In the end, Da Wei won the war against Wu Tuo.
After Wu Tuo was defeated, the king of Wu Tuo personally wrote a letter of surrender and ordered the prince and the envoy to come and beg for forgiveness. He promised that in the next hundred years, he would not take the initiative to send troops and form an alliance with Da Wei and become a vassal state of Da Wei. He also left the prince in Da Wei as a hostage to show his allegiance.
Emperor Zhaokang was pleased and rewarded the soldiers who led the troops to the battlefield. He even made Marquis Wu An He Yan a third-rank general and gave her the title of Guiyue. Henceforth, she was the first female general in the history of the Great Wei Dynasty.
In the courtyard, He Sui looked at the gifts piled up in front of the door and said worriedly, "The cloth and rice can be stored for a long time, but what about these fruits? We don't have many people at home. I'm afraid they will spoil before we finish eating. "
He Yunsheng glanced at them and said, "Send them to Brother-in-law's house. Brother-in-law has many family members. However, Father, you are insulting He Yan's appetite by worrying about whether we can finish eating. "
"How can you talk about your sister like that!" He Sui slapped him to the side and said, "Quickly bring the soup in the kitchen to Yan Yan!"
He Yunsheng rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen in resignation.
He Yan was sitting in the room looking at He Yunsheng's recent homework. Xiao Jue was sitting beside her. She had trouble walking now and her leg injury would not heal in a short time. However, she was not someone who could sit down. She was nagged by Bai Rongwei and He Sui a hundred times every day.
He Yunsheng walked in from outside while she was sitting. She held a porcelain bowl in her hands and placed it in front of He Yan. She said unhappily, "Father personally stewed this bone soup for you. Drink it."
"Why is it bone soup again?" He Yan's face turned bitter. She was not a picky eater, but she could not stand the bone soup three times a day. Looking at the bowl of soup that was bigger than her face, she felt like her stomach was going to burst with oil.
"Didn't you hurt your leg? Father said that you can nourish yourself with whatever you eat. You should nourish yourself well. " Pausing for a moment, he finally couldn't help but reprimand her, "They say that it takes a hundred days to recover from a serious injury. Since your leg is injured, don't run around if you have nothing to do. Why don't you just stay at home and recuperate? His Majesty has already approved your leave, why don't you take your body seriously … "
He nagged on and on, acting more like a father than He Sui. He Yan couldn't take it anymore and looked at Xiao Jue for help. However, this person clearly saw her predicament, yet he just sat there and drank his tea calmly.
After He Yunsheng finished speaking, he asked Xiao Jue, "Brother-in-law, do you think I'm right?"
Xiao Jue replied slowly, "That's right."
"Did you hear that, He Yan?" He Yunsheng was more confident now that he had someone to back him up. "You should be more sensible!"
"I …"
"I won't say anymore, I'm going to feed Xiang Xiang." He Yunsheng rattled on and on until he was satisfied. He said, "Finish the soup. Father made it himself, don't leave a single drop behind." Then he went out.
He Yan saw him go out and stared at the bowl of soup in front of him. Finally, he looked at Xiao Jue, "Xiao Jue …"
"No." This person replied heartlessly.
He Yan looked at him and felt a headache, "Military Governor Xiao, you are using your position to avenge a private grudge. It's been so long, why are you still angry?"
He raised his eyebrows, "I'm not angry."
He Yan looked at him and suddenly remembered that the last time she was angry at Xiao Jue, it was in the Ji County's camp.
That was the day she and her two thousand soldiers pretended to surrender. Some of the Yan Army couldn't stand the provocation of the Uto. In a moment of impulse, they changed the plan. She was in the city, took the Uto's sword and fought with them. The soldiers outside the city couldn't enter, so someone had to open the city gates. She, Jiang Jiao, and Wang Ba fought as they walked to the city gate tower.
Soldiers were never alone in a battle. If they were outnumbered, they would be at a disadvantage. If they ran to the city gate tower, they would become targets.
He Yan was also injured.
Her leg was cut by the Uto's sword. The wound was so deep that her bones could be seen. With every step she took, the wound pulled at her muscles, and it was painful. Wang Ba and Jiang Jiao were afraid that she wouldn't be able to hold on for long, but she actually held on.
The city gates were finally opened, and the soldiers waiting outside the city finally entered. They had won the battle.
When He Yan got off his horse, he couldn't feel his right leg. After a long time of activity, his pants were stained red with blood. The fabric was stuck to his flesh, and when he tore it off, his skin and flesh were exposed. It was a hair-raising sight.
When Lin Shuanghe saw He Yan's wound, his face turned pale. He ordered someone to help him into the tent. He Yan had lost too much blood. When he fell on the bed, he was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes. When he was in a daze, he only had one thought in his mind. It's over, it's over. He didn't go back alive. He broke his promise. Xiao Jue must be angry again.
In fact, she wasn't afraid of Xiao Jue being angry. Although Xiao Jue got angry more easily than her, she was still easy to appease.
However, she was also afraid that Xiao Jue would really be angry. He Yan knew that he had never been angry with her in the past.
Lin Shuanghe busied himself in her tent for a day and a night. When He Yan woke up, the light in the tent flickered. Someone was leaning against the bed and dozing off. When He Yan moved, he woke up.
"Hey, Brother Lin." He Yan forced a smile. His voice was a little dry. "You can't fool around with a friend's wife. Did you sleep with me for a night?"
She was still in the mood to joke. Lin Shuanghe looked at her with a serious expression and said, "He Yan, you have to rest."
Lin Shuanghe was very dangerous when it came to saving people. It wasn't easy for her to keep her life. However, even though her life was saved, if she did not rest well and continued to jump around like before, then it was very likely that she would not be able to keep her leg in the future.
He Yan's face was pale. She smiled at him and said, "That won't do. The battle isn't over yet."
Just like before Yan He died, even though he knew that intense activity would cause the poison to spread even faster and become a death sentence for him, he still went into battle with his injuries. He Yan was the same. It was already the most crucial time. If they didn't seize the opportunity and let the Uto have a chance to counterattack, it would be very troublesome.
"Wrap it up tightly for me." He Yan said, "Try not to affect my performance on the battlefield."
"Aren't you afraid, your right leg …"
"At most, it's just a cripple." He Yan smiled. "Moreover, it's possible that it'll be fine."
She struggled to get up. Without any pause, she started to arrange the upcoming battle.
Lin Shuanghe once thought that He Yan's leg would really be lost.
However, He Yan was luckier than Yan He.
On the way back from Ji County to Shuo Jing, Lin Shuanghe used all his knowledge on He Yan. In the beginning, He Yan's situation was really bad. It was so bad that when Lin Shuanghe wrote a letter, he didn't know where to start. Later, He Yan got better. He wrote He Yan's situation in his letter. In the end, something happened at the relay station. This made Xiao Jue worried for many days.
However, this leg injury had to be taken care of.
He Yan looked at him and asked, "You're really not angry?"
Xiao Jue looked at the tea in front of her attentively.
She clutched her chest and said, "Ah, my leg …"
In an instant, this person looked at her. Seeing that she was pretending, he paused and said, "You're injured on your leg. Why are you clutching your chest?"
"It's my leg that hurts, but it's my heart that hurts." He Yan looked at him bitterly. "I'm already very hurt, but you're still so cold …"
Although he knew that this person in front of him could lie easily, he still sighed and sat down in front of her. He asked, "Is it very painful?"
He Yan said seriously, "Yes, but if you say a few words of concern, it might not hurt anymore."
Xiao Jue was speechless.
He was so angry that he laughed.
Seeing that he laughed, He Yan rested her chin on her hand and looked at him. She tugged at his sleeve and said, "Alright, Military Governor Xiao, don't be angry. Next time, I'll take good care of myself. I won't joke about my life. This time, I made you worry for so long. It's my fault. I didn't know that something could go wrong at the relay station! "
She had to take the blame for this.
Xiao Jue's gaze fell on her. This person had a cheeky smile on her face and didn't look sad at all. However, she didn't know the fear in his heart when he couldn't find her.
He wasn't angry. It was more likely that he felt helpless because he couldn't help her when she was in danger.
However, he knew that if he could do it again, He Yan would still make the same choice. If it was him, he would also do the same.
But she was still here. Being able to play happily in front of him was already a blessing from the heavens. It was enough.
After a while, he looked at He Yan and smiled. "Okay."
He Yan was overjoyed. "That's right, I …"
"But I won't help you finish this bowl of soup."
"…"
He Yan said, "Xiao Jue, you're really petty."
Two days later, He Yan and Xiao Jue went to see Xia Chengxiu.
He Yan originally thought that he would see a sad and depressed girl. However, to his surprise, Xia Chengxiu actually looked pretty good.
When He Yan saw her, she was shaking a small red drum and playing with a baby in a bamboo basket. The baby's eyes were open and his eyes were following the movements of the small drum. He was babbling something that no one knew what he was saying. Xia Chengxiu was amused by him and laughed.
He Yan called out, "Miss Chengxiu." Xia Chengxiu saw her and was surprised for a moment. Then, he said, "Miss He."
Xia Chengxiu had lost a lot of weight and his clothes looked very loose. However, his complexion was still good. He wondered if it was because he had become a mother, but he had become more gentle. He Yan originally thought about how to comfort her and make Xia Chengxiu feel better. Now that he saw her, he realized that the words he had prepared were useless.
"Miss Chengxiu, how have you been these days?" He Yan thought for a long time and finally asked this question.
"I've been fine." Xia Chengxiu smiled and said, "With Muxia by my side, the days haven't been too hard."
He Yan felt a little sad when he heard this. Xia Chengxiu looked at her and smiled instead. "Miss He, don't be sad for me. When I first heard about Yan He's news, I couldn't accept it. I even thought about leaving with him. However, now that I have Muxia, my original obsession has gradually dissipated. "
"When I married Yan He, I knew that there might be a day like this. I just didn't expect it to come so early. "She lowered her head and smiled." But since I've made my choice, there's nothing to say. Yan He is already gone, and the living have to live a good life. " She looked at Muxia in the basket. "I think that God is not too cruel to me. At least, I still have Muxia."
She had lived a clear life. There were some things that Xia Chengxiu understood without He Yan saying it. However, He Yan thought that sometimes, being overly intelligent and sensible might make people feel more sorry for her.
She chatted with Xia Chengxiu for a while more before she got up and left.
After that, He Yan went to Hong Shan's home.
Hong Shan was not like Shi Tou and Huang Xiong, who still had a young brother and an old mother at home. Hong Shan's mother cried every day. He Yan helped find a school so that his younger brother could go to school. He also helped his mother's family with their expenses. Just as Xia Chengxiu said, the dead were gone, and the people left behind had to live a good life.
The only thing she could do for Hong Shan was to take care of his family for him.
In the winter, at a restaurant in Linjiang, a flag with the word "wine" written on it fluttered in the wind. A brawny man carrying a large knife walked up to the woman selling wine and asked in a rough voice, "Do you have apricot wine?"
The woman looked up and saw the scars on the man's face. He looked like a bandit. She was a little scared and whispered, "I'm sorry, sir. We don't have apricot wine in the winter. We only have rice wine."
She thought that this fierce man would be angry. She didn't expect him to just say, "Three bowls of rice wine." He put the money on the table and walked inside.
The woman was stunned for a moment. She hurriedly got up and walked to the wine jar to get a wooden spoon.
Wang Ba looked at the small winery with a silent expression.
Before he came here, he went to the bandit stronghold and gave the reward money he earned to his brothers. He told them not to rob in the future. He saw that the stronghold was now raising fish and living a good life. They shouldn't touch the life of living on the edge of a knife anymore.
When he went to Jiuchuan, Huang Xiong told him that the apricot wine in this restaurant in Linjiang was particularly sweet and fragrant. He promised to invite him to drink here when he came back from the war. He gladly agreed. But now, he was the only one who came here to drink.
Time passed quickly. It didn't leave any traces, but there were traces everywhere. He was no longer as fierce and aggressive as he was when he first entered the army. The children in the stronghold said that he had become much gentler.
He didn't know what was going on, but this was good.
To them, being able to come back alive was already a blessing from the heavens.
Three bowls of wine were quickly served. It was home-brewed rice wine. The wine looked turbid and suffused with a simple spicy taste. He raised his head and drank all the wine in the bowl in front of him. From his throat to his lower abdomen, he immediately felt a burning heat.
"Old Brother." He wiped his mouth and exhaled a breath that reeked of alcohol. He didn't know who he was talking to. "The wine is good."
No one answered him.
A moment later, he picked up the remaining two bowls of wine and walked to the window. In front of the window, a thin willow swayed in the wind. In the winter, the branches and leaves were bare. But not long after, when spring came, new green would grow here.
He turned his hand and poured the two bowls of wine into the ground in front of the willow. The wine seeped in little by little.
He silently watched for a while, then said in a low voice, "I'll also invite you to try it."
In the noodle shop in the east of the city, the busy young girl had changed into a light blue dress. There was a circle of fluffy rabbit fur embroidered on the edge of the dress. Velvet flowers of the same color were inserted into her hair bun, which made her already delicate and pretty face even more delicate.
The closer it was to winter, the better the business of the noodle shop became. On a cold winter morning, eating a bowl of piping hot Yang Chun noodles in the morning would make one feel warm from the bottom of their heart.
Sun Xiao Lan was so busy that her feet didn't touch the ground. Only when the last bowl of noodles was delivered could she take a break. She was wiping the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief when she suddenly saw a familiar figure in the crowd.
It was a somewhat dark and handsome young man. As he walked by the street, Sun Xiao Lan found him familiar and couldn't help but take a few more glances. Then she remembered that at the beginning of spring this year, she had seen this young man. There was also a handsome young man who was taciturn. After they left, they left a pot of peach blossoms on the table.
The young girl's heart suddenly felt a burst of joy. Just as she was about to call out to him, someone behind her said, "Little girl, I'd like another bowl of Yang Chun noodles here — —"
Sun Xiao Lan responded with her mouth. When she looked up again, she saw that the figure had already disappeared from the crowd.
Where did he go?
The urging voice behind her didn't make her think too much. She only thought to herself, Forget it. Since these two young men are in Shuo capital, there will definitely be a chance to meet them in the future. Who knows, maybe in a few days, they will come to this noodle house.
Thinking of this, her heart became happy again. Amidst the hubbub of voices, only the pot of peach blossoms in front of the noodle house's wooden cabinet looked lonely and bleak in the winter. The flowerpot was beautifully painted, as if it was a brilliant spring day.
The snow pressed down heavily on the eaves.
When He Yan came out of the Military Department, the sky was already dark.
Although her leg was injured and Zhaokang Emperor had temporarily allowed her to take sick leave, after the battle of Jiuchuan Ji County, the follow-up military affairs were busy. She still had to go to the Military Department to discuss matters with her colleagues. It was inconvenient for Qing Mei, so when she came out during the day, it was Chi Wu who sent her out. However, she stayed a little longer today. When she came out, it was already very late.
She was the only one left in the Military Department. He Yan came out with a walking stick. Just as he was about to ask someone to find a carriage, he saw a person standing on the steps. She was wearing a bright moonlight embroidered brocade robe. Standing in the snow, it seemed as if the snow was illuminated.
"Xiao Jue!" He Yan waved at him.
He chuckled and walked up to them.
"Why are you free today?" He Yan waited for him to come closer before asking. If she was extremely busy in the Military Department, Xiao Jue was even busier than her.
"I know you haven't gone back yet, so I came to pick you up." He said.
He Yan hurriedly grabbed his arm. With one hand holding the walking stick, she hopped forward on one leg.
She didn't think much of it. Her leg injury was actually much better, but she didn't know what Lin Shuanghe had said to Xiao Jue to exaggerate … In short, He Yan felt that her current life was like a cripple.
She took two steps forward. Xiao Jue suddenly stopped. He Yan asked, "What's wrong?"
His gaze fell on He Yan's walking stick. After thinking for a while, he walked in front of He Yan and squatted down slightly. "Come on up."
"You … you want to carry me on your back?" He Yan asked.
"Hurry up."
"That's not good." He Yan hesitated for a while. "This is the Military Department. I have to work here every day. If someone sees this, it will damage my reputation. Everyone knows how brave and invincible I was in Jiuchuan. If they look back, they will see that I even need someone to carry me. Wouldn't that be embarrassing … "
"Are you coming up or not?"
He Yan said, "Yes, yes, yes!"
She pounced forward and wrapped her arms around Xiao Jue's neck. Xiao Jue easily carried her on his back.
Xiao Jue continued to carry her outside. He Yan whispered in his ear, "Even if you don't care about my reputation, what about yours? Won't others say that although Da Wei's Commander Jade-Face looks impressive, he is actually a henpecked husband at home … "
"Lady He," Xiao Jue's voice was very calm. "You don't have to speak when you don't want to."
He Yan said, "Are you admitting that you are a henpecked husband?"
At times like this, Xiao Jue was usually too lazy to bother with her.
The wind blew in the night. It was very cold as they walked on the road. However, his back was warm and broad, as if it could support the entire future.
He Yan thought that Xiao Jue was indeed better than He Yunsheng. If He Yunsheng had carried her for such a long distance, he would have scolded her and complained that she was heavy.
"Military Governor Xiao," He Yan's voice was soft. Her warm breath blew on his neck, tickling him. "Is this your first time carrying a girl?"
Xiao Jue's voice was very cold. "Are you a girl?"
No one saw that the corners of his mouth were slightly curved, and his eyes were as moving as water.
"Am I not a girl?" He Yan asked doubtfully. "Then, do you like a man?"
Xiao Jue did not say anything.
Perhaps it was because He Yan had been with him for a long time, but his ability to annoy people had grown day by day. Sometimes, Xiao Jue could not win against her in an argument, or perhaps, he was too lazy to argue with her.
She had won a round and was very proud of herself.
The night was quiet. The snow and the moon were silvery white. One end of the street was quiet, while the other end of the street was connected to the night market. The lights were waning.
They walked with their backs to the hustle and bustle. Along the way, the broken lights hanging under the eaves illuminated the snowy ground. Plum trees planted in people's backyards were blooming. They stretched out sparsely from the fences, trembling beautifully.
The wind and snow came for no reason, but her mood was calm. On the way home, the night was beautiful.
She laid on Xiao Jue's back and looked at the moon in the sky. She called out to him, "Xiao Jue."
He Yan responded with an "Mm". She heard him say, "What do you think the moon will be different from now in ten, twenty, fifty years?"
Xiao Jue paused.
"I don't know." After a while, he answered.
"I want to see how the moon will be different from now in a few decades."
Xiao Jue looked up. The cold moon was like eyebrows, pear blossoms dotting the snow. The voice of the person on her back was gentle and quiet. When she laid on his back, it was reassuring.
"I want to know too." His gaze softened. Like the limpid autumn water, he said softly, "So … let's look at it together."
Look at the moon together … ten, twenty, fifty years?
He Yan's lips slowly curled up.
In the future … what would it be like?
Maybe the streets would be different in ten years. Maybe the snow would be colder in twenty years. Maybe she and Xiao Jue would be white-haired in fifty years.
But the moon might not be different from tonight.
Even if it was different, it did not matter.
Ten, twenty, fifty years later, the mountains would be long and the rivers would be far away. She did not know the things of the world now, but she knew …
She would always like the moon.
A snowflake landed on the hair of the person in front of her. He Yan gently brushed it away.
She felt that it was much more normal. The moon was bright and the wind was gentle. Tonight was a good night.
"Let's go home." She smiled and urged him.
"Okay."
The end of the text.
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