Inside the tent, Xie Zheng frowned as he looked at the chicken blood on his clothes and cloak. “Isn’t this too much blood?”
While directing Xie Qi to take the freshly slaughtered wild chicken to the cooking area for soup, Gong Sun Yin replied, “Haven’t you visited the wounded camp before? Those injured soldiers have lost arms and legs—they’re all covered in blood. Miss Fan has seen plenty while helping in the wounded camp. If we don’t use enough blood, how will we convince her?”
As he spoke, his sharp eyes caught sight of a piece of down feather that had fallen from the wild chicken’s struggle and stuck to the edge of the cloak. He quickly plucked it off.
Noticing that although Xie Zheng’s face was pale with faint dark circles under his eyes, he showed no signs of fever, Gong Sun Yin couldn’t help but comment, “You spent all night in the cold wind and washed your hair with cold water, yet you still show no signs of fever?”
Xie Zheng remained silent.
Gong Sun Yin resigned himself to the situation: “Well, well, this display of injury should be enough to garner sympathy.”
From outside the tent came Xie Wu’s voice: “They’re right in here!”
Gong Sun Yin quickly stepped back, sitting on a nearby stool with a compassionate expression.
Fan Chang Yu hurried into the tent with the military physician and immediately saw Xie Zheng lying weakly on the bed, a large bloodstain conspicuous on his clothes.
Her heart tightened, and she rushed forward. “Yan Zheng!”
Xie Zheng lay with his eyes tightly closed, his thin lips cracked, his face as white as snow. His disheveled hair fell across his forehead, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look haggard and desperate.
Fan Chang Yu felt as if an iron grip had seized her heart, and the dark bloodstain on his cloak made her eyes sting with unshed tears.
How could someone who had been fine just yesterday deteriorate so much in a single night?
Her remaining rationality helped her step aside and turn to the military physician: “Please check his pulse quickly!”
The physician, also startled by the scene, hurriedly took Xie Zheng’s pulse, fearing the worst. Upon feeling the pulse beneath his fingers, the physician’s expression showed something peculiar, but a glance up revealed Gong Sun Yin giving him a meaningful look.
The military physician stroked his goatee and said with concern, “Miss Fan, your husband’s condition is gravely dangerous!”
Fan Chang Yu pleaded, “Physician, please save him!”
The physician continued with a troubled expression, “With him coughing up this much blood, his previous injuries must have left considerable blood stagnation in his lungs. He needs medicine to nourish the yin and moisten the lungs. Moreover, the excessive blood loss combined with liver fire requires blood-enriching and hemostatic treatments. I’ll prescribe some medicines to be decocted immediately, but someone should stay with him at all times to prevent him from choking on blood while unconscious.”
Fan Chang Yu, now thoroughly frightened, quickly responded, “I won’t leave his side for a moment.”
After the physician left to prepare the medicine, Fan Chang Yu looked at Xie Zheng lying amid the bloodstains, her nose stinging with emotion as guilt overwhelmed her.
How could she have gotten angry yesterday and said she wouldn’t come here anymore when Yan Zheng was still severely injured?
If anything happened to Yan Zheng, she would carry the guilt for the rest of her life.
Seeing Fan Chang Yu’s expression, Gong Sun Yin knew their ruse had succeeded and offered timely comfort: “Miss Fan, please don’t worry too much. Young Master Yan will surely be blessed by heaven.”
Only then did Fan Chang Yu notice Gong Sun Yin’s presence, having been completely focused on Xie Zheng since entering. “Sir Gong Sun, you’re here as well?”
Gong Sun Yin lied smoothly: “When Young Master Yan suddenly started coughing blood, Little Five panicked. I happened to be patrolling nearby, so I told him to fetch the physician while I watched over Young Master Yan.”
Fan Chang Yu thanked Gong Sun Yin on Xie Zheng’s behalf. Gong Sun Yin smiled and replied, “We’re all good sons of Great Yin fighting on the battlefield. Preserving life means continuing to protect our kingdom’s borders—there’s no need for thanks. Now that Miss Fan is here to watch over him, I’ll take my leave.”
After Gong Sun Yin left, Fan Chang Yu moved a small stool beside Xie Zheng’s bed and said quietly, “You must get better.”
Perhaps because she was sitting too close, Fan Chang Yu caught the scent of fresh blood on the cloak and sniffed carefully. Having slaughtered pigs regularly, she was sensitive to the smell of pig blood, and after recent battlefield experience, she was also familiar with human blood. Yet this blood on the bedding not only had a strong metallic smell but also carried a faint hint of chicken feathers.
Just as she leaned in to smell more carefully, the “unconscious” Xie Zheng’s long lashes fluttered, and he weakly opened his eyes.
Fan Chang Yu immediately forgot everything else and exclaimed joyfully, “Yan Zheng, you’re awake?”
Xie Zheng stared at her for a moment before saying, “You came.”
His voice was broken and hoarse as if his throat had been damaged from excessive coughing.
These few words were enough to stir Fan Chang Yu’s emotions. She tucked his blanket and said, “The physician says your blood-coughing is from internal injuries and needs careful treatment. I’ll stay here to care for you, so just focus on recovering.”
Xie Zheng’s pale lips were stained with blood, making him appear even more frail. He slowly said, “I heard about what happened to you in Ji Zhou.”
Fan Chang Yu didn’t know his meaning and remained silent, listening as he continued with apparent difficulty: “After everything you’ve been through, you’re no longer the simple butcher’s daughter from Lin’an Town. I was wrong to criticize you after your return.”
Hearing him apologize again for his harsh words from yesterday only made Fan Chang Yu feel more ashamed. She lowered her eyes and said quietly, “Your criticism was justified. My survival and the soldiers’ safe return were merely luck. If Brother A’Qi hadn’t brought reinforcements in time, the rebels’ horses might have trampled us all to death.”
Having prepared herself mentally, she finally dared to look directly at Xie Zheng and said, “Getting angry at your criticism was narrow-minded of me. I’ll change.”
At this moment, filled with remorse and seeing blood still on his lips, she went to get hot water to clean him up.
Xie Zheng watched her leave, his brows slightly furrowed.
How had the conversation turned to narrow-mindedness?
When Xie Wu brought the prepared medicine, Fan Chang Yu took charge of feeding it to Xie Zheng spoonful by spoonful.
The thick cloak they had taken from the rebel camp, which Xie Zheng was using as bedding, was now stained with blood. Knowing his preference for cleanliness, Fan Chang Yu went to her quarters to fetch the cloak she and Chang Ning used at night. She covered Xie Zheng with it first, planning to wash both the bloodstained cloak and his bloody clothes together.
Xie Wu, fearing Fan Chang Yu might discover something while washing them, quickly took them to wash himself.
By evening, Fan Chang Yu wanted to stay to watch over Xie Zheng but was also concerned about leaving Chang Ning alone in their tent. Noticing the spare military beds in this tent, she brought Chang Ning over to sleep there with her.
While making the bed, she wondered aloud, “The wounded camps are all crowded, yet there are so many empty beds here. Why haven’t they sent anyone over?”
The military physicians were already avoiding Xie Zheng, let alone daring to place wounded soldiers in his tent.
Oil and candles were precious on the mountain, so at night, all military tents used braziers for light.
The flames licked at the darkness, casting a warm yellow glow over half of Xie Zheng’s face. His refined features seemed drawn in ink, his facial contours sharp and clear. He turned his head slightly to watch Fan Chang Yu make the bed and fabricated seriously: “I don’t know, perhaps the physicians have their arrangements.”
Fan Chang Yu, not very familiar with military camp management, didn’t dwell on the question. After preparing the bed for the sleepy Chang Ning, she told Xie Zheng, “If you need water or need to relieve yourself at night, just call me.”
When Xie Zheng heard the words “relieve yourself,” his ears grew hot, and he stared at Fan Chang Yu in surprise.
Meeting his gaze, Fan Chang Yu suddenly realized the implication and blushed, turning away: “What are you thinking? I meant I’d call the patrolling soldiers nearby to help.”
To better care for Xie Zheng, the bed where Fan Chang Yu and Chang Ning slept was placed next to his, separated by less than three feet.
She was exhausted from recent days and fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down.
After hearing both sisters’ breathing become deep and steady, Xie Zheng turned his head to look at the side of the bed. A piece of wood still burned in the brazier, its weak flame flickering, casting wavering light across Fan Chang Yu’s face, giving her peaceful features an indescribable allure.
A surge of emotion sprouted in his heart, coming on strong like the bite of countless ants. Xie Zheng stared at Fan Chang Yu’s slightly pouting lips, pressed against the pillow as she slept on her side. The darkness in his eyes grew deeper than the night, but ultimately, he did nothing. He turned away and closed his eyes heavily.
The next day, a group of new wounded soldiers was assigned to the tent. Some had injured hands, others injured feet, but none were completely bedridden—they could all help each other.
Fan Chang Yu took on the task of decocting medicine for these wounded soldiers, which also made it convenient for her to care for Xie Zheng during the day. At night, she still slept with Chang Ning in their tent, and Xie Zheng entrusted the newly wounded soldiers to help watch over him.
The new wounded soldiers were all very agreeable and generally quiet. Fan Chang Yu felt they were different from the wounded soldiers she had cared for before, but thinking that everyone was different, she didn’t dwell on it.
Little did she know that these soldiers were all from Xie Zheng’s personal guard unit, whom he had asked Gong Sun Yin to transfer there the previous night after hearing Fan Chang Yu’s questions.
As the half-month passed in the blink of an eye, Fan Changyu tended to the wounded soldiers in her spare time. She would take out a few books from her bundle to study, and with Yuan Zheng by her side as a readily available teacher, she could directly ask him about anything she didn’t understand.
Xie Zheng noticed Fan Changyu holding a copy of “Mencius” and asked, “Have you finished studying the ‘Analects’?”
Fan Changyu answered honestly, “Yes, I have.”
The scene of her protecting Li Huai’an when they encountered the mountain bandits flashed through Xie Zheng’s mind. His slender phoenix eyes raised slightly as he inquired, “Did you learn it by reading on your own?”
Fan Changyu replied, “The texts are profound, and even with annotations, many parts were still difficult to understand. When I was working on the dam upstream of Jizhou, I met an old gentleman. Though he appeared cold, he had a kind heart and taught me until I finished learning.”
Speaking of Old Tao, Fan Changyu’s face showed respect: “You don’t know, but that old man was quite a remarkable person. He later became a military advisor. However, he was getting on in years and had no children. His only student abandoned him, which was quite pitiful. When he was digging stones with me in the mountains, he would curse that student of his every day!”
Relieved that she hadn’t learned from Li Huai’an, Xie Zheng listened to Fan Changyu’s account of being mistaken for a spy and forced to dig stones to build the dam. He felt a mix of emotions, knowing it was his strategy that led to this, but the troops responsible for building the dam were under He Jingyuan’s command. At the time, he was in Yanzhou and truly didn’t know Fan Changyu had been detained there.
In the end, he only commented on Fan Changyu’s words: “If his student doesn’t respect his teacher, now that he’s in power, he should teach that student a lesson.”
Fan Changyu glanced at Xie Zheng, saying with some displeasure, “Although Old Master Tao doesn’t mince his words, he has a broad and generous mind.”
When Xie Zheng heard the old man’s surname was Tao, his finger paused as it traced the page. He asked, “What’s his full name?”
Fan Changyu replied, “I don’t know. He only said his surname was Tao.”
Considering how many people in the world shared the surname, Tao, Xie Zheng thought about what Fan Changyu said about the old man cursing his ungrateful student every day. This seemed to have nothing to do with Grand Tutor Tao. If his teacher had come out of seclusion after many years, he would surely have come to find him.
Putting aside his thoughts, he said, “Since he showed you kindness, you can promote him in the future.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw Fan Changyu staring at him with a strange expression.
Realizing his mistake but unable to retract it, Xie Zheng heard Fan Changyu say with furrowed brows, “Old Master Tao is already an advisor under General Tang. How could you promote him? You’re not a general. Don’t say such things carelessly. It wouldn’t be good if Old Master Tao heard about it.”
Xie Zheng was taken aback, and then said, “I meant in the future.”
Fan Changyu’s expression seemed somewhat helpless: “Are you so certain you’ll become a general?”
Xie Zheng’s expression shifted slightly as he looked up from his book: “What if I became an official even higher than a general?”
Fan Changyu looked puzzled: “What official is higher than a general?”
Xie Zheng said as if casually, “A marquis or a chancellor.”
Fan Changyu stopped reading and asked him, “Does your wound still hurt?”
Xie Zheng, who had been meticulously cared for for days, didn’t understand why Fan Changyu suddenly asked this question. He carefully replied, “It’s fine, just a sharp pain when I exert myself.”
In truth, it had almost completely healed. As long as he didn’t use too much force, it barely hurt at all.
Fan Changyu handed him the cooled medicine bowl, “Drink your medicine first. Think about becoming a marquis or a chancellor after you’ve recovered.”
Xie Zheng: “…”
Two more days passed, and Xie Zheng’s wound still showed no “improvement.” Gong Sun Yin, irritated by a pile of military and capital city memorials, came to visit the patient with dark circles under his eyes and a murderous aura.
Fan Changyu hadn’t seen him for some time and was startled by Gong Sun Yin’s exhausted appearance with dark circles and lifeless eyes. “What happened to you, Mr. Gong Sun?”
Gong Sun Yin reined in his murderous aura and forced out a gentle smile: “Just busy with trivial matters.”
Fan Changyu said, “Mr. Gong Sun, you should take better care of your health.”
Gong Sun Yin smiled and agreed, then asked, “How is your husband’s injury?”
Fan Changyu thought for a moment and said, “The military doctor said his internal injuries are quite severe and need time to heal. His wound still hurts.”
Gong Sun Yin maintained his smile, though it looked more like he was gritting his teeth: “Is that so? I’ll go see him.”
As Fan Changyu went to brew medicine, Gong Sun Yin entered the tent and dismissed the personal guards who had been pretending to be injured for half a month, their wounds already scabbing over and only bandaged for show. Seeing Xie Zheng napping with a book covering his face, Gong Sun Yin ground his back teeth audibly. He snatched the book away and roared, “If your wound doesn’t heal soon, I’m going to work myself to death with all these official documents!”
The more effort he had put into strategizing initially, the more Gong Sun Yin regretted it now. While Xie Zheng was truly resting, he felt like a donkey pulling a millstone.
No! Even a donkey had it easier than him!
What sin had he committed to dig this hole for himself to fall into?
Without the book blocking the light, the harsh daylight made Xie Zheng furrow his brow. As he lazily opened his eyes, perhaps due to good food and rest these days, his recovered vitality made his face stunningly handsome. Gong Sun Yin’s eyes reddened at the sight, wanting to strangle him.
There was a time when he was the one with the graceful bearing and ethereal presence! But now, with Xie Jiuheng hiding here pretending to be ill, to avoid Fan Changyu’s suspicion, he barely touched the brush to paper. At most, he would have his equally “ill” personal guards come to relay messages and give orders.
Now, every time Gong Sun Yin closed his eyes, all he saw was the pile of unfinished documents on his desk. It was driving him mad!
Xie Zheng sat up, ignoring Gong Sun Yin’s outburst. He glanced at the crumpled book in Gong Sun Yin’s hand and raised an eyebrow, his eyes showing a hint of displeasure: “Hand it over.”
Seeing his reaction, Gong Sun Yin looked at the cover and saw the words “Mencius” written on it. He found it strange and said, “You learned the Four Books not long after you started your education. Why did you bring this book to the mountains?”
He asked suspiciously, “You value it so much, is it some kind of improper book?”
As he casually flipped through it, he found detailed annotations for every word and sentence. Although the handwriting was different, Gong Sun Yin immediately recognized it as Xie Zheng’s.
Before he could look further, Xie Zheng snatched the book back.
Gong Sun Yin became even more aggrieved: “I’m imitating your handwriting to approve documents for you until my hand is about to fall off, and you’re here leisurely annotating an entire book of ‘Mencius’?”
Xie Zheng didn’t offer much explanation, only saying, “There’s a rare copy of the Seven Sages in my library. You can take it when we return.”
Gong Sun Yin immediately stopped complaining. He opened his fan and, with panda eyes, smiled and flattered, “Sharing the Marquis’s burdens is the duty of an advisor.”
Xie Zheng, seemingly unsurprised by this quick change of attitude, moved on to discuss official matters: “Chongzhou is surrounded by 20,000 Jizhou troops led by Tang Zhaoyi. They can’t send out supplies. The rebels at the foot of the mountain have been attacking for many days, their provisions are exhausted, and they’re already weary. It’s time to capture them all at once.”
While the Yanzhou troops on the mountain had been resting and recovering, the Chongzhou troops at the foot of the mountain had been reduced to digging up roots and eating tree bark for the past two days.
After their provisions were burned, the Chongzhou army faced three choices: return to Chongzhou, eliminate the Yanzhou troops on the mountain, or retreat without fighting to preserve their strength.
The first option, returning to Chongzhou, was impossible with 20,000 Jizhou troops guarding outside the city. The rebels at the foot of the mountain couldn’t enter Chongzhou without heavy losses. Even if they managed to return, they would face certain death when the main forces of Yanzhou and Jizhou surrounded Chongzhou.
Prince Changxin, with his deep scheming, had only withdrawn half of his troops that day, possibly anticipating this very situation. The half of the Chongzhou army at the foot of the mountain was his lifeline for Chongzhou.
Jizhou was already secure, and He Jingyuan was mobilizing a large army towards Chongzhou. If Chongzhou couldn’t be held, the Chongzhou troops at the foot of Yixian Gorge only needed to break out and find a stable city to regroup, and they could rise again.
The leader of that army was Prince Changxin’s trusted general, Shi Yue.
To burn the Chongzhou army’s provisions that day, Xie Zheng had deliberately used Sui Yuanqing as bait, tying up most of the rebel forces. In the end, Shi Yue piled up corpses to reach the mountain pass. Although he rescued Sui Yuanqing, he lost a considerable number of troops. With the provisions burned as well, it was like adding frost to snow.
Shi Yue thought that without Sui Yuanqing as a hostage and after being trapped for many days, the Yanzhou troops on the mountain would have lost their will to fight. Upon learning that their provisions had been burned, he angrily ordered attacks on the mountain for half a month. However, the terrain of Yixian Gorge was treacherous, and they suffered heavy losses.
The reinforcements from Yanzhou and Jizhou roaming at the foot of the mountain were cavalry. They kept moving through the forests, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. Even when they encountered the Chongzhou army on narrow paths, the cavalry would fight if they could win and flee if they couldn’t. The infantry on two legs couldn’t catch up with the cavalry on four, frustrating the Chongzhou commanders to no end.
Now, with provisions exhausted at the foot of the mountain and the Yanzhou troops still defending the mountain like an iron bucket, Shi Yue realized he couldn’t starve the Marquis of Wu’an to death on this mountain or achieve this extraordinary feat. He quickly adjusted his battle plan, marching at night and secretly withdrawing part of his troops.
With the frontal assault failing, the best course of action now was to preserve their strength-
The mountain suddenly fell into a tense atmosphere of preparation for battle. Fan Changyu heard various discussions about this battle in both the infirmary and the kitchen camps.
Troops were constantly being deployed to various mountain passes. As soon as one left the main tent, one could see military flags billowing throughout the camp, with waves of people under the flags rushing to their designated positions.
All wounded soldiers who could still hold a weapon were ordered to return to their units, and naturally, Xie Zheng had to go as well.
Fan Changyu could tell just by looking at the battle formation that this fight would be extremely dangerous. But Yuan Zheng’s wound still caused him sharp pain whenever he exerted himself, and he probably couldn’t even hold a weapon. Wouldn’t sending him to the battlefield be sending him to his death?
She thought of the bloody hole in Yuan Zheng’s body, and her heart filled with anxiety and unease.