When Deng Hua arrived, flames were already licking through the house. She roared upward from the ground, “Hurry and run! They’ve set fire to the place!”
Disregarding the scorching heatwaves, Deng Hua caught her breath and braced herself to charge into the sea of fire. At that exact moment, she was violently yanked backward by the arm. Before she could throw a punch, veins bulging on his temples, Qi Jianfang roared angrily, “Idiot! Are you out of your damn mind?!”
“Let them burn! Even if I have to dig three feet into the earth, I’ll drag those bastards out!”
Deng Hua tightened the corners of her mouth, her expression dark and foul. Even after the group boarded the carriage and fled the collapsing inn, her expression remained ugly.
Having grasped the whole story, Yun Zhensong said with a solemn expression, “Where are the letters you stuffed into your tunic? Let me see them.”
With that, he extended his hand toward Qi Jianfang. Qi Jianfang looked at him and handed over the letters. “…You haven’t fully recovered yet, don’t worry yourself excessively.”
“Mm.” Yun Zhensong muffled a couple of coughs behind his sleeve, smoothing out the paper that had been creased by Qi Jianfang’s tight grip. First, he carefully inspected the texture of the paper it was the most common style in Great Xuan, revealing nothing out of the ordinary and then he began to read word by word.
Camp set up at midnight, Nan’an Mountain. Action at the hour of Yin.
Imperial decree has been issued.
Black Iron Camp, Qi Injury, and so on.
Victory, Qi severely wounded, fears for his life.
Concise to the extreme, the handwriting was unrestrained and bold, every stroke and dot brimming with the unyielding spirit of a military general.
Yun Zhensong silently finished flipping through them. Everything written detailed the every move of the General of Northern Pacification from the Black Iron Camp: when he led troops to leave the northern border camp, when he passed through certain locations, right down to the injuries on his body, who accompanied him, and the martial arts proficiency levels of those people. All of it was recorded in these short notes that were no more than ten characters each.
Yun Zhensong said, “These are talking about your general, right?”
Qi Jianfang uttered an “Mn.” Yun Zhensong patted his shoulder in consolation, “The past is gone, don’t be too sad. Although I’m not entirely clear on what kind of feelings you held for your general, you went through life and death together after all. If you want to seek justice for him, I will help you.”
Qi Jianfang turned his head to fix his gaze on the other, remaining silent for a long moment before asking, “No matter what my identity is?”
“Hmm? A deserter?” Yun Zhensong said, “Don’t judge someone else’s suffering if you haven’t walked their path. I still understand that much.”
“Besides…”
Qi Jianfang asked, “What?”
“I will trust you unconditionally.”
As the carriage jolted along, Qi Jianfang couldn’t find the reason for that split-second flutter of panic in his heart.
He was like a trapped beast kept in captivity, beaten, and utilized who had fled covered in wounds to a destitute patch of land, only to encounter a sickly noble-born man. At first, he hadn’t wanted to get close, but from some unknown point onward, they had drawn closer and closer, clinging tighter and tighter. He felt nothing but regret and vexation.
He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to take good care of the sickly noble, and he was equally afraid of burdening the noble’s shoulders with the heavy responsibilities he carried.
He didn’t have much strength left; he certainly couldn’t shoulder it all.
“We’ll reach Hancheng tomorrow. We’ll make camp right here tonight.”
Deng Hua came back carrying firewood and skillfully started a campfire. Tonight the skies had cleared, revealing a Milky Way stretching across the heavens. Yun Zhensong loved to gaze at it, but Qi Jianfang glanced over nonchalantly and noticed that Yun Zhensong and Yisheng had leaned against each other and fallen asleep.
An hour ago, Qi Jianfang had fed him his medicine; judging from this, his illness was slowly on the mend.
The instant Qi Jianfang and Deng Hua exchanged a glance, the air grew stagnant. The firewood crackled and popped, and though neither of them spoke, they tacitly walked off to a secluded distance.
“I know what you’re going to ask,” Qi Jianfang said wearily. “Though it is my handwriting, it wasn’t written by my hand.”
When Qi Jianfang had truly scrutinized the writing on those slips of paper, a turbulent storm had surged within his heart, refusing to settle for a long time.
Every stroke, every dot, every horizontal and vertical line—it completely matched Qi Jianfang’s writing habits. Even the underlying temperament contained within it was identical to his own. Without a dozen years of imitation and refinement, it would be utterly impossible to write something so indistinguishable from the original.
Had he not been entirely clear of mind, even he himself would have suspected when on earth he could have written them.
As the wind blew, the sound of pine trees surged all around. Qi Jianfang reached into his waist and fished out that single letter he had kept hidden for himself.
White paper and black ink, handsome and free-and-easy, it unmistakably read:
— Assumed the alias Heke, dormant beside Yun.
Aside from the senior staff in the palace and his old friends, basically no one knew his handwriting. Now, a bunch of people from Yuanqing County had been added to the mix, but this letter clearly had nothing to do with them.
Rolling the edge of the paper between his fingers, Qi Jianfang raised his gaze to look at Deng Hua.
“The Prince of Hanmo?”
Deng Hua offered a rational suspicion: “This place is a mere ten miles from Hancheng. He is the new emperor’s own younger brother, and he’s fully capable of planting informants within the military… No, wait!”
Knowing she had just realized the truth, Qi Jianfang didn’t interrupt her train of thought.
Only to hear Deng Hua pace back and forth on the spot, anxiously saying, “Only a handful of people know the General isn’t dead. If it really were someone from the military, it could only be me, Cheng Sui, or Lu Yi. But even using my toes I know that’s impossible! That means there’s someone else! And that person has been tracking us the entire time, knowing our every single movement like the back of their hand!”
Deng Hua found it downright terrifying upon deeper reflection. A cold sweat broke out all over her body, and she didn’t dare speak any further.
Qi Jianfang’s expression was equally abysmal, looking as though he were in mourning. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, so hard that he gouged blood from his palms without feeling a thing.
Even the emperor hadn’t managed to investigate the matter fully, yet this person had it all at their fingertips.
This individual was definitely not simple!
Qi Jianfang sneered, “Keep a close eye on Li Yan. The Li family doesn’t raise idle idlers.”
The bluestone-paved streets wound and turned, gleaming with a faint sheen under the sunlight. The streets along the way were bustling with activity; peddlers shouted at the top of their lungs with voices rising and falling, cacophonous and noisy.
Pedestrians brushed shoulders, dressed in all sorts of attire. There were quite a few dressed in Western Regions styles, with several snakes coiled around their shoulders. Women wore short tops that exposed the hollows of their waists, casting flirtatious winks at the group waiting in line for inspection. Deng Hua chuckled, “Oho, quite a looker!”
After passing the guards’ inspection and body searches, they entered the city. They had only walked a couple of steps inward when an official came forward to receive them.
“Please follow me, everyone. The Prince of Hanmo currently has urgent matters on his hands and cannot spare himself for the moment. Please wait a moment within the estate.”
The head steward called for servants to serve tea, and the group waited for a long time without seeing anyone arrive. Frowning, Qi Jianfang raised his voice to ask the steward, “Where is he?”
“Heke,” Yun Zhensong’s lower back ached from sitting too long, his legs ached from standing too long, and his feet cramped from lying down too long. Right at this moment, his lower back was hurting severely. Straightening his back slightly, he reached a hand behind to thump it and said softly to Qi Jianfang, “Our county is small; we can’t blame them for not paying us much mind. Besides, they didn’t leave us hanging out on the main street either; they’re quite courteous. Don’t be impatient, let’s wait a bit longer.”
Hearing him finish, the housekeeper put on a precisely calibrated standard smile: “Matters are tricky; they always take a bit more time. Please remain calm and exercise patience, everyone.”
“Someone come, refill the tea and pastries.”
On the other side, the Prince of Hanmo stood in the courtyard holding a pile of medicinal ointments, patting the tightly shut door with a pitiful, aggrieved tone: “Darling, this prince was wrong. This prince… I won’t grope around randomly anymore, just let me come in. You haven’t finished today’s medicine yet; hey, don’t go making things hard on your own body. How about I have someone else come in to help you apply the medicine, and I won’t use my hands? How does that sound?”
No response.
The maid standing in the corridor kept her head bowed and eyes lowered, not daring to listen to another word. Who would have guessed that the once infinitely dissolute and glamorous Prince of Hanmo would one day restrain himself for the sake of a single person to the point of not bringing anyone else back to spend the night for months on end!
It was simply astounding.
“Sweetheart, if you don’t say something soon, I’m going to pick the lock and come in!”
“I’m really coming in!”
With that, Li Yan gave the wooden door a hefty shake.
“You are not allowed to come in!”
A clear, ringing youthful voice abruptly sounded from inside, laden with anger and shame.
The more Li Yan looked at the person he had fished back, the more he liked them. When that person struck him, it felt like a kitten scratching, teasing Li Yan until his heart itched.
Moreover, that person was easily flustered. After dropping a few suggestive remarks or tender endearments, their entire body would flush red all over, feeling slippery and piping hot to the touch.
At this thought, Li Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Lifting his chin slightly, he summoned the white-haired physician, the doting indulgence and playful banter vanishing from his tone as he commanded coldly, “Go in and apply the medicine. Feed him the decoction after it’s brewed, and let him suck on a candied fruit when you’re done—his throat is still hoarse, cut back on the sweets.”
The physician bowed in acknowledgment of the order, stepping inside lightly and cautiously.
At that moment, someone sought him out to report that the magistrate of Yuanqing County had arrived at the front hall to request an audience regarding a matter.
“Yuanqing County?” Li Yan pondered for a moment. “That God-forsaken place? Oh, it must have taken a lot of effort to track me down to this place.”
Li Yan pressed against the door panel, wanting to catch the sound of his darling, and asked indifferently, “How long have they been waiting?”
“Three hours.”
Li Yan raised an eyebrow and scoffed, “Such a long time, and you’re only telling me now?”
“Uh… you were in the Young Lord Qi’s room earlier, so it wasn’t convenient for the servants to disturb…”
“Indeed, and do the same next time. Nothing in this world is more important than my sweetheart.” Li Yan chuckled, then hollered toward the room, “My sweet baby, change your medicine and sleep for a bit; I’ll come over this afternoon to soak up the sun with you!”
Without even changing his clothes—having medicinal decoction spilled all over him just like that—Li Yan strode into the front hall and gave a broad wave of his hand: “Sit, everyone, no need for so many formalities.”
Yun Zhensong straightened his posture and explained the purpose of this visit clearly to Li Yan. Pouring himself a cup of tea in a leisurely manner, Li Yan took it for granted that this was just another person coming to cry about poverty and beg for money, so he didn’t listen very seriously either, only waiting for the other to finish speaking so he could hurry and dismiss them.
However, because Yun Zhensong’s attitude was exceptionally sincere, his articulation clear, and his logic airtight from start to finish, Li Yan couldn’t help asking one more question: “If I provide you with food and livestock, what will you give me in return?”
“Next year’s grain supply for the entire city of Hancheng we’ve got it covered,” Yun Zhensong fought back a cough and said firmly.
Li Yan was startled, thinking to himself that this fellow didn’t lack for arrogance, boasting without even picking something that was hard to debunk.
Yun Zhensong naturally saw through his skepticism, striking while the iron was hot as he delivered a long, easy-to-understand explanation of Yuanqing County’s current farming conditions to Li Yan, adding, “If you don’t believe me, you are entirely welcome to send someone to inspect it. I use my official title as a guarantee; I haven’t uttered a single false word!”
Without expressing his stance immediately, Li Yan rubbed his chin in thought, shedding his previous aloof and nonchalant air to put on a serious and earnest expression. Once the tea cooled to a drinkable temperature, Li Yan propped himself up by the armrests to slowly stand to his feet, nodding his head. “You speak eloquently, but this prince must see it with his own eyes. I will send men to investigate Yuanqing County, and during this time, you all will stay here at my estate.”
Before Yun Zhensong could even smile, Li Yan abruptly shifted his attention to the masked guard standing behind him.
“You, take off your veil.”
Li Yan raised a hand and pointed.
Without putting on airs, Qi Jianfang pulled off his veil in one motion, gazing expressionlessly and directly at Li Yan.
Li Yan’s eyes widened instantly! This face so familiar! It looked as though he had seen it somewhere before!