The lively Yaoguang Garden transitioned from autumn into winter, and soon it was the year’s end—another New Year’s Eve.

On a warm, sunny afternoon, a long table was set up in the courtyard, with everyone gathered around it—some rolling out dough, others chopping fillings.

Last year in the twelfth lunar month, Shen Yuance had been obliged to go to the capital by imperial decree, leaving Jiang Zhiyi to spend the New Year in a quiet and lonely Yaoguang Garden. Before leaving, he had promised to accompany her every New Year’s Eve thereafter. This was the first year of fulfilling that promise.

A few days ago, Shen Yuance had asked Jiang Zhiyi what she wanted to do on New Year’s Eve. She said, “When I was little, I would make dumplings with Father and Mother on New Year’s Eve. Father said that if you made dumplings for the reunion dinner with your own hands, you could put as much good fortune into them as you wished, and on this day, even Heaven wouldn’t fault people for being greedy.”

Since last year, Jiang Zhiyi has been no longer afraid of dumplings. The first regret she wanted to remedy was to make with her own hands the dumplings she hadn’t touched for many years on New Year’s Eve. So in the afternoon, she invited Bao Jia and Li Dafeng to join the festivities.

Shen Yuance stood at the long table, a cleaver in each hand. With each rise and fall of his hands, the meat on the chopping board instantly turned into minced bits.

Across from him, Li Dafeng watched as Shen Yuance wielded the dual cleavers, looking down at the minced meat with narrowed eyes, and smiled while rolling out the dough.

After glancing up several times, Shen Yuance applied force, causing the blade to make a “ka” sound as it stuck into the chopping board: “Come, tell me what you’re laughing at.”

Li Dafeng unhurriedly handed the rolled dough to Bao Jia, then composed himself and said: “Pardon me. I’m just used to seeing the Young General wielding war blades. I never thought I’d live to see the Young General wielding kitchen knives.”

Throughout the entire year, Hexi had been peaceful, and Shen Yuance’s sword had not tasted blood for a long time. When he wielded a knife now, it was usually to add interest to Jiang Zhiyi’s dining table—either slicing fish or meat.

At first, Shen Yuance also felt these hands were holding the wrong knives, but Jiang Zhiyi said that when a general’s knife is slicing fish and meat, it means the country is safe and the people are well. What could be better than that?

“The Young General, having used knives for over a decade, chops meat both quickly and well. This knife skill can rival that of the most outstanding chefs,” Li Dafeng added.

Shen Yuance glanced at him and lifted his knives to continue wielding them in both hands: “And Dr. Li is indeed a master of precision who never loses his sense of proportion. Each sheet of dough is rolled to a consistent shape, uniform thickness—truly a waste not to set up a stall.”

“The Young General is too kind.”

“Since you two are so good at flattery, why not come praise Zhiyi’s dumplings?” Bao Jia said with a smile as she pinched a dumpling. “Don’t make her cry and stop making them.”

Shen Yuance and Li Dafeng both looked over.

Jiang Zhiyi quickly cupped the dumpling in her palm and complained in a drawn-out voice: “Elder Sister, that’s no way to make fun of someone. I just haven’t made them for many years and am rusty! I’ll get better after making a few more…”

Shen Yuance bent down to look closer: “Let me see. How can I praise without seeing?”

“Once you see, you won’t be able to praise at all,” Jiang Zhiyi covered her palm, not letting him see.

“Is there any dumpling in this world I couldn’t praise?”

Jiang Zhiyi glanced at him sideways, then opened her hand.

A dumpling with broken skin and exposed filling that couldn’t be sealed lay before their eyes.

Shen Yuance raised his eyebrows: “What’s wrong with this? It looks fine to me. Does Great Ye’s law mandate that dumplings must be sealed? Different strokes for different folks—I prefer dumplings with exposed filling.”

Jiang Zhiyi pushed him lightly with a smile: “I was planning to send some to the military camp. I can’t lose face.”

“This is the first time I’m eating dumplings made by you. If they can eat them on the same day as me, they should be burning incense and worshipping Buddha in gratitude. How dare they complain?”

Just as he finished speaking, a familiar male voice sounded from the end of the corridor: “Dumplings made by the Young Madam’s own hands—that’s a blessing one couldn’t obtain even by burning incense and worshipping Buddha. I thank the Young Madam on behalf of the brothers!”

Jiang Zhiyi turned her head to see Mu Xinhong walking excitedly toward them with a saber at his waist.

“General Mu, you’ve come early. The dumplings aren’t ready yet!”

“Young Madam, I came early because I feared that if I came late, the Young General would back out of today’s martial contest.”

During that half-year when Shen Yuance was at home resting, Mu Xinhong had come repeatedly to urge him, saying that the Xuance Army couldn’t be without its central pillar, and asking him to return to take charge of the military once he had recovered.

This autumn, Shen Yuance had returned to the military camp as Jizhu, though most of the time he remained behind the scenes, only occasionally appearing at the training grounds during drills.

Jizhu’s first public appearance had caused a great stir in the military camp, because both his physique and martial skills were remarkably similar to their deceased Young General.

So similar that people couldn’t help but wonder if the face under the mask would also be identical to the Young General’s, and if the Young General had not actually died but had merely spent half a year recovering from injuries before returning under the identity of a scout.

However, several veterans in the army had seen Jizhu before and testified that he had always had this physique and appearance, that he had grown up in the military camp, and if anyone resembled anyone, it should be said that the Young General resembled Jizhu.

People were uncertain and privately had many different theories, but who would dare say that someone personally shot and killed by the current emperor was still alive? If he were alive, it meant that the emperor had tacitly approved the Young General’s return—a joyous occasion that the entire Xuance Army understood but could not speak of openly. If it was merely a coincidence, then Jizhu’s abilities fully qualified him to become their new leader. His tenure in the military was even longer than the Young General’s, and they shouldn’t say things that would discourage him.

Gradually, people stopped investigating the face under Jizhu’s mask, knowing only to recognize the person before them.

“Martial contests on New Year’s Eve? Haven’t you had enough contests all year?” Shen Yuance narrowed his eyes at Mu Xinhong.

Mu Xinhong waved his hands repeatedly: “Young General, I wouldn’t dare say that! The martial contest was proposed by the Young Madam!”

Shen Yuance slowly turned his head to look at Jiang Zhiyi and nodded: “Indeed, there hasn’t been enough. I see that bunch has been getting slack lately.”

Jiang Zhiyi smiled with pursed lips: “It’s not a serious martial contest, just recreational games like arrow throwing and striking balls. It’s just an excuse to give everyone prizes. All participants will receive rewards, with special prizes for the top three.”

Mu Xinhong said, “Young General, last New Year’s Eve, everyone was anxious and fearful and couldn’t properly celebrate. This year, if you go and join in the festivities, it will set everyone’s mind at ease.”

Shen Yuance raised his chin: “If I go, what will be left for them to do?”

“Look at what you’re saying! The Young Madam is so clever and forward-thinking, she’s already prepared two first-place prizes. You just need to go and win.”

*

After spending half the day making dumplings, Shen Yuance and Jiang Zhiyi left for the military camp when it was time for the martial contest.

Jiang Zhiyi, having flour and meat filling on her body, bathed and changed before leaving, arriving a step later. When she reached the training ground at dusk, she saw it bustling with activity. In the center of the arena, Shen Yuance wore a silver mask, holding a silver spear in his right hand, with his left hand behind his back, sparring with the soldiers.

Everyone sat in the spectator seats, watching intently, applauding and cheering continuously. No one even noticed when she entered the arena.

Until Shen Yuance’s spear made a swift move, winning in one strike, and he raised his head to look in her direction.

Everyone’s gaze followed Shen Yuance’s, and seeing her standing there, they all stood up to salute.

Jiang Zhiyi raised her hand to gently press the air, stopping them.

After Shen Yuance returned to the military, Jiang Zhiyi had also visited the Xuance camp several times, always during festivals to reward the soldiers.

When the soldiers saw her, they would instinctively call out “Young Madam,” but after the words left their mouths, perhaps remembering the complex relationships involved, they would hesitate, unsure if this was the right way to address her.

She never answered, smiling and saying they could call her whatever they wanted.

Seeing that Jiang Zhiyi had no intention of disturbing everyone, Mu Xinhong told them to continue watching the competition and called the next group to enter the arena.

Shen Yuance put away his spear and left the arena, sitting at the highest point of the spectator seats and beckoning to Jiang Zhiyi.

Jiang Zhiyi walked around to the back, climbed the steps, and sat down beside him, asking quietly: “Wasn’t it supposed to be arrow throwing and ball striking? Why are knives and spears involved now?”

“They were itching for a fight and insisted on testing me.”

“And you beat them using only one hand?”

“I wouldn’t lose even if I used no hands. If I could lose, I might as well truly retire,” Shen Yuance said with a smile. “Where’s my prize? What is it?”

“It’s a kiss from me,” Jiang Zhiyi whispered in his ear.

Shen Yuance turned his face, about to kiss her.

Jiang Zhiyi pushed his face away with a smile and said in a low voice: “There are so many people in front! You can be shameless behind your mask, but I still care about my reputation!”

“Didn’t you say a kiss was the prize?”

Jiang Zhiyi took out a wooden box from her sleeve: “Here, this is the real prize.”

Shen Yuance took the box and opened it to see a dark jade archer’s thumb ring, his eyes flickering slightly.

“When you taught me archery before, you gave me a jade thumb ring to use. I noticed that the thumb ring had cracks in it, so I’m giving you a new one.”

Shen Yuance, like her, was born in winter, but he never celebrated his birthday because for him and the Shen family, it was not a day worth celebrating.

Since that was the case, Jiang Zhiyi didn’t want to force him to celebrate his birthday just to satisfy her wishes, so she hadn’t given him a gift on his birthday, planning to find another occasion to present it.

Recently, she had been thinking about what gift to give Shen Yuance. Remembering the jade thumb ring that, despite being cracked all over, he had preserved to this day, she asked Li Dafeng about its history and learned that it was a gift Shen Yuance had obtained from his father with great difficulty when he was young.

“In the future, you won’t need to ask anyone for gifts. I will give them to you every year,” Jiang Zhiyi said, looking at him.

Shen Yuance raised his head to look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Shen Yuance shook his head: “I just feel like I’ve been waiting for this thumb ring for many years.”

Jiang Zhiyi smiled as she took his hand and gently slipped the thumb ring onto his thumb.

In the front row, a soldier secretly turned his head to look at the two and whispered to his comrade, who, equally curious about the couple, had lost interest in watching the competition: “I think, addressing the County Princess as ‘Young Madam’ is correct no matter what.”

If Jizhu was truly the original Young General, then the County Princess was naturally their Young Madam.

If Jizhu was not the original Young General, then she was still—

Young Generals may come and go, but the Young Madam remains constant.