Chapter 124

After a brief silence, Fan Changyu said, “If this is related to my grandfather’s grain convoy, then I’m going with you.”

In the darkness, Xie Zheng opened his eyes.

The truth behind what happened seventeen years ago concerned not only him, but also the woman before him.

By the moonlight filtering through the window, he could just make out the contours of Fan Changyu’s face. Her eyes were filled with determination.

One of his arms still rested around her waist. Through the thin fabric, he could faintly feel the raised scar on her abdomen.

There was no telling whether this trip would be a trap.

The elite Heaven-ranked assassins under Wei Yan were likely no less formidable than the Imperial Shadow Guards serving Qi Min.

He said, “Wait until the Emperor’s decree arrives, then return to the capital with the army. If you follow me there without an imperial order and get caught, it’s a capital offense.”

Fan Changyu glared at him.

“You think I’m afraid of that?”

Knowing her temperament, Xie Zheng’s lips curved slightly, his gaze softening.

He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply several times before saying, “I know you’re not afraid. But you have to prepare for every possibility.”

His hand gently rubbed the scar at her waist.

“The Imperial Grandson and his mother are still at the estate. You’ll be safer staying here.”

“If I walk into a trap and disappear like the old man did…”

He pressed an oval-shaped token into her palm.

“With this, you can command both the Blood-Clad Cavalry and the Xie family’s forces in Huizhou.”

“If things truly reach the point of no return, don’t rush into the capital.”

“Convince Tang Peiyi to support the Imperial Grandson instead.”

“As long as Crown Prince Chengde’s bloodline survives, even if you’re forced to occupy only a corner of the northwest, no one in the court will dare label you rebels.”

Feeling the token still warm from his body, Fan Changyu’s emotions became complicated.

She turned to look at him.

“What about you?”

Seeing the concern in her eyes, Xie Zheng pulled her tightly into his arms.

“I’m only talking about the worst-case scenario.”

“Wei Yan isn’t capable of making sure I never come back.”

Still clutching the token, Fan Changyu buried her face against his solid chest.

Her heart was in turmoil.

“Just be careful,” she muttered.

The front of Xie Zheng’s robe was still partly open from earlier.

As she pressed her cheek against his chest, every breath she exhaled brushed against his skin.

He was young and full of vigor.

The woman he loved most was lying in his arms.

He endured and endured until his throat bobbed several times.

Staring at the dark canopy overhead, he finally said in near defeat,

“If you’re really that worried… how about letting me leave an heir for the Xie family first?”

The warmth in Fan Changyu’s heart instantly vanished.

Expressionless, she reached over and viciously pinched his waist.

A muffled laugh escaped him.

“Trying to murder your husband?”

Fan Changyu reached over to pinch him again, but Xie Zheng caught her hand.

What began as playful pushing and shoving gradually changed.

By the time she realized it, her wrists and ankles had been pinned to the bed.

Supporting himself above her, Xie Zheng stared at her for several moments before lowering his head and kissing her again.

His loose hair occasionally brushed across her neck and shoulders.

It was cool.

And slightly ticklish.

This kiss was different from the others.

He was no longer eager to conquer and overwhelm.

Instead, he became astonishingly patient.

So gentle that it felt as though he were tempting her into something.

And Fan Changyu truly was tempted.

—

When Fan Changyu woke the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky.

Bright sunlight streamed through the doors and windows, making her squint uncomfortably.

Something heavy seemed to be pressing against her chest.

When she focused her eyes, she discovered it was Changning sprawled across the quilt.

Aunt Zhao had already helped the little girl wash up and dress.

Now that her hair was longer, the twin buns on either side of her head were neatly arranged, each decorated with a tiny bell-shaped flower ornament.

Resting her chubby chin in her hands, Changning grinned.

“Big Sister is a lazy bug today. The sun’s already shining on your butt and you’re still in bed.”

Still sleepy, Fan Changyu instinctively wanted to pat Changning’s head.

Then memories from the previous night suddenly resurfaced.

She immediately stopped herself from taking her hand out from under the blanket.

Her expression became slightly unnatural.

“Your big sister was lazy today.”

“Could Ningniang help me get some wash water?”

Her voice was hoarse from just waking up.

Rarely given errands by Fan Changyu, Changning immediately brightened.

“Okay!”

She jumped off the bed, slipped on her shoes, picked up the bronze washbasin from its stand with both hands, and scampered off to find Aunt Zhao.

Only after the room was empty did Fan Changyu throw back the blanket and sit up.

Her undergarment hung loosely from her body.

Scattered red marks ran from her neck all the way down her shoulders.

Even her chest felt sore.

It was probably from being accidentally bitten.

Fan Changyu dragged a hand through her messy hair with a look of utter despair.

She honestly had no idea how things had ended up like this last night.

She wanted to change clothes, but when her gaze fell upon the fingertips of her right hand, she remembered what Xie Zheng had gotten on them the previous night.

Even though she had already washed them clean, she subconsciously wiped her fingers on the discarded clothes beside her.

Right.

He had used one of her undergarments to wipe her hand clean afterward.

Afraid that something might not have been properly cleaned and that Changning might discover it, Fan Changyu searched the room for the garment in question.

When she spotted it hanging half-dry on a wooden rack, she finally relaxed.

Then a strange feeling surfaced.

Had he actually washed it before leaving?

Her cheeks immediately heated up.

Rubbing her face vigorously, she hurriedly found a clean chest binding from her clothing chest and wrapped it around herself before Changning returned.

For convenience while wearing military uniforms, Fan Changyu almost always bound her chest.

Today, however, it hurt.

As she tied the binding, she glanced down and noticed tender bruising.

Pressing her lips together, she recalled the chaos of the previous night.

Half embarrassed and half annoyed, she silently cursed Xie Zheng several times in her heart.

Fortunately, autumn had arrived.

She selected a robe with a higher collar to conceal the marks on her neck.

Yet during breakfast, Aunt Zhao somehow noticed them anyway.

Recalling the noises she had heard the night before, she asked,

“Changyu, why haven’t we seen Yan Zheng since returning from Chongzhou?”

Fan Changyu nearly choked on a mouthful of rice.

Back then, she had never told Aunt Zhao about her separation from Xie Zheng because she didn’t want the older woman to worry.

As for their true identities, she still hadn’t figured out how to explain them.

Now she could only poke at the rice in her bowl and answer vaguely,

“He went with the army to Kang City to eliminate the remaining rebels.”

“He’ll probably be back when the army enters the capital.”

Aunt Zhao’s expression became increasingly strange.

She secretly wondered where the marks on Fan Changyu’s neck had come from.

Carefully, she asked,

“You two haven’t had a falling-out, have you?”

Fan Changyu looked baffled.

“No.”

That answer only made Aunt Zhao more concerned.

After hesitating, she asked,

“In the future… are you planning to live with Yan Zheng alone, or…”

Fan Changyu completely misunderstood.

She answered openly,

“Of course I’ll still take care of Ningniang, you, and Uncle Zhao.”

“You and Uncle Zhao are practically family.”

“How could I abandon you?”

Aunt Zhao slapped her thigh in frustration.

“Who was asking about that?”

“I mean, you’re not planning to become one of those heartless people who get rich and successful, keep one family at home, and several more outside, are you?”

In the courtyard, Xie Wu and Xie Qi, who had been sweeping and playing with Changning respectively, nearly died of shock upon hearing that.

This time Fan Changyu genuinely choked.

Her face turned red as pig’s liver.

“You child, slow down.”

“It’s only a question. Why are you choking?” Aunt Zhao hurriedly patted her back before pouring her a cup of tea.

After downing the tea, Fan Changyu finally recovered.

“Dame Zhao, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Aunt Zhao glanced at the courtyard, where Xie Wu and Xie Qi were pretending to be busy while blatantly eavesdropping.

Then she pointed at her own neck.

Fan Changyu immediately pulled her collar tighter.

Knowing she couldn’t hide it any longer, she lowered her head in embarrassment.

“Yan Zheng came back last night.”

Aunt Zhao instantly brightened.

“Where is he?”

Fan Changyu finished her tea.

“He left again.”

Afraid of further questioning, she quickly set down the cup and stood up.

“Dame Zhao, stop worrying about strange things.”

“There are matters at the camp. I’m heading out.”

In truth, there wasn’t much happening at the military camp lately.

Fan Changyu simply didn’t want anyone noticing the marks on her neck.

Instead, she went to visit Yu Qianqian and her son at the estate.

On the third day after Xie Zheng’s departure, Fan Changyu learned from Xie Wu that the Blood-Clad Cavalry had captured Li Huai’an and brought him back.

The moment she thought of He Jingyuan and all the soldiers who had died outside Lu City, hatred surged through her.

She wanted nothing more than to confront Li Huai’an face to face.

And she did exactly that.

When she entered Xie Zheng’s private prison, she found Li Huai’an sitting calmly on a pile of straw.

His clothes were ragged and his hair disheveled, yet his demeanor remained peaceful.

Unable to suppress her anger, Fan Changyu said coldly,

“The loyal dead outside Lu City lie buried across the fields.”

“Have you been sleeping and eating well these days, Lord Li?”

Li Huai’an opened his eyes and looked at her through the bars.

Pain and shame briefly crossed his face before turning into bitterness.

“If I told you I haven’t known a moment’s peace, would you believe me, Miss Fan?”

The image of He Jingyuan’s corpse standing atop Lu City’s walls—and of the soldiers who had fallen one after another beside her—flashed through Fan Changyu’s mind.

Her gaze was as sharp as a blade.

“Save those words for the day the truth comes to light.”

“Tell them to the countless soldiers who died unjustly!”

“The people believe the Li family are righteous officials just like Lord He.”

“But it was your Li family who treated their lives as worthless!”

Li Huai’an merely smiled bitterly.

“I’ve always admired your straightforward nature, Miss Fan.”

“You love what you love and hate what you hate.”

“But in this world, many things aren’t simply black and white.”

“There are always choices.”

“What the Li family did may be wrong today.”

“But in ten or twenty years, it may bring a golden age to Great Yin.”

Fan Changyu clenched her teeth and punched the prison wall.

The hard bricks cracked and shattered, sending debris flying.

Li Huai’an’s voice abruptly stopped.

He looked up, stunned by the fury on her face.

Fan Changyu stared at him coldly.

“What gives you the right to speak such arrogant words?”

“Because you were born wealthy?”

“Because you’ve never had to worry about your next meal like ordinary people?”

“Because you’ve read too many classics and all the suffering you’ve seen exists only as a light sentence on a page?”

“The ones who died weren’t you.”

“They weren’t your family.”

“What right do you have to decide that their deaths were worth trading for a prosperous age?”

Li Huai’an was completely stunned.

Giving him one final cold and mocking look, Fan Changyu turned toward the exit.

Then sudden commotion erupted near the prison entrance.

Several men dressed as Blood-Clad Cavalry soldiers rushed in carrying bloodstained blades.

They met Fan Changyu face to face.

In a single glance, she realized they were impostors.

Drawing the boning knife she carried at her waist, she prepared herself.

The prison raiders exchanged glances.

Then they charged.

The corridor was narrow.

When Fan Changyu’s blade collided with theirs, sparks exploded into the air.

Relying solely on brute strength, she forced them backward, practically dragging them along with their own weapons.

One assassin attempted a sneak attack.

Fan Changyu kicked his arm.

The joint immediately dislocated.

His weapon clattered to the floor.

After dealing with the assassins who had entered the prison, she turned back toward Li Huai’an.

“Even trapped in here, there are still people willing to risk their lives to rescue you.”

“But those soldiers who died outside the city…”

“They waited until their last breath, and no one came.”

Li Huai’an lowered his head.

His tangled hair obscured most of his face.

“Go save the Imperial Grandson and his mother.”

Fan Changyu’s expression changed.

“What do you mean?”

His voice was numb and emotionless.

“The prison break is only a distraction.”

In an instant, understanding struck her.

This was a diversion!

The attackers had disguised themselves as Blood-Clad Cavalry soldiers and stormed the prison.

The real Blood-Clad Cavalry would naturally rush reinforcements here.

If all available troops became tied down at the prison, there would be no time to respond if something happened at the estate.

Fan Changyu immediately sprinted out.

Along the way, countless disguised enemies crossed her path.

Unable to distinguish friend from foe, she was wounded on the arm during the fighting.

After that, she simply attacked first and asked questions later.

When Xie Eleven arrived with reinforcements, he nearly got cut down as well.

He hurriedly raised his blade to block her attack.

“Commander! It’s me, Eleven!”

Pressing a hand against her bleeding arm, Fan Changyu glanced at the hundred or so men behind him.

“Go to the estate!”

“The estate is their real target!”

Xie Eleven’s face changed dramatically.

Immediately, he ordered his men,

“You few stay behind and clean this up.”

“Everyone else, follow me to the estate!”

Fan Changyu said,

“I’m coming too.”

Xie Eleven looked at her.

He seemed to realize there was no stopping her.

Tossing her a bottle of wound medicine, he said,

“Then be careful, Commander!”