It was winter and the weather was very cold. Winter in Liangzhou was colder than the capital. During the day, it was still okay as they could warm their bodies during training. However, at night, it was extremely cold. The amount of firewood in the basin was far from enough.
The number of soldiers who went to Wulu River to bathe also decreased. They all went to boil water to bathe themselves. He Yan was the same. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Jue had been gone for more than half a month.
She estimated that Xiao Jue should have reached Zhangtai by now. However, the instructors did not talk about this on a daily basis. He Yan also did not know the situation in Zhangtai. She still trained with the new soldiers every day. However, because her body was not fully recovered, she could not follow Xiao Jue's "triple daily training".
On this day, He Yan and the new soldiers were training in the martial arts field. When it was almost evening, the training ended. He Yan talked to Hong Shan and a few others.
Hong Shan rubbed his hands and blew into his palms. "A He, do you feel that it is too cold these few days?"
"It's okay." He Yan replied. When she was in the Fuyue Army, she had fought in the winter near the river. The tents were set up by the river. At night, the wind was biting cold and there was no firewood to burn. The soldiers slept together at night to ward off the cold. That was what it meant to be truly cold.
"You young people can withstand the cold." Hong Shan sighed and looked in the direction of Baiyue Mountain. "Why does it snow in Liangzhou every day? It lasts for an entire night."
He Yan followed his gaze. Baiyue Mountain in winter was not as green as it was in summer. At a glance, the mountain was covered in white snow. The new soldiers went up the mountain every few days to chop firewood. They could not go further up the mountain. The higher they went, the thicker the snow. It was not safe.
"Actually, this weather is the best for hunting." Xiao Mai came over and said, "Big Brother and I used to soak food in wine during the day and throw it beside the cave. There was nothing to eat during the winter. We ate rabbits and foxes when we saw them. When we went out at night, there was prey all over the ground. It was effortless and simple. The White Moon Mountain is so big, there should be a lot of rabbits and foxes. "He licked his lips.
"Stop," He Yan urged. "I think you'd better give up on this idea. The terrain on the mountain is complicated, and the snow is thick. Don't become a rabbit before the rabbit is hunted."
"A He Ge really looks down on us," Xiao Mai muttered.
As they were talking, they saw a group of new recruits coming down from the end of the horse path that led from the Martial Arts Practice Field to Mount Baiyue. Walking in the middle was the female doctor, Shen Muxue.
She was wearing a moon-white coat and skirt, with an apricot-colored long cloak embroidered with plum blossoms draped over her shoulders. Her hair tie was also plain white. As she slowly walked out of the snow-colored sky, she looked even more beautiful and fairy-like.
Hong Shan stared blankly at her and said, "I can't believe there is such a woman in the world. She's so beautiful and kind-hearted. On such a cold day, a weak woman went up the mountain to gather medicine for the injured. Only a fairy could be so compassionate." Finally, he asked He Yan, "Don't you think so?"
He Yan said, "That's right."
Every few days, the new recruits took turns going up the mountain to gather firewood. Shen Muxue would also go with them. There were some medicinal herbs on the mountain that could be found during the winter. There was a shortage of medicinal herbs in the garrison, especially during the winter. Some of the soldiers caught a cold, and it was difficult for them to recover in a short time. Shen Muxue ordered someone to boil some medicinal concoction to expel the cold. She filled a wooden bucket with the concoction and gave everyone a bowl. After drinking the concoction, it would be hot and sweaty. It was very good for the body.
She didn't look as sturdy as He Yan. She was gentle and weak. It was very rare for her to be able to go up the mountain with the new recruits on such a cold day.
"Who's the recruit behind her?" Shi Tou asked with a frown.
Everyone looked over and saw that the recruit behind Shen Muxue had a person lying on his back. This person wasn't wearing a uniform, so it was obvious that he wasn't a recruit from the Liang Province Guards. They hadn't said anything yet, but curious recruits had already rushed over to find out what was going on.
Not long after, some of the recruits who heard the news came back and told their companions what was going on. He Yan listened carefully and heard someone say, "That person is a hunter from the other side of the mountain. His family is so poor that they don't have enough food to eat, so he took the risk to come up the mountain to hunt. In the end, he was trapped by the snow. When Miss Shen and the others met this person, half of his body was buried in the snow. We had to dig him out of the snow and come back half alive. "
"Then he's really lucky. Mount Baiyue is unusually cold. If he had stayed for a few more minutes, even the gods wouldn't have been able to save him."
"Isn't that so!"
Xiao Mai muttered, "Going up the mountain in this weather, he really doesn't want to live."
"There's nothing we can do about it. The lives of poor people aren't fortune-tellers. His family doesn't even have money to eat, so how can he care about other things?" Hong Shan sighed.
After watching for a while, the crowd dispersed.
However, this matter was not over. At night, Cheng Lisu came back and said that she wanted to stay in Xiao Jue's room. He Yan asked curiously, "Didn't you refuse to move back?"
Cheng Lisu frowned and said, "Today, the person that Doctor Shen saved is staying in our room, so I was kicked out. I can't let him stay in Uncle's room. When Uncle comes back, he'll beat me to death. Forget it, I'll reluctantly stay here for a few days. After he leaves, I'll move back. Brother He, can you accompany me back to get the boxes tomorrow? I can't move them alone. "
"Of course, but I'm afraid that you won't be staying here for a few days. It'll be a long time." He Yan shook his head.
"Why?"
He Yan smiled and didn't answer. However, Cheng Lisu soon knew why He Yan said that.
The next day, after the day training, He Yan accompanied Cheng Lisu back to get the boxes in the shared room. They just so happened to run into Shen Muxue who was applying medicine to the hunter they saved yesterday.
He Yan looked at her hands. Other than some medicine to replenish energy and medicine for frostbite, there was also some medicine for external injuries. He Yan asked, "Miss Shen, is that person injured?"
"There are wild beasts in the forest. He encountered a bear and was attacked by it. When he was trying to avoid it, he fell off the cliff and was buried in the snow. There are some external injuries. "
Cheng Lisu asked, "Then his injuries are very serious? Will he have to stay in the Liang Province Guard for a long time? It'll be a long time before I can move back. "
"Young Master Cheng," Shen Muxue said helplessly, "even if his injuries are healed, he can't leave the Liang Province Guard for now. He came from the other side of the mountain. Right now, Bai Yue Mountain is sealed off by the snow. I'm afraid that he will have to wait for the snow to melt or for sunny days before he can go up. If we let him go back now, he will only freeze to death on the mountain again. "
When Cheng Lisu heard this, she almost jumped up. "Then won't we have to wait an entire winter!"
"When Second Young Master comes back, perhaps there will be another way." Shen Muxue comforted her.
He Yan noticed that when Shen Muxue said Xiao Jue, he didn't call him "Commander in Chief" but "Second Young Master." It wasn't a master-servant relationship. Instead, it seemed like they were very familiar with each other. While he was thinking, they arrived in front of the room.
There was no one else in the room at the moment. After training in the practice field, everyone had gone to eat and rest. He Yan used to lie on the edge of the wall, but now there was another person lying down. He wore a thin shirt and wrapped the blanket tightly around him. He seemed to be very cold. Shen Muxue placed the medicine tray on the table and turned around to call him. "Hu Yuanzhong?"
When the person lying on the bed heard this, the blanket moved slightly. After a moment, he supported himself on the bed with both hands and slowly sat up.
He was a man about thirty years old. His skin was dark, and his lips were cracked to the point that they were peeling. He looked a little thin and weak. He lifted the blanket and looked at Shen Muxue. He said hurriedly, "Doctor Shen."
"You should change your dressing." Shen Muxue said, "Sit by the bed and roll up your trousers."
The man called Hu Yuanzhong looked even more nervous. He rubbed his hands and stammered, "How can I trouble a female doctor? I'll do it myself." He bent down. As soon as he moved, he hissed in pain.
When Shen Muxue saw this, he squatted down in front of Hu Yuanzhong and helped him roll up his trousers. Sure enough, there were scars all over his legs. They were probably caused by the rocks and branches on the mountain.
"It's not done yet." Shen Muxue said, "I'll apply more medicine today."
Hu Yuanzhong nodded blankly.
"Let me do it." At this moment, He Yan's voice interrupted. Before Shen Muxue could react, she reached out and took the medicine from Shen Muxue's hands. She squatted down and said, "Miss Shen, please get up first."
"This …" Hu Yuanzhong was a little surprised. "This little brother …"
"My name is He Yan. The bed you're sleeping on now is mine. Miss Shen is a girl after all. It's not convenient for you. I'll apply medicine for Brother Hu. It shouldn't be a problem, right?" He Yan smiled and looked at Hu Yuanzhong.
Hu Yuanzhong sighed in relief. "Of … of course, I don't want to trouble Doctor Shen."
"He Yan, stop fooling around." Shen Muxue frowned slightly. "There's no difference between men and women in front of doctors. You don't know how to apply medicine."
"I know how to apply medicine. Doctor Shen, don't be nervous. You should take a look at Cheng Lisu first. I saw that he was coughing this morning. I don't want him to catch a cold."
Cheng Lisu said, "That's right, Doctor Shen. I feel that my throat is a little dry."
Shen Muxue was stunned. He said, "Really?" Then he stood up and said to Cheng Lisu, "Come outside with me. I'll take a look at him first."
The two of them left. Only Hu Yuanzhong and He Yan were left in the room.
He Yan first helped him clean up the blood that had seeped out from his leg, then applied a thin layer of medicine on his wound. He asked, "Big Brother Hu, your injury is a bit serious, does it hurt a lot?"
"It's okay." Hu Yuanzhong said, "It's just some external injuries." Although he said that, he said it through gritted teeth. It looked like it was very difficult for him to speak.
He Yan stopped what he was doing and used a little more force. Hu Yuanzhong cried out in pain. "Ah — —"
"I'm sorry, Brother Hu." He Yan was embarrassed. "I wasn't careful."
"It's okay, it's okay."
"Doctor Shen is still the most attentive. I'm a big man and clumsy. I've hurt Brother Hu. Brother Hu, please don't mind."
Hu Yuanzhong forced a smile and said, "Don't say that."
He Yan smiled and lowered his head to continue applying medicine. He snorted coldly in his heart.
Just now, she saw clearly that although Hu Yuanzhong refused to apply the medicine himself, he cried out in pain as soon as he moved. When Shen Muxue squatted down, Hu Yuanzhong's eyes flashed with a hint of joy. Although he hid it very well, He Yan still saw it. She hated this kind of person who was lustful. Shen Muxue saved Hu Yuanzhong's life. Hu Yuanzhong had dirty thoughts about his savior. What kind of person was this?
When he pulled up Hu Yuanzhong's trousers, He Yan could clearly see these so-called "serious injuries." They looked messy and serious, but in fact, they were all external injuries. He Yan, a girl, could not make a sound when she suffered more serious injuries. If this person was so poor that he risked his life to go up the mountain to hunt, he would not be so delicate. When a person was so hungry that they could not afford to eat, how would they have the mind to rack their brains for dirty thoughts?
With just a few words, one could see Hu Yuanzhong's character. Shen Muxue was kind and pure. He was also a doctor who treated patients, so he did not care about these tricks. He Yan, on the other hand, saw everything clearly as a bystander. He only felt uncomfortable in his heart.
"Big Brother Hu, what are your plans after you recover?" He Yan asked.
Hu Yuanzhong scratched his head. "I … I haven't thought about it yet."
"Why don't you stay in the Liangzhou Guards? Soldiers have enough to eat. You won't starve," He Yan joked.
"… That's good too," Hu Yuanzhong said with a silly smile.
He actually said that was good too? This time, He Yan was even more surprised. She was just casually teasing him, but Hu Yuanzhong actually agreed. He didn't even say anything like "this is too embarrassing". It could be seen that, firstly, he didn't feel grateful. Secondly, he never thought about his future plans.
A person who did not know what the future held should always be worrying about what to do in the future. How could he be so careless? He Yan was instantly displeased. Could it be that Hu Yuanzhong wanted to rely on the Liangzhou Guards to take advantage of Shen Muxue all the time?
Thinking of this, He Yan quickly applied the medicine on Hu Yuanzhong's wound. She passed a bowl of medicine to him and said, "Big Brother Hu, drink the medicine first."
Hu Yuanzhong reached out to take it. "Thank you."
He drank the medicine rather quickly. He straightened his neck and gulped down the medicine. Then, he passed the bowl back to He Yan. He Yan reached out to take it. He saw that Hu Yuanzhong's outstretched hand was covered in red rashes from the web between his thumb and index finger to the inside of his wrist.
He Yan paused.
Hu Yuanzhong noticed He Yan's movements and asked, "What's wrong with Brother He?"
"Big Brother Hu, do you want a female doctor to take a look at the rashes on your hand?" He Yan asked, "Did you get it on the mountain too?"
Hu Yuanzhong was stunned. He rubbed his wrist twice and smiled. "No need. It should subside in a few days. It's not a serious illness. There's no need to trouble a female doctor. "
"If that's the case," He Yan nodded and smiled. "Then it's nothing."
She stared at Hu Yuanzhong and didn't say anything for a while. Hu Yuanzhong also felt strangely uncomfortable. He touched his face and asked, "Brother He, is there something on my face?"
"No." He Yan smiled and shook his head. "I'll take the empty bowl out first. Although Miss Shen is a doctor, she's still a girl. I have nothing to do these few days, so I'll run errands for Miss Shen. I'll take care of Big Brother Hu's wound medicine. "He pretended not to see the disappointment in Hu Yuanzhong's eyes and turned to leave.
When he left, Shen Muxue was telling Cheng Lisu to stick out her tongue. Seeing He Yan come out, he asked suspiciously, "So fast?"
"There weren't many wounds to begin with." He Yan asked, "How's Cheng Lisu?"
"I ate too much spicy food these few days. My throat is smoking." Cheng Lisu was embarrassed. "It's nothing serious."
"Then it's fine. You can go back." He Yan returned the medicine tray to Shen Muxue and said to Shen Muxue, "I've already discussed it with Big Brother Hu. I'll take care of Big Brother Hu's wound medicine these few days. From tomorrow onwards, I'll come to Miss Shen's room every day at this time to take the medicine and send it to Big Brother Hu. Miss Shen won't have to make another trip. "
Shen Muxue was still a little hesitant. "This …"
"Then it's settled. Take it as my thanks for the box of scar removal and muscle revitalization ointment that Miss Shen gave me." He Yan put his arm around Cheng Lisu's shoulder. "Then we'll go first."
He and Cheng Lisu walked away.
On the way, Cheng Lisu asked him, "Big Brother He, what's wrong?"
"What?" He Yan came back to his senses.
"After you came out of Hu Yuanzhong's room, you stopped talking. What happened in the room just now? Did you two have a fight? "
"No." He Yan took two steps and thought for a while. He stopped and said to Cheng Lisu, "You go back first. I have something to talk to Hong Shan about."
"But you haven't eaten anything yet."
"I'll go get two steamed buns." He Yan waved his hand. "You go back first and wait for me. See you later. "
Hong Shan and Xiao Mai were eating porridge. When they saw He Yan, they made room for him and said, "Why are you so late today? I thought you weren't coming."
"I had something to do on the way here." He Yan took a steamed bun, but he didn't wolf it down like he usually did. He only took a bite and stopped. After a long time, he said, "Brother Shan, Shi Tou, I have something that I need your help with."
"Why are you so serious?" Hong Shan put down the bowl in his hand. "What do you need our help with?"
"The hunter that Doctor Shen rescued from the mountains yesterday, Hu Yuanzhong. He's in your room now, right?" He Yan said, "For the next few days, you have to train during the day. Can you help me keep an eye on him at night?"
Hong Shan and Shi Tou looked at each other. Hong Shan asked, "Why don't I understand what you're saying? What's wrong with Hu Yuanzhong? Why do you want to keep an eye on him? "
"… I think there's something wrong with him."
This time, even Xiao Mai didn't have time to eat. The atmosphere was solemn for a moment. Shi Tou asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
"Maybe I'm thinking too much. I'm not sure yet. But I think that maybe it's not a coincidence that he was rescued from the mountains by Doctor Shen. "
Upon hearing this, Hong Shan's eyes widened. "A spy?"
"Keep your voice down," He Yan said. "I'm just suspicious. That's why I need you to keep an eye on him. See if he does anything unusual at night."
"No." Hong Shan still felt incredulous. "You have to tell us what's wrong with him that made you suspect him."
He Yan took a deep breath and said, "I'll tell you in a few days. For now, I just need your help to keep an eye on him."
"I hope I'm thinking too much," she said softly.
At night, after parting ways with Hong Shan and the others, He Yan returned to her room. After familiarizing herself with the place, she lay on the bed. She was full of worries and couldn't fall asleep.
Meeting Hu Yuanzhong today was an accident. Who knew that in the end, it would upset her and make her feel uneasy.
He Yan didn't make up what she said to Hong Shan and the others. She did suspect that Hu Yuanzhong was a spy who had infiltrated the Liangzhou Guards for other purposes. As for how she found this suspicious point, it was because when she handed the medicine to Hu Yuanzhong today, when Hu Yuanzhong returned it, she saw a dense red rash that covered the area between his thumb and index finger to the inside of his wrist.
It made her think of the Qiang people.
The place where the Qiang people lived was covered in dense forests. The weather was humid all year round. When the Qiang soldiers held swords, it was easy for them to get red rashes from the area between their thumb and forefinger to the wrist. When He Yan was General Feihong, he had specially looked for military doctors to study the rashes. Even though the Qiang people later entered the Central Plains, the rashes didn't disappear in a short period of time.
Therefore, when she saw the rash between Hu Yuanzhong's thumb and forefinger, she immediately thought of the Qiang soldiers without hesitation. However, she wasn't completely sure. All the rashes in the world looked the same. It could be caused by the humid weather, or it could be caused by touching sensitive objects. There was no need to suspect the other party because of a rash.
However, it was probably because He Yan had developed a habit of being cautious when he was a general, especially when it came to the Qiang people. Or maybe it was because He Yan had sensed Hu Yuanzhong's hidden feelings for Shen Muxue and had a bad impression of him. Now, she immediately suspected him.
Thinking about it carefully, there were indeed many suspicious points. For example, the snow on the mountain was so heavy. The other side of Mount Baiyue was shady, so the snow would only be deeper. The new recruits couldn't even cross this side. How did Hu Yuanzhong cross the other side alone? Since he said that his family was so poor that they didn't have any food to eat, why didn't he find a gentler way to do it? For example, he could help people move goods at the docks and do some manual labor. At least, he could temporarily resist the cold and hunger. One had to know that when hunting on Mount Baiyue, the best-case scenario was that he could hunt a wild beast to alleviate his urgent needs. However, there was a higher possibility that he would die on the mountain and lose both his wealth and life.
Leaving behind an easier path to take, and instead taking a seemingly inconceivably difficult path, this was not facing difficulties head-on, this was stupidity. Looking at how he pretended to cry out in pain to get Shen Muxue to personally take care of him, he didn't seem like a stupid person.
The more He Yan thought about it, the more suspicious she felt. Unfortunately, Xiao Jue wasn't here, so she couldn't remind Xiao Jue. But even if Xiao Jue was here, she couldn't directly mention the most important point. The Qiang tribe was thousands of li away from the capital. The new recruits of the Liangzhou Guards couldn't have seen the Qiang tribe soldiers. Even Xiao Jue might not have fought with the Qiang tribe. He Yan was born in the capital, so how could she know the secret habits of the Qiang tribe? She was afraid that if she said it, the first person to be suspected would not be Hu Yuanzhong, but herself.
That year, she led the soldiers to quell the rebellion of Xi Qiang. The commander of the Qiang tribe, Ridamuji, died on the battlefield, and the rest of the Qiang tribe surrendered. The next few years were peaceful. The Qiang tribe was very peaceful, and there were no disturbances. But … that didn't mean she could truly relax.
If this really was a Qiang person, an ordinary unarmed and defenseless commoner, how could he have just so happened to ascend White Moon Mountain on this type of snowy day? Moreover, he was even picked up by Shen Muxue and entered the Liang Province Guards.
If there were too many coincidences, then they wouldn't be coincidences anymore. Someone must have done it on purpose.
Now that Xiao Jue wasn't here, if there really was a conspiracy, how could she deal with it?
Xiao Jue wasn't here … Xiao Jue wasn't here?
In an instant, He Yan sat up, and a terrifying thought flashed through her mind.
Why did this person come when Xiao Jue wasn't here? Could it be … that the call for help from Zhangtai was also fake? "Attack in the east, attack in the west." She had to memorize this rule in military books every day. How could she forget?
At some point, the snow stopped.
He Yan looked out the window. The wind outside was calm, and the snow covered the ground. It was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
But under this calm, there might be a shocking undercurrent, waiting for the right time to flood the heavens.
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