The October wind swept withered grass onto the felt mat.
Chu Zhao held a sliced pear in one hand while shaking off the dried grass with the other, then turned to look at Xie Yanlai sitting nearby.
Xie Yanlai remained in his rocking chair, holding a bowl of sliced pears and eating leisurely.
Chu Zhao stared at him from head to toe.
"What are you looking at?" The young man raised his sharp eyebrows impatiently. "Haven't you seen a beauty before?"
Chu Zhao laughed, reaching out to pinch his shoulders and arms. "How is the beauty's health? How many injuries did you sustain? You look so haggard your radiance has dimmed."
After pinching his arms, her hand moved toward his chest.
Xie Yanlai raised his arm to block her. "Your Majesty, maintain your dignity!"
Chu Zhao frowned. "This is called profound imperial favor. Kneel and give thanks."
Xie Yanlai rolled his eyes at her, picking up a pear slice and crunching loudly.
Chu Zhao noticed a grayish-white film on his teeth - she knew what this meant from taking too much medicine.
Upon learning that Xie Yanlai had captured the King of Xiliang, she had immediately written two letters: one to Zhong Changrong and one personally to Xie Yanlai, half of each devoted to asking about his injuries.
Zhong Changrong's reply said the injuries weren't fatal.
Xie Yanlai's reply contained just two words: "How boring."
Both refused to describe his injuries to her, which Chu Zhao could understand - what was the point of describing injuries when things had already come to this?
"How could you be so reckless?" she said. "Ambushing the King of Xiliang was so dangerous. What if you had died?"
"If I died, then I died. What could be done about it?" Xie Yanlai raised his eyebrows. "Would I, Xie Yanlai, fear death?"
Chu Zhao took a pear slice from the bowl in his lap, grinning. "Yes, if you died, then you died. My father also died fighting the King of Xiliang, and it was glorious too."
Xie Yanlai deflated like a punctured leather bag.
This woman was so annoying.
He glanced at her - she looked much more haggard than when he last saw her in the Imperial City, her complexion noticeably worse.
Marching with the army must be hard.
But sitting in the Imperial City wasn't easy either, with things having deteriorated so badly with Deng Yi, who had now joined Xiao Xun.
Other Empresses lived in luxury and comfort, but had she ever had a single peaceful day as Empress? Had she ever slept soundly?
"Your luck really isn't very good," he muttered.
Chu Zhao turned and spat toward the ground. "Stop cursing me. My luck is excellent." She then smiled. "Look - as soon as I came to lead the campaign personally, General Xie descended from heaven, allowing me to cross the river smoothly. From now on, I'll be unstoppable, breaking through enemy lines like splitting bamboo. I'll behead Xiao Xun and Deng Yi in the blink of an eye."
This wasn't funny at all, but Xie Yanlai found himself wanting to laugh for some reason.
"Then your luck is still bad," he said, suppressing laughter. "I haven't fully recovered yet. This time I'm only following orders to deliver troops, not to lead them or fight. You'll have to rely on yourself."
"Minister Xie, this time I'm leading the campaign personally," Chu Zhao said, patting his shoulder. "Just watch how I kill enemies and storm cities, how majestic I am. All you need to do is cheer from behind: 'Long live Her Majesty! How mighty Her Majesty is!'"
Xie Yanlai laughed heartily, then looked down to see Chu Zhao's hand slipping from his shoulder to take the last pear slice.
"I peeled that! It's my last one!" he said angrily.
Chu Zhao quickly stuffed the pear slice into her mouth, smiling at him with puffed cheeks as she chewed—
Xie Yanlai snorted, watching the girl's bulging cheeks, suddenly reminded of the little rabbit they had caught together in Yunzhong County years ago."Just eat," he said. "You're getting as plump as that rabbit - Xiao Shan's been drooling over the thought of stewing it."
The rabbit. Chu Zhao remembered fighting with Xie Yanlai over the snow hare. That night, she had learned about her father's past and met her mother. Afterwards, she had completely forgotten about the snow hare—
"You're still raising my rabbit," she said.
"Obviously," Xie Yanlai raised an eyebrow. "That's my rabbit now."
Chu Zhao smiled faintly. "This palace bestowed it upon you."
Xie Yanlai snorted dismissively.
As the two sat talking, the other officers had caught up. Without being summoned, they stood waiting nearby, ready to consult with Brigadier General Xie Yanlai - the man who had personally captured the King of Xiliang in Yunzhong Commandery - about the current military situation and future plans.
Though stationed in the provinces, they closely followed the Border Army's campaigns, especially momentous events like the capture of the King of Xiliang. Xie Yanlai's name had spread far and wide.
They knew he came from the Xie family, but capturing the King of Xiliang through such a daring raid wasn't achieved by lineage alone. It required real combat skills, tactics, courage, wisdom, luck - this was the man's own capability.
They knew this scion was young, but seeing him now, he appeared even younger than imagined.
Truly, the younger generation inspires awe.
They waited excitedly, their gazes fixed on the young man as he chatted animatedly and happily with the Empress.
They must be discussing military affairs, they thought.
They waited and waited, until finally they saw the Empress turn and call her maid. A Le approached to listen, then walked over smiling—
"Miss A Le," the officers hurriedly asked, "what are Her Majesty and General Xie discussing?"
They wanted to know so they could respond appropriately when called.
What were they discussing? A Le chuckled. "They're talking about rabbits."
The officers froze. Rabbits? Was this some military code? A tactical term?
"Then what are Her Majesty's instructions?" another officer asked, collecting himself.
Surely she was summoning them to join the discussion.
A Le chuckled again. "Her Majesty instructed that meals be prepared and brought over."
......
......
After the simple meal, Chu Zhao brought Xie Yanlai back to the newly recaptured city, still without summoning the officers.
Instead, she ordered the best room to be prepared with incense, hot water, and a warm bed—
Xie Yanlai was carried in while still sitting in his rocking chair.
"This incense won't do," he immediately complained. "It contains jasmine. I don't like jasmine."
Chu Zhao hurried the original household's maid to replace it.
After changing the incense, Chu Zhao handed him a plate of grapes.
"I've had them gather fresh flowers for your bathwater," she said. "To help General Xie relax and become fragrant."
Xie Yanlai took the plate while sitting in the rocking chair, tossed a grape into his mouth, and frowned. "Not tasty."
Chu Zhao nodded. "No wonder I saw them growing untouched on the vine when I came in."
Xie Yanlai spat it out. "You're just teasing me on purpose."
Chu Zhao giggled and handed him a plate of sliced honeydew melon. "This was found hidden in the kitchen - their treasured stash. It must be delicious."
Xie Yanlai took it, tasted a piece, and nodded. "Passable, but not as good as what we had in the King of Xiliang's tent."Chu Zhao continued speaking without pause, checking the prepared bathtub and pressing her hand against the bedding while casually asking what the King of Xiliang looked like and what they had said after capturing him. Before she could exchange more than a few words, silence fell behind her. She turned to see Xie Yanlai in the rocking chair with his eyes closed.
Looking at the pale-faced young man sleeping soundly, Chu Zhao gently shook her head.
Asleep again.
But she knew why.
Although he claimed he had only come to deliver troops, he had rushed at top speed and launched a surprise attack on Xiao Xun’s rear flank. His wounds were far from healed—how could he endure such a frantic march?
Since their reunion, he had remained in the rocking chair, barely able to stand up—
It was always like this.
Every time they met, he would race to her side, utterly exhausted.
And he did it all to set her mind at ease.
"Miss, should we help him to bed?" A Le whispered from the doorway.
Chu Zhao replied, "Let him sleep for now." She took a thin quilt from the bed and draped it over him, gazing at the young man’s serene face as she murmured, "Rest well. This time you’re here to focus on recovering—leave everything else be."
…
…
When news of the Border Army reinforcements joining the Empress and her successful crossing of the Yellow River to reclaim two cities reached the Border Commandery, Zhong Changrong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Commander Zhong, I told you there was no need to worry," Xiao Shan said lazily, crouching by the door to bask in the sun with his hands tucked in his sleeves. "With our young master here, we’re unstoppable. Just wait—the victory bulletin announcing Xiao Xun’s death is probably already on its way."
He shook his head and sighed.
"Ah, what a pity our young master didn’t take me along. I’d have loved to witness it myself."
Zhong Changrong glared at him. "Get lost! The negotiations are over. Keep a close watch and make sure the King of Xiliang is sent back to his homeland."
"What’s there to watch? He’s just our young master’s defeated opponent," Xiao Shan retorted, then nimbly scrambled away before Zhong Changrong could land a kick.
Zhong Changrong cursed under his breath about the little rascal and how everyone was being influenced by Xie Yanlai’s ways. He then hesitated, looking down at the dispatch in his hand.
"Someone!" he called.
A personal guard stationed outside immediately stepped forward.
Zhong Changrong handed him the dispatch along with half of a command tally, instructing in a low voice, "Deliver this to Mu Mianhong."
The guard acknowledged the order and departed. Zhong Changrong straightened his robes and summoned his attendants. "Let’s inspect our newly reclaimed territory and see the King of Xiliang off one last time."
The attendants chorused their assent and escorted Zhong Changrong out of the government office. Outside, a soldier stood waiting. Spotting Zhong Changrong, he hurried forward to salute.
"General Zhong—"
Zhong Changrong seemed not to notice, striding past him to mount his horse and gallop away with his troops.
Liang Qiang, who had only managed to drop to one knee, slowly rose to his feet.
"Captain Liang," a guard at the door advised, "you should go back. The General won’t agree, and reinforcements have already reached the Empress."
Liang Qiang had been coming daily to plead for an audience with Zhong Changrong, and nearly everyone knew he was begging for permission to hunt down and kill Deng Yi.
Liang Qiang glanced at the guard, bowed in thanks, but shook his head. "I won’t give up."
With that, he turned and walked away, mounting his horse to chase after Zhong Changrong’s departing figure.
Gradually, soldiers began to follow him from behind.
OpenNovel