It was unusually cold outside. The north wind was blowing heavy snow, and the torches soaked in pine oil were whistling in the wind. A Jing was standing at the door. When the guards on both sides saw him, they didn't say anything, but just bowed slightly as a greeting. Ah Zhen felt uncomfortable. He no longer recognized any of the current guards. As the captain of the guards, he was almost a figurehead.
I don't know how long it had been, but Ah Jing was so cold that she kept jumping up and down on the spot. She was rubbing her hands and walking back and forth when she suddenly saw the curtain move, and a young officer in a dark blue military uniform walked out calmly.
"Cough...Pooh!" A Jing coughed deliberately, then spat hard at his feet, and the sputum fell right on the tip of the officer's shoe.
The officer suddenly stopped and turned his head slowly, only to meet Ajing's provocative gaze. The officer had a blank expression on his face, his eyes flickered, and then he turned and walked into the thick darkness as if nothing had happened.
"Coward! Coward!" Ah Jing cursed loudly, "No wonder you want to be a deserter!"
It was pitch black in the night and the man's figure disappeared in a blink of an eye. Ah Jing snorted twice and turned to go into the big tent.
Yan Xun was checking the map under the lamp. When he heard him come in, he didn't look up, but asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"
Ah Jing collected his thoughts and said quickly, "Your Highness, the girl is still following us. It's so cold, and we don't have a tent to spend the night. That's..."
"What?" Yan Xun's handsome eyebrows slowly frowned, and he raised his head. His eyes were dark, and his voice was very low and drawn out, but mixed with a few obvious anger, "Didn't you say that she has gone back?"
Ah Jing scratched his head and whispered, "Yes, I saw with my own eyes that girl turned her horse around and went to Beishuo, but she followed us again at night."
"Waste!" Yan Xun threw the map on the table and shouted angrily, "A group of men who can't even take care of a woman."
Ah Jing hung her head in grievance, saying nothing, but in her heart she thought: "That's your precious child, we didn't dare to do anything, we didn't dare to use force, let alone tie her up and send her back. She promised to send her for a while and then go back, but who knew she would follow us again!"
Yan Xun turned around, picked up the fur coat on the hanger, put it on and walked out. Ah Jing was delighted when he saw this, and he quickly came forward and said attentively: "Your Highness, I have prepared the horses for you, let's go quickly, if we go too late, the girl will be cold. I was wondering, Your Highness, how could you not care about the girl? In Yanbei, besides you, the girl is the second most important person. The girl has been with you through thick and thin in Zhenhuang, how can she be compared to those treacherous and ungrateful wolves? I just knew..."
However, before he could finish his words, he suddenly realized that the person behind him had not caught up with him. He turned around and saw Yan Xun standing in the middle of the big tent. The candle in the tube light was shining brightly on his face. His face was bright and there was a faint gray light and shadow swaying on his cheeks, as if through an impenetrable fog.
"Your Highness?" Ah Jing called out in a low voice tentatively.
Yan Xun stood there, his eyes silent, his gaze like clouds floating in the sky. Finally, he lowered his hand that was tying the belt of his fur coat and said calmly, "Take twenty guards with you and go get her."
"Ah?" Ah Jing asked with her mouth open in a daze, "Your Highness, are you not going?"
Yan Xun didn't say anything, he just turned around calmly and took off his coat. Then, he slowly walked to the desk, stroking the huge map of Yanbei with his fingers, and did not speak for a long time.
Yan Xun's back was lost in the heavy lights, so bright that it was impossible to look directly at him. In a trance, Ah Jing suddenly felt as if his eyes were dazzled. He looked at Yan Xun's back and suddenly remembered the bright morning in Shengjin Palace many years ago. The emperor of Daxia walked slowly out of the palace. He knelt in the middle of the crowd and secretly raised his head, but was almost dazzled by the golden dragon robe.
"Yes, I obey your command."
Ah Jing agreed and was about to leave when she heard Yan Xun's deep voice coming over, "From now on, you are not allowed to enter the tent without permission."
The young Yanbei warrior nodded silently, no longer as lively as before, and answered in a serious tone: "Yes, I obey your command."
When Chu Qiao followed Ah Jing into the camp, Yan Xun had already fallen asleep. She stared blankly at the big tent where the lights had been turned off. Feng Zhi came over jogging and said a little awkwardly, "Your Highness has been walking for a whole day, you must be very tired."
"Well," Chu Qiao nodded, without any special emotion, and just said quietly, "Then I'll go back first."
When I returned to the tent, my hands and feet were numb from the cold. A Jing came in with her people and enthusiastically brought her hot water. Although most of the soldiers did not know her, they had heard of her name and deeds, so they gathered outside and peeked in, and only left after being scolded by A Jing.
After a while, the curtain moved, and a little head flashed in from outside, laughing and shouting, "Master Chu!"
"Ping An?" Chu Qiao was slightly surprised. She saw Ping An wearing a small military uniform. After not seeing him for a few days, he seemed to have grown taller. After the battle in Beishuo ended that day, she fell ill and had not taken care of him. Unexpectedly, she saw him here today. She hurriedly asked, "Why are you here?"
"I'm in the army."
"You? A soldier?" Chu Qiao was stunned. "How old are you?"
"Sir, please don't look down on me. General Ajing just said that Ping An will be the lady's orderly from now on. If you have any chores, you can leave them to me."
orderly? This is good, at least I don’t have to go to the battlefield. Chu Qiao smiled slightly, ruffled the child's hair, and said, "Go tell Ah Jing that I thank him very much."
"The general is not on duty tonight. It is Lord Cheng who is on duty."
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly. Ah Jing was Yan Xun's personal bodyguard and had always been the most loyal guard. How could he not keep watch? She asked softly, "Master Cheng? Which Master Cheng?"
"I don't know either." Ping An was still young after all, and frowned childishly, "I just know that the adult's surname is Cheng."
"Oh," Chu Qiao nodded, "It's getting late, you should go back and rest first."
Ping An answered crisply, seemed very happy, and skipped out the door. Chu Qiao looked at his back and suddenly felt a little sad. If it were modern times, a child of this age would be the one carrying a schoolbag to school every day and hiding in his parents' arms and crying when something happens! But here, he had to take on the responsibility of taking care of his sister too early, and lived a life on the edge of death.
After washing her face, the water, which had been boiling hot before, was now a little cold. She took off her boots with great effort and put them in the water. Her feet were swollen from the cold, and were red and purple. They itched when they touched anything warm, so she took a deep breath. After washing, she took a bite of the dry food that had just been delivered to her, then leaned back on the warm quilt, slightly lost in thought.
After all, what happened that day left a grudge in the hearts of both of them. Although she didn't show it, Yan Xun tried hard to adjust and save the situation, but some things are like porcelain. Once they are broken, no matter how you repair them, it will be of no use.
Because of her illness, Yan Xun postponed the departure of the army for two days. In the past two days, he stayed by her bedside all day and all night, feeding her and bringing her water, and even making medicine himself. His diligence made people around him terrified. However, when Chu Qiao proposed to join the army, he decisively refused, with reasons that were so sufficient that no one could refute. But no matter how considerate and reasonable those words sounded, Chu Qiao's mind kept echoing Yan Xun's words that day: "If they violate military law again in the future, I will not show mercy."
This is a warning, but how can we be sure that it is not a signal? Chu Qiao felt guilty for having such thoughts. Since when did she become wary of him? Except for that day, Yan Xun treated her as always, so well that Chu Qiao even thought that everything that day was just a dream. However, on the day when the army set out, she stood in front of the city gate in full armor, knelt on one knee and asked to join the army, but Yan Xun got angry.
This was the first time he got angry with her, and he didn't yell at her angrily. Instead, he looked at her for a long time, as if he saw a lot of things through her thin shoulders. Finally, he just asked her softly, "Achu, what are you worried about?" Then, before she could answer, he rode past without even turning his head.
The soldiers surrounded her and asked her to return home immediately. She watched Yan Xun leave quietly and suddenly felt desolate in her heart. He understood everything and knew everything. He had so many things on his mind. He asked her, what are you worried about? But Yan Xun, what about you? What are you worried about?
She followed him after all. Just as he said, she was worried. Yes, she was worried about him. She was afraid that he would kill all the envoys of the Southwest Town Government. On the battlefield, there are so many ways to destroy a troop silently and without leaving any trace. The officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Envoy risked their lives to follow her, and she couldn't let them die in obscurity.
Maybe she is just being mean, but Yan Xun, since you know what I am afraid of, why don't you make a promise to me? Or, you simply don't dare, and everything I'm afraid of is already part of your plan?
The charcoal fire on the ground was burning quietly. It was top-quality white charcoal with only a faint wisp of smoke. Chu Qiao stared at the charcoal fire, her eyes gradually becoming dry and sore. Her illness had not yet fully recovered, and after trudging in the cold wind for a whole day, fatigue came over her like a tide. She was wearing a single white dress, curled up on the bed, blew out the candle, and fell asleep quietly.
The moon outside was shining brightly, illuminating the snow below, making it appear bright white. It was pitch black in the tent, the wind was blowing, there was not a single tree on the plain, and the only sound that could be heard was the cry of nighthawks, sharply cutting through the quiet night sky.
I don’t know how long it was, but it was pitch black and I suddenly felt a cold touch on my feet. Chu Qiao closed her eyes and frowned slightly, then she sat up suddenly as if she had received an electric shock and shouted coldly, "Who?"
In the darkness, a tall figure sat at the foot of the bed. The man was dressed in soft cloth, and in the dim light, the outline of his eyebrows and eyes could be vaguely seen. He sat there, gently holding her frostbitten feet in his hands. A bowl was placed on the edge of the bed, with a strong medicinal aroma emanating from it.
"Awake?" Yan Xun asked quietly, then stood up and lit the candle. The warm yellow firelight shone on his face, giving off a peaceful and tranquil vibe. He sat back again, stretched out his slender fingers, dipped them in the medicine, and then applied them carefully on her chilblains. His fingertips were gentle, like a soft breeze, lightly brushing across her fingertips and insteps. Yan Xun did not even look up, his eyes were like a pool of cold water, and he said calmly: "You need to apply medicine to your feet every day. In the army, there are no maids to serve you like in the mansion. There are many things to do here. Don't forget to take care of your body when you are busy."