—— [“Even if the sky falls, he cannot leave, because under his shoulders are the people he loves.”]

The cold wind blew across his brow. The young scout sat on horseback, but his spine was already bent. More than ten arrows were lodged in his back, yet he hadn’t fallen. Instead, he had tied a long spear to the horse’s back, with the spearhead piercing his chest, propping up his already dead body, sitting upright.

On his chest, his armor was torn apart. On the pale white undershirt, several large characters were written in blood: Southeast direction, thirty li, light cavalry, ten thousand.

Zhuge Yue silently looked at this young warrior. He slowly lowered his head for a long while, then said softly, “Thank you for your service.”

With a “poof” sound, the spearhead that had borne such weight suddenly pierced through the chest. Dark red blood seeped out from the back. The young soldier fell from the horse. The warhorse whinnied sorrowfully, lowering its head to lick the soldier’s cheek, pacing back and forth while crying out in grief.

“My Lord!”

The burly personal guard general ran forward, grabbing a skinny old man, and shouting, “We found him!”

The old man was over sixty years old. In this era, living to sixty was considered a long and blessed life. He was very thin, but his spirit was full. Even though he was in a sorry state at the moment, he still showed no signs of defeat. Zhuge Yue looked him up and down, then slowly nodded, “Sir, you look well. It seems you can endure the hardships of a long journey.”

“You… Qinghai is a barbarian territory, uncivilized, eating raw meat and drinking blood. I am a scholar, how could I…”

Zhuge Yue’s gaze shifted, his slender phoenix eyes bright and intimidating. His voice was neither hurried nor slow but carried an indescribable force.

“This Prince traveled thousands of li to welcome you, clearing the path with heavy troops. It seems you still think my sincerity is lacking.”

These words were spoken lightly, but the killing intent contained within made Gao Qingzhu freeze in place.

Qinghai sent troops to Cuiwei, cutting through provinces, killing their way through with impressive force. How many lives had been lost along the way? With such “sincerity,” who would dare say his sincerity was insufficient?

“Escort Qingzhu Sir to the carriage.”

“Yes.”

The gates of Maoling City were intact, and the officials and soldiers offered almost no resistance, opening the gates to let the Qinghai army enter. Now, with Ximeng in turmoil and the Hongchuan Plateau engaged in constant fighting, the Da Xia royal family had retreated to the north, and the Yan Bei cavalry had occupied the imperial territory, taking the capital. Although local garrisons had nominally surrendered to Yan Bei, some smaller local guards were still the former Xia officials. So, compared to the invaders’ orders, Zhuge Yue, the former Da Xia Ministry of War official, somehow seemed more familiar and comforting.

When the Qinghai army entered Maoling City, the local people thought the imperial army had started to counterattack. Many men came to join the army carrying knives and axes, while civilians brought out rice and flour from their homes to reward the troops. The streets and alleys were filled with gongs and drums, a joyous atmosphere everywhere, showing no sign that this was a captured city.

“My Lord,”

Guo Huai, carrying a heavy broadsword on his back, ran forward, wiped the dust from his face, and said loudly, “The Yan army is approaching. What should we do?”

Zhuge Yue looked toward the southeast, his expression unchanged, his tone low as he said, “Fight.”

At once, cheers erupted throughout the army. These fierce Qinghai elites had been carefully sneaking since they left Cuiwei Pass, retreating whenever they encountered battle, rushing forward at full speed. They had truly been stifled. Now, hearing they could finally fight, everyone was excited and cheered loudly.

However, by evening, when the Yan army finally arrived, they did not launch an attack. Instead, they surrounded the city without sending in a single soldier.

Zhuge Yue knew they must be waiting for reinforcements. Once reinforcements arrived, it would be very unfavorable for him. That night, before the Yan army could properly form its formation, the Qinghai army charged out of Maoling. After three assaults, the Qinghai army, relying on their superior mobility, tore open a gap in the right rear of the Yan army and broke through the encirclement. These ten thousand Yan soldiers were not regular troops but reserve soldiers hurriedly dispatched from nearby reserve camps in response to Maoling’s emergency. Suddenly encountering the Qinghai elite, they were naturally no match.

At once, the southwest line within the great Yan territory was ablaze with warning fires. Elite troops from various garrisons rushed out like knife points, but the Qinghai army’s horses were extremely fast. Many troops rushed to the scene only to catch a glimpse of the vast dust clouds raised by the passing Qinghai army.

On this day, they finally reached the last checkpoint, Cangming Mountain. Beyond this mountain lay the territory of Qinghai’s Cuiwei Pass. The night before, the Qinghai soldiers had all sharpened their weapons, waiting for the final hard battle.

Zhuge Yue, wearing cold armor, stood in the desolate moonlight, raising his wrist high. A snow-white eagle landed on his wrist, obediently extending a foot carrying a message tube.

Opening the letter, the verbose and exasperating letter from a certain person jumped into view. Fortunately, reading through it, he found the news he wanted to know. He read the letter twice carefully, then placed it in his bosom, feeling the warm touch of those few characters, like holding a silver warming pot on a cold, snowy day.

Everyone has their reverse scale, some for gold and silver, some for power and authority, but he was just one person.

He had never been a kind man, only for her was he willing to sheathe his sharp edges, but that didn’t mean he had forgotten how to kill.

He slowly raised his head. The black sky was so low, the stars sparse as if they could be touched by reaching out. The wind blew from far away, faintly carrying the scent of Qinghai. His heart was very quiet, like the waves of grass in Qinghai, layer upon layer, swaying gently.

The next day, eight thousand troops were deployed at the foot of Cangming Mountain. Unlike the Da Xia remnant troops and newly recruited reserves they had previously encountered, these were Yan Bei’s native soldiers, steel troops tempered in the edge of blades and rain of blood.

The border wind was always hard and cold, blowing across the vast land, lifting the misty Kao grass. The Qinghai warriors tightened the black silk on their wrists, gripped their wolf knives firmly, and gazed coldly at the enemy opposite. A strong fighting spirit rose on the battlefield, and even the passing wind carried a faint metallic ring.

However, at this moment, the Cangming Mountain garrison suddenly showed signs of confusion. Mounted on his horse, Zhuge Yue slowly frowned. Soon after, the Cangming Mountain garrison slowly retreated to both sides, and the heavy gates of the pass slowly opened. A wide road lay before the Qinghai army.

“What are they doing?”

Someone in the army whispered.

“It must be a trap. The Yan Bei dogs are playing tricks.”

The crowd was in chaos, all the noisy voices like boiling water, surging wave after wave.

Zhuge Yue looked at the silent Yan army opposite, silently frowning, saying nothing. Time passed slowly in this eerie environment, the Yan army remained silent, and the Qinghai army said nothing. The knee-high green grass swayed slowly, wave after wave with the wind.

Zhuge Yue’s horse hooves moved forward slowly but firmly one step.

Guo Huai anxiously blocked his way, urgently saying, “My Lord, be careful of tricks.”

“They dare to open the city gates before this Prince, does this Prince not even have the courage to walk through?”

Zhuge Yue’s voice was extremely low, not particularly inspiring, but in an instant, everyone’s fighting spirit seemed to be ignited. He raised his head with a light smile, his scabbard pointing crosswise, looking calmly at all the Qinghai warriors, saying clearly, “Who dares to follow this Prince through?”

“This humble servant is willing!”

At once, all the Qinghai soldiers shouted in unison, their voices like thunder, making the earth tremble slightly.

Three thousand Qinghai soldiers followed behind Zhuge Yue, hooves flying, galloping toward the majestic city gate.

One thousand zhang, five hundred zhang, three hundred zhang, closer and closer. So close they could even see the eyebrows and weapons of the Yan Bei soldiers, see the fighting spirit and edge in their eyes. However, no one drew their swords, and no one shouted. They just roared through the pass of Cangming Mountain, leaping through the gate that should have required countless corpses to open.

Cangming like a wilderness, the heavy gates slowly closed after they passed through. Black battle flags waved on the high city gates, as if they were someone’s eyes, watching them leave.

Zhuge Yue silently looked back twice, then turned his horse around and said to the Qinghai native general Guo Huai, “Send a message to General Yue Qi, bring the troops back.”

Guo Huai was slightly stunned. To coordinate this operation, General Yue Qi and General He Xiao led thirty thousand death troops to infiltrate Zhenhuang City. They were only waiting for a change in the situation here to immediately attack Zhenhuang and cooperate with the Da Xia participating forces to divert Yan Bei’s attention. Now letting them return so easily, wasn’t it a waste of the previous arrangements?

But he said nothing, only quickly instructing his subordinates to comply.

Ahead, the layers of clouds had dispersed, and Qinghai was in sight.

As soon as the doctor left, Zhuge Yue walked in. The vermilion-lacquered sandalwood hall was filled with the fragrance of calming incense. He casually dismissed the maids and walked straight to the bedside, sitting down along the edge of the bed.

She had lost a lot of weight, almost beyond recognition. Her eyes were already large, and now they looked even larger. The day he left, Liang Shaoqing came to see her and joked that she looked like a big-eyed monkey from the forest. She got angry and tried to throw a pillow at him, but couldn’t even hold the pillow steady.

She was asleep, her breathing steady. Having just taken medicine, her breathing had also become much more even. Whether it was psychological or not, Zhuge Yue felt that after passing through that stubborn old doctor’s hands, even her complexion seemed much better.

He had fought his way through, forcibly carving out a path with fresh blood. All along the way, his heart had been anxious, unable to sleep at night, but now it all transformed into the joy and comfort in his heart at this moment.

Thankfully…

He silently sighed in his heart, admitting that fear he would never admit to in normal times.

Thankfully, she’s alright.

From the baby cradle nearby, a small sound suddenly came. He turned his head to see a small child lying there on his side, staring at him with round, large eyes.

The child’s eyes were pitch black, like ripe grapes. He was still too small, his neck soft and unable to straighten. But his little fists were strong, tightly clenched, looking at this person sneaking by his mother’s bedside, frowning his eyebrows that didn’t yet have hair, very seriously staring at him.

Zhuge Yue was staring back at his son. This feeling was somewhat strange for a moment, and inexperienced as he was, he didn’t even know what expression to use. He raised one finger to his lips, indicating he should be quiet and not wake his mother from sleep.

But the child obviously couldn’t comprehend this complex gesture. Perhaps he was hungry; he very naturally picked up his little foot and, quite skillfully, stuffed it into his mouth.

Zhuge Yue frowned, thinking this was a bad habit. Too unhygienic.

His long arm reached over and pulled the little foot out of the child’s mouth, then gave him a warning look.

Though small, infants can keenly discern others’ attitudes toward them. So in the next second, predictably, the Qinghai little heir, full of dissatisfaction, opened his little mouth and began to wail loudly with earth-shattering force.

Suddenly, maids, servants, wet nurses, attendants, and doctors, all popped out from every corner of the hall like beans. Even Chu Qiao, who was in deep sleep, immediately woke up and sat up.

“What’s happening?”

“Did the little heir wet himself?”

“Quickly call the doctor.”

“Young master, don’t cry, don’t cry, look, what’s this?”

A group of servants very impolitely pushed a certain person out. The child’s eyes scanned the crowd, finally stopping on his mother’s face, looking very aggrieved with puckered lips, extending two chubby little hands, sobbing.

Chu Qiao held the child in her arms, looked around, and only then noticed her husband who had returned after a long separation. But she raised her willow eyebrows and angrily said, “You’re bullying our son!”

“I did not.”

Zhuge Yue denied it outright and was about to step forward. But as if to refute his words, the child, seeing him approach, cried even louder.

“You still say you didn’t?” Chu Qiao glared at him, “How can you, such a big person, still bully a child?”

Zhuge Yue was fuming with anger. Was this kid his son? Seeing him there with tears and snot staining Chu Qiao’s white collar, he was burning with rage. What was this? He had gone through life and death, traveling thousands of miles to seek medical help for the mother and child, and this was their attitude toward him.

“Your Highness, there’s too much dust on you. The doctor said to let you go out first.”

Zhuge Yue widened his eyes, nearly giving the little maid a heart attack on the spot. But after glaring for a long time, he finally left his own home with a black face, driven out by that vindictive old doctor.

Just as he was feeling extremely upset, a man in white robes wearing a scholar’s hat came scurrying up from outside the hall. First, he very formally gave a grand bow, then said, “Your Highness, did you receive my letter? Do you agree to arrange a marriage for me?”

Seeing him made Zhuge Yue even angrier. He frowned and said, “Meng Feng and General He’s wedding date is approaching. Don’t make trouble anymore.”

“How can this be?”

Liang Shaoqing said indignantly, “In terms of time, I knew General Meng Feng first. In terms of knowledge, I am full of learning and talent. In terms of compatibility, we complement each other, one civil, one military, like twin swords. In terms of…”

“Someone, drag this madman away.”

Two burly men immediately stepped forward. The talented and gentle scholar used all his strength to cling to the door, wailing heart-rendingly, “Your Highness, you can’t burn the bridge after crossing the river! Back in the day, Qiao Qiao had feelings for me, and it was my noble character that made me withdraw from the field of love, giving you an opportunity. Alas, Your Highness, as the lord of a country, how can you throw bananas at me? Such a lack of dignity, how can you be… Ouch…”

“Oh my, the young master has wet himself!”

“Quick, bring diapers. Wet nurse, come over. The young master might be hungry.”

…

Inside and outside the hall was a scene of chaos, with servants coming and going, everyone so busy that no one glanced at him.

The triumphantly returning Qinghai King was very depressed. He sat there with a dark face, feeling that this situation was far from what he had imagined.

It should have been like this: there should have been a filial son, a gentle wife, subordinates full of admiration. They should have all looked up at him sitting on horseback, moved to tears, loudly praising his achievements.

Not like now, where his son only knew how to cry and chew on his toes, his wife’s eyes and heart were only for the child, and his subordinate was not sensible, crying and shouting about stealing someone else’s bride.

He sighed, continuing to sit there very depressed.

“Sister Mei Xiang, should the young master wear this sapphire blue one or this beige one?”

“Miss, the young master has spit up his milk. Did he eat too much?”

“Oh my, Your Highness, could you get up for a moment? You’re sitting on the young master’s toy.”

…

Everyone has their reverse scale. For some, it’s gold and silver; for others, it’s power and authority; but for him, it’s two people…