Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

The crown prince's status was noble, so naturally he couldn't stay in the simple military camp.

The former city governor Li Zhangyi's residence had temporarily become Sima Yang's palace. Most affairs in the residence had already been arranged, and the newly appointed city governor received Sima Yang with trepidation. By the time Li Shuang and the others arrived at the city governor's residence, Sima Yang was already seated in the main hall, listening to the new city governor report on various matters that had occurred during this period.

The city governor emphasized the valor of the Changfeng Battalion soldiers and the city defenders, but only briefly mentioned the mysterious black-armored figure who had played a crucial role.

Unexpectedly, Sima Yang ignored everyone else and immediately inquired about the mysterious black-armored figure.

Li Shuang had returned to the military camp to retrieve some items as a precaution, which delayed her for a while. By the time she arrived at the city governor's residence, the new city governor was stammering, unsure how to report the absurd events of this period to the crown prince. When Li Shuang arrived, the city governor conveniently shifted the burden onto her shoulders: "Your Highness, General Li is much more familiar with the battlefield affairs than I am. She can relay the details on my behalf."

Sima Yang sipped his tea expressionlessly. "You are the city governor of Lucheng, albeit temporarily appointed during the war, yet you should still have your own sense of responsibility. If you can't even clearly describe such major events that occurred in Lucheng, what use are you?"

The city governor immediately trembled in fear, dropping to his knees and kowtowing for mercy.

Li Shuang watched silently and did not intervene. Only when Sima Yang grew annoyed by the noise and dismissed him did the hall finally quiet down.

The city governor's hall was not spacious. At this moment, only a few of Li Shuang's deputy generals accompanied her, with personal guards stationed outside. The setting was much smaller than when they had received the crown prince outside the city.

Sima Yang set down his teacup and casually gestured for Li Shuang to take a seat before speaking. "The day I departed the capital was the same day the Western Rong army pressed against our borders. I rushed here in haste, arriving in less than half a month, yet the Western Rong army had already retreated, leaving me with nothing to do." His tone softened considerably when speaking to Li Shuang, and he gazed at her with a faint smile. "All the worry I carried for you along the way was for nothing."

His words carried an ambiguous undertone. Qin Lan, standing behind Li Shuang, subtly clenched his hand at his side but remained silent, keeping his head lowered.

Li Shuang promptly rose and bowed with a fist salute. "Thank you for Your Highness's concern. By heaven's grace, we remain unharmed."

Her rigid formality caused Sima Yang to pause momentarily. He silently motioned for her to rise, then proceeded to ask routine questions about Lucheng's defenses and the mysterious black-armored figure.

However, after much discussion, aside from the black-armored figure's outstanding performance on the battlefield, there was no clue about his origins or whereabouts. Sima Yang had no choice but to instruct Li Shuang to investigate thoroughly. Such a person was someone everyone wanted to control. If he could remain in the Changfeng Battalion and serve the Great Jin in the future, it would undoubtedly make the border-defending Changfeng Battalion even more formidable.

Once official matters were concluded, the city governor's residence began preparing a welcoming banquet for the crown prince.

Li Shuang found an excuse to leave early. On the way back to camp, Qin Lan quietly asked her, "Will the general attend tonight's welcoming banquet?"

Li Shuang glanced at him, thinking that Qin Lan, ever observant, must have noticed her reluctance to spend excessive time with Sima Yang. She sighed. "The crown prince has come to Lucheng in person. Of course, I must attend the banquet to properly receive him. Otherwise, troublemakers might spread rumors of discord between the monarch and his subjects."The welcoming banquet was something she had to attend—not to see the Crown Prince, but to stabilize the frontier situation. Though Lucheng was far from the imperial court, the court's power struggles could still extend here.

The former city prefect, Li Zhangyi, had been the Prime Minister's man. Though Li Zhangyi was dead, the Prime Minister's influence in Lucheng had not been completely eradicated.

And the Prime Minister was the Third Prince's maternal uncle, having always supported the Third Prince in court.

Li Shuang's father, on the other hand, had intricate ties to the Empress's family. Having watched Sima Yang grow up since childhood, he naturally shielded Sima Yang at every turn. Now that the Emperor was aging, the struggle for the throne in court was growing increasingly intense.

If Sima Yang performed well in the frontier, he would gain merit; if not, the Prime Minister's faction would surely seize the opportunity to impeach him thoroughly. Even if Li Shuang cared nothing for Sima Yang, she had to consider the General's Manor. Rise together, fall together—though she had little involvement in court politics in the capital, this principle was clear in her mind.

She had to protect the Crown Prince well in Lucheng, ensure his safe return, and preferably help him earn military merits. Only then could the General's Manor reap the greatest benefits.

"Prepare my formal attire. All generals should dress solemnly as well. We must attend tonight's welcoming banquet properly."

Qin Lan bowed in acknowledgment.

Back in camp, Li Shuang felt a stabbing pain in her lower abdomen. She drank plenty of hot water, but it did little to ease the discomfort. In the afternoon, she declined most duties, claiming she was tired and needed rest, forbidding anyone from disturbing her.

Curled up in bed, enduring the pain, she suddenly heard arguing outside.

Her guards were scolding, "The General said no disturbances, you brat! How dare you act so recklessly!"

"Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you're a kid!"

Squinting, Li Shuang saw the tent flap flung open as little Jin An barged in, trailed by two guards. Seeing her lying in bed, they immediately softened their voices: "You little rascal, get out here!"

"Shh! Don’t wake the General!"

Li Shuang responded hoarsely from under the covers, "It’s fine. Let him come in."

Assuming she had been woken, the guards didn’t press further and withdrew after acknowledging her order. Jin An scurried to her bedside on his short legs, tugging the blanket down slightly to reveal her pale, sweat-beaded face. His heart clenched, and he asked in a hushed, careful voice, "Are you sick?"

"Just some stomach pain. It’s nothing."

But Jin An was deeply worried. "You smell like blood. Are you hurt? Where?"

His question, coming from one so young, made him look as if he might cry from distress. Li Shuang found it amusing, though she also noted how keen his senses were to detect the scent of blood on her. But the blood today... wasn’t something easily explained.

"It’s nothing."

"Don’t lie to me." Jin An’s expression darkened, stern yet lacking authority due to his childish features. "The smell of blood is strong. I could smell it from far away."Li Shuang had a headache. How was she supposed to explain this to a little boy? After a moment's thought, she said, "Yes, I'm a little sick. Don't tell anyone. Ask Ji Ran to take you to the market and find a medicinal herb shop run by a family named Lu. There's a Miss Lu there. Find her and tell her—only her, quietly—describe my symptoms, then bring her to see me."

Li Shuang knew she had to attend the welcoming banquet tonight. If Sima Yang noticed how much pain she was in, there would inevitably be a barrage of questions. She wanted to avoid too much interaction with Sima Yang if possible. She could only hope to take some medicine and endure through the night.

"Alright," Jin An responded, rolling up his sleeves to carefully wipe the sweat from Li Shuang's forehead.

For a moment, Li Shuang stared at him, momentarily dazed.

"I'll be right back," he said before darting out.

Li Shuang patted her forehead, thinking she must be so delirious from pain that she’d imagined it—just now, looking at the small figure of Jin An, she had suddenly felt his gaze resembled that of the man who had kissed her the night before.

Jin An found Ji Ran. As soon as Ji Ran heard it was the general’s order, he sprang into action, taking Jin An to the Lu family’s medicinal shop. Lu Xin happened to be grinding herbs when they arrived. Before she could even blush at Ji Ran’s presence, a child rushed over, tugged her sleeve, and pulled her down to his level.

The child leaned close and described Li Shuang’s symptoms. Lu Xin froze for a second before realization dawned. "Ah," she coughed, her face reddening slightly. "Wait here, I’ll get something."

Lu Xin worked swiftly, wasting no time. On the way back to the military camp, Ji Ran walked quickly, but Jin An moved even faster. Lu Xin struggled to keep up, especially when Ji Ran asked, "What does the general want you for?"

Lu Xin rolled her eyes. "Oh... the general said she’s feeling a bit fatigued and asked me to massage her pressure points."

It was a plausible excuse, so Ji Ran didn’t press further.

By the time they reached the camp, they were all drenched in sweat despite the winter chill.

Ji Ran waited outside the tent while only Lu Xin and Jin An entered. Seeing Li Shuang lying on the bed, her face covered in cold sweat, Lu Xin immediately frowned. "How did it get this bad?"

Jin An’s heart ached. "How bad is it?"

Lu Xin moved to pull back Li Shuang’s blanket but hesitated when she noticed Jin An still standing there. "I need to remove the general’s clothes to apply the needles."

Jin An stared at her, unmoving, his expression clearly saying, "Then hurry up and do it."

"You’re still young, but you’ll have to step outside," Lu Xin insisted, shooing him away. Though reluctant, Jin An allowed himself to be pushed out. He could be stubborn about other things, but when it came to Li Shuang, he feared any misstep might delay her treatment.

Instead of waiting by the entrance, Jin An circled to the other side of the tent, closer to where Li Shuang’s bed was. Pressing his ear against the fabric, his sharp hearing caught Li Shuang’s faint, pained moans. Each sound felt like a knife tearing through his chest.

Before, when he was far from Li Shuang, it felt like hooks were digging into his heart, ripping it apart until he rushed back to her side. But now, even though he was right beside her, the pain was just as intense—yet this time, he couldn’t bear to leave her for even a step.

Even if they flayed him with knives, he wouldn’t take a single step away.She was inside, she was in pain, and he wished he could bear it for her.

But there was nothing he could do.

The pain lasted for a long time until Li Shuang's breathing inside gradually steadied. Only then did Jin An, still shaken, step in. The guards outside the tent assumed Miss Lu was inside giving the general a massage, and since the young general seemed particularly protective of him, they merely glanced at Jin An and left him alone.

When Jin An entered, Li Shuang had already sat up on the bed. Lu Xin handed her a medicinal tablet and told her to hold it in her mouth.

Li Shuang looked at Jin An and beckoned with a smile. "Come here." She reached out and ruffled the still-dazed Jin An's hair. "Thank you."

Jin An, still unsettled, stared at her. "Are you better now?"

"I am. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Jin An lowered his head and grasped her hand. "Don't hurt anymore in the future, either."

A warmth spread through Li Shuang's heart as she smiled softly. "Alright."