Half an hour later, Yuan Ce returned to the main tent and changed out of his wine-scented outer robe. As he came out in clean attire, he saw Mu Xinhong and a group of soldiers laughing and drinking around a bonfire.
“Any message?” Yuan Ce asked, walking up behind them.
The tipsy soldiers turned around in surprise, their smiling faces immediately becoming serious: “What message is the General referring to…”
Mu Xinhong laughed and pressed their tense shoulders down: “Don’t panic! The General is just missing his sweetheart, like me!”
Yuan Ce: “…”
“General, the Princess is probably too busy tonight to think of you. If you have nothing to do, why not go rest?” Mu Xinhong said with a slurred laugh.
A few cups of wine and he was already like this.
“So even the battle-hardened General Shen has such leisure time,” a leisurely voice commented from the sidelines.
Yuan Ce turned his head to see Li Dafeng sitting alone by another bonfire in the distance. The miraculous healer was holding a twig, poking at the fire—or more precisely, at a pile of burnt lantern paper in the fire.
“And the life-saving Military Doctor Li is also quite idle,” Yuan Ce replied, crossing his arms to watch him.
“How is this being idle? These lanterns with full names written on them can neither be reused nor carelessly discarded. Burning them is most appropriate.”
“Is it most appropriate to burn them, or is someone worried about the wishes coming true?”
Li Dafeng smiled noncommittally, his eyes lifting slightly: “For a young lady to make such a malicious wish invites backlash. Burning it is for her good.”
Yuan Ce walked over and sat down by the bonfire.
Li Dafeng nodded toward another sky lantern behind him: “Since you’re idle anyway, why not burn that one too?”
Yuan Ce looked back at Jiang Zhiyi’s lantern paper without saying a word.
“The wish she made was for ‘faithfulness unto death’—a sentiment unchanging whether in life or death. If it comes true, I think you’ll be the one dying alone,” Li Dafeng said, lifting the lantern paper with his twig and offering it to him with a smile.
Yuan Ce turned back expressionlessly, his jaw tightening into a line, and did not take it.
Li Dafeng simply threw the twig forward, tossing the lantern paper into the bonfire: “If you don’t stop it, it counts as you burning it yourself.”
The flames roared, quickly blackening and curling the edges of the white lantern paper. Yuan Ce reached out, his five outstretched fingers freezing in midair as he watched the lantern paper gradually burn to ashes, the beautiful wishes concerning its owner and her beloved disappearing character by character—
Yuan Ce’s hand, suspended in midair, slowly clenched into a fist.
Li Dafeng burst into hearty laughter.
Just then, a clear female voice sounded behind them: “What are you burning that makes you laugh so happily?”
Yuan Ce: “…”
Both men turned around. Their first sight was two vibrant skirts completely out of place on the muddy ground, and looking up, they saw two graceful, elegant figures.
Realizing that these two puzzled gazes were looking down from a height with a clear view, almost simultaneously, Yuan Ce and Li Dafeng stood up, shoulders touching as they closed ranks, working together to block the bonfire.
Yuan Ce kicked out, pushing the not-yet-fully-burned lantern frame into the fire, and his boot tip deliberately struck Li Dafeng’s heel: “He’s asking you, what are you burning that makes you laugh so happily?”
Li Dafeng: “…”
Jiang Zhiyi and Baojia went from simple curiosity to deep suspicion.
“Are you two doing something mischievous?” Jiang Zhiyi tilted her head with her hands behind her back, trying to peek behind them.
“The Princess overthinks—” Li Dafeng bowed to Jiang Zhiyi with cupped hands. “It wasn’t us, the General ordered me to do it.”
Yuan Ce: “…”
“Military Doctor Li can tell lies with his eyes wide open—” Yuan Ce snorted with a laugh. “Yet why do you only bow to the Princess and not see the Imperial Princess beside her?”
Li Dafeng lowered his head and turned toward Baojia.
“No need,” Baojia said with a smile, not even glancing at Li Dafeng. “This Princess doesn’t accept just anyone’s courtesy.”
Jiang Zhiyi glanced at Li Dafeng, then at Baojia, feeling an awkward atmosphere silently spreading.
Noticing that the soldiers around the various bonfires in the distance had somehow all stood at attention, Jiang Zhiyi composed herself and turned to everyone, clearing her throat: “Gentlemen, please don’t stand on ceremony. The Imperial Princess and I have come to reward you all and bring some snacks to go with your wine. It’s a long night of celebration, and you shouldn’t go hungry.”
As she finished speaking, a line of more than ten well-dressed servants entered the camp carrying large platters of chicken, duck, fish, and meat dishes.
“On behalf of the troops, Shen thanks the Imperial Princess and the Princess for their care,” Yuan Ce bowed to the two women with his hands clasped, then gestured to the soldiers, indicating they should go eat.
With the formalities over, seeing that everyone was attracted by the delicacies and had gathered in groups of three or five, excitedly surrounding the food with no one watching them anymore, Jiang Zhiyi stepped forward and took Yuan Ce’s arm: “Did you miss me?”
Yuan Ce slowly turned his head, looking at Li Dafeng and Baojia, who were avoiding each other’s gaze and facing opposite directions, then at the soldiers in the distance with their backs to them.
Jiang Zhiyi continued on her own: “I was originally going to have you come pick me up to return to the residence after releasing the lanterns, but I wanted to see how you celebrate the New Year in your military camp, so I brought Sister Baojia along. Let’s stay here to celebrate the New Year tonight!”
Yuan Ce looked at her snow-white, fluffy silver fox cloak: “Won’t it get dirty here? Won’t you be cold?”
Naturally, Jiang Zhiyi preferred a clean and warm home, but she and Brother A-Ce were already in a relationship where they could sit on the same couch to celebrate. Sister Baojia and Military Doctor Li, however, wouldn’t even meet face to face. For the sake of returning the favor and creating an opportunity for Sister Baojia and Military Doctor Li to reconcile, she could only pretend to be willful about coming here.
“With you, anywhere is clean and warm,” Jiang Zhiyi smiled, her eyes curving.
Yuan Ce coughed lightly and took her hand, walking toward the main tent.
Jiang Zhiyi stumbled as he pulled her: “Why are you in such a hurry?”
“You think they’re focused on eating?”
“Huh?” Jiang Zhiyi looked back at the group of soldiers, who were quite convincing in their act. “Are they eavesdropping on our conversation?”
“Those who came to the capital with me are the most elite soldiers of the Xuance Army. With your volume, they don’t need to eavesdrop to hear.”
Jiang Zhiyi quickened her pace, her face flushing: “Your military camp is dangerous…”
The four of them entered Yuan Ce’s main tent one after another and sat down at a newly arranged table. Servants brought in separate late-night refreshments for their masters—
Braised deer tendons, wine-fried lamb, steamed crabs, monk’s delight shrimp, crystal fish slices, yin-yang fried tripe, five-treasure mix, triple-crisp soup… all dishes from the Feng Xu Restaurant, arranged exquisitely on the table, filling the entire surface. In the center, a space was cleared for a steaming hot pot with bubbling milky-white lamb soup.
It had been more than two hours since the New Year’s Eve dinner, and they were getting a bit hungry. Seeing that Baojia beside her had no intention of speaking, Jiang Zhiyi took the initiative and invited Yuan Ce and Li Dafeng across from them: “Let’s eat!”
Yuan Ce and Jiang Zhiyi picked up their chopsticks first.
A servant nearby, seeing the hot pot boiling, began to add thin slices of meat for the masters.
Jiang Zhiyi glanced over and stopped the servant’s chopsticks: “What meat is this?”
“In reply to the Princess, it’s beef, the finest tenderloin.”
Li Dafeng looked at Yuan Ce beside him.
Yuan Ce shook his head almost imperceptibly.
In the next moment, Jiang Zhiyi, across the table, waved her hand: “Take it away and bring something else. General Shen doesn’t eat beef.”
Yuan Ce’s chopsticks paused as he suddenly looked up.
Li Dafeng’s eyes also flashed as he looked at Jiang Zhiyi.
Seeing both men across from her freeze in unison, Jiang Zhiyi blinked: “What’s wrong? Does Military Doctor Li like beef? Then perhaps we should get two pots.”
Li Dafeng shook his head: “No, that’s not it.”
It wasn’t that he liked beef, but Yuan Ce indeed didn’t eat beef.
However, the person who didn’t eat beef was Yuan Ce, not Shen Yuan Ce.
Yuan Ce hesitantly held his empty chopsticks: “I—don’t eat beef?”
Jiang Zhiyi was stunned: “Don’t you? Did I remember wrong?”
Yuan Ce narrowed his eyes, staring at her: “Why don’t I eat beef?”
Jiang Zhiyi blinked, trying to recall for a moment, but strangely couldn’t remember.
“You don’t seem to have told me the reason, and I don’t remember… But I remember you dislike the taste of beef, don’t you?”
Yes, he hated the taste of beef because in the military, there was a special medical technique for treating mortally wounded patients. They would cut open a live cow’s abdomen and place the dying person inside, allowing them to soak in the warm cow’s blood, giving them a chance to return from the brink of death.
Years ago, when severely wounded, he had also been inside a cow’s abdomen.
If it had happened to him now, perhaps he wouldn’t have developed such an aversion, but he was very young then. Since that time, he could no longer tolerate the taste of beef; every time it entered his mouth, he felt nauseated.
But this was his dietary restriction, not his brother’s. At the Chang’an noble banquets where beef and mutton were considered delicacies, he had forced himself to eat beef many times over the past two months. Getting used to it wasn’t difficult.
Earlier, when Li Dafeng heard it was beef, he had glanced at him, but he hadn’t planned to let the Imperial Princess and Princess across from them notice anything unusual. Though it wasn’t a serious matter, having one fewer difference from his brother was always more appropriate.
But—how did Jiang Zhiyi know?
Since she spoke like this, his brother must have mentioned it to her. But when his brother was in the capital, he didn’t even know about this dietary restriction of his younger brother.
“What’s wrong with you all?” Baojia looked puzzledly at the two men across from her. “A young lady kindly remembers your dietary restrictions, and even if she remembers wrong, there’s no need to embarrass her like this, is there?”
Yuan Ce came back to his senses and looked at Jiang Zhiyi: “I know you mean well, but I don’t have any issue with beef.”
“Oh, then maybe I did remember wrong,” unable to recall the reason why he didn’t eat beef, Jiang Zhiyi was also confused. “It’s a small matter; I’ll remember correctly from now on!”
After the late-night meal, as it approached midnight, Jiang Zhiyi rinsed her mouth with tea. Seeing Baojia sitting by the table, slightly tipsy, lazily supporting her forehead and unwilling to move, she had a flash of inspiration. She said she wanted to go out for a walk to aid digestion and asked Li Dafeng to look after Baojia, quickly pulling Yuan Ce away.
Yuan Ce understood Jiang Zhiyi’s intention and cooperated by leaving the tent for the two of them, going out with her. He had intended to find another tent for her to rest in, but she said she genuinely wanted to take a walk to aid digestion, so he led her out of the camp.
Recalling what had happened during the meal, Yuan Ce still couldn’t figure out whether Jiang Zhiyi’s “mistake” was a coincidence or if there was something unusual about it.
As he frowned in thought, he suddenly felt someone hook his little finger: “In such cold weather, I didn’t even bring a hand warmer so I could hold hands with you. Aren’t you going to hold my hand?”
Yuan Ce enclosed her hand in his palm: “I told you we could just stay in another tent.”
“You’re no fun. Now that we’re in the wilderness, with our shoes already dirty, wouldn’t it be a waste not to enjoy the beautiful scenery?” As Jiang Zhiyi walked, she looked up at the sky. Unlike the brilliant lights of the city, here they could see the Milky Way above, with stars like flowing pearls scattered across the heavens.
“Beautiful scenery?” Yuan Ce looked up at the stars that had remained unchanged for decades, at the wild mountains and wilderness hiding wolves and tigers, and at the fallen leaves and muddy ground underfoot. Indeed, things that were ordinary and boring to him might be rare and exciting adventures for this sheltered noble lady. “There’s nothing much to see here. The mountains and wilderness of Hexi are a thousand times better than this.”
“Then let me go to Hexi with you!” Jiang Zhiyi blurted out.
Yuan Ce’s breath caught slightly, and he turned his head: “The border is not a place for amusement.”
“But after we get married, I’ll follow you wherever you go, like a wife should.”
“…”
“Haven’t you thought about this?” Jiang Zhiyi swung his hand, tilting her head to look at him.
Yuan Ce avoided her earnest, passionate gaze: “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Jiang Zhiyi stopped, unhappy: “It’s almost the New Year, and you’re still taking it one step at a time. My uncle is already taking steps to bring us closer together!”
“…”
Yuan Ce paused and turned to face her: “Then what do you want…”
Before he could finish, a sudden burst of crackling explosions erupted.
Jiang Zhiyi let out a startled cry and buried her head in Yuan Ce’s chest.
Yuan Ce quickly raised his hand to cover her ears, looked toward the distance, and lowered his head to say near her ear: “It’s firecrackers. The New Year has arrived.”
Jiang Zhiyi raised her wide eyes from his embrace, sighed in relief, and smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning against him while watching the singing and dancing crowd in the camp.
After the lively burst of firecrackers subsided, Jiang Zhiyi looked up: “What were you asking me before?”
Yuan Ce was about to let go, but he found her ears were as cold as ice, so he kept his hands near her ears and sighed: “I said, what do you want?”
Having heard the joyous sound of firecrackers, Jiang Zhiyi had already forgotten her earlier complaints. She hugged him and blinked mischievously: “I want—I want you to kiss me.”
Yuan Ce’s hand, which had been caressing her ear, paused and froze in place.
“If you won’t kiss me, then I’ll kiss you. It’s all the same anyway,” Jiang Zhiyi looked up at him. “You choose!”
Yuan Ce’s gaze flickered as he lowered his eyes to her moving lips, then a moment later, he averted his eyes and turned his head away.
“Fine, then I’ll just kiss you!” Jiang Zhiyi grumbled, struggling to stand on tiptoe. Her arms around his waist moved upward to reach his neck.
He felt those hands trying hard to pull his neck down, trying hard to bring them closer, trying hard to force him to lower his head and cooperate with her—
A savage force seemed to be rampaging through his internal organs, trying to break through those solid shackles, barriers, and defenses.
“Just lower your head a bit!”
Yuan Ce raised his hand and pressed down on the hands circling his neck.
Jiang Zhiyi’s eyebrows drooped as she let go of him, frowning and pursing her lips. This time, she was truly angry.
“I even want to kiss you, and you’re still unwilling. Am I forcing you that much…” Jiang Zhiyi pouted and turned to walk back toward the camp.
After just a few steps, her wrist was suddenly pulled, and Jiang Zhiyi’s entire body spun back with the force. Before she could steady herself, a large hand held the back of her head, and the neck that had refused to bend now lowered.
Yuan Ce lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips.
Before him were her eyes, wide with surprise. Through these clear eyes, he seemed to see again the image of that pure white lantern paper burning fiercely in the fire that night. Those dirty ashes seemed to be forcing him to admit—
Yes, he was the one who didn’t want her wish to come true. He was the unforgivable sinner who had fallen in love with his brother’s beloved and wanted to replace him.