The construction of the "mountain wall" was more difficult and slower than they had imagined, because the weather was too cold and the soil had already frozen. The soldiers worked hard in the bitter cold of Liaoning. It was extremely hard, but as long as they could stop the iron cavalry of the Jin soldiers, it was better than the tragedy of the city being destroyed and people dying.

Yan Sikong inspected the progress of the city wall construction every day. As the year was approaching, he became extremely anxious, fearing that Zhuoletai would see that they were repairing the city's defenses and would attack in advance.

Just as they were stepping up their defenses and preparing for war, Feng Ye received a letter from the capital, in which Feng Changyue urged him to return to the capital for two reasons. First, Chen Yi had united with several princes, and there were rumors that they would soon raise an army to attack Feng's army. Second, without Feng Ye in the capital, it would be even more difficult for Feng Changyue to suppress the court officials who opposed them.

Feng Ye was unable to cope with all the tasks at this time. The reason why he stayed in Liaodong was not just for Yan Sikong. After arriving in Guangning, he realized that the crisis in Liaodong was worse than he had imagined. Once Zhuoletai broke through the gate of Liaodong, he would be attacked from both sides by Chen Yi and the Jin soldiers, and he would have almost no chance of winning.

If Zhao Fuyi was still in Liaoning, the situation would not have deteriorated to this extent. Unfortunately, the famous general fell, and looking around the world, there was no general who could be used to stabilize this crumbling land.

Feng Ye wrote a letter back to Feng Changyue, explaining the situation in Liaoning. Zhuoletai might attack the city at any time. If he left now, the morale that the Liaoning soldiers had worked so hard to build up would surely be dissipated.

After learning about this, Yan Sikong's reaction was: "The Wolf King shouldn't have come in the first place."

Feng Ye was helpless: "Sikong, you wrote to ask me to come."

"I asked you to send troops, not to come in person. You finally entered the capital, but you left so hastily. It was really unwise. Did you know that Chen Yi was waiting for you to leave?"

"So do you think I should go back?"

"If you leave now, the army will certainly be shaken." Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes, "Besides, I'm afraid Zhuoletai won't wait until we finish repairing the wall."

Feng Ye said coldly: "Chen Yi may raise an army at any time. After he gets rid of Zhuoletai, I will go back and settle the matter with him."

Just hearing the name "Chen Yu", Yuan Nanyu's expression became a little abnormal. He was straightforward and not good at hiding his emotions.

They both noticed the stiffness on Yuan Nanyu's face at the same time, and Yan Sikong quickly changed the subject: "One side of the wall has been repaired. So, the gable wall can be repaired before the spring."

Feng Ye nodded and said, "Quewang, according to the time, the reserve food and fodder should be arriving soon. Send troops to meet them."

Yuan Nanyu stood up, bowed and said, "Yes." Then he strode away.

After he left, Feng Ye asked, "I forgot...is there anything unusual?"

Yan Sikong naturally knew what Feng Ye meant, and shook his head and said, "No." He knew that Chen Yi's actions had left an indelible mark of shame on Yuan Nanyu, but a real man can bend and stretch. He had walked thousands of miles of exile and fought through a hail of guns and arrows, so he had to endure it in the end.

"I have always wanted to find a marriage for him." Feng Ye said, "He can choose any noble lady from a famous family in the capital."

"What does he think?"

Feng Ye shook his head: "You are his brother, maybe if you go and ask him, he will agree."

Yan Sikong thought for a moment and said, "It seems that he has a fireworks girl in Taiyuan that he loves."

"I know." Feng Ye said, "I asked him to take her as a concubine first, but he refused."

Yan Sikong pondered and said, "I will persuade him on a certain day." He stood up and said, "I will take my leave now."

"Wait." Feng Ye pursed his lips and said, "You don't want to stay with me for even a moment? Even just to talk?"

"I still have to go on an inspection..."

"There are others who will patrol." Feng Ye emphasized, "It's too cold outside. I won't let you go out and freeze. Sit down."

Yan Sikong lowered his head, thought for a moment, and sat back.

Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong quietly. Even if he didn't say a word, he felt satisfied just looking at him. After all, this person was within his reach.

Faced with the silence in the room, Yan Sikong did not feel awkward and sipped his tea slowly.

After a long while, Feng Ye said, "I have a lot to say to you, but when I get to the point, I don't know where to start."

Yan Sikong raised his head and said expressionlessly: "Why not talk about the Wolf King's twins?"

Feng Ye's expression suddenly changed.

Seeing Feng Ye's embarrassed face, Yan Sikong said, "You told me to sit down. I haven't congratulated the Wolf King on the birth of his son. The Wolf King and the Princess must be blessed with many children. The Feng family will flourish in the near future." After he said this, he suddenly felt short of breath. He had been avoiding thinking about Feng Ye's wife and children. It was not because he was jealous or envious, but he just didn't want to think about it. He wanted to embarrass Feng Ye, but he didn't want to feel depressed.

It's so sad and ridiculous.

Feng Ye lowered his head slightly and answered irrelevantly: "They...they are in Datong."

"There are constant wars in the Central Plains. It is much safer to leave my wife and children in my hometown." Yan Sikong gently used the lid of the teacup to scoop up the suspended tea leaves, his face calm. "It's just a pity that the Wolf King can't enjoy family happiness."

Feng Ye clenched his fists, bloodshot eyes gradually filled his eyes.

"Have you chosen a name?" Yan Sikong spoke in a light tone, but his eyes were unusually cold when he looked at Feng Ye.

Feng Ye raised his head, stared at Yan Sikong, and said in a deep voice: "I know you blame me..."

Yan Sikong hurriedly said, "The Wolf King has misunderstood. Marrying a wife and having children is a natural thing. The Feng family will have someone to carry on the throne. I am really happy for King Jingyuan."

Feng Ye's body trembled slightly. Facing Yan Sikong's ridicule, his heart was clenched. He whispered: "When you fled Taiyuan, I thought... I mistakenly thought you betrayed me. At that time, I was disappointed with you... I was disappointed with you."

Yan Sikong listened indifferently.

"I want to forget you, I've always wanted to. I think now that I'm married, I should... treat her well, instead of thinking about someone who has betrayed me again and again." The more Feng Ye spoke, the hoarseer his voice became, as if he had used up a huge amount of strength to complete these heart-wrenching words.

Yan Sikong said coldly: "If that's the case, why send your wives and concubines back to Datong?"

"I have never touched Sarin. Yunlong... She is too ambitious and wants to be the queen, but she is short-sighted and has few plans. If she stays in the army, she will only mislead the prince and cause trouble. Moreover, Taiyuan has become a place that Chen Yi and I must fight for. It is too unsafe, so I sent them away."

Yan Sikong said expressionlessly: "No matter what, she is your first wife, you should treat her well instead of getting entangled with a traitor like me."

"But I wronged you, from the beginning to the end." Feng Ye was full of regret, "I never thought that you would switch identities with Que Wang and come back to me. Only then did I realize that I had never forgotten you for a single day."

Yan Sikong mocked, "Wolf King, don't blame yourself. I've said that the Wolf King is now above everyone else. All rewards and punishments are favors. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Kong'er, I know you want me to give up." Feng Ye smiled sadly, "You think I am too proud and arrogant to stand this, but compared to losing you, these are nothing. If you want me to give up on you, I have to die."

Yan Sikong looked at him indifferently.

Feng Ye stood up and walked to Yan Sikong, half-kneeling in front of him.

"Wolf King..." Yan Sikong was about to stand up.

Feng Ye pressed Yan Sikong's knees, held his hand, looked up into his eyes, and said softly: "Whether it's Sarin or Yunlong, what they want is not me as a person, but the power in my hands and the glory and wealth of their mother clans. Only you risked your life to save me when I was reduced to a death row prisoner, and came to my side to help me when I started from humble beginnings."

Unable to avoid it, Yan Sikong had to turn his face away. He didn't want to hear from Feng Ye how "loyal and loyal" he was in the past, and see what kind of ending he had.

It's quite funny.

Feng Ye said stubbornly: "You always say that you are heartless and ungrateful, but you spent half your life avenging your adoptive father, you risked your life to destroy the eunuch party, you risked your life for the emperor, and you gave up everything for me..." His voice was choked, "I hate my own stupidity, deceiving myself, listening to slander, and being blinded by one thing. You are so good, but I hurt you so many times. Even if I die, I can't atone for my sins."

Yan Sikong's body was trembling slightly.

Feng Ye reached out his hand and stroked Yan Sikong's warm cheek: "You are devoted to the world, but the world can only see the surface. Kong'er, don't be afraid, I will help you achieve your wish. Together we will kill the gold thieves and protect Liaodong. I swear never to be an emperor. Together with you, I will do my best to assist the emperor of the Chen family. You can show your strengths in the court and realize your ambition of ruling the country with your family. This is what you have always wanted, right?"

Yan Sikong felt mixed emotions and was unable to answer for a moment.

He used to pride himself on being smart and thinking he could plan ten steps ahead. After suffering enough from his stubbornness, he accepted his fate and no longer speculated about the future. When he decided to go out and save Liaodong, he did not think about the future.

Feng Ye was right, that was his lifelong ambition, but after experiencing those days and nights of being beaten, misunderstood, framed, and repeatedly tortured by the pain of being burned, he was indeed afraid, cowardly, and wanted to retreat. If it weren't for the trouble in Liaoning, he would have planned to waste the rest of his life in that small village, which would have been better than being trapped in the world again and suffering the endless pain of thousands of tortures.

Feng Ye seemed to see through his thoughts: "It doesn't matter. If you don't want to show yourself to others anymore, I will hide you. Kong'er, no matter what you want, I will give it to you. As long as I can look at you like this, it is enough for me."

Yan Sikong's heart was trembling. He whispered, "Wolf King, please stand up. This is not appropriate."

Feng Ye buried his face in Yan Sikong's knees and whispered, "I miss you so much, I really miss you."

Yan Sikong sat stiffly in the chair, staring fixedly ahead, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.

——

Two days later, scouts brought urgent military information that their food supplies had been attacked by the Jin soldiers. Yuan Nanyu was fighting with the Jin soldiers, and both sides suffered casualties. There was a food crisis, so he had to send reinforcements on Ye Ma.

Feng Ye immediately ordered his generals to send troops, but later wanted to go to the rescue himself.

Yan Sikong and Liang Huiyong both disagreed.

"The Wolf King must not take risks lightly." Yan Sikong said sternly, "Que Wang is not trapped, and the gold thieves have not succeeded yet. Sending General Xu Feng to protect the transportation of food and grass is enough."

Feng Ye said in a deep voice: "I know, but along with the food and grass came the soul."

Yan Sikong asked in surprise: "You brought Hun'er to Liaodong?"

"We came too hastily, and we were afraid that it couldn't stand the fatigue of the journey, so we let it follow the supply transport troops." Feng Ye sighed softly, "Hun'er... is getting old, and it seems that he is afraid that he won't be able to see me for the last time, so he wants to follow me wherever I go."

Yan Sikong frowned, feeling sad: "Even so, you can't go. General Que Wang and General Xu Feng will bring back the soul and food."

Feng Ye sighed, then narrowed his eyes dangerously: "There must be a Jin spy in the court, otherwise how could the route and time of the grain transportation be leaked? I will write to Uncle Shu and ask him to investigate!"

"I'm afraid he might not be a spy of the Jin people." Yan Sikong said, "If you are defeated here, the one who will benefit is Zhuoletai."

Liang Huiyong was stunned for a moment, then he widened his eyes: "Sikong, do you mean the King of Chu..."

Yan Sikong nodded: "It is difficult for the barbarians to plant spies in our court, but there are many people in the court who secretly support the King of Chu."

"But, but no matter what, the King of Chu cannot help Zhou to commit atrocities!" Liang Huiyong said in disbelief, "Liaodong is the territory of my Dasheng, and the people of Liaodong are the people of my Dasheng!"

Yan Sikong sneered: "General Liang doesn't understand the King of Chu, but I do." He did teach Chen Yi a lot, but Chen Yi was even more cruel, vicious, and unscrupulous than he expected. Especially with his tremendous hatred for him and Feng Ye, he was even better than his teacher.

Feng Ye said coldly: "Now I don't know whether Chen Yi just wants me to lose and take advantage of the opportunity, or he has already colluded with Zhuoletai."

"We may find out soon."