Legend of the Female General

Chapter 196: The Xu Family

Having received Xiao Jue’s verbal assurance the previous day that he would take He Yan to the upcoming palace banquet, she slept exceptionally soundly that night. By the time she woke up the next morning, as usual, Xiao Jue was nowhere to be seen. Only Bai Guo sat in the courtyard, waiting for her to rise and eat, just like the day before.

In her previous life, He Yan had been accustomed to waking up early. Suddenly finding herself sleeping until the sun was high in the sky, with a young girl waiting for her, made her feel rather embarrassed. She asked Bai Guo, “Bai Guo, did your Second Young Master mention where he was going?”

Bai Guo shook her head. “Does Young Master He have urgent business with the Second Young Master?”

He Yan smiled. “Just asking casually.” Yet inwardly, she felt a bit puzzled. Since returning to the capital, Xiao Jue seemed to be very busy. What exactly was he occupied with?

But she didn’t dwell on it for long. Today, she had other matters to attend to.

After bidding farewell to Bai Guo, He Yan changed her clothes and went out. She didn’t call for a carriage but instead wore a veil hat and walked along the streets. She could find her way to the Xu family’s residence with her eyes closed. Before long, she stopped before its vermilion gate.

He Yan stood at the entrance, gazing at the mansion before her.

From the outside, the residence appeared even narrower—so narrow it seemed incapable of containing a person’s ambitions, so narrow it resembled a coffin that had once buried her within.

He Yan had thought that after so much time had passed, she would be calm. Yet standing here now, her emotions were anything but tranquil. It was here that He Wanru had pressed her down into a pool of cold water, never to see the light of another day.

A servant was sweeping at the entrance. Xu Zhiheng was a meticulous man, insisting that the mansion be kept spotless at all times. He disliked imperfections, much like he disliked scars on a woman’s skin.

He Yan approached and said, “Young man, may I ask about someone?”

The sweeping servant stopped and looked at He Yan. “You are…”

“I’ve been entrusted by someone to inquire about a person,” He Yan whispered. “Is there a concubine named He Wanru in your household?”

At these words, the servant’s expression changed dramatically. “You…”

In the next moment, he felt something heavy placed in his hand. Looking down, he saw it was a silver ingot. The servant swallowed hard, instinctively tucking the silver into his sleeve. After glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he whispered, “Sir, wait for me under the locust tree in the alley ahead. This isn’t a place to talk.”

He Yan nodded. “Understood. Please do come. If you can help me find this person…” She smiled faintly. “You won’t be short of rewards.”

The servant’s face lit up with delight. “Of course, of course!”

He Yan didn’t linger. As the servant feared, this was indeed not a place for conversation. Moreover, given the relationship between Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei, it was possible that some of He Rufei’s people were moving about outside. She lowered her veil hat and made her way to the agreed-upon locust tree in the alley, waiting patiently.He Yan was not afraid that the servant from earlier would take the silver and go back on his word. Although the Xu family was also an official household, they were not generous to their servants. This was likely because Xu Zhiheng was a Hanlin academician, influenced by the scholarly tradition of frugality, preferring to spend money on decorations—such as the tiles on the mansion’s roof. Madam Xu often said: "If you treat servants too well, they might develop disloyal thoughts. You must understand, a small kindness can breed great resentment. Servants and masters should not become too close."

Having spent many years in the military camp, He Yan did not hold strong views about the distinction between "servants" and "masters." She believed that people were simply people, and the distinctions of high and low, noble and humble were merely incidental products of birth—how could one truly rely on such things? Therefore, when she first married into the Xu family, before her eyesight failed, she was extremely generous. At that time, the Xu family’s servants were very willing to serve her. It was precisely because of this that He Yan was secretly reported to Xu Zhiheng by He Wanru many times.

Like master, like servant. Xu Zhiheng was a man who would conspire with outsiders to murder his own wife for the sake of profit, so the servants in his household were naturally opportunistic and fickle.

Sure enough, after the time it took for two incense sticks to burn, a figure crept furtively into the courtyard—it was the servant from earlier.

He Yan said, "Brother, there’s a teahouse nearby. Let’s go inside to talk."

The servant nodded.

He Yan entered the teahouse, ordered a pot of fine tea, and called for several plates of exquisite pastries. Her spending was extremely lavish, making the servant before her wonder silently which wealthy family’s young master this could be.

"What should I call you, brother?" He Yan pushed a teacup toward him.

"Young master, just call me Fuwang."

He Yan did not remove her veil, speaking softly, "Then, Fuwang, is that concubine named He Wanru currently in the residence?"

Fuwang looked troubled. "Young master, to be honest with you, there is indeed a Concubine He in our residence. But a year ago, she was caught stealing Madam’s belongings to sell outside the mansion. The young master administered household punishment, and afterward, she fell seriously ill and died."

He Yan replied, "I see."

She was not surprised. A year ago, shortly after her own death, He Wanru had been disposed of by Xu Zhiheng. In truth, she had already warned He Wanru: if Xu Zhiheng could kill her to keep a secret, he could kill He Wanru too.

"Young master, why are you looking for Concubine He…?" Fuwang studied He Yan, but the veil obscured her face, making it impossible to see her features clearly. He could only vaguely tell she was very young.

"I am a childhood playmate of Concubine He, though I wasn’t in Shuojing in the past," He Yan sighed. "We haven’t seen each other for many years. I came hoping to meet her, but I never expected…"

Fuwang suddenly understood. Childhood playmate? More likely someone who had feelings for He Wanru, or perhaps an old lover? After all, although he had never seen her, he had heard that Concubine He was stunningly beautiful and captivating, so much so that she once made his young master neglect his wife.

"A concubine who committed a wrong would not be buried in the Xu family’s ancestral tomb," He Yan said. "Where is she buried? If possible, I would like to take her away."

"Young master, after Concubine He died of illness, she was wrapped in a mat and thrown into the mass burial ground," Fuwang said hesitantly. "By now, I’m afraid her remains can no longer be found."He Yan inwardly sneered. Xu Zhiheng had once been all tenderness and affection toward He Wanru, something she had even admired and envied. Now it seemed this man was utterly cold-blooded and heartless. When it came to herself, one could argue that he never loved her in the first place, so he could be so ruthless. But even toward He Wanru, a woman he had genuinely doted on, he was no different.

Fuwang saw the man before him fall silent and thought to himself, What a sentimental fool—still unable to let go even after she’s married.

He Yan looked up and asked him, "What about Concubine He’s personal maids? If they’re still around, I’d like to take them away from here. I’ve missed many things about Wanru over the years. Perhaps they could tell me."

"Young master, Concubine He’s personal maids left the estate after she passed away," Fuwang replied.

He Yan smiled faintly. "What about the other servants in the courtyard?"

Fuwang was taken aback.

He had only entered the estate at the beginning of this year, at a time when the Xu family had recruited a large number of new servants and maids. Back then, the children who had entered together were puzzled. Generally, such wealthy households already had plenty of servants and maids. Suddenly hiring so many people could only mean one of two things: either a new bride was entering the household and needed more hands, or something had happened in the family, and the original servants were no longer there.

Master Xu had indeed taken a new bride—the cousin of the Flying Goose General. The new mistress had brought enough servants of her own, so none of them were assigned to serve in her courtyard.

Then… it must have been that something had happened, and the original servants were gone. And by "gone"… did that mean they were dead?

Fuwang was not foolish. On the contrary, among this batch of servants, he was the cleverest, yet he had been assigned to guard the gate, often complaining about the unfairness of fate. But now, from the words of this stranger, he caught a glimpse of the tip of an iceberg.

Secrets were like that—the more you knew, the easier it was to die, but at the same time, they could also change your fate. Wealth came through risk; without risk, where would such immense fortune come from?

Seeing the glimmer of desire in the servant’s eyes, He Yan casually added another stroke, "Fuwang, you seem quite clever. How does your master treat you?"

Fuwang was startled and only replied after a long pause, "The master… doesn’t remember someone as lowly as me."

"What a pity," He Yan said with a smile. "A talent like yours—if you were mine, I would certainly put you to good use."

Fuwang grew excited.

Some words only needed to be hinted at, not spoken outright. He Yan took a silver ingot from her sleeve and placed it on the table. "Today, I’ve learned quite a bit. Thank you. However… if you could help me find out a little more—for example, about Concubine He’s maids or the servants who were still around at the time—you could gain far more than this." She added, "Be careful when doing these things. So many servants have 'left the estate.' The Xu family masters seem quite strict. If you’re not careful, Fuwang, and you also 'leave the estate,' what a shame that would be."

Fuwang looked at the young master before him, both uneasy and excited. He asked nervously, "But… where should this lowly one find you, young master?"

The fish has taken the bait.

He Yan smiled faintly. "When I have free time, I’ll come here to sit. If you have something to tell me, Fuwang, you can come here to look for me. Who knows when I might show up?"

With that, she stood up and left the teahouse, leaving the servant alone at the table, his expression shifting unpredictably.

As soon as she stepped outside, He Yan’s smile faded.Before approaching Fuwang, He Yan observed the servants coming and going from the Xu residence and noticed that most of them were unfamiliar faces. Almost all of the people who had been there when she first married into the Xu family were now gone.

This was only natural. Xu Zhiheng wanted to eliminate all traces, so those servants could not be allowed to remain. He Yan hadn’t truly expected to find any survivors; witnesses had likely been completely destroyed by Xu Zhiheng. However, she needed someone like Fuwang, a servant within the Xu household, to work for her.

Secrets could not stay hidden forever. Actions always left traces. Even without witnesses, material evidence—such as items left behind by He Wanru—could one day serve as proof. If unnoticed, Fuwang could gather information for her. If discovered, Xu Zhiheng would grow anxious, and an anxious person would inevitably make mistakes.

Those with guilty consciences, even walking in the sunlight, would suspect their own shadows were vengeful spirits.

Fuwang was clever and ambitious—that was enough.

Just as He Rufei had sent Ding Yi to harm her, and Xu Zhiheng, as her husband, had stood by and watched, she would return the favor in kind, using their own methods against them.

Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei’s nightmare had only just begun.

…

When He Yan returned to the Xiao residence, it was nearly evening.

As she entered the courtyard, she heard Bai Rongwei and Xiao Jing speaking. Xiao Jing said, “You don’t need to make so many. One for Huaijin is enough.”

Bai Rongwei replied with a hint of reproach, “How can you say that? Besides, these sachets were embroidered by the maids. I only stuffed them with fragrant herbs—it’s not much effort.”

He Yan paused and bowed to them. “Young Master Xiao, Madam.”

“Young Master He,” Bai Rongwei smiled. “You’ve come at the right time. I was just about to send someone to deliver sachets to you.” She took two sachets from her maid and handed them to He Yan. “One is for you, and one is for Huaijin.”

He Yan examined them. The sachets were delicately made—one with a black background embroidered with a silver serpent in intricate patterns, and the other with a simple auspicious cloud design, likely meant for her.

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching,” Bai Rongwei explained. “I had the maids make some sachets and filled them with calming herbs and protective charms. Since you and Huaijin are often out and about, it’s good to carry them with you.” She added with a smile, “I hope you won’t mind, Young Master He.”

He Yan hadn’t expected to receive one and was momentarily surprised. “Not at all. Thank you very much, Madam.”

“You are Huaijin’s friend. There’s no need to be so polite,” Xiao Jing said gently.

He Yan nodded, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the Xiao couple’s overflowing kindness.

“By the way, in three days, we’ll be hosting a banquet at the residence,” Bai Rongwei said, seeming a little embarrassed. “As I mentioned to you before, the banquet is in my name, and many ladies and young misses will be attending… If you have no plans that day, Young Master He, it would be nice if you could stay.”

He Yan: “…”

This was supposed to be for Xiao Jue to choose a wife—why was she being included? He Yan hastily replied that she would think about it and fled in a hurry.

Watching He Yan’s hurried retreat, Bai Rongwei remarked curiously, “Why is this Young Master He so afraid at the mention of young ladies? Though he’s still young, it’s not too early to consider marriage. Could it be that spending too much time with Huaijin has made him plan to stay single for life?”Xiao Jing smiled. "Huai Jin treats him quite well."

"That's true." Bai Rongwei nodded. Since marrying into the family, she had known that Xiao Jue was not a bad person at heart, but he truly wasn't one to show his emotions openly. Yet, toward this young Master He, he was quite directly protective.

"Having friends is a good thing." Xiao Jing's gaze was approving. "At the very least, he can now discuss many matters with someone."

...

Under the oil lamp, He Yan lay sprawled over the table, gazing at the sachet wrapped around her finger.

Bai Rongwei had given her two, asking her to pass one to Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue's sachet was beautifully made. As He Yan wound the red cord around her finger, she sighed inwardly. Even the maidservants of the Xiao family were so skilled at needlework—it was truly humbling.

He Yan, of course, had no talent for needlework. Back when she had just married into the Xu family, He Wanru would make shoes and clothes for Xu Zhiheng every few days. He Yan had stayed up several nights, only managing to produce a handkerchief. She had intended to embroider mandarin ducks playing in water on it, but Xu Zhiheng had stared at it for a long time before asking, "Are these... ducks?"

He Yan was deeply disheartened. Xu Zhiheng had laughed heartily, and though he later accepted the handkerchief, he never used it. He Yan could understand—after all, he was an official in the court. If he were to pull out a handkerchief embroidered with ducks, he would likely be ridiculed by his colleagues. Still, when she later found that crumpled, yellowed handkerchief at the very bottom of Xu Zhiheng's drawer, she couldn't help but feel a pang of grievance, remembering how she had stayed up until her hands were covered in needle pricks.

She had always learned what men were expected to learn—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—but was entirely unskilled in needlework and embroidery. When she had to act as an ordinary woman, she felt utterly out of place.

On the table lay a small wooden basket containing some thread and a silver pair of scissors, likely used by the servants for their work. He Yan picked up the silver scissors. They were delicate, but her hands, accustomed to long swords, twin blades, staffs, and spears, found even a pair of scissors unusually heavy.

In truth, He Yan wasn't entirely unskilled with needle and thread. After all, during her years in the military camp, she had only a few sets of clothes, and they inevitably wore out. Whenever something tore, the brothers would simply find a piece of cloth or something to patch the hole. But men's craftsmanship was far less refined than that of women—it could only be called mending, hardly considered attractive. Sometimes, a garment would be covered in so many patches that it looked worse than a beggar's rags.

He Yan had also stayed up late mending clothes, but that was already a lifetime ago.

The two sachets lay side by side before her. Xiao Jue's was more ornate, while hers was plainer. She reached out and gently squeezed them—they were flat inside, and she could vaguely feel a triangular piece of paper and some soft, fragrant herbs. After a moment's thought, He Yan took out the needle and thread from the basket.

The oil in the lamp was nearly spent. He Yan stretched, stood up, and yawned.

Half the night had passed. She wiped away the beads of blood that had welled up on her fingers and sighed softly.

It seemed Miss He's needlework wasn't much better either. In both her past and present lives, she truly had no talent for embroidery. He Yan smiled faintly, extinguished the lamp, and climbed into bed. Outside the window, the moonlight was faint, barely illuminating a corner of the table.

On the table, the two sachets lay side by side, looking no different than before.

...

In the Shen residence in the capital, the lanterns in Shen Muxue's room were still lit.The servants in the courtyard had already retired for the night, but Shen Muxue felt no trace of sleepiness. Lying flat on the couch, she stared blankly at the sachets hanging from the four corners of the bed canopy.

It had been several days since returning to Shuojing, and Xiao Jue should have known by now. For the first time ever, she had not gone to Xiao Manor, yet similarly, Xiao Jue had shown no response whatsoever. It was only the eldest young mistress, Bai Rongwei, who had sent someone to inquire about her once.

Shen Muxue turned over restlessly.

Even Censor Shen had noticed something amiss, asking if she had quarreled with Xiao Jue. Shen Muxue shook her head and brushed it off, but an inexplicable tension grew in her heart.

She had originally wanted Xiao Jue to know that she was upset. Yet after several days of this stalemate, it was she herself who felt uncertain. Xiao Jue might not know—he had never been one to care about such matters—but what if he did know... and was doing this deliberately?

A fire burned in Shen Muxue’s heart.

When she left Liangzhou Guard, she had discovered a painted clay figurine and a wooden carving in that chest. She couldn’t help but overthink it—the figurine was unmistakably a woman. Did Xiao Jue have someone he liked? If it were only that, she wouldn’t have been so alarmed, but the person carved on the wooden piece was a female general.

And her features bore a striking resemblance to He Yan.

In an instant, all the suspicions she had harbored in the past turned into evidence laid bare before her eyes. Xiao Jue’s excessive closeness and care toward He Yan, the uncomfortable feelings He Yan sometimes evoked in her. In Jiyang, Xiao Jue had taken He Yan along as well. That Black Jade he never parted with had once been held in He Yan’s hand. The grease oil he had specifically emphasized must not be taken away appeared in He Yan’s possession the very next day.

To call it a case of same-sex affection would be too shocking, but... what if He Yan was a woman?

Shen Muxue closed her eyes.

That young girl, even dressed as a boy, was exceptionally spirited and striking, with delicate and captivating features. If she were to dress as a woman, Shen Muxue thought bitterly, she would easily catch people’s attention.

In all those past years, even though she had never won Xiao Jue’s heart, she had never felt a great sense of crisis. This young man had been outstanding since his youth, lazy and indifferent by nature. After his family suffered a great tragedy, he grew even more reserved and introverted. Despite his temperament, his talent and appearance still drew countless young women to throw themselves at him, yet none had ever seen Xiao Jue favor anyone.

He was not easily moved by affection, so Shen Muxue believed that among all the women in the world, only she could accompany him on the battlefield and support him. Given enough time, everything would fall into place naturally.

Her certainty stemmed from her pride. But now, that pride had been completely shattered.

There was a woman who could do more than she could—not only accompany Xiao Jue to the battlefield but also fight side by side with him. What she could not achieve, He Yan could. As for family background... Xiao Jing had married Bai Rongwei, a daughter from a concubine’s line, proving that the Xiao family simply did not care about such things.

Shen Muxue’s heart tightened painfully.

She could not win Xiao Jue’s favor, but she refused to watch He Yan take the lead. After all, she was the one who came first, the one who had stayed by Xiao Jue’s side the longest...

In the darkness, Shen Muxue suddenly sat up.

She threw on her outer robe, walked to the table, and lit the oil lamp. Taking out paper, brush, and ink, she sat down at the desk.The flickering oil lamp strained her eyes, her hands trembling slightly. After a moment, Shen Muxue seemed to finally make up her mind, picking up the brush to write.

After investing so much time and effort, yet failing to achieve a satisfactory outcome—no one would be content. She refused to accept such an ending. If Xiao Jue was destined not to stand by her side and consider her interests, then... she would have to start from He Yan's end.

Shen Muxue wrote faster and faster, until suddenly, her pen slipped. With too much force, it tore a gash in the paper. She stared blankly at the thin sheet before her, then abruptly raised her hand, crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it to the ground.

After a while, she covered her face with both hands and began to cry softly.

(End of Chapter)