On the second day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it was raining. When He Yan woke up, everyone else was still sound asleep on their beds, likely drunk from the previous night. However, the morning training assembly call had already sounded – training would proceed even in the rain. She got up from her bed and woke everyone one by one.

“My head is spinning,” said Xiao Mai, who was too young to handle such a hangover and still felt its lingering effects. “Brother He, what are you doing?”

He Yan handed him a water pouch, “Quickly drink some water, wash your face – it’s time for morning runs.”

As Xiao Mai took large gulps from the water pouch, Hong Shan watched and laughed, “Xiao Mai, you and your brother need more practice. This little alcohol tolerance won’t do – you can’t even match your Brother He.”

Xiao Mai glanced at He Yan and asked, “Brother He, is your alcohol tolerance that good?”

“It’s passable,” He Yan answered dismissively. She didn’t feel any headache now; instead, she felt refreshed, though she couldn’t remember when she had returned to her quarters. She only remembered drinking with Huang Xiong by the bonfire, having several bowls, and seemed to have opened the Eighteen Immortals wine… wait, where was the Eighteen Immortals?

“Where’s that jar of wine that Commander Xiao rewarded us with?” Hong Shan remembered too. “That was good stuff, hope it wasn’t lost.”

“It might be with Wang Ba,” He Yan replied. She tried to recall more details but couldn’t remember anything else.

Previously, when she drank, she was known for being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, though this wasn’t entirely true. She would get drunk after drinking too much, but He Yan’s drunkenness was different from others. When drunk, her face showed no signs, appearing especially clear-minded. Once while in the army, she got drunk and spent the whole night discussing military strategy with the Military Advisor, appearing bright and energetic. The next day, the Military Advisor praised He Yan as a truly rare hero, but in reality, He Yan couldn’t remember anything from the previous night.

Even when drunk, others couldn’t tell. She wouldn’t stumble or talk nonsense. So there shouldn’t have been any embarrassing moments, but what exactly did she do last night?

Unable to recall anything more, she quickly washed up with everyone else and went outside with dry biscuits for the morning run.

After the rain, the ground was wet and slippery, so they couldn’t run too fast to avoid falling. As He Yan was running, she felt someone watching her. Following the gaze, she saw Chief Instructor Shen Han standing at the end of the horse path, staring at her unblinkingly with a complex expression.

When he noticed He Yan looking back, Shen Han averted his gaze. This was strange – she was very sensitive to people’s gazes, and Shen Han’s manner suggested he was contemplating something. When she looked at Shen Han again, he had already walked away.

Perhaps because He Yan’s gaze toward Shen Han was too obvious, a recruit running beside her said, “The Chief Instructor is usually so fierce, but he’s quite nice to you. What’s your relationship with him? Why does he take such good care of you?”

“Take care of me?” He Yan was puzzled, “I don’t know what you mean.”

If Shen Han truly cared for her, he wouldn’t have assigned Lei Hou to the Vanguard Camp.

“Last night, when we were returning, we saw Chief Instructor Shen personally carry you back to your quarters,” the recruit seemed dissatisfied. “You’re being quite ungrateful. If it were me, Instructor Shen wouldn’t be so considerate.”

He Yan was stunned.

“You saw Chief Instructor Shen carry me back?” she asked.

“Yes,” the recruit looked at her strangely. “You don’t remember? Well, you were drunk.” Having said this, as his companions ahead were calling him to catch up, he didn’t wait to see He Yan’s reaction and hurried forward.

He Yan fell behind, deeply shocked. She was drunk? And Shen Han had carried her back?

This made no sense. When she asked Hong Shan and others this morning, they said they had gotten drunk early and were dragged back by their roommates. When He Yan returned, none of them were awake, so they didn’t know when or how she had come back.

He Yan didn’t think Shen Han was a considerate person.

She pondered this until the morning run ended but still couldn’t figure out what had happened. She decided that after the run before training began, she would find Huang Xiong and the others – perhaps Huang Xiong would know. If not, she would ask Shen Han directly.

After the run ended, while everyone was rushing to take shelter from the rain under thatched sheds or tents to drink water, Cheng Li Su arrived.

The youth carried an oil-paper umbrella decorated with several red and white koi fish, quite artistic. Unable to find He Yan, he asked around and finally found her under a thatched shed.

“Brother He!” he called out.

He Yan hadn’t expected Cheng Li Su to come looking for her. She stood up and walked over to him, asking curiously, “Why aren’t you staying indoors in such heavy rain?”

“This isn’t the place to talk,” Cheng Li Su pulled her under his umbrella. After searching for a while, they stopped at the long rack behind the drilling ground’s flag platform. He looked at He Yan and said, “I got drunk yesterday, and this morning I overheard Uncle talking to Brother Fei Nu and learned that you went to see my uncle last night.”

“I went to see your uncle?” He Yan was shocked.

“Yes.”

He Yan could hardly believe it. She had gone to see Xiao Jue. Given her current dissatisfaction with Xiao Jue, particularly regarding the Vanguard Camp matter, meeting him certainly wouldn’t have been for a friendly chat and tea. So…

“What did I go to see your uncle for?” He Yan asked slowly.

Cheng Li Su hesitated: “Last night you were probably drunk…”

He Yan: “…”

She forced herself to maintain a normal smile and said, “Just tell me.”

“You fought with my uncle and broke his zither.” Cheng Li Su answered honestly.

He Yan closed her eyes briefly.

“Who won?” she asked.

Cheng Li Su hadn’t expected He Yan to care about the result at this moment. He scratched his head and said, “Probably my uncle, since I heard he had Instructor Shen take you back.”

He Yan: “…” Well, she had indeed gone to confront Xiao Jue while drunk and lost. Now Xiao Jue would probably think even less of her, pushing her further from joining the Nine Banners Camp.

He Yan felt utterly discouraged, thinking that approaching Xiao Jue through the Nine Banners Camp was now impossible. Perhaps she should try a different path, slowly climbing the ranks as before, though it would be slower… but by the time she grew strong enough to approach He Ru Fei, what rank would He Ru Fei have achieved?

Cheng Li Su looked at her sympathetically and tried to console her: “Brother He, you shouldn’t be too discouraged. My uncle… he’s not actually that petty. I came to tell you that for the next few days, you’d better stay away from my uncle to avoid angering him. That Late Fragrance zither was very expensive, and he’s already being lenient by not making you pay for it.”

“I couldn’t afford to pay for it anyway,” He Yan responded dejectedly.

“See, things aren’t that bad,” Cheng Li Su added, “Don’t be too upset, I’ll put in good words for you with my uncle!”

He Yan listlessly replied, “Thank you then.”

After Cheng Li Su left, He Yan watched the red and white koi fish pattern disappear into the distance, feeling completely powerless. Her camp brothers had always said drinking leads to trouble, but she never took it seriously. Now she saw the truth in it. She had only gotten drunk once since coming to Liangzhou, and already she had made such a mess.

Why did Shen Han personally carry her back? Perhaps after witnessing such a chaotic moment and knowing she would never gain Xiao Jue’s favor, her career prospects ruined, he had acted out of pity.

He Yan thought, perhaps she should find an opportunity to apologize to Xiao Jue, sincerely asking for forgiveness – maybe that could still salvage the situation.

…

At that moment, in the Right Army Commander’s quarters of Liangzhou, Xiao Jue sat at his table, reading a note in his hand.

The note was from Liangzhou’s County Magistrate Sun Xiang Fu, informing him that Yuan Bao Zhen, the Imperial Censor from the capital, would arrive in Liangzhou in a few days. The Magistrate was hosting a banquet at his residence, and among those invited was Xiao Jue’s nephew Cheng Li Su.

Fei Nu stood behind Xiao Jue and said, “Young Master, it’s inconvenient to bring Young Master Cheng into the city. This could be a trap banquet, there might be danger.”

“Yuan Bao Zhen has private connections with Xu Jing Fu and is already Xu Jing Fu’s man,” Xiao Jue played with the invitation in his hand, looking at the osmanthus tree outside the window, and said calmly, “This is clearly aimed at me, but I happen to want to know what pieces Xu Jing Fu has placed in Liangzhou.”

“Young Master means?” Fei Nu asked hesitantly.

“Yuan Bao Zhen is Xu Jing Fu’s man, and Sun Xiang Fu may not be innocent either,” Xiao Jue’s lips curled. “It’s time for a change in Liangzhou’s County Magistrate.”

“Young Master plans to attend the banquet. I want to accompany you, but Young Master Cheng needs protection at the garrison. If someone has ill intentions…” He didn’t finish, referring to He Yan. Currently, in the Liangzhou garrison, only He Yan had an unclear identity and was extremely dangerous.

“Moreover, Young Master Cheng trusts He Yan greatly. If you’re not here…” If Cheng Li Su were to be deceived by He Yan’s words or directly fall into He Yan’s schemes, the loss would be irreparable.

“When will Luan Ying arrive in Liangzhou?” Xiao Jue asked.

“Luan Ying is still in Lou County,” Fei Nu answered, then looked at Xiao Jue, “Young Master, why not decline the invitation?”

“No,” Xiao Jue lowered his eyes, “This banquet, we must attend.”

…

When Cheng Li Su returned, he saw Xiao Jue sitting at his table reading books – these were random story books he had secretly bought from the instructors with silver. He was startled and immediately said, “Uncle!”

Xiao Jue, who had been casually flipping through his books, trembled at the word and looked at him, frowning, “What did you call me?”

“I… I was wrong!” Cheng Li Su said.

“Wrong about what?” Xiao Jue looked at him calmly.

He doesn’t seem angry. Cheng Li Su was surprised that Xiao Jue hadn’t scolded him for reading these random story books instead of practicing calligraphy. Guessing that Xiao Jue was in a good mood today, he approached with a sheepish face, “I didn’t do anything wrong, I’m apologizing on behalf of my brother. I heard last night my brother came to fight… no, to spar with you… Uncle, you’re not angry, are you?”

Thinking of the madman who went crazy last night and crushed his Late Fragrance zither, Xiao Jue’s eyes darkened slightly, his tone remaining indifferent: “No.”

“That’s good! Uncle, you’re so magnanimous!” Cheng Li Su quickly flattered him.

Xiao Jue glanced at him, took out an invitation from his robe, and threw it at his face, “Read it yourself.”

“What’s this?” Cheng Li Su picked it up while speaking, “Isn’t this an invitation? Someone sent you an invitation, Uncle, and my name is on it too. Is it to go to Liangzhou City? Great! I’ve been in the garrison so long I’m growing mushrooms. Let me see, Imperial Censor Yuan Bao Zhen… why does this name sound familiar?” He looked at Xiao Jue suspiciously: “Uncle, who is Yuan Bao Zhen?”

“Don’t remember?” Xiao Jue curved his lips slightly, reminding him, “Your marriage arrangement with Miss Song was suggested by Official Yuan to your father. Song Ci was once Official Yuan’s superior.”

“The… the Song family?” Cheng Li Su’s hand holding the invitation went slack, letting it fall by his feet. He seemed not to notice, just staring blankly at Xiao Jue with an uncertain expression, “Why would the Song family come to Liangzhou?”

“Not the Song family,” Xiao Jue said flatly, “Yuan Bao Zhen.”

“Isn’t it the same thing…” Cheng Li Su mumbled, “They come to Liangzhou, specially invite me to a banquet, could it be they want to take me back to Shuo Jing? I don’t want to marry her… I don’t want to get married…” He suddenly seemed to come to his senses and grabbed Xiao Jue’s sleeve, “Uncle, you can’t just watch your own nephew jump into a fire pit!”

“What does it have to do with me?” Xiao Jue pulled his sleeve from his grasp, casually flipping through the book.

“It has everything to do with you!” Cheng Li Su went around the table to Xiao Jue’s side, “Uncle, you know I don’t like Miss Song! If I have to marry her, I’d rather die, I’ll hang myself on the wedding day! Uncle, you won’t just watch me die, will you?”

Xiao Jue stopped his movements, looked at him coldly, pulled out his long sword from his waist, and placed it on the table.

Cheng Li Su stuttered, “What… what are you doing?”

“You can kill yourself right now, see if I’ll save you or not.”

Cheng Li Su stared at the sword, his face crumpling, “Uncle, I don’t want to go back to Shuo Jing. I’ve been with you for half a year now, I’m already used to life in the Liangzhou garrison, I really can’t live without you.” He hugged Xiao Jue’s legs and began wailing loudly.

Xiao Jue pressed his temple, seemingly at his wit’s end, and said, “Get up.”

Cheng Li Su didn’t move.

“I’ll say it once more, get up.”

Cheng Li Su still held onto Xiao Jue’s legs, blinking up at him, “Not unless you promise not to hand me over to the Song family.”

“Weren’t you tired of the garrison and wanting to go to Liangzhou city?”

“I don’t want to anymore!”

The young man’s voice was flat, “That’s Imperial Censor Yuan Bao Zhen.”

“Uncle, you’re still General Feng Yun Xiao Huai Jin!”

“Yuan Bao Zhen has met you before. If he knows you’re avoiding him in Liangzhou, what if he complains to the Song family about your disrespect?”

Cheng Li Su immediately replied, “How could he have met me? I’ve never met him, my parents could barely hide me away fast enough. If he had met me, he wouldn’t have recommended me to Master Song. Miss Song and I are completely mismatched!”

“Is that so,” Xiao Jue’s eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the indignant youth, “We must go, but since he hasn’t met you, there might be a way.”

Cheng Li Su’s eyes widened.

“Find someone to replace you at the banquet.”

Cheng Li Su paused for a moment, finally understanding. He stopped his fake crying and let go of Xiao Jue’s legs, standing up to clap his hands, “Brilliant! Uncle, you’re right. Since he’s never met me, we can just find anyone to substitute!”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

Cheng Li Su looked at him, “I…”

“In the Liangzhou garrison, there seems to be no youth of similar age and build to you,” Xiao Jue said. “If the difference is too great, it will be discovered.”

In the entire Liangzhou garrison, most were burly men, and even the younger ones were sturdy and tanned. Cheng Li Su was a young master from Shuo Jing, raised in luxury, with delicate skin – different from the recruits in the garrison.

“If we can’t find anyone, you’ll have to go yourself,” Xiao Jue said matter-of-factly.

“Who says we can’t find anyone!” Cheng Li Su became anxious, then had a sudden inspiration, “My brother, my brother is just like me!”

Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow, noncommittally: “He Yan?”

“Yes, my brother. My brother is about my age, similar build, and he’s clever too. He can handle Yuan Bao Zhen with quick thinking. Yuan Bao Zhen might be able to take me away, but not necessarily my brother.”

Cheng Li Su had great faith in He Yan, considering him the most capable person besides his uncle. What others couldn’t do, He Yan surely could.

Seeing Xiao Jue remain silent, Cheng Li Su’s heart tightened, thinking that since He Yan had just fought with Xiao Jue last night, Xiao Jue must still be angry about it. He might not want to see He Yan right now. Just as he was wondering how to persuade Xiao Jue, he saw his young uncle close the book in his hand and say calmly: “Very well.”

Cheng Li Su’s prepared arguments got stuck in his throat, only managing an “Ah?”

Xiao Jue looked at him, “If you can persuade your brother, let him substitute for you.”

…

After afternoon training ended, while He Yan was resting outside the training grounds, Huang Xiong and others came to find her. Before saying anything else, they first gave He Yan a tael of silver that Shen Han had sent over last night, then asked about what happened to the jar of Eighteen Immortals wine.

“I remember you took it last,” Huang Xiong asked, “I found some empty wine jars today, and thought we could each share a bit, what do you think?”

“Sounds good,” He Yan said, “but we might have to wait for the next flag competition rewards.”

“What do you mean by that?” Wang Ba said impatiently, then suddenly realized something and looked at He Yan, “You… you didn’t… drink it all, did you?”

Meeting everyone’s intense gazes, He Yan nodded and said, “I’m sorry, I accidentally drank it all.”

“He Yan!” Wang Ba shouted, “You went too far! That was our shared reward, and you drank it all yourself – even bandits aren’t this domineering!” He rolled up his sleeves, seemingly wanting to hit He Yan, but halfway through remembered he couldn’t beat the person before him. Unable to decide whether to fight or not, he was left in an awkward position.

Jiang Jiao and Shi Tou didn’t seem to mind, as neither of them was fond of drinking and had little interest in alcohol, so they said nothing. Though Huang Xiong wasn’t as agitated as Wang Ba, his eyes were full of reproach.

Usually, He Yan would feel apologetic for her actions, but after the series of bad news these past few days, she had become somewhat numb. She lacked the energy to deal with their feelings, so she just sat there in silence.

Seeing her quiet and dejected appearance, they exchanged glances. They thought the impact of not getting into the Vanguard Camp must have hit He Yan hard – drowning sorrows in wine last night, and still so dispirited today. But then again, while others would use cheap yellow wine worth a few coins, he had used wine worth hundreds of taels of silver, and even that hadn’t drowned the sorrows – how expensive would revenge be?

Just as they didn’t know what to do, someone’s voice broke the silence.

“Brother He… Brother He, so you’re here!” Cheng Li Su came running, breathless and sweating – he must have run all the way.

This was the second time He Yan had seen him today. But seeing him reminded her of offending Xiao Jue last night, giving her a headache. He Yan looked up and listlessly asked, “Why are you here?”

“I have important matters to discuss with you.” Cheng Li Su looked around at the others, pulling He Yan up, “This isn’t the place to talk. Brother He, come with me.”

Since he was Xiao Jue’s nephew, others naturally dared not say anything. Even though the matter of the Eighteen Immortals wine wasn’t settled, they could only watch as Cheng Li Su pulled He Yan away, left behind staring at each other.

He Yan was pulled by Cheng Li Su to where he lived. Upon reaching there, He Yan didn’t want to enter, knowing Xiao Jue lived next door. If she went in and happened to run into him, the eye contact would be too awkward.

Cheng Li Su was clever for once. Seeing He Yan’s troubled expression and reluctance to move, he thoughtfully said, “Don’t worry, my uncle is out, no one’s here!”

Hearing this, He Yan finally went in with him.

Once inside, Cheng Li Su looked around, then closed all doors and windows, acting like they were planning some criminal act. He Yan was speechless seeing him like this.

“You’re not here to talk about your uncle again, are you?” He Yan said preemptively, “Brother Cheng, thank you for your concern, but I don’t want to hear anything about him right now.” Please leave her some face.

Just as she finished speaking, she felt hands on her shoulders as Cheng Li Su turned her around, grabbing her hand tightly and pressing it against his chest.

He Yan almost instinctively punched him flying.

She suppressed her urge to hit him. Although she often associated with men, it was usually just arm over shoulder – this kind of hand-holding was quite uncomfortable.

However, the young man before her had a pure expression, completely unaware his actions could cause misunderstanding. Then again, from his perspective, two men acting this way indeed had nothing to be concerned about.

“Brother, please save your little brother!” Cheng Li Su said miserably.

“…What happened to you?” He Yan asked.

“You must first promise to help your little brother, or else, Brother, you might never see your little brother again!”

“That serious?” He Yan asked, though inwardly skeptical. Cheng Li Su had always been dramatic, making mountains out of molehills. Besides, if there were real problems, his uncle was Xiao Jue, who would naturally help him. “Tell me what it is first, then I can help you think of solutions.”

“Brother, do you remember what I told you before, that I ran away from an arranged marriage? My family wanted to arrange my engagement, I didn’t want it, so I begged my uncle to bring me to Liangzhou.” At this point, Cheng Li Su looked completely miserable, “Now my family still won’t leave me alone. The colleague of that official they chose for me has come to Liangzhou, and sent an invitation to my uncle, asking both my uncle and me to attend a banquet. Heavens! I’m nobody important, without rank or fame, yet they specifically wrote my name on the invitation. This is a scheme to capture me once I’m there!”

He made it sound like kidnapping a maiden, just short of beating the drum at the magistrate’s office to cry injustice.

“It can’t be that bad,” He Yan said, “If you don’t want to go, your uncle will naturally protect you. They can’t forcibly take you away in front of your uncle, can they?”

Cheng Li Su couldn’t say that Xiao Jue might watch him be taken away, possibly even happy to be rid of this burden. He coughed lightly and said, “Brother, you know my mother already has issues with my uncle. If he stands up for me, wouldn’t that put him in a difficult position? My mother would hate him, and I don’t want to cause him trouble!”

Surprised by how protective Cheng Li Su was of his uncle, He Yan felt moved – this was the power of blood relations, something that could never be changed.

“Then what do you want me to do?” she asked, “Help you drive away that official? Attacking an official would break the law.”

“What are you thinking, Brother!” Cheng Li Su released her hand, “I’m not that crude. That official has never seen me before and doesn’t know what I look like. Brother, we’re about the same age, both handsome and refined, similar build – why don’t you substitute for me at the banquet? If that official tries to have his men grab me, with your martial skills, you could easily escape. That way, if they can’t catch me, it’s their problem, and my uncle won’t be blamed.”

“Substitute for you?” He Yan said, “No, no.” She turned to leave, feeling an inexplicable resistance. Another substitution – in her previous life, she had been He Ru Fei’s substitute for an entire lifetime. Now that she could finally use her name openly, how could she become someone else’s substitute again?

Heaven must be deliberately making things difficult for her!

“Brother—” Cheng Li Su wailed heart-rendingly, “You really can’t abandon me to die! Think about it – you’ll attend the banquet with your uncle, stay by his side, and spend time together. If you do well, when your uncle sees how thoughtful and attentive you are, he’ll surely change his opinion of you. Moreover, since you’re stepping up for his nephew, uncle might be grateful and… and might let you join the Nine Banners Camp!”

He Yan: “…”

Cheng Li Su would say anything to avoid attending the banquet. Xiao Jue wasn’t someone who traded in favors. Being around Xiao Jue day and night might instead provoke his anger, and with any misstep, she’d be completely out of chances.

Seeing her firmly refusing to help, Cheng Li Su collapsed to the ground, pointing one hand at the ceiling, cursing and wailing: “Heaven! Why do you treat me this way? Yuan Bao Zhen, what deep grudge do you hold against me from my previous life that you keep pushing me into the fire pit!”

He Yan had already reached the door to leave, but hearing this, her steps faltered. She turned back: “Did you just say… Yuan Bao Zhen?”

“Yes,” Cheng Li Su looked at her, answering instinctively, “That official who arranged my engagement is the current Imperial Censor Yuan Bao Zhen.”

He Yan’s brow twitched, and after a moment, she quickly walked to Cheng Li Su, extending a hand to the youth collapsed on the ground.

“Stop wailing. It’s just attending a banquet, right? I’ll help you.”

[Uncle knows how to set up schemes, haha!]