The 23 unclaimed female corpses were finally buried at Chengfeng Terrace outside Liangzhou City as Xiao Jue said. Standing at Chengfeng Terrace and looking down, the valley was covered by clouds and mist, like a fairyland.

The coffins were all top-quality ones, made of silver from the Sun family's storehouse. The Sun family had amassed so much wealth over the years that they even built a storehouse in the mansion to store gold, silver and other treasures.

Because the names of these twenty-three people were unknown, there was no word on the last monument. Twenty-three monuments without words, twenty-three young girls rest here forever. If they knew after death, they could sit here and watch the clouds roll by. If they were reborn, as Xiao Jue said, they would ride the wind freely and soar over the lake and mountains.

He Yan and Song Taotao stood not far away, while Chi Wu stood aside, looking at the people squatting on the ground burning paper money. Xiao Jue did not come when the body was buried. Many of the people burning paper money were looking for missing female relatives, but they were never found. After all, many of the girls killed by Sun Ling did not even have their bodies intact, and were eaten by wolves and dogs in the wild on the mass grave.

An old woman with gray hair was burning paper money in an iron basin. She was so old that she could hardly walk. Her grandson carried her up the mountain road. Her little granddaughter was abducted by grandson four years ago and has never appeared since. There is no trace of her little granddaughter among the corpses in the grandson's yard.

The old woman trembled and said, "I will burn paper money for these girls. In the future, if any kind-hearted person sees the big girl, he will burn paper money for her... Girls, have a safe journey..."

Song Taotao wiped away the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief and said, "Being a woman is too hard. If there is an afterlife, I don't want to be a woman."

"This has nothing to do with being a woman or not," He Yan looked at the flying paper money, "Being a woman is not meant to suffer, and the same goes for men. If you are dissatisfied with your fate, you can just take a different path. It's just..." She looked at the blank monuments, "For them, there is no choice at all. This is too cruel."

Song Taotao looked at her and said, "You are very different from ordinary men."

"What?"

"If it were an ordinary man, he would probably say, what's wrong with you women? You just need to dress beautifully and sit in the house. When it's cold, someone will add clothes for you. When you go out, someone will serve you. You don't have to fight outside. How can you not appreciate the blessings you have?" She imitated the man's rough voice and said disdainfully, "Is it good to be a pet? Putting a bird in a cage and expecting the bird to praise the cage? I think they are the ones with a problem in their brains."

He Yan laughed: "You are also very different from ordinary women."

"I am different. By the way," Song Taotao looked at her, "I still don't know your name. You are not Cheng Lisu. You are the subordinate of Mr. Xiao Er, right?"

"My name is He Yan," He Yan said, "He means firewood, and Yan means peaceful rivers and calm seas."

"It turns out to be Brother He." Song Taotao said, "You can call me Taotao."

"This..." He Yan shook her head, it was a bit too intimate. Although they were both women, others didn't know it, and if others saw it, they might have second thoughts.

"It's settled." Song Taotao said, "I have already agreed with the Second Young Master Xiao that I will go to Liangzhou Guard with you temporarily. When the Second Young Master Xiao's people arrive, he will send someone to send me back to Shuojing. So I may have to stay with you all the time in the next few days." Song Taotao smiled with her eyebrows curved, "I haven't been to the guard station yet." She became happy again and chattered non-stop.

"Miss Song," Chi Wu looked into the distance, "It's getting late, I will take you down the mountain first."

"Let's go." He Yan also said.

A few people walked down the mountain, with their backs to them. On the steps of Chengfengtai, there were clusters of white chrysanthemums growing in the grass. The breeze blew, making the chrysanthemums nod slightly, as if a graceful girl was thanking them.

Soon, it could no longer be seen.

…

After going down the mountain and returning to the inn where they lived, Song Taotao went straight into the house to take a bath. He had been busy today and had burned a lot of paper money, so he washed it off.

The Sun Mansion was sealed, so naturally they couldn't go back to live there. So they moved back to the inn where they came from. The innkeeper knew Xiao Jue's true identity, and now Sun Xiangfu and his son were reduced to prisoners, so how could he be negligent? The innkeeper, who was as attentive as a servant from some family, surrounded He Yan and the others.

He Yan said, "It's okay, I can do it myself." She took a handkerchief and went straight into the house.

Fei Nu was packing things in the room and was startled when he saw her. He Yan asked, "Brother Fei Nu, what are you doing?"

Fei Nu said with a dull face, "I live with Chi Wu."

When they were in Sun's house before, the three of them lived together, Xiao Jue lived in the inner room, Fei Nu and He Yan lived outside, and they didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He Yan said casually, "It's so troublesome to move around."

Fei Nu stood still and looked at her incredulously: "You are a woman, how can you be in the same room with me?"

He Yan: "...You don't have to put on an expression that shows you can't stand being humiliated."

Fei Nu didn't say anything, but packed his bag very quickly, as if she was some kind of monster that he couldn't avoid, and left immediately.

He Yan was the only one left in the room.

She was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and smiled. Perhaps in the eyes of Xiao Jue and his servant, her behavior was very unexpected, but she had been in the military camp for a long time in her previous life, so it was just living with a man, what was the difficulty? She was a girl and didn't feel shy, and she didn't know why Fei Nu was so awkward.

He Yan walked to the bed and found clean water and a clean white cloth on the table. There was also hot water for bathing in the room, which must have been put there by Fei Nu. She still had injuries on her body. This man was just like his master, sometimes he felt unkind, but sometimes he was quite considerate.

There was no one in the room, so she sat down, undressed, and took a rough bath. She did not have time to take a close look at the scars from yesterday, and when she changed the old cloth strips, she discovered that the wounds were not shallow.

Of course it hurts, but it's bearable. He Yan turned sideways and looked at the girl in the mirror. The knife wound on her originally fair skin must not look good.

Miss He cherishes her beauty and would like to use amaranth flower dew to maintain it. Now, she has just arrived and her face has been disfigured beyond recognition. If the real Miss He came back and saw such a scene, she would be so angry that she would faint.

She has been very careful to protect herself, but once she decides to go out on her own and loses the protection of her family, she will inevitably be hurt. People grow up through repeated injuries, and scars will eventually become armor.

The body of a female general could never be as flawless as that of an ordinary girl. It was covered with scars from the years, like a piece of drawing paper slashed by a strange knife. It was not beautiful, and could even be called horrible.

Which girl doesn't love beauty? Even though He Yan had been a man for more than ten years in her previous life, she would still feel ashamed when she changed back into women's clothes and looked at the scars on her back and body when facing Xu Zhiheng. She never wore thin gauze clothes. Once Xu Zhiheng gave her a water lotus-colored pomegranate gauze skirt with pomegranate flowers embroidered on the shoulders and neck, as thin as a cicada's wing. She liked it very much, but she never wore it once, because she was pierced in the shoulder by an enemy arrow on the battlefield. When she pulled out the arrow, she was left with a scar that could never be removed.

She also remembered the look in Xu Zhiheng's eyes when he looked at those scars. Although he didn't say anything, he deliberately avoided her gaze. But it was more hurtful than directly saying that he disliked her.

He Yan stared at the bronze mirror in a daze. Why is a scar a badge of honor for a man but a disgrace for a woman? How unfair it is. It is just that people in the world take it for granted that women serve men with their beauty and should always maintain their beauty.

What nonsense.

He Yan lowered her head and applied the ointment carefully to the wound, then wrapped it with a cloth strip. She was very good at doing these things, and when it hurt, she didn't even frown, and it healed quickly. After doing all this, she rested in the room for a while, then got up, pushed the door open, and went out to Xiao Jue's room.

The light was on in the room, so Xiao Jue should be inside. He Yan knocked on the door: "Governor?"

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Mr. Xiao was putting away the Wanxiangqin on the table. If he hadn't mentioned this, He Yan would have almost forgotten that he had come to Liangzhou City to repair the qin. Speaking of repairing the qin, He Yan remembered that he had been drunk and crushed his qin.

"Governor," He Yan said with gritted teeth, "Have you eaten yet?"

Xiao Jue stopped what he was doing and said, "Just say it if you have something to say."

"Are we going back to the guardhouse tomorrow?" He Yan asked, "How are you going to deal with me?"

Now Xiao Jue already knew that she was a girl. What if Xiao Jue really wanted to send her back to Shuojing? She finally had a glimpse of He Rufei, and she would never go back.

"How do you want me to deal with you?" Young Master Xiao sat down at the table and looked at her leisurely.

He Yan also quickly moved a stool and sat next to him, and analyzed the situation with him seriously, "You have seen my ability now. I was the one who brought me to Liangzhou this time. I warned you about the assassins, and I was also the one who helped you distract Yuan Baozhen. In the end, Ding Yi was killed. When I think about it carefully, I have done more for you than Brother Fei Nu."

The slave next door sneezed.

"As a subordinate, I am one of the best, and as a confidant, I am considerate." He Yan boasted without any burden, "With me, the Liangzhou Guards will be even more powerful. Commander, I think you can put me in the Nine Banners Camp, and I guarantee you won't regret it."

Xiao Jue smiled and slowly asked, "Nine Flags Camp?"

"I know the governor is a straightforward person, and he must be suspicious of my purpose in joining the Nine Banners Camp. So I told him directly, because it is too slow for me to make achievements. I heard that those who are in the governor's Nine Banners Camp can become officials even if they are disabled in the future. Our He family is counting on me to bring honor to our ancestors, so I think the Nine Banners Camp is a good place to go."

She spoke these words frankly. Xiao Jue picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. He said slowly, "No need to wait until later. I see that you are already disabled now."

He Yan: “…What?” Could it be that Xiao Jue saw that she was Grandma Xu and was blind in her previous life?

She was getting nervous when she saw the man pointing at his head.

He Yan: "..." He is the one with a problem in his brain! Why is he scolding someone for no reason?

But people have to bow their heads under the eaves, He Yan put on a smile: "Doesn't the governor think so?"

Xiao Jue stared at her and sneered, "Liar, we in the Nine Flags Camp do not accept incompetent people."

"Incompetent?" Xiao Jue could question her character, but not her ability. He Yan slammed the table: "Who are you talking about?"

"You got hurt fighting with a fellow like Ding Yi," Xiao Jue pulled the corner of his mouth, his beautiful eyes full of sarcasm: "If you're not incompetent, then what are you?"

"That's...that's..." That's because Miss He is weak, and with the lessons from her previous life, she must of course act with caution!

"If Brother Fei Nu was here, he would also be injured!"

"You can use your cheating mind to practice, and you may make a lot of progress."

The more this person gets to know her, the more he reveals his evil side from his youth. He Yan took a deep breath and suddenly smiled.

"Okay, I don't mind if the governor insists on saying that. I don't mind if you have a prejudice against me. It's just that I suddenly miss the red mole on the governor's waist."

Xiao Jue's calm expression suddenly shattered.

"This rumor has become true as it spread. I am the daughter of a city gate lieutenant. My family is not prosperous and I am not famous. It is my blessing to be associated with the governor's name." He Yan stood up and said slowly, "In the future, when others talk about me, I will say that I was once glorious and was the governor's beloved woman. I feel that it is not a loss. It's just that it's hard for the governor to be tied to someone like me, but the governor doesn't care what others say, so it shouldn't matter to him."

Xiao Jue stared at her with a look as sharp as a knife, and said in a deep voice: "What do you mean by a woman you love deeply?"

He Yan smiled and replied, "I am so outstanding that everyone in Liangzhou knows me and has always admired me as a rare good man. If they suddenly found out that I am a woman, they would definitely not believe it. They would also wonder why a woman entered the military camp. I can only say that it is because the governor loves me deeply and is reluctant to separate from me, so he hid me in the military camp and even brought me to Liangzhou to guard the city. When others hear this, they will only envy my good luck, and of course, they will also sigh at the governor's deep love."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue laughed instead of getting angry: "You have no shame!"

He Yan propped her hands on the table and said quickly, "I am not unreasonable. I am not asking the governor to use the back door to let me enter the Nine Banners Camp. I just hope that the governor will give me a chance to prove myself. Let's go back to the guardhouse together and pretend that this incident never happened. Please put aside your prejudice against me and treat me as an ordinary soldier. By the way," she seemed to remember something, "I am injured now and need to change the dressing at night. It is inconvenient to live with men. I have to trouble the governor to find a room for me to take a bath in."

Xiao Jue said coldly: "Don't even think about it."

"Then I will just have to be the governor's beloved woman." He Yan turned around nonchalantly, "Even if you put me in a carriage and send me back to Shuojing, I can spread the news to everyone immediately. Well, I think this inn is pretty good. As long as I scream..."

Xiao Jue held his forehead with his hand: "He Yan!"

He Yan smiled with a dagger hidden in his heart: "Who called me a liar?"

Xiao Jue: "I promise you."

He Yan's expression changed faster than the shopkeeper's three-year-old child. She stroked her chest with regret and said, "I feel a little disappointed that I can't be the woman that the governor loves deeply."

Xiao Jue's face turned pale: "Get out!"

He Yan whistled happily as he went out.

…

The next morning, when Fei Nu and Chi Wu woke up and went out, they found that He Yan was even earlier than them.

She was probably going back to Liangzhouwei, so she packed up and picked out a piece of clothing that Cheng Li rarely wore, looking refreshed. She was already pretty, and if Fei Nu hadn't known she was a woman, he would have praised her in his heart as a handsome young man.

Chi Wu didn't know He Yan's identity. He crossed his arms and watched from a distance. He asked Fei Nu in a low voice, "You said this man is invincible in Liangzhou Guards? Look at his figure, it doesn't seem like it."

Fei Nu sighed, thinking that this was not the only thing that was unlike him.

As they were talking, Song Taotao came up from downstairs, holding a handful of red dates in her hand. Seeing He Yan, she naturally stretched out her hand and said with a smile, "Brother He, these are dates sent by the shopkeeper. They are very sweet. Do you want to taste them?"

Liangzhou is rich in red dates. Each one is big and sweet. The bright red color is very pleasing to the eye. He Yan took it and said, "Thank you."

The young man and girl stood there, enjoying the sight of each other and causing reverie. Chi Wu poked Fei Nu's arm and said urgently, "I feel something is not right, could it be that Miss Song has taken a fancy to He Yan? What about Young Master Cheng?"

Fei Nu looked at him in confusion: "…Why are you worrying so much?"

"How can this be called worrying for nothing? Young Master Cheng is the young master's uncle, so of course we have to help Young Master Cheng. How about I teach that kid a lesson in private and tell him to stay away from Second Miss Song? Our Young Master Cheng is kind-hearted, how can he be a match for He Yan? Look, the way he smiled at Second Miss Song, tsk tsk tsk, I can't stand it."

"Please stop talking. The young master hates people who gossip about other people the most," Fei Nu said, "You and I just need to do our part."

Before Chi Wu could say something, the door over there opened and Xiao Jue walked out.

"Commander-in-Chief." He Yan greeted him warmly.

Xiao Jue seemed not to have seen her. He passed by her without even giving her a glance. He said to Fei Nu, "Is the carriage ready?"

"They are all waiting downstairs." Fei Nu replied.

"Let's go." He went downstairs.

Chi Wu and Fei Nu looked at each other, and Chi Wu asked in a low voice: "Did the man surnamed He make our young master angry?"

"Let's get to work." Fei Nu didn't answer and went downstairs.

"Second Master Xiao is still as cold and ruthless as ever." Song Taotao stood on He Yan's side, which moved He Yan. The little girl said to her sympathetically, "It must be very sad for you to work under him. When I return to Shuojing, I will talk to my father and see if I can find a job for you in the capital. With your skills and character, it shouldn't be difficult."

"Huh?" He Yan didn't expect Song Taotao to have such a plan, so he waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary. Thank you Miss Song for your kindness. It's just that I'm doing well in Liangzhou Guards, and Governor Xiao is not an unkind person. He's a good person, and it's my honor to work with him."

Song Taotao thought she was just speaking for Xiao Jue and didn't take it seriously. "Why is he worthy of your following? People in Shuojing say he is cold and ruthless..."

Although Xiao Jue had a bad temper, He Yan couldn't go against his conscience and scolded him. He just smiled and said, "He is not a good person, but didn't he want to make trouble for the Sun family father and son who bullied you? If he is really a bad person, why would he care about the unclaimed female corpses dug out of Sun Xiangfu's mansion, bury them, and invite monks to pray for their souls."

"But..." Song Taotao wanted to argue.

The young man smiled and touched her head, saying gently, "Miss Song, you are still young and don't know that many things cannot be judged by appearances. You can only know the character of many people after getting to know them. Those who are kind and considerate to you are not necessarily good people. Those who you think are cold and ruthless may also have a side that others don't know."

Song Taotao was stunned. Before she could figure it out, He Yan had already walked downstairs. Her head seemed to still be warm from the boy's palm. She blushed and hurriedly caught up with him, muttering softly, "What do you mean you are young? You are not much older than me."

In the end, we didn't argue any further.

He Yan lowered his head and smiled, and the words Xiao Jue said to those poor girls yesterday rang in his ears again.

"Outside Liangzhou City, there is a peak called Chengfeng. These women had no choice in their lives, caged birds and fish in the pond. Buried here, may they be free to ride the wind in their next lives and soar over the lakes and mountains."

He could understand the despair of those women, which is why he could say such words.

Therefore, she generously forgave Xiao Jue's rudeness to her and did not take his bad behavior to heart.

After all, there are not many gentle people in this world.

When she went downstairs, she saw Xiao Jue standing in front of the carriage, so she walked over and asked, "Governor, will you ride with me?"

After all, Song Taotao was only a little girl. They had all ridden horses when they came here, and they couldn't let Song Taotao ride with them when they came back, so they asked Fei Nu to arrange two carriages.

Xiao Jue turned his head to look at her.

He Yan explained: "I can't ride in the same carriage with Miss Song. We are alone and if others see us, will Miss Song's reputation still be in jeopardy?"

Xiao Jue: "So?"

"So I should ride in the same carriage with the governor." He Yan said with a smile, and was about to get on the carriage, but was pulled down by Xiao Jue by the back of his clothes.

If He Yan hadn't grabbed his sleeve, he would have almost been unable to stand.

"You don't consider yourself a woman, or do you not consider me a man?" He raised his eyebrows: "Liar, you may be too immersed in the role, so I remind you. The mission is over, you don't have to think of yourself as Cheng Lisu." After saying that, he disgustedly rubbed the sleeve that He Yan had just grabbed.

Chi Wu passed by and happened to hear Xiao Jue's last sentence. He immediately came over and grabbed He Yan's clothes and pulled her aside: "That's right! Do you still think you are Young Master Cheng? How can you be so blind? Come here and ride with us!"

He Yan was just joking, and he didn't really want to ride with Xiao Jue, so he jumped on the horse without hesitation.

Fei Nu told the driver, "There is a girl in the car, don't drive too fast."

He Yan was startled and couldn't help laughing. It wasn't that she was being sentimental, but she was injured in the fight with Ding Yi, so she couldn't ride a horse too vigorously.

How do you know if this is intentional? She is also a girl.

Chiwu said: "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

——Digression——

Yanyan: It’s worthy of me.