This winter in Liangzhou is extremely cold. It snows heavily for half of the month, and even when it is not snowing heavily, the sun rarely comes out.

Firewood and charcoal were in short supply, but fortunately, after the new Liangzhou County Magistrate took office, he took the initiative to transfer some charcoal from the county government's warehouse to the guard post, just as a way to make friends with the Right Army Commander. The new County Magistrate was still very young, with no family to rely on. Although he looked weak, he was very experienced and thoughtful in his work.

Lin Shuanghe was very satisfied with the new county magistrate.

Two months have passed in a flash. The year is coming to an end, and soon it will be the New Year. After the New Year, it will be another spring day. The new recruits of Liangzhou Guard will completely get rid of the title of "new recruits" and spend the new year here.

In the room, Xiao Jue was talking to Chiwu Feinu.

"Another letter from the vassal king's territory has arrived," Chi Wu took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Jue, "One letter a month, this is the second one."

The fact that Lei Hou was captured and imprisoned in the dungeon was unknown to the new recruits of Liangzhou Guard, except for the coach, Chiwu and He Yan. Thinking that Lei Hou was a deserter, Xiao Jue ordered Lei Hou to continue communicating with the contact in Jiyang, falsely claiming that he had escaped from Liangzhou Guard and was hiding from the pursuers everywhere, asking what to do next.

The contact person in Jiyang was also very cunning. He did not directly tell Lei Hou what to do in the letter. He only told Lei Hou to hide and the master would send someone to pick him up.

Xiao Jue took out the letter, read it quickly, and handed it to Fei Nu. After reading it, Fei Nu and Chi Wu both looked unhappy.

The contact said in the letter that since Ridamuzi had been exposed, Liangzhou Wei's chess piece had been abandoned. Lei Hou was asked to find a way to hide, and when the storm was over, the people from Shuojing would come to pick him up. After this letter, they should not continue to communicate. Now is a time of trouble. If they make a fuss and ruin the important things of the higher-ups, they are not two small people who can afford it.

"What should we do?" Chiwu asked, "Does this person mean that he won't send any letters in the future?"

Xiao Jue: "Lei Hou is already a waste."

"But Jiyang..." Fei Nu hesitated: "Does the governor plan to go to Jiyang?"

"Even if there is no messenger, just because Chai Anxi is in Jiyang, I will go there." Xiao Jue placed the letter on the burning candle on the table. The flame licked the letter paper, and in a moment, it turned into ashes.

Chai Anxi was once Xiao Zhongwu's lieutenant general.

In the Battle of Mingshui, Xiao Zhongwu and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses he led were killed, including his lieutenant generals. Chai Anxi died without a body, and his body was not found on the battlefield, but everyone said that he was probably dead. A few years later, Xiao Jue had been sending people to secretly investigate Chai Anxi's whereabouts. Now, his efforts paid off, and Chai Anxi was not dead, and even went to Jiyang under an assumed name.

Jiyang was the territory of King Mengji. People from outside the Wei territory had to obtain a pass from the government to enter the city. Even if they obtained a pass, outsiders were not allowed to live here for a long time. Chai Anxi lived here for a long time, so it was no wonder that others could not find his whereabouts.

"But how do we get to Jiyang? If we ask the government for a pass, Xu Jingfu's people will be able to find it easily. Wouldn't we be controlled by them every step of the way?" Fei Nu asked.

Xiao Jue turned around, thought for a moment, and said, "Use another method?"

Chiwu: "What can we do?"

"Find someone with a pass to Jiyang and change his identity."

"This..." Fei Nu was a little embarrassed. When King Mengji was alive, the travel routes were strictly controlled. Even though there were passes, records were kept, and portraits were drawn. Moreover, because it was very troublesome to enter the territories of the vassal kings, the people of Wei Dynasty dealt with it by not going there if they could. Throughout the year, there were very few people who got passes to go to Jiyang.

There are not many people in the first place, and the control is strict. It is not an easy thing to get people to be willing to exchange identities with Xiao Jue and take the risk of being discovered and never being able to enter the territory again.

"Let Luanying take care of this matter." Xiao Jue said to Chi Wu, "Write a letter to Luanying immediately and tell her to prepare as soon as possible."

Chiwu: “…Yes.”

As they were talking, someone pushed the door open and came in. It was Lin Shuanghe. Chi Wu leaned over and nodded to him, "Mr. Lin."

Lin Shuanghe also smiled at him.

Fei Nu also tactfully retreated.

"Huai Jin, what have you been busy with these days?" Lin Shuanghe waved his fan. "Winter is almost turning into spring. Can you tell me how many times I have met you?"

"Feeling bored?" Xiao Jue said, "When Cheng Lisu returns to Beijing, you can go with him."

"Forget it. We are already here, why should we go back?" He asked, "When will they leave?"

"Just these two days."

After the incident with Ridamuzi, Liangzhou Wei was no longer safe and there might be changes in the future. Cheng Lisu and Song Taotao were not suitable to stay here any longer. Xiao Jue had already given instructions to the troops and would let them set out together to return to Shuojing in a few days.

The two children naturally refused and made a fuss for a long time, but with Xiao Jue's help, there was no reason why it couldn't be done. No matter how dissatisfied they were, they had no choice but to accept Xiao Jue's arrangement.

"I won't talk about Cheng Lisu, but that little girl Song Taotao, she actually wanted to leave He Yan?" Lin Shuanghe said incredulously: "She almost grew up with He Yan? She just went back so obediently?"

"You might as well go ask her." Xiao Jue sat down on the chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it lazily.

He was busy for a long time and only had a short break.

Cheng Lisu sat on his couch and looked at him: "It's fine if you ignore me. After all, you and I have known each other for so many years. I won't bother with you. But why don't you pay attention to my sister He? Although military affairs are important, my sister He is also important. Don't blame me for not reminding you. If you continue like this, when sister He is kidnapped by Chu Zilan, you will have no place to cry."

"What does she have to do with me?" Xiao Jue frowned impatiently, and then asked, "What happened to Chu Zilan?"

Lin Shuanghe rested his chin on the handle of his fan and said calmly, "I don't know if it's a coincidence or what, but in the past month, I've often seen Sister He and Chu Zilan talking together."

"She is a young girl, she was injured, she couldn't train every day, and she was bored staying here all day. I don't know why Chu Zilan came to Liangzhou. It's been two months, and she didn't mention when she would leave. He was bored, and Sister He was bored too. The two of them got together and became familiar with each other."

"Anyway, Sister He used to call him Mr. Chu Si, and I heard her calling Chu Zilan 'Brother Chu' two days ago. Are you going to be worried if this continues?"

Xiao Jue was puzzled: "Why am I panicking?"

"Don't you think about it? If Sister He was kidnapped by Chu Zilan and used by Chu Zilan, Liangzhou Guards would lose such a genius with unparalleled literary and military strategies. You are pushing away a capable general."

Xiao Jue sneered: "Do you think there is no one guarding Liangzhou?"

"Anyway, I've never seen a girl like this before." Lin Shuanghe said, "Chu Zilan is used to pleasing girls. You are better-looking than him, and more capable than him, but your temperament is still as gentle and kind as his. Which girl wouldn't like such a good-looking rich boy to accompany her tenderly every day?"

"Like?" Xiao Jue narrowed her beautiful eyes and said mockingly, "You are only sixteen years old, how can you know what love is?"

"What's wrong with sixteen?" Lin Shuanghe said, "In Shuojing City, many girls are married at the age of sixteen!"

"So?" Xiao Jue took a sip of tea and said in a neutral tone, "At the age of sixteen, apart from my father, brothers and elders, I have only seen a few men. Since I haven't seen many, how can I know if I like them? Saying that you like peonies just because you have seen them is different from liking peonies after seeing all kinds of flowers."

"Loving someone with a choice is different from loving someone without a choice."

"It's meaningless if you say that," Lin Shuanghe rolled his eyes. "Most people in the world are ordinary people, so of course they follow the rules of ordinary people. Ordinary people are like this. They get engaged at the age of sixteen and live their whole lives happily and peacefully."

"There are more unhappy people," Xiao Jue said, "People in the world don't have a choice, but I do."

Lin Shuanghe was completely speechless. He said, "Okay, okay, you have it, you have it, you have it. But according to what you said, the only girl you can find who has seen all the flowers is Sister He."

"Sister He is in Liangzhou Guards. She is not only a man who has read all the flowers. Among the tens of thousands of men in Liangzhou Guards, she is also a man who has read all the flowers. If a man who has read all the flowers likes you, that's great. But if a man who has read all the flowers likes Chu Zilan," Lin Shuanghe said gloatingly, "wouldn't it be a big blow to you?"

"You think too much," Xiao Jue sneered, "Who she likes has nothing to do with me, but Chu Zilan is the son-in-law that Xu Jingfu has chosen."

"She can go and like Chu Zilan," Xiao Jue curled his lips, "as long as she is not afraid of death."

Lin Shuanghe was stunned.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot that Chu Zilan is Xu Pingting's person."

…

When Lin Shuanghe and Xiao Jue were talking about Chu Zilan, He Yan just arrived at Chu Zilan's door.

Ying Xiang welcomed her in with a smile, saying, "Mr. He is here." She glanced behind her and said jokingly, "Ms. Song didn't come with us today, that's a good thing."

Song Taotao was very cautious about Ying Xiang. Whenever He Yan went to look for Chu Zhao, Song Taotao would follow him alertly. After all, Ying Xiang was beautiful, humorous and charming, not as cold and proud as Shen Muxue, so she was probably more attractive to men.

"She's packing her things." He Yan said with a smile, "I'll be leaving Liangzhou Guard in a few days, so she can't follow me every day."

Speaking of this, He Yan was in a state of confusion. When Song Taotao learned that he was going back to Shuojing, he started crying and threatening to leave. He and Cheng Lisu reached an unprecedented agreement and almost blew the roof off the Liangzhou Guard. Later, Xiao Jue personally came out to calm the two children down, and then he agreed to follow Xiao Jue's troops back to the capital.

That was not all, Song Taotao even planned to take He Yan away with him.

"Whatever conditions Mr. Xiao promised you, my Song family will give you three times as much. You should stay in Liangzhouwei," the little girl looked at her with disdain, "Liangzhouwei is such a bitter and cold place. You can lose your life if you are not careful. I heard from Cheng Lisu that you want to make achievements, why do you have to take such a path? You risked your life here, but you didn't get promoted at all. It's too pitiful!"

He Yan thought to himself, yes, it's so pitiful.

"My Song family is different," Song Taotao said in a serious tone: "Although my father can't call the shots in the capital, he can still help you. You have a much better future in my Song family than in Liangzhou. As for the military registration, you don't have to worry. As long as I tell my father, he will find a way to let you go free."

He Yan: "...No, no, I'm fine in Liangzhou too."

Song Taotao's eyes were like knives: "Are you reluctant to part with the maid named Ying Xiang?"

The little girl is young, but she has a lot of ideas. He Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's not like that. This is because I have a special status in Liangzhou Guard. If Miss Song wants me, she can go directly to Governor Xiao. If Governor Xiao is willing to release me, I will of course follow Miss Song back to the capital."

Will Xiao Jue let him go easily? Of course not. Liangzhou Guards are not a reserve army for sons-in-law of Beijing officials. Once she sets this precedent, what will the other recruits of Liangzhou Guards think? It is better to please the rich lady than to work hard to death. If this goes on, Liangzhou Guards will not even need the enemy to fight. Once the morale of the army is dispersed, they will be gone in two years.

Xiao Jue would never let this happen.

Bringing up Xiao Jue was still quite shocking to the little girl. Song Taotao immediately stopped talking about bringing He Yan back to Beijing.

She walked into the house and saw Chu Zhao feeding the birds.

He Yan thought Chu Zilan was an interesting person. He spent his days either planting flowers or writing, or feeding birds. His life seemed like the life of an old man in his sixties or seventies in the capital. But he stayed in Liangzhou Wei for two months. Since he had so much leisure time, wouldn't it be better to go to the capital to relax? Why come here to suffer? There was not even much charcoal to share.

But despite this, He Yan was still willing to go to Chu Zilan's house frequently. The reason was simple. Chu Zhao was a very patient person. Anyway, He Yan couldn't go to the martial arts field for daily training. It was nice to hear Chu Zhao talk about the "interesting things" in the capital. She had been fighting outside in her previous life. When she returned to Shuojing, He Rufei replaced her. She didn't know much about the officialdom in Shuojing, and her colleagues didn't know her at all. It was okay before, but after doing a few things with Xiao Jue, He Yan knew that if she really wanted to start over, she must know the power structure of all parties.

At least the general situation of the prince's faction, Xu Xiang's faction, and Xiao Jue's faction is clear.

He Yan learned a lot from Chu Zhao, and she was reluctant to show too much hostility towards Chu Zhao, especially since this man had never treated her well in the beginning.

Today, Chu Zhaoling asked Ying Xiang to come over to talk to He Yan.

"Brother Chu." she said.

Chu Zhao put the last bit of bird food into the feeding bowl, and the bird flapped its wings and made a crisp cry. It was not suitable to raise birds in such a cold day, so Chu Zhao put all the charcoal near the bird cage.

He is so considerate and gentle to birds.

"You're here." Chu Zhao smiled and walked to the basin to wash his hands.

"Brother Chu asked Ying Xiang to come to me today, is there something important?" He Yan asked tentatively. Generally speaking, He Yan would take the initiative to talk to Chu Zhao. It was rare for Chu Zhao to take the initiative, so he might have something important to say.

"Nothing much," Chu Zhao smiled and asked He Yan to sit down, "I may have to return to Beijing in a few days. Before I leave, I plan to say goodbye to Brother He."

He Yan was startled: "Are you going back?"

"Not bad," Chu Zhao smiled, "I have been in Liangzhou for two months. The journey is long, and it will be spring when I return." He said, "I have been in Liangzhou for the past two months. Thanks to Brother He's care, I have had a very interesting time. Brother He is very thoughtful."

"No, no," He Yan said quickly, "It's not me who's taking care of you, it's more like you're taking care of me."

"The people who are going to pick me up will probably arrive in the next few days," Chu Zhao said with a smile, "I don't think it will snow in the next few days, so why not set up a banquet in Baiyue Mountain and have a farewell drink with Brother He?"

"The governor doesn't allow us to go up the mountain without permission." He Yan was in a dilemma, "And Brother Chu also knows that I can't drink much. If I get drunk, it's inevitable that I'll get into trouble again."

Chu Zhao smiled and shook his head when he heard this: "No problem, we don't have to go up the mountain. There is a pavilion at the foot of Baiyue Mountain. From the pavilion, you can overlook the Wulu River and see the best moonlight. Just at the foot of the mountain, as for wine, even if Brother He wants to drink, I don't have any. Just use tea instead of wine. It's good as long as the intention is there."

Since it has come to this, He Yan has nothing to refuse, so he answered straightforwardly: "Of course, if Brother Chu wants to leave, I should accompany him. I wonder when the pavilion banquet that Brother Chu mentioned will be? I will prepare well."

"Tonight is fine." Chu Zhao smiled, "It will save us from snowing tonight and no beautiful moonlight tomorrow."

He Yan said, "Tonight is tonight! Tonight I must have a long talk with Brother Chu!"

She thought, Chu Zhao was about to leave, who could explain to her the complicated relationships among the masters in the capital? It would be better to take advantage of tonight to ask as many questions as possible, so that it would be difficult to find such an opportunity in the future.

Chu Zhao smiled: "Brother He is straightforward."

"Oh right," He Yan thought of something, "Brother Chu, why do you suddenly want to go back? Didn't you say before that you would wait until the spring weather gets warmer before leaving? I'm afraid it will be cold if we leave now."

"I have no choice." Chu Zhao smiled helplessly, "My colleague, Hanlin scholar Xu is getting married, and I have to hurry back to Shuojing to attend the wedding banquet."

He Yan was warming his hands with the cup on the table. He was startled when he heard the words. He felt his palms getting cold and his heart sank. He almost couldn't control his expression.

She pulled the corners of her mouth stiffly and asked, "Master Xu? Which Master Xu?"

"His name is Xu Zhiheng, the eldest son of the Prince's tutor," Chu Zhaoqi asked, "Didn't I tell you about him? He is a man of great learning and talent, well-read in poetry and literature, and very outstanding."

The steaming tea suddenly froze into ice.

He Yan's fingers curled slightly: "Xu Zhiheng..."

…

He Yan herself had no idea how she got back to the house. She also couldn't remember what Chu Zhao said next. She only remembered that she tried her best not to let any of her emotions leak out, lest anyone should find out.

When she returned to the room, she almost couldn't stand steadily, so she held on to the head of the bed and slowly sat down on the couch.

The words Chu Zhao just said echoed in my mind.

"Master Xu had a wife before. His eldest brother-in-law is the current Feihong General He Rufei. He Rufei's cousin, the daughter of the He family, married Xu Zhiheng for half a year and then became blind due to illness. However, Master Xu did not dislike his first wife because of this. He looked for famous doctors and was very considerate."

He Yan asked: "Considerate...very?"

"Yes, at that time, Madam Xu hoped that Master Xu would take a concubine or find him another wife, but Master Xu flatly refused. Unfortunately, Madam Xu was unlucky. This spring, when she was alone in the mansion, a servant was not paying attention and she accidentally fell into the pond and drowned."

"It has been almost a year since Grandma Xu passed away. Grandpa Xu originally told his relatives and friends that he would not remarry. But he is still young, and the Xu family cannot let him be a widower for life. He is a very affectionate person, and even his late wife's family could not bear to see it, so they chose another young lady from the He family to be engaged to him. She is from the second wife's family, three years younger than the original Grandma He, and is only seventeen this year."

The daughter of the second branch of the He family, she is only seventeen this year... He Yan closed her eyes, that is her biological sister.

The He family had already made up their mind, perhaps it was the result of a discussion with Xu Zhiheng. He Yan must die, but once He Yan dies, the marriage relationship between the He family and the Xu family will be gone, which is a result that neither family wants to see. It is better to exchange one person for another, and use He Yan's death to get a new He grandmother.

She held her head, feeling as if it was about to explode.

Suddenly, someone's voice rang out: "Brother? What's wrong with you?"

He Yan looked up and saw that it was Cheng Lisu.

She asked, "Why are you here?"

The young boy said, "I just knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. I thought you were not at home, so I brought you some snacks." He walked forward with concern, "Brother, you look very bad, is your wound painful? Do you want me to call Uncle Lin for you?"

He Yan waved his hands and forced a smile, "No need, I just didn't sleep well yesterday and I'm a little sleepy."

Cheng Lisu was open-minded and did not suspect anything. He nodded and said, "Okay." Then he remembered something and pouted, "Brother, you seem to be very busy these days. I will be back to Shuojing soon. I don't know when we will meet again. I learned a cane puppet show from Master Ma a few days ago. How about I show it to you tonight?"

At the moment, He Yan's mind was full of Chu Zhao's words, so she had no intention of responding to Cheng Lisu's question. Moreover, she still remembered the agreement she had made with Chu Zhao, so she shook her head and said, "Not tonight. I have already made an appointment with the Fourth Master Chu to go to the foot of Baiyue Mountain to watch the moon."

"Why are two grown men looking at the moon?" Cheng Lisu said in dissatisfaction, "Besides, the moon is not as good as a puppet show. Can't we see it every day? What's so special about it?"

His noise brought He Yan's attention back a little. She patiently explained, "It's not all about watching the moon. It's just that Mr. Chu will be leaving Liangzhou in a few days, so he wanted to drink with me before he leaves."

"It's a good thing that you have a good relationship with the fourth son of Chu, but don't forget me." Cheng Lisu didn't know the undercurrent between Xiao Jue and Chu Zhao. To him, Chu Zhao was just a good-looking and good-tempered uncle from Shuojing who was gifted by the emperor. He said, "After all, I knew you much earlier than he did. It's reasonable for you to be more familiar with me. Brother, you can't abandon me!"

Little brat, you are still jealous about this kind of thing. He Yan had no choice but to coax him, "Okay, today you drink with him, and tomorrow I'll watch you perform a puppet show, how about that?"

Cheng Lisu was satisfied and said with a smile: "That's good enough!"