As autumn deepened, the northern skies grew colder day by day. In the early mornings, the bare branches of elms and poplars in the courtyard were coated with a layer of white frost.
During the month Fan Changyu spent recovering from her injuries, her clothing had shifted from summer's thin garments to thick autumn attire.
She had injured her back while protecting Yu Qianqian and her child, leaving her temporarily unable to wield weapons. Finding idle bedrest unbearably dull, she turned again to the abstruse Four Books and Five Classics.
Truthfully, she was more interested in military strategy texts. But some of the battle formations mentioned in these works required knowledge of celestial phenomena and geographical terrain, giving Changyu such headaches that she could only progress gradually, starting with beginner-level books first.
Changning had previously learned characters from a private tutor, though her studies had been sporadic at best. Now, seeing Changyu constantly reading with a book in hand and having Yu Bao'er as a playmate, she suddenly regained interest in studying and began competing with Bao'er to see who could recognize more characters.
When Bao'er could already recite simple poems, Changning—unable to match him—felt her competitive spirit flare up and clamored to find a tutor.
The private tutor hired during their temporary stay in Chongzhou hadn't followed them back to Jizhou. With no stable residence at present, Changyu had postponed finding her a new tutor.
Yu Bao'er volunteered to teach Changning, but the child's stubborn pride made her adamantly refuse. Though Changyu hadn't read extensively, her mother had forced her to learn all the characters, so she began teaching Changning herself.
Bao'er, ever studious, visited Changyu's room daily to study alongside them. The two children often competed in reciting poetry, seeing who could memorize faster—with Bao'er usually coming out ahead. Changning grew so frustrated she nearly cried, but her pride kept the tears at bay. Instead, she'd sneak into Changyu's room at night with her pillow, claiming she wanted to sleep together, when really she sought extra coaching to memorize poems beforehand. Changyu found this both amusing and exasperating.
Through this method, Changning finally bested Bao'er a few times. But Bao'er learned so quickly that after both had mastered one poem per day, he proposed studying two.
Having only won through cheating, Changning felt too guilty to refuse yet couldn't voice a reason, so she just fidgeted with her clothes in silence. Oblivious, Changyu—seeing Changning keeping pace—thought both children were fast learners and agreed to two poems daily.
That day, unsurprisingly, Changning lost again.
When Aunt Zhao brought them snacks, Changning sat facing the corner on a small stool, her little topknot drooping dejectedly.
Aunt Zhao smiled. "What's wrong, Ning Niang? Your pout could hang an oil bottle."
Changyu, lounging in a chair with a book under the autumn sun, answered laughingly, "She lost a poetry recitation contest with Bao'er."
Aunt Zhao called Changning over for osmanthus cakes, chuckling, "Come eat, dear. As Bao'er's little aunt, you should let him win sometimes."
Changning gasped, whipping her head around to stare excitedly at Bao'er. "I'm your little aunt!"
Bao'er, hearing this for the first time, frowned childishly. "Ning Niang is younger than me. Shouldn't she be Changning-meimei?"Aunt Zhao couldn't stop smiling: "Seniority isn't determined by age. You call Changyu 'Auntie,' and since Ning Niang is Changyu's sister, doesn't that make her your little aunt?"
Changning, clever beyond her years, realized she'd gained an advantage over Yu Bao'er in terms of seniority and immediately brightened up, grinning from ear to ear as she said to Bao'er, "Quick, call me 'Little Aunt'!"
Fan Changyu watched these two mischievous children and couldn't help but shake her head with a chuckle.
Yu Bao'er pursed his lips and suddenly looked at Fan Changyu: "Then I won't call you 'Auntie Changyu' anymore. I'll call you 'Sister Changyu.'"
Fan Changyu had just turned a page in her book when she heard Bao'er's question, finding it both amusing and exasperating: "That won't do."
Bao'er's face, no longer as round as before, furrowed his brows, showing hints of a young boy's demeanor as he asked, "Why not?"
Fan Changyu replied, "If you call me 'sister,' then wouldn't that make me a generation apart from your mother?"
Bao'er fell silent, sulking.
Only Changning was smug, her grin stretching wide.
As the sun rose higher, the morning frost on the eaves and withered branches melted away, and the dawn light spilled into the room. Changning and Bao'er picked up their books and began reciting, swaying their heads rhythmically. Fan Changyu watched them fondly for a while before stretching comfortably in her reclining chair.
Xie Wu entered from the courtyard to report: "Commander, we have an esteemed guest."
Fan Changyu raised her eyebrows slightly, wondering who in Jizhou would come to visit her.
Moments later, Gongsun Yin strolled in from the courtyard, dressed in a white robe with a silver-furred cloak draped over his shoulders, smiling as warmly as a spring breeze in the depths of autumn: "It's truly been a long time since we parted ways on the battlefield at First Line Gorge. Now that Miss Fan has risen to the rank of commander, I can finally congratulate you in person."
Seeing it was Gongsun Yin, Fan Changyu was genuinely surprised. She stood to greet him: "Master Gongsun is indeed a rare visitor."
Bao'er, who had never met Gongsun Yin before, eyed the unfamiliar handsome man warily.
Changning, however, dashed toward Gongsun Yin like a little firecracker, calling out joyfully, "Uncle Gongsun!"
Gongsun Yin ruffled the little bun on Changning's head and remarked earnestly, "Your hair is finally neatly tied up."
Changning shook the bell-adorned velvet flower in her hair and said, "Aunt Zhao did it."
Gongsun Yin replied, "I figured."
Fan Changyu coughed lightly, interrupting the conversation between the grown man and the child: "My humble abode is simple, Master Gongsun. Please make yourself comfortable."
Aunt Zhao, sensing Fan Changyu had official matters to discuss, coaxed the two children to leave with her.
Xie Wu poured tea for Gongsun Yin, and Fan Changyu asked, "Weren't you in Kangcheng, Master? What brings you suddenly to Jizhou?"
Gongsun Yin took a sip of hot tea and raised an eyebrow: "Has Miss Fan not heard the news yet? His Majesty has decreed that all generals who contributed to quelling the rebellion are to go to the capital to receive their honors."
Fan Changyu said, "I've been recovering from my injuries and haven't been on duty at the military camp, so I haven't heard this news yet."
She asked curiously, "Have you come to join the army, Master Gongsun, to travel to the capital together?"
Gongsun Yin flicked open his folding fan and said mysteriously, "The Gongsun family does not involve itself in court affairs. I came here at Xie Jiuhang's request."
Noticing Fan Changyu's momentary confusion, he paused and asked, "Did Xie Zheng never tell you his courtesy name?"Fan Changyu shook her head. In the past, she hadn’t known Xie Zheng’s true identity. By the time she found out, they had quickly parted ways, leaving no opportunity to discuss such matters in detail.
She remarked with some novelty, “So his courtesy name is Jiuheng.”
Gongsun Yin said sourly, “Grand Tutor Tao personally chose it for him—of course it’s good.”
Fan Changyu replied, “My foster father also gave me a courtesy name.”
Gongsun Yin’s strikingly handsome face twisted with jealousy in an instant. Gripping his teacup, he glared at Fan Changyu with deep resentment and said, “Alright, let’s drop this topic.”
Fan Changyu looked bewildered, unsure why Gongsun Yin was reacting this way.
But it was true that she hadn’t received any letters from Xie Zheng in a long time. Before he left for the capital, he had told her that if anything happened to him, she should ignore any summons to the capital and remain in the northwest.
Now that the imperial summons had arrived, and Xie Zheng hadn’t completely lost contact, Fan Changyu was uncertain whether to stay put or take Bao'er to the capital as ordered.
She asked, “Why did he send you to Jizhou?”
Gongsun Yin glanced at her and mused, “That… I’ll keep it a secret for now. But in the capital, he suddenly started investigating matters related to the Sixteenth Prince. It might have something to do with the truth behind the Jinzhou incident.”
At the mention of the Jinzhou massacre, Fan Changyu’s heart grew heavy, and she momentarily lost herself in thought.
Gongsun Yin continued, “I came today for two reasons: first, to visit Miss Fan, and second, to meet the descendant of the Chengde Crown Prince.”
He tapped his palm lightly with his folded fan and asked, “The child inside earlier—that’s the descendant, isn’t it?”
Fan Changyu nodded.
Gongsun Yin added, “I heard Miss Fan was badly injured while rescuing that child. Your departure from the city that day caused quite a stir, and now you’re bringing the child to the capital. General Tang will surely grow suspicious. Before setting off for the capital, you should think about how to explain the child’s origins to him.”
Fan Changyu asked, “Do you have any suggestions, Gongsun?”
Gongsun Yin looked at her in surprise, as if realizing how much she had matured during her time in the military. He said, “General Tang is an honest man, and with his connection to Lord He, he can be persuaded.”
This actually aligned with Fan Changyu’s own thoughts.
Gongsun Yin stayed for less than the time it took to finish a cup of tea before leaving. Changning and Yu Bao'er were playing in the courtyard, and when they saw Gongsun Yin depart, Changning followed him like a little shadow, seeing him all the way to the gate before finally stopping.
Staring into the child’s large, glistening black eyes, the usually stingy Gongsun Yin gritted his teeth and gave Changning all the silver he had on him, telling her to buy some candied hawthorns.
Changning sweetly called him “Uncle Gongsun” over and over again.
Generous as ever, she bought the candied hawthorns and didn’t forget to share them with Yu Bao'er. But for the first time, Yu Bao'er, who had never rejected anything she offered, refused with a stern face. “Eating too much candy will rot your teeth and make you ugly.”
Changning wasn’t afraid of rotten teeth, but she was afraid of being ugly. Hesitating, she held the candied hawthorns uncertainly, unsure whether to eat them.
Yu Bao'er continued earnestly, “My mother says that nine out of ten people who randomly buy candy for children are bad people. That man just now looked very suspicious.”
Changning’s mouth fell open in shock. Clutching the hem of her clothes, she protested anxiously, “Uncle Gongsun isn’t like that.”
Yu Bao'er suddenly asked, “Are you close with him?”Changning nodded. Bundled up in thick clothes and having played in the yard for a while, she had worked up a sweat. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and under the sunlight, the fine down on her face was clearly visible, giving her a delicate, rosy complexion that was utterly adorable.
She said, "Uncle Gongsun does my hair really nicely!"
Yu Bao'er looked at the little tufts of her soft hair tied up and pursed his lips slightly. "I can do your hair nicely too in the future," he said.
Changning still couldn't do her own hair and found it quite troublesome. Hearing Yu Bao'er's suggestion, she was intrigued. Her big, grape-like eyes fixed on him as she asked, "Do you know how to do hair?"
Yu Bao'er replied, "I can learn."
The next morning, when Aunt Zhao got up early to tie Changning's hair into little tufts, a small figure stood nearby, watching intently. Aunt Zhao chuckled and told Yu Bao'er not to rush—they could go out to play only after Changning's hair was done.
Yu Bao'er watched attentively and said, "I'm not in a hurry. Take your time, Auntie."
Aunt Zhao praised the child for being so sensible.
Fan Changyu was completely unaware of all this. Her injuries had fully healed, and on her first day back in the army, Tang Peiyi informed her that they would soon depart for the capital. He then asked her to stay behind, unsurprisingly bringing up the matter of Yu Bao'er.
Fan Changyu clasped her fists and said, "I feel guilty for keeping this from you, General. That child... his background is indeed unusual."
Tang Peiyi sighed. "If you plan to bring the child with the army to the capital, you must give me the full picture. If anything unexpected happens along the way, I won’t know how to handle it."
Fan Changyu nodded. "I was thoughtless. That child... is a descendant of His Highness, the Chengde Crown Prince."
At these words, Tang Peiyi was visibly shocked. "But the imperial grandson was said to have died..." He trailed off mid-sentence.
The sudden appearance of this child, protected in secret by the Blood-Clad Cavalry, raised the question: who had been trying to kill him?
Unaware of Qi Min's involvement, Tang Peiyi assumed it was the emperor and broke into a cold sweat.
After pacing back and forth in the tent several times, he said to Fan Changyu, "I understand. You may go. I’ll arrange for additional covert protection for the young lord during the march."
Fan Changyu bowed deeply. "Thank you, General."
Tang Peiyi could only point at her helplessly and say, "You..." He sighed. "Preserving this last remnant of the Chengde Crown Prince’s bloodline is our duty as subjects."
After two months on the march, the army finally arrived at the capital.
With Tang Peiyi’s covert support, Yu Bao'er’s carriage was guarded like an iron fortress throughout the journey, and no further incidents occurred.
The troops were stationed at the Western Mountain Camp outside the city, while Tang Peiyi selected only a few hundred meritorious officers to enter the capital with him.
The officials sent by the court to receive them had prepared newly forged Bright Light Armor, ensuring the troops would look splendid and imposing as they entered the city.
After changing and freshening up, the army headed for the northern gate.
Fan Changyu had played a pivotal role in quelling the rebellion. Though the court’s official rewards had yet to be announced, the entire capital already knew of the female general from the northwest.
Flag-bearing honor guards led the procession, while crowds lining the streets cheered their triumphant return.
Fan Changyu rode on horseback slightly behind Tang Peiyi, flanked by He Jingyuan’s eldest son.People lined the streets, showering them with flowers. As the only female general in the army, Fan Changyu stood out not only for her striking appearance but also for her dignified demeanor. Many in the crowd eagerly called out to her, their voices filled with admiration and joy as they shouted, "General Fan!"
Some bold young women even threw handkerchiefs directly at Fan Changyu.
Facing such a scene for the first time, she felt somewhat at a loss. Determined not to compromise her authority, she maintained a stern expression on horseback, refusing to smile.
Little did she know that this very solemnity only reinforced the people's image of her as a formidable and awe-inspiring female general.
Among the clamoring crowd, the loudest cheers were for Fan Changyu.
Young women in their prime even wiped away tears, lamenting, "What a pity General Fan is a woman—otherwise, I would surely marry her!"
"Does General Fan have any brothers at home? If I can't marry her, becoming her sister-in-law would be just as good!"
...
The crowd grew so boisterous that the soldiers maintaining order could barely hold back the excited citizens rushing forward to welcome the triumphant army. Yet, amid the sea of thousands, Fan Changyu keenly sensed a gaze directed at her from a teahouse by the street.
She lifted her head to look. Most of the private rooms on the second floor had their windows wide open.
Behind a half-open lattice window, she spotted a familiar figure quietly watching her.
Even the pots of vibrant red chrysanthemums blooming on the windowsill could not overshadow the striking clarity and beauty of his features.
Careful not to draw attention, Fan Changyu allowed only the faintest hint of a smile to touch her lips as she passed by Xie Zheng.
Inside the private room, Xie Zheng gazed at the female general riding down the street, surrounded by cheers and adulation, momentarily lost in thought.
A year ago, in a tavern in Lin'an Town, he had watched her stride past with a butcher's knife in hand, leading a gang of ruffians—a veritable female tyrant.
Now, astride a white horse with silver trappings, clad in armor as she returned victorious with the army amid jubilant cheers, she had become a radiant general, dazzling as the sun.
Watching her upright figure on horseback, as straight and unyielding as bamboo, Xie Zheng allowed himself a faint smile.
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