Chapter 88 Spreading Rumors and Causing Trouble
Ye Wanning let out a long sigh, pretending not to hear Pei Zhi's words, and strode towards the kitchen. Those words were like a curse swirling in her mind, making her lose even the courage to cook porridge.
"Miss Ye, what's wrong? You look so pale." The cook noticed something was wrong and asked with concern.
"It's nothing, the wind was too strong." Ye Wanning gave a dry laugh, lowered her head and continued stirring the porridge, tears falling drop by drop into the bowl.
Once the porridge was cooked, she dared not linger in the military camp and quickly took Chun Tao back to Ci'an Hall. But the gossip seemed to have wings, and in the blink of an eye, it reached Pei Zhi's ears.
At that moment, Pei Zhi was discussing the defense of the camp with his generals when suddenly one of them came to report: "General, there are people gossiping in the camp!"
Pei Zhi's heart tightened, and his face instantly darkened. He stood up abruptly, pushed open the tent door, and bumped right into the two gossiping soldiers.
"Say what you just said again." Pei Zhi's voice was as cold as ice, and the two soldiers were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they couldn't utter a single word.
"Nonsense?" Pei Zhi sneered, his voice echoing throughout the military camp. "Spreading rumors and damaging people's reputations in the camp—is this your military discipline?"
Soon, all the soldiers gathered at the drill ground. Pei Zhi stood on the high platform, clutching a defense map in his hand—a map he and Ye Wanning had drawn after three sleepless nights, with every point marked precisely: the Turkic garrison, the grain transport routes, and the border terrain.
"You! All! Look! Well! Here!" Pei Zhi shouted, his voice echoing across the open space. "This defense map was drawn by Miss Ye! She braved the cold to follow the scouts and explore the terrain, she stayed up all night reading military books to find the Turks' weaknesses, she racked her brains to devise a defense strategy, and she stood against all odds to protect the South Gate—it is because of this that we can stand here today!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, many of whom lowered their heads. "You say she's currying favor with me? Then I ask you, who treated your wounds with the medical book left by her mother? Who used their own business earnings to buy food for the camp when supplies were low? Who risked their life to help you secure the military seal during the Turkic raid?!"
A barrage of questions rained down on the soldiers, who were completely stumped. The area around the tent was eerily quiet, save for the sound of the wind rustling the flags.
"She, Ye Wanning, won my favor and the right to stay in the army through her own wisdom and courage!" Pei Zhi's voice grew louder and louder, filled with unquestionable authority. "From today onwards, anyone who speaks ill of Miss Ye or spreads rumors will be dealt with according to military law, without mercy!"
"General is wise!" Someone shouted first, and soon all the soldiers shouted in unison, "General is wise! Miss Ye is wise!"
Standing at the back of the crowd, Ye Wanning looked at Pei Zhi's upright figure on the platform, and tears finally streamed down her face. Pei Zhi was standing up for her, telling everyone that those rumors were completely unfounded.
Pei Zhi descended from the platform and walked to her in a few steps. He reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but deliberately made his voice sound gruff: "Don't cry. With your father here, no one will dare to bully you!"
Ye Wanning shook her head and smiled: "I didn't cry, I'm happy!"
The soldiers around Pei Zhi surrounded him one by one, apologizing with guilty expressions: "Miss Ye, we are so sorry. We were all fools and shouldn't have believed the rumors. Please don't blame us!"
"Yes, Miss Ye, you are our benefactor and the general's benefactor. We will never talk nonsense again!"
Looking at the sincere faces, Ye Wanning's grievances instantly dissipated. She smiled and shook her head: "It's alright, it's good that you know you were wrong. From now on, we'll stay here together and drive away the Turks!"
"Good! Drive out the Turks!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices so loud that the flags in the distance swayed.
Night falls early and deep at the border. Outside the tent, the wind whips up sand and gravel that lashes against the canvas with a rustling sound, like someone turning the pages of a book. When Ye Wanning entered the main tent with freshly warmed honey water, she saw Pei Zhi sitting at his desk, a wolf-hair brush in his hand, a sheet of yellowed Xuan paper spread out in front of him, the brush tip hovering in mid-air, as if deep in thought.
"The general is still awake?" She gently placed the cup on the table, her gaze sweeping over the Xuan paper—more than half a page was already written on it, the brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes, the handwriting steady and powerful, clearly a letter to General Pei, reporting on the military situation at the border.
Pei Zhi looked up and saw her. The seriousness between his brows instantly eased, and a gentle smile appeared in his eyes: "I just finished dealing with the scouts' intelligence. I'm free now, so I'll write a letter home to reassure my father."
As he spoke, he added a few words with his pen: "Sufficient provisions, soldiers fighting bravely." He paused, then, as if remembering something, a slight smile appeared on his lips, and he let out a soft "Heh."
Ye Wanning didn't disturb him. She turned around and wanted to move the pile of military books on the table to the ground. After taking two steps, she glanced at Pei Zhi and saw him put down his wolf-hair brush, pick up a fine drawing brush, dip it in ink, and start drawing in the lower right corner of the letter.
She immediately stopped, her eyes lighting up as she leaned closer to take a closer look—it was a round little tiger with pointed ears pointing upwards and its tail curved into a circle, very similar to the markings they had drawn, only the markings were simpler, while this little tiger was much more detailed, even its whiskers were drawn.
"The general still has the leisure for this?" she teased deliberately, lightly tapping the little tiger with her finger. "With all those scribbles and marks in your letters home, aren't you afraid the old general will say you don't seem like you're on a battlefield?"
Pei Zhi paused for a moment, without looking up, and picked up the wolf-hair brush, adding a line of small characters next to the little tiger. Ye Wanning leaned closer, and when she saw the line of characters, the tips of her ears turned red in an instant—"To meet a true friend, one's heart is like a tiger, but one's nature is like an orchid."
She quickly withdrew her hand, pretending to touch the water glass. Only when her fingertips touched the warmth of the glass did she realize her face was burning. It turned out he wasn't just doodled idly; he was actually "sending a message" to his family.
Pei Zhi looked at her reddened earlobes, his smile deepening. He carefully folded the letter and put it in an envelope, leaving it unsealed, then handed it to her: "It's not doodles, it's just that I want my father to acknowledge you sooner."
Ye Wanning felt a pang in her heart, and her fingers tightened around the cup: "General, what are you saying? I just..."
"But what?" Pei Zhi deliberately feigned displeasure, tapping the envelope lightly with his fingers. "My father has been urging me to find a suitable wife for a long time. He always said there wasn't one, but now that there is, of course I want him to know."
He paused, then lowered his voice: "This little tiger is our mark; he'll understand it at a glance."
Ye Wanning looked at the envelope that was handed to her; it still held his warmth. She recalled the image of General Pei watching from afar—a stern yet loving old man. Before, she was merely an illegitimate daughter of the Ye family, unable to even support her own household, and could only gaze longingly at the Pei family's gates. Yet, in his letter to her father, Pei Zhi had so subtly and sincerely placed her in the position of a "confidante."
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