The court envoy sent by Jiang Huaiyi to retrieve someone had arrived. Liu Yun went out of the camp to greet him. Liu Yun was renowned across the land, and since Nanruo highly valued scholars, even an enemy state would show respect to a literary master. Moreover, Liu Yun was entirely unpretentious, warm, and affable in manner. After just a few exchanges, the two were chatting quite pleasantly.
Liu Yun said, “Earlier, seeing how furious you looked, this old man was truly startled.”
Li Dongliang shook his head. “It wasn’t because of you—it was because of Ye Country.”
“Ye?”
At the mention of that name, Li Dongliang’s expression turned several shades darker. He sneered, “Yes.”
Envoys from Ye had arrived the previous day, and it was he who had received them. There was no need to elaborate on their arrogance and entitlement.
But since each nation looked out for itself, he didn’t go into further detail with Liu Yun.
Noticing the disdain on his face, Liu Yun had a sudden idea. “If I may be bold—do your people dislike us of Great Ning more, or Ye?”
Li Dongliang looked slightly awkward, but thinking it wasn’t anything too sensitive, he replied, “…To be honest, before His Majesty of Great Ning launched an attack on Nanruo, many of our young ladies, upon hearing of him, had already developed a fond admiration.”
“You mean the saying: ‘Southern Huaiyi, Northern Xiao Yun’?”
Li Dongliang nodded. “What’s more, Miluo Manor has long provided medicine and aid within Nanruo’s borders. The common folk all know he’s a founder figure from Great Ning, so naturally, they have warm feelings toward Great Ning.”
At that, Liu Yun cursed the emperor bitterly in his heart.
Such a solid foundation, and yet he managed to mess it up this badly.
Li Dongliang looked slightly puzzled. “Elder?”
“Ah…” Liu Yun came back to his senses. “So what happened after the troops withdrew?”
Li Dongliang replied lightly, “Now that the army has retreated, the hatred naturally turns toward Ye Country. To put it plainly, national enmity that doesn’t land on your own doorstep doesn’t cause real pain. The people shout patriotic slogans, but in their hearts, it’s just for show. Great Ning hasn’t killed a single Nanruo soldier, but every year, at least hundreds of households are destroyed or displaced by Ye. One is a distant and upright enemy; the other is a flea that’s everywhere and yet you can’t catch. Which one do you think they hate more?”
Liu Yun grinned ear to ear. “So that’s how it is. The people on Nanruo’s borders have truly suffered.”
Li Dongliang looked at his totally mismatched expression and words and was slightly bewildered.
…
Duan Wang of Nanruo had been snatched away in front of everyone. Even if Jiang Huaiyi sent a court envoy to retrieve him, he couldn’t state the real reason directly. So Li Dongliang thought he was there to retrieve an ordinary civilian woman and didn’t take it too seriously.
At the banquet, Xiao Yun dealt with him in a roundabout way. The Great Ning court officials, who were rumored to be vicious wolves and dogs, turned out to be surprisingly kind and friendly, like an old mother at home. Li Dongliang was flattered and a little dazed, and he muddleheadedly agreed to Xiao Yun’s request to “return the woman later.”
As the banquet neared its end, Li Dongliang bowed toward the head of the table and smiled. “I understand His Majesty’s intentions. I’ll be sure to bring His Majesty’s message back. Since Your Majesty wishes to build an eternal bond with Nanruo, and if you truly like that woman, why not propose marriage to the Emperor? If both parties are willing, I’m sure His Majesty won’t object.”
Xiao Yun’s smile deepened. “No rush, no rush. I’ll definitely propose. I just need time to prepare the betrothal gifts. When the time comes, I hope you’ll put in a good word for me.”
Li Dongliang smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”
After Li Dongliang left, Xiao Yun was about to go back and figure out how to clean up his reputation as a scoundrel when Liu Yun called out from behind and reported what he had learned during their earlier chat.
Xiao Yun fell into thoughtful silence.
Liu Yun frowned and said, “Though Li Dongliang didn’t say it directly, the fact that Ye emissaries are visiting Nanruo at this time likely doesn’t bode well for us—”
“Perfect!” Xiao Yun suddenly clapped his hands, his entire demeanor lighting up.
Liu Yun: “…Your Majesty?”
Xiao Yun grinned and clicked his tongue twice. “Old man, you’re still the one who gave me the best inspiration. That trick of yours—diverting disaster to someone else and building your joy on their pain—I’m going to try it too!”
“…” Liu Yun took a second to process what he meant. “We only have seventy thousand cavalry.”
Xiao Yun said, “Whenever I go to war, I never return empty-handed.”
Liu Yun emphasized again, “We only have seventy thousand cavalry.”
“Save your breath! I’m off to help my dear brother-in-law catch some fleas!”
“…” Liu Yun was left behind, staring wordlessly at the man disappearing in a flash before his eyes.
…
Recently, Jiang Huaichu had been unusually sleepy.
He probably knew that with Xiao Yun’s persuasion skills, no one would be able to take him away anyway, so he’d grown so lazy and drowsy that he couldn’t even be bothered to resist anymore.
Let him do whatever—like a breeze brushing a mountain ridge.
Besides, every time he left the camp, the little mutt would start howling, and in the blink of an eye, several ministers with flattering smiles would appear out of nowhere, groveling and begging pitifully. And somehow, he’d end up walking back to the camp himself.
After a few rounds of this, he figured it out. He had reached a kind of calm acceptance born of resignation.
Objectively, he couldn’t escape. Subjectively, he didn’t have the heart to try.
Might as well go with the flow. Only occasionally, when he thought of his imperial brother… he didn’t want to think about it.
In the camp, Xiao Yun told him bedtime stories. After coaxing Jiang Huaichu to sleep, he looked at the man’s sleeping face, couldn’t resist lowering his head and kissing the corner of his lips—and then… he got hard.
Xiao Yun’s face changed instantly.
The man was already sound asleep!
Xiao Yun sat at the bedside for several seconds, furiously ruffled his hair, then looked at Jiang Huaichu’s belly—which seemed to change day by day—and, for the first time, felt deeply annoyed.
If it weren’t for that thing… if it didn’t exist, how happy he would be right now—holding Chu Chu like before, doing this and that, exhausting him until he passed out…
And that thing had the audacity to live inside Jiang Huaichu 24/7, while he himself couldn’t even… Why did it get to?
The more he thought, the more bitter he felt.
Since that thing appeared, Chu Chu didn’t care about him anymore. Everything was about the child. Back then, under him, Chu Chu had called “Xiao Yun,” had called him “husband.” Now he called “child,” and told Xiao Yun to get out.
He used to be able to pin Jiang Huaichu down, or at least reverse it. Now he could neither pin nor press—he could only hug. And he had to hug him from behind. Face-to-face, the bulge made him hunch.
And it’s only five months. He still had four or five more months to go…
And more than that—once the baby was born, he’d have to raise it for a lifetime. Considering how much Chu Chu loved kids and how indifferent he’d grown to sex…
Xiao Yun suddenly didn’t want the child anymore. He grimaced beside the bed for a long time, deeply worried about his future.
What was so great about being a dad? What was he so happy about back then? All he wanted was his wife—how did it end up like this, accidentally getting pregnant like he’d taken the wrong medicine?
All that old man’s fault.
Jiang Huaichu had been entirely his, and now that thing in Chu Chu’s belly had lowered his happiness levels for at least the next seven or eight years.
Maybe once it’s born, he could throw it to Xie Zhe to raise…
Xiao Yun’s eyes lit up at the idea—he was sorely tempted—but then quickly shook his head. No, no, Chu Chu would know he didn’t like the child.
Xiao Yun was a mess of nerves. Afraid Jiang Huaichu would wake and notice something was off, he rushed outside, took out the calligraphy Jiang Huaichu had once written (bought at great cost in the city), and had a skilled mimic reproduce the handwriting. He dictated the contents, and in the end, personally wrote the final draft of the letter.
…
Ye Country.
The King of Ye opened the letter, glanced at it, and laughed. “Duan Wang is still the more sensible one. That Jiang Huaiyi, who rejected us so resolutely before, must still be holding onto that petty grudge between us. Giving up something big for something small—truly narrow-minded. He’s nowhere near Duan Wang’s level.”
His favored minister chimed in, “Maybe he thinks ambushing someone isn’t righteous or moral, haha!”
Laughter erupted below. Among the people of Ye, nothing was more contemptible than Nanruo’s constant preaching of righteousness and morality. They believed gentlemen should refrain from certain acts—no wonder they had clung to that pathetic piece of land for years. If any country was to rise in power, it certainly wouldn’t be Nanruo.
A courtier said, “With Duan Wang holding 200,000 troops and us fully mobilized, we will surely surround and kill Xiao Yun.”
Another looked uneasy, “But Duan Wang isn’t easy to deal with. If we cooperate with him and Xiao Yun dies, then…”
The favored minister glanced at the king and laughed. “Our Majesty won’t be doing the dirty work for someone else’s benefit. All of Nanruo currently despises Great Ning to the bone. Our spies near Jiang Huaiyi report that he can’t wait to kill Xiao Yun. Once Duan Wang and Xiao Yun meet, it’s bound to be a mutual bloodbath. At that point, we just sit back and reap the rewards…”
The group was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
….
At Yeming Pass, when Li Dongliang returned, he was immediately scolded by the emperor, who pointed at his nose and unleashed a barrage of insults. Stunned and trembling, he begged for mercy, finally realizing he had failed to report the good news about Xiao Yun’s peace offering. He hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Ning said he’s deeply fond of that person and is willing to form a marriage alliance with Nanruo—”
Jiang Huaiyi’s face darkened completely. “Silence!”
Li Dongliang shivered and pressed on, “Your Majesty… I believe he’s genuinely sincere. Besides, what’s done is done. Forcibly separating them now, the girl might have trouble marrying in the future. And marrying into Xiao Yun’s family isn’t really a disgrace. As for Nanruo, it suffers no loss. She’s only a commoner. There’s historical precedent—like Princess Wang Zhaojun sent to marry for peace. And this time it’s Xiao Yun who initiated peace, not Nanruo selling people for glory… Xiao Yun even said he’ll soon present betrothal gifts to formally propose marriage. Please, Your Majesty, wait and see—”
“Get lost! Do I care about his betrothal gifts?! If he sends his corpse as a gift, I might consider it,” Jiang Huaiyi bellowed. “Marriage alliance? In your next life!”
Li Dongliang trembled all over. He had never seen the emperor this furious.
“Go back and tell him: ‘What’s done is done’? Even if it’s burnt to ashes, he shouldn’t dream of it!”
“Yes… yes, Your Majesty!”
Li Dongliang was about to leave when Jiang Huaiyi’s face turned grim. “Forget it, I’ll go myself!”
….
The Emperor of Nanruo suddenly arrived with his entourage, ignoring the surrounding soldiers who had drawn their weapons. He strode straight toward Xiao Yun’s camp. When the generals rushed to meet him, they quickly ordered the soldiers to stand down.
Jiang Huaiyi said coldly, “Where is your emperor? Tell him to come out and talk to me.”
Liu Yun and Meng Heng exchanged a glance and timidly replied, “He’s not here.”
“Not here, or too afraid to see me?”
Jiang Huaiyi’s presence was aggressive. Liu Yun smiled awkwardly, “… His Majesty truly isn’t here.”
Jiang Huaiyi sneered and brushed past them, heading directly into the camp. Taifei who had come with him looked around, clearly searching for Jiang Huaichu.
Jiang Huaiyi glanced around and suddenly frowned.
“Where are your generals?”
Only two or three civil officials and a few junior officers were present. None of Great Ning’s renowned military commanders were around.
Liu Yun replied, “They’re not here.”
Xiao Yun wasn’t here. The generals weren’t here. Jiang Huaiyi’s frown deepened but he didn’t want to get involved in Great Ning’s affairs. “My brother… the one you kidnapped the other day—where is he?”
Liu Yun panicked and forced a smile. “Your Majesty came in person, of course you must have some tea first. Once our emperor returns, we’ll talk slowly, talk slowly…”
“Tell him to come out and see me.”
Meng Heng quickly added, “Of course, of course. It’s just that he’s currently asleep. Once he wakes, we’ll take you to him immediately…”
Jiang Huaiyi knew exactly what kind of trick they were trying to pull. He sneered, “Step aside. I’ll find him myself!”
He marched from tent to tent. Behind him, Meng Heng and Liu Yun were frantically signaling and panicking like ants on a hot stove.
When Jiang Huaiyi lifted a tent flap, he saw Jiang Huaichu inside.
Jiang Huaichu looked like he had just woken up, his black hair cascading over his shoulders. He stepped out of the tent.
Jiang Huaiyi glanced around and spotted the red flame insignia on the side of the tent—his face instantly darkened.
This was Xiao Yun’s tent. He had just stepped off Xiao Yun’s bed.
Jiang Huaiyi was about to storm inside when Jiang Huaichu’s sleepy and hoarse voice came from within, calling out: “Xiao Yun?”
Jiang Huaiyi’s face turned to ice, and he suddenly turned, shooting a murderous glare at Liu Yun.
Liu Yun’s eyes widened— the emperor really had gone out.
“Awuuu! Awuuu!!”
Jiang Huaichu chuckled, “Why did you run over here?”
A short, stubby dog dashed to Jiang Huaichu’s feet, circling around his ankles and rubbing against his boots with its ears while muttering: “Awuuu awuuu awuuu.”
Liu Yun: “……”
Jiang Huaiyi stared at the familiar-looking dog, his expression darkening in waves as he suddenly realized something. His knuckles cracked from clenching too hard.
Jiang Huaichu bent down and picked up the puppy. These past few days, while Xiao Yun had been around, the puppy had been banished who knows where. Now that Xiao Yun was gone, Jiang Huaichu could finally bring it back to play.
The little pup licked Jiang Huaichu’s neck and face affectionately. Jiang Huaichu blushed and placed it on the table, then picked up his outer robe hanging nearby and began to put it on.
As he tied his belt, his hands suddenly paused. He looked down at the two additional belt loops on the robe.
The belt was always tied at the narrowest part of the waist, but now that his narrowest part was also the widest, the robe had been altered. Two extra loops had been sewn in to raise the belt higher. This way, the belt wouldn’t look out of place or awkwardly tight, and his belly would be hidden beneath the flowing hem.
Last night, Xiao Yun had taken away his outer robe.
Jiang Huaichu blushed again.
Jiang Huaiyi’s anger suddenly stalled.
It was obvious Huaichu needed it—why hadn’t he noticed something so small?
Jiang Huaichu silently fastened his belt and walked out.
The table was full of exquisite snacks and pastries—Jiang Huaiyi had been to Northern Ning before, and these were all popular local delicacies: osmanthus tuckahoe cakes, sweet rice soup, rose crisps…
Jiang Huaichu looked at the pastries on the table, his expression darkened. He picked up the puppy and sat to the side to read. After a short while, he returned, seeming hesitant. After a few seconds, he casually took a piece of ruyi cake, took a small bite, then pinched off a tiny bit and fed it slowly to the puppy, smiling at the corners of his lips.
One man and one dog, a harmonious scene.
For some reason, Jiang Huaiyi’s anger had mostly dissipated. Watching this, his expression became extremely complicated.
Just when it was too awkward to advance or retreat, Jiang Huaichu spotted him. Startled, the piece of pastry in his hand fell. Jiang Huaiyi, face cold, stepped right inside.
“…Imperial brother.”
Jiang Huaiyi’s gaze landed on the dog in his arms, and Jiang Huaichu immediately set it down.
Jiang Huaiyi said coldly, “You’ve become so content here you’ve forgotten where you came from?”
At the tent entrance, Liu Yun and Meng Heng were making frantic eye signals. Jiang Huaichu’s face was stiff: “…Royal Brother, I know I was wrong.”
Jiang Huaiyi sat down at the table. Jiang Huaichu’s face changed, and before he could say anything, Jiang Huaiyi had already seen the plate of pastries.
More than a dozen kinds of cakes in different colors and shapes were arranged on a large plate. They were laid out as if in a military camp—rows and columns—forming the character “Xiao”. Where the two dots of the character were, two round, shiny preserved fruits had been placed.
Jiang Huaiyi’s face was black as the bottom of a pot.
Jiang Huaichu: “…”
Caught red-handed, Jiang Huaichu still had a bit of pastry crumb on his fingertips. He hid his hands behind his back and meekly said, “Brother, I was wrong. I’ll go back with you.”
Jiang Huaiyi looked at him with deep black eyes. “What’s the rush? Isn’t Xiao Yun still not back?”
Jiang Huaichu’s expression changed: “Brother…”
Jiang Huaiyi said coldly, “Sit down! Wait!”
Jiang Huaichu glanced at Liu Yun outside the tent: “Royal Brother…”
“I said sit down! Say one more word…”
Jiang Huaichu immediately sat down obediently.
For a full hour, the two didn’t speak a single word. The atmosphere was oppressive and tense. Outside the tent, the crowd kept growing.
“What do we do?!”
“Where on earth did His Majesty go?!”
“This is bad, really bad. From Jiang Huaiyi’s attitude… this definitely isn’t going to work.”
“Should we… maybe take the chance to kill him?”
“…”
“I—haha, just joking!”
As the crowd outside broke into a cold sweat, a horse neighed behind them. Zhang Kui dismounted with a big laugh and shouted toward the tent, “Empress! His Majesty told me to bring you a message. He said he’ll be back soon and told you to climb the watchtower—within one incense stick’s time, you’ll see the fireworks he prepared for you!”
Zhang Kui shouted loud enough for the whole camp to hear. But the moment he finished, he noticed something was wrong. Everyone outside the tent was frantically gesturing at him, giving him panicked “shut up!” eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
The curtain lifted—not the handsome and easygoing Xie Caiqing, but the expressionless Emperor of Nanruo, Jiang Huaiyi.
“‘Empress’?”
The word came out through gritted teeth. Zhang Kui looked like he was about to burst into tears and turned immediately to Liu Yun, who coughed awkwardly and lowered his head to cover it up.
Jiang Huaichu stepped out, glanced at Zhang Kui and the others, and softly said, “…Royal Brother, I’ll go back with you.”
At the sound of that, Zhang Kui lost all sense: “No!!”
He roared, and Jiang Huaiyi’s face instantly dropped several degrees in temperature.
Jiang Huaiyi said, “So eager to leave? Didn’t he say he had fireworks for you? Aren’t you going to see them?”
Jiang Huaichu felt a chill down his spine.
…
Led by Zhang Kui, Jiang Huaichu and Jiang Huaiyi climbed the watchtower.
It was a clear, brisk autumn day. The wind was strong up there. Looking far into the distance, the left side was the land of Nanruo, the right side Great Ning’s territory. Between them flowed a wide river, dividing the lands neatly. The scenery was just right, full of life and promise.
Nightfall came quietly. A few faint stars dotted the sky.
From this vantage point, the world seemed to rest in their hands. Nothing blocked the view ahead. The future looked vast and bright.
Jiang Huaichu knew Xiao Yun too well—he feared that man would once again break all conventions, and now they were caught by his royal brother. His heart was uneasy.
Jiang Huaichu looked up at the sky, imagining the beautiful fireworks about to bloom there. A faint smile lifted the corners of his lips.
Jiang Huaiyi said, “Fireworks… he’s certainly good at sweet-talking.”
If anyone else had said that, it would sound like nothing special. But coming from Jiang Huaiyi, Jiang Huaichu immediately shook his head: “…A man of empty words and flattery.”
Jiang Huaiyi’s expression eased slightly. “Exactly. A virtuous man prizes integrity. Only those weak-willed and without moral cultivation would be swayed by such petty tricks.”
Jiang Huaichu: “…Yes, royal brother. You’re right.”
Behind them, Zhang Kui was silently making grimaces.
In front, Jiang Huaiyi suddenly said, “What’s that over there?”
Jiang Huaichu turned to look. In the distance, a column of black smoke was rising. Soon after, a mass of orange light began to flicker in the greenery, growing larger and larger.
Jiang Huaichu frowned. “What is that?”
Within just a few sentences, the orange blaze had multiplied in size, spreading rapidly.
In Jiang Huaichu’s dark eyes, a brilliant, upward-swirling flame was reflected—fierce and dazzling.
Sparks soared skyward.
It was on fire.
Jiang Huaichu stared in shock at the blaze. “That looks like… Ye Country’s grain warehouse in Mindu?”
Jiang Huaiyi saw it too. A surge of satisfaction filled him. He suppressed his smile and said lightly, “Those who do not accumulate good deeds will meet their retribution—it was only a matter of time.”
Mindu of the Ye Country was a crucial frontier town, home to Ye’s largest grain storage. With the granary burned down, Ye Country would undoubtedly suffer immense losses.
This was, without a doubt, the most satisfying thing he had seen in days.
Just as he finished speaking, he noticed a flicker of emotion on Jiang Huaichu’s face. He was a beat too slow in realizing something, and his expression darkened instantly. After a moment of silence, his face flushed with a mix of red and green: “That… was the firework he gave you?”
Jiang Huaichu: “……”
