All the close associates were wiped out?

There was a moment of blankness in He Yan's mind, followed by a feeling of grief and rage.

This was not an accident at all, this was murder! He Rufei did it on purpose. I'm afraid he had already exposed himself during the battle of Huayuan, and perhaps he had already decided to wipe out the root of the problem before being discovered. Since the He family could kill him who was still a blood relative, He Rufei could also use the same method on his "confidants" who were not related to him.

Anger made her feel cold all over, her body trembled slightly, and her eyes turned red in an instant. She couldn't help but use force on the branch, and she broke the branch into two pieces. The sound startled the person who was talking. Lin Shuanghe and Shen Han looked back and saw He Yan. Lin Shuanghe asked curiously: "Brother He, why are you here?" He was about to step forward, and He Yan took a step back. He knew that he couldn't talk to Lin Shuanghe at this moment, and it would be discovered by others. He hurriedly said: "I have something else to do, I'll leave first." He turned around and left.

Lin Shuanghe stopped where he was. After a while, he turned around and looked at Shen Han: "... Did you hear Brother He's voice just now? Did it sound a bit tearful?"

Shen Han: ".....Maybe Master Lin heard it wrongly."

Did he mishear? Lin Shuanghe thought about it carefully, and somehow he felt that He Yan's voice was a little strange, as if she was about to cry.

At this moment, Xiao Jue and Fei Nu walked in from outside, and saw Shen Han and Lin Shuanghe standing in the yard. They frowned slightly and asked, "What are you doing standing here?"

"I came to talk to you about something." Lin Shuanghe asked, "Didn't you see my brother He when you came in just now?"

"He Yan?" Xiao Jue said calmly, "No." As he spoke, he walked into the house.

Shen Han bowed to Lin Shuanghe. He still had to go to the martial arts arena. Lin Shuanghe followed Xiao Jue into the house, and Fei Nu stood aside. He closed the door, turned around to look at Xiao Jue who took off his cloak, and said, "Huai Jin, are you still in the cold war with my sister He?"

Xiao Jue glanced at him and said, "I'm not as boring as you."

"Then why did my sister He look like she was about to cry?" Lin Shuanghe whispered to himself, then looked at him: "You have been nicer to my sister He these days. I don't know what happened between her and Chu Zilan. I see that she has been in a very low mood these days. My sister He is a person who is extremely inferior in her heart. She loves Chu Zilan but cannot get her. Even if you speak coldly to her, she is still a little girl after all, and it is inevitable that she will be sad." Lin Shuanghe squeezed his eyes at Fei Nu, indicating that Fei Nu should also say a few words along the way: "Isn't it, Fei Nu?"

Fei Nu stood straight, pretending not to hear him. He thought He Yan had low self-esteem? There was no one in Liangzhou Guards who was more arrogant than He Yan. The word low self-esteem had nothing to do with He Yan. I don't know how Lin Shuanghe saw that.

Xiao Jue's expression became even colder when he heard this, and a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of his mouth: "That's Chu Zilan's business."

Lin Shuanghe thought, one or two, why are they so stubborn? Thinking carefully, it's no wonder that He Yan doesn't want to believe that Xiao Jue is interested in her. Xiao Jue's cold and ruthless attitude would make Lin Shuanghe suspicious. This doesn't look like love, this looks like enemies.

"If you have nothing else to do, please leave first," Xiao Jue said, "I have something to say to Fei Nu."

He was going to do some serious work. Lin Shuanghe didn't dare to interrupt him, so he said, "Okay, you guys go ahead, I'll go out first and come back to see you later."

After Lin Shuanghe left, Fei Nu locked the door and walked to Xiao Jue, "Governor, the war in Huayuan..."

"A reenactment of the Battle of Mingshui." Xiao Jue interrupted him.

Fei Nu was silent for a moment: "It seems to be fine, but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. General Fei Hong led 150,000 troops. Considering his past military achievements, it is undeserved that the victory was so tragic."

"Not only that," the young man leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed slightly, his extremely pale hands stroking the teacup in front of him, his voice light, "Several of my trusted lieutenants all died in battle. There is no such coincidence in the world."

General Feihong's confidants were all lieutenants who had fought with him in the bloody battles and survived the bloody battles. It was not the first time for them to go to the battlefield. Although there was a traitor, it was okay to deceive others, but it was a bit difficult to deceive them. Moreover, there was the Mingshui battle before, and now looking at the Huayuan battle, it felt that there were loopholes everywhere.

"Young Master thinks..."

"Rather than an accident, it's more like silencing." Xiao Jue replied in a calm voice.

Fei Nu was silent. If it was a silencing, what was the reason? In the battle of Rumingshui, Xiao Zhongwu and his confidants were all killed, but now He Rufei is still alive, and He Rufei is not among the targets of silencing. So, He Rufei wanted to hide some secrets, so he killed all his confidants.

What is the secret that He Rufei wants to hide?

Xiao Jue lowered his eyes, and after a while, he looked up at Fei Nu: "Go and tell Luanying that I want to know everything about the battle of Huayuan from beginning to end."

Fei Nu took the order and left.

Xiao Jue leaned back in his chair, his eyes falling on the swaying branches in front of the window. He had been a classmate of He Rufei for a year. He Rufei was a very stubborn, simple-minded, and persistent person. He was not surprised that He Rufei later became a general of Feihong. If a person is particularly persistent in something, he will succeed in everything he does. But Xiao Jue still doubted that He Rufei would personally kill his confidant who had followed him for many years for a secret.

This is not like the past He Rufei.

But... nothing is absolute, people's hearts are changeable, maybe... He Rufei has also changed a long time ago.

…

He Yan had been sitting by the Wulu River.

It was already very late at night. Ever since she learned from Lin Shuanghe that all of He Rufei's close associates had died in the battle of Huayuan, she had left the crowd. There was no one by the Wulu River, so she could sit there and vent her emotions to her heart's content.

When she was "He Rufei", her confidants were all brothers who had survived the battlefield with her step by step. They had lived and died together, and their friendship was deeper than that of others. He Yan originally thought that even if He Rufei was afraid of being exposed, the most he would do was to stop leading troops to fight, or claim to be sick and rarely see old friends, but He Rufei was more cruel than she thought, and he went all out to kill all those deputy generals.

What were they thinking before they died? Maybe someone discovered that He Rufei was wrong, or maybe no one noticed it yet. Maybe when they died, they did not expect to die at the hands of the generals they trusted. They did not die under the butcher knife of the enemy on the battlefield, but died in the ugly and treacherous rebellion of their own people. How absurd and unreasonable!

With a "snap" sound, the whip fell heavily on the boulder in front of him, breaking a corner of the stone. He Yan lashed the long whip in his hand fiercely, as if he wanted to vent all the grief and anger in his heart. The sound was heard far away on the empty river bank.

I don't know how long it took until the whip hit the boulder and the colorful tassel hanging on the wooden handle was thrown out. He Yan stopped to take a breath and looked at his hands. He didn't feel it when he was venting, but now he saw that his hands were full of red marks. He finally felt tired.

She put away the long whip at her waist and walked to the Caisui that was thrown to the side. Half of the Caisui was stained with river water, and the other end fell into the stone. He Yan leaned over to pick it up and saw that the small pomegranate flower was broken into two halves.

He Yan stared at the pomegranate flower that was broken into two pieces. For a moment, his mind flashed back to the past when he and his brothers were celebrating their success in the military camp. He was overwhelmed with sadness and sat down on the ground, burying his head in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

She seldom shed tears for herself, but now she could not pretend nothing happened. Zi did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me. For a moment, guilt, self-blame, sadness and anger were intertwined together. Apart from sobbing in pain, she could not think of anything else.

In the wilderness, there was only the sound of low wind, and the wind was cool, cooler than the snow in the desert.

There were footsteps.

At first it was just slight, but later, he stopped a few steps away from her. His cold voice almost blended into the night as he called He Yan's name.

"He Yan."

Before He Yan had time to wipe away her beautiful tears, she subconsciously raised her head and turned to look. The young man was dressed in gorgeous clothes and green boots, with a graceful figure. His sparkling black eyes were fixed on her with an indifferent expression.

"...Commander-in-Chief." He Yan reached out his hand and wiped the tears from his face carelessly, and asked nonchalantly, "Why are you here?"

He didn't say anything, his eyes fell on He Yan's palm, in which He Yan was still holding the colorful tassel, with half of it sticking out.

After a moment, Xiao Jue looked away and asked, "Why are you crying?"

He Yan's heart shrank. She wanted to find a place where no one was around to vent, but she never thought that Xiao Jue would come here. What was this? She couldn't tell the truth, but the colorful tassel in her hand reminded her. He Yan thought about it and said, "I... my tassel broke. I was anxious for a moment." Afraid that Xiao Jue wouldn't believe it, He Yan opened her palm and showed him the broken jade pomegranate: "Look, it's broken into two pieces. I'm afraid it can't be repaired."

She was still dressed like a teenager, with red eyes. The last time she was seen like this was when Liu Buwang passed away. And He Yan was definitely not someone who would cry for a colorful spike. For a moment, Xiao Jue's ears echoed with Lin Shuanghe's previous words.

"My sister He is a person who has a very low self-esteem deep down. She has always been unable to get Chu Zilan's love. Even if you speak coldly to her, she is still a little girl after all, so it is inevitable that she will be hurt."

Love but cannot get it?

Yes, he had seen He Yan's depressed look as early as the last time Chu Zilan broke the appointment on Baiyue Mountain.

He Yan saw the young man in front of her walk up to her and lean over to look at her. His eyebrows and eyes were very beautiful, and he was very close to her, which made He Yan inexplicably scared. The other party's voice was also calm, and he said, "I like you so much. If you like someone, no matter how sad you are, you still have to persevere?"

He Yan's eyes widened slightly.

He said...what does this mean?

He stared at himself silently, his eyes like the night sky in the city, deep and shallow, clear and light.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Jue stood up straight, turned his back to her, and said calmly, "If you stay here, it will affect the Nanfu soldiers who are resting nearby."

"go back."

After saying this, he left without looking back. After He Yan waited for him to leave, he wiped his face with his sleeve, stood up, and looked back at the river in the distance.

We can't let He Rufei continue like this.

He Rufei has already lost her mind, and will only get worse. There is not much time left for her, and it may not be possible for her to stay in Liangzhouwei forever.

We must return to Shuojing as soon as possible.

…

This is what He Yan thought in her heart, but before she could figure out how to return to Shuojing, someone left before her. It was Chu Zhao.

On this day, the daily training at the martial arts arena ended. He Yan had her meal and went to her room. She had been feeling upset these days because of the battle in Huayuan. She looked troubled every day, and no one understood what was going on with her. He Yan wanted to continue to find out about He Rufei, but the news about He Rufei first reached Xiao Jue, then the coaches, and finally the recruits. After all, General Feihong was far away in Huayuan, and the daily training was hard, so he couldn't just look at the distant places.

She walked back to her yard and saw a person sitting on the stone table in front of her door. At first, He Yan thought it was Xiao Jue, but Xiao Jue went out early and came back late these days, so it was difficult for He Yan to meet him. When she got closer, she saw clearly that it was not Xiao Jue, but Chu Zhao.

The weather was getting hotter, and the material of his clothes was extremely thin. Because of his thin figure, he sat in the yard in a blue shirt with wide sleeves, and even this simple yard was tinged with a fairy air. He Yan approached and said, "Brother Chu."

"Brother He," Chu Zhao stood up and said with a smile, "I came to look for you, but you weren't here, so I waited here. I thought you would come back late at night, but luckily you came back early."

"Why are you waiting outside?" He Yan sat down on the stone bench. "There are mosquitoes everywhere in the summer. You are already thin and weak. If you feed all the mosquitoes, there will be nothing left."

Chu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then he was amused by her words. He shook his head and took out a small sachet from his sleeve: "Thank you for your concern, Brother He. But here is some mosquito repellent medicine. Carry it with you and mosquitoes will stay away."

The young master of a wealthy family is truly a young master. He is so particular about what he does, no wonder he never acts recklessly.

Chu Zhao placed the sachet on the table and said, "Brother He, I came to see you and to say goodbye to you. Last time I left in a hurry and left without saying goodbye, so this time I'll treat it as a courtesy."

"Say goodbye?" He Yan was not too surprised. Chu Zhao's stay in Liangzhou Guard was not a long-term plan. The people of Liangzhou Guard were trained hard every day. Even if Chu Zhao was a spy or a troublemaker, he would not gain anything by staying here every day. This place was bitter and cold. There was no need for the young master who was well-dressed and well-fed to suffer here. He would have to return to Shuojing sooner or later.

Chu Zhao nodded, "Brother He should have known about the battle in Huayuan?"

He Yan was surprised that he would bring up Hua Yuan, and then replied, "Yes."

"The Wutuo people have already planned to attack Wei, and the capital cannot leave. Not only me, I think Governor Xiao will also return to Shuojing soon. Now the Wutuo people are still in Huayuan and have not gone north of Huayuan. I have to go first. After the Wutuo people go north, the road will be difficult to travel. I am afraid it will not be easy to return to Shuojing at that time." Chu Zhao smiled, "Besides, I stayed in Liangzhouwei and originally planned to leave after the Jiyang incident was settled. Now that you have been conferred the title of Wu'anlang, I have nothing to worry about."

This was said in a flattering way, as if he had stayed in Liangzhouwei specifically for He Yan. He Yan said, "Brother Chu's kindness, I am very grateful. I hope you have a safe journey back to Beijing this time."

The handsome young man smiled gently, stared at her deeply, and said nothing.

He Yan touched his face: ".....Is there something on my face?"

Chu Zhao smiled and lowered his head. After a moment, he raised his head and said, "In addition to saying goodbye to Brother He today, I also have something else I want to discuss with Brother He."

He Yan asked: "What?"

"Brother He..." he said slowly, "Are you willing to go with me back to Shuojing?"

Everything was quiet.

After a while, He Yan said, "Brother Chu, stop joking. How can I leave with you?"

"Although Brother He is still a member of the Liangzhou Guard, he is actually a Wu'an Lang appointed by His Majesty. He can be controlled by Commander Xiao, but he is not a soldier under Commander Xiao. I have His Majesty's order to select new soldiers from the Liangzhou Guard as escorts. If Brother He is willing, you can go with me without worrying about His Majesty's blame."

Without waiting for He Yan to speak, he continued, "I know what you are worried about, and I am afraid that Governor Xiao will be unhappy. But Brother He, Liangzhou is bitterly cold, and it is difficult for you... a young man, to be in such a bitter and cold place. A step earlier or a step later, you will have to go back to Shuojing sooner or later. Since you are determined to make achievements, come back to Shuojing with me, and I will let you meet the emperor. There is more than one way to make achievements, especially since the way you chose before is really slow."

Chu Zhao was always good at talking and hitting people's weak spots. As everyone knew that He Yan wanted to make a name for himself, he threw out particularly tempting conditions.

But He Yan was unwilling to go with Chu Zhao, she did not trust Chu Zhao.

"I have no plans to leave Liangzhou Guard." He Yan refused with a smile, "I don't think I have the ability to achieve success now."

Chu Zhao stared into her eyes and spoke slowly, "You don't want to leave Liangzhouwei, this shouldn't be the reason, right?"

He Yan was startled. The other person's eyes were smiling, as if he saw through everything. When his thoughts were discovered, he did not feel embarrassed like when Lin Shuanghe found out, but uncomfortable.

Chu Zhao's sense of propriety is too poor.

In fact, He Yan's words were a bit too much. Chu Zhao has always been gentle and elegant, making people feel like spring breeze. If a normal woman is teased by him like this, she will not fall deeply in love with him, but she will gradually let down her guard. But Chu Zhao first met He Yan. He Yan looked sincere and loyal on the surface, but deep down, she was not a person who could easily trust others. Especially the recent incident with He Rufei made her even more sensitive. Therefore, as long as Chu Zhao got close to him, she would be alert all over.

The wind blew, causing the branches above to sway slightly. A leaf was blown down, swaying and landing on He Yan's hair.

"Are you really?" Chu Zhao still had a gentle smile on his lips. He reached out with one hand, as if to brush away the fallen leaves on He Yan's head. His voice was also seductive. "Have you decided whether you are willing to leave Liangzhou Guard?"

He Yan: "I..."

Before he finished speaking, a cold voice interrupted him: "Didn't you hear her say she didn't want to?"

He Yan looked back, but saw Xiao Jue walking towards him from behind the courtyard. He didn't know how long he had been standing here, or how much he had heard. In the night that filled the courtyard, he was tall and handsome, and with the chill of the night, he walked to He Yan's side.

Is this... being caught red-handed? He Yan was complaining in her heart. Why did such bad things happen recently? Every time she encountered Xiao Jue, the misunderstandings would only get deeper and deeper. She retreated behind Xiao Jue and coughed lightly: "Commander, the fourth master Chu came to say goodbye to me. As for traveling together, it was just a joke. How could I leave Liangzhou Guard? Impossible."

Xiao Jue looked at her expressionlessly, then suddenly stretched out his hand, as if to hit her on the head. He Yan was startled, and the next moment, his fingertips landed on the leaf on top of He Yan's head, and with a light flick, the leaf slowly fell to the ground.

He Yan stared at the fallen leaves on the ground, complaining in her heart, so he was supposed to sweep the leaves for her? Even sweeping the leaves was filled with such murderous anger. It seemed that Xiao Jue would get particularly angry whenever he saw her and Chu Zhao together.

Fortunately, Chu Zhao was about to leave Liangzhou Guards, and He Yan was glad that there would be no misunderstandings like this in the future.

"Go in." Xiao Jue said, "I have something to say to Mr. Chu Si."

He Yan was stunned for a moment, and looked at Xiao Jue's face. Although he was angry, his expression was calm. This person was always calm, and he would never beat Chu Zhao even if he was angry. He Yan didn't want to speak for Chu Zhao, but according to the teachings she had received, if she and Xiao Jue beat Chu Zhao, it would be bullying the weak.

It is always wrong to bully the weak.

He Yan said carefully, "Is there anything you can't say in front of me? I promise I won't tell anyone."

If Xiao Jue couldn't control himself and suddenly hurt someone, she could still help block it.

Xiao Jue tilted his head and glanced at her lightly. With just this glance, He Yan stopped trying to persuade him. She coughed lightly and said, "Then I'll go in first. You guys talk slowly and calmly. Fourth Master Chu, I'm leaving now."

Chu Zhao was not angry. He just smiled and picked up the sachet on the table and handed it to He Yan: "Give this to Brother He. I have a lot of them. If you wear it, you won't be bothered by mosquitoes at night."

Don't hit a smiling person. Under Xiao Jue's sharp gaze, He Yan didn't know how she had the courage to accept it. She thought, forget it, it's just this time, anyway, there will be no such opportunity in the future.

After He Yan left, Xiao Jue sat down on the stone bench where He Yan had just sat.

He didn't say anything, just looked at Chu Zhao calmly.

Chu Zhao's gentle smile gradually faded away. After a while, he slowly spoke: "Commander Xiao is very protective of food."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue smiled. He looked lazy, but his dark eyes were sharp as lightning. He said nonchalantly, "Does this mean that Mr. Chu the Fourth admits that he intended to rob?"

"Why do you use the word 'robbed'?" For the first time, Chu Zhao's eyes lost their gentleness and became cold and ferocious, like a beast baring its fangs. "She is your subordinate, not your woman."

"At least," the young man curled his lips, "it's 'mine'."

Chu Zhao did not comment: "It's just that now, how can Commander Xiao guarantee that 'yours' will not become 'mine' in the future?"

"If you don't want to die," the young governor said sarcastically with a delicate profile and a hint of sarcasm on his lips under the night sky, "You can give it a try."

——Digression——

The crowd of onlookers: Let’s fight, let’s fight!

Please cherish the days we are in the same frame now.