After lunch at noon, the soldiers looked for a warm place to take a short rest.

Xiao Jue was talking to the deputy general in the martial arts arena, giving orders for the next month's daily training. Lin Shuanghe walked over, waved his fan towards him from a distance, and motioned for him to step aside to talk.

After Xiao Jue finished explaining the matter, he walked towards Lin Shuanghe and asked impatiently as he walked, "Didn't you go to the clinic to help?"

Lin Shuanghe had nothing to do all day. The weather was cold recently, so Shen Muxue cooked soup to dispel cold and warm the stomach and distributed it to everyone. Because there were not enough people, Lin Shuanghe volunteered to help. He was a gentleman all his life and disliked the soldiers of Liangzhou Guards for not taking a bath, being dirty and smelly. He quit after helping for two days.

"I was planning to go there, but I met someone on the way. There were guests coming to Liangzhou Wei," he said.

Xiao Jue: "Who?"

Lin Shuanghe showed a meaningful smile on his face: "Xu Pingting...'s personal maid."

…

Inside the room, a young maid stood at the door with a smile on her face. She asked the servant to open the boxes one by one in the room and said, "These are all gifts that the young lady personally selected for the fourth young master."

The current Prime Minister Xu Jingfu was extremely powerful. Half of the officials in the court were once his students. He had lived for most of his life with a very good reputation and the emperor trusted him. If there was one thing he regretted, it was that he had no children. Later, he found a famous doctor to treat him personally. When he was in his fifties, his wife finally gave birth to a daughter, Xu Pingting.

The Xu family was so old that they had such a precious daughter. They were almost obedient to Xu Pingting. Even the princess was not as pampered as her. Xu Pingting was seventeen years old this year. She was also a charming little beauty, but she was particularly domineering and overbearing, making it difficult for people to resist her.

Chu Zhao was Xu Jingfu's most proud student. He often went to Xu's house for dinner. As time went by, he became familiar with Xu Pingting.

"Sister Motai, you must have traveled a long way," Ying Xiang smiled and handed over a cup of tea, saying, "Have some tea to warm yourself up."

Mo Tai glanced at Ying Xiang and said with a fake smile: "Forget it, I am not used to the coarse tea of ​​Liangzhou Wei."

Ying Xiang was not annoyed, still smiling, and took the tea away. Mo Tai looked at Ying Xiang's back, a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes, and he cursed her in his heart as a foxy woman.

Such a seductive woman, following Mr. Chu every day, who knows if she will use the means of seduction on her own master. Although Miss Xu is also young and beautiful, she is definitely not as good as this bitch in pleasing others. Xu Pingting did not think about driving Ying Xiang away from Chu Zhao, but unfortunately, the usually gentle Chu Zhao flatly refused. In the end, it was Prime Minister Xu who came forward and exposed the matter.

Isn't he just a servant? Is it necessary to take care of him like this? Mo Tai was unhappy, but he couldn't vent it to Chu Zhao.

She looked around Chu Zhao's room, and after a moment, she shook her head and said, "The place where the Fourth Young Master lives is really too shabby. I stayed here for half a minute and my hands and feet felt cold. There is not even charcoal fire here. It seems that the Fourth Young Master has suffered a lot in the past two months."

"No problem," Chu Zhao replied gently, "All the new recruits here are like this."

"How can they compare with you?" Mo Tai said, "You can't confuse yourself with those lowly people."

A hint of coldness flashed across Chu Zhao's eyes, but when he raised his head again, he looked gentle again. He asked, "Miss Motai, are you here for something?"

"Nothing," Mo Tai said with a smile, "It's just that I haven't seen the Fourth Young Master for a long time and I miss him a little. I heard that the winter in Liangzhou is very cold, so I asked my servant to bring a team of carriages to bring some warm clothes to the Fourth Young Master."

She bent down, took out a fur coat from the box, held it up and walked to Chu Zhao, saying, "This is something the young lady personally sent someone to get from the merchant. It can keep you warm when you wear it. Would you like to try it, Mr. Fourth?"

The fur of the fur coat is smooth and shiny, soft and light, and it is obvious that it is worth a lot of money at first glance.

Chu Zhao stood up, put on the fur coat, and said thank you with a smile: "It's very warm. Thank the young lady for me."

Mo Tai smiled and covered her mouth: "I can't do this for you. If you want to thank her, you should talk to the eldest lady in person." She seemed to remember something and asked Chu Zhao: "When does the fourth young master plan to return to Shuojing?"

"It's these two days."

"I think Liangzhou is not a place for people to stay. If the eldest lady were here, she would definitely feel sorry for the fourth young master. How about we set off tomorrow? The earlier we leave, the earlier we return to Shuojing, and the earlier we can see the eldest lady." She smiled slightly, "Before I left, the old man talked to the eldest lady about the fourth young master."

Although her words were probing, her tone left no room for doubt, and she had already made the decision while chatting with him. She did not allow Chu Zhao to refute her.

Chu Zhao paused for a moment, raised his head, and said with a smile: "Okay, we'll set off tomorrow. I miss you, too."

"That's great." A smile suddenly blossomed on Mo Tai's face, and she urged the servant to take out the things in the box one by one.

"This box is filled with clothes for the cold weather. I'll take them out for you first. Once they're arranged, I'll help you pack your luggage for tomorrow's departure." She said, "I hope the Fourth Young Master won't blame me for being nosy."

"How come?" Chu Zhao said with a smile, "I can't even express my gratitude enough."

Ying Xiang stood behind the curtain, looking at Mo Tai who was bossing people around in the room, then lowered her eyes, stood still for a moment, and walked away.

…

On a winter evening, it gets dark early. Lights are turned on in the house.

Lin Shuanghe lay on the couch, spitting out the melon seed shells in his mouth, and said, "What's wrong with Xu Pingting's maid? She kept talking to Chu Zhao from day to night and refused to let him leave. People who don't know would think she is Miss Xu. This is too obvious to declare ownership. Now, I feel a little sorry for Chu Zilan."

Xiao Jue was sitting at the table reading a military document. Hearing this, he said, "If he's pitiful, you can go and rescue him."

"Forget it then," Lin Shuanghe sat up and put his hands behind his head, "Who can be blamed for this? It's Chu Zilan's own fault. He is handsome and gentle. Such a man is the object of everyone's competition in the capital. He also rushed to please Xu Jingfu himself, so it was not surprising that he was favored by Miss Xu."

Xiao Jue sneered: "If he can really become the son-in-law of the Xu family, that's his ability."

"That's right," Lin Shuanghe believed what Xiao Jue said. "He was originally bullied and excluded in the Shi Jinbo Mansion. If it weren't for Xu Jingfu, how could he be registered under his stepmother's name? If he really married the eldest daughter of the Xu family," Lin Shuanghe said, "in the future, Chu Zilan will be the one who makes the decisions in the Shi Jinbo Mansion!"

People always say that women are good at currying favor with the powerful, and that if they find a good husband, they can lean on a big tree to enjoy the coolness. How can men be any different? When there are real benefits, all choices are just to live a better life. So-called likes and dislikes, willingness and sincerity are not important.

I don’t know whether it is Xu Pingting’s sadness or Chu Zilan’s sadness.

"I think the maid's words about taking care of him were fake, but she was really monitoring him." Lin Shuanghe spread his hands, "Chu Zilan can forget about sleeping tonight."

"Chu Zilan?" Cheng Lisu poked his head in from the window. "What's wrong with him? Didn't he go to see the moon with my eldest brother tonight?"

"What are you looking at the moon for?" Lin Shuanghe asked.

"We're going to the foot of Baiyue Mountain to watch the moon. I originally wanted to find my eldest brother to watch the puppet show I just learned, but he said that we can only change the date to tomorrow to watch the moon with Mr. Chu." Cheng Lisu looked at Lin Shuanghe, then at Xiao Jue, "Uncle, what do you mean by what you just said?"

Xiao Jue pushed his head back out of the window, closed it and said, "Go back to sleep."

Cheng Lisu tried to break the window outside but failed, so he had to leave after a while.

After he left, Lin Shuanghe stroked his chin and asked, "My sister He and Chu Zilan have an appointment to watch the moon tonight? Are they developing so fast?"

Xiao Jue continued reading military articles and was too lazy to pay attention to him.

"No," Lin Shuanghe climbed up from the bed, "I have to go and take a look."

He walked directly to the middle door between the two rooms, knocked on the door and said, "Brother He? Brother He! Brother He, are you there? If you are, just let me know."

He put his ear to the other end, and there was no sound from inside the door.

Lin Shuanghe clapped a few more times, but still no response. He took two steps back and said to himself, "Could it be that my sister He didn't know that Xu Pingting's people were here, and went to see the moon by herself?"

"Huai Jin!" he shouted.

Xiao Jue's ears hurt from his words, and he asked impatiently, "What are you doing?"

"My sister He may have gone to see the moon alone," Lin Shuanghe walked up to him, "Go and look for her."

"No." Xiao Jue said indifferently: "If you want to go, go ahead."

"I would like to go, but Baiyue Mountain is so big and I don't know the way. What if there are bad guys on the mountain like what happened with Ridamuzi before? You can resist them with your martial arts skills, but if I go, I can only lie down and let them kill me. Will you regret it if someone dies?"

Xiao Jue: "No regrets."

"Why are you like this?" Lin Shuanghe simply sat down on his desk, blocking Junwen. He advised earnestly: "Look at my sister He, how pitiful she is. Chu Zhao doesn't know that she is a woman, and she is gentle to everyone. But this is the first time that sister He has met such a gentle person. Girls are delicate and naturally easy to be moved. But her identity cannot be exposed, so she can only hide this love in her heart. Her lover asked her to watch the moon, she must be very happy, but she doesn't know that her lover has already been recognized as someone else's son-in-law. She is now alone in the mountains, and she must be very cold and sad. Can't you go and see her? Comfort her?"

Xiao Jue was puzzled by his idea: "She likes Chu Zilan, and she hit a wall. Why should I go to comfort her? What's the logic?"

"Now is your chance!" Lin Shuanghe encouraged him: "Now is the best opportunity to take advantage of the situation!"

Xiao Jue sneered: "Then I will definitely not go."

"Okay, okay," Lin Shuanghe said, "Let's not talk about feelings. She is your soldier, and you are her superior. Sister He helped you save the Liangzhou Guard some time ago. You should always care about your subordinates."

"I'm her boss, not her father." Xiao Jue said coldly, "Besides, she has legs. If she can't wait for someone, she will come back naturally."

Lin Shuanghe was silent for a moment, then asked him, "Do you think she is the kind of person who gives up if she can't wait?"

Xiao Jue's hand holding the pen paused.

The image of a young man running with a sandbag on his back on a martial arts field appeared before my eyes.

He Yan was not someone who gave up easily. Sometimes she was clever and cunning, but sometimes she was stubborn and persistent. It was hard to tell whether this was persistence or stupidity, but Lin Shuanghe was right. With her personality, she would probably wait on the mountain for a night.

ill.

Seeing Xiao Jue's attitude softened, Lin Shuanghe immediately added fuel to the fire, "Think about it, she is only sixteen years old, a little girl, it is not easy for her to get to this point in Liangzhou Guard. It is too pitiful for her to be hit so hard by Chu Zilan. Just think of it as a good deed, go up the mountain and bring her back. She will be grateful to you in her heart, and she will be more sincere when she works for you in the future."

Seeing that Xiao Jue didn't move, Lin Shuanghe added one last accusation: "When Madam Xiao was alive, she was the most kindhearted and gentle. If she saw Sister He, she would definitely help."

"Shut up." Xiao Jue couldn't stand it any longer, so he grabbed his cloak, stood up and walked out the door, saying, "I'll go."

Lin Shuanghe looked at his back and was very satisfied: "This is a real man."

…

At the foot of Baiyue Mountain, there is a huge rock that stretches flat and looks like a stone platform. Walk down along the stone platform and at the end, you can hear the sound of waves.

Looking down, there is a mighty river at your feet; looking up, there is a bright moon thousands of miles away, shining over the mountains and rivers.

He Yan sat down at the end of the rock, the sound of water splashing against the distant rocks again and again was like a deep ancient sound coming from a distant time and space, long and distant.

She had agreed to meet Chu Zhao at 10:00 p.m., but now she didn't know what time it was and he was still nowhere to be seen. She did find the pavilion that Chu Zhao mentioned, but there was no food or drinks set out in the pavilion, so she didn't know what was going on.

Maybe she should go downstairs to look for Chu Zhao, but once she got here and sat down, she never wanted to get up again.

The forests were all covered with snow, and the mountaintops were covered in white. The moonlight was shining on the entire river, making it clear and smooth.

It was an extremely beautiful moonlight and also an extremely beautiful snow color. He Yan felt tired and sat with his knees hugged, looking at the end of the river.

She likes the night more than the day, and the moon more than the sun. It's because during the years when she was "He Rufei", she never took off the mask, but the mask was hot and heavy, and she was naughty as a teenager, so she would always secretly take it off in the dead of night for a stick of incense.

No one can see the true face beneath the mask except the moon outside the window.

She stretched out her hand, trying to catch the moonlight hanging over the distant mountains and rivers. The moonlight fell gently on her hand, as if it would stay for her forever.

"What are you doing?" someone's voice came from behind him.

He Yan turned around and saw a young man in fox fur and brocade clothes walking out from the darkness. He was very tall and exuded a cold and handsome appearance.

It’s Xiao Jue.

He Yan was startled and subconsciously looked behind him. Seeing her like this, Xiao Jue sneered, "Chu Zilan is not coming."

"Why?" He Yan asked.

Xiao Jue glanced at her and said, "I'm from the capital, but I can't leave for something. Let me tell you something."

He Yan nodded, and looked at him in surprise again: "Would the governor actually pass on a message for the Fourth Master Chu?"

Xiao Jue and Chu Zhao are incompatible. The fact that Chu Zhao asked Xiao Jue to pass on a message was already unbelievable, but it was even more shocking that Xiao Jue actually listened to him and came here to find her.

"You don't seem very sad to care about this," he said, sitting down on the other side of the boulder.

The winter night wind blew, making people extremely cold. He Yan asked, "Why should I be sad?" As soon as he finished speaking, he sneezed with a "choo".

The Liangzhou guards were dressed in cotton clothes in winter, but it was still very cold when they went out in the wind at night. She sat there listlessly, her face was pale from the cold, like green jade, with a kind of fragile transparency.

Xiao Jue was silent for a moment, and the next moment, he stood up.

Just as He Yan was about to look up, a fox fur coat was thrown over her head, making her vision go dark. When she emerged from the fur coat, Xiao Jue had returned to her original seat and sat down.

The fur coat was slightly warm, instantly keeping the wind and snow out. He Yan was stunned for a long time before he said, "Thank you."

Xiao Jue turned his head and glanced at her.

The young girl had her hair tied up and was wearing his black fur coat. She had very narrow shoulders and looked very frail. She used to be noisy and chattering all day long, and he found the noise annoying, but when she was quiet, she seemed to have become a different person.

It makes people feel uncomfortable.

Xiao Jue looked at her with his eyes downcast. After a moment, he curled his lips and said, "You look so bitter and resentful. It's really ugly." He paused and said, "Can't bear to leave Chu Zilan?"

"What?" He Yan was puzzled.

"I've never seen you look so depressed when you were dying," he said lazily, "It seems like you really like it."

He Yan didn't quite understand what he said.

"He's not even gone yet and you're already acting like that. What will you do when he leaves tomorrow?" Xiao Jue looked at the river in the distance.

"Tomorrow?" He Yan was surprised, "So soon?"

She remembered that Chu Zhao told her it would be in these few days, but did not say it would be tomorrow.

Xiao Jue glanced at her with a half-smile: "Are you anxious?"

"No," He Yan said, "I was just a little surprised..." Then he remembered something and said sadly, "Yes, he has to catch up with Master Xu's wedding banquet, so he has to leave as soon as possible."

He Yan asked Xiao Jue: "Does the governor know the eldest son of the Xu family in Beijing?"

Xiao Jue: “I’ve heard of it.”

"Xu Zhiheng is getting married, and the fourth master Chu hurried back just to catch up with his wedding banquet." He Yan's voice was dry.

"It's Xu Zhiheng who's getting married, not Chu Zilan," Xiao Jue frowned, "Look at how useless you are now, and you still want to join the Nine Banners Camp?"

He Yan forced a smile and was about to speak when Xiao Jue waved his sleeves and threw something into her arms.

He Yan looked down and saw that it was a string of candied haws that had been left outside for a long time. They were as cold as ice cubes, but against the whiteness of the snow, they were still bright red.

"Where did this come from?"

"Song Taotao's." Xiao Jue said, "I just picked up a bunch."

He did not know how to coax a little girl, and when he left, he asked Lin Shuanghe about it. Lin Shuanghe answered him, "If it were someone else, to coax a sad girl, of course it would take a lot of trouble, take her to see lanterns, flowers, and stars, buy her jade, pearls, and gold hairpins, but you are different, you just need to sit there and use your face, that's all."

Xiao Jue was speechless. When he passed by Shen Muxue's room, he saw the candied haws that Song Taotao had asked someone to buy placed by the window, so he just picked up a string.

The last time I saw her eating this, she looked very happy.

He Yan picked up the candied haws, peeled off the rice cake paper on top, and licked it. The candied haws was icy and a little sweetness flowed over the tip of his tongue, making his heart astringent.

Suddenly, I remembered what I said to Chu Zhao before.

She asked Chu Zhao: "What is the name of the new Grandma Xu?"

Chu Zhao replied, "Her name is He Xinying. She is the second daughter of the second branch of the He family. She is a cousin of the former He Grandmother. I have met her once. She has a naive and gentle personality. In fact, she can be considered a good match for Master Xu."

"He Xinying..." He Yan murmured, "Do you know what the former Grandma Xu's name was?"

Chu Zhao was stunned, hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said: "The former Madam Xu lived in seclusion and was not in Shuojing before. I have never seen her and don't know her name."

Not even a name was left.

People remember General Feihong, He Rufei, Xu Zhiheng, and even his new wife, but no one remembers He Yan.

She thought that after so much time, she knew Xu Zhiheng's true face and would no longer feel heartache. But when she heard that he was going to marry, she still felt strangely painful. It was as if the obsession and trust from many years ago collapsed overnight, and she didn't even bother to keep a lie.

All that was left was her stupidity and unwillingness.

She raised her head and looked at the moon. The moonlight gently spread over the barren mountains and rivers, over the snow-covered forests, over her desolate and lonely years, and over the eyes beneath her mask.

The moon knows her secret, but the moon cannot speak.

"Do you know," she asked softly, "what is the name of Xu Zhiheng's new wife?"

Xiao Jue said lazily, "How would I know?"

He Yan laughed at himself and asked, "Then do you know what the name of the previous Grandma Xu was?"

The river waves beat violently against the rocks, as if the years were roaring in from the distant past.

He glanced at He Yan calmly. His eyebrows and eyes were incredibly handsome under the moonlight. A hint of sarcasm appeared in his eyes like autumn water. He said in a calm voice: "Why, just because we have the same name, you want to be Grandma Xu?"

He Yan was startled.

"You know...you know her name is..." Her heart began to beat wildly.

"He Yan."

The waves fall on the rocks, are broken into tiny water droplets, and flow into the river and the sea, making it impossible to tell where each wave comes from.

But……

The name He Yan was remembered.

He Yan raised his head suddenly and looked at him.

"Have you ever met... no, Grandma Xu?"

She said to herself, it's impossible. She and Xiao Jue were classmates for only one year before they went their separate ways. When she returned to Shuojing, she became Miss He, no longer "He Rufei". She got engaged and married very quickly, and she didn't even go out of the house many times, let alone talk about other men. When she married into the Xu family, she became blind soon after the wedding, and stayed in the mansion all day, almost isolated from the world.

How come Xiao Jue had met her?

unless……

"Yes."

The young man sat lazily, his eyes and brows were charming. The mountains, rivers, scenery and moon were not as bright as the light in his eyes.

For a moment, his voice overlapped with the voice from that night.

It was also such a night, such a mountain scenery, the rain was falling continuously, her world was gray and dark, just a hair's breadth away from despair.

Xiao Jue said: "She owes me a candy."