Two months later, in early spring, the vast wilderness beyond Suyeh City remained a stretch of white where the horizon met the lingering snow. Yet near the city and the smoke of human dwellings, the earth, frozen through the long winter, had begun to soften. After several clear days, sporadic patches of damp moss had quietly emerged from the crevices of stones at the base of the walls in front of the low huts of the fodder yard.
After noon, Pei You'an rode Snow Treader to Suyeh City. News had arrived that Old Master Tang had come in person and summoned Pei You'an—shortly after the previous battle, Old Master Tang had sent someone to temporarily take over the Regional Military Commission office in Suyeh City. Pei You'an had returned to the fodder yard, awaiting further decisions while settling into the busy life of new parenthood with Jiafu, caring for Ci'er and tending to Jiafu's health. In the midst of their bustling days, two months had slipped by unnoticed.
Regarding the previous incident, though Old Master Tang had previously given instructions allowing Pei You'an to act "as he saw fit," the extent to which he had exercised this discretion could, in the worst interpretation, be construed as rebellion. Over these two months, Old Master Tang must have reported the matter to the emperor.
Though her intuition told Jiafu there likely wouldn’t be any serious consequences—after all, the emperor surely wouldn’t behead Pei You'an—she couldn’t be certain what exactly the emperor was thinking. If he was still displeased with Pei You'an, he might seize this chance to make things harder for him, perhaps even adding to his charges. So after Pei You'an left, Jiafu felt uneasy. She passed the time doing needlework with her son and two maids in the house. As night fell, she played with her son for a while until he grew sleepy, then nursed him to sleep in bed. Once Ci'er was full and had drifted off, Jiafu leaned against the headboard and picked up the unfinished tiger-head shoe she had been working on during the day, slowly stitching the little tiger design on the toe.
Suddenly, she heard the door open softly. Turning, she saw Pei You'an had returned.
Pei You'an removed his outer robe, washed his hands, and tiptoed to the bedside, leaning over to look at their sleeping son. Gently stroking the child’s cheek, a smile touched his lips before he sat beside Jiafu and reached for her.
Jiafu nestled into his embrace and quietly asked if he had eaten. He replied that he had dined in the city with Old Master Tang.
Sensing he had something to tell her, Jiafu looked up at him.
Pei You'an softly ran his fingers through the hair cascading down her back. "Fu'er, I met with Old Master Tang today. The court has approved his request to retire. Soon, he will return to his homeland beyond the pass and lay down his official duties. However..."
"The court asked Old Master Tang for a recommendation on who should succeed him. He named me, and the court agreed. Today, Old Master Tang brought the imperial decree..."
He paused.The imperial edict that Old Master Tang had read to him today first listed his crimes. The emperor reprimanded him for being audacious and disregarding laws and discipline, stating that he should have been punished more severely. However, considering it had been a necessary expedient at the time, that he had ultimately rendered great service, and that he had immediately reported his actions and pleaded guilty to the Military Commissioner's office of Longyou, it was confirmed that his intentions had been for the public good. Thus, he was leniently punished with the forfeiture of one year's salary. Moreover, due to Old Master Tang's strong recommendation and personal guarantee, the court decided to adopt his suggestion and appointed Pei You'an as the new Military Commissioner of Longyou, admonishing him to learn from this lesson, remain loyal to the sovereign and the state, and never again betray the court's high expectations of him, and so on and so forth.
Jiafu breathed a sigh of relief.
So she had indeed overthought things.
After being away from the capital for over a year, this incident had occurred, yet the emperor had not only refrained from punishing him but had instead taken the opportunity to appoint him as Military Commissioner.
Although in her past life, Pei You'an had died while holding this very position, and now, after coming full circle, he had returned to it again, Jiafu was not worried.
She firmly believed that Pei You'an's death in Suyeh City in her past life must have been connected to Xiao Yintang—this could be inferred from Xiao Yintang's delirious mutterings before his death.
In this lifetime, Xiao Yintang had been deposed and imprisoned in the Xiao family's ancestral lands in Geng Province. The likelihood of him making a comeback was minuscule. As for the deposed Crown Princess, Zhang Fengtong, Cui Yinshui had told her that she had given birth to a baby girl who died before reaching one month old. Zhang Fengtong had been overwhelmed with grief, weeping day and night, and her longing for her daughter drove her to madness. She lost control of her bodily functions and even mixed filth into her food in front of palace attendants, horrifying everyone, yet she laughed and acted as if nothing were wrong. She spoke to her deceased daughter as if she were present and even bared her breasts to nurse her. Half a year had passed by then, and by law, she should have been sent to the ancestral lands to be imprisoned alongside her husband. However, Old Zhang, who had already returned to his hometown, submitted a tearful petition begging the emperor for mercy. The emperor then ordered imperial physicians to examine Zhang Fengtong, confirming she had indeed lost her mind, and allowed the Zhang family to take the deposed Crown Princess back. It was said she had since been confined to a secluded courtyard by her family, never seeing the light of day again. Presumably, this would be how she lived out the rest of her days.
Everything was different from before. In this lifetime, even if Pei You'an ended up returning to Suyeh City and even reassuming the position of Military Commissioner, Jiafu knew they would walk hand in hand together, growing old side by side.
"Fu'er, should I accept the position of Military Commissioner or not?"
Pei You'an looked somewhat solemn and, after a moment of silence, suddenly asked her.
Jiafu sat up from his embrace and gazed at him. "Eldest Cousin, though you ask me, I know you must already have your own thoughts. The seal of the Military Commissioner may be granted by the court, and your salary may be paid by the court, but those who call you 'my lord' and hope you will bring them peaceful lives are the countless common people. Eldest Cousin, you serve as an official not for the emperor but for the people. It was so in the past, and it remains so now. If you don't take the position and someone like Hu Liangcai does instead, it will only bring suffering to the governed. Since the court has issued the decree, and Old Master Tang has recommended you so strongly and even vouched for you, if you refuse..."
Jiafu stole a glance at him. "After all, that person is the emperor. Whether or not he punishes you for defying the decree is one thing, but wouldn't you be betraying Old Master Tang's trust in you?"After receiving the imperial decree during the day, Pei You'an had been somewhat distracted. Upon returning, he couldn't help but confide in Jiafu. Though he had spoken casually, he hadn't expected her to offer such thoughtful advice—every word seemed to resonate deeply within him. Stunned for a moment, he felt a pang of shame and sighed, "Fu'er, for all my stature as a man, my heart proves narrower than yours in facing this matter. You're right—holding office is for the people, not for any single family or name. Since the elder lord places such trust in me, how could I let him down? This seal of office was once used by my late father. Now I shall follow in his footsteps. If I can bring prosperity to the people here, it will not betray the care and upbringing my father bestowed upon me!"
As the saying goes, those involved cannot see clearly. Given his current relationship with the person in the imperial palace, Jiafu knew he must have harbored some reservations, hence his hesitation.
Wise men often struggle most to untangle their own knots. Delighted to see him persuaded by her words, she deliberately frowned and teased, "Cousin, what do you mean by that? Why must a woman's heart be narrower than a man's?"
Pei You'an was taken aback, then laughed, patting his forehead. He pulled Jiafu onto his lap and kissed her in apology. That night, the room brimmed with tenderness, while little Ci'er slept sweetly beside her embracing parents, undisturbed until dawn.
Half a month later, the former Military Commissioner of Longxi stepped down, and Pei You'an assumed the position.
News spread quickly, electrifying the entire populace of Suyeh City.
After the war had ended, when Pei You'an handed over his seal to the envoy sent by Elder Lord Tang, shouldered all blame, and left the city, the people had fretted endlessly, fearing imperial punishment would befall him. Now, upon hearing this joyous news, how could they not rejoice? However, the office of the Longxi Military Commissioner had always been stationed in Yongzhou, closer to the heartland and far from the border city of Suyeh. While overjoyed, the people were reluctant to see Pei You'an depart. The next day, thousands gathered spontaneously, marching in a grand procession with gongs and drums to the fodder yard.
At the time, Jiafu was packing inside, while Pei You'an lay on the bed with Ci'er on his chest, amusing the little one, their laughter filling the room.
Having lived here for nearly a year and a half, Jiafu found herself unexpectedly sentimental about leaving. Even the old bed, its legs repaired by Pei You'an, now seemed imbued with warm memories. As she bustled about, reluctant to discard anything, distant clamor suddenly reached her ears. Lao Ding came rushing in, shouting from afar, "Lord Pei! A great crowd from the city has come to bid farewell to you and your lady!"
Pei You'an sat up, exchanging a glance with Jiafu. She quickly took Ci'er and handed her to Tanxiang, then straightened Pei You'an's robes. Stepping outside, they saw the fodder yard gates thronged with people—some clutching chickens, others carrying wine, and even a little child hugging a lamb. Spotting Pei You'an and Jiafu, the child dashed forward, lifting the lamb high. An old man kowtowed and said, "This is my grandson. The lamb is his pet. Today, we brought it as a humble gift—please, my lord and lady, do not disdain it. It is but a small token of our family's gratitude!"As his voice fell, the others also knelt down one after another, eagerly trying to present the items they had brought.
Pei You'an hurried to help the old man up and urged everyone to rise, saying he could not accept their gifts. But the crowd refused to listen—no sooner had he lifted one person than another knelt down, surrounding him tightly. One man said, "If not for your lordship protecting the city that day, who knows what would have become of us? How could we begrudge these small tokens? Please, my lord, you must accept them!"
Jiafu was deeply moved and felt even prouder of having such a husband. She noticed the child still holding up the lamb, kneeling like his grandfather. Though the lamb was only a few months old, it had been well-fed and cared for, its body plump and round. It must have been heavy, and the child struggled to hold it up but persisted nonetheless. She stepped forward, took the lamb from his arms, and said with a smile, "You must love this little lamb very much, don’t you? Take it back—Lord Pei won’t accept it."
The child seemed shy but shook his head stubbornly.
Pei You'an showed a trace of emotion and raised his hand, signaling for the crowd to quiet down. "I merely did my duty, yet you honor me with such generosity. I am deeply grateful, yet also ashamed. In my youth, I visited Suyeh City twice and have always held a special affection for this place. Bordering the frontier, this city is populous and strategically vital. To be frank with you all, I am considering relocating the Military Commissioner’s office here to better defend our borders in the future. My wife and I sincerely appreciate your kindness today, but please take these gifts back with you!"
The people had been reluctant to see him leave, and upon hearing that he planned to move his office here, they erupted in cheers. Still, they adamantly refused to take back their offerings, bowing to the couple and leaving the items behind before turning to leave, their faces alight with joy.
Even Pei You'an, with all his wisdom, was momentarily at a loss when faced with so many people stubbornly leaving their gifts behind.
Jiafu stepped forward and called out to the crowd, "Good people, the Emperor has issued strict decrees—officials who take goods from the people, even willingly given, are guilty of extortion under the laws of Great Wei. Please heed Lord Pei’s words. We are deeply moved by your kindness, but you must take these things back!"
Pei You'an, reminded, quickly clasped his hands in acknowledgment.
After speaking, Jiafu picked up the little lamb and placed it back in the child’s arms, helping him up from the ground with a smile.
The people exchanged glances and, with no other choice, reluctantly retrieved the items they had left behind. Yet in their hearts, their admiration and respect for the incoming Military Commissioner and his wife only grew. They knelt once more in gratitude before finally rising and departing in high spirits.
A month later, the imperial court approved the relocation of the Longxi Military Commissioner’s office to Suyeh City, with the new office established in the former Regional Military Commission headquarters.
On the last day of the fourth month in the third year of Manifest Peace, under the escort of a troop of soldiers, Pei You'an led Jiafu and Ci'er, seated in a carriage, into Suyeh City amidst the welcoming clamor of drums and gongs from the people lining the streets. They took up residence in the Military Commissioner’s office.
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