Each and every one of them was a letter Huo Yan wrote to Yuan Zhao before he went on the expedition.
From battlefield battles to weather and food, from desert scenery to the scenery along the way.
Two letters a month, without interruption.
Yuan Zhao leaned against the pillar, looking down at the letter after letter, his mind seemed to travel back to more than ten years ago.
The girl in the deep palace looked forward to these letters every month.
She read it over and over again, counting the days on her fingers until the army would return to the capital.
The date on the letter stopped at that winter more than ten years ago.
Yuan Zhao clearly remembered that the snow fell even heavier that winter than this year.
A layer of ice as hard as red bricks accumulated in front of the Qinzheng Hall.
Heavy snow fell on the Qinzheng Palace, on the capital, and on the northwest.
That winter was a harsh one for everyone.
In April of the following year, Wei Shaoqing passed the palace selection and became the new top scholar, enjoying great fame for a while.
In June, the flamboyant tree seemed to have frozen to death in the cold winter of last year and never bloomed again.
In July, an imperial decree was issued to grant the marriage, and the day Yuan Zhao got married was the day the army returned to the capital.
…
"What are you thinking about?" A dark voice sounded in his ears, bringing Yuan Zhao back to his senses.
She raised her eyes and looked straight into those eyes as deep as a cold pool.
The hand holding the letter slowly tightened, and she felt that she could hardly breathe.
At this moment, Yuan Zhao suddenly wanted to ask him a question.
Does he blame her?
But when the words came to my lips, I felt it was too late.
She is already a married woman and a mother, but still dragging him down to reminisce about the past will only constrain him.
Yuan Zhao shook his head and avoided Huo Yan's gaze.
He laughed, and the outlines of his facial features became clearer in the dark night. Then he reached out and collected the letters and put them into the jade box one by one.
"It's all in the past, don't look at it."
Yuan Zhao lowered his eyes and watched his bony hands seal the letter.
The jade box snapped shut and she hummed softly.
She took the jade box, held it in her arms, stood up and wanted to leave.
"Go back."
Huo Yan noticed her carefully placing the jade box in her arms, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corners of his lips.
He also stood up, and his tall figure suddenly covered the person in front of him.
Yuan Zhao only felt that his eyes were darkened, and the light in the corridor was blocked by Huo Yan's figure.
The candlelight was dim, stretching the shadows of the two people very long.
The rain outside stopped, and the apricot trees planted in the garden began to bloom. The wind was a little chilly and had the fragrance of apricot blossoms.
But Yuan Zhao could not feel the cold, nor could he smell the fragrance of the flowers.
The smell that rushes into my nose is fresh, like fir trees in winter.
It is a taste that is unique to Huo Yan.
He pulled her into his arms, blocking out all the wind.
Yuan Zhao could only hear his own heartbeat.
Unlike his previous attempts, this time he hugged her tightly.
“Huo…”
"Zhao Zhao, listen to me."
Yuan Zhao was about to speak when Huo Yan interrupted him.
His voice sounded in my ears, low but gentle.
"When you left the capital, I told you that I sincerely wish you the best."
"That's not a lie. I hope you're happy. It doesn't matter if that person isn't me."
Yuan Zhao was held in his arms, and stopped talking, just listening quietly.
Her eyes were red and her hands hanging at her sides clenched and unclenched.
"But after seeing you again in Black Mountain Village that day, I never planned to let you go."
I hadn't seen her for ten years, and when I saw her again, she looked at her most miserable.
He felt sad and regretful.
"Do you get me?"
He slowly released his arms from around Yuan Zhao and looked down at her.
The general, who always appeared decisive, calm and composed in public, now showed a sense of vulnerability on this spring night.
In front of her, he was never a great general, but just Huo Yan.
"Maybe it's too late..."
As their eyes met, Yuan Zhao heard him say word by word,
"But I love you, Zhao Zhao."
She blinked slightly and tears welled up in her eyes.
Fifteen-year-old Yuan Zhao might not know, but the current Yuan Zhao knows even if he doesn’t say it.
Because she knew this, she didn't know how to respond.
Fifteen-year-old Yuan Zhao can be said to love whenever he wants.
Yuan Zhao is now covered in wounds, and she knows more clearly than before what stands between her and Huo Yan.
Her father had told her, "You are the most noble princess in Dacheng. If you enjoy this wealth and splendor, you will inevitably lose something."
Since ancient times, princesses have mostly become victims of marriages.
Behind Yuan Zhao is the love of His Majesty, and he is the bond connecting all the forces of the Crown Prince and the late Queen.
The emperor's father didn't want her to go far away to marry a foreign prince, so he chose another path for her - to marry Wei Shaoqing, who had no support.
And what about Huo Yan?
Three generations of the Huo family have served in the army, and the family is full of military generals.
When it came to Huo Yan, he was even more skilled in military tactics and was invincible in every battle.
In today's court where civil officials are more important than military officials, his position is even more crucial than it was more than ten years ago.
Yuan Zhao thought of what Zhizhi had said before, that in his previous life, Huo Yan was pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows in order to seek justice for her.
If she stayed with him again, he would inevitably have to make a choice, whether now or when Yuan Cheng ascended the throne.
She didn't want to, didn't want him to give up himself for her again.
Whether it's a noble lady in the capital or a beauty on the frontier, finding one who cherishes and loves him will be better than the current Yuan Zhao.
The night before Yuan Zhao got married, he buried everything that concerned him under the flamboyant tree.
She told herself at that time that it would never happen again.
But who can think of the future?
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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