“What letters?” Shao Mingyuan stood up.

Chi Can’s gaze fell on the envelope, suddenly realizing something. He quickly closed the rosewood box and laughed dryly: “Nothing, just a bunch of boring stuff. Come, come, let’s continue drinking.”

Shao Jingyuan frowned in displeasure.

How was this person speaking?

Shao Mingyuan had already walked over and reached for the rosewood box.

Chi Can clutched the rosewood box with one arm and dodged backward. Knowing he couldn’t avoid it, he flung the box away: “Yang Er, catch!”

Yang Houcheng reflexively reached out.

Shao Mingyuan leaped up and instantly caught the rosewood box in his arms.

Yang Houcheng spread his hands: “Shixi, you know that asking me to compete with Tingquan in martial prowess is like asking me to compete with Zi Zhe in chess, or compete with you in beauty – purely making things difficult for me.”

Chi Can unusually didn’t banter with Yang Houcheng, his face dark as water as he watched Shao Mingyuan.

Everyone realized something was wrong. All eyes fell on Shao Mingyuan as the atmosphere inexplicably grew tense.

Shao Mingyuan lowered his head and opened the rosewood box.

Chi Can wanted to speak but stopped, sighing deeply.

What met his eyes was a box full of letters, one after another. Some envelopes had yellowed, others were moth-eaten, revealing the rough paper inside and blurred handwriting.

The Northern Territories had harsh conditions. Being constantly at war with scarce resources, even if one had money, many items that wealthy families in the capital took for granted simply couldn’t be bought.

Such as expensive letter paper.

Shao Mingyuan unconsciously picked up a letter, stroking the rough paper.

This was a letter he had written.

It was a letter he had written to his wife, Lady Qiao, with guilt and expectation during their two-plus years of marriage.

But now, all these letters were locked away in this small rosewood box, delivered to him by his mother on his moving day.

By now, what didn’t he understand?

These letters he had written stroke by stroke in the war-torn Northern Territories – his wife, Lady Qiao, had never received any of them.

He had thought Lady Qiao resented him, resented that he hadn’t fulfilled a husband’s responsibilities, hadn’t stayed by her side, which was why she never replied.

Only today did he learn that she had never received his letters at all.

So when she first saw him, being pushed by the Tartars to stand on the mottled walls of Yan City, what had she been thinking?

Was it… particular hatred for him?

Shao Mingyuan’s complexion grew increasingly pale, white as snow.

“Tingquan, what are these?” The atmosphere was too oppressive, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Yang Houcheng really couldn’t bear such an atmosphere and asked under inexplicable pressure.

Shao Mingyuan opened his mouth but found his throat dry and rough – he couldn’t utter a single word.

What was there to be sad about? He should have seen long ago how his mother treated him.

“They’re—” Shao Mingyuan forced himself to speak, when suddenly his blood and qi churned, and a metallic sweetness surged up from his throat.

“I need to go out for a moment.” He hastily dropped this sentence, closed his mouth tightly, and strode outside.

“Tingquan—” Yang Houcheng and the others worriedly followed.

As soon as he stepped out the door, the scorching summer heat hit his face. Even someone as strong-willed as Shao Mingyuan couldn’t help opening his mouth and spitting out a mouthful of hot blood.

The bright red blood fell on the bluestone steps, particularly striking.

“General!” The personal guards drinking in the courtyard turned pale with shock, surging forward with a clamor.

Shao Mingyuan raised his hand to stop them: “Drink your wine!”

The Marquis Guanjun, who appeared to be a gentle nobleman in the world’s eyes, was direct and stern before his soldiers.

Those years in the Northern Territories sharing hardships and living on the knife’s edge had forged the iron-blooded character of these men.

The General’s words were orders to them. Everyone sat back down and drank silently, but these men who bled without tears had tears quietly falling into their wine cups at this moment.

The spicy wine mixed with bitter tears rolled down their throats, making each man wish he could grab his blade and cut down everything that brought them injustice until it was destroyed completely.

“Tingquan, you—” Yang Houcheng and the others who had followed showed dramatic changes in expression.

“Second brother, what’s wrong with you?”

Chi Can suddenly looked toward Shao Jingyuan.

Shao Jingyuan was somewhat baffled: “Why is Young Master Chi looking at me like that?”

“Looking at you?” Chi Can raised an eyebrow. Having drunk wine, his cheeks were slightly flushed, so beautiful that one could ignore his gender.

Shao Jingyuan was momentarily stunned.

But Chi Can’s fist swung over viciously as he said through gritted teeth: “I’m also hitting you!”

One punch landed on Shao Jingyuan’s nose bridge, immediately causing blood to splatter.

But Chi Can wasn’t satisfied, swinging his fists as he charged forward again.

“Young Master Chi, what are you doing?” Shao Jingyuan was surprised and angry, continuously retreating until they ended up wrestling together.

From birth, Shao Jingyuan had been the heir of Marquis Jing’an. When young, Lady Shen resented that Marquis Jing’an campaigned for years with little time at home, unwilling for her son to follow the same path. She hired many teachers to instruct him in the Four Books and Five Classics.

It could be said that Shao Jingyuan was raised according to the standards of the capital’s prestigious young masters. He was quite good at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and composing poetry was no problem either. But speaking of martial prowess, forget about Yang Houcheng – he couldn’t even match Chi Can.

With the two wrestling together now, Shao Jingyuan was being completely overwhelmed by Chi Can.

“Don’t fight, talk it out properly, properly.” Yang Houcheng rushed over to break up the fight, his hands firmly pressing down on Shao Jingyuan’s hands.

Shao Jingyuan nearly died of anger.

He was about to be beaten to death by that bastard surnamed Chi, and now someone came to take sides!

“Third brother—” The bruised and swollen heir of Marquis Jing’an called out weakly.

Only then did Shao Xiyuan wake up as if from a dream, throwing off his shoes to run before Shao Mingyuan: “Second brother, why are you coughing up blood?”

Shao Jingyuan: “…” Didn’t the third brother usually hate the second brother to the point of gnashing his teeth? Could the blood-spitting matter wait to be asked later? If he didn’t help soon, he really would be beaten to death!

With his buddy Yang Houcheng taking sides, Young Master Chi fought more fiercely.

Zhu Yàn saw they’d fought enough and called out: “Stop fighting. Let’s see how Tingquan is doing instead.”

Enough was enough – it wouldn’t be good if they beat someone to death.

“Right, right, stop fighting. Tingquan is more important.” Only then did Yang Houcheng restrain Chi Can.

Chi Can angrily stopped, spat on the ground, and said harshly: “Shao Jingyuan, what kind of filthy place is your marquis residence? Tingquan doesn’t want to say much, but don’t think we don’t know! I’m warning you – if you do such immoral things again, I’ll beat you every time I see you!”

Shao Jingyuan’s once somewhat handsome face had swollen like a pig’s head as he said indistinctly: “Young Master Chi, what do you mean… what did I do wrong to offend you…”

“Nothing wrong?” Chi Can sneered coldly. “Shao Jingyuan, dare you swear a poisonous oath that you don’t know in your heart that your immortal hag of a mother had no good intentions sending Tingquan a gift? You were just watching the show while Tingquan was rarely happy, pretending what brotherly affection!”

Shao Jingyuan was rendered speechless by Chi Can’s scolding.

Just then came Shao Xiyuan’s shocked cry: “Second brother, what’s wrong with you?”