The sun climbed high in the sky as Tang Peiyi strode into the courtyard where Xie Zheng resided. The guard stationed outside intercepted him, saying, “General Tang, the Marquis drank heavily last night and hasn’t risen yet.”
Tang Peiyi found this puzzling. Xie Zheng was renowned in the military for his incredible alcohol tolerance. He hadn’t drunk that much last night, so how could he be intoxicated?
Despite his internal skepticism, Tang Peiyi clasped his hands and said, “I heard from the servants that Young Master Li seems to have departed for the capital without notice. It struck me as strange, so I came to discuss the matter with the Marquis.”
Though a rough man, Tang Peiyi clearly understood the power struggle between the Li and Wei factions in the court. Li Huai’an’s abrupt departure, missing even last night’s victory banquet, surely indicated some hidden agenda.
Having now taken command of the troops in Chongzhou and Jizhou, Tang Peiyi knew that aligning too quickly with either the Li or Wei faction could lead to irreversible consequences if he made a misstep.
Rather than picking sides so hastily, it seemed wiser to curry favor with the Wu’an Marquis, who stood apart from the fray.
Firstly, from a certain perspective, the Wu’an Marquis could be considered his direct superior.
Secondly, compared to those civilian officials ignorant of frontline hardships, Tang Peiyi felt that the Wu’an Marquis, with his military background, would better understand the needs of the troops under his command.
Hearing Tang Peiyi’s purpose, the guard outside the courtyard replied, “Please return and wait for a while, General Tang. Once the Marquis rises, we’ll inform him of your visit.”
Tang Peiyi nodded and turned to leave, but he ran into Xie Wu carrying a stack of clean clothes. Recognizing Xie Wu, he called out, “Aren’t you Garrison Commander Fan’s guard? What are you doing here?”
Xie Wu’s expression froze slightly, and he hastily fabricated an excuse, “The Commander drank too much last night and is resting in the west wing. I’m… I’m bringing him a change of clothes.”
Tang Peiyi pointed out, “The west wing is in that direction. You’ve walked to the east wing.”
Xie Wu stubbornly persisted, “It’s my fault for being foolish. I’m not familiar with the layout of the residence and took a wrong turn.”
Tang Peiyi waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, alright. Hurry and bring those to the Garrison Commander.”
Xie Wu had no choice but to turn around and head towards the west wing, carrying the brand-new set of clothes.
As Tang Peiyi passed through a flower-draped gate, he encountered Zheng Wenchang coming from the opposite direction. Zheng Wenchang clasped his hands in greeting, “Greetings, sir.”
The previous night, Zheng Wenchang had drunk on behalf of Fan Changyu, eventually becoming intoxicated himself and collapsing at the banquet. The servants had temporarily accommodated him in one of the side rooms of the residence.
Tang Peiyi nodded and asked, “Have you just risen as well, Wenchang?”
Zheng Wenchang replied, “I’m ashamed to say I overslept due to the wine.”
Tang Peiyi had come to find Xie Zheng early in the morning, even before eating breakfast, upon receiving a report from his subordinates. Now planning to have his meal, he invited Zheng Wenchang, “Have you had your morning meal? If not, join me.”
Zheng Wenchang responded, “I’ve already eaten in the west wing.”
Hearing that Zheng Wenchang had also been in the west wing, Tang Peiyi remarked with a smile, “What a coincidence. I heard Garrison Commander Fan was also accommodated there.”
Zheng Wenchang furrowed his brow upon hearing this and said, “There are twelve rooms in the west wing, all occupied by generals of the Tiger Guard. Garrison Commander Fan wasn’t there.”
Tang Peiyi recalled Xie Wu carrying fresh clothes to Xie Zheng’s courtyard and connected it to Xie Zheng’s unusual decision the previous night. His face displayed a range of emotions.
Seeing Tang Peiyi remain silent for a while, Zheng Wenchang asked again, “Could General Tang have misheard?”
Tang Peiyi eventually muttered, “I must have been mistaken.”
A breeze from somewhere stirred the gauze curtains, filling the room with a pleasant warmth.
Fan Changyu found herself pinned against the bedding, struggling to breathe as her companion’s forceful and fierce kisses overwhelmed her.
Amid the faint taste of blood, she could smell his unique, crisp scent, reminiscent of the morning frost in the northern lands.
What had begun as an emotionally charged kiss had imperceptibly shifted into something more.
Xie Zheng’s breathing had deepened, no longer satisfied with merely kissing her lips and tongue. He held her jaw with one hand, trailing kisses from the corner of her mouth to her chin, then down her vulnerable neck.
Fan Changyu’s neck was particularly sensitive, perhaps because it was one of the body’s most fragile areas. She couldn’t help but tremble all over.
Xie Zheng’s thin lips pressed against the delicate, thin skin of her neck, almost feeling the rush of blood beneath the flesh.
His eyes darkened further, unable to resist the maddening desire to bite. He grasped a small patch of skin between his teeth, sucking hard enough to leave a red mark before stopping.
Fan Changyu, dazed by the kisses, felt her entire body burning. A large hand slipped inside her disheveled collar, and when the scorching palm inadvertently touched the three-inch-long scar on her abdomen, she suddenly snapped back to reality. She pushed Xie Zheng away forcefully and clutched her clothes tightly around herself.
Stunned for only a moment after being pushed away, Xie Zheng asked, “Did you get this wound in the battle at Lu City?”
Fan Changyu nodded silently.
The scar was quite long, extending from above her navel to her left side. Most of the scab had fallen off, but it left a very noticeable scar, its color distinctly different from the surrounding skin, twisted like a centipede.
She hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but when Xie Zheng’s palm touched it just now, she had almost reflexively pushed him away.
She couldn’t explain why, but she simply didn’t want him to see it.
The desire in Xie Zheng’s eyes had completely receded. He gazed at Fan Changyu steadily and said, “Let me take a look.”
When he had visited her before, her wounds were already bandaged. He knew she had an injury on her abdomen but didn’t know how severe it was.
Uncomfortable under his gaze, Fan Changyu lowered her eyes to avoid his and said, “What soldier doesn’t have a few scars? There’s nothing worth seeing.”
She raised her hand to fasten the ties of her collar, changing the subject, “I’m feeling a bit hungry. I wonder if the kitchen still has any food left…”
Her hand, fumbling with the knot, was suddenly grasped. Xie Zheng stared at her and repeated his earlier words: “Let me take a look.”
Fan Changyu remained silent for a while before finally releasing her grip on the ties.
Very well, she could hide it from him for now, but not forever.
The standard ochre-colored underrobe worn by military officers was pushed down to her elbows, hanging loosely on her arms. Her shoulders, seemingly carved from stone, were slender but not frail, reminiscent of rock bamboo growing from barren cliffs – angular yet resilient.
On her left collarbone, there was still a very faint set of teeth marks, left by him long ago. Her chest was wrapped in plain cloth, rising in an alluring curve. Below, her waist was lean and slender, with taut muscles showing not a trace of excess fat.
It was a beauty distinct from the willowy waists of dancing girls, more akin to aged spirits – once tasted, one could never again be satisfied with cloying sweet wines.
Xie Zheng’s gaze fell on the centipede-like scar on her left abdomen. He stared at it silently for a long while before reaching out to touch it, asking, “Does it still hurt?”
Fan Changyu’s skin, exposed to the air for a while, had cooled. When his warm fingertips suddenly caressed it, it felt like ants crawling over her skin – both numb and itchy. She straightened her upper body, slightly uncomfortable.
She frowned slightly, trying to keep her voice steady: “The scab has fallen off. It stopped hurting long ago.”
She was about to close her robe, but Xie Zheng hadn’t withdrawn his hand. His eyes were half-lowered, making it impossible to see his expression at that moment. His calloused palm gently caressed the long, jagged scar as he asked, “What were you thinking when you were wounded?”
Fan Changyu recalled the perilous situation of that day and was lost in thought for a moment. Then, she smiled nonchalantly and said, “There was no time to think about anything. I just felt that there were so many enemies – long swords, long halberds, axes – all coming at me. The soldiers who left the city with me were falling one after another, but I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t even protect myself…”
As she finished speaking, she felt the hand on her waist and abdomen suddenly tighten. She was forcefully pulled into his embrace.
Her head was pressed against Xie Zheng’s shoulder, and she could feel that every muscle in his body had tensed. The air in the room seemed to thin with the intensity of his anger.
He said in a hoarse voice, “I was too late.”
Fan Changyu was slightly stunned, then hugged his lean waist in return, comfortingly. She rested her face against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and slowly said, “I didn’t think you would come at that time. The distance from Kang City to Lu City was too great. When I left the city to buy time, I only thought that Lord He had died defending the city until reinforcements arrived. I was willing to risk my life to delay for as long as possible. If I died in battle outside the city, even if I couldn’t clear my grandfather’s name, future generations would no longer think of the Meng family as traitors who brought disaster to the country.”
The arm around her waist kept tightening, almost to the point of hurting her bones.
Xie Zheng’s other hand pressed against the back of her neck, pulling her even closer to himself.
Unable to see his expression, Fan Changyu only heard him say, “From now on, I won’t let you face these things alone again.”
A mixture of joy and bitterness welled up in Fan Changyu’s heart. She raised her head to look at him and said earnestly, “I will uncover the truth about what happened back then. Wei Yan killed my parents; he must know the hidden truth about the Jinzhou bloodbath. Now that he’s colluding with rebels and nearly caused Lu City to fall into their hands, General Tang and others say the Wei faction is about to fall. Once we return to the capital, I will reveal my true identity in the Imperial Court and force the Emperor to investigate Wei Yan, bringing the truth of the Jinzhou bloodbath from seventeen years ago to light.”
Thinking of the machinations of the Li family in the battle of Lu City, Xie Zheng’s eyes darkened. He stroked Fan Changyu’s long hair on her back and said, “Wei Yan has been scheming for many years. There are hidden aspects to the Lu City incident. The Li faction is now verbally attacking Wei Yan, but when the time comes, it’s uncertain who will fall from power.”
Fan Changyu looked confused. Xie Zheng hesitated briefly but decided to tell her about how the Li family had allowed Wei Yan’s subordinates to collude with the enemy.
This was a tactic the Li family often used, similar to their actions during the flood relief efforts years ago.
The more people suffered and died, the greater the crimes they could pin on Wei Yan.
Once they started denouncing Wei Yan, the common people would be grateful to them. It was said in the streets that the Li family were the true upright officials, but little did people know that it was these supposedly upright officials who had coldly watched their suffering and death.
After hearing this, Fan Changyu fell into a long silence.
“So many soldiers died outside Chongzhou and Lu City. How can their consciences be at ease?” she finally murmured, her hands at her sides clenched into fists.
Lord Li had quite a good reputation among the common people. They all said that while Wei Yan did evil, only Lord Li truly cared for the people.
It turned out that all this good reputation was manufactured.
She suddenly looked up at Xie Zheng: “What about Li Huai’an? Did he run away?”
Given that Xie Zheng already knew about the Li family’s misdeeds, and Li Huai’an was absent from last night’s victory banquet, Fan Changyu easily deduced that Li Huai’an had likely fled.
Xie Zheng nodded slightly, and seeing her anger, added, “I deliberately let him go.”
Fan Changyu frowned: “Why?”
Due to their earlier embrace, the bindings on her chest had loosened somewhat. Xie Zheng inadvertently glanced down and caught sight of the ample curves barely contained by the bindings. His throat bobbed as he averted his gaze and said, “To let him lead my men to find someone.”
Fan Changyu was completely oblivious to this, still puzzled by his words. She asked, “Find who?”
Xie Zheng’s phoenix eyes flashed with a cold light: “Sui Yuanhuai, or rather, we should call him Crown Prince Qi Wen.”
The information in this sentence was too much for Fan Changyu to process immediately.
He knew that the Sui Yuanhuai who died was a fake.
But how did this relate to the Crown Prince?
Too many questions piled up in her mind, and she couldn’t grasp the thread. She only frowned and asked, “The Emperor doesn’t even have a son yet. Where did a grandson come from?”
She had, after all, hired several advisors at great expense. Although she couldn’t remember the complex web of marriage and teacher-student relationships among the court officials, she had at least memorized how many people were in the current imperial family.
Xie Zheng slightly choked: “The Crown Prince I’m referring to is a descendant of Crown Prince Chengde.”
Fan Changyu was even more confused: “Didn’t that Crown Prince die in the Eastern Palace fire seventeen years ago?”
After a brief contemplation, she quickly grasped the key point and urgently raised her head, saying, “Just like the one who died wasn’t Sui Yuanhuai, the one who died in the Eastern Palace seventeen years ago wasn’t the Crown Prince, right?”
Because she suddenly straightened her back, the loosened bindings created a deeper shadow in the middle.
Xie Zheng wanted to respond to her, but as he looked down, the view before him made it impossible to avert his gaze. His mind felt like it had been doused in glue, with all the blood in his body rushing to his scalp. A hunger that reached his very marrow surged through his body, making him wish he could devour the person before him bite by bite.
Noticing his strange gaze, Fan Changyu looked down and finally realized the situation. She quickly clasped her robe shut, her face burning like a boiled shrimp.
She angrily warned him, “Don’t look!”
They had kissed many times, and he had kissed her collarbone and shoulders, but nothing beyond that had ever transpired.
Earlier, when he was looking at the wound on her abdomen, his eyes held only pity, without any ulterior motives, which was why she had let her guard down.
Xie Zheng didn’t say a word. He pinned her down on the bedding and kissed her thoroughly, slightly calming his breathing before raising his eyes, filled with desire and a predatory gleam, to say, “Sooner or later, you’ll let me see everything.”
Fan Changyu couldn’t control herself and slapped him off the bed.
Perhaps because the commotion was too loud, it alerted the guards outside the courtyard. One guard hesitantly knocked on the door and reluctantly spoke, “Master, a team from the Blood Riders has returned.”
Xie Zheng seemed to have anticipated this news from the guard. After getting up from the floor, he handed Fan Changyu her outer armor. Despite being hit again, he was in an extremely good mood and said, “Don’t be angry. I’ll take you to meet two people you want to see.”