The next day.
The atmosphere in the camp had subtly become a bit strange.
Qu Dubian didn't know how many times he had turned around. Every time he did, the young soldiers who were inexplicably staring at him from behind would shyly scamper away.
"..." What on earth is going on?
Qu Dubian turned his head back, pondering secretly. Could it be that his hair was tied crookedly?
After returning to his own tent, he looked in the mirror.
It wasn't crooked at all; it was perfectly straight.
Could it be that they wanted to say some cheesy things to his face like, 'General, you are super amazing and we worship you,' but ended up getting too embarrassed at the last moment?
After pondering for a moment to no avail, he simply gave up.
The minds of soldiers were truly hard to guess.
Around dusk, Xia Fuyang dragged him out of the city, claiming they needed to inspect the defenses outside.
The Northern Frontier's army had now retreated thirty miles away, making their area relatively safe for the time being. There was no need for the two main generals to come out and patrol.
Qu Dubian still had military affairs to handle, but unable to stubbornly resist, he went out horseback riding with him.
Night fell, and the evening breeze blew gently.
The night sky over the grasslands was cleaner than that of the Central Plains, and the moon seemed larger as well.
Qu Dubian stretched lazily, glancing at Xia Fuyang. "I know why you called me out."
Xia Fuyang's eyes tightened. "You know?"
Qu Dubian: "You just wanted to drag me out to relax a bit, and give yourself a break too. During the preparation period for war, it's good to take some time off to rest."
Xia Fuyang: "Ahaha, exactly. I was just worried you'd collapse from exhaustion."
Qu Dubian shifted his position, leaning back against the horse. Both of his arms dangled down, and he closed his eyes, looking as if he couldn't be bothered to exert even a single ounce of strength.
The horse sneezed and lowered its head to graze.
Xia Fuyang couldn't help but chuckle.
In the city, he still had to keep up appearances, but once out of the city, his lazy side came out.
Truly...
He didn't say anything either, just narrowing his eyes to look up at the solitary moon over the grasslands.
Faint howls of wolves drifted from deep within the grasslands. The dense blue night sky, draped in stars, enveloped the sky above the Northern Frontier.
"Xia Fuyang, once this war is over, I'm definitely going to lie around until I die," Qu Dubian said lazily. "I'll go wherever I want and play like crazy."
He wanted to revert to being the same sickly person he was before. He would fall ill right after the war. If anyone asked, he would say he had pushed himself for two years and couldn't keep it up any longer, needing to go to a peaceful place with beautiful scenery to recuperate.
"When the time comes, I'll find a particularly beautiful place, build a small house, and plant all kinds of flowers. Then I'll go take a look at the martial arts world. I won't be the protagonist in the storybooks who punishes evil and promotes good, but just a recluse the protagonist happens to see when passing by somewhere..."
Xia Fuyang: "What, listening to what you mean, you don't want to return to the capital?"
Qu Dubian laughed aloud. "Me, return? If I return, I'll just be dragged into the scheming and infighting."
"True, you've established military merits in the Northern Frontier. Who knows what those few in the palace are thinking. However..." Xia Fuyang looked over, "Little Seven, you now have the strength to fight for that position."
Qu Dubian opened his eyes slightly. "Yes, but I don't want it."
If he wanted to fight for it.
He had the hearts of the people. Grand Tutor Fang, a key minister in the court, was his teacher. Xiao Chun held a high position in the Eastern Depot. Both were close to him, though no one else knew.
The Xie and Xu families were naturally close to him. As for the Xia and Xi families, he could find ways to persuade them to take his side.
Among the three commanderies, the scholars and candidates who remembered his grace in testing medicine could all be his reserve team. He even had the wealth his youngest uncle had accumulated for him, which could be used to bribe and buy off officials.
He could also use brotherly affection to drag his Fourth Brother into the fray. Knowing the true situations of his Fifth and Sixth Brothers, he could use his Fifth Brother to deal with his Second Brother.
The most crucial thing was military power.
Right now, it would be no exaggeration to say that the soldiers under Xu Jin's command at the borders of the Great Zhou Dynasty would answer his every call.
But that throne was stained with too much blood. It was too cold and too lonely; he didn't care for it.
First Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother... The grievances and entanglements had long become indistinguishable. Even if they eventually escaped the vortex, Third Brother lost an arm, and First Brother, whose faction was so solid, implicated his wife's family and nearly ended up with a broken family, his wife and children scattered or dead.
If he showed a posture of vying for the throne, how many people around him would be lost?
Moreover, he and the Old Geezer had the Black Brocade agreement.
That promise had long severed his possibility of succeeding the throne.
Xia Fuyang didn't feel it was much of a pity either. He fantasized about the scene Qu Dubian described, thought about it for a moment, and felt it would be joyful, more joyful than sitting on the dragon throne.
"Alright, if you don't want to fight for it, then don't. But in your future little courtyard, you have to leave a room for me. I want to live there."
Qu Dubian: "Build it yourself. You can build as many rooms as you like."
Xia Fuyang burst into loud laughter.
"The soldiers worship you so much. If they saw you in this lazy state, who knows what they would think."
"They can think whatever they want."
"Last night I told the Marquis about your childhood. I told him, don't look at how majestic you are carrying the flag and flying down the city wall; your lightness skill used to be terribly bad. You could only go up but couldn't come down, and had to rely on others to carry you down hahaha..."
Qu Dubian sat up straight on the horse's back in a flash. "Xia Fuyang, are you courting death?!"
"What nonsense were you telling my grandfather?"
"I wasn't talking nonsense," Xia Fuyang turned around and started to leave. "Don't hit people out of humiliation and anger!"
Qu Dubian spurred his horse in direct pursuit.
"Stop running if you have the guts!"
The two of them fooled around on the grasslands in front of the city for a long time before returning.
After causing such a ruckus, Qu Dubian felt very relaxed.
During this period, he had been entirely surrounded by the flames of war and casualties. He had mostly been sleeping lightly and rarely fell into a deep sleep. Even when he did, his dreams were not of scenes he liked.
Having taken a beating, Xia Fuyang leisurely returned to the city alongside Qu Dubian.
The soldiers guarding the city opened the gates. Xia Fuyang looked back, and the guarding soldiers gave a silent, cheeky grin, making an all ready hand gesture.
As they walked along this stretch of road, Qu Dubian looked left and right. "Why is it so quiet today? I don't even see the patrol squads. Is Ye Lianyang slacking off?"
Xia Fuyang: "Then you'll have to punish him properly when you get back."
As the two passed through the archway of the city wall, a depressed voice came from above: "General Xia, you really are mischievous."
Immediately after, Ye Lianyang said happily, "Boss, quickly look back!"
Qu Dubian instinctively turned his head.
He saw several streaks of fireworks suddenly shooting up into the sky from the city wall, exploding with a bang in the night sky!
Blooms of brilliant golden flowers instantly illuminated the city that had been perfectly quiet just moments ago. Soldiers popped out one by one, grinning from ear to ear, looking eagerly at the young man on horseback:
"Your Highness, happy birthday!"
"Little General, happy birthday!"
"Happy birthday!"
"May Your Highness live a thousand years!"
"Happy birthday..."
Seventeen shots at a time, ten times in total, a hundred and seventy fireworks were continuously launched from the city wall and blossomed in the sky.
A cacophony of blessings was sent into his ears amidst the night sky filled with the explosions of fireworks.
The surrounding soldiers stood in two rows holding small flowers. "Please dismount, General!"
There were basically no flowers in the Northern Frontier. These small flowers looked a bit scruffy, but they were full of life, clutched in the hands of the soldiers who wanted to show their Little General some pretty flowers.
Xia Fuyang was the first to dismount. He walked up to Qu Dubian and reached out with a smile. "Come down, our Little General. Shall I personally help you down?"
For a moment, Qu Dubian had the illusion of walking the red carpet.
He blinked, batted away Xia Fuyang's hand, and jumped down. "What are you guys doing?"
Xia Fuyang: "Just walk forward."
Qu Dubian walked forward along the path formed by the soldiers. After a short distance, someone shouted, "Happy first birthday to Your Highness!"
A bit further down: "Happy second birthday to Your Highness!"
And further still: "Happy third birthday to Your Highness!"
One greeting for each year, as if to make up for all the proper birthday wishes he had missed out on in the past.
"..."
Qu Dubian didn't say a word.
Xia Fuyang turned his head and caught a glimpse of redness beneath his lowered eyelashes.
Step by step, he arrived in front of Xu Jin's tent. The old man was still in poor health, only managing to sit in a chair. In front of him was a table, and on it sat a freshly served, piping hot bowl of longevity noodles.
Xu Jin smiled and said, "Little Darling, happy seventeenth birthday."
Qu Dubian felt a sudden sourness rush up his nose. With his head slightly bowed, his voice was a bit hoarse. "Grandfather, I... I don't think I should celebrate my birthday like this. It's too flashy."
Actually, just a bowl of noodles would have been fine. There was no need for such a grand gesture.
Xu Jin's eyes widened. "Who said that! That's utter nonsense! On the border, in the Northern Frontier, we don't have those dog-shit, stinking rules of the capital!"
"Yueqing loved you very much. She brought you into this world to enjoy a good life. If she knew that because of her, you never had a proper birthday, she would be heartbroken and regret not holding on for one more day."
"To keep her from being sad, you should celebrate every birthday properly."
Little Darling, you were brought into this world with anticipation and love.
Qu Dubian understood the look in his grandfather's eyes. After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly picked up the bowl of longevity noodles from the table, grabbed the chopsticks, and began to slurp them down loudly.
The soldiers burst into laughter. "Careful, it's hot, Your Highness."
The noodles were indeed too hot, so hot that they forced out two teardrops which, unnoticed by the crowd, fell into the salty soup.
He wasn't someone who had been expected to come into this world.
He was just a soul from the future living on in the original child's place. Only by shouldering that child's responsibilities had he earned this karmic bond.
He told himself that this wasn't stolen.
He was good, and he was worthy of this affection.
Xia Fuyang: "Oh my god, slow down, no one is fighting you for it."
Holding the bowl, Qu Dubian squatted behind Xu Jin's chair to hide, leaving only the back of his head facing the crowd. "Mind your own business when it comes to a genius."
Xia Fuyang laughed, "He's getting shy."
The soldiers let out good-natured roars of laughter.
"Alright, alright, let's disperse."
Ye Lianyang called out, "Hey, hey, don't let those flowers go to waste! Feed them to the sheep, cows, or horses."
As for the small flowers gifted for Qu Dubian's birthday, Yi Shier was very experienced. He picked out a portion of the flawless, beautiful ones and tied them into a bouquet, while the rest, in keeping with the highly pragmatic style of the borderlands, became fodder for the livestock.
The Northern Frontier encampment.
They had yet to step out from the shadow of the new gunpowder. At the first sound of the fireworks, their immediate reaction was to shudder. Were the Great Zhou people launching a sneak attack?!
Even Jirgal rushed out of his tent in a hurry.
Then he gazed at the fireworks exploding in the sky above Zhongyi City from afar. "..."
Even if they had new gunpowder, there was no need to show off like this, right?
This must be a demonstration of power by Great Zhou.
He sent men over to see what exactly was going on, but when they returned, they reported, "They are celebrating the Seventh Prince's birthday."
Jirgal: "...A birthday?"
His face turned a colorful array of ugly shades. Cursing under his breath, he stormed back into his tent without looking back.
"The people of Great Zhou are truly sick in the head."
After finishing his longevity noodles, Qu Dubian helped Xu Jin back into the tent.
Xu Jin's energy depleted incredibly fast. He had looked somewhat spirited just moments ago, but upon entering the tent, he could barely keep his eyes open.
After lying down, he still held onto Qu Dubian's hand. "Little Darling, are you happy today?"
Qu Dubian: "Extremely happy."
Xu Jin: "From now on, Grandfather will celebrate it like this for you every year."
"Okay," Qu Dubian said with a smile. "Then you need to get well soon. I'll be waiting for my birthday next year. Rest now, Grandfather."
Xu Jin slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Qu Dubian went out for a walk to get some fresh air, his arms swinging back and forth.
Yi Shier appeared beside him, keeping one hand behind his back. "Your Highness."
Qu Dubian: "Hmm?"
Yi Shier brought out the hand hidden behind his waist and opened his palm. "A gift."
A slender, multicolored hair tie lay nestled in his hand. A string of radiant beads hung from the bottom; they appeared white at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were brilliantly colorful.
He had braided it himself, it was his first time doing so.
"It's so pretty!" Qu Dubian was instantly captivated.
Seeing that he liked it, Yi Shier let out a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.
Qu Dubian: "I'll use this tomorrow."
Yi Shier: "Alright."
Qu Dubian put the hair tie away carefully and took a deep breath.
This was probably the happiest and most relaxing day he had experienced since arriving at the Northern Frontier.