Yang Yi looked at Chu Linlang, also smiled without answering, and simply said with patience: “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Chu Linlang knew he had likely already guessed, and simply acknowledged it openly: “I have indeed taken Wen Shi away. She and General Yang Yi have already separated — it would not be appropriate for her to keep following you.”

Yang Yi heard this and laughed, but the laughter never quite reached his eyes.

“Lady Chu, you’re a clever woman. If you know what’s good for you, hand her over. You know I’ve had people watching your courtyard for quite some time — if you try to take her and leave, there is absolutely no way you can depart from this place.”

Chu Linlang smiled slightly and reached out to fill Yang Yi’s cup with wine: “My own circumstances and Wen Shi’s share some similarities — I can understand a measure of her suffering. But the way you have conducted yourself, General — that I don’t quite understand. Since you chose to let her go back then, why can you still not release her? Could it be that your sense of guilt makes you feel obligated to look after her?”

Yang Yi had never spoken to anyone about the old story of casting off his wife — of course, it was also because no one had ever asked him about it so directly and plainly to his face as Chu Linlang now did.

He had no particular desire to conceal it, only a certain desolate feeling as he said: “Back then, Wen Shi stabbed me and I lost too much blood and fell unconscious. So the letter of repudiation at that time was written by the elders of the clan acting on their own initiative. By the time I woke up, Wen Shi… had already been sent away. But Jiexing, that child, believed it was I who had cast off his mother and held it against me all these years.”

Hearing this, Chu Linlang let out a faintly sardonic smile: “And if General Yang Yi had been awake, what could you have changed? I may not have been present for what happened back then, but I can guess at a fair portion of it. Wen Shi had just arrived from Lingnan — her accent, her habits, must all have been quite different from the in-laws and elder female relatives in the Yang household. You were away from home all year round, leaving her alone and adrift with no one to rely on, so she could only form a friendship with Tao Huiru, who deliberately drew close to her. Tao Huiru was well acquainted with everyone in the Yang household — her way of managing people and affairs must have been immeasurably more adept than Wen Shi’s. The more frequently she came, the more her virtue and capability shone by contrast, while Wen Shi’s awkwardness and social ineptitude became ever more conspicuous. Until even you privately began to make comparisons in your heart, feeling that while Wen Shi may have been a gifted and cultured woman of letters, she stumbled and fumbled in the ways of the world, and could only pour out her grievances to you when you returned home — like a child that could never grow up…”

Chu Linlang laid this out in a slow, measured analysis, and each word and sentence somehow reconstructed the circumstances of that time.

Back then, Wen Shi really had done exactly that — every time he returned home exhausted, she would be like someone who had suffered tremendous wrong, complaining endlessly.

But the people she complained about were the aunts and sisters-in-law who had watched him grow up — how could they be as dreadful as she described?

Back and forth it went, until he too had grown thoroughly weary of it, feeling that Wen Shi had been pampered and spoiled by her parents and was utterly ignorant of the ways of the world — so unlike Tao Huiru, who was reasonable and astute, getting along with his family in perfect harmony…

Chu Linlang watched Yang Yi’s expression and knew that her conjecture had hit the mark in every point.

She sighed and said evenly: “General Yang Yi, you had already taken sides — you had become an accomplice in Tao Huiru’s plot to drive Wen Shi to madness. Whether that letter of repudiation was written in your own hand truly makes very little difference. Even if you had been awake at the time, could you really have understood the anguish that filled her chest when she walked in on your affair with her closest friend, and guided her through it in time? From the moment she married you, her fate was already sealed.”

That one time with Tao Huiru, back in the day — Yang Yi truly had been in a drunken rage after a quarrel with Wen Shi, and he had no memory whatsoever of what had happened. Even Tao Huiru herself had said that the two of them had simply drunk so heavily they had ended up lying together.

After Wen Shi lost her mind, he had no choice but to think of Tao Huiru’s reputation, and under pressure from the Tao family members and several Yang family aunts and uncles, he married Tao Huiru.

And in the many years that followed, Yang Yi had suspected more than once that this drunken, compromising encounter had been arranged by Tao Huiru.

Yet in his view, the tragedy of those years had truly been an unfortunate confluence of circumstances — he had made mistakes, but he was not the most outrageously at fault party.

But today this ignorant little girl had cut to the bone, laying bare in a single stroke the isolation and helplessness Wen Shi had suffered in the Yang household back then, and further pointed out that he too was one of Tao Huiru’s accomplices — together they had driven Wen Shi to madness.

Such a reasoned and evidence-backed analysis was even harder for him to accept than Jiexing’s cold-faced accusations.

Yang Yi slammed a palm down hard on the table and said in a cold voice: “What age are you — what do you understand? I say the same thing I’ve said before: hand Wen Shi over immediately, or don’t blame me for showing you no courtesy!”

Throughout her speech just now, Chu Linlang had been glancing at the water-clock in the courtyard, and at this moment, calculating that the time was about right, she smiled slightly and said: “I did rescue her — but she is no longer here with me.”

Yang Yi heard this, narrowed his eyes sharply, and clearly did not believe Linlang’s words.

Linlang said without haste: “You also said that if I tried to leave with her, I could absolutely never get away. But if someone only took her and left — with none of my party — then there would be many more ways to manage it.”

It turned out that the very moment after Linlang rescued Wen Shi, she had already been thinking about what to do if pursuers came after her.

Yang Yi’s boldness and ruthlessness were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

This was a man capable of masterminding the oasis ship robbery! If he tracked her down, the people she had brought with her would likely not be able to hold out.

So at the time, Linlang had discussed the matter carefully and thoroughly with Sui Qiye.

Wen Shi was the critical point of leverage over Situ Sheng — she had to be safely escorted back to the capital.

So when they arrived in the northwest prefecture, Chu Linlang had taken the opportunity of one of her own shop’s cargo vessels passing through, and sent Dongxue to accompany Wen Shi, with two reliable attendants dispatched as escorts, guarding them on this empty cargo ship back to the capital.

As for herself, she proceeded as planned to the northwest to handle Xia Qingyun’s affairs.

As expected, she had kept Yang Yi’s full attention firmly fixed here. While Yang Yi had his people secretly scouting the docks and post stations, the vessel carrying Wen Shi had long since sailed unobstructed toward the capital.

Calculating the time now, that ship must have already passed out of northwest territory and onto the official road — there was no longer any need to fear pursuit.

Only upon hearing all this did Yang Yi understand that this Lady Chu had been playing a very different kind of “Empty City Stratagem.”

His fury turned to laughter, and he asked Linlang: “You used yourself as bait — weren’t you afraid there would be no return?”

Linlang said evenly: “I hadn’t actually expected General Yang Yi to be so reluctant to release Wen Shi that you would personally pursue her all the way here. It is fate that we can meet, General. I hope you will let go sooner rather than later and spare your father-son relationship from deteriorating any further. You should trust that Minister Situ will take good care of Wen Shi.”

Even as she finished saying these words, she was secretly on guard, fearing Yang Yi might suddenly make a move.

Calculating the time, General Li’s reinforcements should have arrived by now — she could only hope Yang Yi would not go berserk, and that Sui Qiye and the others standing beside her would be able to hold Yang Yi back…

To her surprise, after hearing her say all that, Yang Yi first laughed in rage, then fell into a prolonged silence, as if turning memories over in his mind, or as if lost in painful recollections.

After a good while, he finally said: “You are right… she truly should never have met me.”

Over these years, Wen Shi’s condition had become much more stable — but only under the premise that she had forgotten they had once been married.

As long as she could not remember that painful period of married life, she would not sink into an unshakeable state of anguish.

With that thought in mind, he finally lifted his head and looked at Chu Linlang: “That child Jiexing was never willing to submit to me in the first place. When his mother was in my care, things were at least a little better. Now that you’ve sent her away, I have no choice but to temporarily inconvenience you — and keep you here.”

Even as he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed toward Chu Linlang. In that split second of crisis, Sui Qiye stepped forward and blocked Yang Yi’s large hand with his own, saying in a low voice: “Yang Yi, you should leave quickly — otherwise you’ll find that in a little while, even you won’t be able to get away!”

Yang Yi let out a cold laugh: “Based on your skill alone, you think you can stop me?”

The Yang family bred no weaklings. Yang Yi had started his military career from the very bottom and had fought his way up entirely on his own abilities.

Even Sui Qiye might not be his match. As if to prove the point, he swung his arm with force and sent Sui Qiye tumbling back.

“His skill is insufficient — what about mine!”

Before these words had fully fallen, Situ Sheng stood in the middle of the courtyard, covered in dust from the road.

His hem and trouser legs were caked with mud — clearly he had been scaling mountains and crossing valleys, jolting and rushing all the way here.

It turned out that after Linlang, he had been heading toward the northern territory. But midway through the journey, he had encountered Linlang’s cargo vessel.

When he saw Dongxue, he finally learned that Linlang’s northwestern journey had involved this remarkable turn of events.

After all these years, to encounter his mother again — the excitement Situ Sheng felt within can be imagined. But he had to temporarily set Wen Shi aside, worried that something might happen to Linlang in the northwest, and so he had also boarded a swift, light vessel and rushed toward the north.

Seeing his son arrive, Yang Yi was unconcerned.

This reckless young fool who didn’t know his own limits — he had already beaten him soundly once before.

It seemed the last thrashing hadn’t been hard enough — this boy still hadn’t learned his lesson.

With that thought, Yang Yi extended his left palm and probed toward Situ Sheng’s face. As Situ Sheng dodged sideways, Yang Yi’s right hand clenched into a fist and drove rapidly toward Situ Sheng’s chest.

Situ Sheng deflected Yang Yi’s fist with his palm, while his other hand struck upward at Yang Yi’s abdomen.

Both men were masters of the martial way, and their figures flashed and wove through the space of a few yards in constant motion — now driving punches swift as wind, now pressing palms down like crashing waves, now hooking fingers into claws like a tiger roaring across the plains.

After they had exchanged blows for a while, Yang Yi felt a private stirring of surprise.

Previously, while Situ Sheng’s technique had been remarkable, compared to his own, the young man had lacked far too much tempering through life-and-death combat — his evasions and attacks could never be perfectly calibrated, his movements were too wide, he didn’t know how to conserve his strength, went all-out every time, and would quickly be exhausted, at which point Yang Yi could take his time and deal with him.

But this time, Situ Sheng made almost no unnecessary evasions, and his punches and palms varied between light and heavy — clearly as seasoned and experienced as Yang Yi’s own.

This absolutely came from discovering his own weaknesses in real combat and then training rigorously to correct them.

As one grows older, one can no longer rely on physical power alone. Yang Yi’s strength lay in experience, but in physical vitality he could not compare to a son in the prime of his manhood.

With no opening to exploit, this had become a contest of stamina.

After fighting for another stretch, Yang Yi was drenched in sweat, his heart pounding hard enough to leap out of his chest, his ears ringing with a buzzing drone. He knew he was spent and could fight no further.

He launched one final powerful strike, then leapt back and bent over, drawing breath in great heaving gulps.

Situ Sheng also stopped, breathing only a little hard, and looked at Yang Yi with cold eyes.

This man who had once been ferocious and mighty on the battlefield now had silver at his temples, showing signs of the decline of age.

Even so, Yang Yi still let out a cold laugh: “You took a serious beating from me last time and have been seething over it ever since, and you’ve put in quite some work.”

Situ Sheng looked at the somewhat disheveled Yang Yi, his expression blank, and said coldly: “The areas in which I have put in work are not limited to this.”

This northern campaign was on a scale that far exceeded what either Jing Kingdom or the court had imagined.

After Situ Sheng persuaded Shang Min to surrender to General Li, countless northern resistance forces had also pledged allegiance one after another. These large and small forces outside the official roster, when gathered together, formed an invisible strength not to be underestimated.

So while General Li had reported his troop strength accurately without concealment, the reality in fact exceeded those numbers.

This northern counter-offensive was absolutely not what the court had imagined — a small-scale show of force before peace negotiations between the two nations.

And this surprise had already begun unfolding in the north. While Yang Yi lingered in the northwest, the Li Chengyi father and son’s counter-offensive had commenced simultaneously.

With that thought in mind, Situ Sheng said to Yang Yi: “If I were you, I would not remain here — I would go back and look at the map and think about where to go next.”

Yang Yi narrowed his eyes and said coldly: “What do you mean by this?”

Situ Sheng said evenly: “Because before much longer, the news that you have been secretly sheltering and caring for your former wife all these years will be passed on intact to your princess wife’s ears. By reputation she is the most jealous of women — if she learns of your divided heart, do you think she will make a scene? If the Jing front suffers defeat in battle, and you as the prince’s husband-consort have been in a Great Jin prefecture chasing after your former wife — how will that naturally suspicious Anguh Khan look upon you? He is, after all, a man who can strike down even his own nephew without hesitation.”

Yang Yi heard this and could not help letting out a laugh: “To think you are the child Wen Shi bore! It is truly laughable — if she had even half your cold-bloodedness and cunning, she would never have been so fragile and helpless.”

Yang Yi gave two cold laughs. Things had come to this point, and further anger was pointless. The most pressing matter now was to think of how to reverse the tide.

The development of events had by now far exceeded his expectations — things being what they were, he could not linger much longer either…

With that thought, he said coldly to Situ Sheng: “You won’t cooperate with me, yet you devote yourself wholeheartedly to that dog of an Emperor. Have you not heard the saying: when the cunning hare is dead, the hunting dog is stewed? Once that dog Emperor learns of your origins, you’ll be worth less than a dog! I should be the one giving you advice — you’d better stop thinking about returning to the capital!”

Just as he was speaking, from not far away came the sudden crack and boom of explosive rocks shattering.

Situ Sheng immediately turned and shielded Chu Linlang at his side. By the time he looked back, Yang Yi had already vanished without a trace.

Countless shards from the exploding rocks had flown into the courtyard where Linlang stood.

It was clear that had Yang Yi truly intended it, he could have blown the entire courtyard to pieces. This was also the confidence behind his walking into the meeting alone.

Chu Linlang, her heart still pounding with residual fear, held onto Situ Sheng and said: “What is this overbearing explosive rock — to have such terrifying power?”

There was no point in pursuing a desperate foe. Situ Sheng did not dispatch anyone to give chase.

For this northern campaign, he had made thorough preparations. Even if Yang Yi rushed back, it would change nothing. He also understood Yang Yi’s character — at his core, the man harbored a deep hatred of Jing Kingdom.

In the past, when Jing was powerful and Yang Yi had no foothold, he could only lie in wait. Once this great battle was over and Jing fell into internal turmoil, if Anguh Khan harbored suspicions toward Yang Yi, those two would tear at each other viciously.

Leaving them to have at each other like two dogs fighting, and further draining Jing Kingdom’s strength — that was the wiser course.

But what he needed to do right now was give this reckless Lady Chu a thorough dressing-down!

Who did she think she was — a female general? She had actually dared to meet with Yang Yi alone and single-handed. If Yang Yi had succeeded in capturing her, how would that have been any different from his own mother, Wen Shi, being held in his clutches?

But in response to Situ Sheng’s reproach, Chu Linlang remained entirely confident: “Even if you hadn’t come, General Li Chengyi’s troops should have arrived anyway. And I had already made arrangements with Prefect Bai — the heavy guard he dispatched was waiting not far outside the gate. Prefect Bai was making every effort to curry favor with me, and Yang Yi must have gotten wind of it when he came. If he wanted to take me away, it certainly wouldn’t have been that easy. And besides, Yang Yi is a proud man! If he was truly willing to come and see me himself, it could only be because he wanted to know Wen Shi’s whereabouts. If I pushed him too hard, at most he’d strike out and teach me a lesson — but wasn’t Sui Qiye right beside me? How could he have gotten what he wanted so easily? And moreover — if he truly had gotten hold of me, even if I died, I absolutely would not let him use me to threaten you!”

This girl’s nerve was, from childhood to now, wholly unchanged — always doing something to make people’s hearts seize with fright.

And her every word was like a sharp tap on the head.

Hearing all this, Situ Sheng wanted nothing more than to seal up that infuriating mouth of hers. He kept a cold expression and said: “Aren’t you the most superstitious person there is? How can you speak so carelessly about life and death? Now quickly say ‘may it never come to that, may it never come to that!'”

Chu Linlang laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist, saying softly: “Alright, alright, I was wrong — are you happy now, I won’t say such things anymore!”

Even as the two of them held each other, Chu Linlang’s mind was still turning over the explosion from moments before.

She was thinking — Yang Yi actually had something like that in his possession. Was he… planning to use it on the battlefield?

With that thought in mind, she was just about to speak — but a wave of nausea surged straight up her throat.