This winter in the Liangzhou Guard was extremely cold. It snowed heavily for half of the month. Even if it wasn't snowing heavily, the sun rarely came out.
There was a shortage of firewood and charcoal. Fortunately, after the new Liangzhou County Magistrate took office, he took the initiative to send some charcoal from the county government's warehouse to the Guard Office as a way to establish a good relationship with the Right Army's commander-in-chief. The new County Magistrate was still very young and didn't have anyone to rely on at home. He looked gentle and weak, but he was very experienced and thoughtful.
Lin Shuanghe was very satisfied with this new County Magistrate.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed. The year was coming to an end. Soon, it would be the New Year. After the New Year, it would be another spring day. The new recruits of the Liangzhou Guard would no longer be called "new recruits" and spend the New Year here.
In the room, Xiao Jue was talking to Chi Wu and Fei Nu.
"There's another letter from the vassal territory." Chi Wu took out a letter and handed it to Xiao Jue. "There's one every month. This is the second one."
Other than the instructor, Chi Wu, and He Yan knew that Lei Hou had been captured and locked in the dungeon. The new recruits of the Liangzhou Guard didn't know. Thinking that Lei Hou had become a deserter, Xiao Jue ordered Lei Hou to continue communicating with the person hiding in Jiyang. He lied that he had escaped from the Liangzhou Guard and was hiding from the soldiers chasing after him. He also asked what he should do next.
The person in Jiyang was very cunning. He didn't directly tell Lei Hou what to do in the letter. He only told Lei Hou to hide well and that his master would send someone to pick him up.
Xiao Jue took out the letter and read it quickly. Then, he handed it to Fei Nu. After Fei Nu and Chi Wu read it, their expressions turned ugly.
The person in the letter said that since Rida Muzi had been exposed, the Liangzhou Guard's chess pieces were useless. He told Lei Hou to find a way to hide and wait for the storm to blow over before the people from Shuojing came to pick him up. After this letter, they should not continue to write to each other. In these troubled times, if they were to act rashly and alert the enemy and spoil the plans of their superiors, it would not be something that the two of them could bear.
"What should we do?" Chi Wu said, "Does this person mean that he won't send any more letters in the future?"
Xiao Jue: "Lei Hou is already useless."
"But Jiyang …" Fei Nu hesitated for a moment. "Is the Commander in Chief planning to go to Jiyang?"
"Even if there wasn't a messenger, I would still make a trip there based on the fact that Chai Anxi is in Jiyang." Xiao Jue placed the letter on the burning candle on the table. The flame licked the letter, and in a moment, it turned into ashes.
Chai Anxi was Xiao Zhongwu's former general.
In the Battle of Mingshui, Xiao Zhongwu and the tens of thousands of soldiers he brought with him were all killed, including his generals. At that time, Chai Anxi's corpse was not found on the battlefield. However, everyone thought that he was most likely dead. A few years had passed, and Xiao Jue had been sending people to secretly investigate Chai Anxi's whereabouts. Now, his efforts had paid off. Chai Anxi was not dead, and he had even gone to Jiyang incognito.
Jiyang was the territory of King Meng Ji. If people from outside Da Wei's territory wanted to enter the city, they had to obtain a pass from the government. Even if they obtained a pass, outsiders could not stay here for long. Chai Anxi had lived here for a long time, so it was no wonder that others could not find his whereabouts.
"But how do we go to Jiyang? If we ask the government for a pass, Xu Jingfu's people will be able to find out. Won't they be able to control our every move? "Fei Nu asked.
Xiao Jue turned around, thought for a moment, and said, "Do we use another method?"
Chi Wu: "What method?"
"Find someone who has a pass to go to Jiyang and change their identity."
"This …" Slave Fei was in a difficult position. When Meng Ji King was still alive, he was extremely strict on the way in and out. Even if there was a pass, there was also a record and a portrait of the person. Moreover, because it was very troublesome to enter the territory of the vassal state, the people of Da Wei dealt with it by not going there if they could. Throughout the year, there were very few people who had a pass to go to Jiyang.
There were not many people in the first place, and the customs were very strict. It was not easy to ask someone to change their identity with Xiao Jue, even if they were not allowed to enter the territory again if they were found out.
"Let Luan Ying handle this," Xiao Jue said to Chi Wu, "write a letter to Luan Ying immediately and tell her to prepare as soon as possible."
Chi Wu: "… Yes."
As they were talking, someone pushed open the door and entered. It was Lin Shuanghe. Chi Wu nodded at him. "Young Master Lin."
Lin Shuanghe also smiled at him.
Fei Nu also tactfully left.
"Huaijin, what have you been busy with these days?" Lin Shuanghe waved his fan. "It's almost spring now. Do you know how many times I've seen you?"
"Are you bored?" Xiao Jue said, "When Cheng Lisu returns to the capital, you can go with her."
"Forget it. Since I'm already here, why should I go back?" He said, "When are they leaving?"
"In two days."
After the incident with Muzi, the Liangzhou Guards were no longer safe. There might be changes in the future. It was not suitable for Cheng Lisu and Song Taotao to continue staying here. Xiao Jue had already ordered people to leave for Shuo in a few days.
The two children were naturally unwilling and argued for a long time. However, with Xiao Jue involved, there was no reason why it could not be done. No matter how dissatisfied they were, they could only accept Xiao Jue's arrangement.
"I won't say anything about Cheng Lisu, but Song Taotao, that little girl, is actually willing to let go of He Yan?" Lin Shuanghe said in disbelief. "She almost grew up on He Yan? She's going to go back just like that? "
"Why don't you ask her?" Xiao Jue sat down on a chair and poured himself a cup of tea. He drank lazily.
He had been busy for a long time, but he only had a short break.
Cheng Lisu sat on his soft couch and looked at him. "It's fine if you ignore me. After all, we've known each other for so many years, so I won't argue with you. However, how can you ignore my Meimei? Although military matters are important, my Meimei is also important. Don't blame me for not warning you. If you continue like this, when Meimei is taken away by Chu Zilan, you won't have anyone to cry to. "
"What does she have to do with me?" Xiao Jue frowned impatiently and said, "What's wrong with Chu Zilan?"
Lin Shuanghe rested his chin on the handle of his fan and said calmly, "I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but for the past month, I've always seen Meimei and Chu Zilan talking together."
"She's a girl and she's injured. She can't train every day and is bored. I don't know why Chu Zilan came to Liangzhou. It's already been two months and he hasn't mentioned when he's leaving. He's bored and Meimei's bored. When the two of them get together, they're already close. "
"Anyway, Meimei used to call him Fourth Young Master Chu. Two days ago, I heard her call Chu Zilan 'Brother Chu'. If this continues, won't you panic? "
Xiao Jue was confused. "Why should I panic?"
"Why don't you think about it? If Younger Sister He is kidnapped by Chu Zilan and used by Chu Zilan, the Liang Province Guards will have one less peerless genius in both civil and military strategy. You are pushing away a capable general."
Xiao Jue sneered, "Do you think there's no one in the Liangzhou Guards?"
"Anyway, I've never seen a girl like her before," Lin Shuanghe said, "Chu Zilan is used to pleasing girls. Originally, you were born better than him and you're more capable than him. However, your personality is still more gentle and kind. Which girl wouldn't like to have such a good-looking rich young master accompanying her gently every day? "
"Like?" Xiao Jue's beautiful eyes narrowed and her voice was filled with mockery. "You're only 16 years old, yet you know what it means to like."
"So what if I'm 16 years old?" Lin Shuanghe said, "In Shuo Capital, many girls at 16 years old are already married!"
"So?" Xiao Jue picked up her tea and took a sip. She said indifferently, "At 16 years old, other than her father and brothers, how many men have she seen? Since she hasn't seen many men, how can she know what it means to like? Saying that she likes peonies after only seeing peonies is different from saying that she likes peonies after seeing hundreds of flowers. "
"Liking when you have a choice is also different from liking when you don't have a choice."
"What you're saying is meaningless." Lin Shuanghe rolled his eyes. "Most people in the world are normal people. Of course, they follow the rules of normal people. Normal people are like this. They get married at 16 and spend their lives together. It's not like they don't have a lifetime of happiness."
"There are even more unhappy people." Xiao Jue said, "Normal people don't have a choice, but I do."
Lin Shuanghe was completely speechless. He said, "Okay, okay, okay. You have it, you have it, you have it. But according to what you said, the only girl you can find who's seen hundreds of flowers is Meimei He. "
"Meimei He didn't just see hundreds of flowers in the Liang Province Guards. There are tens of thousands of men in the Liang Province Guards, and she's also seen tens of thousands of flowers. If she sees tens of thousands of flowers and likes you, that's great. But if she sees tens of thousands of flowers and likes Chu Zilan, "Lin Shuanghe gloated," wouldn't that be a huge blow to you? "
"You're thinking too much." Xiao Jue said, "Whoever she likes has nothing to do with me. However, Chu Zilan is Xu Jingfu's son-in-law."
"She can like Chu Zilan." Xiao Jue's lips curved. "As long as she's not afraid of death."
Lin Shuanghe was stunned.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. Chu Zilan is Xu Pingting's man. "
When Lin Shuanghe and Xiao Jue talked about Chu Zilan, He Yan had just arrived at Chu Zilan's door.
Ying Xiang smiled and welcomed her in, saying, "Young Master He, you're here." Then, she looked behind her and said jokingly, "Miss Song didn't follow me today. Thank goodness."
Song Taotao guarded Ying Xiang tightly. As soon as He Yan went to find Chu Zhao, Song Taotao would be alert and follow him. After all, Ying Xiang was beautiful and charming. She wasn't as cold and aloof as Shen Muxue. To men, she was more attractive.
"She's packing her things." He Yan smiled. "In a few days, she'll be leaving the Liang Province Guards. She can't follow me around every day."
Speaking of this, He Yan felt a headache coming on. When Song Taotao found out that she was going to return to Shuo Jing, she cried and threw a tantrum, unwilling to leave no matter what. She and Cheng Lisu reached an unprecedented agreement and almost tore off the roof of the Liang Province Guards. In the end, Xiao Jue had to personally come out and subdue the two children. Only then did she agree to follow Xiao Jue back to the capital.
That wasn't all, but Song Taotao even tried to take He Yan with her.
"Whatever Second Young Master Xiao promised you, my Song Family will triple it. Don't stay in the Liang Province Guards." The little girl looked at her with disdain. "The Liang Province Guards is such a cold place. If you're not careful, you'll lose your life. I heard Cheng Lisu say that if you want to make a name for yourself, why do you have to walk this path? You've risked your life here and haven't even been promoted. Too pitiful! "
He Yan thought, yes, too pitiful.
"My Song Family is different," Song Taotao said seriously. "Although my father can't call the wind and summon the rain in the capital, he can still help you a bit. You'll have a much better future in my Song Family than in Liang Province. As for the military registry, you don't have to worry. As long as I tell my father, he'll find a way to set you free. "
He Yan: "… No, no, I'm fine in Liang Province."
Song Taotao's gaze was like a knife. "Don't tell me you don't want to let go of that maid called Ying Xiang?"
The little girl was young, but she was quite shrewd. He Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That's not it. It's just that my status in the Liang Province Guards is special. If Miss Song wants me, you can go directly to Military Governor Xiao. If Military Governor Xiao is willing to let me go, of course I'll follow Miss Song back to the capital. "
Would Xiao Jue let him go so easily? Of course not. The Liang Province Guards weren't the backup army of the capital's son-in-law. If she took the lead, what would the other recruits think? It was better to curry favor with a rich young lady than to fight to the death. If this continued, the Liang Province Guards wouldn't even need to be attacked by the enemy. Once the soldiers' morale dropped, they would be gone in two years.
Xiao Jue wouldn't let that happen.
Bringing up Xiao Jue was still quite shocking to the little girl. Song Taotao immediately gave up and no longer mentioned bringing He Yan back to the capital.
She walked into the room and saw Chu Zhao feeding the birds.
He Yan felt that Chu Zilan was a very interesting person. If he wasn't gardening, he was writing, and if he wasn't writing, he was feeding the birds. His life was like that of an old man in his sixties or seventies in the capital. However, he had stayed in the Liang Province Guards for two months. Since he was so carefree, wouldn't it be better to go to the capital and relax? Why come here to suffer? There wasn't even a lot of coal here.
However, even so, He Yan was still willing to run over to Chu Zilan's room. There was no other reason. Chu Zhao was a very patient person. He Yan couldn't go to the practice field to train anyway. It was good to listen to Chu Zhao talk about the "interesting things" in the capital. In her previous life, she had been fighting outside. When she returned to the capital, He Rufei had replaced her. She didn't know much about the Shuo capital's officialdom. She didn't know much about her colleagues. In the past, it was fine. However, after doing a few things with Xiao Jue, He Yan knew that if she really wanted to start over, she had to know the power structure of each party.
At least she knew the general situation of the Crown Prince's faction, Prime Minister Xu's faction, and Xiao Jue's faction.
He Yan learned a lot from Chu Zhao. She didn't want to be too hostile towards Chu Zhao. Moreover, this person really didn't do anything to her in the beginning.
Today, it was Chu Zhao who ordered Ying Xiang to come over and talk to He Yan.
"Brother Chu." She said.
Chu Zhao put the last bit of bird food into the bowl. The bird flapped its wings and let out a clear cry. This kind of cold weather was really not suitable for raising birds. Therefore, Chu Zhao placed all of his charcoal near the birdcage.
He was also very considerate and gentle towards birds.
"You're here." Chu Zhao smiled as he walked to the basin to wash his hands.
"Brother Chu, why did you ask Ying Xiang to come find me today?" He Yan asked tentatively. Normally, He Yan was the one who took the initiative to talk to Chu Zhao. It was rare for Chu Zhao to take the initiative, so there must be something important.
"It's nothing." Chu Zhao smiled as he invited He Yan to sit down. "I might be going back to the capital in a few days. Before I leave, I want to say goodbye to Brother He. "
He Yan was startled. "You're going back?"
"That's right." Chu Zhao smiled. "I've already stayed in Liangzhou for two months. It's a long journey. By the time I get back, it will already be spring." He said, "I'm indebted to Brother He for taking care of me these past two months in Liangzhou. It was very interesting. Brother He is very considerate."
"You're too kind." He Yan hurriedly said, "It's not me taking care of you. It's you taking care of me."
"The people who will come to pick me up will probably arrive in a few days." Chu Zhao smiled. "I don't think it will snow for the next few days. Why don't we set up a pavilion banquet on Baiyue Mountain and drink farewell wine with Brother He?"
"The commander-in-chief doesn't allow us to go up the mountain without permission." He Yan was in a difficult position. "Brother Chu also knows that I can't hold my liquor well. If I get drunk, it will inevitably cause trouble."
When Chu Zhao heard this, he smiled and shook his head. "It's fine. We won't go up the mountain. There's a pavilion at the foot of Baiyue Mountain. From there, you can overlook the Wulu River and see the best moonlight. It's fine at the foot of the mountain. As for wine, even if Brother He wants to drink, I don't have any. I'll use tea in place of wine. It's fine as long as you're sincere. "
Since he had already said it like this, He Yan didn't have any reason to decline. He straightforwardly replied, "Of course it's fine. Since Brother Chu is leaving, I naturally should accompany you. When will the pavilion banquet that Brother Chu mentioned be held? I'll make some preparations. "
"Tonight will be fine." Chu Zhao smiled. "If it snows at night, there won't be a good moonlight tomorrow."
He Yan said, "Tonight it is! Tonight, I'll definitely talk to Brother Chu all night long! "
She thought, Chu Zhao was about to leave. In the future, who would be able to explain to her the intricate and complicated relationships between the various officials in the capital? It would be better to take advantage of tonight to get as much information as possible so that it wouldn't be difficult to find such an opportunity in the future.
Chu Zhao smiled. "Brother He is straightforward."
"That's right." He Yan thought of something. "Brother Chu, why do you suddenly want to go back? Didn't you say before that you wanted to stay until the spring weather warmed up a bit before leaving? If you leave now, I'm afraid the journey will be cold. "
"I can't help it." Chu Zhao smiled somewhat helplessly. "It's my colleague, Hanlin Academy Scholar Xu daren, who is getting married. I have to rush back to the capital to attend the wedding banquet."
He Yan was holding the teacup on the table to warm her hands. When she heard this, she froze. She felt her palms become cold and her heart gradually sank. She almost couldn't control her expression.
She stiffly pulled the corners of her mouth and asked, "Xu daren? Which Xu daren? "
"His name is Xu Zhiheng, the eldest son of the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor." Chu Zhao curiously said, "Haven't I told you about him? This person is erudite and multi-talented. He's well-read and is very outstanding. "
The steaming hot tea suddenly froze into ice.
He Yan's fingers curled slightly. "Xu Zhiheng …"
He Yan didn't know how she returned to the room. She also couldn't remember what Chu Zhao said after that. She only remembered that she tried her best not to reveal any of her emotions. So that others wouldn't notice any flaws.
When she returned to the room, she almost couldn't stand properly. She held the head of the bed and slowly sat down on the bed.
Chu Zhao's words just now echoed in her mind.
"Xu daren once had a wife. His eldest brother-in-law is the current General Feihong, He Rufei. He Rufei's cousin, the daughter of the He family, married Xu Zhiheng for half a year. She lost her sight due to an illness. However, Xu daren didn't dislike his first wife because of this. He searched everywhere for famous doctors and was very considerate. "
He Yan asked, "Very … considerate?"
"That's right. At that time, the Xu family's madam hoped that Xu daren would take a concubine or find another wife for him. Xu daren flatly refused. Unfortunately, Xu daren was unlucky. This spring, when she was alone in the manor, the servants didn't notice and she accidentally fell into the pond and drowned. "
"Xu daren passed away almost a year ago. Xu daren originally told his relatives and friends that he wouldn't marry again in the future. However, he was still young. How could the Xu family let him be a widower for the rest of his life? He was so affectionate that even his deceased wife's family couldn't stand it. They chose another young lady from the He family to be engaged to him. She was the daughter of the He family's second branch. She was three years younger than the original Xu daren. She was only seventeen this year. "
The daughter of the He family's second branch was only seventeen this year … He Yan closed his eyes. That was her biological younger sister.
The He family had already planned this. Perhaps it was the result of their discussion with Xu Zhiheng. He Yan had to die. However, once He Yan died, the relationship between the He family and the Xu family would disappear. This was the result that neither family wanted to see. It was better to exchange one person for the other. He Yan's death for a new Xu daren.
She held her head. She felt like her head was about to explode.
Suddenly, someone's voice sounded. "Big Brother? What's wrong? "
He Yan looked up. It was Cheng Lisu.
She asked, "Why are you here?"
The young boy said, "I knocked on the door for a long time. No one answered. I thought you weren't here, so I came to give you some snacks." He went forward with concern. "Big Brother, you don't look well. Is your wound hurting? Do you want me to call Uncle Lin? "
He Yan waved his hand and forced a smile. "No need. I didn't sleep well last night. I'm a bit sleepy."
Cheng Lisu didn't doubt him. She nodded. "Okay." She thought of something and curled her lips. "Big Brother, you seem to be very busy these days. I have to go back to Shuojing soon. I don't know when we'll meet again. A few days ago, I learned a puppet show with a stick from Coach Ma. How about I show you tonight? "
He Yan's mind was filled with Chu Zhao's words. How could she be in the mood to talk to Cheng Lisu? Moreover, she still remembered her promise with Chu Zhao. She shook her head. "Not tonight. I've already made plans with Fourth Young Master Chu. We're going to the foot of Mount Baiyue to see the moon."
"Why are two men looking at the moon!" Cheng Lisu said unhappily. "Besides, how can the moon compare to a puppet show? Don't you see it every day? What's so strange about it? "
His ruckus actually pulled He Yan's attention back a little. She patiently explained, "It's not just to see the moon. It's just that Fourth Young Master Chu will be leaving the Liang Province Guard in a few days, so before he leaves, he wants to drink with me."
"It's good that you have a good relationship with Fourth Young Master Chu. Don't forget about me." Cheng Lisu didn't know about the undercurrent between Xiao Jue and Chu Zhao. To her, Chu Zhao was just a good-looking, good-tempered uncle who came from Shuojing with a gift from the emperor. She said, "After all, I've known you for a long time. It's reasonable for you to be more familiar with me. Big Brother, you can't abandon me! "
She was just a little brat. He Yan could only coax her. "I know. Today I'll drink with him. Tomorrow I'll see your puppet show. What do you think?"
Cheng Lisu was satisfied. She giggled. "That's more like it!"
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