Chapter 73
"Not marrying to Southern Chen anymore?"...
The one seeking Wen Yu was Chen Wei, who had returned after leaving. No sooner had he sent the Letter of Marital Dissolution beyond the pass than he heard that the Southern Chen envoys, while under house arrest, had clashed with the guarding soldiers and started a fight.
Wen Yu asked, "What is the situation now?"
Chen Wei replied, "We have dispatched additional troops to quell the unrest. All the troublemakers have been imprisoned."
Wen Yu nodded and asked further, "Do we know the cause of the conflict?"
Chen Wei answered, "According to reports from below, a few troublemakers from Southern Chen were dissatisfied with their treatment and repeatedly provoked the guards."
Wen Yu frowned slightly and said, "Increase covert surveillance. Even with Southern Chen as their backing, they are isolated and outnumbered in our hands. Their audacity to provoke trouble so recklessly is likely not without reason."
Chen Wei bowed in acknowledgment.
Wen Yu raised her hand to signal his dismissal, but Chen Wei did not withdraw. Instead, after a moment of hesitation, he bowed again and said, "Your subject has one more matter. I wonder if I may beg this favor from the Lady."
Wen Yu looked up in puzzlement and said, "Speak freely, sir."
A faint smile appeared on Chen Wei’s honest, square face. "Commandant Xiao is a man of exceptional talent, both loyal and courageous—truly a promising young man. I have heard that Commandant Xiao is twenty-one and still unmarried. Coincidentally, I have a daughter who has just passed her coming-of-age ceremony and is seeking a suitable match. I am quite taken with Commandant Xiao. May I ask for the Lady’s opinion?"
Throughout Pingzhou, it was widely known that Xiao Li, Zhao Bai, and others were Wen Yu’s trusted confidants.
Chen Wei’s desire to marry his daughter to Xiao Li was partly due to his genuine admiration for Xiao Li’s capabilities, and partly to strengthen his loyalty to Wen Yu through this marital alliance.
Having witnessed Wen Yu’s tactics and determination, he knew that her influence would only snowball in the future. Pingzhou would no longer be her only option.
Chen Wei needed to firmly bind Pingzhou to Wen Yu, and a marital alliance was the most effective method.
In the early days of the central plains' turmoil, when warlords formed alliances, they either arranged marriages between their children or had their key generals intermarry.
Even in times of chaos, where human life was as cheap as grass, such marital ties invariably made alliances more secure.
Upon hearing this, Wen Yu neither approved nor disapproved. She merely lowered her dark lashes and took small sips from her teacup.
The conference hall was not far from the adjacent tea rooms. The laughter and chatter of advisors and martial generals seeped through the thin door panels. Without even trying to listen, her ears instinctively picked out Xiao Li’s voice—deep, humble, and effortlessly composed.
Somehow, he seemed to have adapted to the ways of the court. Whether dealing with civil officials or martial generals, he could always engage them in light conversation.
Yet, on the battlefield, everyone feared his ferocity and ruthlessness.
Few had seen his awkward sincerity anymore—except for her.
Wen Yu’s sudden silence made Chen Wei’s heart tighten unconsciously. Fearing that Wen Yu might misunderstand his intentions as an attempt to win over Xiao Li and weaken the authority she had painstakingly consolidated, he hurriedly added, "It was presumptuous of me to be so eager in seeking a match for my daughter..."
"Although Commandant Xiao serves under me, I have always maintained that he is my benefactor. Matters of his marriage are not for me to decide. If you are sincere, sir, you may send a matchmaker to directly inquire about Commandant Xiao’s wishes."Wen Yu interrupted Chen Wei, her voice clear and devoid of any discernible emotion.
With this explanation from Wen Yu, Chen Wei finally felt at ease and hurriedly clasped his hands in salute. "It was my oversight. Thank you for your guidance, My Lady."
—
In the afternoon, while refining the war game layout under Li Yao's guidance, Xiao Li discreetly glanced several times at Wen Yu, who sat in the high seat. Her expression was indifferent, with a hint of weariness between her brows.
By the end of the Shen hour, the sky had darkened, and the day's discussions concluded.
Wen Yu ordered someone to escort Li Yao back to his residence, while the other civil and martial officials dispersed in small groups.
Xiao Li declined invitations from several comrades to return to the camp together. When Zhao Bai went to heat the medicinal brew for Wen Yu's eye compress, he entered the inner chamber where Wen Yu was resting, using the pretext of having a private matter to report.
Wen Yu sat behind the desk, propping her head on her hand, her eyes lightly closed, her expression weary.
Hearing the door open, she did not open her eyes but spoke languidly, "Leave the medicine for now. I'll apply it later."
The sound of the door closing was deliberately softened, as if to avoid disturbing her.
Wen Yu heard no footsteps, nor the sound of Zhao Bai placing the copper basin.
Sensing something amiss, she lifted her long lashes, revealing a pair of clear eyes tinged with faint bloodshot streaks, and saw the person who had already seated himself on the cushion opposite her at some point.
Xiao Li rested his hands on his knees, his dark, tousled hair falling near the corners of his eyes. His sharp features seemed to have lost their usual aggression as he quietly gazed at Wen Yu. Paired with his tall, broad-shouldered frame and long legs, he appeared strikingly different—like a tamed lion.
Wen Yu frowned slightly and asked, "Why are you here?"
Xiao Li did not answer but instead looked at the bloodshot streaks in her eyes and asked, "Your eyes... haven't healed yet?"
Wen Yu's eyes were sore and painful at the moment, her vision somewhat blurred. She replied calmly, "It's a fever. With many pressing matters to attend to, I cannot avoid using my eyes. The recovery is slow."
Uncertain why Xiao Li had suddenly appeared in the inner chamber, she thought of what Chen Wei had told her at noon and asked, "Did you seek me out for something?"
The fever made her eyes appear red, and combined with her calm demeanor, it was as if crimson plum petals drifting onto a lake had frozen into solid ice overnight—uniquely desolate and aloof.
Xiao Li lowered his head and asked, "Is the annulment of the marriage real?"
For a moment, the calm in Wen Yu's eyes seemed to waver, but it quickly returned to a stillness like stagnant water. "It is," she said.
Xiao Li abruptly looked up. "You won't be marrying into Southern Chen?"
Wen Yu looked at him but did not speak.
In that brief silence, Xiao Li found his answer.
The annulment was real, but Southern Chen would not allow it to succeed. Ultimately, this was still a game of strategy.
Though he had long anticipated this outcome, from the moment he learned of the drafted Letter of Marital Dissolution to now hearing the final answer from her lips, Xiao Li felt as though the soft flesh in his chest had been gouged out and thrown onto the main road of Pingzhou City, trampled to pieces by passing carriages and horses.
It no longer hurt, but it felt unbearably heavy, suffocating him so that he could scarcely breathe.
He nodded slightly and said, "I understand."
As if afraid that staying a moment longer would cause him to lose composure and earn her displeasure, he rose and opened the door. Just then, he encountered Zhao Bai returning with a copper basin filled with medicinal brew. Without exchanging a word, Xiao Li brushed past him and strode away.
Zhao Bai glanced at his retreating figure before entering with the basin. He saw Wen Yu, propping her head on her hand, gazing down at the desk, lost in thought. Her mood was clearly far from good.She called out softly, "Princess."
Wen Yu didn't offer much explanation, only saying, "Have Li Xun and the others investigate whether Pei Song and Qin Yi share any connection."
Earlier that day, Li Yao had brought up that past incident involving Qin Yi, and Zhao Bai had been present. Knowing that Wen Yu had been investigating Pei Song's background without success, she now suspected he might be a descendant of Qin Yi. Zhao Bai remarked, "Qin Yi's entire clan was exiled after the joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices, which had solid evidence. That villain Pei Song is ruthless and cruel. If he truly is a descendant of the Qin family, he's nothing but a lingering scourge!"
Wen Yu took the damp cloth Zhao Bai handed her, pressing it against her sore, stinging eyes. Calmly, she said, "To win every battle, you must know both yourself and your enemy. Before settling all accounts of right and wrong, what I need to plan is how to defeat Pei Song."
No matter the situation, she always appeared composed and serene. Yet as she leaned back in her chair, applying the warm medicinal compress, her hand hanging at her side clenched a sachet hanging from her waist.
As if it were some secret lifeline.
That night, a sudden downpour poured down, and even the patrolling guards in the prison grew drowsy.
In the cell holding the Southern Chen Senior Counselor, several Southern Chen soldiers pretending to doze by the cell door kept their eyes half-open, silently watching the corridor outside.
Seated cross-legged on a pile of straw near the wall, the Southern Chen Senior Counselor spoke worriedly to the young man disguised as a common soldier opposite him: "General, this Hanyang Princess seems truly determined to call off the marriage. With things having turned out this way, even if we return, I fear we won't have a good explanation for the Queen Mother!"
The young man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with a convincingly fake scar on his face. He replied, "Since this was my idea, I'll be the one to explain it to my aunt."
Hearing this assurance, the Senior Counselor felt slightly relieved.
The true marriage envoy sent by Southern Chen was Jiang Yu, the Queen Mother's nephew and King Chen's cousin.
The martial general who had spoken disrespectfully and was struck down from his horse earlier was merely a minor officer under Jiang Yu's command.
Because Pingzhou only allowed them to bring five hundred soldiers with the betrothal gifts into the pass, Jiang Yu, fearing potential danger, had disguised himself as a common soldier and had the minor officer pose as the marriage envoy.
Outside, the rain fell heavily, slanting through the high window and splashing inside, filling the entire cell with dampness.
The Senior Counselor, advanced in years and unable to bear the cold, coughed twice into his hand and sighed, "We came here for the marriage alliance. Why did you have your subordinate make such harsh remarks, escalating tensions to this point? What was the gain?"
Jiang Yu took off his outer robe and tossed it to him. "Apologies for putting you through this hardship for a few days, Senior Counselor Song. But this move wasn't entirely without its gains, was it?"
"Ever since Han Yang arrived in Pingzhou, the informants we previously placed here have become like the deaf and blind, unable to relay any useful information. With her marriage to my cousin imminent, we needed to assess the current situation in Pingzhou."
Hearing this, the Southern Chen Senior Counselor fell silent, wrapping himself in the robe Jiang Yu had given him.
Jiang Yu broke a piece of dry straw and continued, "I've long heard that Princess Hanyang is reputed to be the top beauty of Great Liang. Though I haven't seen her face yet, from what I observed today, it seems the entire Pingzhou is under her control. I wonder if the people of Great Liang revere her for her lineage or are won over by her skill. If it's the latter..."
A faint, weary smile touched his eyes. "My aunt doesn't much fancy a daughter-in-law with too strong a will of her own."The Senior Counselor of Southern Chen sensed something amiss and said, "We are currently at their mercy. If Great Liang uses us as leverage to make exorbitant demands from the King and Queen Mother, what should we do?"
Jiang Yu narrowed his long eyes: "The tens of thousands of elite troops stationed by Southern Chen outside Hundred Blades Pass aren't made of paper either."
His voice carried a faint tone: "That Hanyang Princess wishes to uphold Great Liang's former pride, but clearly, present-day Great Liang can afford defeat even less than Southern Chen."
He chuckled, speaking with near certainty: "Great Liang wouldn't dare make excessively unreasonable demands."
Author's Note: Fish Treasure: Really or fake?
Close the gates! Release Xiao Li!
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