Chapter 174
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A month and a half ago, Chu Hechao fell into an ambush set by Chen Wang and plunged into the Huai River.
The arrow wound was actually fake; Chu Hechao was wearing armor, and the arrows couldn’t pierce through. However, surrounded by Chen Wang’s forces with no escape route, the only chance of survival was to jump into the river. Chu Hechao pretended to be shot and jumped into the water, followed by his loyal soldiers who jumped in with him.
Once in the water, they discarded their heavy armor, as they were all skilled swimmers, trained regularly by Yuan Li. However, the Huai River was turbulent, and the Yangzhou navy was chasing after them. During their escape, over a dozen of their comrades drowned. Many of their arms and legs were broken by stray rocks, and Yuan Congyun was almost knocked unconscious by a large rock. Fortunately, Chu Hechao grabbed him by the collar just in time to save him.
In the process of saving him, Chu Hechao’s thigh and waist were pierced by sharp, thick branches.
Chu Hechao gritted his teeth, holding Yuan Congyun with one hand and another exhausted soldier with the other, dragging them ashore with all his strength. Once on land, Chu Hechao collapsed into unconsciousness.
Most of their comrades were injured, and Chu Hechao’s wounds became infected. With the Yangzhou navy still chasing them, they were fortunate to come across a fishing boat heading to Jingzhou, where they could finally take some time to rest.
Following Yuan Li’s instructions, Yuan Congyun cleaned Chu Hechao’s wounds, using moxibustion and herbal medicine, anxiously waiting for him to regain consciousness. Luckily, Chu Hechao had a strong will to live, and finally opened his eyes half a month later.
Yuan Congyun was overjoyed, promptly informing Chu Hechao of all the information he had gathered during the past half month, including Yuan Li leaving Xuzhou and Chen Wang’s attack on Xuzhou. After finishing the explanation, Yuan Congyun asked Chu Hechao if they should return to Youzhou or go to Xuzhou.
Chu Hechao pondered for a moment and decided to change to another fishing boat heading to Jiaozhou.
He understood Yuan Li’s character. He disappeared under Chen Wang’s plot, and Xuzhou was in a dire situation. Yuan Li’s departure was undoubtedly to gather troops. Considering the time spent on the round trip and troop mobilization, Yuan Li would probably return to Xuzhou within three months at most. Chu Hechao’s group was too far from Youzhou, and he was heavily injured. By the time they arrived in Youzhou, Yuan Li might already be back in Xuzhou, fighting against Chen Wang. So returning to Youzhou was not an option.
Returning to Xuzhou was even more dangerous as they could be discovered by Chen Wang’s forces at any time.
Furthermore, Wu Kai and Ouyang Ting were currently guarding the city, and defense was easier than offense. With them in charge, the defense of Xuzhou should be able to hold for several months. Even if Chu Hechao managed to avoid Chen Wang’s forces and successfully rendezvous with Wu Kai and the others, his group of a few dozen injured soldiers would not be much help to Xuzhou.
Chu Hechao was not the type to wait for death. Since he couldn’t go to Youzhou or Xuzhou, he decided to head to Jiaozhou and seek the help of the Governor, Zhou Lian, who was a friend of his father, Chu Hengping. The Governor had a son named Zhou Yukan, who had once served as a ministerial official in the capital, and was a close friend of Chu Mingfeng.
Chu Mingfeng had once given Yuan Li a letter of introduction to Zhou Yukan, but Yuan Li had not visited him.
Chu Hechao had a distant relationship with the Governor of Jiaozhou, having met a few times and addressing him as an uncle.
However, the Governor once wrote to him seeking help on dealing with the southern barbarians, and Chu Hechao had offered his assistance and shared his strategies.
With Chu Hechao’s help, the Governor successfully drove away the southern barbarians and, in gratitude, promised that if Chu Hechao ever needed help, he could seek him out.
Chu Hechao knew better than anyone how fickle people’s hearts could be, and he didn’t take the Governor’s words seriously at the time, let alone now. But given the current situation, he still wanted to give it a try.
As long as Chu Hechao could borrow troops from the Governor of Jiaozhou, he could launch a pincer attack on Chen Wang together with Yuan Li.
Even if the Governor only lent Chu Hechao two thousand soldiers, he had a way to make Chen Wang suffer a great loss.
So, while nursing his injuries, Chu Hechao and his group hurried towards Jiaozhou. Half a month later, the fishing boat finally arrived in Jiaozhou.
Chu Hechao covered his face and the big knife at his waist with an outer robe.
They disembarked from the boat, blending in with the crowd, looking tired and dusty.
***
Youzhou.
Since Yuan Li read the letter in Yang Zhongfa’s residence, he gradually calmed down day by day.
Following the instructions in the letter, he ate well and slept well. If Chu Hechao was fighting for him, how could Yuan Li allow himself to live poorly?
Yuan Li tried to restore his health to the state it was before. However, he was busy in the military camp every day, and his mind was burdened with thoughts. Despite eating and sleeping well, he had not gained an ounce of weight and appeared exceptionally haggard.
One day, when some soldiers in the camp were discussing Chu Hechao’s supposed death, Yuan Li overheard them and immediately used military law to reprimand them, warning that anyone who spread rumors disturbing the morale of the army would be executed.
In the Ministry of Government Affairs, even subordinates who were valued by Yuan Li would be scolded if they mentioned Chu Hechao’s supposed death. After half a month, no one dared to mention the possibility of Chu Hechao’s death in Yuan Li’s presence.
Since Chu Hechao’s accident, Yuan Li had changed significantly. Coupled with various incidents, some people already had a vague sense that the bond between Yuan Li and Chu Hechao seemed to be deeper than just that of brother-in-law and friend.
Such thoughts secretly surprised them.
But with Chu Hechao’s current dire situation and Yuan Li being their lord, no one dared to think further. They pretended not to notice anything and knew nothing.
When Lady Chen learned that Chu Hechao’s fate was uncertain, she was both shocked and worried. She worried about whether Chu Hechao was truly dead and was also deeply concerned about Yuan Li’s well-being.
She had been wanting to find an opportunity to see Yuan Li, but he had been too busy. When she heard that Yuan Li had finally returned from the military camp to the Chu Wang’s residence, she immediately packed her things and prepared to visit her son.
Yuan Song knew about her intention and went to the Chu Wang’s residence with her.
The couple was worried that Yuan Li would overexert himself.
However, Lady Chen was aware of the things between Yuan Li and Chu Hechao, while Yuan Song was not.
Lady Chen worried that Yuan Song might say something hurtful and upset Yuan Li. She cautioned him, “The Grand General’s whereabouts are currently unknown. As a longtime friend of the General, his emotions must run deep. My husband, when you meet with Le Jun, please refrain from mentioning his death, to avoid saddening him.”
Yuan Song nodded, stroking his beard, and sighed, “I’ve heard many things lately. I heard that someone mentioned the General’s death in front of him, and he got angry several times. I’ve never seen Le Jun getting angry before… Sigh, I never imagined that the relationship between Le Jun and the Grand General would be so close. It’s a pity…”
He fell silent for a moment and whispered, “The General is a hero, and he has done a lot for our Yuan family. With his absence, there might be turmoil in the north, but fortunately, the Xiongnu threat is gone… In these past few days, some of our followers even secretly rejoiced at the news of the General’s demise, thinking that without him, Youzhou and the northern border would become Le Jun’s territory. I was so angry hearing this that I directly expelled those people from our home. I would rather the General be alive and well; I don’t want to benefit from such ‘good fortune.’ They are shortsighted and morally despicable!”
Lady Chen nodded in agreement, “You’re right, my husband. The General’s disappearance is far from a good thing…”
Upon their arrival at the Chu Wang’s residence, the servants led them to the main hall to wait.
Upon hearing that his parents had come, Yuan Li hurriedly rushed over to meet them. He greeted them with respect as he entered, “Father, Mother, why have you come?”
Seeing him, Yuan Song and Lady Chen were both shocked. They stood up from their chairs in disbelief and exclaimed, “My son, how did you become so thin!”
Yuan Li smiled faintly and asked them to take their seats. “You don’t need to worry. I’ve been busy recently, so I lost some weight, that’s all.”
Yuan Song, being an experienced person, knew the difference between losing weight due to busyness and losing weight from harboring deep thoughts. He was both heartbroken and angry as he said, “What do you mean by ‘some’! You’ve almost turned into a skeleton. Is it necessary to be so busy with official duties? Le Jun, listen to your father. Chu Hechao is gone, and if you collapse again…”
“He is not gone,” Yuan Li interrupted Yuan Song, looking down at a small crack on the ground. His long eyelashes, like raven feathers, covered his eyes as he repeated, “He is still alive and well, just not in Youzhou.”
Yuan Song looked at him in this state and suddenly felt something strange. He frowned and wanted to say something but swallowed his words.
Was he being too sensitive about Chu Hechao’s life or death?
Lady Chen promptly intervened, “Father and Mother are just worried about you. We had many things to say, but upon seeing you, we only want to see you eat. It’s already noon. Don’t you usually have an extra meal at this time? Have you eaten yet?”
Yuan Li shook his head slowly, “Not yet.”
Lady Chen immediately ordered food to be brought in. In order to entice Yuan Li to eat more, she personally went to the kitchen and prepared two dishes.
The table was filled with food, and Chu Wang’s chefs knew that Yuan Li’s appetite had been poor lately. To encourage him to eat more, they spared no effort and prepared a variety of dishes with different flavors, making the air filled with mouthwatering aromas.
However, Yuan Li still didn’t have much appetite, but because his parents were there, he ate quite a bit.
At the moment, the only sound heard on the table was the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
The more he ate, the more uncomfortable Yuan Song felt.
The Yuan family didn’t have a rule of silence during meals. In the past, Yuan Li would always say something lighthearted and humorous to make everyone happy during meals. It was the first time such a silent meal had ever happened.
With this thought, Yuan Song looked at Yuan Li again. He noticed that Yuan Li actually picked up a piece of ginger, which he used to dislike, and put it in his mouth. After chewing it twice as if nothing was wrong, he swallowed it.
Yuan Song was astonished, “Le Jun, why did you eat the ginger?”
Yuan Li paused for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly, “Ginger is good for the body.”
Lady Chen and Yuan Song were speechless.
In an instant, Yuan Song felt as if it wasn’t Chu Hechao who had died, but rather his son’s beloved wife…
With this thought in mind, Yuan Song found his feelings even more strange.
After the meal, Lady Chen insisted on taking Yuan Li for a walk and to relax. Yuan Song followed behind, seemingly deep in thought, his eyebrows furrowing tighter and tighter.
Lady Chen turned back and pulled Yuan Song over with a wry smile, “Both of you are so busy that you rarely have a chance to meet, and now that you finally meet, why don’t you talk more?”
Yuan Song looked at Yuan Li, who had become much thinner, but his mind was filled with the thoughts from earlier. The more he thought, the more confused he became. Everything that used to seem normal suddenly felt off. He couldn’t hold it back any longer and asked, “Le Jun, why did Chu Hechao follow you to Jizhou when you went to the Duke Wen mansion?”
Yuan Li turned his head to meet Yuan Song’s gaze.
Lady Chen was startled and spoke anxiously, “There’s nothing much to say about this…”
But Yuan Song continued to stare at Yuan Li.
Yuan Li pursed his lips and calmly said, “He didn’t trust me to go to Jizhou alone.”
Yuan Song’s breath seemed to stop for a moment, and his expression stiffened for a moment. Then, he smiled as if nothing was wrong and said, “So General Chu really takes you as a family member, afraid that something might happen to you. That’s understandable. After all, at that time, Wu Shanshi had just been captured, and Jizhou was still in turmoil. It’s reasonable for General Chu to follow you there.”
Yuan Li replied with a single sound and didn’t say much more.
Lady Chen felt relieved when she saw Yuan Li’s response, but as she looked at him, her eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.
Before, when she heard that something had happened to Chu Hechao, she was worried, but deep down, she had a hidden hope. She hoped that if Chu Hechao really had an accident, Yuan Li would be willing to marry and start a family. She didn’t want her son to bear the stigma of a relationship with his in-law.
But after seeing Yuan Li today, that last hope vanished completely. Lady Chen now sincerely begged all the gods and Buddhas in the sky to protect Chu Hechao and bring him back alive.
This flesh that she had carried for ten months, as a mother, Lady Chen couldn’t bear to see Yuan Li like this.
She concealed her tears and changed the subject, “What’s that red string on your neck? I remember you used to dislike wearing such things.”
Yuan Li finally showed a smile as he took out the jade Guanyin hidden in his clothes. “It’s a Guanyin pendant made of precious jade.”
The jade Guanyin was delicate and exquisite, with a rare and beautiful color. It looked even more transparent when it fell on Yuan Li’s clothes.
Yuan Song looked at the jade Guanyin and suddenly felt his eyelids twitch. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. He stared at it for a while before his face changed, and he exclaimed, “Isn’t this the jade from Chu Hechao’s neck? Le Jun, how did this jade end up with you!”
Yuan Li blinked his eyes and calmly said, “Father, you should have already guessed.”
Yuan Song clenched his fists tightly and staggered back a step. The giant boulder of doubt and suspicion in his heart suddenly fell into place.
His mouth was filled with bitterness, and he didn’t want to believe it, but he had to believe it—Yuan Li and Chu Hechao, were actually in such an illicit relationship!
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