The Road to Glory

Chapter 144: "The Princess seems very... to see me?"

From the moment Wen Yu confirmed that the military physician treating her was Doctor Tao, her heart had been in a daze.

Doctor Tao’s home, Taojia Village, was located just south of the border between Jin Prefecture and Tong Prefecture. When the three armies had allied to attack Jin Prefecture, she had even sent a letter to Li Xun, asking him to look after Taojia Village.

However, Li Xun had written back to her, saying that the people from the villages and towns around Jin Prefecture had all been seized by Pei Song to excavate earth and stone for rebuilding the old Great Wall. Taojia Village had not been spared.

Wen Yu had thought Doctor Tao’s family had met with disaster and had even ordered an Eternal Lamp to be lit for them in a temple.

But now, Doctor Tao had appeared in the Northern Wei army.

Due to her cold, Wen Yu felt as if her mind had turned to mush. She couldn't figure out why Doctor Tao would be in the Northern Wei army.

Even if he had been conscripted from the populace as a military physician, Doctor Tao should have been conscripted by the Pei Army.

Or could it be that Doctor Tao had moved his entire family to the Northern Border before the war in the Southern Border had even started?

As Wen Yu endured the dizzying throbbing of her headache, her thoughts a chaotic mess, the tent flap was lifted once again. The candlelight in the corner flickered as a cold wind rushed in.

This Military Camp was full of men, and she dared not be careless. She lifted her eyes toward the entrance. The figure she saw in that instant overlapped with the one she had seen when she woke up in that dark room in the Xiao family home—a figure who had lifted the curtain and entered.

The tall, imposing figure made the small military tent feel suddenly cramped.

The black eyes that looked down on her were cold and indifferent, devoid of any emotion, as sharp as a hawk's.

Wen Yu didn't know what kind of expression she wore as she looked at him. Perhaps it was shock, perhaps it was joy, or perhaps it was disbelief tinged with a hint of sorrow.

She tried to call out that name. "Xiao—"

But the man opposite her had already spoken, his voice laced with a light sneer. "The Princess seems very surprised to see me?"

Wen Yu's voice died in her throat.

He strode into the tent, picked up the lamp-snuffers beneath the lampstand, and trimmed the wick of the dim oil lamp in the corner. The tent instantly brightened, but it also more clearly illuminated the coldness and faint mockery in his eyes. "Were you not expecting that I could survive that Poison Arrow?"

Wen Yu was still in a trance. Hearing his words, she felt a lump form in her throat. She knew he must resent her for the arrow that had nearly cost him his life. She wanted to explain, but when she opened her mouth, she found that the only words that would come out were a remarkably pale, "That was not my intention..."

"We haven't seen each other in half a year, and the Princess's acting skills have improved yet again."

Xiao Li's tone was extremely faint. His dark eyes, now turned on her, were heavy, and the corner of his mouth tugged into a slight sneer. "This grief-stricken act... if I hadn't just seen the Princess weeping this afternoon about being Jiang Yu's concubine, I might have actually believed it."

Wen Yu froze.

He had seen her this afternoon?

Recalling the half a horse's head and the corner of a great bow she had seen when that Wei general went to report to their "Prefecture Lord," a thought in Wen Yu's mind suddenly sharpened.

The "Prefecture Lord" that Wei general had spoken of was him!

In that instant, Wen Yu couldn't quite describe her state of mind. Although she had previously received news that Xiao Li had joined the Wei camp, she had never imagined that their reunion would be under such circumstances.

Now, listening to his sarcastic words, she felt a myriad of unpleasant emotions. She took a deep breath, suppressing the tightness in her chest, and said, "Whether you believe me or not, I truly never wanted to kill you. But what's done is done, and it is indeed my fault. It's only right that you hate me and resent me..."

Xiao Li continued to stare at her, but his jaw clenched slightly. The arrow wound on his shoulder began to throb with a faint, burning pain.

He quickly averted his gaze and let out a sarcastic laugh. "I was unaware that anyone besides the Princess could command the deathsworn of Changlian Wang's manor and the Azure Guard."

Wen Yu's throat tightened at his question.

Zhao Bai and the Azure Guard had indeed been sent by her. She could not refute it.

Xiao Li seemed to take her silence as an admission. He looked at the candle flame beside him and continued his mocking inquiry, "Do all you people who play with power know how to make excuses for yourselves like this?"

At this moment, Wen Yu truly felt a profound sadness.

Fearing the look in her eyes was too wretched, she quickly turned her face away and closed them. But an uncontrollable sourness still welled up in her eye sockets and the tip of her nose, slowly soaking the soft, long lashes that curtained her eyes, before tracing a path down her cheeks, which were covered in a faint red rash and tiny scrapes.

Xiao Li silently watched her shadow as she sat on the edge of the bed, her face turned inward, constantly wiping her face with her hand. He squeezed the brass-cast lamp-snuffers in his hand until they deformed, and said no more.

Only as he turned to leave did he ask one last question with his back to her. "You all suspected I was a traitor. After Zhou Sui returned to the Liang Camp, did he tell you how my mother died?"

He asked this question very calmly, without a trace of accusation, yet it pierced Wen Yu through and through.

Just as he was about to walk out of the large tent, a hoarse and raspy, "I'm sorry," came from behind him.

Her eyes were red and soaked with tears, her long hair was unbound, and her face was as pale as snow. The hand exposed outside her sleeve was also covered in wounds and a faint red rash. She looked like a piece of white porcelain, full of cracks, that would shatter completely at the slightest touch.

This was a questioning that had been delayed for months.

Every word, every sentence, crashed down on her heart like death by a thousand cuts.

She couldn't refute a single one.

What could she say?

That she had actually always believed him? That she had only ordered people to bring him back to give an explanation to the ministers who distrusted him?

That the Poison Arrow was not her order, but secretly instigated by her teacher?

To atone for this mistake, her mentor had crossed mountains and ridges to see him, but to no avail. Now, his bones were buried under the yellow earth. She could no longer utter a single word of criticism against him.

She could only resent herself for not being able to completely persuade her mentor back then.

That "I'm sorry" was her guilt, and it was also her apology on behalf of Li Yao.

After hearing her words, Xiao Li seemed to have received an answer that finally settled the dust.

His straight back was like a silent, rocky mountain perpetually covered in white snow. He did not linger any longer and strode out of the tent.

The north wind raged tonight, and it had started to snow heavily again outside.

After leaving the tent, Xiao Li ordered his horse to be brought to him. He swung himself onto its back and galloped out of the Military Camp, riding for dozens of miles against the wind and snow as if to vent, before throwing himself into a wild field.

A half-moon hung in the sky, so cold and so bright, illuminating the gray clouds and the fine snow that drifted down upon the mortal world.

Xiao Li stared at the moon for a while, then finally raised an arm to cover his eyes.

It was just an answer he had known all along.

By the time he returned, the wind and snow had grown even more severe. Xiao Li ran into Song Qin at the entrance to the camp. The other man was driving a carriage and seemed to be heading out.

He reined in his horse and asked, "Where is Eldest Brother going so late?"

Song Qin said, "Doctor Tao needs to prepare a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine and is urgently short of a few herbs. He asked me to go to a nearby market town to buy some overnight. It just so happens that the number of soldiers in the army with colds has increased recently, so I can also purchase some medicine for treating colds along the way."

After taking his leave from Xiao Li, Wei Ang wrote a letter and gave it to a messenger to take to Wei Prefecture. He understood Wei Pingjin's temperament; upon hearing the news he had sent earlier, Wei Pingjin would surely be unable to sit still.

To prevent him from doing something stupid and causing irreversible consequences, he hurriedly left the camp and rushed overnight to the town where Wei Pingjin was temporarily staying.

When he arrived, Wei Pingjin, as expected, had already ordered his men to prepare a carriage and horses, and had gathered several hundred soldiers, ready to storm the military camp to seize the person.

Wei Ang's eyelids twitched at the sight. He managed to persuade the man to stop only after a great deal of effort. Back in the residence, he recounted in detail the matter of the military physician examining Wen Yu, stating that it was unlikely Wen Yu was Princess Han Yang. Wei Pingjin immediately shouted, "Uncle Ang, you're muddled! What if that military physician is one of Xiao Li's men, and they're putting on a show for you?"

Wei Ang said, "Even if that's a possibility, Young Lord, you cannot force your way in to demand the person at this time!"

Fearing he would inadvertently poke this ancestor's sore spot again and cause an endless fuss, he could only say tactfully, "The person was brought back by Prefecture Lord Xiao after he led his troops to pursue the Pei Army for nearly a hundred miles and finally repelled them."

Wei Pingjin said angrily, "I am the lord, and he is the subject! He ordered the main army to stay behind and presumptuously pursued the Pei Army with only two cavalry units, which ultimately resulted in insufficient manpower to intercept the Yang clan members from all sides. I have yet to hold him accountable. How could I possibly offend him by going to ask him for a person? If that woman is truly Princess Han Yang, what are we to do if he lets her escape?"

Wei Ang didn't know what Wei Qishan thought when he looked at this son of his, but at this moment, he truly felt his own head buzzing. No wonder Song Qin had said what he did earlier.

He said with a serious expression, "Young Lord, your prejudice against Prefecture Lord Xiao is too extreme. Prefecture Lord Xiao had the main army stay on the central line for the sake of the bigger picture. The responsibility for the Yang clan's escape from Heng Prefecture lies mainly with the Heng Prefecture garrison. Prefecture Lord Xiao drove back the Pei Army, recovered Jiang Yu's body, and captured his concubine alive. He has rendered a meritorious service this time."

Seeing Wei Pingjin's expression worsen, he had no choice but to change his tack, picking words this ancestor would listen to and continuing to persuade him:

"This subordinate also understands the Young Lord's concerns, but... the Liang and Chen armies are currently at war with Pei Song in the Southern Border. Why would Princess Han Yang come to our Northern Border instead of presiding over the situation in the south? In this subordinate's opinion, this must be a ruse by the Liang army to lure the tiger away from the mountain, deliberately releasing information to draw away our pursuing troops after rescuing the Yang clan. From the moment he captured that woman to his return to camp, Prefecture Lord Xiao has been avoiding suspicion. If the Young Lord were to harm someone for a woman who is not Princess Han Yang at all, it would not only chill the hearts of the Tong Prefecture Army, but also the hearts of all the soldiers of the righteous army!"

Wei Pingjin was left speechless, but he didn't want to back down just like that. He randomly seized on a point to retort, "Then why did Empress Dowager Jiang's nephew, a Chen general, come to our Northern Border? And he has a pregnant woman with him. Is that not suspicious?"

The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive. Wei Ang frowned, but still said, "The Liang and Chen armies are coordinating their efforts. It's not surprising for a general to be assigned a military task and come to the Northern Border to intercept the Yang clan. As for that woman, if she is truly pregnant, then she absolutely cannot be Princess Han Yang. Firstly, Princess Han Yang has no reason to come north. Secondly, if Princess Han Yang were carrying a royal heir, how could the ministers of the Liang and Chen states allow her to put herself in danger?"

After being persuaded by Wei Ang for so long, Wei Pingjin also knew he could no longer rashly go to Xiao Li to demand the person. After all, it carried the suspicion of both trying to steal credit and showing distrust.

He said, "Then send one of our own doctors to re-examine that woman's pulse!"

Wei Ang thought for a moment and said, "This matter cannot be rushed. It would expose our intentions. It just so happens that the army lacks a doctor skilled in treating women's illnesses. How about this: Young Lord, you can accompany me into the camp tomorrow. We'll say that you heard the woman's pregnancy is unstable and have specially invited a physician from the city who is skilled in treating women to examine her pulse and ensure the safety of the pregnancy."

Although Wei Pingjin found it troublesome, it was at least a way to have one of their own people examine the woman, so he finally agreed.

After seeing Xiao Li last night, Wen Yu had been unable to sleep again. In the end, she developed a high fever from her cold and passed out in a daze. When she woke up, she found it was already the next day, and there were two servant women in the tent to attend to her daily needs.

After asking, she learned that they were peasant women from a nearby village. Someone had knocked on their door last night, given their family a large sum of money, and brought them to the military camp overnight.

She had burned with a high fever last night and had been drenched in sweat. They were the ones who had boiled water to help her wash and change her clothes.

Wen Yu thanked them. The two servant women were honest and simple people, and they quickly said that she was a noble lady, and it was their duty to do these things.

Perhaps because she was ill, and the slaughter of the previous day had been too harrowing and had drained her spirit, Wen Yu was listless all day. Just the effort of washing up and eating a few mouthfuls of congee had left her exhausted again.

Eating and then immediately sleeping would cause indigestion. The servant women also said that there would be medicinal soup to drink later, so they placed two soft pillows behind her back, letting her lean against them to rest for a while.

The two servant women did embroidery by the charcoal brazier next to the bed. Wen Yu leaned against the head of the bed, listening to the howling of the north wind outside the tent, but her thoughts were on whether Zhao Bai and Tong Que were still alive.

Yesterday, when she was taken back by the Wei troops, they had passed the site of the ambush. She saw the Wei soldiers digging a deep pit in the wild fields by the roadside to bury the dead Liang soldiers and Azure Guard. She had called for them to stop the carriage and let her get out to see her maids.

But that Wei general had said that by the time they arrived, that unit of Liang soldiers had already been slaughtered by the Pei Army. The scene was very gruesome, and since she was pregnant, her emotions should not be overly agitated, so it was better not to look. Although his words were polite, he had firmly refused to stop the carriage.

Wen Yu didn't believe that Zhao Bai and Tong Que were gone just like that. But in this freezing weather, and with both of them having been injured before she was rescued, even if they had escaped, it would surely be incredibly difficult for them.

She thought she still had to get a definite answer from Xiao Li.

Since he had already recognized her, he must also know that Zhao Bai and Tong Que would be with her. If he had seen Zhao Bai and Tong Que, he would surely have recognized them.

Last night, she had been ill. The cold and her headache had left her mind in a state of chaos. Faced with Xiao Li's questioning, and thinking that it was ultimately her fault he had nearly died and that she had failed to save Xiao Huiniang, she was filled with guilt and had not managed to ask him about Zhao Bai and Tong Que at that time.

Wen Yu slowly closed her eyes.

This trip to the north had held too many surprises.

She had calculated all the possible risks she might encounter on this journey, but she had never calculated that Wei Qishan would push forward a former Jin princess to contend with her, nor had she calculated that there would be a spy among Jiang Yu's men.

Was human calculation, in the end, no match for heaven's plan?

The worst-case scenario now was falling into Wei Qishan's hands.

But the barbarian tribes beyond the pass had not made any major moves since that last fierce attack, so they should be plotting their next assault. Before this harsh winter was over, Wei Qishan would not want to confront Pei Song's main army at the same time.

He needed the Liang and Chen armies to hold Pei Song down in the Southern Border. Therefore, to stabilize the overall situation, Wei Qishan would not be so quick to announce that she was in his hands.

At most, he would control her and use her to command the Liang and Chen armies in the Southern Border.

But with Jiang Yu dead, the Southern Chen side might not comply. With an internal traitor stirring up trouble, it was uncertain whether the situation in Southern Chen would become turbulent.

If everything went well and no accidents occurred, then this balance could at least be maintained until spring.

After spring, if the barbarians beyond the pass were still attacking fiercely, then the war in both the Northern and Southern Borders would become a protracted one.

Southern Chen, which constantly faced the threat of being devoured by the Western Mausoleum, would probably be the first to break its alliance with Great Liang.

Wen Yu didn't think too deeply about what new path Southern Chen would find, but at that time, Great Liang would definitely be unable to stand against Pei Song alone.

Wei Qishan would either let the Liang army under her command be completely crippled, or... he would use her as a threat to make the Liang army surrender.

But after surrendering, it would probably just be a nominal way to attract the various Liang ministers who were still waiting and watching. Those ministers who were truly loyal to her, like Chen Wei, Li Xun, and Fan Yuan, would definitely be removed from their key positions and slowly forced into a dead end.

And she, the last ruler of Great Liang, might one day "die of depression."

To break this deadlock, she either had to succeed in her original plan of concealing her identity from beginning to end.

Or, while she was being controlled by Wei Qishan, she had to be rescued and returned to the Liang Camp.

No matter how she looked at it, the former would have the smallest impact on the overall situation.

But now, the key to achieving this rested with Xiao Li.

Wen Yu recalled Xiao Li's tall and desolate back as he left last night, and her thoughts became even more chaotic.

Suddenly, a clamor of voices came from outside the tent, and it seemed someone was calling at the entrance. Wen Yu stopped her thoughts and looked up.

"I'll go take a look." One of the servant women put down her embroidery, straightened her clothes, and walked out of the tent.

To prevent Wen Yu from being exposed to the wind, she lowered the curtain after going out, so Wen Yu couldn't see who was outside.

A short while later, the servant woman came back in and said to Wen Yu, "Those military sirs have invited another famous doctor who treats women to see you, miss. You should change your clothes first."

Wen Yu's eyelashes lifted slightly. She felt that inviting another doctor to examine her so quickly was a bit strange.

She stood up and let the two servant women help her get ready, but she was secretly pondering whether this doctor was invited to check her pulse and ensure her pregnancy, or if that Wei general from last night was suspicious and had invited someone else for verification.

If it was the latter...

Didn't that mean Xiao Li still hadn't revealed her identity to Northern Wei?

Wen Yu then thought of how Doctor Tao had been giving her acupuncture last night. When she was on the verge of calling out his name in her confused state, Doctor Tao had promptly covered for her.

After seeing Xiao Li last night, her thoughts had been too chaotic, and she hadn't sorted everything out clearly.

Now it seemed that Doctor Tao had clearly been arranged by Xiao Li to treat her.

He had been helping her hide her identity from Northern Wei all along?

This realization made Wen Yu unconsciously clench the fingers hidden in her sleeves, her brow slowly furrowing.

By the time the people outside entered the tent, Wen Yu was already neatly dressed and leaning against the head of the bed. A quilt was draped over her, and a plain white silk handkerchief hung from behind her ear, covering most of her face, leaving only her clear, beautiful eyes, which held a trace of sickness, exposed.

Entering the tent were Xiao Li, the Wei general she had seen yesterday, and another rather young-looking man. He was not dressed in military attire but in fine brocade clothes, a cloak made from the fur of some unknown animal draped over his shoulders. His expression carried an air of pride and arrogance.

In contrast, Xiao Li's expression was particularly cold. He was broad-shouldered and long-legged, a good half-head taller than the young man in brocade. Having just come from the training grounds, his black brocade martial robe was still imbued with a fierce, murderous aura, making the other's gold-and-jade-inlaid attire look like that of a greenhorn.

He seemed unconcerned with the true purpose of the other's visit. After entering the tent, he simply said, "Take her pulse."

The hint of cold listlessness in his brow seemed more like impatience at having to take time away from his busy military duties to come here.

Wen Yu swept her gaze over them without a change in expression, then lowered her eyes slightly, maintaining a frail and sickly demeanor.

This situation seemed to be the latter of her previous speculations?

So... why was Xiao Li helping her?

From the moment Wei Pingjin entered and saw Wen Yu's veiled face, his brow had jumped. Hearing Xiao Li's words, he grew even more displeased. Feeling that he had caught hold of something and intending to put Xiao Li in his place, he barked before the doctor could even step forward, "Why is your face covered?"

Wen Yu seemed to have been frightened by him. Her sickly eyes showed bewilderment and alarm, as if she didn't know what was wrong with covering her face.

It was the servant woman who had helped her dress and groom earlier who said, "Reporting to you, military sir, the young lady has a rash on her body. She was afraid of offending your eyes, so she asked us to find a handkerchief to cover it."

The hands and the area around the eyes exposed outside Wen Yu's cuffs were indeed covered in a rash.

Wei Pingjin's attempt to assert his authority had failed, and he had lost face instead. He became even more unhappy and shouted, "This young lord has been on the battlefield. Do you think I'm afraid of a face full of rash? Take it off!"