Chapter 82 I Want to Go Home
The guard smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Miss. Even if I lose it, I won't lose your letter."
One day, two days, three days… Ye Wanning waited for news at the city gate every day. On the evening of the fifth day, she finally saw the guard return on horseback, carrying a reply letter. Ye Wanning practically pounced on him, took the letter, and opened it immediately.
The letter was written by Pei Zhi, his handwriting strong and powerful, reassuring to read: "I received your letter, I'm so happy. It's not cold at the border, the jade pendant you gave me keeps me warm. The main force of the Turks hasn't moved yet, I'll get it sorted out as soon as possible and go back to see you and the children. Don't worry." At the end, he also drew a small tiger, exactly the same as the one she had drawn.
Ye Wanning pressed the letter to her chest, feeling a warmth in her heart. She knew that no matter how far apart or how dangerous they were, Pei Zhi would come back, back to her side.
With only three days until the first day of the lunar new year, the atmosphere in the capital grew increasingly tense. Ye Wanning ran around every day, checking the defenses and fearing even the slightest mistake. But what was bound to happen finally did happen—that morning, shouts of battle suddenly rang out from the south gate; the former officials of the previous dynasty had launched an attack ahead of schedule!
Holding the Zhenguo Token, Ye Wanning immediately rushed to the South Gate. There she saw a massive, dark mass of her former soldiers, surging towards the city gate like a tidal wave. The bearded man at the head of the group held up the former dynasty's military tally and shouted, "Brothers! Charge! Take the capital, and we can avenge ourselves!"
Upon hearing the words "revenge," the former soldiers became even more frenzied, desperately climbing the city walls with their swords drawn. Although the Imperial Guards fought valiantly, the former soldiers outnumbered them, and casualties on the city walls grew increasingly heavy.
"Wan Ning! What do we do? They have military tokens that can boost morale, we can't hold on much longer!" Chun Tao shouted anxiously from the side, holding her bow.
Ye Wanning took a deep breath, raised the National Protection Token in her hand, and said, "By the mandate of Heaven, the National Protection Token is here. The military tally of the previous dynasty is hereby invalidated!"
As soon as the words were read, a beam of intense light suddenly shot out from around the token, forming a wall above the south gate. The military tally in the hands of the former soldiers instantly heated up, their movements slowed, and their eyes were filled with the exhaustion that followed their frenzy.
"Don't be fooled again!" Ye Wanning shouted from the city wall. "Your leader is not the former crown prince at all. He is just using you to seize the throne! The military tally he gave you is a tool to control you! As long as you lay down your weapons, the court will spare you and let you go home to reunite with your families!"
Most of the veteran soldiers had been forced into this position, and upon understanding the logic in Ye Wanning's words and sensing the unusual nature of the military token, many stopped fighting. One young soldier hesitated for a moment, then put down his sword and shouted, "I don't want to fight anymore! I want to go home!"
Once the first one appeared, a second followed. Soon, more and more of the old guard laid down their weapons and knelt in surrender. The bearded leader, enraged, tried to escape on horseback. Ye Wanning reacted quickly, throwing a handful of silver needles that struck the horse's leg. The horse neighed in pain, throwing him off, and the imperial guards who rushed up immediately subdued him.
The alarm at the south gate was finally lifted. Ye Wanning was just about to send someone on horseback to the border to deliver a message to Pei Zhi when a messenger came running up in a flurry, shouting, "Miss! Something terrible has happened! Lord Pei is injured, and the main force of the Turks has reached the border and is attacking the military camp!"
Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat, as if it had fallen out of her throat, and the token in her hand slammed to the ground. She gave her deputy a wink: "You take charge of the defense of the South Gate for now. There can be no negligence whatsoever in the capital!"
"yes!"
"Chuntao, go back to Ci'an Hall and tell the children I'll be back soon!"
"yes!"
Having arranged everything, Ye Wanning mounted her horse and led the Imperial Guards at breakneck speed towards the border. Along the way, she kept urging her horse on, her mind filled with only one thought: Pei Zhi, you must hold on, I'm coming!
Upon arriving at the military camp, Ye Wanning lifted the carriage curtain and saw Pei Zhi leaning against the headboard, holding a military book in his left hand and his right hand limply resting on his body. Hearing the noise, he knew it was her, so he quickly put down the book and his eyes lit up: "You've come."
"Hmm, it's time to change the dressing!" Ye Wanning put the medicine box aside, squatted down and opened it—the wound medicine and gauze were neatly stacked, and there was also a small bottle of pain-relieving ointment, which she got from Ci'an Hall. She had used it to treat the children's external injuries before, and it worked very well.
She first took a clean cotton cloth, dipped it in hot water, and carefully wiped the old bandage on Pei Zhi's arm. The bandage was covered in scabs, and it would hurt to tear it off, so she moved as gently as if afraid of disturbing something, and as slowly as if she were disassembling a fragile item.
"If it hurts, just groan, and I'll take it apart slowly."
She didn't even look up, her voice so cold it sounded like it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Pei Zhi didn't respond, only staring at her hair—her hair was tied up, with a white hairband holding the loose ends in place, and a few stray strands hanging down her forehead, trembling slightly with her movements. He looked at the sweat beading on her forehead, then suddenly raised his uninjured right hand, his fingertips gliding across her skin: "It doesn't hurt. With you here, I can endure any pain."
The coolness on her fingertips was as thin as snow, and Ye Wanning's ears turned red instantly, almost dropping the cotton cloth in her hand. She quickly composed herself and pretended to be annoyed, saying, "Don't move, or the wound will reopen."
But when he wrapped the bandage for the third time, Pei Zhi suddenly grasped her hand. His hand was large, completely enveloping hers, and the warmth of his palm reached her: "Wan Ning, are you very worried about me?" His voice was low, with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
Ye Wanning looked up and met his eyes. His gaze was gentle, like a handful of water, clearly reflecting her image. Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away, whispering, "Who's worried about you? I'm just afraid that if you don't recover from your injury, no one will be there to guard the capital with me."
Although she spoke with a firm tone, her hand gripping the half-damp gauze still unconsciously tightened a little. Ye Wanning was actually very scared—yesterday, seeing his pale face, her heart was in her throat; last night, watching over him by the bedside, hearing his even breathing, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Zhi saw the blush on her ears and suddenly smiled. He didn't expose her insincerity, but gently squeezed her hand: "Okay, no one will be there to guard the capital with you, so I need to get better quickly." He paused, then added, "From now on, no matter what happens, I'll be with you and won't leave you alone."
Ye Wanning felt a gentle, warm feeling in her heart. She lowered her head to continue wrapping the bandage, her voice softer than before: "Yes, get well soon."
The wind howled outside the tent, but inside it was unusually quiet, so quiet that only the soft breathing of the two could be heard. After finishing the last loop, Ye Wanning tied a neat knot and was about to pack up her medicine box when Pei Zhi grabbed her hand.
"Sit with me a little longer, okay?" His eyes were full of pleading, like a child afraid of being abandoned.
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