Legend of the Female General

Chapter 12: Overnight Fortune

He Yan returned home with silver in her pocket.

Qingmei didn’t notice as He Yan fumbled in the dark, turning the small cosmetics box on the table upside down to empty it before stuffing all the broken silver and jewelry she had won that night inside. Then she climbed into bed in the darkness.

Perhaps it was the joy of winning money or the relief of having settled future worries, but that night, she slept exceptionally soundly. In her dream, she was gambling with her brothers in the military tent. The men shouted at the top of their lungs, "Open! Open!" He Yan wore a troubled expression, and someone burst into laughter, "General, how did you lose again?"

"Has the general won even once tonight?" The deputy shook his head in mock disappointment. "Ah, the general just isn’t cut out for this."

"Shut it! What do you mean ‘not cut out for this’? Haven’t you heard the saying ‘unlucky in love, lucky at gambling’? The general’s losing at gambling means she’s sweeping the field in romance! What would a lonely old bachelor like you know?"

Hearing this, He Yan laughed heartily.

She laughed until she felt someone shaking her awake. Opening her eyes, she saw Qingmei’s face. "What good dream did you have, miss? You were laughing so happily."

Sunlight had already crept onto the windowsill, filling the room with brightness. She raised the back of her hand to shield her eyes from the glare, surprised that she had overslept.

Truly, spring was the season for deep slumber.

Then she recalled the dream from the night before and sighed inwardly. Back then, those men had joked that her terrible gambling skills meant she excelled in romance—but they couldn’t have been more wrong. Though in a way, they weren’t entirely mistaken. Now that she could dominate at Letong Manor, thriving in gambling meant failing in love—hence her utter defeat.

Outside the door, He Yun Sheng’s displeased voice rang out, "He Yan! The sun’s already high in the sky—are you going today or not?"

From vehement opposition to now being accustomed to going firewood-gathering with her, it hadn’t taken long at all. He Yun Sheng couldn’t quite understand how he and He Yan had ended up in this situation.

"Wait for me," He Yan hurriedly changed into clean clothes.

Qingmei carried the washbasin out, and He Yun Sheng strode in, grumbling as he walked, "Why are you dawdling today—He Yan?!"

"What is it?" He Yan was fastening her sandbag and looked up to see He Yun Sheng’s furious expression. She frowned. "What’s wrong?"

He Yun Sheng pointed at the chair. "What’s wrong? You tell me what’s wrong?!"

The boy’s tone was beyond furious—if flames could sprout from his head, the entire house would have been set ablaze. Following his finger, He Yan saw the chestnut-colored robe she had "borrowed" from He Yun Sheng the night before draped over the chair. After returning, she had carelessly tossed it there and hadn’t given it a second thought since waking up.

Before He Yan could react, He Yun Sheng stepped forward and shook out the robe. It had been crumpled into a ball by He Yan, stained and wrinkled. Now, as it unfurled, a long tear down the middle became visible—as if someone had slashed it clean through, leaving it in a pitiful state.

"This is how you ‘mended’ my robe?" He Yun Sheng was seething. Last night, he had actually been moved, thinking his sister genuinely cared for him as a younger brother. But now… she must have been sent by the heavens to torment him!

"It’s a misunderstanding—I can explain," He Yan tried to calm the boy down."Explain? How can you explain? Do you even know..." He Yun Sheng's voice, initially filled with angry accusations, suddenly choked up, his eyes turning red as he continued, "This is my only long robe... You cut it to pieces, what am I supposed to do now?"

He Yan felt her head spinning.

She truly, genuinely, absolutely couldn't stand seeing people cry. Especially when it was a young man who had been charging at her like an angry bull calf moments ago, now looking at her with teary-eyed grievance.

He Yun Sheng was indeed aggrieved.

Young men cared about their dignity. Coming from a poor family didn't matter as long as he was filial, knew propriety, and stood tall—that would make him a fine young man... That's what people said, but everyone had their vanities. This chestnut-colored robe had been a gift from one of his senior brothers. He had mended and worn it for years because all his other clothes were short work garments. No matter what, this robe at least made him look like a "young master."

While He Yan's clothes couldn't compare to those of wealthy young ladies, she still bought one or two fashionable pieces every year. He Sui doted on her, and He Yun Sheng couldn't say anything about it. Girls loved beauty—how could a man care about such superficial things?

But now, He Yun Sheng suddenly felt wronged.

He Yan stammered, "This... this robe is ruined, but we'll buy you a new one. We'll find the most famous tailor in the capital to make you a brand-new robe, with embroidered patterns! And we'll use good fabric too. D-don't cry, okay? I didn't mean to... How about it? Y-Yun Sheng?"

He Yan had never coaxed him so gently before. For some reason, most of He Yun Sheng's anger dissipated, though a trace of resentment remained. "But we don't have the money!" he protested.

"Says who?" He Yan opened her jewelry box to show him. "We have plenty of money."

He Yun Sheng had only glanced casually at first, but upon closer inspection, he froze. "Where did you get this money?"

"Hmm?"

The next moment, He Yun Sheng suddenly rushed forward, exclaiming in shock, "Your face...!"

Her face? He Yan was startled. Could her face have changed? No way—she had washed it twice in the water vat by the door before coming home last night. Surely all the makeup had been cleaned off?

As she hurried to the mirror, He Yun Sheng's furious voice rang out beside her, "Who hit you?"

The reflection showed a girl with delicate, elegant features, her limpid eyes like autumn pools—unchanged. But... He Yan's gaze dropped. There was now a faint bruise at the corner of the girl's lips, stark against her fair skin.

Earlier, Qingmei had come to wake her, but He Yan had shielded her face from the sun, so Qingmei hadn't noticed. Now He Yun Sheng had seen it.

Miss He's skin was tender and couldn't withstand much. She had indeed taken a punch from someone last night, but it hadn't hurt much, so she hadn't paid it any mind. Who knew it would leave such a visible mark today?

He Yun Sheng pressed on, "What exactly happened to you? This money... this robe..." Suddenly horrified, his expression turned mournful. "You..."

Seeing the boy's imagination running wild, He Yan lightly rapped his head. "What nonsense are you thinking? Last night I wore your clothes to the gambling den, won a couple of rounds, and made some money. Some troublemakers came looking for a fight—I taught them a lesson and got a little scratched in the process. It's nothing; it'll fade by tomorrow."

She said it so casually, unaware of the shockwaves her words sent through the young man before her.

"You... I..."He Yan went to a gambling den? He Yan won money at the gambling den? And after winning, she got into trouble but ended up teaching those troublemakers a lesson?

Each of these scenarios was something He Yun Sheng couldn't accept. He even suspected his sister might have been replaced by someone else—how else could she do such unbelievable things?

"Yes," He Yan explained calmly. "Because we were so poor, I thought I'd try my luck at the gambling den. Turns out my luck was really good—perhaps heaven was watching over me. I was quite scared of those troublemakers at first, but after chopping firewood with you in the mountains lately, I've gotten stronger and managed to beat them by chance." Seeing He Yun Sheng still gaping in shock, she continued, "If you don't believe me, go ask around at Letong Manor yourself. Last night, there was a young man in a chestnut-colored robe who won quite a bit of money—I'm not lying to you."

He Yun Sheng's mind was a complete mess, but He Yan looked so confident that it really seemed like she was telling the truth.

"But... but..."

"Oh, right," He Yan smiled. "Now that we have money, starting today, we won't be selling danai cakes anymore."

"Then what will we do?" He Yun Sheng murmured.

"Naturally, we'll go to the training grounds. Yun Sheng, would you like to attend school?" she asked.

(End of Chapter)