Recently, an anecdote has been circulating in Shuojing City. Someone set fire to the library in Xianchang Hall. The person who set the fire was found and buried in the sea of ​​fire. An entire shelf of books in the library was burned. Coincidentally, it was the notes left by General He Rufei when he was studying in the academy.

Xianchang Hall has been famous for producing two famous generals over the years. If General Feng Yun is a genius admired by young people, then General Feihong and He Rufei are often used as examples by teachers to educate students.

"You should know that when General He was in Xianchang Hall, he was not good at studying and was often ranked last. Even so, hard work can make up for shortcomings, and now he is not a powerful general of Wei. So, not everyone in the world is a genius, but if you work hard, you will definitely achieve great things."

General He was an example of "hard work can make up for one's shortcomings", and it was not enough for his classmates and teachers to say so. The notes in the library were the evidence. Now this evidence was inexplicably burned. While many teachers in Shuojing secretly scolded the arsonist for his immorality, the students in the academy cheered and rejoiced.

After all, being forced to "make up for clumsiness with hard work" is not an easy thing.

At the He residence, He Rufei sat in the study, looking at his subordinates who were reporting the news.

"You mean, the assassins who were sent out to set the fire didn't even leave any bodies behind?" he asked.

"Exactly."

"Rufei," He Yuansheng narrowed his eyes, "Do you think there is something wrong?"

"But after burning a shelf of books, he died in the fire, and even his body was nowhere to be found. I always feel that it is a bit strange."

The subordinate replied respectfully, "I have inquired around Xianchang Hall. It is true that the library caught fire. Now all the students in the hall have gone home. The director is hiring someone to repair the burned bookshelves... It is said that none of General He's notes were left."

He Yuansheng thought for a moment, "Rufei, if you are worried, would you like to go there in person?"

"No." He Rufei refused flatly. "Now is a time of trouble. I have to be more careful in what I say and do. Xianchang Hall just caught fire. If I go there again, I will inevitably be caught by someone. The last incident has not been resolved yet, so I must not take it lightly." Thinking of the last incident, He Rufei was very upset. He had already made up his mind to kill He Yan, at least he had the intention of testing her. But he didn't expect that woman to be so skilled. Fortunately, he found all the assassins and failed to reveal the secret. In the end, Ben pushed all the evidence to the Fan family, but the government office was reluctant to close the case. He Rufei sent someone to inquire and found out that it was Xiao Jue who intervened.

Xiao Huaijin valued his fiancée very much, and now it seemed that he wanted to stand up for her. He Rufei didn't care about the daughter of a city gate captain, but he had heard about Xiao Jue's methods. Even Xu Jingfu couldn't get any good out of this person, so he was definitely worthy of fear.

"Forget it. Since the notes have been burned, let's not talk about the other things." He Rufei changed the subject. "It won't be long before the Wutuo envoy will arrive in Beijing. At this juncture, it's better not to cause trouble."

He Yuansheng paused and looked at He Rufei, "Once the Wutuo people enter the capital, Your Majesty will have to discuss whether to fight or make peace. Rufei, our He family..."

"Dad, our He family will naturally advocate peace." He Rufei sneered, "Let alone the battle of Huayuan, we are already tied to Xu Xiang. Even for the sake of the He family, we must stand for peace. Xiao Huaijin has already made an enemy of us. Helping Xu Xiang is helping ourselves."

"Of course I know, but," He Yuansheng's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "My son, the Fourth Prince is very popular in the court today, you see..."

"No matter how popular the Fourth Prince is, he can't be higher than Prime Minister Xu." He Rufei frowned, "Besides, the Great Wei attaches great importance to rules and etiquette. The Crown Prince is the legitimate heir, and the Fourth Prince has no support from his mother's family. Father, it has come to this point. Our He family can no longer remain neutral. We must stand on the side of the Crown Prince without reservation."

He Yuansheng sighed, "As a father, I am just worried."

He Rufei's eyes flashed with a hint of sarcasm, and he looked at He Yuansheng: "Dad, if you want to get the wealth of the world, you can't avoid taking risks. When my sister reached the level of a general, there was no way back."

He Yuansheng was stunned, as if the secret in his heart was suddenly exposed. A trace of embarrassment appeared on his face. After a pause, he stood up and said, "Since you have made up your mind, do as you say. Your father has something to do, so I'll leave first." He left as if he was escaping.

He Rufei looked at He Yuansheng's hurried back, smiled, leaned back, and his face gradually became gloomy.

I don't know when it started, but the whole He family has started to act according to his expression. Even He Yuansheng and He Yuanliang have to be careful when talking to him. He Rufei has heard the servants in the mansion say more than once that the eldest master's temperament has become more and more strange in recent years, which is very different from the past. After hearing this, He Rufei ordered the servant who said that to be executed directly. After a few times, no one dared to gossip about him behind his back anymore.

Those who achieve great things do not care about small details. Of the two brothers of the He family, He Yuanliang is timid, cunning and treacherous, and is not fit for great tasks. On the other hand, He Yuansheng is ruthless and merciless, but unfortunately, he has too many concerns and dares not take risks. Now, a woman with the same name and surname has appeared, and she has become an enemy of Xiao Huaijin, so he has been restrained and has been extremely narrow-minded in doing things.

How could they know that if they wanted to do something big, it was normal to have blood on their hands. Just like the battle of Huayuan, in order to eliminate future troubles, he took the initiative to contact Xu Jingfu before that. Xu Jingfu also had secret dealings with Wu Tuo. It was just a casual remark, but all the confidants of He Yan's men in the past were buried in that battle that did not require so much cost.

From then on, very few people understood General Feihong, and he felt at ease with what he did.

He Rufei did not feel the slightest bit of guilt for what he had done, nor did he have any sympathy for his cousin who died young. Before He Yan became the "Feihong General", she had already lived under his name for many years. If it were not for his identity as the "young master", a woman living in the world should follow the rules and obey her husband after marriage, and there would be no such thing as what she has later. It can be said that all the military merits He Yan had earned were obtained by relying on his name, and now, everything is just returning to its original owner.

Not to mention that the Marquis of Wu'an was obviously just a stand-in who was playing tricks, even if it was the real He Yan who came to claim his life, he would not be afraid at all.

Because... this should have been his.

…

On this day, He Yan went out early in the morning and did not return home until almost evening.

Mrs. Fan in the prison was still crazy and could not get any useful information out of her. Nanny Qin was hidden in the Xiao family, but she knew very little. Xu Zhiheng would not really trust He Wanru, and Nanny Qin deliberately avoided the murder at that time, so there was not much evidence except the witness. He Yan had to go there by herself. Although she was the Marquis of Wu'an, she had not established her own network in the court. Her colleagues looked at her as a woman, and although they flattered her on the surface, they actually despised her in their hearts. There were very few officials in the court who could make friends with her, except for classmates like Yan He and Lin Shuanghe.

Fortunately, although the title of Wu'an Hou was not very useful, "Xiao Jue's fiancée" was more convenient than He Yan had imagined. As long as Xiao Jue was mentioned, most of her colleagues were willing to give her a face. He Yan borrowed Xiao Jue's name to inquire about the affairs of the Yue army.

As she continued to explore, she finally found out some clues.

Since He Rufei was granted the title of Feihong, the Wei Dynasty was peaceful and prosperous, with few wars, so he stayed in Shuojing and never left the city. The Battle of Huayuan was He Rufei's first battle in a few years. In this battle, the appeasement army led by He Rufei only won a miserable victory, and all his confidants died in the battle. None of the subordinates of the deputy generals who were slightly closer to He Rufei survived.

Most of the soldiers who participated in that battle and survived were ordinary soldiers who had no access to war secrets.

However, even so, there are still some secret rumors circulating.

"The general on that day was very different from before. He seemed to have had a dispute with the military advisor, but the military advisor had already died in the battle of Huayuan. However... when those Wutuo people came that day, we had the upper hand. But the general did not move, which gave the Wutuo people an opportunity to take advantage of us."

"But maybe we are overthinking it. The general has been through many battles, so it is certainly impossible for us soldiers to guess his thoughts," the soldier added.

Because General Feihong's name was so famous, no one would doubt his tactics, let alone his loyalty. But He Yan knew very well that He Rufei had deliberately sent those people to their deaths. He Rufei had never led troops before, but in the battle of Huayuan, he was able to let his most valued subordinates be annihilated and escape unscathed. There was no such reason in the world, unless... he had already colluded with the Wutuo people in secret.

Thinking of this, He Yan realized that when she pretended to be He Rufei and attacked the Wutuo soldiers' campfire and burned food and grass at night in Rundu, the reaction of Wutuo general Hu Yat was also very intriguing.

If He Rufei really wanted to protect his identity from being exposed, and was willing to collude with the tiger and betray the king, this crime is unforgivable.

She was thinking about this in her heart, and unknowingly she had walked to the door of her house. As soon as she entered the door, Qingmei saw her, hurried over and said, "Miss, you are back."

"What's wrong?" He Yan asked curiously. Ever since her identity was exposed, He Yan asked Xiao Jue to remove Chi Wu during the day and come back at night. A good guard couldn't just stay by her side and do nothing, so after Chi Wu left, Qing Mei went back to her old life. It was rare to see her so flustered.

"Someone's coming home," Qingmei whispered, "He said he wants to see the girl..."

As soon as the words fell, He Yan heard a familiar voice: "Brother!"

She looked back and saw a young man in yellow clothes with red lips and white teeth running into the hall. He walked around her twice with a look of surprise on his face, "Brother, I didn't expect you to be a woman!"

Qingmei kindly reminded: "Young Master, our daughter is originally a woman."

He Yan had not expected Cheng Lisu to come to his house. It seemed like a long time since he last saw him. The boy had grown a little taller, but the expression between his eyebrows was still the same as before.

"Why are you here?" He Yan asked.

"I sneaked out today when no one at home was paying attention." Cheng Lisu said with a bitter face: "After I returned to Beijing from Liangzhou Wei, I was forced to go to school and had no freedom at all. When I heard that you were back in Beijing, I wanted to come and see you, but the school was very strict and I couldn't go out. After I went back, I heard that you were a woman and became my uncle's fiancée. Brother! What's going on? How did you become a woman?"

It's been so long, and I didn't expect that someone would still make a fuss about this. He Yan was helpless and said, "I am originally a woman. At that time, I was forced to disguise myself as a man and enter the military camp. After returning to the capital, my identity was naturally revealed. I'm sorry that you misunderstood me before."

As soon as he finished speaking, another voice said, "So, you admit that you lied, right?"

He Yan was startled when he saw Song Taotao coming out from behind. The little girl was now more beautiful and charming than when she was in Liangzhou. The Song family must have loved this daughter very much. The material of her clothes was very expensive, which made her look like a fairy who was not in touch with the world. However, her delicate face was different. Her expression made her look like a lovelorn girl abandoned by a heartless man.

"Taotao?" He Yan looked at Cheng Lisu, "Did you guys come together?"

Cheng Lisu rolled his eyes. "Who wants to come with her? When I came to look for my brother, I happened to run into this bitch at the door."

Song Taotao walked up to He Yan with a complicated look on her face. She looked He Yan up and down before speaking with resentment, "You really are a woman."

He Yan: “…”

It was impossible for He Yan to not notice the little girl's thoughts from beginning to end. After all, this child was pure and sincere, and her thoughts were all written on her face. Even a fool could see her undisguised admiration and affection. It was just that when they were in Liangzhou Guard, He Yan's identity could not be explained, and there was no way to remind this child that she was a woman and could not marry Song Taotao.

Now that he was found at this moment, He Yan inexplicably felt a little guilty, and felt like a stinky man who deceived the innocent feelings of a young girl.

"I..." She carefully considered her words, and had not yet figured out how to say it so as not to hurt Song Taotao's fragile girl's heart.

Song Taotao was also feeling very aggrieved. It had been a long time since she learned that He Yan was a woman. But Song Taotao could not convince herself. She had to see He Yan in person before she would believe it. Today, she finally convinced her parents and went out with the servants. Unexpectedly, she met Cheng Lisu, the unlucky guy. That was fine. Seeing the graceful and heroic woman in front of her, Song Taotao finally had to accept a heavy reality.

He Yan is indeed a woman, and even a good-looking one.

How could she think of such a woman as a man? She even wanted to cancel her engagement with Cheng Lisu and marry him!

"It's all your fault," Song Taotao was used to being a delicate person. She felt upset and took out all her anger on He Yan. "Why did you go to Liangzhou Wei to deceive people?"

"Sorry, sorry," He Yan apologized to the child carefully, "I didn't mean it."

"Why didn't you do it on purpose?" Song Taotao became angrier and angrier the more she thought about it. She stared at He Yan aggressively, "You just want to show off your heroic spirit so that you can outdo everyone else. Then everyone will look at you and you can be the only one to shine!"

He Yan was speechless: "I..."

"It's all your fault!"

"That's enough." Another voice interrupted. He Yan turned around and saw He Yunsheng walking in with a cloth bag on his back. He stood in front of He Yan and said to Song Taotao with a cold face: "Who are you? Who allowed you to be so rude to my sister in my house?"

He Yan was in a dilemma. Forget it. Now, besides her and Qingmei, there were only three naughty kids in the room. The situation was really awkward.

"Yunsheng, this is Miss Song, and this is Young Master Cheng. They are all friends I met in Liangzhou Wei." She then said to Song Taotao and the others, "This is my younger brother, He Yunsheng."

"Friend?" He Yunsheng glanced at Song Taotao and said unhappily, "How can a friend be so aggressive? He Yan, I've told you before that you should treat everyone else as a friend."

Song Taotao was stunned for a moment. He Yunsheng's appearance was too sudden and she didn't react for a while. After hearing what He Yan said, she focused her attention on He Yunsheng again. In fact, He Yunsheng was somewhat similar to He Yan, but not as warm and gentle as He Yan. He always smiled when he met people. He was a head taller than He Yan. Standing here, the handsome and indifferent young man was quite eye-catching.

A man who has some similarities with He Yan in his features, but a completely different personality...?

It was a strange feeling. Song Taotao stared at him blankly and even forgot to say anything back.

He Yan grabbed He Yunsheng's arm fiercely and whispered in his ear: "This is a girl, can you not be so fierce?"

"I don't care whether he is a girl or a man," He Yunsheng frowned, "Do you think I am dead when I talk to you like this?"

The dead child is really getting more and more rebellious, He Yan thought. She estimated that Song Taotao would cry after being yelled at like that. Before she could figure out how to comfort the crying little girl, Cheng Lisu came up to her again in surprise and grabbed He Yunsheng's hand: "You are my eldest brother's younger brother, so you are my brother! My name is Cheng Lisu, Brother He, did you just finish school?"

When had He Yunsheng ever met such a familiar person? He immediately took a step back, shook off Cheng Lisu's hand, and frowned, "Who is your eldest brother?"

"That's your sister!" Cheng Lisu answered as a matter of course. As soon as he said it, he seemed to feel that something was wrong and quickly changed his words: "It seems that I shouldn't call her brother now, so I should call her sister? No, no, my brother is my uncle's fiancée, so I should call her aunt!"

He raised his head to He Yan and called out in a clear and loud voice: "Aunt!"

He Yan: “…”

How come she suddenly had such a big nephew?

That’s not all. Cheng Lisu looked at He Yunsheng again and said, “You are my aunt’s brother, so I should call you… Uncle? Uncle He!”

The He family siblings were both shocked by Cheng Lisu's natural attempt to establish a relationship with her. Even Song Taotao couldn't stand it and scolded, "What are you yelling about? Be careful that Commander Xiao hears you and will come after you."

"I'm not calling you nonsense. You're my aunt sooner or later anyway." Cheng Lisusi didn't think there was anything wrong with being a generation younger. She said happily, "I'll have two more relatives in the future, aunt and uncle. I haven't eaten yet. How about having dinner together?"

He Yunsheng could no longer bear it, and shouted to He Yan, "What kind of people are you associating with?" Then he turned around and left.

He Yan: “…”

It's not her fault, it's just that Cheng Lisu never plays by the rules. She smiled and looked at Song Taotao: "Taotao, have you eaten yet? Do you want to have dinner together?"

I thought the girl was here to call me to task today, and this meeting was not a pleasant one. The well-behaved Miss Song might not be used to eating in such a crude house. Unexpectedly, Song Taotao paused and nodded nonchalantly, "Okay."

He Yan was really horrified.

What's going on today? One or both of them are not playing by the rules.

But since everyone had already stayed, they still had to pay for a meal. However, the He family's meals were simple and plain, and they might not suit the tastes of the young masters and young ladies, so He Yan asked Qingmei to buy some side dishes from outside.

When He Sui came back, he was also surprised by the people in the room. When he heard that he was He Yan's friend in Liangzhou Guard, he immediately greeted him with a smile, just treating him as a familiar junior. Everyone ate at the same table. Except for Song Taotao who was silent and He Yunsheng who was always in a bad mood, they got along well. He Sui always wanted to know how He Yan was doing in Liangzhou Guard, but he couldn't ask Xiao Jue on weekdays. Now that there was a ready-made candidate, he certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity.

Cheng Lisu was also a chatterbox. As long as He Sui asked, he would tell him everything he knew. He Yan suspected that he could even remember how many dry cakes he ate for every meal in Liangzhou Wei.

But thanks to these kids, the depressing mood of trying to find out about the military affairs during the day was relieved a lot.

After the meal, He Yan saw them out. Song Taotao and Cheng Lisu both brought their own carriages and servants. During the short meal, Cheng Lisu and He Sui had become close friends, and they had already agreed on the next meal date. He Yan finally sent them away and then left.

Outside the door, Song Taotao got on her family's carriage. The maid beside her asked cautiously, "Miss, you have also met Miss He today. In the future, you will not clamor to cancel the engagement with Young Master Cheng, right?"

It was naturally impossible since his sweetheart was a woman. So after this, what reason did Song Taotao have to break off the engagement?

Song Taotao said nonchalantly, "I admire Commander Xiao very much. It is my blessing to be related to him. However, I have never thought about becoming his nephew's wife."

The maid was stunned, not quite understanding what Song Taotao meant by this.

Song Taotao lowered her head, thinking of the face of the young man in blue she had just seen, and pursed her lips quietly.

She originally thought about being Xiao Jue's sister-in-law, but unfortunately Xiao Jing was already married. But now she thinks that being Xiao Jue's younger sister-in-law doesn't seem to be a bad idea.

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

A question: Yuntao, Litao or ALLtao, which one do you stand for?