After smiling at Jiang Xueting's frosty expression, he turned to look at Yu Changxuan. Pointing at the arm holding the gun with a paternal air, he chuckled and scolded, "I say, Commander-in-Chief, knowing you come from a family of generals—do you really have to wave that gun around every single day to live up to the Yu family name? Vice President Jiang has finally come for a visit, and this is how you entertain your guest? Put it away at once!"
Yu Changxuan smiled. "Uncle Gu, your timing is perfect." He holstered his pistol. Gu Yigang turned to the adjutant Wu Zuoxiao and snapped, "You fool! Can't you see how exhausted Vice President Jiang has been these past few days? Escort him to rest immediately—stop standing there like an idiot!"
Wu Zuoxiao promptly stood at attention. "Yes, sir!" He approached Jiang Xueting and said, "Vice President Jiang, please follow me."
Jiang Xueting knew this was the final chance for compromise. He glanced at Pingjun, but she averted her gaze. His lips trembled slightly. Adjutant Xue Zhiq whispered, "Vice President." Jiang Xueting finally turned and followed Wu Zuoxiao away with his entourage. Gu Yigang looked back, his gaze lingering on Ye Pingjun's face for a moment before shifting to Yu Changxuan. After a pause, he smiled faintly. "Commander-in-Chief, I have a few words for you."
Yu Changxuan nodded and said to Ye Pingjun, "Go inside first."
Pingjun lifted her eyes to meet his. Yu Changxuan smiled reassuringly. "Go on, everything's fine now!" Only then did she murmur "Mm" in acknowledgment. Yu Changxuan led his men straight to the study in the front courtyard, with Gu Yigang following behind. Before leaving, Gu Yigang glanced back at Ye Pingjun and said cheerfully, "Miss Ye, you must have been frightened."
Pingjun couldn't bear his fox-like smile and lowered her head. "It's nothing."
Gu Yigang chuckled with paternal warmth. "Hurry inside now. The chill out here is harsh—if you catch cold, I'm afraid our Fifth Master would be heartbroken. If he becomes extremely distressed, the Chairman in Golden Mausoleum will send telegrams to scold us again! This father and son pair—when they both dig in their heels, it gives everyone headaches. We must find a perfect solution."
Pingjun froze for a moment. When she looked up, Gu Yigang was still wearing a slight smile. He nodded to her and turned to leave the inner courtyard.
Yu Changxuan waited in the study. Soon enough, Gu Yigang ambled in. Yu Changxuan stood up and said with a smile, "I acted impulsively today, Uncle Gu. Whatever admonishments you have, I'll listen."
Gu Yigang also smiled and said slowly, "I have no admonishments. I merely came to ask the Commander-in-Chief: How did it feel today to be chased all the way into the inner courtyard and cornered with questions? Leaving aside everything else, in all your grown years, have you ever experienced such a taste?"
Yu Changxuan leaned against the desk, took out a cigarette case, snapped it open, and placed a cigarette between his lips. He casually retrieved a box of Foreign Fire from under the desk lamp and lit up. After a few puffs, he noticed Gu Yigang still smiling and said, "Uncle Gu, speak plainly."
Gu Yigang stepped forward and patted Yu Changxuan's shoulder. "Then I'll be direct. Has the Commander-in-Chief ever considered—what difference is there between you and that Xiao Beichen from the north?"Yu Changxuan glanced at Gu Ruitong, who then leisurely smiled and said, "He's an authoritarian Commander-in-Chief, while you're a restrained one! His orders come from the top down—who dares disobey? But you, whatever you want to do or achieve, must first listen to others! You need a military order first—that's your Achilles' heel!"
Yu Changxuan frowned, and Gu Yigang quickly followed with a laugh, "If the Commander-in-Chief wants to leap to the heavens in a single bound, to elevate your Yu family above the three major families, to crush them so they never rise again, then you must endure for now. A little impatience spoils great plans. Even the Chairman in Golden Mausoleum is enduring—why does a thousand-mile dike collapse from an ant hole? Think of it the other way: it's a gradual accumulation, slowly hollowing it out bit by bit."
Yu Changxuan turned to look at Gu Yigang and asked with a smile, "Uncle Gu, what do you mean...?" Gu Yigang chuckled, "Isn't it just that the Commander-in-Chief can't stand Jiang Xueting acting as if he's above you, issuing orders?"
Yu Changxuan said, "Does Uncle Gu have any brilliant insights?"
Gu Yigang replied slowly, "What brilliant insights are needed? You, who hold the guns, fear those who hold the pens? Right now, we're just giving them some face. In the end, whether to fight a war is his business, but whether we actually fight or not is up to us. We hold the dominant position. Someone like him, inflated with success, won't run rampant for long. What we need is just the perfect opportunity!"
Yu Changxuan asked, "What opportunity?"
Gu Yigang said, "Naturally, the opportunity to fulfill the lifelong ambition of your Yu family."
His words struck a chord in Yu Changxuan's heart, and without hesitation, Yu Changxuan blurted out, "Cross the Xi River!"
"Exactly, exactly! Finally, you see the light." Gu Yigang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, patting Yu Changxuan's shoulder with an exceedingly warm smile. "Look how you've made me sweat! You're just like your father in his day! These words had to come from your own mouth to truly convince yourself."
Yu Changxuan stood there, a cigarette pinched between his fingers, his brow tightly furrowed. His dark eyes were profound, and his sharply defined face bore a stern expression, lost in thought. The cigarette burned on its own, slowly accumulating a long ash that silently fell by his fingers.
Gu Yigang was a ruthless character who excelled at psychological tactics. Seeing Yu Changxuan in this state, he amiably patted Yu Changxuan's chest and said with an easy laugh, "If everything seems smooth on the surface, turmoil must be brewing beneath. Nothing in this world can be perfect—if you want this, you can't have that. Today, I'll presume on my age and say one more thing to the Commander-in-Chief: in this world, what could be more reliable than this realm?! And what bond could be more important than the father-son relationship between you and the Chairman?!"Before a few months had passed, winter arrived. After several snowfalls, the weather grew colder with each passing day. Pingjun had only been standing in the courtyard for a short while when she felt a penetrating chill. She hurriedly rose and went inside. Alone, she covered herself with a fleece blanket, lay down, and gradually fell asleep. In the haze of slumber, she seemed to hear faint footsteps. Opening her eyes, she saw Yu Changxuan had not turned on the lights in the room and was quietly removing his military uniform with his back to her. A faint scent of alcohol drifted over. Having slept for a long time, her head felt heavy, and her voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, "Have you been drinking?"
Yu Changxuan turned around and, seeing she was awake, smiled. "I ended up waking you after all. Had I known, I might as well have spent the night in the guards' quarters." Pingjun sat up in bed, but Yu Changxuan said, "Don't get up. I don't need anything." He walked over and tucked the quilt around her again. Pingjun touched his hand and found it icy cold. "Your hands are so cold," she said urgently. "Let me warm them for you."
She tried to pull his hands under the quilt, but Yu Changxuan withdrew them, laughing. "Don't be silly. You've just built up some warmth under the covers. If my cold hands chill you, how will your body handle it?" Pingjun chuckled softly. "Truly, one must view a person in a new light after three days apart. The current Commander-in-Chief is not the same as the former Fifth Master—you’ve actually learned to care for others."
Yu Changxuan grinned. "That’s unfair. Whether I was the former Fifth Master or the current Commander-in-Chief, when have I ever failed to care for you? Looking at you now, I suspect even if I offered you my whole heart, you wouldn’t treasure it. Tell me yourself—do you have any place for me in your heart?"
With all his pestering, Pingjun knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore. She smiled and said, "Coming back reeking of alcohol—are you here to make a drunken scene? Drinking this heavily in the middle of the night—do you think you’ve accomplished something? Just wait until tomorrow; I’ll settle this with you then." Yu Changxuan gave a soft laugh, bent down, and kissed her cheek. Pingjun looked up at him. "What’s this for?"
Yu Changxuan laughed heartily. "This is called pushing one’s luck."
His remark was remarkably fitting for the situation, and thinking it over, one couldn’t help but laugh. Pingjun laughed so hard she couldn’t stay still, pulling the quilt over her face, yet she still shook with laughter. Then she felt a soft touch on her cheek—he had lifted the quilt, slipped in beside her, and was kissing her face. She tried to stifle her laughter and pushed him away. "Your beard—it’s prickly." He had been extremely busy these past few days, hardly returning home, and hadn’t found time to shave. Pingjun nudged his chin away. "Go shave your beard first."Yu Changxuan whispered softly, "It's too troublesome. Just bear with it a little." Pingjun, trapped in his embrace and struggling to breathe, protested with a mix of annoyance and anger, "Why should I bear it?" He chuckled lowly, "Because I can't bear it any longer." He kissed her lips, his hand gripping hers tightly as he pressed his entire weight against her, his chest burning like a hot iron. Her cheeks flushed with heat as he kissed her greedily, and her head spun dizzily, as if she had stepped into a bottomless abyss, her body falling endlessly with nothing to hold onto. Suddenly, fear seized her—an inexplicable dread that made her heart race wildly. Panicked, she reached out to clutch his arm and sobbed his name, "Changxuan..."
His movements paused.
Her cry sounded like a child's whimper. Tears streamed from the corners of her tightly shut eyes, soaking the soft pillow. Her dark hair lay softly against his hand as she clung to his arm, her hot tears falling uncontrollably. Choking back sobs, she murmured, "Mother is gone. You must stay, always stay. I'm afraid to be alone."
He lowered his head, his eyes dark and intense. The room was filled with night, shrouding everything in vague shadows, yet her bare shoulders glowed like ivory, radiating warmth. He slowly kissed her shoulder, as if branding her with a fierce, burning mark.
He was a rushing river; she was a rootless duckweed. Even if shattered to pieces, she could only drift with him, not knowing where the currents would take her or where it would end. He was a blazing fire; she was a moth drawn to the flame. He consumed her entirely, reducing her to ashes, and in the end, she was utterly defeated.
The pale, frost-like moonlight cast a cool, shimmering glow, dazzling as if it had accumulated the brilliance of ages. The shadow of the pear tree branches traced winding patterns on the window lattice, swaying gently in the breeze. The courtyard was filled with a floating fragrance, a night of celestial beauty on earth.
Like a startled swan losing its mate, like flowing water carrying fallen blossoms.
That winter, the fierce factional strife within the Jinling Central Government reached its peak. The attempt by the Mou and Tao families to force Yu Zhongquan, Chairman of the Military Commission, to step down ended in complete failure, leading to a formal split within the Jinling Government.
In early January, Mou Dechuan and Tao Wan, along with several key leaders of the Jinling Government, announced their departure. By early February, they established a new central government in Yuzhou, forming a separate central party headquarters and taking control of all military forces west of Yuzhou. They declared Jiang Xueting as the Administrative Yuan Chief and National Government Chairman of the Yuzhou Central Government, with Tao Wan serving as Finance Minister and Secretary-General of the Political Committee. Thus, the region south of the Xi River split into two major factions, each going their separate ways, shocking the entire nation.
At the end of March, inside the Military Headquarters at Xiangping Pass, Feng Tianjun had just stepped out of the aides' office when he saw Gu Ruitong standing by the moon gate of the inner courtyard with several guards. Since Yu Changxuan had been busy expanding the air force lately, and Gu Ruitong was his most trusted aide, often accompanying him from dawn till dusk, Feng Tianjun was surprised to see him there so early in the evening. He walked over and asked with a smile, "Has the Commander-in-Chief returned?"Gu Ruitong nodded and pointed toward the inner courtyard, saying, "She just went in." After a moment, he added, "Tomorrow you'll be escorting Miss Ye back to Golden Mausoleum. Will you be taking the water route or the land route?"
Feng Tianjun smiled and replied, "Miss Ye is with child now. The Commander-in-Chief is concerned that traveling by train might not be suitable, so he has instructed me to escort her via the water route. It's calm and smooth—just a day and a night to get there. Once we arrive in Golden Mausoleum, Madam Yu will have someone arranged to pick us up."
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