Chapter 32: Road to Liangzhou
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
In recent days, the capital appeared calm, but hidden currents were surging within the court. Spring had come to an end, and with the arrival of the early summer, continuous rain seemed endless, enveloping the entire city in misty rain.
Right Military Commander, Xiao Huaijin volunteered to become a commanding officer, leading the new recruits to Liangzhou. With Xiao Huaijin’s departure, the situation in the court changed again. The Crown Prince’s faction was basking in delight, and if it were possible, they would have written “joy” directly on their faces.
In the affairs of the court, ordinary people still continue their daily lives, focusing on basic necessities such as food and clothing. A few days ago, there was a murder case involving the young master of the Fan family in the capital, but until now, the culprit has not been found. Frustrated by their unsuccessful search for the murderer, the Fan family redirected their anger towards Madam Fan. However, Madam Fan’s family, the Cheng Wulan house, was not to be trifled with. They waited and waited, and after the seventh day of mourning, they forced Old Master Fan to write a letter allowing Madam Fan to return to her natal home. Tang Ying, who is still young and beautiful, became a widow shortly after getting married to the Fan family. The Tang family couldn’t bear to let her remain a widow at such a young age, so they made arrangements for her future. Since she and Fan Cheng had no children, the Fan family had no choice but to comply with her departure.
In comparison, He Yan, who died alongside Fan Cheng and was drowned in the Chunlai River, was like an insignificant supporting character in this incident, not even worth mentioning. Apart from the He family, no one talked about her as if she never existed in this world.
As the rain grew heavier, He Yunsheng put on a bamboo hat and went out. After He Yan’s incident, he temporarily suspended his studies at the academy. He Yunsheng was told to go to Willow Spring Residence to retrieve a letter after five days, but today was already the tenth day. He had to be cautious of Fan family members observing his movements. He Yan fought hard to secure this opportunity for the He family, and he couldn’t let it slip away.
Over the past few days, he had conducted various investigations at home, and all the surveillance from the Fan family had been withdrawn, which allowed him to leave the house with peace of mind. Wearing old clothes to avoid drawing attention, he lowered his head and wore a bamboo hat as he slipped out of the back door, walking into the rain curtain.
During these ten days, He Yunsheng had endured suffering, unable to sleep at night. He wanted to hear news of He Yan, yet he also dreaded hearing it. Fortunately, ten days had passed, and the officials still hadn’t apprehended He Yan. Perhaps, in a sense, He Yan was safe.
However, he couldn’t help but wonder where He Yan was now. Apart from the He family, she had no friends in the city. She was bound to be wandering outside. He wondered if she had enough to eat and a comfortable place to sleep, and if she was being mistreated. Thinking of this, He Yunsheng’s footsteps quickened unconsciously.
The name “Willow Spring Residence” was derived from the fact that there was a spring behind the tavern, and beside the spring stood a row of willow trees. On this rainy day, there weren’t many people in the tavern, and no one paid attention to He Yunsheng when he entered.
He remembered He Yan’s instructions.
“Go to a tavern called Willow Spring Residence in the west of the city. There is a row of willow trees at the entrance. Find the third willow tree on the left, and dig down three inches. I will leave a letter for you there.”
He Yunsheng squatted down.
Find the third willow tree on the left and dig down three inches.
The soil he dug out still had traces of wet rainwater. He kept digging, and his fingers touched something slightly hard. He Yunsheng’s heart skipped a beat, and his hands moved even faster. After a moment, he unearthed an oil-paper package. Without opening it immediately, he tucked the oil-paper package into his clothes and quickly refilled the hole with soil before leaving the tavern.
After leaving, he rushed back home. When he arrived home, He Sui wasn’t there, so He Yunsheng went to his room, locked the door, and then took out the paper package.
He had kept it in his embrace, so the oil-paper package remained dry and well-protected. He Yunsheng’s hands trembled as he unwrapped the paper package and saw what was inside.
There was a piece of clothing and a letter.
He Yunsheng first opened the letter. The letter seemed hastily written on random paper, wrinkled and messy, with scribbled characters as if written in haste. It appeared to be a page from some floral wrapping paper, and there were even grease stains on it. On the side without patterns, several lines of bold and lively large characters were scrawled with a brush made from grass and wood ash.
“I have joined the army and am heading to Liangzhou. The mountains are long, the rivers are wide, and it’s impossible to communicate one by one. After the spring chill, there will be intense heat. Please take care of yourself. We will meet again someday. Take good care.”
He Yunsheng stared at those lines of characters blankly, as if he didn’t recognize them at first. After a while, he finally understood. Clenching his teeth, he reached for the piece of clothing.
The clothes were summer outfits made by the old tailor. When He Yunsheng and He Yan parted ways, they each wore one of these shirts for disguise, and now the neatly folded shirt was returned to him by He Yan.
The fabric felt cool to the touch, and he seemed to see the cool smile on the girl’s face that day, along with her comforting words.
“Don’t worry, we will meet again.”
The room fell into silence.
After a moment, someone choked out a sob.
“Liar…”
…
Unaware of being called a liar behind her back, He Yan was currently on her way to Liangzhou after departing from the capital. The conscription this time was less than 20,000, and new recruits joined along the way. As summer had arrived, the journey became arduous. Setting off early in the morning was still manageable, but by noon, it was almost suffocating due to the heat, with sweat pouring down their backs.
Hong Shan sat on the grass, nibbling on dry rations and fanning himself with a leaf to cool off. He complained, “D*mn, it’s so hot! When will we finally reach our destination?”
“From here to Liangzhou, it will still take more than two months,” He Yan poured water into her mouth. “Take it easy.”
“I miss the mung bean soup in the capital,” Xiao Mai smacked his lips. “When it’s made, we put it in a bowl, soak it in the well for a few hours, then add some sugar. It’s sweet and cool, really refreshing!”
His detailed description even made others salivate.
“Stop talking about it. Since we’re soldiers now, forget about mung bean soup, it’s a blessing if we’re not hungry,” Hong Shan sighed. “If you want to eat it, we might have to wait until we get rewarded and promoted, just like Commander Xiao.”
Hearing Xiao Jue’s name, He Yan couldn’t help but laugh in her heart.
She joined the army and traveled to Liangzhou with the group. They journeyed day and night, staying in tents out in the wild at night. In this way, she didn’t even catch a glimpse of Xiao Jue. He and his subordinates were riding horses at the forefront, and their tents at night were probably quite different from those of the common soldiers. Moreover, from her time at Xianchang Academy, she knew that Xiao Jue was a meticulous person. Born as the second young master of the wealthy Xiao family, he was particular about his food, clothing, and other aspects of life, even more so than a princess.
Considering the circumstances, even though they were on the road, his life was likely more comfortable than theirs.
Both were young generals, but their fates were truly different. In this second chance at life, she had unexpectedly ended up becoming a soldier under his command. He Yan sighed deeply. Who would believe it if she were to tell her story? She had even hoped to earn military achievements and quickly rise in rank, but Xiao Jue was an extremely discerning individual. Trying to stand out under his command wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
What else could she do? Her military status had already been registered; she could only go with the flow and see what happens next.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
