Yan Xun smiled lightly, took a sip of tea, and said, "You are right."
It was very warm in the greenhouse. Yan Xun loved orchids. The room was filled with the subtle fragrance of orchids and the warm breeze was intoxicating.
Yan Xun raised his eyebrows slightly and asked softly, "What do you think I should do, Ah Chu?"
"You have already made up your mind, why bother asking me?" Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly and said in a deep voice, "If you marry Zhao Chun'er, he will be killed in the future; if you don't marry her, you will be disobeying the imperial decree and the emperor's order. Your rebellious intention is obvious and disaster will come in an instant. How can you be so smart that you can't weigh the pros and cons?" After saying that, Chu Qiao smiled slightly and said slowly, "In the past seven years, you have survived so many insults and difficulties, let alone a mere woman now? Oh, the emperor is looking for a way out for himself to cover up, and we are also stalling for time. It's just a pity for Zhao Chun'er's infatuation."
Yan Xun's expression gradually changed, and his indifference was mixed with a hint of loneliness and hardship. He slowly said, "Is this what you really think? It turns out that you have already planned for me."
"You and I have shared joys and sorrows for many years. Life and death, honor and disgrace have long been linked together. Naturally, I have to plan for you." Chu Qiao said in a deep voice, "Besides, even if I don't say it, you will make the same decision. You already told me last night."
Yan Xun was stunned when he heard this, then he smiled faintly, "A Chu is indeed the person who knows me best in this world."
Chu Qiao stood up, smiled with relief, stepped forward and patted Yan Xun on the shoulder and said, "Of course, we grew up together, and we share life and death together. This will never change."
Yan Xun looked at Chu Qiao's relaxed smile, smiled as well, nodded and said, "Yes, it will never change."
"I'm leaving first. I'm about to take up my post at the Cavalry Battalion. Let me say hello to Zhao Song before I leave."
Yan Xun nodded, stood up, and said, "Give him my regards, too."
Chu Qiao turned around and walked out. Just as she reached the door, her steps paused and she stopped. She slowly clenched her fists, then released them again. She repeated this three times, but still did not walk out. Yan Xun seemed to know that she had something to say, so he didn't ask any more questions and just stood there quietly.
"Yan Xun, love between a man and a woman is so deep that it is inevitable that a hero will lose his courage. You still have many wishes that have not been fulfilled, so you should focus on the important things."
Yan Xun felt a chill in his heart and said nothing. He just watched the girl's back gradually disappear into the layers of green in the flower hall for a long time without moving.
Ah Chu, I showed you a drop of kindness, but you repaid me with a spring. So, how can I repay your great kindness?
The afternoon sun was shining brightly, but suddenly, Yan Xun felt that everything was so dazzling.
On March 14th, the sky was high and the wind was clear, the wintersweets were in full bloom, and snow began to fall at noon. Everything was normal as usual. The topic among the dignitaries in the imperial capital was still centered around the fact that the Crown Prince of Yanbei was going to marry Princess Chun, who was of the most noble bloodline. Various speculations and plots were being made secretly, and undercurrents were surging inside and outside the imperial city.
However, in this chaos, no one noticed that the Green Camp Army's city defense troops changed camp an hour in advance, and a corner of the west city gate was opened early in the morning, an hour earlier than usual.
When he received the news, Yan Xun was drinking tea in the flower hall, wearing a light robe and loosely tied belt, with a leisurely look on his face. The musicians in the outer corridor were playing a piece of music called "Western Boat Flower Night", the tune was melodious and full of twists and turns.
Yan Xun's lips twitched slightly and he smiled faintly. Ah Jing stood aside, quietly waiting for Yan Xun's instructions, but Yan Xun just waved his hand lightly, told him to go down, and took out a lottery ticket from the box beside him and threw it out casually.
The music paused and stopped. The elderly court musician picked up the music stick on the ground, took a quick look at it, and was slightly stunned. Immediately, the sound of a zither filled with murderous intent suddenly rang out, the sound was as stirring as breaking metal and stone.
Yan Xun laughed heartily, clapping his hands to the rhythm of the music, and chanting aloud: "Drunk with a murderous sword, I cut off eight hundred heads of my enemies; my whole body was filled with intoxication, and I buried the fallen petals in the snow."
Chu Qiao stood outside the door, her fingers felt a little cold. She looked up and saw white snow flying in the sky and a black hawk circling and crying above her head.
How quickly did the unrest come? It was like the grassland after autumn. Once a fire was spread, it spread rapidly and fiercely, becoming overwhelming in an instant.
In the afternoon, after the snow had stopped and the sky was clear, a memorial from a small warehouse official in the Ministry of Revenue was delivered to the desk of the Council of Elders, stating that the Ministry of Revenue was short of money and food, and it was difficult to afford a birthday banquet. The grain for disaster relief in Zhongzhou was withheld, causing unrest among the victims, encroaching on large households, and innumerable casualties. Some people secretly exchanged rotten rice for food and fodder for the soldiers in the eastern camp, resulting in some people being poisoned to death. Half of the 41st Army mutinied, with over 10,000 casualties. The noble families were greedy and embezzled money to enrich themselves. A series of terrifying figures are listed later.
One stone stirs up a thousand ripples. All the storms in the imperial capital were caused by this small Ministry of Revenue.
What followed was an astonishingly fast investigation and transfer. The order of the Elders' Council was instantly thrown into chaos. The military's fiery manifesto followed, every word was full of blood and tears, every sentence was sonorous, and all the major clans were in a panic and rushed around. An hour later, a shocking conclusion was presented to the stage: the disaster relief in Zhongzhou was under the jurisdiction of the prefect of the capital, and before Zhao Qi took office, it had been in charge of Mu Hexifeng. The matter of transferring grain between the Ministry of Grain and the Military Department was handled by Song Duan, the General Manager of the Ministry of Grain. Everyone in the capital knew that Song Duan was the most beloved grandson of Mu He Yunting, the former head of the Mu He family, and his status in the Mu He family was comparable to that of the eldest son of the direct line. The governor of the imperial capital had a deficit of 800,000 taels of gold, and the Ministry of Grain had a deficit of 20 million gold baht.
The Council of Elders acted decisively and submitted a petition to Shengjin Palace. Muhe Yunye, the head of the Muhe family, knelt at the palace gate for a long time, begging the emperor for mercy. He also counterattacked, pointing out that the small warehouse official was a member of the Wei Party and that the data he produced was all false and unreliable.
Shengjin Palace was unexpectedly closed and no one came. However, just when Mu Heyun was kneeling for a long time, a secret order was passed out of the Zijin Ganmen: Mu He had embezzled a huge amount of money and neglected his duties seriously, so the third prince Zhao Qi was ordered to lead 20,000 Green Camp soldiers to search Mu He’s mansion and arrest all the criminals. If anyone resists, they will be executed on the spot!
Just when Zhao Qi was secretly rushing to Mu He's house with the Green Camp troops, Shang Si Fang delivered the noble costumes for the engagement banquet. Yan Xun stood in the middle hall and respectfully saw off the Shang Si Fang's ceremonial officer with generous gifts, and rewarded all the accompanying personnel.
The beautiful clothes presented by Saigon, the world-famous Su Jin blind embroidery, the coiled dragon with five ferocious claws, and the brilliant gold embroidery thread outline the details, almost bringing those eyebrows and eyes back to life. Chu Qiao squatted down and fastened the gold-ribboned jade belt for Yan Xun. The strong smell of frankincense pierced her nostrils, making it difficult for her to breathe.
The room was very quiet, the servants had all left. Chu Qiao's figure looked a little frail under the light, her neck was fair and slender, her ears were white and cute, and her chest was slightly bulging. She was no longer the tomboy who had dressed up as a man so vividly.
Yan Xun exhaled gently and asked slowly: "Ah Chu, when is your birthday?"
Chu Qiao stood behind him, adjusting the shoulder straps for him, and replied, "I don't remember."
Yan Xun was stunned, thinking that she was unwilling to say: "You are almost sixteen years old, and you have to perform the Jigui ceremony."
Chu Qiao shook her head, "What do I need those details for?"
Yan Xun fell silent immediately, opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.
Chu Qiao walked around to the opposite side of him and frowned as she looked at the Qinghai Yunqing pattern on her front. There was a spot of visible thread in one corner of the top, and she didn't know whether it was intentional or an oversight by Shang Sifang.
"Take it off and I'll hook the thread back."
Yan Xun was stunned, "You know this?"
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at him, "Who mended your clothes when you were a child?"
The woman sat under the lamp, her brows furrowed as she held the cigarette.
Yan Xun's thoughts seemed to drift away all of a sudden. How could he forget those cold snowy nights, when the house was drafty and cold and gloomy, and the girls sat by the charcoal brazier, embroidering the brocade clothes of the palace ladies bit by bit by the faint candlelight, in order to please the lazy servants in the clothing bureau and win a little bit of pitiful food and charcoal.
He could still remember her posture, bent over, her small body. Sometimes she was so sleepy that she couldn't open her eyes, so she would lie on his knees and take a short nap. Her profile was very quiet, and she never complained.
Over the years, he has tried hard to restrain himself from thinking about the past, fearing that hatred about those things would cloud his reason. As a result, he actually forgot how the girl in front of him supported him during those lonely journeys. She cooked and sewed for him, she kept watch for him, she sought medical treatment for him, she made him shave off those empty rhetoric of fancy martial arts, taught him close combat, taught him practical sword, spear and stick techniques, she wrote military strategies for him, she endured humiliation and stayed in this huge cage for him, being bullied and beaten, but she never said a word.
This girl, thin and small, powerless, but has the strongest heart in the world. When his whole world collapsed, she used her thin shoulders to carry his broken sky and risked her life to support a space for survival.
"Okay," the girl stood up, walked up to him and said, "Let's give it a try. The engagement banquet will be in two hours, so there can't be any mistakes."
A low sigh suddenly came out of the man's mouth. He opened his arms and immediately hugged the girl in his arms. He rested his chin on top of her head and called out tiredly, "Ah Chu."
Chu Qiao was stunned for a moment, her whole body stiffened for a moment, she gently pushed Yan Xun's arm, "What's wrong with you? Is there something wrong?"
"Don't move," Yan Xun said softly, "Just let me hold you for a while."
Chu Qiao's body gradually softened, and she slowly stretched out her hands, wrapped them around Yan Xun's waist, rested her forehead on the man's chest, and stopped talking.
"Ah Chu, don't blame me." Yan Xun said softly, his voice was low and hoarse, like the autumn wind blowing through the mulberry trees, "Over the years, I have done a lot of things that you don't like. You appear to be cold and never show mercy when killing people, but I know that you are a person who truly distinguishes between good and evil. Those tea merchants in Lingnan, the boat owners in the Huai River, the rice merchants in Shengjing, and those officials in Yanbei who didn't obey orders... The blood on my hands is heavy. I just don't want to be like before, watching the people around me being bullied and hacked to death but being powerless. But now, I work so hard and have done so much, but I am still being manipulated by others. I can't obey my own wishes and I can't protect you."
Chu Qiao's eyes flickered slightly, and she slowly pursed her lips. A warm current slowly flowed through her heart, carrying those inexplicable, indescribable emotions, pecking at her mind like an ant. It's not that she didn't understand, but she still shook her head and said, "I understand everything. You don't have to worry about me. Those soldiers from the Cavalry Battalion may not be able to do anything to me."