The door was right before her eyes. He Yan hesitated for a moment, ultimately deciding not to enter her own room first, but instead walking to Commander Xiao’s door and knocking gently.
After a while, she heard Commander Xiao’s voice: “Enter.”
The door wasn’t locked. He Yan opened it and peeked her head in. There was no one else in the room, only Xiao Jue standing there. He had already changed into his middle garments, presumably preparing to rest. He Yan hesitated: “Commander, are you about to retire?”
“What is it?”
He Yan entered the room, closing the door behind her. After walking in, she momentarily didn’t know what to say. After a pause, she looked at Commander Xiao: “I’ve been promoted to Wu’an Lang. Commander, what’s this about?”
“What’s this about?” Xiao Jue said coldly. “Didn’t Chu Zilan tell you?”
He had guessed it. He Yan stepped forward, “Commander, you know it was Young Master Chu who requested the title for me.”
Xiao Jue’s gaze fixed on her face, letting out a cold smile: “Your relationship with him seems quite good.”
“No, Commander, you’re wronging me.” He Yan said: “I only learned today that Young Master Chu requested the title for me. I am puzzled why he would suddenly request a title for me.”
“Isn’t it because Chu Zilan saw that you weren’t getting promoted under my command and felt indignant on your behalf, so he submitted a memorial to request your title?” Xiao Jue turned around, hanging Drinking Autumn on the wall, his voice tinged with mockery, “Young Lady He’s connections are good, surprisingly good.”
Why did these words sound so sarcastic? He Yan frowned: “This wasn’t something I asked for, Commander. You can’t misplace your anger like this.”
“I’ve said before,” Xiao Jue’s eyes turned cold, “your fondness for Chu Zilan is your business, but in Liangzhou Guard, being close to spies becomes my business.”
These words were harsh as if implying she was an internal spy collaborating with outsiders. He Yan thought to herself that Xiao Jue’s temperament was inexplicable, even surpassing Shen Muxue. The frustration of the past two days had accumulated in her heart, causing her to say involuntarily: “Young Master Chu and I are merely ordinary friends. There’s no question of being close. Commander, aren’t you close with Lady Shen yourself? Don’t you also have people you’re friendly with?”
“Friendly?” Xiao Jue stared at her and slowly repeated, then laughed after a moment, his eyes devoid of warmth, “It seems Chu Zilan has pleased you greatly.”
He Yan: “Whether he’s pleased me or not, I don’t know, but at least Young Master Chu isn’t unreasonable like you, Commander.”
Xiao Jue said coldly: “Young Lady He is free to seek out those who aren’t unreasonable.”
He Yan: “…”
She usually had a good temperament and considered herself broad-minded. But these past two days, she had already been troubled by the matter with Shen Muxue, and now seeing Xiao Jue’s aggressive attitude, she also felt angry. For a moment, she even forgot what she wanted to ask Xiao Jue about, turning to leave without another word. As she left, she almost slammed the door, but remembering that Xiao Jue was still her superior, she didn’t dare be too unruly and closed the door properly, leaving with dignity.
The room fell silent again.
After a while, Xiao Jue looked back toward the door, which had been closed. The visitor had come cautiously and left impetuously, the air seemingly still charged with the tense atmosphere from moments ago.
The young man’s face turned slightly cold, and he suddenly waved his hand, extinguishing the oil lamp on the table. Everything returned to silence.
It was truly not a particularly pleasant evening.
…
Ever since that unpleasant parting with Xiao Jue that day, He Yan had thrown herself into daily training with renewed vigor. She no longer sneaked over to the opposite room at night to chat with Xiao Jue as before. Firstly, because Xiao Jue’s attitude that day had been too harsh – Chu Zhao’s request for her title wasn’t something she had asked for, and while she was wary of Chu Zhao, Xiao Jue had directed his anger at her, speaking as if she were a spy, which made He Yan angry. Secondly, it was because, for some strange reason, while she hadn’t known Shen Muxue’s identity before, after learning it, she would frequently see Xiao Jue and Shen Muxue together.
It was only then that He Yan learned that the refined snacks and meals in Xiao Jue’s daily food basket were all made by Shen Muxue. This young woman could compose poetry, was willing to follow Xiao Jue to the distant frontier, and took care of his daily needs with such attention to detail. Displaying such a virtuous manner each day – He Yan asked herself honestly, if she were Xiao Jue, she would be moved.
The more she thought about it, the more dejected she became, so she decided it was better not to see it at all. Each day she exhausted herself at the training grounds, returned to her room, and fell straight to sleep, and the days became more bearable.
However, her situation with Xiao Jue was eventually noticed by others. One day, as He Yan was leaving the training grounds after having dinner with Hong Shan and the others, she was caught by Lin Shuanghe.
“Brother He!” He naturally waved to He Yan, walking to her side, “Recently I’ve felt that Liangzhou Guard has become so vast, even more so than the capital. Otherwise, how could I not see your shadow day after day? If I hadn’t happened to meet you these days, I would have wondered if you’d returned to the capital.”
He Yan was silent for a moment before saying, “I’ve been busy with daily training lately and haven’t been able to talk with Brother Lin. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Lin Shuanghe shook his fan, looking at her with a knowing smile, “I’m not that petty. But Little Sister He,” he lowered his voice, “you’ve fought with Huaijin, haven’t you? Usually, when I go to find him, you’re there five times out of ten, but these days, tsk tsk tsk, the lock on the middle door has even rusted. How long has it been since you’ve sat in his room?”
He Yan gave him a cold look: “What sitting? We’re not that close!”
“You fought?” Lin Shuanghe was stunned: “Weren’t you always good-tempered? How did you end up having a serious argument with Xiao Huaijin?”
He Yan had been holding in frustration these days, and upon hearing this, she said: “How would I know what offended him? Brother Lin, do you men also have a certain time each month when you find everyone disagreeable and want to throw tantrums without reason?”
Lin Shuanghe stroked his chin: “I only know that women become irritable and temperamental during their monthly cycle. I didn’t know men could be like this too, what kind of new ailment is this?” He glanced sideways at He Yan, “Come, tell me, how exactly was Xiao Huaijin being unreasonable?”
He Yan thought that since Lin Shuanghe was Xiao Jue’s good friend, he must understand him better than she did. So she explained the whole matter in detail, and finally said: “Brother Lin, tell me, how can this be blamed on me? The Commander seems to suspect me, which is why he spoke like that, but he doesn’t know how loyal I am to Liangzhou Guard and how hurt I was to hear such words.”
Lin Shuanghe closed his fan and stared at He Yan without speaking, his gaze particularly strange. He Yan felt uncomfortable under his stare and frowned, asking: “Brother Lin?”
“Little Sister He,” Lin Shuanghe said softly, “You think Huaijin acted this way because you’re close to Chu Zilan, and since Chu Zilan might be a spy for Liangzhou Guard, he suspects you?”
He Yan: “Exactly.”
“Have you considered other reasons?” Lin Shuanghe guided gently.
He Yan asked: “What reasons?”
“For instance… don’t look at this from a superior-subordinate perspective, but rather from the relationship between a man and a woman. Then…” Lin Shuanghe lowered his voice mysteriously, “Could it be that Xiao Huaijin saw you getting close to Chu Zilan and, as a man, became jealous?”
The surroundings fell silent for a moment.
Lin Shuanghe observed He Yan’s expression.
After a while, He Yan reached out to feel Lin Shuanghe’s forehead: “Brother Lin, are you ill? I think you shouldn’t be standing here in the wind, but should go see Lady Shen instead.”
Lin Shuanghe: “?”
“Look at me,” He Yan pointed at herself, “then look at Lady Shen. Do you think the Commander would be jealous because of me?” He Yan said: “I’m afraid in the Commander’s eyes, I’m no different from you or Instructor Shen. Perhaps he is jealous, but it’s like a friend being taken away by someone else, with no relation to romantic feelings.”
She spoke with such certainty that it left the usually eloquent Lin Shuanghe temporarily speechless. After a while, he said: “Your words aren’t right. What do you mean by comparing yourself with Lady Shen? I think you’re very good, and I’ve seen many beauties. My words carry weight in Shuojing.”
He Yan shook her head with a smile: “Am I more beautiful than Lady Shen?”
Lin Shuanghe: “Well…”
“Is my family background more noble than Lady Shen’s?”
“Uh…”
“Do I cherish Commander Xiao like a precious jewel, willing to travel thousands of miles to fight alongside him?”
Lin Shuanghe: “…”
He struggled to argue: “That’s not how you should look at it, you have your own merits.”
He Yan smiled: “Then Brother Lin, tell me, what are my merits?”
Lin Shuanghe said: “You’re generous! Righteous and loyal! Skilled in martial arts, cheerful and forthright, never affected. Passionate and strong, and capable in battle, aren’t these merits?”
He Yan looked at him: “Brother Lin, these merits you mentioned, Instructor Shen has them too, the Chihu Flying Slaves have them too, most of the new recruits in Liangzhou Guard are like this. Does this mean the Commander is filled with admiration and love for all of them?”
Lin Shuanghe couldn’t respond to this.
He suddenly felt weary. Originally intending to help his friend probe this young woman’s feelings, now not only could he not probe, but He Yan refused to believe Xiao Jue had any special feelings for her. How could this continue? This young woman appeared as bright and cheerful as the sun, but why was she so insecure deep inside? It was as if she had never been properly cared for, unwilling to believe even the slightest bit of being “favored.”
Wasn’t it said that her martial arts officer father deeply loved He Yan? A young woman who grew up being cherished would be confident and proud, never like this.
Lin Shuanghe thought that this matter couldn’t be rushed. To change He Yan’s stubborn thinking, they would first need to find the root cause. Fearing that He Yan would continue to dwell on this, he changed the subject: “Never mind these things. It’s just that these days I’ve noticed the atmosphere between you and Huaijin isn’t right, so I wanted to act as a mediator. You know, we might be leaving Liangzhou Guard before long, and if things remain cold and distant on the road, won’t that be difficult?”
He Yan startled: “Leaving Liangzhou Guard?”
Lin Shuanghe sighed: “The Wutuo people have arrived at our doorstep. Sooner or later, Huaijin will have to lead troops back to the capital. No matter how Minister Xu maneuvers, His Majesty won’t let Huaijin stay in Liangzhou Guard forever—the capital can’t be left without defenders.”
“The Wutuo people have arrived at our doorstep… what does that mean?”
“Brother He, don’t you know yet? I learned about it this afternoon when you were probably at daily training. I expect the entire Liangzhou Guard will know by tomorrow. While we were dealing with the Wutuo people in Jiyang, another large Wutuo army had already launched an attack on Huayuan. His Majesty dispatched General Feihu to meet them in battle, ordering him to defend Huayuan.”
This news was too shocking, and He Yan didn’t know which part to be stunned about first. Are the Wutuo people attacking Huayuan? He Rufei meeting them in battle?
How dare He Rufei!
“When did this happen?” He Yan asked: “Has… General Feihu already gone to Huayuan?”
Lin Shuanghe thought for a moment: “Even riding day and night at full speed, it takes over a month from Huayuan to Liangzhou. Since the news has already reached us, General Feihu should have arrived at Huayuan by now and be in a fierce battle with the Wutuo people.” Seeing He Yan’s troubled expression, thinking she was worried about Huayuan’s situation, he consoled: “You needn’t worry too much. General Feihu has brought 150,000 Fuyue troops, they won’t lose no matter what. Besides, that’s our Great Wei’s General Feihu, He Rufei who rivals Xiao Huaijin in fame, he’s rarely lost a battle. Our 20,000 troops could handle 150,000 Wutuo people in Jiyang, not to mention 150,000 Fuyue troops. You know, General Feihu is most skilled at military formations, winning with fewer against many.”
He Yan remained silent.
Lin Shuanghe looked at her strangely: “Brother He? Brother He?”
He Yan came back to her senses, looked at him, and said word by word: “Brother Lin if there’s any news from Huayuan in the coming days, could you inform me immediately?”
“Of course,” Lin Shuanghe twirled his fan, “This isn’t any military secret anyway. When news from Huayuan arrives, the entire Liangzhou Guard will know sooner or later. But why are you so nervous? You’re even sweating. Back in Jiyang City, even in such disadvantageous circumstances, weren’t you completely composed? Could it be…” He leaned closer, staring at He Yan: “You…”
He Yan’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm exterior: “What?”
“You don’t trust General Feihu this much?” Lin Shuanghe said seriously: “Although you’re closer to Huaijin, it’s natural to favor one’s superior between the two. However, apart from previously liking to wear masks and being mysterious, General Feihu is truly first-rate at warfare, this is beyond doubt. You needn’t worry so much. If he didn’t have real ability, His Majesty wouldn’t have appointed him as general.”
At this moment, He Yan had no mind to take in Lin Shuanghe’s consolation. She merely responded perfunctorily and hurriedly left. Lin Shuanghe watched her departing figure and muttered strangely: “If He Rufei were here and saw his abilities being doubted like this, he’d probably vomit blood in anger.”
Whether He Rufei would vomit blood in anger or not, He Yan didn’t know. She hurriedly returned to her room, staring at the tightly closed middle door. Several times her hand reached for the lock, only to withdraw again.
How could she tell Xiao Jue? That He Rufei was fake? Because the real General Feihu was in the Liangzhou Guard? Huayuan was so far from Liangzhou Guard, that His Majesty had already dispatched the Fuyue army, and Liangzhou Guard’s Southern Garrison troops couldn’t leave the city without authorization. Moreover, how could she convince Xiao Jue to lead the Southern Garrison troops to Huayuan? By saying that He Rufei’s 150,000 Fuyue troops couldn’t defeat the Wutuo people? Such words would likely get her arrested as a spy as soon as they were uttered.
He Yan grabbed the tea from the table and took a sip. The tea had grown completely cold, which also helped calm her emotions somewhat.
She never imagined that Emperor Wenxuan would send He Rufei to Huayuan. Ever since He Rufei had replaced her as “General Feihu,” aside from occasionally appearing at military reviews in the capital’s training grounds, he had never actually led troops in battle. This was partly because, after the pacification of the Western Qiang and Southern Man rebellions, Great Wei had been peaceful and prosperous, with no need for military campaigns. But He Rufei himself had also pleaded with Emperor Wenxuan, claiming he had sustained serious injuries in the final battle and wished to recuperate in Shuojing.
Military power is easier to give up than to retain. When He Rufei voluntarily requested to stay in the capital, Emperor Wenxuan naturally couldn’t have asked for more. Others thought He Rufei was wise to retire at his peak, but He Yan knew very well that Young Master He simply couldn’t lead troops in battle. Over these years, He Rufei had been recuperating outside Shuojing. She knew He Rufei had decent martial skills, and perhaps to live up to the title of “General Feihu,” he had also studied military texts extensively. But just as no two leaves are exactly alike, one’s strategies, military theories, and habits couldn’t be changed. One might deceive for a while but not forever. Her former trusted subordinates would immediately notice the differences between He Rufei and herself if they went to battle together.
He Rufei must have been worried about exactly this point, which was why he no longer led troops in battle.
But now the Wutuo people’s appearance had disrupted everything. He Rufei was forced to go to war, so… what would he do?
As He Yan thought about this, for some reason, an ominous feeling crept into her heart. She knew He Rufei certainly couldn’t lose the battle. With so many Fuyue troops, if they were defeated and tarnished General Feihu’s reputation, the cunning He family would never let their acquired benefits slip away so easily.
But if he wanted to win, he would later be suspected by General Feihu’s trusted subordinates.
If He Yan were near Huayuan at this moment, she would rush to the battlefield immediately. Unfortunately, she was now far away in Liangzhou, and He Rufei had probably already engaged the Wutuo people in battle. Though she was worried sick here, she was helpless to do anything.
Stay calm, He Yan told herself, there must be a solution. The urgent matter at hand was to first get news from Huayuan, and then make plans.
…
As Lin Shuanghe had said, news of the Wutuo people’s attack on Huayuan spread throughout the Liangzhou Guard the next day. The soldiers of Liangzhou Guard were all fired up, saying: “Those Wutuo people came to Liangzhou Guard once before, when we were still new recruits, and even then we could rout them completely. Now we’re much better than before, if the Wutuo people come again, we can capture them all in one fell swoop!”
“That’s right, Instructor, can we go to battle against the Wutuo people? We want to fight the Wutuo people too!”
Shen Han said coldly: “What’s all this noise about? There will be plenty of chances for you to fight in the future. Now, focus on your training!”
Standing among the Southern Garrison troops, He Yan watched the eager recruits of the Liangzhou Guard and felt a trace of worry in her heart. Shen Han’s words made sense – the Wutuo people weren’t just probing, they were launching a full-scale attack targeting Great Wei. Since war was coming, whether it was Huayuan or Liangzhou, Shuojing or Jiyang, how could any part of Great Wei’s territory escape it?
She just wondered how things were going with the Wutuo people in Huayuan.
Another two days passed like this. In the afternoon, while everyone was at daily training in the practice field, just as they were finishing up and about to eat, they saw a horse galloping from the end of White Moon Mountain. After quite a while, as everyone was eating, a recruit burst through the crowd, shouting: “Does everyone know? In the battle of Huayuan, General Feihu has won!”
“Won? Really! As expected of General Feihu!”
“Those Wutuo people are just paper tigers, only looking fierce. They couldn’t defeat our Commander in Jiyang, and they couldn’t defeat General Feihu in Huayuan either. As long as our Great Wei has these two, never mind one Wutuo nation, even ten Wutuo nations would be useless!”
Everyone burst into laughter.
All being sons of Great Wei, when the good news arrived, everyone shared in the glory. Suddenly there was excited laughter everywhere. Wang Ba took a bite of his steamed bun and snorted: “With 150,000 Fuyue troops, I could win too if I went.”
Hong Shan undermined him: “Then why aren’t you a general?”
Just as Wang Ba was about to retort, they saw He Yan put down her bowl of porridge and stand up.
“Brother He?” Xiaomai looked at her.
“I’m going out for a bit,” He Yan said with the steamed bun in her mouth, “I’ll be back later.” She quickly left, pushing through the crowd.
“What’s wrong with Brother He?” Jiang Jiao asked.
Huang Xiong kept his head down drinking porridge: “Probably needs to use the latrine.”
…
He Yan walked very quickly, leaving behind the recruits holding their bowls. She couldn’t hide her astonishment. He Rufei win?
This seemed logical – having accepted the military order, He Rufei must have made thorough preparations. Although she hadn’t spent much time with He Rufei, through various incidents, such as the Ding Yi matter, it was clear that He Rufei was a meticulous person who was very good at planning. To avoid his identity being exposed, He Rufei would certainly do everything possible to prevent being discovered. He might have been trying to fit into the “general” role ever since He Yan returned to being Young Lady He, or even before that.
But why did she still feel so uneasy?
Lin Shuanghe spent every day with Xiao Jue and should have been the first to know this news. He must know some specifics about this battle.
He Yan had just reached the courtyard entrance but hadn’t stepped in when she saw Lin Shuanghe talking with Shen Han, holding what looked like a letter in his hand. Lin Shuanghe sighed: “So it seems that while the battle of Huayuan was won, it was a bitter victory with many casualties. This must be a first in General Feihu’s military career.”
“They say there were Wutuo spies who had infiltrated the army. General Feihu was shot by an arrow from behind during battle, but in the end, he still managed to turn the tide and defend Huayuan.”
He Yan’s steps faltered. Spies? The Fuyue army was known for its strict discipline, how could there be spies? Even if there were spies, how could He Rufei, as the commander, escape unharmed? The phrase “turning the tide” – He Yan couldn’t believe it could apply to He Rufei no matter what.
Moreover, what did they mean by “many casualties”?
At this moment, Lin Shuanghe spoke again: “Speaking of which, I was also classmates with General He for several years. Though he can be stubborn at times, he’s not a bad person. Having suffered such a blow this time, he must be feeling very heavy-hearted.”
Shen Han sighed: “After all, they were trusted subordinates who had been by his side for many years. Having them all perish in one battle, anyone would be affected.”
He Yan was thunderstruck.