Upon hearing this, a faint glimmer flickered in Huo Bu Yi's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged as he abruptly dropped the tent flap and decisively turned to leave. The violently swaying curtain nearly hit Cheng Shao Gong on its way down.
Shao Shang looked at her brother who had just entered: "...Is he angry?"
Shaogong suppressed a laugh and shook his head, then asked, "Aren't you going after him?"
Shao Shang scratched her cheek and looked up: "Later." The sweet potatoes were about to be perfectly roasted, and she at least wanted to retrieve them from the fire pit and dust them off.
Just as she was preparing to resume her pitiful act for the simpleton, the tent flap suddenly flew open again. Huo Bu Yi strode in like a gust of wind, wordlessly grabbing her hand and pulling her outside. Cheng Shao Gong sat down with an amused smile, ignoring the slack-jawed simpleton beside him. As he massaged his sore thighs, he pondered how to compose his next family letter.
Dragged along unsteadily, Shao Shang nearly bumped her forehead against Huo Bu Yi's arm several times. The scattered household troops and guards outside jumped out of their way as if fleeing from some demon. Fu Deng attempted to assist his Young Lady, but before he could approach, Liang Qiu Fei grabbed his arm and hauled him away.
Further off, Huo Bu Yi's men had already taken charge of all affairs in the camp. Several physicians tended to wounded soldiers under makeshift canopies, while a group of portly cooks either chased after lively chickens and ducks or set up roasting racks and buried cooking pots. Others, with covered mouths and noses, handled corpses...
Shao Shang struggled fiercely to free her hand, but the man's grip was like cast steel—unyielding.
"I'm not going any further! If you want to kill or torture me, just say so!" Shao Shang exclaimed in exasperation as she was dragged along.
At these words, Huo Bu Yi abruptly turned around. Shao Shang, prepared, braced her other hand against his chest and declared haughtily, "If you have something to say, say it quickly! I'm busy!"
"Busy with what? Busy crying about being an unlucky jinx?" Huo Bu Yi's expression was icy.
Shao Shang coughed awkwardly: "...Ahem, actually, I-I was interrogating a suspect! I was trying to find out Luo Jitong's whereabouts...!"
Huo Bu Yi snorted coldly: "Since when does interrogating suspects require weeping and wailing?"
"It's not weeping and wailing—it's a strategy! A strategy!"
"What strategy? Begging them to take pity on you because you look so pathetically stupid and confess out of charity?" Though no longer angry, the corner of Huo Bu Yi's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
Shao Shang, now furious beyond measure, shoved Huo Bu Yi away and shouted, "Who's pathetically stupid?! You're the pathetically stupid one! You were born pathetically stupid and you'll die pathetically stupid! What do you know?! If that simpleton believes Luo Jitong and I had a misunderstanding, that I genuinely wanted to apologize, heal the rift, and mend our friendship, he'll tell me where she is—do you understand or not?! No whips, branding irons, or torture racks needed! No gouging eyes, cutting ears, or digging out kneecaps! Clean and simple—just coax the information out! If I don't act pitiful, how else will he believe me?! This is the most profound tactic in military strategy: 'subduing the enemy without fighting'! The most subtle Daoist technique: 'defeating the opponent without a move'... You know nothing, so how dare you mock me?! You-you... Stop laughing... Stop laughing!"Huo Bu Yi was already laughing so hard that he collapsed onto her shoulder, his arms encircling the girl as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, muffled laughter shaking his frame. The sweet, warm, familiar scent of her overpowered the bloodstains on their clothes, gently wafting into his nose. He recalled that summer years ago when the girl had planted an unknown variety of sweet melon in Empress Xuan’s courtyard. When the melons ripened and were shared, the courtyard had been filled with laughter and the sweet fragrance permeated every corner.
He laughed heartily while Shao Shang was so indignant she nearly toppled over backward. After pushing and shoving him to no avail, she felt her ears grow hot and her neck weak from the warm breath of his laughter when she vaguely heard him murmur, ‘If only you weren’t so amusing…’
Before she could fully grasp his words, Huo Bu Yi lifted his head and shook the brocade box he had been holding all along, smiling as he asked, “Are you hungry?”
Shao Shang pouted, “No!”
Huo Bu Yi opened the box halfway. “…Really? Then I’ll give it to Shaogong. He’s been complaining about being hungry just now.”
The rich, milky sweetness already reached Shao Shang’s nose, making her stomach growl even more fiercely.
Huo Bu Yi gave her a sidelong glance. “Really not eating?”
“No!” She’d rather starve than eat!
With anger and hunger raging inside her, Shao Shang turned to leave in a huff. Huo Bu Yi burst into laughter and pulled her back, dragging her along like a pouting flatfish as he strode toward the newly erected tent—hm, this flatfish was rather endearing.
Not far away, Liang Qiuqi hid behind a tent pole, stealing glances in their direction. Liang Qiu Fei, having handed Fu Deng over to the physicians, returned and asked what was happening. Liang Qiuqi sighed. “All these years, the Young Master has never laughed like this.”
Liang Qiu Fei watched as the two entered the tent, his expression somber.
Huo Bu Yi’s tent was standard for a marching commander—spacious enough for comfortable living and capable of accommodating at least a dozen deputies for discussions. The tent was already lit, the soft orange glow of lanterns suffusing the interior. The girl sat at the massive desk originally meant for spreading out topographical maps, munching on pastries with gusto while Huo Bu Yi poured her water and patted her back, occasionally urging her to slow down lest she choke.
Even if one searched the entire world, the number of people Huo Bu Yi personally served food and drink to could be counted on one hand—Royal Uncle was one, Cui Hou another, and the third was the young Lady Cheng.
“…That day, why didn’t you come to me?” Huo Bu Yi suddenly spoke up as he watched her.
Shao Shang paused. “Which day?”
“The day after Yuan Shen left the Court of Justice and came to the Palace of Eternal Peace to see you.”
Shao Shang set down her pastry and didn’t answer.
“Later, I asked the palace maids. Yuan Shen spoke to you before leaving the Palace of Eternal Peace—didn’t he tell you?” Huo Bu Yi was referring to how he had intercepted and killed Gongsun Xian under the guise of Yuan Shen’s father.
Shao Shang wiped the crumbs from her lips with the back of her hand and remained silent for a long while. Huo Bu Yi didn’t press her, waiting quietly.
“…A Shen told me everything,” Shao Shang said softly. “You killed Gongsun Xian and his men for me, taking Prefect Yuan’s name. That day, I wanted to go to you immediately, but I held back. I hid behind a pillar and secretly watched you, but I didn’t go over.”
“Why?”
“I hoped that if I were to marry you in the future, it would only be because I wanted to—not because I coveted power, feared intimidation, or felt indebted to your affection. Just because I love you.”
The girl’s tone was calm, but Huo Bu Yi felt his heart surge as if he had traversed endless ice and snow, endured countless hardships, and finally arrived at a warm, sweet oasis. His voice trembled as he asked, “Then… do you still resent me now?”Shao Shang's heart churned with countless thoughts, but in the end, they condensed into a single sentence: "How would I dare to anger you? I'm more afraid you'd be the one angry with me."
Huo Bu Yi extended his long arm and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Showered with his masculine scent mingled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs, Shao Shang instinctively wrapped her arms around him in return. Through teary laughter, she said, "And you dare say that! Who was it that brought Luo Jitong into this? If not for my heaven-sent talents, I'd have been reduced to bones by now! At least your men followed me closely and arrived just in time, so I'll let it slide this time!"
Huo Bu Yi grasped her small fist and remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Actually... this time, I wasn't following you."
"What?!" Shao Shang pushed him away abruptly.
Huo Bu Yi rubbed her head helplessly. "I asked you to come with me, but you refused. I wanted to send you a team of guards, but you declined. Not only that, you forbade me from having anyone follow you, threatening to ignore me forever if I did... So I could only have people follow Luo Jitong instead. When I heard in Yanzhou that Luo Jitong had disappeared from her family's estate, I immediately sensed trouble and hurriedly traced her path here."
Shao Shang felt somewhat displeased: "...Since we're on the subject, let's have this out. You let Luo Jitong off so easily back then, nearly costing me my life today. Tell me, do you still have lingering feelings for her?" The thought of their five years in the northwest made her chest tighten with irritation.
Huo Bu Yi gave a bitter laugh. "This was my miscalculation. Luo Jitong once saved A Fei's life, and I used her as a shield for several years, so letting her go once was meant to settle the debt. I thought Luo Bin was reasonable—that upon learning of his daughter's malicious nature, he would know how to handle it..." He paused. "A family head who hesitates to act decisively... it seems the Luo family truly is beyond saving."
"Don't change the subject!" Shao Shang said indignantly. "You may have settled things with her, but I nearly died because of it!"
Huo Bu Yi gazed at her steadily for a moment before smiling. "With your 'oil-fire bombs,' ordinary forces would have a hard time threatening you. After examining the aftermath just now, I suspect you still had something up your sleeve that you didn't reveal."
"How did you know?" Shao Shang exclaimed in shock. "I didn't even explain the details to Father and Mother."
Huo Bu Yi pulled her onto his lap and said gently, "Three years ago, you searched everywhere for a peculiar kind of tinder but couldn't find it. Eventually, you managed to purchase some from a merchant traveling from the Western Regions."
Shao Shang looked at him with astonishment and doubt. "That... that was you who found it?" That tinder was used for fuses.
"Obviously." Huo Bu Yi leaned in, brushing his nose against the girl's delicate one. "Though that material could ignite flames, it didn't produce sparks easily and couldn't light firewood. What ordinary household would want it? And who else would merchants sell such things to? As for that black saltpeter that could be ground into powder—I've seen common folk occasionally gather it for heating, but the quality was poor. I had men dig all the way to the former lands of Zhao before finding suitable deposits."
Covering her nose, Shao Shang felt a bittersweet ache in her heart and mumbled, "So you've been watching me all along."
"...I didn't know when I could return. I thought it would be best if you married someone else and lived well. I planned to protect you in secret for the rest of your life." Huo Bu Yi's voice grew quieter.
Remembering the despair and loneliness he must have felt then, Shao Shang's heart ached faintly. Fighting back tears, she teased, "That was a fine plan. Why didn't you stick to it?"
"The moment I saw you, I changed my mind."Shao Shang laughed until tears fell, but when she spoke again, her voice was choked with sobs: "After all these years, I finally understand your heart. You love me simply because I am me. Even if someone were more beautiful, more intelligent, or more troublesome than I am, you wouldn’t spare them a glance. I hope to return this love to you in the same way."
"In the future, no one with more power than you will do, nor anyone who treats me better than you. Across the land, within the four seas, in the two capitals and thirteen provinces, there is only you—just you. No matter how the winds shift or the tides turn, I marry you only because my heart belongs to you."
Huo Bu Yi was moved beyond words and could only hold her tighter, murmuring incoherently: "...My aunt, she... she wasn’t truly mad at first—she was pretending. Ling Yi was cunning and had some merit, but as long as she remained ‘mad,’ Your Majesty would forever despise the Ling clan. She abandoned her son, whom she loved as her own life, and the thought of it pierced her heart like a knife. Over time, she did lose her mind. When no one was around, she would curse and remind me over and over, never letting me forget to seek vengeance!"
It was a twisted hatred, burning like fire. In the end, Huo Junhua no longer knew whom she hated more—her beastly ex-husband or her own blind foolishness. Regardless, all of it fell upon the young Huo Bu Yi’s shoulders.
"I know, I know," Shao Shang caressed his face. "I understand."
Men are not grass or trees; they cannot remain forever rational and flawless. Even the wisest rulers may grow muddled in old age, and the most cunning ministers may misstep in a moment of folly.
Day after day of regret and terror, year after year of searing hatred—the annihilation of the Ling clan became an obsession for the aunt and nephew. Huo Junhua’s death was the final call to action, urging Huo Bu Yi to take the risk and stake everything.
...
When Cheng Shaogong slipped into the tent, he saw his younger sister sleeping soundly on the couch, her cheeks flushed and her forehead glistening with sweat. Huo Bu Yi’s black-feathered golden-threaded cloak was draped half over her, while he sat beside her, gently fanning her, his gaze fixed on her with deep contentment.
Shaogong recalled another afternoon when Huo Bu Yi had visited unexpectedly while his sister was napping. Their parents happened to be away, leaving the flustered A Zhu to fetch him to handle the situation. When he arrived, he had witnessed the same scene—Huo Bu Yi sitting quietly by the couch, fanning the girl under the uneasy stares of the maidservants.
Shaogong’s heart softened, and he whispered, "Niao Niao hasn’t slept a wink all day and night. She’s always been like this—the more worried she is, the harder it is for her to sleep."
Huo Bu Yi gave a low hum in response, his gaze tender and unwavering as he looked at the girl.
That night, to avoid spending the night alone with her, Shaogong suggested sleeping on the floor inside the tent. But Huo Bu Yi, with gentle yet firm politeness, ‘escorted’ him out. Left with no choice, Shaogong went off to write a letter home instead."Dearest Mother: My younger sister and I are both doing well. We have not caused any trouble, nor have we indulged in improper food or drink. We've been keeping strictly to the official roads, though there have been minor incidents these past two days. We encountered a band of outlaws—we slew over a hundred, wounded another hundred, and took a hundred more captive. Such trivial matters are hardly worth your concern, Mother. I shall provide the details upon my return. There is one more thing: today Marquis Huo caught up with our party. Henceforth, it would be best if you direct all inquiries regarding my younger sister's affairs to Marquis Huo, for even if I were to exert myself to the utmost, I fear I would be powerless to manage her—Your humble son, with deepest respect."
Author's Note:
Also with deepest respect.
In the era before paper was widely used, letters were kept very short, ideally fitting onto a single Bamboo Scroll. More words meant needing additional scrolls.
During this journey, I unexpectedly came across an extremely old Russian film, The Secret History of the Court: I Am the Tsar , which I believe CCTV6 once aired. Watching the gradual downfall of Menshikov—the powerful minister across three reigns since Peter the Great—was truly poignant. The actor who played the young tsar was so strikingly handsome it defied all reason. I wonder what he looks like now—most likely not as dashing anymore.
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