Tongguan military camp.
The winter wind was biting, and the military camp was completely silent. Vultures circling high in the sky swooped down on the tents lit by brightly lit candles, emitting loud and high-pitched cries.
Xie Xuan stared at the ice box sitting quietly on the table, and a sudden pang of pain shot through his heart.
He frowned slightly, picked up the deer antler hairpin that had been soaked in blood for half a month, wiped it clean with a cotton cloth, and slowly placed it on the fire to roast.
At this moment, the curtain of the main tent was lifted, and soldiers in armor walked in.
"My lord, a letter from the general."
Xie Xuan glanced at him and said, "Put it down."
A gust of wind blew by, and the huge military camp was silent; even the open space where they usually drilled was cold and desolate.
The weather in the north has always been like this, but this year the winter in Yandu is also frighteningly cold. The vast snow almost covers the rising sun in the sky, and it flies wildly in the cold wind.
The doctors coming and going in the Qushui Garden all had long faces, sighing and discussing patients' conditions in the side hall with their medical kits.
The third wife sat by the couch, looking at her daughter's thin and pale face, and couldn't help but cover her face and weep. Everyone in the room sighed and tried to comfort her, but they really didn't know what to say.
Ever since she came of age, A-Wan's heart ailment has become increasingly severe. Over the years, the family has seen all sorts of doctors and tried all sorts of methods, but there has been no improvement whatsoever.
If it weren't for the medicine concocted by that old divine doctor that kept him alive, he probably would have been dead long ago.
When Wang Wan woke up, it was already night. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw her mother sitting by the bed watching her. Seeing that she was awake, her mother quickly brought her the medicine soup and smiled at her, "How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"
She endured the pain in her chest, slowly sat up, took the medicine, and nodded.
Candles were lit inside, their dim light illuminating her pale, bloodless face.
The third wife stroked her hair tenderly, her eyes stinging with tears.
Seeing her mother so heartbroken, Wang Wan forced a smile and said, "Mother, don't cry, I'm not in pain."
"It's all my fault. That wretched woman has harmed my son."
"It's all in the past---"
She offered a weak word of comfort, then coughed, her breathing becoming rapid.
Seeing this, the third wife dared not say anything more and helped her lie down, saying, "Rest well, your mother is here watching over you."
Wang Wan shook her head. "You should go back and rest. There are plenty of people waiting outside, it'll be fine."
"Stop talking, Mom wants to watch over you. Go to sleep now---"
The room was always filled with the smell of medicine. Now that the patient was seriously ill, even with the windows open, the strong smell of medicine could not be dispelled. The dozen or so doctors in the side hall discussed the patient's condition, but none of them could do anything about it.
Years ago, the eldest daughter of the third branch of the family fell seriously ill. The family knew that this day would come sooner or later. The east wind swept the fallen leaves and a desolate cold wind swept through the entire mansion. It was quiet everywhere. The sunlight overhead shone on the bluestone slabs, and it felt so cold when you stepped on them.
Several months passed peacefully, but Wang Wan's condition worsened. She drank bowl after bowl of medicine, spent most of her days in bed, and became so thin that she looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
Upon hearing this, Xie An specially sent someone to the northern frontier to invite Elder Liang over so that he could personally visit her at her residence.
But Old Liang had examined her years ago and said that her condition was incurable. After giving her acupuncture, he gave her a box containing a dark pill and a piece of yellow paper.
It was December when she was finally able to stay in the city. She heard that the Emperor of Qi had returned to Beichuan, that the war in the north had been a great victory, and that the entire Great Yan had been destroyed. She thought that he should be back soon.
The weather in Yandu has been fine lately, and the dazzling sunlight shines on the corridors where the snow has not yet melted, casting a dim yellow light.
She stood quietly under the eaves, dressed in a red fox fur coat. The white light shone on her delicate, thin face, making it appear almost transparent.
After the Battle of Beishuo, Xie Xuan went to the Great Yan to station troops and handle all the post-war matters, leaving him no time to rush back to the capital of Yan.
Just after the New Year, the war in the North subsided, and the entire North was almost unified by the Great Qi. Wang Wan heard that the war was over and spent day and night looking at the embroidered wedding dress, but after waiting for several days, she still did not hear any news of his return.
One day, she vomited a large amount of blood. When she woke up, she saw her mother crying by the bedside and said that she wanted to go to the north.
The Third Madam was naturally unwilling. How could her daughter, in her current condition, go to such a harsh and cold place as the North? But she also felt sorry for her and knew what she was thinking, so she decided to send a message by carrier pigeon to Xie Xuan in the North, urging him to return to Yandu as quickly as possible.
However, Wang Wan did not want him to neglect his duties because of her. The Third Madam had no choice but to send a letter to Wang San to ask where he was now.
When I received the letter, the Lantern Festival had just passed, and the entire capital of Yan was bustling with activity.
Upon hearing that Xie Xuan had gone to Shengjing, Wang Wan decided to make a trip to the capital of Great Yan.
Her family couldn't persuade her otherwise; they scolded and pleaded with her, but she insisted on going to Shengjing. The old lady cursed her angrily for several days, and with her sickly body, she died on the way to Shengjing before even reaching it.
At night, the room in Qushui Garden was warm, and the candlelight shone softly on the girl sitting in front of the dressing table. In her thin, bony hands, she held a piece of yellow paper and burned it inch by inch over the candlelight. Then she took a dark pill and swallowed it.
The next morning, Wang Wan felt a little better. When the old lady came to see her, she saw that Wang Wan looked better and didn't say anything. She sent assassins to follow her and also sent many servants to serve her. A large group of people followed her.
She disliked drawing attention to herself, so she only had her bodyguards follow her. She planned a route for herself and took a boat straight to Shengjing.
The northern lands are perpetually covered in snow and snow, with vast mountains and seas, but she had heard that Shengjing was very beautiful. Unlike other places in the north, Shengjing was prosperous and warm, with distant waters like smoke. She sat in the cabin, carefully looking at the scenery marked on the scripture box along the way, and her usually pale face looked a little better.
She didn't take her own boat, but went to the dock and boarded an official ship heading north. The huge ship was crowded with people coming and going, and the noise and shouts outside rose and fell.
Hearing someone telling stories on the boat, she excitedly put down her scripture box, put on a fox fur coat, and went out.
The ship was packed with people. With a pale face, she carefully made her way through the crowd until she reached a fairly spacious deck. There, she stood on tiptoe, trying to hear the shouts and calls from the crowd.
"There is a beauty in Shengjing, the former emperor's favorite concubine. She is as beautiful as a fairy from the northern plateau. Her waist and figure are even better than those of the fairies in the temple."
"Our Grand Marshal slaughtered everyone left behind by the old emperor, except for this favored concubine, who was spared. I heard that she was imprisoned by his subordinates in the tower built behind the temple and then given to him, where she enjoys his favor every day---"
Upon hearing this, someone burst into laughter, saying, "Hey old man, you're making this up, aren't you? Everyone knows that the Grand Marshal did something outrageous like stealing his brother's wife. How could he possibly be interested in an old man's favorite concubine?"
"You said he's a scoundrel, what wouldn't he do---"
The noisy sounds seemed to come from a distant place. Standing in the crowd, Wang Wan listened to these folk tales and came back to her senses.
She silently walked to the bow of the boat, feeling the slightly chilly wind, and felt a tightness and suffocation in her chest.
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