Chapter 89
"I know you mean well, but I'm not going for you."
"I have a compelling reason to go."
"You don't need to stop me. Gu Shuan has agreed to appoint me as a field medic, and my name will be written on the list of those accompanying me, to be announced to the world."
Xie Chengnan was speechless, his chest heaving violently, truly furious.
Lin Yi's hands had finally warmed up a bit, but they felt cold again after he let go of them. She weakly put her hands back into Xie Chengnan's hands and gently squeezed his palm: "Besides, you will protect me, right?"
Xie Chengnan was furious and pretended to shake off her hand. But Lin Yi's hand wrapped around it as nimbly as a snake. "Let me warm it for a while longer, my hands are cold."
Xie Chengnan was completely helpless with her. His hand, which was around her, felt like he was holding a piece of cold jade. His lips moved, but he finally remembered that they were outside. He glared at her resentfully and pulled her close, his movements far from gentle. "If you're cold, go back right now! This isn't over. I'll send you back to the manor first, and then I'll go find Gu Shuan right away. You absolutely cannot go to the battlefield. Don't even think about it!"
After bringing the person back to the mansion and settling them down in a round-backed chair, Xie Chengnan instructed Xueya to quickly fetch a basin of hot water.
Xie Chengnan tested the water temperature and, once he was sure it was no longer too hot, pressed Lin Yi down and watched her put both her hands into the water.
The water wasn't scalding hot, but it was still warm. Her hands were so cold that there was a momentary sting when she put them in, but it was only for a moment. The warm water enveloped her hands, so comfortable that it made her want to sigh.
Feeling the water temperature starting to cool, Lin Yi lifted his hand out of the basin, trying to shake off the water droplets, but Xie Chengnan quickly grabbed it.
Although he was considerate, he didn't say anything, his lips were pursed straight. Lin saw him taking a handkerchief and carefully wiping each of her fingers clean.
After watching for a while, Lin Yi asked, "Xie Chengnan, are you still angry?"
Xie Chengnan responded with a snort, as if to say, "You know I'm angry."
Having learned from experience in coaxing Xueya, Lin Yi recited the same gentle words to Xie Chengnan: "Xie Chengnan, I know you mean well, but I'm really not being silly—I genuinely have important business to attend to there. The Xili people are skilled warriors with endless tricks up their sleeves, and there will definitely be many wounded and suffering from various ailments. I can help them. And I promise I'll stay in the rear and absolutely won't wander off or cause any trouble."
Of course, she wasn't naive enough to think that Xie Chengnan was as easy to fool as that little girl Xueya. Her words and actions became even more earnest, and she even put on a pitiful act—she blinked her big eyes, her gaze full of obedience and longing.
Xie Chengnan remained expressionless, seemingly unmoved. That is, until he felt Lin Yi's fingers lightly scratching his palm.
──!
Xie Chengnan flung his hand away as if he'd been electrocuted, a pale pink flush creeping up his ears. "That trick didn't work! Stop messing with me."
Lin Yi awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Xie Chengnan stood in front of her for a while, then finally sighed and said nothing.
Gu Shuan knew that Zhan Xian wouldn't give up easily, but he didn't expect her to be so resolute. Since he disagreed with her leading the troops, she really went west alone on horseback.
A fast horse can cover three hundred li in a day. But if he leads his troops, fully equipped, the pace will only be slower. The main army won't set off until tomorrow, and he can't wait.
The messenger was ordered to catch up with Zhan Xian immediately; there was no time to lose.
Just as Gu Shuan was having a headache over this matter, Xie Chengnan offered it to her.
His first words were a question: "Why did you agree to let her go to the battlefield?"
Gu Shuan calmly lifted his eyelids: "According to the Taichang Temple's own test, if a female physician is present, this battle can be won."
Anguo has a long-standing tradition of astronomical observation, sacrifices, and divination before major festivals and wars, usually three days before departure for battle. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices is specifically responsible for this. There was indeed a sacrifice yesterday, but Xie Chengnan took leave and didn't attend, instead staying in his study writing that will…
"You believe in this?" Xie Chengnan asked.
Gu Shu'an didn't say whether he believed it or not, only saying, "If it's man-made, keeping her by your side is the only way to lure out the person behind it." The divination slips were never so specific, and he wanted to use this to see who was behind it all. Actually, if he were in Mingzhou, he could quickly find out who was pulling the strings, and he already had a general idea of who it was. However, the fact that Zhan Xian had already taken the first step was constantly urging him on, leaving him with no patience to wait even half a day longer.
Xie Chengnan said angrily, "She is not bait."
"She is your wife, but she is no different to me."
When not facing Zhan Xian, Gu Shuan is always cold-blooded and ruthless. "As long as I can win this battle, it will be an absolute victory."
"Besides, she wanted to go herself."
Xie Chengnan chuckled and retorted, "Zhan Xian still wants to go, why don't you let her go?"
At this point, Gu Shuan's expression turned serious again. "Now, I have something even more important for you to do."
In Xie Chengnan's mind, nothing was more important at this moment than stopping Qiu Qing from going to the Xili border. He only regretted that he had entered the court too late and had no power to contend with Gu Shuan, so he had no choice but to obey his orders.
He gritted his teeth and said, "It better be something really important."
"Prepare a fast horse and head west, keeping an eye out for anyone recruiting soldiers along the way."
"You still need more troops?" Xie Chengnan thought for a moment, then suddenly realized and mocked, "Zhan Xian has left the city."
Gu Shuan ignored the sarcasm in his words, "If you find her, stop her immediately. The army will set off early tomorrow morning, and I will speed up the march. You all wait here to regroup."
"I won't go. Unless you immediately order Qiu Qingye's removal."
"Xie Chengnan, I'm not discussing this with you. This job isn't indispensable. But if I wanted to, I have a hundred ways to get rid of you."
His implication was that no matter what, they shouldn't try to stop Qiu Qing from going along.
Xie Chengnan clenched his fists tightly, laughing angrily, "Fine. You two are really quite something!"
Gu Shuan tapped his fingers erratically on the table, a sign that his patience was wearing thin. "Marquis Yong'an, you should show some respect when speaking to the Crown Prince. This is a military order; don't make me repeat myself."
This was the first time Gu Shuan had used his status as the Crown Prince to pressure someone, which showed that he was truly desperate.
Xie Chengnan lowered his brows considerably, and after a long silence, finally said, "Okay, I'll go."
"Since Your Highness insists on bringing her along, you must have a foolproof plan to give her a glorious victory. Your Highness's plan is thorough, and I have nothing to worry about."
"But there is one more thing for Your Highness to remember—" Xie Chengnan's eyes narrowed, like unsheathed blades, gleaming with a chilling light, "If anything happens to her, my blade will no longer be aimed at Your Highness's enemy."
...
Xie Chengnan rode a fast horse back to the Xie residence, packed a few winter clothes in his bundle, and hurriedly bid farewell to Lin Yi.
Lin Yi didn't know what he was rushing off to do, and instinctively grabbed him.
Xie Chengnan reached out and stroked her bewildered face, saying softly, "Don't be afraid, I'll go take care of some errands first. You'll see me again early the day after tomorrow."
Just as he was leaving the mansion, he encountered Cang Xie, who had come chasing after him.
"Isn't the Marquis taking me with him?" Cang Xie asked him.
"If you leave, will I abandon the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion? With you here, I feel at ease." Xie Chengnan patted his shoulder forcefully, instructing him to take good care of the Xie Mansion and Xie Chengfeng, not to spoil him too much, and to take Xueya back to the Qiu Mansion more often.
Cang Xie listened silently, nodding in agreement. Then, as if feeling it wasn't enough, he looked at him solemnly and said, "Leave it to me, don't worry."
Xie Chengnan chuckled softly and waved to him. When the man got closer, he leaned down and said, "Since you like that girl, hurry up and win her over. This coy behavior has no sense of family tradition of the Xie family. If you two are still making no progress when I get back, I'll have to find Xueya a good match."
Cang Xie's face instantly contorted with a mixture of surprise and anger, a truly fascinating sight.
Xie Chengnan went to Xili ahead of Lin Yi. When Lin Yi was packing his things, he discovered that Xie Chengnan had already settled all the affairs inside and outside the Xie residence.
With nothing to do at the manor, Lin Yi thought for a moment, then picked up her pen and wrote a letter to Qiu's mother. She had practiced Qiu Qingye's handwriting for a long time and had almost perfectly imitated it, but since the person reading the handwriting was Qiu Qingye's closest relative, Lin Yi couldn't guarantee that the other party wouldn't notice anything amiss. So, she wrapped her right hand with gauze and deliberately let someone see it when she handed the letter to Xueya.
In her letter, she listed all the potential problems she could think of, reminding Qiu's mother to take good care of Aunt Xue and Qiu Yulin, and to avoid any estrangement among the family. She also subtly advised her not to associate too closely with Consort Shu, and reminded Qiu Baekje to be mindful of the Qiu family's position in the court, to stay away from factional strife, and not to take sides. In fact, there were still so many things she hadn't done. After becoming Qiu Qingye, she had changed very little. She didn't know if what she was doing now would be enough to reverse the Qiu family's downfall.
She will depart at dawn tomorrow, and she needs to pack up supplies that might be needed on the battlefield overnight. There is no time for her to return to the Qiu family mansion and bid a tearful farewell to her loved ones.
They may never even have the chance to see each other again, and they will part ways so hastily.
Since her hand was "injured," she had to pretend and call Xueya over to help her pack her luggage.
Xueya silently tidied her up. The little girl was easily moved to tears, but she felt she shouldn't cry and worry her mistress. She kept her big, wet eyes open and didn't dare to blink hard, afraid that the tears would fall.
Lin Yi looked at the bulging bundle she had packed for him and shook his head with a light laugh. "I'm going to the battlefield, not to go sightseeing. I won't need all this rouge and powder." He added, "By then, let alone going bare-faced, with the battlefield ablaze with war and smoke everywhere, you'll be rolled around in the desert and even your own mother won't recognize you. No matter how thick the makeup, you won't be able to tell."
"And this too, we don't need this either."
Xueya watched as she picked out her favorite bracelets and hairpins and placed them on the table, and her heart ached as if it were being pricked by countless needles.
When she saw Lin Yi about to take out the largest and most securely wrapped box, she quickly stopped him, saying, "Take the Poria Cocos Cake and Chestnut Cake with you. They can help you eat something if you get hungry on the way."
"We don't need that many, they'll all go bad if we don't finish them." Lin Yi still took out the pastries.
“But…Miss,” Xueya couldn’t help sniffing, “the border is bitterly cold, you should at least take this fox fur coat with you.”
Lin Yi reached out and touched the soft, delicate fur, sighing, "Such fine material, it's a pity to take it with you." She unfolded the fox fur and draped it over Xueya's shoulders, "It really suits you! Our Xueya is a young lady now, and winter is approaching, so she should have a few good clothes to keep warm. If you can't make it back before New Year's Eve, let Cang Xie accompany you to buy some."
Xueya lowered her head and shook it, large tears falling and hitting the ground. Her young mistress wasn't taking any food or clothes, only a bunch of bottles and jars, and was going to such a far and dangerous place. How could she be at ease...?
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