Chapter 81 Year After Year the Geese (Part 3) In the Lancheng army, Wei Yuanzhan's...

As the two were approaching Lake China, a cry like the cry of a crane suddenly rang out in the air. The horse was startled and reared up. Enhe tightened the reins on the horse's back, and the horse's neck snapped back, neighing sharply.

A bone arrow struck Enhe's horse.

Upon hearing the sound, Zhi Rou quickly reined in her horse and turned around. Her gaze lingered on En He for a moment, and seeing that he was unharmed, the surprise in her eyes faded, and she turned her head in the direction from which the bone arrow had been shot.

The sunset had faded, and the birch forest to the west split into two lines, like a white mist. In the middle of the path stood a tall, slender figure, seated high on horseback, holding a longbow in his hand.

It is Suzhou.

All around was quiet, the lake water was clear and cold, and Enhe's reflection was cast on the surface. He steadied the horse, then raised his head and met a pair of bright eyes in the distance. He bit his cheek.

When he was fighting in Yan territory, he observed Su Du with admiration, but now his gaze has become particularly cold.

Even from a distance, Su could sense his fierce expression. He gave a soft shout, spurred his horse forward, and stopped beside him. The horse's hooves clattered as it lazily circled twice.

Enhe stared at Sudu without saying a word.

Su Du, however, preemptively accused the innocent, saying inexplicably, "The prince is quite generous; you only need to pass on a message to me, why do you have to resort to violence?"

"What's the meaning?"

Enhe turned his head to look, and thick smoke was rising in the sky above the camp. The fire was still burning, but it was too far away, and he could only see small red lights in his field of vision.

After a moment, he turned back, his expression unwavering: "My people, who are they?"

Su Du fixed his gaze on En He's face, raising an eyebrow: "I was hoping the prince would tell me their names." There was a hint of threat in his tone.

After the war with Yan ended, the Khan's attitude towards Enhe gradually softened, and he seemed to have the intention of cultivating him. He was responsible for most of the campaigns against the surrounding tribes. Alamusu was unwilling to be subordinate to him, but he was seriously injured in a battle and has not yet recovered.

As Enhe's prestige grew, many members of the Zuoqin tribe began to consider marriage alliances with him, wishing to marry their daughters to him. In military affairs, the Khan mostly employed him alongside other generals, while Sudu became increasingly idle.

Rumors spread in the shadows that the Khan intended to have Enhe replace Sudu.

He paused, a hint of ferocity flashing in his clear, calm eyes. "That arrow you just shot was very dangerous."

This means they want to get revenge on him.

Su didn't take it to heart, didn't say a word, and remained indifferent. He had no interest in being hostile to Enhe; he was simply stating the facts.

Enhe glanced at him, then at Zhirou, before pulling on the reins and urging his horse forward along the path they had come from.

The contest between the two ended without a conclusion, which left Zhi Rou somewhat disappointed, as she was almost going to win.

As she watched the black smoke billowing from the camp, a cloud of doubt crept into her mind. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. How did Su Du know they were here, and why did he happen to be carrying bows and arrows to issue a warning?

Has he been following Eun-ho the whole time?

Zhi Rou lowered her eyelids and pondered to herself, "Given Enhe's personality, he shouldn't be capable of something like burning down the camp."

"You did this on purpose?" Zhi Rou raised her eyes.

Darkness had fallen, a deep indigo hue. Bonfires burned on the grassland, as if the events in the camp had had no impact on people's lives; everything remained peaceful.

Su Du remained noncommittal, casually glancing over: "What do you think?"

"I don't know." Zhi Rou urged her horse back, and Su Du leisurely followed beside her, showing no trace of his initial hidden anger. Or rather, he seemed to have no emotions at all.

For no apparent reason, Zhi Rou suddenly twitched the corner of her lips, as if she were smiling, but it was barely perceptible.

But Su Du had excellent hearing and eyesight, which he relied on for survival. He could pinpoint the location of danger just by listening to the wind, so when her voice suddenly entered his ears, he turned his face away and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Zhi Rou looked back at him generously, and after a while said, "My brother likes to have a cold face just like you."

She studied his expression and asked bluntly, "Are you unhappy?"

Zhi Rou had wanted to ask Song Qi Yu this question countless times. It was when she had just returned to the Song residence; her older brother rarely showed his emotions, which seemed very unusual.

Su Du had heard about Zhi Rou's background in his daily life, mostly from her own words, such as that she had lived in Jiangnan and came to the capital at the age of nine.

He had never heard her mention any "brother".

The two words sounded slightly off to Su, who frowned and didn't answer her.

Zhi Rou had never spoken much to him, only opening her mouth when she needed something. He didn't respond, and she was used to it. Looking at the sky, worried that Jing Yao was getting impatient, she shook the reins and spurred her horse forward.

The night wind rustled, drowning out the whispers of people. The shadows dancing and singing around the felt tent were a rehearsal for tomorrow's gathering.

The light grew brighter and brighter, and Zhi Rou's warhorse was about to step into the crimson glow when she suddenly remembered something, pulled on the reins, turned around, and called out in surprise, "Su Du."

He gazed at her calmly and heard her ask, "Are you leaving here?"

Su Du always acts with a purpose, and he won't let others touch his things. When the camp caught fire, he shot an arrow to provoke En He, which seemed to indicate that he was angry, but judging from his subsequent behavior, he didn't take it to heart at all.

He was helping the Khan drive him away.

Zhi Rou's heart was beating a little faster. She looked at Su Du with some suspicion and wondered to herself, "Where is he going?"

Sue was not surprised by her reaction; she was quick-witted, and Bean understood perfectly.

However, he did not fully believe her. Based solely on his father's jade pendant and the fact that half of her words were lies, he was unsure whether she was indeed the Chang family's Xiao Nian.

Therefore, Su Du also held back with her, only giving her one suggestion: "Go back to Princess Huaixian's side."

The Khan's days were numbered, and the princess was returning to court. She could only set foot in the Central Plains if she was on the list of attendants.

Zhi Rou remained silent for a long time, puzzled. At this moment, she actually believed Su Du.

Northwest, Lanzhou.

After a spring rain, the wind became biting, but the sun was blazing, like a furnace in the sky, its residual heat enough to cover the entire border region.

In February, with military affairs at a leisurely pace, Wei Yuanzhan took out all the unpolished chess pieces, sat on a stone table, and patiently and carefully inscribed words on them.

Sunlight lingered on his handsome brow bone, his youthful appearance unchanged from two years ago. He had perhaps grown taller, his legs slightly splayed out, as if marking out a territory where no one would disturb him.

A short while later, a slight commotion arose behind him. He turned around, glanced at the figure surrounded by people in the crowd, recognized who it was, and then turned back to continue playing his chess pieces.

In the Lancheng army, Wei Yuanzhan's appearance was immediately recognizable. Song Qiyu glanced around, saw him, and strode towards him.

Upon reaching Wei Yuanzhan's side, Song Qiyu seemed to want to say something, his brows furrowed with worry, and he remained silent for a long time.

As soon as he arrived, his tall, slender figure blocked out all the sunlight. Wei Yuanzhan, who had been waiting in the shadows for a long time, grew impatient. He put down his pen and chess pieces and stood up.

The rigorous training in the military matured this young man's physique, giving him broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a spirited appearance. Even without wearing a brocade robe, he exuded nobility; it was an aura that was more imposing than his social status.

Wei Yuanzhan raised an eyebrow at Song Qiyu, his expression a mix of amusement and sarcasm: "Cousin, are you here for a promotion or a demotion?"

Two months ago, General Gao ordered Wei Yuanzhan to lead troops to suppress bandits in Langshan, and Song Qiyu was also there. The two disagreed, and during the operation, half of Wei Yuanzhan's men were lost. He still remembers this and is still resentful.

Song Qiyu knew he was dissatisfied, but didn't take it to heart: "I'm here to deliver a message to General Gao, I'll be leaving in a bit."

Wei Yuanzhan stared at him for a moment, indicating that he understood. Seeing that he had nothing else to say, he turned his back as if to leave.

Song Qiyu said from behind, "The young master didn't receive the Marquis's letter, did he?"

This caused Wei Yuanzhan to stop and look at him sideways, whereupon he saw Wei Yuanzhan take out an unopened letter from his pocket.

Regarding the incident at Langshan, Wei Yuanzhan not only had a grudge against Song Qiyu, but also against someone surnamed Lu. That man intercepted the Marquis's letter, which Song Qiyu happened to witness and retrieved for him.

Wei Yuanzhan frowned slightly, walked over, took the letter, and before he could even ask who wrote it, he replied, "It was Lu Qingzhen."

Wei Yuanzhan curled his lips slightly and chuckled contemptuously, guessing it was him. He opened the envelope to read it, and Song Qiyu's slightly muffled voice reached his ears.

"I only recently received the letter from my family. Your sister... is having a difficult labor, and the situation is unclear."

Song Qiyu's letter was written to him by Song Hanjin. It not only mentioned the Song family but also Wei Mingying. She gave birth last December, but there was no news from the palace. All that was known was that people from the Imperial Hospital had kept watch over her all night, and Lady Hou had also entered the palace to accompany her, not returning home all night.

Song Qiyu guessed that the Marquis might have mentioned this matter in his family letters. After all, they were cousins, and he couldn't remain indifferent to Wei Yuanzhan's affairs.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Yuanzhan's thick black eyelashes trembled. He immediately opened the letter and read it. The letter was dated three months ago and did not mention his sister giving birth.

The morning light enveloped his figure, his handsome face revealing little of his inner turmoil, but his tightly clenched hands showed his great anxiety.

For more than two years after she went north, Wei Yuanzhan and his sister never stopped writing to each other. After she entered the palace, he received fewer and fewer letters. Almost all of them were written by his mother after she returned home from a visit to the palace.

Song Qiyu couldn't help with this matter. Having achieved his goal, and seeing Wei Yuanzhan's state, he didn't want to linger and silently turned to leave the courtyard.

By the time Wei Yuanzhan responded, he had already walked more than ten steps away, and that rugged figure lingered in the latter's eyes for a long time. He was already of age, and his every move had the demeanor of Song Congzhao, composed and gentle, yet also possessing the fierce spirit of a warrior on the battlefield.

Wei Yuanzhan took two steps forward: "Thank you."

Song Qiyu paused for a moment, then continued walking outside without turning around.

Chang Huai and Lan Ye had just returned from outside the camp when they heard Song Qiyu's words and were filled with worry.

The scorching sun made people irritable. Chang Huai secretly observed Wei Yuanzhan's expression and soon heard him ask, "Has the general returned?"

They had just passed General Gao and watched him head towards the duty room. Chang Huai said, "It seems the general went to find the deputy commander."

Wei Yuanzhan put the letter into his bosom and stepped forward, pulling off his boots.

“Master, the young lady…we…” Lan Ye stammered as she approached him.

Wei Yuanzhan simply said two words: "Return to the capital."