Chapter 63
"So, what is it that you're hiding in your heart..."
Wen Yu glanced sideways at Xiao Li for two breaths before raising her hand to signal Zhao Bai to first take Yan Que away.
Zhao Bai relaxed the thumb pressed against his sword sheath and said to Yan Que, "Come with me."
Yan Que cast another inconspicuous glance at Xiao Li before following Zhao Bai out of the room.
As the door closed, silence fell in the chamber.
"Rise."
Wen Yu still wore the brocade court robes from the temple ceremony. Against the black and red background, golden threads intricately embroidered complex patterns. The striking makeup made her already flawless beauty take on an aggressive edge.
Like a lotus blooming on the cliffs of power, no longer something anyone could pluck and admire.
She acted as if unaware of why he had come in such haste, picking up a memorial from the desk to read as she calmly asked, "What happened in the military camp?"
Seeing with his own eyes that she was safe and sound, Xiao Li's breathing gradually steadied.
Her composure and calmness made him conceal the burning emotions in his heart as he merely said, "You previously mentioned wanting to consolidate the prefectures adjacent to Pingzhou, making them a bolt to intercept Southern Chen's forces. After many days of discussion with General Fan and others about which prefecture to take first, we've now made some progress."
Wen Yu stared at him for a moment before saying, "This doesn't qualify as urgent military affairs. You could have sent a dispatch rider, or waited until the next council meeting for General Fan to report it."
At these words, the room fell silent again for a long while.
Wen Yu knew his true purpose for coming. By choosing to expose it, she wanted to make clear that such things couldn't happen again.
He had to conceal his feelings.
Although he had remembered to use military matters as a pretext for rushing back this time, perceptive people would still detect clues.
Being in this vortex of power required developing depth and restraint. Exposing all of oneself was foolish and dangerous behavior.
Wen Yu didn't state it explicitly, but Xiao Li could understand the meaning behind her words, and knew that his hurried return upon hearing about her assassination attempt was too conspicuous.
Yet from the moment he received the news, his mind had gone blank, leaving no room to consider such matters.
During the entire journey back, only one thought occupied his mind: throughout the hundreds of li he had protected her on the way to Pingzhou, aside from when they were surrounded and attacked by Pei Song's Hawk Hounds and she cut her throat to save him, he had never let even a single hair on her head be harmed.
Why was it that in Pingzhou, with so many people guarding her, she could still be targeted for assassination?
Had a traitor emerged among those around her?
Or were those people incapable of protecting her properly?
He couldn't spare the mental energy to devise a proper reason to see her, only knowing that if she were injured, he needed to be by her side, to eliminate any possibility of her being harmed again.
It was like following animal instinct.
What she feared and avoided meant nothing to him.
Born into layer upon layer of shackles, he had climbed upward from the mire, breaking through barrier after barrier, never acknowledging those rules, never caring about them.
Accustomed to having nothing, the most important things in his life had always been just those few people.
It was Wen Yu who cared about those shackles, and because he saw what those shackles and rules bestowed upon nobles and generals that common people lacked, he followed along.
Yet there remained an unwillingness that constantly surged within, wanting to break through the strongest shackles of all, challenging the rule that nobles and generals were somehow born different.What King Chen could give her, he would repay her a hundredfold, a thousandfold in the near future.
But he had yet to break through those unspoken rules. Empty promises were something he dared not make, fearing Wen Yu might not be able to wait.
Faced with her probing questions that felt like a dull knife slowly cutting through flesh, he could only force a roguish smile: "If I came up with a plan, wouldn’t I want to tell you myself? What if someone else stole the credit?"
His tone made Wen Yu frown, and she studied him anew.
These days in the army seemed not to have smoothed his edges but instead sharpened his defiance and recklessness. The military armor accentuated his already sharp features, making it impossible to tell he had once been a commoner from the streets—he looked more like a young noble from an influential family, sent to the army since childhood to temper his mettle.
When his roguish side surfaced, he exuded an indescribable air of danger and wildness.
Wen Yu looked at him seriously, her voice lowering slightly: "Xiao Li, I recommended you to the army. Perhaps you don’t care for the position, but since you agreed to go, you must abide by military rules. You can’t act on a whim."
He wasn’t her subordinate, and they shared a bond forged through life and death. Wen Yu couldn’t bring herself to pull rank on him, and she knew his excuse was fabricated. But this matter couldn’t be brushed aside with banter.
She said, "You should know that Pingzhou is still unstable. Many are looking for faults in my leadership. In others’ eyes, you are my confidant—naturally, a thorn they wish to remove. Your sudden, reckless return today hands them a weapon and puts you in danger. Do you understand?"
The roguish smile faded from Xiao Li’s lips. The emotions pent up in his heart seemed to find an outlet at that moment. After a moment of silence, he spoke with difficulty: "I was worried about you."
Wen Yu was taken aback, not expecting him to be so direct.
She had been treading on thin ice for too long, constantly deciphering others’ intentions. Suddenly faced with someone laying bare a sincere heart before her, she felt momentarily at a loss.
After a brief moment of surprise, Wen Yu averted her gaze and said, "Hide it."
"In the arena of power, never let others know what you’re thinking."
But Xiao Li detected another layer of meaning in her words and asked, "So, what are you hiding in your heart?"
Wen Yu turned back, her eyes meeting his again. Their gazes locked for a moment before she replied calmly, "Many things."
Xiao Li pressed further: "What things?"
Or rather, what he truly wanted to ask was—did those things include him?
Wen Yu sat back behind the desk, lifting the corners of her eyes slightly: "Didn’t I just say? One must never let others know."
She concluded the topic: "Tell me, which prefecture have you all decided to take first?"
Xiao Li felt a twinge of frustration. He could sense that Wen Yu treated him differently, but it was elusive, always just out of his grasp. Every time he tried to probe further, she would deflect him.
To uncover that answer, he would have to become strong enough—strong enough for her to willingly tell him.
A beast may be restless, but at times, it can also exhibit immense patience.
Xiao Li suppressed the tangled thoughts in his heart and refocused on the matter at hand. "Do you have a map?"
Wen Yu rose and retrieved a map from the bookshelf, spreading it out on the desk.Xiao Li approached, pointing at Pingzhou as he said: "Pingzhou's commercial routes are well-connected, and it has become the bottleneck of the entire southern Liang region thanks to the Hundred Blades Pass to the south. However, with no natural barriers to the north, it struggles particularly when facing adversaries from that direction. To make this bolt secure, Pingzhou must also establish a defensive line to the north."
As he spoke of this, his expression grew intensely focused, his dark eyes seeming to envision an iron wall slowly rising to the north of Pingzhou.
Wen Yu, without realizing it, became completely absorbed in his words.
"Xinzhou lies directly north of Pingzhou and has rugged terrain, making it the natural first choice," Xiao Li said, his slender fingers—marked with small scars—pointing to another prefecture on the map. "But precisely because it is mountainous and perilous, taking Xinzhou in one swift strike would be difficult. Moreover, as you mentioned earlier, Xinzhou's backer is most likely Wei Qishan. For the Southern Chen army to enter and secure territory quickly without lingering in Pingzhou, we cannot choose the most challenging target, Xinzhou..."
"Then only Tao County and Yizhou, flanking Xinzhou, remain as options," Wen Yu interjected.
Xiao Li nodded, leaning forward slightly to elaborate on Yizhou. Unexpectedly, as Wen Yu spoke, she abruptly straightened up, and her forehead collided sharply with Xiao Li's jaw.
Xiao Li grunted in pain, while Wen Yu felt as if she had hit a rock, stumbling back a step and clutching her forehead with a soft groan.
Zhao Bai, who had just returned after settling Yan Que, raised his hand to knock on the door but froze upon hearing the strange sounds from inside. His face shifted through a palette of expressions for several moments.
After a brief hesitation, he retreated to the courtyard gate, standing like a stern guardian to prevent anyone from approaching the main room.
Inside the room, Wen Yu rubbed her throbbing forehead, feeling even her eye sockets ache with a dull soreness. She had risen too abruptly, and the impact had been particularly forceful.
Glancing up, she saw Xiao Li hissing softly as he wiped blood from his lips—it seemed his lip had been cut. Knowing she was at fault, she frowned and asked, "You're bleeding? Is it serious?"
Xiao Li brushed the blood from his fingers, his tongue probing the cut on his lower lip where his teeth had struck it. Feeling the needle-like sting, he replied, "Just a small cut. It's nothing."
Wen Yu was inwardly annoyed at her own carelessness. She picked up the nearby water pitcher, poured a cup of warm tea, and handed it to Xiao Li, saying, "My apologies. Have a cup of tea to rinse your mouth."
Xiao Li accepted it with thanks. As he brought it to his lips, he noticed a faint lipstick mark on the rim.
He glanced at the wooden tray holding the tea set beside Wen Yu and realized she had handed him the cup closest to her—likely out of habit when pouring tea.
Unaware of any issue, Wen Yu, her forehead slightly reddened and still massaging it, noticed Xiao Li examining her desk and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Li said, "Nothing," and tilted his head back to drain the cup.
As he set it down, his thumb subtly wiped away the remaining trace of lipstick on the rim, steering the conversation back to the map:
"Both Tao County and Yizhou lack powerful backers and cannot stand alone. Whichever one the Southern Chen army takes, the other will ally with Xinzhou. However, the worst scenario would be if Xinzhou preemptively absorbs both prefectures and joins forces to suppress Pingzhou."Wen Yu's attention was immediately drawn back. Pressing her fingers to her temple, she said, "This has been my constant concern as well. The only hope is that the Southern Chen troops act with lightning speed—completely annihilating one prefecture before Xinzhou can win over both, then using a mix of kindness and severity to persuade the other to surrender, thereby isolating Xinzhou."
She turned to Xiao Li: "You mentioned having a plan. What is it?"
Xiao Li met her gaze: "I recalled your earlier tactic of impersonating Tongcheng conscripts to divert trouble elsewhere. Even before your arrival in Pingzhou, Xinzhou and several neighboring prefectures were already clashing over territory disputes. We could instigate a conflict between Xinzhou and either Tao County or Yizhou."
A flicker of interest crossed Wen Yu's eyes: "Go on."
Xiao Li pointed at the river on the map: "Our scouts report a fleet purchasing grain and medicinal supplies for Pei Song recently appeared near Yizhou. What if we have our men pose as Yizhou troops, hijack Pei Song's cargo ships, and frame Xinzhou for it?"
Wen Yu had to admit Xiao Li's progress surprised her.
She stared at him silently for a long moment.
Xiao Li looked up and asked, "Is it unworkable?"
Wen Yu neither approved nor rejected the idea, instead questioning: "Did you conceive this yourself?"
Uncertain of her implication, Xiao Li answered truthfully: "I developed it following your approach of leveraging external forces, though perhaps it's overly simplistic."
Wen Yu pressed further: "Have you discussed this with Fan Yuan?"
Xiao Li nodded: "General Fan cautioned that our troops lack naval expertise, making ship hijacking too risky. Framing Xinzhou would also be difficult. If we can't transport the cargo, the diversion fails. But if we take the goods, we'd face pursuit before even leaving Yizhou territory."
Wen Yu tapped the table lightly: "Since General Fan already explained these complications, why are you still presenting this as a viable plan?"
The moment she spoke, Wen Yu already regretted her words.
She knew perfectly well what had primarily driven him here.
As she averted her gaze to change the subject, Xiao Li declared: "Because I believe it can work."
Wen Yu turned back, meeting his dark, profound eyes: "I'll lead the mission personally. If we can't move the cargo, I'll burn it before Yizhou troops catch up."
In that moment, Wen Yu couldn't determine whether she saw ambition or ruthlessness in his eyes.
But seeing either quality in someone who'd never commanded troops was disconcerting enough.
Suppressing an inexplicable unease, she merely said: "Wouldn't the framing appear too obvious then?"
Xiao Li seemed to ponder her words seriously before conceding: "You're right, my thinking was too superficial."
Wen Yu responded: "If it's shallow, think deeper. How do we eliminate suspicion that we're framing them?"
Xiao Li thought briefly before shaking his head.
Wen Yu's eyes sparkled like a starry sky as she guided him: "When setting any scheme, you can't focus on just one aspect—you must consider the entire board."
"I impersonated Tongcheng conscripts because I knew their magistrate was a profit-obsessed coward. I didn't trust him, and neither would Pei Song. Such men always side with whoever holds power."
"Your plan to hijack Pei Song's ships and spark conflict between Yizhou and Xinzhou—the key isn't whether Yizhou believes it, but whether Pei Song does."Xiao Li struggled to keep up with Wen Yu's train of thought and said, "I don't understand."
Wen Yu then explained, "You believe Yizhou will be angered by Xizhou impersonating them to hijack the cargo ships, but the root cause is Yizhou's fear of Pei Song taking action against them. What if Pei Song sees through our scheme and doesn't act?"
Xiao Li replied, "Yizhou might develop animosity toward Xizhou, but it wouldn't escalate to war."
"Exactly," Wen Yu said. "Your plan splashes mud on both Yizhou and Xizhou—it's useful but not highly effective. If they receive hints and realize we framed them, it might even push them to form an alliance."
Xiao Li's hand on the table clenched into a fist. "My apologies. I oversimplified everything and nearly ruined things with clumsy efforts."
Wen Yu said, "The strategy can still work—we just need to look one step further and create a situation where even Pei Song can't tell who actually stole his goods."
Discussing these matters with Wen Yu made Xiao Li feel he was learning more than from studying books or analyzing Pingzhou's historical battles and formations. He unconsciously asked, "How do we make Pei Song believe it?"
Wen Yu lightly tapped the table twice with her fingertip. "Who did we previously suspect is backing Xizhou?"
Xiao Li answered, "Wei Qishan."
Wen Yu said, "There you have it. We openly reveal that Xizhou's backer is Wei Qishan. Your plan then becomes: Wei Qishan stole Pei Song's goods."
The tangled thoughts that had long troubled Xiao Li suddenly connected one by one through Wen Yu's brief words.
Once again, under Wen Yu's patient guidance, he saw the broader situation across the realm with exceptional clarity. His palms grew slightly sweaty as he asked, "How do we expose it?"
Wen Yu looked at him and said, "Having them reveal their backer themselves would likely be the most effective method."
When Xiao Li left Wen Yu's room, he remained deep in thought.
It never occurred to him that the fleet he proposed hijacking from actually belonged to Wen Yu all along.
There were still so many things about her that he didn't know.
Xiao Li felt no discouragement—instead, this intensified his determination: Grow stronger.
With prospects emerging for capturing Pingzhou's northern defensive barrier, the next step was careful deployment.
Moreover, Wen Yu had posed him a question that demanded deep consideration: If Southern Chen's fifty-thousand-strong army attacked Hundred Blades Pass, how could Pingzhou defend the pass with only ten thousand troops?
Pingzhou's current military strength, at full count, was approximately fifteen thousand.
Was her hypothetical war with Southern Chen an indication that she planned to avoid marrying into Southern Chen after all?
This thought made Xiao Li's eyes darken uncontrollably.
He quickened his pace, wishing he could instantly return to the Military Camp to memorize Pingzhou's entire military deployment and all its strategic passes and barriers until they were ingrained in his mind.
Passing through the courtyard gate, he noticed Wen Yu's martial maid glaring at him with unusual hostility, but he had no time to dwell on it—his gaze merely skimmed over her before he strode away.
Zhao Bai watched in shock and anger as that scoundrel emerged from her mistress's room, now sporting a fresh cut on his lip that hadn't been there before. Her glare was sharp enough to flay skin from bone.
But the man only gave her a brief glance before walking past her as if flaunting his arrogance.
Zhao Bai stood frozen for a moment before stomping her foot in rising fury, cracking a bluestone tile beneath her.
She turned and entered the room to find Wen Yu.
Wen Yu was still deeply contemplating the current strategic layout.She had far too many matters to attend to these past two days. The northern expedition was entirely delegated to Chen Wei, Li Xun, and their advisors for discussion, so she hadn't given it much thought herself. Today, Xiao Li's proposed method suddenly opened up new avenues in her mind.
However...
Although Xiao Li claimed the idea of hijacking ships was inspired by her conscription in Tongcheng, his almost instinctive suggestion to burn the cargo to escalate conflicts gave her pause.
Such subtly ruthless tactics truly worried her.
For military men, the propensity for violence only grows heavier over time.
She didn't wish to see Xiao Li descend into extremism.
Wen Yu stared blankly at the strategic map for a while. When she reached for her teacup to drink, her fingers met empty air. Glancing sideways, she realized her usual cup wasn't in its usual place.
As if remembering something, her gaze swept toward where Xiao Li had been standing earlier and spotted the cup he'd left on the corner of the desk.
Wen Yu froze, then felt a surge of quiet annoyance. Perhaps she really had been overthinking things lately - how could she keep making such oversights?
Well, at least he probably hadn't noticed?
Her thoughts drifted unconsciously.
Truth be told, she could no longer clearly sort out her feelings toward Xiao Li.
Because he had once been her benefactor, and during their escape he'd protected her at every turn, their interactions had never maintained clear boundaries.
She didn't know whether what she felt for Xiao Li was gratitude and appreciation, or dependency forged through shared life-and-death experiences.
Or perhaps even earlier, when he always spoke coldly yet never treated her poorly, when he clearly discovered her secrets yet pretended not to know - hadn't he already become different to her then?
But whatever it was, the answer no longer mattered.
Staying the current course was the right path.
A knock came from outside.
Wen Yu called, "Enter."
It was Zhao Bai.
Her anger still simmering, Zhao Bai immediately began: "My lady, that Xiao—"
Wen Yu cut her off: "Military matters made him discourteous. I've already admonished him. What did Yan Que say?"
Zhao Bai had to swallow the complaints she'd been ready to voice. But seeing Wen Yu's calm expression, as if she hadn't given that man any special consideration, considerably eased her mind.
Among noblewomen of the royal palace, it wasn't uncommon for those at odds with their husbands to keep male companions.
So long as her lady wouldn't neglect major plans because of that fellow, Zhao Bai saw no issue with keeping a guard or general as a paramour.
She'd have plenty of opportunities to make that Xiao fellow look bad later. For now, she composed her expression and reported gravely: "Yan Que says Mian Yue is a traitor."
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