The old madam was so angered by Li Suyu’s words that her head throbbed. She glared at him fiercely, realizing this matter could not be forced—at least not against Li Suyu. With Jiang Yun and her eldest grandson Li Suyi’s history weighing on her mind, she allowed Nanny Yuan to support her out of Yi Garden.
In the main hall, only the tall, upright man and Yan Hui remained.
Yan Hui felt a flicker of unease. His towering figure loomed over her, and she instinctively stepped back before dropping heavily into the pearwood chair.
As she sat, Li Suyu’s imposing frame leaned closer, his hands gripping the chair’s armrests on either side.
Yan Hui froze, staring at his bent waist and the handsome face now so near. Her brows furrowed slightly. “General, what is the matter?”
Outside, the wind whispered faintly, and the servants’ busy sounds seemed especially intrusive.
Yan Hui could not fathom how she had offended him. Her heart tightened suddenly. “Have I done anything to displease the General?” she asked.
His black robe swept around him, his face drawing even closer.
The light was strong today. At this distance, Yan Hui could see each of his eyelashes clearly, and in his deep eyes there was a sharpness that seemed impossible to suppress. Her back pressed against the chair, while his posture suggested he meant to close the space between them. Wrapped in his cold aura, she recalled his earlier words: She was his wife. The heirs must come from her.
“General, what… what are you going to do?” Panic finally flickered across Yan Hui’s face. If Li Suyu had, from the start, treated her as a proper wife, she would not have resisted. But this man had repeatedly refused to share her bed, and now, merely because of the old matriarch’s words, he showed this expression.
At this moment, Yan Hui felt like nothing more than a pawn for bearing children. As if between them there was nothing else—marriage existed only for heirs, for the Li bloodline.
Of course, Yan Hui knew that if he forced her, she could not resist. She truly was powerless. When she came to the northern frontier, she had considered such possibilities. But back then, she had hoped to live in unity with the Li family’s second son. Yet once married, they were full of suspicion toward each other.
“I cannot do anything?” Li Suyu’s lips curved into a smile, tinged with arrogance.
Yan Hui stared in shock at the sculpted face before her, her expression shifting. “In broad daylight, what could the General possibly do?”
Seeing her—usually so composed and dignified—now with her whole face filled with emotion, his smile deepened. “If I were to do something, must I choose the time?”
Yan Hui’s heart pounded violently. She did not know if it was fear or his closeness. She drew in a heavy breath, about to speak, when suddenly he leaned in. So close that she could feel his breath against her face. Her eyes widened.
Li Suyu saw her pupils tremble faintly and laughed. “What are you afraid of? Could it be that, as a new wife, you still don’t understand many things?”
Yan Hui was dumbfounded. His tone made it sound as though he understood everything.
“Earlier, you said I refused to share a bed with you because I had someone in my heart. Today I ask you in return—during those years in Yunzhou and later in Bianjing, did you also have someone in your heart?” Li Suyu’s smile faded, his voice stern. “Is that why you are so unconcerned about me taking an equal wife or concubines—because your heart already belongs to another?”
Yan Hui’s expression, which had shifted, gradually calmed at his words.
But in Li Suyu’s eyes, her reaction seemed like a tacit admission.
“When my second aunt first married my second uncle, Grandmother also spoke of taking concubines. My aunt quarreled bitterly with him. No wonder you don’t argue or fight, acting so magnanimous—because you already have someone else in your heart.” Li Suyu’s face grew cold as he spoke.
Yan Hui regained her composure, lips curving into a smile. “General, what do you mean? Are you simply looking for trouble? Or do you think that because I have no family to rely on, you can insult me at will?”
Li Suyu froze. *Insult her?*
Just as he was about to question her, her hands brushed faintly against his cheeks, and suddenly her lips pressed against his. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes.
Yan Hui was too direct, too fiery. Her warm lips pressed to his, her breath filling his senses. That unfamiliar breath tangled with his own, pulling him into a whirlpool, leaving him unable to breathe. A tingling sensation surged from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head—then abruptly broke.
“My heart holds only the General. From now on, do not speak words that insult me.” Yan Hui released him, her voice biting, as if to retaliate for his earlier accusation.
Li Suyu’s hands clenched on the armrests, veins bulging, his pupils sharp, eyes burning like fire. He stared deeply at the woman before him. Her face had already returned to calm serenity, her words measured and proper.
“Is that so?” Li Suyu said clearly. “Why is Madam so eager to prove it?”
Yan Hui’s crimson lips curved, about to reply, when Suiqiu’s voice came from the doorway: “Miss, I’ve returned.”
Before she even stepped inside, she saw the black-robed General bent close over Yan Hui, his figure enveloping her so completely that only a glimpse of her could be seen.
Then—
Li Suyu straightened, said nothing, and strode out of the hall with a trace of anger.
Suiqiu, puzzled, approached Yan Hui. “Miss, what’s wrong with the General?”
Yan Hui said darkly: “He’s gone mad.”
Suiqiu gasped, glancing at the door. But the General was clearly angry…
“Did you see Suiyue?” Yan Hui rose and walked toward the inner room. She did not want to remain a moment longer in a place where she had just been with Li Suyu.
Suiqiu followed, saying: “Suiyue said she found a few shops, but the locations are rather remote, all tucked in alleys. In the end, it will need your decision. As for the matter you instructed, Suiyue said she will pass it along—but she very much wishes to see you.”
Yan Hui almost wanted to leave the residence immediately to meet with Suiyue, but considering the current situation, she said: “Wait a while. As for the shops…” She paused in thought, then continued: “Let her decide. If we want to establish ourselves in the northern lands, medicinal herbs and grain stores must first enter the frontier. These two are indispensable.”
“Miss, these past two days I’ve explored the General’s courtyard thoroughly,” Suiqiu said softly. She knew that what her mistress intended could not be entrusted to others. Though Suiyue was capable, she was still not as reliable as Yan Hui herself.
After all, the northern frontier was only just beginning. Back in Yunzhou, when they traveled everywhere for business, it was Yan Hui who laid the foundations, and only then could Suiyue carry things forward.
“East of the General’s courtyard, there is a side gate. At midday, it is usually unguarded. Perhaps because few people ever enter or leave there, it is left unwatched,” Suiqiu whispered. “Miss, perhaps you could find an opportunity to go out once?”
Yan Hui glanced at her but said nothing.
Suiqiu understood her silence. In the Li household, no mistakes could be made. She added quietly: “Miss, let me investigate first. Once I’m sure it’s safe, then you can leave the residence.”
Yan Hui answered faintly, her expression utterly indifferent.
Meanwhile, back in his study, Li Suyu’s face was cold, yet something in his chest seemed strangely excited. He recalled that moist, tender sensation, and in his mind appeared those crimson lips. He drew in a heavy breath.
She had kissed him only to defy his words. And then claimed her heart held only him—nonsense.
Li Suyu clenched his jaw. *That hypocritical, cunning woman!*
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. “Suyu, are you there?”
It was Li Junshan’s voice.
“Come in,” Li Suyu said, suppressing his emotions.
Li Junshan entered, seeing his nephew’s complexion much improved from the day before. He grinned and teased: “Indeed, you must recuperate at home. Just one day back, and you already look better.”
“Second Uncle, you didn’t come here just to speak nonsense, did you?” Li Suyu pressed down the restless beating of his heart and spoke in a low voice.
Li Junshan sat casually on a stool before the desk. “A letter just arrived from the capital. It says this year’s grain taxes from the provinces are poor, so supplies for the army will be cut by twenty percent compared to last year. The letter also claims there will be no wars this year, so medicinal supplies will not be provided.”
Whatever emotion remained in Li Suyu’s eyes vanished at these words. His gaze fell on the secret letter Li Junshan drew from his sleeve. He sneered. “The Emperor would never personally write to the Li family in the north. This must have come from the cabinet. Those old foxes, blinded by wealth, merely echo the Emperor’s attitude toward the frontier—indifferent, even disregarding the lives of northern soldiers.”
Li Junshan sneered as well. “What nonsense—no wars, so no medicine? Likely because the conflict with the barbarians has quieted, they use the excuse of poor grain taxes. Those worthless fools think thirty thousand Li soldiers can be fed on thin gruel?”
“How are the incomes from northern shops this year?” Li Suyu asked.
Li Junshan sighed. “The wars have only just ended, the frontier has only just regained peace. How much income could there be? With the monthly expenses of the army, the Li family truly cannot bear it anymore.”
Years of war and the winter refugees had nearly emptied the Li family’s coffers.
Li Suyu’s sword-like brows drew together. “How long until the court’s supplies reach Yuncheng?”
“Likely around the New Year,” Li Junshan replied, worry clouding his thick brows. “If the soldiers go hungry, morale will falter. Those parasites in Bianjing are just waiting for the Li family to lose the strength to control its army. Then they’ll have every excuse to seize military power from our hands.”
“I’ll think of a way.” Li Suyu clenched one hand while lightly tapping the desk with the other, as though deep in thought.
“What way could you possibly think of?” Li Junshan grew agitated. “Originally, the plan was to marry the Wang family’s daughter. With Wang Yonghe’s connections in Bianjing, he could speak well of you before the Emperor, arrange for you to return to the capital, and persuade the Emperor to show compassion for the frontier soldiers, ensuring supplies every year. Who would have thought things would turn out like this?”
Hearing his uncle mention the Wang daughter again, Li Suyu recalled Yan Hui’s indifferent face. He said: “From now on, don’t bring up the Wang daughter. The Li family has no ties to the Wang family.”
Li Junshan was taken aback, then quickly understood his meaning. He laughed twice. “Yes, Yan Hui isn’t bad either. This morning, she gave your grandmother a fine fox-fur cloak. Every girl in the household received one—even your second aunt, who was delighted. Tell me, that girl spends so lavishly—does she have money burning her hands?”
At the mention of money, Li Junshan’s smile faded. He looked intently at Li Suyu.
Li Suyu raised his brows.
“Suyu, that girl Yan Hui spends gold melon seeds like water. She—”
Before he could finish, Li Suyu’s face turned cold. “Second Uncle, stop that thought.”
“I was only thinking—can’t I even think? I wouldn’t dare ask my nephew’s wife to help the Li family. Besides, who knows what’s truly in Yan Hui’s heart?” Li Junshan said, seeing his nephew’s stern face.
Li Suyu’s eyelids flickered. He recalled Yan Hui’s words in the military tent, pressed his lips together, and said: “Didn’t you once say she was a pitiful person? Why now do you think she harbors ulterior motives?”
“One must always guard against others. And your grandmother worries about you. This morning she said, ‘the land of beauty is the grave of heroes.’ You’re the Li family’s only heir. If something were to happen to you, what would become of us all?” Li Junshan’s voice grew anxious. “Because of you, your grandmother is extra cautious. Yet in your marriage, things went awry, so she suspects Yan Hui. You should try to understand her.”
Li Suyu gave a quiet “Mm,” and the study fell silent.
Li Junshan knew the immense pressure his nephew bore. He asked with concern: “How is your injury? Master Chu said your old wound had worsened.”
“Much better today. Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle.” As he spoke, Li Suyu recalled Yan Hui’s careful manner when applying his medicine.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Suiqiu’s voice:
“General, the young madam sent me to ask if you are free tomorrow.”
Li Suyu and Li Junshan exchanged a glance.
Suiqiu, hearing no response, frowned and was about to turn back to the main hall when the door opened.
Seeing Li Junshan, she quickly bowed. “Second Master.”
Li Junshan looked her over and said: “Your master is recuperating—he has plenty of time.”
Suiqiu frowned and said: “The young madam asks if the General, being free, could accompany her out of the residence tomorrow.”
Her words made both Li Suyu and Li Junshan pause. *Leave the residence?*
“Second Uncle, go to the army today. I’ll think of a way to handle the rest,” Li Suyu said, signaling his uncle to leave quickly.