After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 107

The sun was setting late, its remaining light desolate.

Li Chanxiu led five thousand cavalry galloping across the wilderness, until dusk fully descended and the world gradually darkened.

Seeing that he finally slowed down, Guard Yu quickly rode up beside Li Chanxiu, who had been racing at the very front. Panting, his voice mixed with the wind of the open land: “Your Highness, it will still take half a day’s journey to reach the ferry Commander Zhou mentioned. It’s already late, should we let everyone rest for a while first?”

Li Chanxiu reined in his horse with a “whoa,” thought for a moment, then nodded.

Yu Xingfan could not help but let out a breath of relief. He quickly turned to have everyone halt and find a place to rest.

He did not know if it was just his imagination, but ever since His Highness returned from trying to recruit that General Pei, his mood had seemed poor, even making others somewhat afraid to speak to him, as though an invisible layer of cold had suddenly surrounded him, shutting everyone out while he remained alone within it, brooding.

Yu Xingfan did not dare say more and hurried off to arrange other matters.

Li Chanxiu rode alone to a slightly elevated slope, gazing at the distant mountains and forests, now reduced to dark, indistinct shadows as night fell.

After a long time, he let out a soft sigh. His heart, like the twilight before him, was filled with a quiet heaviness and sorrow.

In truth, from the prefectural city to the ferry Zhou Kai had mentioned would take six to seven hours. When he had received the news, it had already been close to evening, there had been no need to hurry so urgently.

Moreover, in his dream, Zhao Lü had taken his own life only because he had reached a dead end. Now, although he still had twenty to thirty thousand remaining troops and was in a difficult situation, it was not yet to the point of suddenly taking his life by the river. There had truly been no need for him to rush so anxiously.

But at that time, he had only wanted to quickly find something for himself to do, to divert his emotions and attention. Otherwise, he would keep thinking about what he and Pei Zhen had said on West Hillside, and the more he thought, the sadder he would feel… just like now.

Li Chanxiu dismounted, sat alone at the edge of the slope, letting the cold wind blow over him, his mood seeming to sink to the very bottom.

He had ruined everything. Clearly, he and Pei Zhen could have had a better beginning than in the dream, but he had relied too much on the dream and instead made things worse. Or perhaps, back on the painted boat, he should have realized it and made things clear, at least then, today would not have been so awkward and disheveled, nor would he… feel as upset as he did now.

Or perhaps, it would have been better if he had not worn that fur-trimmed cloak. If he had not worn it, his neck would not have been covered, and without needing him to say anything, Pei Zhen would have recognized it back then.

Li Chanxiu did not know why he felt such regret at this moment. When he had recruited Lu Zhi before, he had never expected success on the first try. When Lu Zhi had not agreed immediately, he had not been upset, and had even thought optimistically that if it did not work once, he could try again later, after all, Liu Bei had visited the thatched cottage three times.

But when it came to Pei Zhen, just once, even though the other had not explicitly refused, it was as if he had already been completely struck down.

Why was it like this? Was it because Pei Zhen was different?

Yes, Pei Zhen was different. Li Chanxiu quickly thought, Pei Zhen was unique.

In the dream, the other had shared his heart with him; in reality, they had supported each other in the northwest. In his most difficult times, the other had helped him, stood by him…

The other was a mentor, a close friend, a companion, and… the person he cared about most in this world besides his father. So when Pei Zhen was disappointed in him, he felt unbearable sorrow, to the point that he did not dare say much more and could only leave in disarray.

He feared that if he stayed even a moment longer, or said even one more sentence, his voice would betray a sob, and tears would fall from his eyes.

Ever since that experience in the dream, Li Chanxiu had rarely cried again. Perhaps because he had relied on the dream, things had gone relatively smoothly for him. But in truth, no matter how well he did relying on the dream, he was only just over eighteen now, and had only recently regained freedom from the place where he had been confined. He was newly stepping into the world, his first eighteen years almost blank, with little experience in dealing with others.

Now, suddenly struck by such a blow, and from the person most important to him, he could not help burying his head in his knees, hugging them tightly, his slender shoulders trembling slightly.

It was not until Guard Yu came over, about to say something, that he quickly stilled his trembling. His face still buried between his knees, he spoke in a muffled voice to stop him: “Don’t come over.”

Sensing something, Yu Xingfan froze slightly and quickly stepped back, standing at a distance on the other side of the slope.

The evening wind carried faint sounds from afar. It seemed that Li Chanxiu had stood up. Yu Xingfan found himself thinking: Was His Highness just crying?

But then, on second thought, he felt it was not so strange. His Highness’s usual decisiveness and confidence had made him almost forget that the other was still a child, two years younger than his own eldest son.

Thinking of this, Yu Xingfan could not help but sigh: the Little Highness truly has it hard.

Li Chanxiu soon led his horse over. His expression had already returned to normal, though a few clusters of his long, thick eyelashes were stuck together, clearly having been damp not long before.

“Guard Yu, is there something?” he asked slowly, his voice slightly hoarse.

Yu Xingfan snapped back to attention and hurriedly said, “Oh, just now your subordinate caught a few wild rabbits. The roasted meat is tender, we brought some for Your Highness.”

Li Chanxiu froze for a moment, then accepted it with a forced smile. “Thank you.”

Yu Xingfan quickly shook his head and said, “Not at all.” After a pause, he hesitated before asking, “Does Your Highness have something on his mind?”

Li Chanxiu had just taken a bite of rabbit meat. Hearing this, he slowly lowered it, his tone somewhat low: “No.”

Seeing this, Yu Xingfan did not press further, but guessed it was likely related to the earlier failed attempt to recruit Pei Zhen. After thinking for a moment, he could not help but advise, “Your Highness need not be discouraged. Our lord once told us that many things in this world are not accomplished in a single attempt. Try a few more times, and perhaps it will succeed? Look at our lord, no matter how difficult things were over the years, he never gave up… ah.”

Halfway through, he suddenly realized he had given a rather poor example, especially as it involved their lord, and was somewhat disrespectful. He quickly stopped himself and hastily made an excuse to withdraw.

Li Chanxiu could not help but smile faintly at his hurried departure. Lowering his head, he took another bite of rabbit meat and slowly thought that Guard Yu was actually right. Compared to his father, this small setback of his was nothing at all.

He should pull himself together again. At the very least, he should go see Pei Zhen once more. With the long-standing… relationship between them, he ought to at least try to salvage it, rather than be so easily struck down and retreat.

Thinking this, a sudden impulse surged in Li Chanxiu’s heart. By the time he came back to his senses, he realized he had already put away the rabbit meat, mounted his horse, and ridden several steps back in the direction he came from.

He suddenly pulled the reins and stopped, staring blankly.

Yu Xingfan quickly caught up, grabbing his horse’s reins and looking at him with concern. “Your Highness, where are you going?”

Li Chanxiu came back to himself, paused, and said, “Nothing. Sitting too long made me stiff, so I got up to ride a bit.”

As he spoke, he dismounted again, his expression somewhat dazed. What was wrong with him? Had he gone mad? Even if he truly wanted to see Pei Zhen again, it should not be now, he should not act so impulsively, abandoning everything to rush back alone.

Moreover… the situation was different. Back then, his father had been forced to lose family, friends, and trusted aides. But between him and Pei Zhen… it was he who had caused the misunderstanding and misled the other’s feelings. The other likely did not want to see him now, what could rushing back accomplish?

Li Chanxiu felt a deep sense of loss. He did not know how long he stood there until the sky had completely darkened and a crescent moon rose on the horizon. At last, he took his horse and slowly began to walk back.

Suddenly, from behind, the night wind faintly carried the sound of hoofbeats.

Li Chanxiu abruptly turned his head. At first he thought he had misheard, but before long, the sound of hooves grew clearer, urgent, as if someone were riding hard in pursuit.

The night was too dark. Yu Xingfan could not tell whether the approaching riders were friend or foe, and immediately ordered everyone to extinguish the torches and take cover.

Li Chanxiu snapped back to his senses and quickly hid within a cluster of grass.

But as the hoofbeats drew nearer, beneath the moonlight, the figure riding at the very front, that familiar, stern silhouette, was clearly, 

“Pei Zhen!” Li Chanxiu called out, unable to restrain the excitement in his voice.

But the sound of galloping hooves was too loud, completely drowning out his voice. Pei Zhen had not brought many guards, and they were riding at great speed; within the blink of an eye, the group had already swept past him.

Li Chanxiu froze for a moment, then hurriedly stood up from the grass and chased after them, calling out again urgently, “Pei Zhen! General Pei!”

However, the sound of hooves had already receded into the distance, leaving him standing there in a daze.

After a moment, Li Chanxiu came back to himself and quickly ran to the nearby woods to fetch his horse, urging the others still hidden among the trees, “Quick, light the torches and follow me, we’ll go after them first.”

As he spoke, he swung himself onto his horse and set off in pursuit. But before he had gone more than a few steps, the sound of hooves from the opposite direction suddenly returned, rapid and urgent.

Li Chanxiu was startled. Seeing that he was about to collide with the group turning back sharply, he quickly turned his horse, trying to dodge to the side.

But it was already too late. Just as he turned, a gust of wind rushed toward him, and under the moonlight, a dark figure came charging straight at him. Seeing that the two horses were about to crash, the horse beneath Li Chanxiu suddenly panicked, neighing and twisting sharply, nearly throwing him off.

A jolt of panic surged in Li Chanxiu’s heart. Suddenly, his waist tightened, he was seized by an arm, strong as an iron band, wrapping firmly around his waist and pulling him directly onto the other’s horse.

He crashed straight into a somewhat cold and hard embrace, the stern scent of iron and blood filling his nose. At the same time, Pei Zhen pulled tight on the reins, quickly steadying the horse.

Still shaken, Li Chanxiu instinctively lifted his head to look upward. Against the moonlight, Pei Zhen’s figure was tall and cold, like a mountain, his arm steady and powerful.

He lowered his head slightly, his sharp gaze also fixed on the person in his arms.

The same cool moonlight fell upon Li Chanxiu’s smooth, delicate face, as if layering it with a soft glow. A trace of lingering panic still remained in his dark, lustrous eyes, his hands tightly gripping the armor of the man above him.

Because his head was slightly tilted upward, that small, delicate prominence at his throat was especially conspicuous. As he nervously swallowed, it moved up and down, agile and vivid.

Pei Zhen’s gaze suddenly darkened. At such close distance, so close that it seemed if he lowered his head, he could…

“Your Highness, are you alright, Your Highness?” Yu Xingfan hurried over at this moment, as if dispersing something in the moonlight.

Pei Zhen abruptly came back to his senses. His throat moved as he forced himself to loosen his grip. He quickly set Li Chanxiu down from the horse, then dismounted as well, cupping his hands in salute. “I startled Your Highness’s horse just now and caused alarm. This is Pei’s fault.”

His tone was restrained, his manner courteous, as if the man with reddened eyes on West Hillside earlier that day had never existed.

After steadying himself upon dismounting, Li Chanxiu quickly replied, “I’m fine. General Pei need not be so formal.”

After a pause, unable to suppress the strange feeling in his heart, he could not help asking, “How did General Pei… come to be here?”

At this, Pei Zhen suddenly smiled, his refined features softening as he looked at him. “Didn’t Your Highness say on West Hillside today that once I had thought it through, I should come give you my answer?”

Li Chanxiu froze, feeling that something was off. But soon, a sudden guess filled his heart, his eyes widened slightly, unable to hide the excitement and anticipation within, yet not daring to believe it.

Could it be? Could it truly be what he was thinking at this moment? Was Pei Zhen really here to…

“I want to accept Your Highness’s recruitment and join the righteous army,” Pei Zhen said, looking down at him, his tone more serious than ever before.

A surge of joy instantly rose in Li Chanxiu’s heart, disbelief written across his face.

Pei Zhen’s gaze shifted slightly, a hidden shadow flashing in his eyes, as if suppressing something.

After a pause, he continued in a hoarse voice, “I think what Your Highness said earlier was right. For the world to be pacified sooner, for the people to be spared the suffering of war and displacement, I should join the righteous army and serve Your Highness and… the Crown Prince. From now on, Your Highness’s ideals will be my ideals. Whatever Your Highness seeks, whether driving back the Hu or unifying the Central Plains, I will… do my utmost to achieve it for you.”

After speaking, something in his heart suddenly loosened.

Yes. That was how it should be.

Today, he had ridden hard all the way, taking shortcuts to reach the ferry crossing. He had met Zhou Kai and Zhao Lü, only to learn that Li Chanxiu had not yet arrived. Then he had ridden through the night, suppressing the urgency in his heart, hurrying relentlessly, just for this moment.

On the road, he had thought through many things and made his decision completely.

In the current situation, neither Sizhou nor Jinling was a good choice. And he had no ambition to dominate on his own. In that case, the southwestern righteous army was the best option, and the one most likely to end the chaos quickly.

Especially since choosing this would allow him to remain by His Highness’s side, what better choice could there be?

He was even grateful that he still had such a chance. He was not Third Chief Zhao; he could not bring himself to stay away forever and never trouble the other again.

Even if only in the name of a subordinate, a trusted minister, or a friend, he still wanted to remain by his side.

And he knew clearly, His Highness would not refuse him, even if only for the greater cause.

At this moment, Li Chanxiu also stood stunned, the joy in his expression gradually settling.

For some reason, although Pei Zhen was smiling, he felt… that the other was somewhat bitter, not as happy as he appeared.

And after hearing the reasons for accepting the recruitment, the joy in his heart somehow diminished by more than half. Those words were clearly the very ones he himself had said earlier when persuading him.

But what, exactly, was he still feeling a sense of loss over? What had he wanted Pei Zhen to say? Or rather, what else had he hoped for?

Was this not precisely what he had wanted when he went to persuade him?

Now that it had come true, why did his heart still feel as if something were missing?

Subconsciously, he pressed a hand to his chest and asked hesitantly, “You really… are willing to join the righteous army?”

Pei Zhen smiled faintly and looked at him. “Does Your Highness not wish to accept me?”

Li Chanxiu quickly shook his head, denying it in a rush, “Of course not.”

Pei Zhen seemed to relax slightly upon hearing this. “That’s good.”

After a pause, he added with a smile, “I heard Your Highness went to recruit Zhao Lü. On the way here, I was worried my decision might have come too late, and that Your Highness would no longer accept me.”

Hearing this, Li Chanxiu’s eyes curved as he smiled as well. “How could that be? That you came, I don’t know how… happy it makes me.”

At the last few words, his voice grew somewhat murmured and unfocused. He truly could not describe this kind of joy, aside from that brief moment of confusion earlier, his chest was now filled with delight, his heart pounding.

Even now, his gaze remained fixed tightly on Pei Zhen, unwilling to move away, as if he still did not dare believe this was real.

Beside them, Yu Xingfan, having heard their exchange, could not help but feel a burst of happiness as well. Seeing that they had finally finished speaking, though for some reason had suddenly fallen into silence, merely staring at each other, he burst into laughter and stepped forward to break the stillness. “This is a good thing! Your Highness, General Pei, shouldn’t we celebrate a little? I just happen to have brought a pouch of wine.”

Li Chanxiu and Pei Zhen both snapped back to themselves, coughing lightly as they hurriedly averted their gazes.

Neither of them mentioned the earlier mistake about gender. Pei Zhen feared Li Chanxiu might avoid him because of it, while Li Chanxiu feared Pei Zhen would feel awkward or troubled.

The two tacitly maintained the delicate and fragile balance between them.

However, even the simple celebration ultimately did not happen.

A soldier suddenly came to report that news had just arrived: Cai Shu had sent men to ambush and kill Pei Zhen, but the attempt had failed. Realizing his plan was exposed and assuming Pei Zhen had already returned to the force of thirty thousand troops, and that the prefectural city now knew of his intentions, he feared retaliation from both sides. Moreover, his strategist Zhang Chu had fled. Thus, he adopted the suggestion of another advisor, Geng Wenmian, and planned to lead fifty thousand troops to defect to Bo Yin of Jingxiang.

After hearing this, Li Chanxiu frowned.

Yu Xingfan’s expression also turned serious. “From the prefectural city to Anxing County, it’s not as close as coming from our current position. If Cai Shu moves quickly, the prefectural side likely won’t make it in time.”

After all, they had already traveled halfway east, though toward a more northerly ferry crossing. Unfortunately, they had only brought five thousand troops, not enough strength.

Just as the two hesitated, Pei Zhen spoke: “Your Highness and I will take the current forces and go stop him first. At the same time, send someone to the riverside ferry to inform Zhou Kai and Zhao Lü to quickly bring troops for reinforcement.”

Li Chanxiu froze upon hearing this. “Zhao Lü?”

Pei Zhen nodded. “I took a shortcut earlier and already went to the ferry. I met Zhao Lü and persuaded him on Your Highness’s behalf to join the righteous army.”

At the time, he had been anxious and had brought few men, making it easier to take mountain paths and shortcuts, so he had reached the ferry even earlier than Li Chanxiu.

As for Zhao Lü, when he fled to the other side of the river, Zhou Kai had arrived in time with troops and rescued him, successfully ferrying his remaining forces across. They were now temporarily stationed on the southern bank.

Although Zhao Lü had not wanted to serve the Great Zhou imperial court again, nor to join the southwestern righteous army led by Crown Prince Li Xuan, he was deeply grateful to Zhou Kai for saving him.

When Pei Zhen arrived, Zhao Lü had been on a boat at the ferry with Zhou Kai, drinking and chatting in the river breeze. Upon learning that Pei Zhen intended to join the righteous army, Zhao Lü hesitated, gritted his teeth, calculated for a moment, and finally changed his mind, deciding to join as well.

However, after persuading him, just before leaving, Pei Zhen added, “You don’t need to hurry. Wait until I’ve joined first, then come.”

After saying that, he left like a gust of wind with his men, leaving Zhao Lü completely bewildered. Standing on the boat in the river wind for quite some time, Zhao Lü finally turned to Zhou Kai and asked, “Why do I have to wait first?”

Li Chanxiu and Yu Xingfan both fell silent upon hearing that Pei Zhen had already convinced Zhao Lü. So if they hadn’t run into Pei Zhen halfway, this whole trip would have been for nothing?

Once the plan was decided, Yu Xingfan quickly arranged for two men to ride to the ferry with the message. Then, with the remaining cavalry, he followed Li Chanxiu and Pei Zhen toward Anxing County.

Late at night, just past the first quarter of the midnight hour.

Li Chanxiu and his group arrived outside Anxing County.

Li Chanxiu reined in his horse and directly sent someone to call for the gates to be opened.

Pei Zhen turned to look at him in surprise. Li Chanxiu coughed lightly and explained, “Anxing County was originally taken by Xuanping and the others. We have people inside the city, and my father has also planted informants there.”

After all, because of what had happened in the dream, where Cai Shu split the righteous army and nearly caused its total defeat, he had always been wary of him.

And Li Xuan, knowing Cai Shu’s ambition, could not have taken no precautions. Previously, they had not moved against Cai Shu because, on the surface, he had indeed contributed to the righteous army, even though those “contributions” came from acting on his own ambition, disrupting Li Xuan’s plans, and nearly costing Li Xuan his life.

But outwardly, Cai Shu had indeed captured several cities and was a meritorious figure. If Li Xuan dealt with him directly, it might dishearten other long-time followers.

After all, everyone had endured hardship together for years. Though Cai Shu had shown disrespect before, his ambition had not been fully exposed, and it had not yet reached the point of execution.

Li Xuan’s earlier plan had been to marginalize him first, if he behaved, he would still receive what he deserved for his contributions, but no more. If he did not, then once he revealed his intentions, there would be justification to deal with him.

Li Chanxiu had agreed with his father at the time, but inwardly, he had never believed Cai Shu would behave.

Sure enough, not long after Li Xuan left the prefectural city, Cai Shu began making frequent small moves. Previously, Li Chanxiu had pretended not to notice. But this time, Cai Shu had actually tried to kill Pei Zhen, and after failing, even planned to take part of the righteous army to defect to Bo Yin.

Li Chanxiu did not believe Cai Shu intended merely to defect. To gain favor, he would need to present a great gift, and that gift would likely be several cities along the border between Liangzhou and Jingzhou.

Li Chanxiu’s expression turned slightly cold. Once the city gates were opened from within by their informants, he immediately said to Pei Zhen, “Pei… Jianzhi, let’s go.”

Pei Zhen paused for a moment, then the corners of his lips lifted slightly as he spurred his horse to follow.

As more than five thousand cavalry entered the city, Cai Shu, who had already planned to defect to Jingzhou at dawn, was still fast asleep. When Li Chanxiu’s men dragged him out of bed and bound him in the courtyard, he did not even understand what was happening.

But once he saw who stood before him, and saw Pei Zhen mounted beside Li Chanxiu, looking at him with a faintly cold gaze, he instantly came fully awake. Furious, he shouted, “You little brat, what do you mean by this? Huh? Colluding with outsiders to deal with me? Does the Crown Prince know about this?”

A cold smile curled at Li Chanxiu’s lips. “My father naturally does not yet know that you have betrayed the righteous army, plan to defect to Bo Yin, and even intend to offer Anxing County and other cities as tribute. I hear Bo Yin’s eldest son, Bo Xuan, is currently in neighboring Tong County, waiting for General Cai’s good news?”

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and someone brought in another man under guard, it was Geng Wenmian, the strategist who had previously suggested that Cai Shu defect to Bo Yin.

Geng Wenmian’s face was pale. After being brought in and seeing Cai Shu already tightly bound, he knew the situation was lost and kept shaking his head. “General, if you had used my plan earlier instead of believing that petty villain Zhang Chu, you wouldn’t have ended up like this…”

The moment Cai Shu saw that he too had been brought in, and heard Li Chanxiu mention Bo Xuan, he knew his entire plan had been exposed. He could not help but feel hatred, yet still struggled unwillingly. “Slander! This is slander! I have rendered great service to the rebel army, on what grounds do you have me bound? When I was raising funds for the rebel army in the southwest, you were still a nursing infant! When I rose in rebellion, who knows which remote corner of the northwest you were hiding in? And now, relying on your father’s backing, you dare frame a meritorious official! I want to see the lord, I want to see His Highness the Crown Prince…”

Li Chanxiu smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. My father is already on his way back. You’ll be able to see him soon enough.”

As he spoke, he lifted his hand and gave a cold command: “Take him away.”

To capture the bandits, one must first capture the leader. With Cai Shu seized at once, the generals in his ranks who had intended to rebel alongside him could no longer stir up trouble.

Moreover, with Zhou Kai and Zhao Lü arriving promptly with troops, the mutiny in the army was quickly suppressed.

Upon hearing this news, Li Chanxiu let out a quiet sigh of relief. Turning his head instinctively, he met Pei Zhen’s gaze, who knew how long he had been watching him.

Noticing he had been caught, Pei Zhen quickly withdrew his gaze. But after a pause, he looked back again and said, somewhat masking his tone, “Your Highness handled Cai Shu just now decisively and efficiently, it was very imposing.” And… very dazzling.

He added silently in his heart.

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