Legend of the Female General

Chapter 87: Another Stand-in

The day after the Mid-Autumn Festival brought rain. When He Yan woke, the others were still fast asleep in their bunks, likely nursing hangovers from the previous night's drinking. But the morning drill call had already sounded—training continued rain or shine. She climbed out of bed and roused everyone in the room.

"My head is killing me," Xiao Mai groaned, too young to handle such a hangover, the aftereffects still lingering. "Brother He, what are you doing?"

He Yan handed him a waterskin. "Drink some water, wash your face. We have drills."

Xiao Mai took the skin and gulped down the water. Hong Shan laughed at the sight. "Xiao Mai, you and your brother need more practice. How can you call that drinking? Even Brother He handles it better than you."

Xiao Mai glanced at He Yan. "Brother He, you can hold your liquor that well?"

"Just barely," He Yan deflected. Strangely, she didn’t feel any headache—in fact, she was unusually clear-headed. She couldn’t remember when she’d returned to the barracks, only that she’d been drinking with Huang Xiong by the bonfire, downing several bowls. Had she even performed the Eighteen Immortals trick? Wait—where was the Eighteen Immortals wine?

"Where’s that jar of wine Commander Xiao rewarded us?" Hong Shan suddenly remembered. "That was good stuff. Don’t tell me it’s lost."

"Maybe Wang Ba has it," He Yan replied. She wracked her brain but couldn’t recall anything else.

Back in the day, she’d been known as someone who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk—though that wasn’t entirely true. She could still get drunk, but unlike others, she showed no outward signs. Her face remained composed, her mind seemingly sharp. Once, while stationed in the army, she’d gotten drunk and spent the whole night discussing military strategy with the camp strategist, appearing perfectly lucid. The next day, the strategist praised her as a rare and heroic figure. In truth, He Yan had no memory of the conversation.

Even when drunk, she never stumbled or babbled. No one could tell. So, at least she hadn’t embarrassed herself—but what exactly had she done last night?

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember. She hurriedly washed up with the others, grabbed some dry rations, and headed out for drills.

The rain had left the ground slick, forcing them to run carefully to avoid slipping. As He Yan jogged, she sensed someone watching her. Following the gaze, she saw Chief Instructor Shen Han standing at the end of the horse track, staring intently at her with an unreadable expression.

When He Yan met his eyes, Shen Han looked away. That was odd—she was highly sensitive to others’ stares, and Shen Han’s gaze had been probing, as if weighing something. She glanced back, but he had already walked off.

Her lingering attention on Shen Han didn’t go unnoticed. A recruit jogging beside her remarked, "The Chief Instructor is usually so strict, but he treats you well. What’s your connection? Why does he favor you like this?"

"Favor me?" He Yan was baffled. "I had no idea."

If Shen Han truly favored her, he wouldn’t have assigned Lei Hou to the vanguard.

"Last night, when we were heading back, we saw Chief Instructor Shen carrying you to your room himself," the recruit said, sounding almost resentful. "You’re so ungrateful. If it were me, the Chief Instructor wouldn’t have bothered."

He Yan froze.

"You saw Chief Instructor Shen carry me back last night?" she asked."Yes," the new recruit looked at her strangely. "Don't you remember? You probably don't—you were drunk." With that, as his companions ahead were urging him to catch up, he didn't wait to see He Yan's reaction and hurried forward.

Left alone at the back, He Yan couldn't hide her astonishment. She had been drunk? Shen Han had actually carried her back?

This made no sense. She had asked Hong Shan and the others in the morning, but they had gotten drunk early and were dragged back by their roommates. When He Yan returned, no one was awake, and no one knew when or how she had come back.

He Yan didn’t think Shen Han was the considerate type.

She pondered over it until the running drill ended but still couldn’t figure out what had happened. She decided that once the drill was over and before training began, she would go find Huang Xiong and the others. Maybe Huang Xiong knew. If he didn’t, she would ask Shen Han directly.

When the running drill ended, everyone rushed to the rain shelters or tents to take cover and drink water. It was then that Cheng Li Su arrived.

The young man was holding an oil-paper umbrella painted with red and white koi fish, quite charming. Unable to find He Yan, he asked around and finally spotted her under a shelter.

"Brother He!" he called out.

He Yan hadn’t expected Cheng Li Su to come looking for her. She stood up and walked over to him, puzzled. "It’s raining so hard—why aren’t you staying inside?"

"This isn’t the place to talk," Cheng Li Su said, pulling her under the umbrella. After searching for a while, he stopped by the long rack behind the flag platform at the Martial Arts Field and looked at He Yan. "I was drunk yesterday, but this morning I overheard Uncle talking with Fei Nu. That’s when I found out you went to see my uncle last night."

"I went to see your uncle?" He Yan was shocked.

"Indeed."

He Yan could hardly believe it. She had gone to see Xiao Jue? Currently, she held quite a grudge against Xiao Jue over the vanguard battalion matter. If she had sought him out, it certainly wouldn’t have been for tea and reminiscing. So then…

"What did I go to your uncle for?" He Yan asked slowly.

Cheng Li Su hesitated. "Last night, you might have been drunk…"

He Yan: "…"

She forced herself to smile as naturally as possible. "Just tell me."

"You challenged my uncle to a fight and broke his qin," Cheng Li Su answered honestly.

He Yan closed her eyes.

"Who won?" she asked.

Cheng Li Su hadn’t expected her to care about the outcome at this point. He scratched his head. "Probably my uncle. I heard he had Instructor Shen take you back."

He Yan: "…" Fine. Drunk, she had indeed gone to pick a fight with Xiao Jue—and lost. Now Xiao Jue would surely think even less of her, pushing her further away from joining the Nine Banners Battalion.

He Yan felt disheartened. Getting close to Xiao Jue through the Nine Banners Battalion seemed impossible now. Perhaps she should take a different path, slowly climbing the ranks as before. Though it would be slower… she just didn’t know how high He Rufei would have risen by the time she was in a position to approach him.Cheng Lisu looked at her sympathetically, trying his best to console her: "Brother He, you really don’t need to lose heart. My uncle… my uncle isn’t actually that petty. I came to tell you that these days, it’s best if you don’t go near my uncle to avoid angering him. That Wanxiang Qin is very expensive, and the fact that he didn’t make you pay for it is already a great leniency on his part."

"I couldn’t afford to pay for it anyway," He Yan replied dejectedly.

"See, things aren’t that bad yet," Cheng Lisu added. "You don’t need to be too upset. I’ll put in a good word for you with my uncle!"

He Yan listlessly said, "Thank you for that."

After Cheng Lisu left, He Yan watched the red and white koi fish swim away, feeling utterly powerless. Her comrades in the barracks had always said that drinking leads to trouble, but she had never taken it seriously. Now, it seemed all too true. She had only gotten drunk once since arriving in Liang Province, and already she had caused a mess.

Why had Shen Han personally carried her back to her room? Probably because he had witnessed such a chaotic moment and knew she would never again gain Xiao Jue’s favor, her career prospects dashed. He must have pitied her and acted out of sympathy.

He Yan thought to herself, maybe she should find an opportunity to go to Xiao Jue and apologize sincerely, carrying brambles as a sign of remorse. Perhaps there was still a chance to salvage the situation?

...

At that moment, in the room of the Right Army Commander of Liang Province’s garrison, Xiao Jue sat at his desk, looking at a letter in his hand.

The letter was an invitation from Sun Xiangfu, the magistrate of Liang Province, stating that in a few days, Yuan Baozhen, the Imperial Censor from the capital, would arrive in Liang Province. The magistrate was hosting a banquet at his residence and had also invited Xiao Jue’s nephew, Cheng Lisu.

Fei Nu stood behind Xiao Jue and said, "Young Master, it’s inconvenient to bring Cheng Lisu into the city. This might be a trap, and there could be danger."

"Yuan Baozhen has long been privately aligned with Xu Jingfu and is already one of Xu Jingfu’s men," Xiao Jue toyed with the letter in his hand and glanced at the osmanthus tree outside the window, speaking lightly. "This is aimed at me from the start. However, I happen to want to know what piece Xu Jingfu has planted in Liang Province."

"What does Young Master mean?" Fei Nu asked hesitantly.

"Yuan Baozhen is Xu Jingfu’s man, but Sun Xiangfu might not be innocent either." Xiao Jue curled his lips. "The magistrate of Liang Province has long needed replacing."

"Young Master intends to attend the banquet? This subordinate wishes to accompany you, but if Cheng Lisu remains at the garrison, he’ll need protection. If someone with ill intentions..." He left the sentence unfinished, referring to He Yan. Currently, the only person in Liang Province’s garrison whose identity was unclear and who posed a significant threat was He Yan.

"Moreover, Cheng Lisu trusts He Yan greatly. If Young Master isn’t here..." If Cheng Lisu were deceived or even plotted against by He Yan, the losses would outweigh the gains.

"When will Luanying arrive in Liang Province?" Xiao Jue asked.

"Luanying is currently still in Lou County," Fei Nu replied, then looked at Xiao Jue. "Young Master, why not decline the invitation?"

"No," Xiao Jue lowered his eyes. "This banquet is unavoidable."

...

When Cheng Lisu returned, he saw Xiao Jue sitting at his desk reading a book—a random novel he had secretly bought from an instructor with his own silver. Startled, he rushed forward without hesitation and exclaimed, "Uncle!"

Xiao Jue had been casually flipping through the book when the sudden shout made his hand jerk. He frowned and looked at Cheng Lisu. "What’s all this shouting?"

"I… I was wrong!" Cheng Lisu said.

"Wrong about what?" Xiao Jue asked calmly.He doesn’t seem angry? Cheng Lisu was surprised that Xiao Jue hadn’t scolded him for neglecting his calligraphy practice to read these nonsensical storybooks. Guessing that Xiao Jue was in a good mood today, he shamelessly stepped forward.

"I’m not wrong. I’m just apologizing on behalf of my elder brother. I heard he came to fight—no, spar with you last night. Uncle, you’re not angry, are you?"

Thinking of the madman who had gone berserk and even crushed his evening incense zither the night before, Xiao Jue’s eyes darkened slightly, his tone as indifferent as ever. "No."

"That’s good! Uncle, you’re still as magnanimous as ever!" Cheng Lisu hurriedly flattered him.

Xiao Jue glanced at him, then pulled out an invitation from his sleeve and tossed it at his face. "Read it yourself."

"What’s this?" Cheng Lisu picked it up and examined it. "An invitation? Someone sent you an invitation—and my name’s on it too. A trip to Liangzhou City? Perfect! I’ve been stuck in the garrison for so long, I’m practically growing mushrooms. Let me see… Censor Yuan Baozhen… Why does this name sound so familiar?" He looked suspiciously at Xiao Jue. "Uncle, who is Yuan Baozhen?"

"Don’t remember?" Xiao Jue curved his lips slightly, reminding him, "It was this Lord Yuan who suggested the marriage arrangement between you and the eldest Miss Song to your father. Song Ci was once Yuan Baozhen’s superior."

"The… the Song family?" Cheng Lisu’s grip loosened, and the invitation fell to the ground. He didn’t even seem to notice, staring blankly at Xiao Jue with an unsettled expression. "Why would the Song family come to Liang Province?"

"It’s not the Song family," Xiao Jue said coolly. "It’s Yuan Baozhen."

"Isn’t that the same thing…" Cheng Lisu muttered. "They’re coming to Liang Province and specifically inviting me to a banquet—they must be trying to drag me back to Shuojing. I don’t want to marry her… I don’t want to get married…" Suddenly snapping out of it, he grabbed Xiao Jue’s sleeve. "Uncle, you can’t just stand by and watch your own nephew jump into a pit of fire!"

"What does that have to do with me?" Xiao Jue pulled his sleeve free and flipped through a book indifferently.

"It has everything to do with you!" Cheng Lisu circled around the table to stand beside Xiao Jue. "Uncle, you know I don’t like the eldest Miss Song! If I have to marry her, I’d rather die—I’ll hang myself on the wedding day! You wouldn’t just stand by and watch, would you?"

Xiao Jue paused, then looked at him coldly before drawing the sword at his waist and placing it on the table.

Cheng Lisu stammered, "W-what’s this for?"

"You can kill yourself right now and see if I’ll stand by and watch."

Cheng Lisu stared at the blade, his face crumpling in despair. "Uncle, I really don’t want to go back to Shuojing. I’ve been with you for half a year already—I’ve gotten used to life at the Liangzhou Garrison. I really can’t live without you." He threw himself at Xiao Jue’s legs, wailing loudly.

Xiao Jue pressed a hand to his temple, as if at his limit. "Get up."

Cheng Lisu didn’t move.

"I said, get up."

Still clinging to Xiao Jue’s legs, Cheng Lisu blinked up at him. "Not unless you promise not to hand me over to the Song family."

"Didn’t you say you were sick of the garrison and wanted to go to Liangzhou City?"

"I don’t want to anymore!"

The young man’s voice was faintly mocking. "That’s Censor Yuan Baozhen."

"And you’re General Feng Yun, Xiao Huaijin!"

"What if Yuan Baozhen recognizes you? If he reports to the Song family that you deliberately avoided them, how would that look?"Cheng Lisu immediately replied, "How could he have seen me? I’ve never met him before. With my appearance, my parents would hide me away if they could. If he had truly seen me, he wouldn’t have recommended me to Lord Song. Anyone could tell at a glance that I’m completely mismatched with the Song family’s eldest daughter!"

"Is that so?" Xiao Jue’s gaze flickered slightly as he observed the indignant youth. "You must attend. Since he hasn’t seen you, there might still be a way."

Cheng Lisu’s eyes widened.

"Find someone to go in your stead."

Cheng Lisu was stunned for a moment before finally understanding. Instantly, his exaggerated wailing ceased, and he no longer clung to Xiao Jue’s leg in feigned distress. He stood up and clapped his hands. "Brilliant! Uncle, you’re absolutely right! Since he’s never seen me, we can just send anyone in my place!"

"Do you have someone in mind?"

Cheng Lisu looked at him. "I—"

"In the Liangzhou Garrison, there aren’t many youths around your age and build," Xiao Jue remarked. "If the difference is too obvious, he’ll notice."

Most of the soldiers in the Liangzhou Garrison were burly, rough men. Even the younger ones tended to be sturdy and sun-darkened. Cheng Lisu, a pampered young master from Shuojing, was fair-skinned and delicate—utterly unlike the new recruits in the barracks.

"If you can’t find anyone, you’ll just have to go yourself," Xiao Jue said nonchalantly.

"Who says I can’t find anyone!" Cheng Lisu panicked, then suddenly had an idea. "My sworn brother! He’s about the same as me!"

Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. "He Yan?"

"Exactly, my sworn brother! He’s around my age, similar in build, and clever too. He’ll definitely adapt on the spot and handle Yuan Baozhen perfectly. Even if Yuan Baozhen could take me away, he might not be able to take my brother!"

Cheng Lisu had immense faith in He Yan. In his eyes, aside from his uncle, He Yan was the most capable person he knew. If others couldn’t do it, He Yan surely could.

Seeing Xiao Jue remain silent, Cheng Lisu grew anxious, assuming it was because of last night’s fight between He Yan and Xiao Jue. He feared his uncle might still be holding a grudge and unwilling to involve He Yan. Just as he was racking his brain for ways to persuade Xiao Jue, his young uncle closed the book in his hand and said calmly, "Fine."

Cheng Lisu’s prepared arguments stuck in his throat, leaving him only able to utter a bewildered, "Huh?"

Xiao Jue looked at him. "If you can convince your sworn brother, let him go in your place."

...

In the afternoon, after training ended, He Yan sat resting outside the Martial Arts Field when Huang Xiong and the others approached. They didn’t mention much else at first, handing He Yan a silver ingot from the stash Shen Han had delivered the previous night. Then they asked about the jar of Eighteen Immortals.

"I remember you took it last," Huang Xiong said. "Today, I found a few empty jars. We could divide it among the brothers—what do you think?"

"Sounds good," He Yan replied. "But we might have to wait until the next flag competition’s prize comes in."

"What do you mean by that?" Wang Ba grew impatient before suddenly realizing something. He stared at He Yan. "You… you didn’t… drink it all, did you?"

Under the intense gazes of the group, He Yan nodded apologetically. "I’m really sorry. I accidentally drank it all.""He Yan!" Wang Ba shouted loudly. "You've gone too far! That was our shared prize, and you drank it all yourself. Even mountain bandits aren't this domineering!" He rolled up his sleeves, seemingly intending to hit He Yan, but halfway through, he remembered he was no match for the person before him. Unsure whether to act or not, he found himself in an awkward predicament.

Jiang Jiao and Shitou didn't seem to mind much. Neither of them were particularly fond of alcohol, so they remained silent. Huang Xiong, though not as agitated as Wang Ba, still shot He Yan a reproachful look.

Under normal circumstances, He Yan would have felt apologetic for her actions. But after days of consecutive bad news, she had grown somewhat numb. Too drained to deal with the others' feelings, she simply sat there without a word.

Seeing her silent and dejected, the group exchanged glances. They assumed that failing to enter the vanguard camp had indeed dealt her a heavy blow—drowning her sorrows in drink last night and still appearing so despondent today. Then again, the "sorrow-drowning" was quite extravagant. While others might settle for cheap rice wine costing a few coins, she had used liquor worth hundreds of taels of silver—and still hadn't drowned her sorrows. Just how much silver would it take to wash away such grief?

Just as they were at a loss, someone's voice broke the silence.

"Brother He... Brother He, so this is where you are!" Cheng Li Su ran over, panting and sweating, clearly having rushed all the way here.

This was the second time He Yan had seen him in a single day. But the sight of him reminded her of how she had offended Xiao Jue the previous night, making her head throb. Lifting her head weakly, she asked, "What brings you here?"

"I came to discuss something important with you," Cheng Li Su said, glancing at the others before pulling He Yan up. "This isn't the place to talk. Brother He, come with me."

As Xiao Jue's nephew, no one dared to object. Even though the matter of the Eighteen Immortals wine remained unsettled, they could only watch helplessly as Cheng Li Su dragged He Yan away, leaving them standing there dumbfounded.

He Yan was pulled along at a jog until they reached Cheng Li Su's quarters. At the doorstep, she hesitated, unwilling to enter—knowing Xiao Jue lived next door. If they ran into each other now, the awkwardness would be unbearable.

For once, Cheng Li Su proved perceptive. Noticing He Yan's reluctance, he reassured her, "Don't worry, my uncle's out. There's no one here!"

Only then did He Yan follow him inside.

Once inside, Cheng Li Su looked around cautiously before shutting the doors and windows tightly, as if they were about to plot murder or arson. He Yan was speechless at the sight.

"You didn't come to talk about your uncle again, did you?" He Yan preempted him. "Brother Cheng, I appreciate your concern, but I really don't want to hear anything about him right now." Please, spare her some dignity.

No sooner had she spoken than she felt a hand on her shoulder. Cheng Li Su spun her around, grabbed her hand, and clasped it tightly against his chest.

He Yan nearly punched him on reflex.

Suppressing the urge to strike, she felt increasingly uncomfortable. Though she was used to casual physical contact with men—usually just shoulder pats or back slaps—this interlocked fingers business was downright awkward.Yet the young boy before him had an utterly innocent expression, completely unaware that his actions could be misunderstood. In his eyes, there was truly nothing for two men to be concerned about in such a situation.

"Big brother, I beg you to save me!" Cheng Li Su pleaded pitifully.

"...What exactly happened to you?" He Yan asked.

"You must promise to help me first, or else big brother might never see me again in the future!"

"So serious?" He Yan questioned, though inwardly he remained unconvinced. Cheng Li Su had always been prone to exaggeration, capable of making trivial matters sound earth-shattering. Besides, if there really was a problem, his uncle Xiao Jue would naturally take care of it. "First tell me what it is, then I can think of a way to help you."

"Big Brother, do you remember when I told you I ran away from an arranged marriage? My family wanted to set me up, and I really didn’t want to, so I begged my uncle to bring me to Liang Province." Cheng Lisu spoke with a pitiful tone, "But now my family still won’t let me go. The colleague of the man they picked for me has come to Liang Province and sent an invitation to my uncle, asking both him and me to attend a banquet. Good heavens! I’m just a nobody with no rank or reputation—why would they specifically name me on the invitation? It’s clearly a trap to kidnap me once I show up!"

He made it sound like he was being abducted like some helpless maiden, just short of beating the drum at the yamen to cry injustice.

"That can’t be right," He Yan said. "If you don’t want to go, your uncle will surely protect you. How could they possibly drag you away right in front of him?"

Cheng Lisu couldn’t very well say that Xiao Jue might actually stand by and watch him get taken—he might even be glad to be rid of this burden. He coughed lightly and said, "Big Brother, you know my mother already has grievances against my uncle. If he steps in for me, he’ll only make himself look worse in her eyes. She’d hate him even more, and I don’t want to cause him trouble!"

He Yan was surprised by how protective Cheng Lisu was of his uncle. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—blood ties truly were unbreakable, no matter what.

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked. "Help you fight off that official? Assaulting an officer is against the law."

"Big Brother, where did that come from?" Cheng Lisu released her hand. "I’m not that kind of brute. The thing is, that official has never met me before and doesn’t know what I look like. Big Brother, we’re about the same age, both dashingly handsome, with similar builds—why don’t you go to the banquet in my place? If that official tries to have his men grab me, with your skills, you could easily escape. That way, if they fail to catch me, it’s their problem, not my uncle’s fault."

"Me, replace you?" He Yan shook her head. "No, no." She turned to leave, an inexplicable resistance rising in her heart. Another stand-in? In her past life, she had spent her whole existence as He Rufei’s substitute. Now that she could finally live under her own name, why was she being asked to impersonate someone again?

Was fate deliberately messing with her?

"Big Brother—" Cheng Lisu wailed dramatically, "You can’t just abandon me in my hour of need! Think about it—if you go to the banquet with my uncle, staying by his side day and night, and do a good job, he’ll definitely see how considerate and capable you are. His opinion of you will change! Besides, you’d be stepping up for his nephew—out of gratitude, he might even… might even let you join the Nine Banners Battalion!"

He Yan: "..."

Cheng Lisu would say anything to get out of this banquet. Xiao Jue wasn’t the type to trade favors. More likely, if she stuck too close to him, she’d only provoke his anger, and if she made one wrong move, she’d be kicked out for good.

Seeing her firm refusal, Cheng Lisu collapsed to the ground, pointing at the sky as he cursed and wailed, "Heavens, why do you treat me this way! Yuan Baozhen, what grudge did I have against you in my past life that you keep pushing me into the fire again and again?"He Yan was about to leave and had already reached the door when she suddenly paused at those words. She turned back to look: "You just said... Yuan Baozhen?"

"That's right," Cheng Li Su replied instinctively, looking at her. "The official who ruined my betrothal is none other than the current Imperial Censor Yuan Baozhen."

He Yan's brow twitched. After a moment, she strode quickly toward Cheng Li Su and extended a hand to the young man slumped on the ground.

"Stop wailing. It's just a banquet, isn't it? I'll help you."

Uncle really knows how to scheme, hahaha.

(End of chapter)