Yan Hui knelt, one hand brushing her sleeve lightly, the other holding an ink stick as she gently ground it on the inkstone. The soft sound of grinding eased the tense atmosphere.
Li Suyu gazed at the woman whose every movement was dignified, faintly catching a fragrance that did not belong to the military tent.
“Why does the General ask such a question?” Yan Hui’s voice was too clear and cold. She was but an ordinary person—how could she possibly love the desert?
Zhao Chi, seeing his second brother and sister-in-law rarely alone together, quietly withdrew from the tent.
Li Suyu pulled back his gaze, no longer interested in the military texts. He recalled the words he had spoken that day—since then, he found it difficult to face her. As Zhao Chi had said, anyone would mind hearing such words.
“I heard from Zhao Chi that you went to the western Gobi.”
At those words, the world seemed to fall silent.
Yan Hui replied calmly: “I wouldn’t say I liked it.”
“Then what does Madam like?” Li Suyu followed up politely.
Since that day at the medical hall, their relationship had seemed to grow cautious.
“Bustling city streets, crowded markets, the smoke and fire of human life.” Yan Hui met Li Suyu’s sharp gaze. “Those are the things I like.”
The flickering candlelight illuminated the man’s face, making it strikingly radiant—his long lashes, deep and piercing eyes. Looking closely, his gaze was that of peach blossom eyes, brimming with emotion. With his pale complexion, he carried a unique charm.
Yan Hui withdrew her gaze, focusing on grinding ink, yet thought to herself: with such a face, no wonder Jiang Yun could not forget him.
Li Suyu’s lips curved faintly, breaking the silence: “Here in the northern frontier, there is only wind and sand. Madam must be disappointed.”
Yan Hui raised her eyes and smiled lightly: “Why speak to me in such a tone, General? As the saying goes, ‘Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.’ Since I have married the General, wherever you are, I will not be disappointed.”
Inside, Yan Hui found it rather laughable. Two people who barely knew each other—strangers, really—had been forced together by power into marriage. She and Li Suyu were both pitiable souls. Still, whichever way one looked at it, a woman’s fate was as fragile as grass.
Li Suyu gazed openly at the woman before him. To put it plainly, he was interested in her—at least he felt no aversion. Yet there was much about her he did not understand. It was like the first time he had used his network in Bianjing to gather information. The secret report described Yan Hui as plain in appearance, easy to control.
Plain in appearance? Easy to control? Easy for the imperial court to control—or for him, Li Suyu? Most likely neither.
That first use of the Bianjing intelligence network had been disappointing.
This was why, when Li Suyu first met Yan Hui, his emotions were not as expected. His carefully laid plans shifted slightly upon seeing her.
Yan Hui grew uneasy under his gaze. She was no ignorant maiden. Though she had lived in this world for eighteen years, before coming here, she had already experienced much. The shyness of a young girl was something she could no longer feign.
The man’s gaze grew increasingly heated, and Yan Hui’s brows furrowed slightly. “General, why do you look at me like this?”
After all, being stared at for so long by such a handsome man, it was hard not to feel flustered.
“Madam, have you been well these past few days in the residence?” Li Suyu asked, then withdrew his gaze. His well-defined fingers gripped the military text tightly, pulling at his wound with the force. Pain spread through his body, his expression faintly strained. His wife always seemed calm and indifferent, yet he found himself stirred by her.
“How could I be well when the General is not here?” Yan Hui’s lips curved into a smile as she set down the ink stick. “Where does the General feel unwell?”
“My wound.” Li Suyu’s expression did not change. From the beginning until now, this woman had never once asked about his injury.
Hearing this, Yan Hui moved to rise and call for Zhao Chi.
“What does Madam mean by this?” Li Suyu asked in a low voice.
Yan Hui reluctantly knelt back down. “The General’s wound is serious. I was going to find someone.”
“Then why did you come here?” Li Suyu nearly said outright: you came here to care for me, so why go find someone else?
Yan Hui hesitated for a moment before understanding his meaning. She fixed her gaze on the man’s mischievous peach blossom eyes. She said: “I… do not know how to care for people. But if the General does not mind, I can try…”
“I don’t mind.” Li Suyu’s lips held the faintest curve as he stared deeply at her.
Yan Hui gave a light smile. “Where does it hurt, General? What should I do?”
The curve at Li Suyu’s lips faded, and just as he was about to speak, the curtain lifted. Jiang Yun entered, carrying steaming medicine.
A flicker of impatience flashed in Li Suyu’s eyes.
“Suyu, Master Chu instructed that once you wake, you must drink this medicine before proper recovery can begin.” Jiang Yun stepped forward, set the tray on the table, and placed the bowl before him. “The temperature is just right. It may be bitter—drink it slowly.”
The tent fell silent. Yan Hui felt no discomfort, but Jiang Yun’s gaze toward her was cold. Yan Hui only smiled serenely, picked up the porcelain spoon, lifted the bowl, and made as if to feed Li Suyu herself.
“General, don’t waste Miss Jiang’s kindness. Didn’t you just say your wound hurt? Come, drink the medicine.” Yan Hui’s smiling face resembled a lotus drenched in poison—beautiful yet deadly.
Jiang Yun’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her skin without pain.
Li Suyu stared at Yan Hui for a moment, then his thin lips curved into a faint smile. “Then I’ll trouble Madam.”
Thus, a pair of husband and wife with hidden intentions performed a seemingly harmonious scene before Jiang Yun.
When the medicine was finished, Yan Hui set down the bowl and spoon, then took out a silk handkerchief to gently wipe Li Suyu’s lips. As she leaned closer, her gaze lingered on his face—sculpted features, strong brows, resolute and striking. Even as a hardened general, he was the most handsome of warriors.
Returning to her original kneeling position, Yan Hui placed the handkerchief on the table and looked at Jiang Yun. “Does Miss Jiang have other matters?”
“N-no.” Jiang Yun knew Yan Hui was deliberate. Was it because of the words she had spoken earlier that day? Was Yan Hui now proving that times had changed—that she was the woman standing at Li Suyu’s side?
“If there’s nothing else, then please leave, Miss Jiang.” Yan Hui spoke with the authority of a proper wife. “The General and I still have things to discuss. But thank you for the trouble of preparing medicine for my husband.”
Jiang Yun’s face looked somewhat embarrassed. She stared fixedly at the smile on Yan Hui’s lips, gritting her teeth as she said: “It is my duty. Madam need not be so polite.”
Yan Hui nodded with a faint smile, watching Jiang Yun leave the tent with displeasure written on her face. When Yan Hui withdrew her gaze, a glimmer of slyness flashed in her eyes.
Seeing Li Suyu staring at her, Yan Hui asked: “General, what is it?”
Li Suyu smiled. “Madam seems very happy?”
Yan Hui’s red lips curved upward. “I simply do not wish to see other women harboring thoughts about the General.”
Looking at the woman who spoke such blatant falsehoods, Li Suyu teased: “Yet when you met Grandmother, you said it was normal for men to have three wives and four concubines?”
Yan Hui thought to herself: since that displeased you, then I’ll do something to please you. After all, we are already husband and wife. If true affection cannot be achieved, at least appearances can be maintained.
“The jealous wife’s face is for the General to see. But before Grandmother, I must still play the virtuous and proper wife.”
Li Suyu felt that after some time apart, this woman had grown even more adept at pretending. Normally, he had no interest in watching a woman put on airs. But Yan Hui was different. Even when pretending, she did it with an air of frankness. Especially when she could make Jiang Yun retreat, he found himself even more intrigued.
Li Suyu set down the military text, just about to speak, when Yan Hui asked: “General, how do you know Chu Yan?”
A dark gleam flashed in Li Suyu’s eyes, his expression unreadable. He looked at her—this was the first time they had touched upon a serious topic.
“You know Chu Yan?”
Yan Hui clearly sensed the stern aura radiating from him. She smiled lightly: “When I was young in Yunzhou, Chu Yan stayed at my home for a time.”
Young? Yunzhou? How long ago was that?
The head of the Yan family had been dead for nearly six years. How old was Yan Hui then?
“I met Master Chu by chance. This time, he came to Yun City. When he visited, I was unconscious. His medical skills are remarkable.” Li Suyu explained, implying that his quick recovery owed something to Chu Yan.
“So the General intends to continue befriending Master Chu?” Yan Hui spoke slowly, as though seeing through him.
Li Suyu looked at her profile in the candlelight, his tone meaningful: “Madam’s words carry a hint of concern. Concern for what?”
“You know Chu Yan’s identity, and you know what power you hold, yet you still seek his acquaintance. Should I not be concerned? I cannot believe the General could truly be friends with someone like Chu Yan.” Yan Hui’s expression darkened, her brows tightening. “Men like you and Chu Yan—without equal interests, you would never draw close.”
Li Suyu had never underestimated Yan Hui, but he had not expected her to perceive such hidden matters. Perhaps it was to ease the court’s vigilance against the Chu family. Chu Empress’s only brother, Chu Yan, had long been absent from Bianjing. Even the Chu clan was little more than a nominal family.
Chu Yan was rarely in the capital, known only as the imperial uncle with superb medical skills, wandering the land and returning to Bianjing only once in ten years.
“Does the General not know? One wrong step leads to endless mistakes. Empress Chu is hardly a virtuous woman.” Yan Hui lifted her eyes, smiling faintly. “If you stake everything on the Chu family, which seems solid, and lose, it will be ruin without end.”
Listening to her words, Li Suyu stared at her intently, as if trying to bore a hole through her face. Other than his grandmother, no woman had ever spoken of such matters before him.
“The Emperor is strong in body. Princes and ministers alike are eager to test him. In his eyes, the Li family in the northern frontier is the prime target. After the Turks’ defeat, the Li family’s military achievements were glorious, yet the Emperor seized the chance to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. General, why do you think that is?”
“The Li family commands powerful troops, a useful check in the north. After all, the frontier must be maintained by the Emperor. Yet the Li family harbors thoughts of settling permanently in Bianjing, and their marriage alliance is with the Wang family. Behind the Wang family stands the Marquis Zhongyi household. Could the Emperor allow their power to sprout like bamboo shoots after rain?”
“I admit I am but an insignificant pawn. But in this way, the Emperor suppresses the Li family while also humiliating them, showing those in Bianjing with restless hearts that even the mighty Li family can be crushed. How much more so the ministers who only know how to wag their tongues?”
“What does the General think?” In the glow of the candlelight, Yan Hui’s beauty shone brilliantly, her brows and eyes curved in a smile, as though everything lay within her grasp. At this moment, even the man before her seemed to be completely seen through.
“Madam, what else do you know?” Li Suyu’s tone lifted slightly, as if ready for a serious conversation. “You may speak freely.”
Yan Hui had been waiting for these words. “In recent years, most of the supplies for the wars on the northern frontier have been borne by the Li family. Though the Emperor provided some, it was but a drop in the bucket. Each winter, the people of the north suffer bitterly, even producing refugees. The court does not care, and the Li family cannot manage it all. Year after year, no proper solution is found. Even the army has been strained. Because of this, merchants rarely settle in the north. It is truly a land of hardship and cold.”
“Every year, the Li family submits a memorial to the court, pages filled with the difficulties of the northern lands. Yet the court turns a blind eye.”
“Because the court knows the Li family will not abandon the north. With the northern army in their hands, the court both fears and seeks to suppress them. By such means, they force the Li family to resist the Turks while ensuring their lives are far from smooth.”
After her words, silence lingered. Then the man gave a soft laugh. “I wonder—why say so much? What is your intent?”
Everything Yan Hui spoke of, Li Suyu already knew. It was precisely because he knew that he had begun to harbor thoughts of resistance.
Yan Hui’s eyes half-narrowed. “If I said I could lend the General a hand, would you believe me?”
In the half-lit space, her clear eyes held frankness and pride—and a trace of ambition.
Li Suyu smiled. His palm resting on the desk shifted slightly, long fingers tapping lightly against the surface. He studied Yan Hui carefully, as though this was her true self, and all before had been a disguise.
“Madam, how would you help?” He emphasized the word “Madam,” implying they were one body.
Yan Hui pretended not to notice his tone. “For now, I only ask for freedom to come and go. Nothing else need concern the General.”
“Agreed.” Li Suyu’s voice carried a chill. Today, he felt he was meeting this woman anew. His first instinct had been right—she was no simple person. Whether friend or foe, he must remain wary.
Yan Hui lowered her brows, ending the matter there. To say more would be dull. “It grows late. I shall take my leave.”
Li Suyu’s gaze fell on the flickering flame. He picked up the scissors beside him and trimmed the burnt wick, speaking casually: “Where does Madam intend to go? Do you want Zhao Chi to arrange another place for you to rest?”
Yan Hui raised her brows, then noticed her belongings placed in the corner of the tent. She did not fuss. “How could I impose by sharing the General’s quarters? My sleeping posture is hardly graceful. If I were to jostle your wound, I hope you would not blame me.”
In her heart, she thought: sooner or later, they would sleep together anyway—it was only natural.
Li Suyu said: “Help me.”
“…”
Yan Hui supported him onto the bed, finding it terribly inconvenient. With Suiqiu absent, everything had to be done by her own hands.
Once seated, Li Suyu lifted his eyes, meeting Yan Hui’s gaze—eyes full of impatience.
Yan Hui said: “I want to bathe.”
Li Suyu, caught by those clear eyes, felt a faint tremor in his heart, spreading through him in the darkness of the night.