After joining the army and going to the border city, Yan Zhe wrote several letters back home, in which the young man mostly mentioned the trivial matters at the border, such as how Xiaoyan Chen gave him a management task but found it boring and uninteresting, so he clamored for a terrain exploration mission, leading soldiers and horses out of camp for inspection every day.
Reading this part, Yan Ruoxu covered her mouth and lightly laughed. Xiaoyan Chen was probably at a loss with Yan Zhe, unable to control the young lord's temper and had to worry about his safety. It was really difficult for him.
Then the young man went on to talk about the strong winds in the border town, saying that he had now adapted to local customs, covering his face with a cloth every time he went out, or else he would eat a mouthful of sand.
Fearing that Yan Ruoxu couldn't understand his description, Yan Zhe added a small sketch in the letter, with extremely simple strokes, outlining a young man in a black headscarf standing against the evening sun on the desert, holding a long sword.
There were a few drops of wax stains on this picture. Yan Zhe probably found some free time at night, and before going to bed, imitated it. He also said that being in the military camp was different from being in the capital. There, everything was taken care of, but now, he only had one attendant, and he had to do many things himself.
The first half of Yan Zhe's handwriting in the letter was still neat, although he was playful, his writing was still decent. His teacher had taught him to write neatly and he had diligently followed it, giving it an orderly feel. But in the latter half, the writing became increasingly messy, with characters all over the place.
"Sister, your ninth brother is tired now. I can fall asleep just by standing here. I have many more things to say, I'll write to you again next time."
After reading the last sentence in the letter, Yan Ruoxu couldn't help but smile.
Zhuier leaned over and inquired curiously, "What did Young Master Xiao write that made the princess so happy?"
Yan Ruoxu handed the letter to Zhuier, her smile still intact, "Take a look for yourself, it's in the brocade box we got from the bookshelf."
Having said that, she picked up the wolf hair pen that Zhuier had prepared, thinking about how to reply. The situation in the border town was relatively calm at the moment. General Feng's matter had not been made public yet, and there was still a temporary truce between Dayan and the Di people. But once the war continued, the situation would become tense. She needed to instruct Yan Zhe to be careful and not act rashly.
After writing a few lines, Yan Ruoxu picked up the simple pen-and-ink drawing that was placed in the family letter. The layout of the drawing was very simple, but through the thin paper, one could faintly smell the unique flavor of the border.
The youth in the drawing was thin and frail, with a straight back and a deep, contemplative gaze, which suddenly reminded Yan Ruoxu of someone.
In a place even more remote than the border town, at the northwest border of Dayan, where the snow on the mountaintops never melted, and the four seasons were extremely cold, the Yao Ji mountain range.
Luyuan Che had been stationed there for many years in his past life. Was he just like Yan Zhe is now, going out early and returning late every day, with only the desert wind and sand as companions?
That year, he had crossed a thousand mountains alone on horseback, returning from his station to the capital. Yan Ruoxu, as a family member, had gone to meet him outside the city gate. Luyuan Che, covered in dust from his arduous journey, had a black veil on his face that was almost identical to the drawing.
"Princess, Princess." Zhuier had finished reading the letter, neatly put it away, and seeing Yan Ruoxu lost in thought while holding the pen, trying to figure out if the princess was worrying about Yan Zhe's safety, she stepped forward to console, "According to what's written in the letter, Young Master Xiao's days in the border town are still relatively good. He has always been ambitious, and he would be happy to have more experiences."
Zhuier's words were not false. She had almost watched Yan Zhe grow up from a young boy. As a grown man, he could no longer be as willful as he was in his youth. Yan Zhe had lost his father at a young age. Although he inherited a title, he had no one to rely on. If he wanted to establish his own position in Dayan in the future, he had to make a name for himself in the military.
Yan Ruoxu sighed and lost the mood to continue writing a reply.
Yesterday, Luyuan Che had sent a letter, inviting her to meet. Seeing that the time was approaching, she changed into a neat jacket, and after some hesitation, she picked up a dagger and put it on her person before leaving the palace.
This time, she agreed to let Zhuier accompany her. When she mentioned that it was to meet Luyuan Che, Zhuier's face immediately turned sour.
"Princess, why are you still going to see him? What's so good about that person? There are so many outstanding youths from distinguished families in the capital, any of them is better than him!"
Zhuier was both angry and anxious, resenting that the princess seemed to be blinded and devoted to a playboy.
Yan Ruoxu hadn't explained the whole situation to her yet. Without a clue where to start, she was still unsure of how to address the matter.
After leaving the palace and passing Chang'an Avenue, she turned right and went south. A few hundred meters along, the sedan chair stopped in a quiet alley.
Zhuier got off first, then lifted the curtain to help Yan Ruoxu out of the sedan chair.
It was already late in the afternoon. The scorching heat of the day had gradually dissipated, and a cool breeze blew through the alley, bringing a chill.
This time, she arranged to meet Luyuan Che in a teahouse close to Chang'an Avenue. She didn't want the sedan chair to attract too much attention, so she deliberately had the sedan chair stop in a secluded corner, from where she and Zhuier could walk the rest of the way.
Zhuier held a bamboo umbrella over her head. Although the afternoon sun was weak, prolonged exposure still posed risks to the skin. Getting sunburned would be embarrassing, and she would have a hard time explaining herself to the Empress.
There were few pedestrians in the alley. A few women walked ahead, accompanied by several seven or eight-year-old children. They carried cloth bags and held books in their hands, having just returned from a private school. They talked and laughed all the way.
Zhuier turned around and glanced at them. Two pedestrians that were dozens of meters away immediately stopped, but Zhuier didn't pay much attention to them due to the distance. Yan Ruoxu, however, noticed. One of them was dressed in a blue short coat, discreetly hiding behind a shop's door pillar.
Yan Ruoxu looked at them coldly before pretending that nothing had happened and continued walking towards the teahouse as planned.
The news of the close relationship between the legitimate princess and the eldest son of General Lu had caused a stir throughout the city since that night. Many people with ill intentions were talking and speculating, and their master loved to have people follow, so if she deliberately avoided meeting Luyuan Che, it would only arouse suspicion.
Luyuan Che’s thoughts were the same as Yan Ruoxu had expected. He had arrived at the teahouse first and, after waiting in a private room, saw Yan Ruoxu's figure through the latticed windows. He immediately greeted her with a fan in hand.
This young man was quite arrogant, even though he already had an eye-catching appearance, he still didn't tone it down, as if he was afraid of not drawing attention to himself.
Luyuan Che stood at the door of the teahouse, with a smile even more ostentatious than those of dandies. He smiled and said, "Miss Yan, please."
Zhuier snorted and her face turned ugly, looking away without saying a word.
"Mr. Lu, you've been waiting for a long time." Yan Ruoxu followed Luyuan Che up the stairs and into the private room.
There were no prying eyes in the private room, and Luyuan Che put aside his previously extravagant demeanor, bowing to Yan Ruoxu, "The incident that night implicated the princess and tarnished her reputation. It was my carelessness."
Yan Ruoxu shook her head, "This matter has nothing to do with you, Mr. Lu, so there's no need for you to blame yourself. Besides, we are now like allies, there's no need for these formalities."
Luyuan Che paused as he held the paper fan and then smiled lightly, "An ally, indeed."
After turning over the issue for a moment, his expression turned serious as he continued speaking. "The person I sent to gather information in the border town has reported back that General Feng is still alive."
As soon as Luyuan Che finished, Yan Ruoxu widened her eyes in disbelief. General Feng hadn't taken his own life? This scenario was completely different from the information she had known in her previous life. Could there be hidden secrets in this matter?
Just as surprised as Yan Ruoxu, Luyuan Che was also very pleased. If General Feng was still alive, the situation would become more manageable.
"My informant is a merchant who has been doing business in the border town for many years. He has a wide network of contacts, and according to his people, after Xiao Yanchen led his troops to the border town, the first thing he did was not to prepare supplies or train for battle, but to constantly visit the local officials, enjoy feasts and form alliances with them. He didn't focus on the military affairs at all."
Luyuan Che's face was filled with anger, his eyes as cold as winter frost, as he stared into the distance. "In addition to making connections, this eldest son of the Xiao family secretly did something else. He was secretly looking for General Feng. It is said that the day the White Gully Lake was covered in dense fog, Xiao Xu brought people to fight with General Feng in the fog. After the fog cleared, the White Gully Lake was left with bloodstains and the bodies of soldiers. General Feng disappeared without a trace. Xiao Xu sent people to search all night, and on the next day, he announced that General Feng's corpse had been found and ordered it to be buried on the spot, claiming that a traitor didn't deserve to return to the capital and should die in a foreign land."
Yan Ruoxu furrowed her brows, carefully pondering the details, which indeed seemed very suspicious.
"So, General Feng may have only gone missing. How did Mr. Lu confirm that he is still alive?" Yan Ruoxu couldn't help but lean a little closer to Luyuan Che, looking at him with bright eyes.
"I not only received information from my informant but also intercepted a letter sent back from the border town to the Feng family."
"What was written in the letter?" Yan Ruoxu couldn't help but move closer to Luyuan Che, her gaze fixed on him.
"General Feng instructed his wife to take the entire family out of the capital. The date on the letter was after Xiao Xu secretly conveyed the news of General Feng's death. From this, I conclude that General Feng is still alive. He knows that the Xiao family has harmed him but chooses to hide his name and not come forward to report to the Emperor. There should be something we don't know in all of this."
After saying this, Luyuan Che picked up a bamboo chopstick from the table and held it like a sword, thrusting forward. "As long as we can find General Feng and use our own power to mediate, the truth will come to light. The Xiao family will have to face the consequences."
Author's note:
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