness that had just arisen in Lan’s heart immediately dissipated. She asked, “Then why did Your Highness order her capture alive?”
Yuan Huai’s lips curled slightly: “That usurper of a foolish emperor thought he could win over the Marquis of Wu’an through an arranged marriage, but the Marquis cut off one ear of the eunuch delivering the imperial edict in defiance. Although the news was suppressed by that person in the palace, there are no walls in the world that don’t let wind through. Aunt Lan, for whom do you think the Marquis of Wu’an refused the arranged marriage with the Princess?”
Lan immediately understood: “Your Highness intends to use that woman to control the Marquis of Wu’an?”
She hesitated: “But… since she is a descendant of Meng Shuyuan, even if Meng Shuyuan was manipulated back then, her birth father was Wei Yan’s man. She must be connected to the Jinzhou case. With such a blood feud between them, would the Marquis of Wu’an still care about her life and death?”
Yuan Huai merely smiled: “The stage is set, now we just watch the show.”
Lan pondered the meaning behind his words, but Yuan Huai said no more.
Since Zhao Xun’s disappearance, he had indeed become more wary of this mother-and-son pair. This joint plan with the Li family to frame Wei Yan was also kept secret from Lan.
After the fire in the Eastern Palace, he would never fully trust anyone again.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in a carriage behind them. Yuan Huai frowned impatiently: “What’s going on?”
Before the shadow guard outside the carriage could go to inquire, a servant came to report: “Master, the young master has fallen ill.”
A flash of disgust passed through Yuan Huai’s eyes as he coldly said: “If he’s sick, call for the army doctor. What’s all this fuss about?”
The servant answered in a low voice: “It’s… it’s Concubine Yu making a scene, demanding to see the master.”
Yuan Huai rotated the ring on his finger without speaking. The servant who had come to deliver the message kept his head lowered, but in just a moment, he felt as if his back was covered in thorns, cold sweat streaming down.
Lan was also somewhat puzzled. That Concubine Yu had always avoided His Highness, why would she suddenly request to see him today?
She glanced at Yuan Huai, thinking that with the two armies facing off, His Highness should have no time to deal with that woman. She replied on Yuan Huai’s behalf: “With the impending attack on the city, the Young Master is preoccupied with various matters. I’ll go with you to check on the young master.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Huai said: “I’ll go see for myself.”
With his usual cold smile on his lips, but with an indescribable interest in his eyes, he seemed to be in a good mood.
Lan frowned, feeling that His Highness was being too capricious when it came to matters concerning Concubine Yu.
Yuan Huai, supported by his most trusted shadow guard, got out of the carriage and walked unhurriedly towards the carriage behind.
When they reached the carriage, a servant had already lifted the curtain. Yuan Huai stepped on the back of the carriage driver to board, looking at the woman who was sitting as close to the corner as possible. The cold smile on his lips deepened.
His gaze swept over Yu Bao’er, who was lying with his eyes tightly closed on her lap, his small body slightly trembling. He said playfully: “Wasn’t it said that this little beast was sick?”
Yu Qianqian looked at him and said calmly: “Bao’er isn’t sick. I wanted to see you.”
The smile on Yuan Huai’s lips froze for a moment. He raised his eyes, reassessing the woman before him.
She wanted to see him voluntarily? This was simply a joke.
She would never voluntarily see him unless she had something to ask.
A flash of gloom passed through Yuan Huai’s eyes as he sneered: “You have something to ask of me?”
Yu Bao’er dared not pretend to be asleep anymore and tightly grasped Yu Qianqian’s sleeve.
Yu Qianqian discreetly squeezed his little hand, calmly meeting Yuan Huai’s gaze.
The bangs that had once been cut evenly across her forehead had grown out over the past half year. With all her hair pulled back, it revealed a smooth forehead, making her face appear even more like a silver plate, grand yet not lacking in grace.
She said: “I was once acquainted with that female general who is challenging us. Why involve a woman in a dispute between men? Please spare her life.”
She didn’t know that Yuan Huai had already ordered Fan Changyu to be captured alive. There was only one famous female general in the entire Northwest. When Yu Qianqian heard that the challenging female general called herself Meng Changyu, she had already guessed it was Fan Changyu.
Yuan Huai had an army of twenty thousand. How could the remaining two thousand worn-out soldiers in Lucheng possibly resist?
She couldn’t save more people, but she thought she could ask Yuan Huai for a favor to at least protect Fan Changyu.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huai immediately let out two cold laughs, “You can barely protect yourself, yet you have sympathy for some random people outside?”
Yu Qianqian’s full lips tightened slightly as she said, “That’s why I’m begging you.”
Without warning, those pale, cool fingers gripped her chin, forcing Yu Qianqian to tilt her head up. Meeting Sui Yuanhuai’s dark eyes, she felt as if ensnared by a venomous serpent’s tongue – cold, damp, and sticky. Her body instantly stiffened.
Sui Yuanhuai, barely half a foot away, looked down at her scornfully. “Is this how you beg someone?”
Years of taking medicine had infused his body with a bitter herbal scent. Standing so close, Yu Qianqian could smell nothing but the medicinal odor on him. The cool touch of his fingertips on her chin remained vivid.
Yu Qianqian’s delicate long eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at the pale, gloomy man before her. “How do you want me to beg you?” she asked.
Sui Yuanhuai seemed unprepared for her calm retort. For an instant, hatred contorted his eyes. Disregarding Yu Baier’s presence in the carriage, he suddenly lowered his head roughly and kissed her.
Yu Qianqian felt a sharp pain on her lips. Coming to her senses, she quickly covered Yu Baier’s eyes with her hand.
Fortunately, he pulled away soon. Yu Qianqian wiped her lips with her hand and, unsurprisingly, saw blood. It was somewhat painful, causing her to furrow her brows.
Seeing the blood on her lips, the malevolence in Sui Yuanhuai’s eyes diminished slightly. He lowered his gaze, his tone mocking, as if using sarcasm to conceal some emotion deep inside. He left with a parting remark: “Come to my room tonight.”
Even after he lifted the curtain and exited the carriage, Yu Qianqian remained silent.
Yu Baier, with his large, dark eyes, looked at his frail yet resilient mother and called out softly, “Mother…”
He clutched Yu Qianqian’s sleeve tightly, his lips pressed firmly together.
He didn’t want his mother to meet that man alone.
Yu Qianqian embraced the child, patting his back rhythmically. “Don’t be afraid, it’s alright. What’s this compared to saving your Aunt Changyu?”
Yu Baier still said nothing.
Yu Qianqian watched the carriage curtain swaying in the wind, her voice calm. “Ning Niang is even younger than you. She’s already lost her parents. If she loses her elder sister too, what will become of her?”
Finally, a flicker of emotion appeared in Yu Baier’s pitch-black eyes.
Yu Qianqian stroked his head and said, “Just endure a little longer.”
After several rounds of verbal sparring on the battlefield, Fan Changyu saw the enemy’s battle formation part, creating a path wide enough for several people.
A burly warrior rode out on horseback, wielding a double-bladed axe. He shouted, “Cease your arrogance! Let this general face you!”
Accompanying the warrior were more than ten others. Though uniformly dressed, they didn’t appear to be ordinary military generals. The moment Fan Changyu laid eyes on them, her right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably.
An inexplicable sense of discomfort enveloped her entire body.
The fully armored warrior had already charged forward with a long cry. Fan Changyu pushed aside her thoughts and spurred her horse to meet him.
As they clashed, propelled by their horses’ momentum, the Modao and double-bladed axe struck sparks. After passing each other by several zhangs, they turned their horses around to strike again.
In mere moments, Fan Changyu had exchanged several moves with the enemy general. Though his arm strength was commendable, his techniques were too rigid. If she truly wanted to take his life, she could have unseated him within three moves.
However, her current goal was to buy time, so Fan Changyu deliberately held back. The two continued their back-and-forth, circling a large portion of the open battlefield without concluding.
After about a quarter of an hour, the group of more than ten observers on the opposite side realized she was intentionally stalling. They all spurred their horses forward together.
Fan Changyu sensed trouble and quickly used the back of her blade to knock the enemy general off his horse.
The group charging from the opposite side numbered exactly sixteen.
The sixteen elite soldiers behind Fan Changyu, thinking the enemy wanted one-on-one combat, all urged their horses forward.
But this quickly turned into a one-sided massacre.
The sixteen opponents moved with ghost-like techniques. The spear and sword-wielding Jizhoujun soldiers couldn’t even get close before being decapitated by precise and vicious blade work.
They seemed like executioners who had practiced for years, each swing of their blades solely meant to kill.
Fan Changyu used the advantage of her Modao’s longer reach to save a soldier very close to her, but the enemy’s blade flipped unexpectedly, leaving a long gash on her arm.
She quickly raised her blade to force the opponent back, creating a safe distance.
Her heart pounded, and her palms were so sweaty she could barely grip the blade handle.
Fan Changyu had never felt so close to death before. The group before her were not ordinary people who knew fear or cowardice.
They were like killing machines – tireless and impervious to pain.
People around her kept falling. Fan Changyu managed to strike one enemy soldier, nearly severing his entire arm, but he didn’t even cry out in pain. Instead, he rolled along her blade, inflicting another wound on her waist and abdomen.
Fan Changyu supported herself with one hand on her blade, the other pressing against the still-bleeding wound on her abdomen. She gritted her teeth, watching the dozen or so men surrounding her from a zhang away.
She had figured out their fighting style. Against other soldiers, they always went for fatal strikes.
But the man just now had a chance to take her life and instead slashed at her waist and abdomen.
Suddenly, she understood – they wanted to capture her alive.
A bead of sweat fell from her eyelid. Fan Changyu untied the binding on her hand and tightly wrapped it around her abdomen to staunch the bleeding.
The men opposite her, seeming to sense she was at the end of her strength, didn’t attack at this moment.
On the city wall, Xie Wu watched until his eyes turned red. He shouted hoarsely, “Those aren’t military men, they’re specially trained death squads! Open the gates quickly, let me go help the Commander!”
Deputy General He, seeing those elite sixteen soldiers slaughtered in an instant, was also shocked. However, opening the gates now would allow the enemy to attack the city.
He said painfully, “We can’t open the gates. Commander Fan and those sixteen brave men went out for the sake of Lu City’s people. If we open the gates now, what about the lives of the hundreds of thousands of civilians inside?”
Xie Wu, watching Fan Changyu surrounded below, remembered her previous instructions. He angrily pounded the city wall once.
Finally, seeming to have made a decision, he suddenly raised his head and said, “Bring me some rope!”
Below the city wall, Fan Changyu finished binding her abdominal wound and took out a pair of deerskin wrist guards from inside her armor, fastening them on her hands.
She had originally planned to discard those guards, but when breaking camp to rush to Lu City, she inexplicably tucked them into her bosom.
Now they were proving quite helpful.
As she gripped her Modao tightly with both hands again, one of the death squad members approached like a ghost, his blade aiming for her waist and abdomen once more. Fan Changyu swung her Modao in a full circle, forcing him back and managing to slash his abdomen in the process.
The man landed and glanced at his wound, exchanging a look with the other death squad members. Suddenly, they all attacked Fan Changyu at once.
The soldiers on the city wall cursed hysterically, “You sons of bitches! More than ten men against one woman – only the Sui family’s dogs would do such a thing!”
There were small murmurs within the rebel army’s ranks, but in the life-and-death moment of battle, no one could spare any attention for other matters. The dozen or so death squad members ignored the curses from the city wall, constantly changing their killing techniques.
Fan Changyu couldn’t tell if it was blood or sweat smeared on her face. She focused all her attention on the blade-wielding men closing in.
Their fighting styles were different from any generals she had encountered on the battlefield before.
Venomous, cunning, unpredictable.
Fortunately, she had experienced several assassination attempts with Xie Zheng before, and when practicing with him later, she had been startled by the strangeness of his techniques and his incredible speed. She had learned a few moves from him.
With this foundation, and given that the group intended to spare her life, she managed to hold out against the dozen or so men’s encirclement for another quarter hour.
Chop, hack, slash, thrust, strike… Her Modao had become a blur of afterimages.
The prolonged blade-wielding left both her arms aching terribly. Fresh blood dyed her entire arms red, yet she dared not stop.
Time seemed to slow down, to the point where she could see every raise of the hand and swing of the arm from each death squad member. Her Modao precisely deflected all attacks. Even in places her eyes couldn’t see, the fluctuations in the airflow and the sound of blades cutting through the air became extraordinarily clear.
Fan Changyu recalled her father saying that after entering the door of martial arts, one’s techniques must be faster than the eye can see.
But as one progresses further, there’s a return to simplicity – no matter how fast the technique, being able to see the opponent’s moves is the highest level.
She had always been stuck at this point, never grasping what her father meant about the eye being faster than the technique. But at this moment, she broke through that bottleneck.
Those seemingly unavoidable blade strikes were dodged time and again, and she even managed to kill three death squad members in counterattacks.
The remaining death squad members were all wounded as well.
They were Sui Yuanhuai’s most elite death squad, never having lost even when facing Wei Yan’s top-tier death squads. Yet today, sixteen against one, they were firmly held back by a single woman.
The leading death squad member’s gaze towards Fan Changyu changed, and his next attacks became noticeably more vicious.
Fan Changyu barely managed to exchange a few moves with him. With no energy left to defend, her back was slashed by another member.
Blood seeped from the corner of her tightly pressed lips. She could see every move and technique of that death squad member clearly, but due to her severe injuries and exhaustion, even though her eyes could follow, her blade movements had become sluggish.
The final chop coming towards her clashed with the tip of her Modao, losing most of its force before slashing towards her right arm.
With a sharp “clang,” the blade that came slicing down was blocked by Xie Wu, who had slid down a rope from the city tower.
Knowing full well that death awaited them, nearly ten soldiers voluntarily followed Xie Wu, using ropes to descend from the tower to assist.
Fan Changyu was utterly exhausted, barely able to stand with the support of her long sword.
Seeing her in such a dire state, Xie Wu’s eyes turned red with urgency. “Deputy Commander, hurry and go!”
Seven or eight soldiers followed Xie Wu, risking their lives to fend off the attacking assassins, while the others helped Fan Changyu, urging her to retreat. “Deputy Commander, there are ropes on the tower! We’ll take you back! General He said you’ve already delayed the enemy for over half an hour; that’s enough. For the remaining time, we’ll all fight to defend Lu City together… uh…”
The soldier supporting Fan Changyu suddenly fell silent.
A long blade had pierced through his entire chest.
He glanced at the bloodied tip of the blade protruding from his chest, and as he fell, he repeated only one phrase: “Deputy Commander, go…”
Behind them, only Xie Wu was holding back the dozen or so assassins. Outnumbered, he was stabbed multiple times and, with his back to Fan Changyu, collapsed into a pool of blood, never to rise again.
Fan Changyu could no longer lift her sword. Witnessing this scene, blood surged in her eyes, and a roar-like wail escaped her throat as she swung her long sword down, severing the head of a nearby assassin.
Another assassin, intent on killing the soldier supporting her, was also cleaved in half by her blade, collapsing to the ground while still twitching, blood and organs spilling from his waist.
Such a brutal beheading made even the seasoned assassins shudder in horror.
The long sword in Fan Changyu’s hand dripped with blood as she slowly raised her head. Her eyes were filled with a terrifying crimson hue, her hair disheveled, resembling a demon crawling out of hell.
The assassins felt a chill in their hearts and dared not advance.
From the rear of the army, someone shouted, “The Lord has given the order, to attack the city—”
The soldiers who had been resting and observing the battle prepared to charge the city gate again. With the army’s support, the few assassins who had been stunned by Fan Changyu regained their composure and were about to strike again when the ground beneath them began to tremble.
Fine grains of sand shook as if a giant beast was cleaving mountains and trampling valleys, threatening to split the earth apart.
“Woo—”
At the sound of the first horn, the soldiers of the Jizhou army on the tower were caught off guard.
“Woo woo—”
When the piercing horn sounded again, the Jizhou soldiers erupted in joy, shouting, “Reinforcements have arrived!”
The Chongzhou soldiers below instinctively turned to look. In the distance, the yellow sand billowed, but the approaching sound of hooves was like thunder.
Moments later, a crimson “Xie” flag appeared above the swirling sand.
“It’s the Marquis of Wuan! The Marquis of Wuan has come with the Xie family army!”
The Jizhou soldiers on the tower felt invigorated, and Vice Commander He, overwhelmed with excitement, stammered, “Quick, open the city gates! All soldiers within the city, follow me out to fight the enemy!”
However, the Chongzhou soldiers, upon seeing the Xie flag, felt a wave of fear wash over them. The once orderly formation quickly descended into chaos.
The soldier saved by Fan Changyu knelt on the ground, overwhelmed with joy, shouting to her, “Deputy Commander, the Marquis of Wuan has come personally! We are saved!”
Fan Changyu seemed not to hear. She was already too exhausted, her limbs weak and unresponsive. Leaning on her sword, she slowly knelt before Xie Wu.
To her, both Xie Wu and Xie Qi felt like family.
She looked at the young man before her, covered in blood and pierced by several blades, and felt a sharp pain in her throat. Tears mixed with blood rolled down her face, and she couldn’t even choke out a single “Xiao Wu.”
The few surviving soldiers, after the initial joy of surviving, looked around at the devastated battlefield and their fallen comrades, their expressions turning sorrowful.
Though the Chongzhou army numbered twenty thousand, repeated assaults had already worn down their morale. Seeing Xie Zheng personally leading his troops and with no prominent commander among them, they were instantly terrified and quickly fell to the combined forces of the Xie family army and the Jizhou army. Only a small portion of the elite troops managed to cover Yuan Huai’s escape amidst the chaos, while capable generals under Xie Zheng pursued them.
When Xie Zheng and his light cavalry entered the city, Vice Commander He led all the notable commanders within to greet him.
Upon seeing Xie Zheng, He was nearly in tears. “Thank goodness the Marquis arrived in time; otherwise, Lu City would have fallen, and I would have no face to meet the elders of Lu City. In the afterlife, I would have no face to see Lord He!”
Xie Zheng, still nursing his injuries, wore light armor and had rushed over on horseback. After fighting, the whip marks on his back had cracked, soaking his clothes with blood. Yet, he was accustomed to enduring pain; apart from a slight pallor, he showed no signs of discomfort.
Hearing Vice Commander He’s words, a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes. “General He… has passed?”
Vice Commander He wiped his tears and replied, “He stood on the tower until the end.”
It was rare for military generals to meet a good end.
After a moment of silence, Xie Zheng asked, “Has a mourning hall been set up? I wish to pay my respects to the old general.”
Vice Commander He looked ashamed. “Not yet; we haven’t had the chance to set it up. The rebels came on strong, and we couldn’t attend to Lord He’s affairs. If it weren’t for Deputy Commander Fan and Deputy Commander Zheng bringing three thousand cavalry to our aid, and if Deputy Commander Fan hadn’t single-handedly delayed the rebel leader, Lu City might not have held out until the Marquis arrived.”
Xie Zheng suddenly raised his gaze. “The Cavalry Deputy Commander is here?”
The Cavalry Deputy Commander was Fan Changyu’s title.
Vice Commander He, unsure why Xie Zheng reacted so strongly, replied, “Yes, she is here, but Deputy Commander Fan fought against over ten fierce rebel leaders and was gravely injured. She is currently with the military physician…”
Before he could finish, Xie Zheng’s figure blurred as he was seized by the collar. The person before him had a cold expression, unusually agitated as he demanded, “Where is the military physician?”
Vice Commander He, still in shock, pointed in a direction, feeling the grip on his collar loosen, allowing him to breathe easily.
Before he could process what had happened, he looked up to see Xie Zheng had already walked away.
“What’s wrong with the Marquis?” He wondered, suddenly recalling what Fan Changyu had said before leaving the city about being a descendant of General Meng Shuyuan. His heart sank.
Everyone knew that the National Protector General Xie Linshan and the Crown Prince of Chengde had been trapped in Jinzhou due to Meng Shuyuan’s delay in delivering supplies. Was the Marquis urgently seeking Deputy Commander Fan because he already knew her identity and wanted to avenge his father?
Vice Commander He broke out in a cold sweat and hurried to catch up. “Marquis, please don’t act impulsively! No matter what Meng Shuyuan did, Deputy Commander Fan is a loyal patriot!”
—
Fan Changyu lay on the injured soldier’s bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her eyes, still bloodshot from earlier, had not yet returned to normal, making everything appear somewhat hazy as if viewed through a thin mist.
The military physician had said she needed several days of rest to recover.
Her wounds had been bandaged by the female medic, with the most severe injury being the gash on her abdomen.
Having not slept a wink the entire night and enduring two battles from this morning until now, Fan Changyu was utterly exhausted, yet she still felt no inclination to sleep.
The deaths of He Jingyuan and Xie Wu’s severe injuries weighed heavily on her.
When she had come down from the battlefield, she had seen Xie Wu pierced by several blades and thought he was dead. She had looked at him, drenched in blood, and had even been afraid to touch him.
Xie Wu and Xie Qi had been with her in the military camp for so long that she had come to regard them as her brothers.
If Xie Wu were to die, it would feel like losing another family member.
Fortunately, the soldiers carrying Xie Wu discovered he still had a breath of life left and quickly summoned the military physician to treat his wounds.
Now that he had been brought back, the physician said his injuries were too severe, and whether he would survive depended on his resilience.
The weight of that “life” pressed heavily on Fan Changyu’s heart.
When the door opened, she thought it was the female medic returning to urge her to take her medicine. Still staring blankly at the ceiling, she hoarsely replied, “Aruo, I can’t eat. Don’t worry about me; go take care of the other soldiers.”
Aruo was the name of the female medic.
At that moment, she truly couldn’t eat anything. Not only could she not drink medicine, but even a sip of water made her stomach cramp violently, leaving her retching bile.
After her words fell, there was a long silence at the door, with no one speaking or leaving.
Fan Changyu sensed something was off; her gaze shifted toward the entrance.
Even though she had imagined many scenarios for their reunion, seeing that tall figure in reality made her heart tighten painfully.
Her vision was still somewhat unclear, but she could tell he had lost a lot of weight as if he were ill.
The figure wrapped in dark armor looked noticeably frail, even his lips lacking color. He appeared no better than her, a recent battlefield casualty, yet his eyes were sharper than ever.
Had he not been well since their separation?
Their gazes met, and neither spoke.
Fan Changyu wanted to exchange a few pleasantries, but recalling the words he had said during their farewell, and knowing the Emperor had already betrothed him to the Eldest Princess, her heart was filled with a mix of bitterness and indescribable pain, making it even harder to speak.
“Marquis! Marquis! Wait for me, your subordinate!”
At that moment, Vice Commander He rushed over in a panic. Seeing the two of them—one lying on the bed and the other standing at the door, both silent—he felt it was strange but also relieved.
Then he thought, could it be that Fan Changyu didn’t know that the person before her was the Marquis of Wuan?
Seeing that Xie Zheng didn’t confront her immediately, He’s courage grew. He quickly gestured to Fan Changyu, “The Marquis is here to personally check on the soldiers’ injuries. Deputy Commander Fan, you should greet the Marquis.”
Fan Changyu realized and thought, so that’s why I encountered him here.
She gathered her thoughts, forcing herself to rise, a slight smile on her lips as she cupped her hands in salute. “This subordinate, Fan Changyu, greets the Marquis.”
He had once said he would only regard her as a fellow disciple from now on.
If it weren’t for the connection with Taifu Tao, he probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore.
Now that the truth was unclear and he was already betrothed, Fan Changyu could no longer say anything to convince him of her grandfather and father’s words.
It was better to act as if they had never met, to spare both of them the awkwardness.
She thought this was the best course of action, but as her words fell, the room fell into a deathly silence.
The sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
The figure standing at the door quietly regarded her for a long moment before smiling. “What did you call me?”