Closing his eyes, Pei Jianyuan let out a shaky breath.
’Ruyan, why did you leave without a word? Why didn’t you tell about your pregnancy? Do you really hate so much that you don’t want to have anything to do with anymore?’
Pei Jianyuan recalled the day he left for a business trip, and regret gripped his heart.
Standing under the morning sunlight, his wife, Bai Ruyan, smiled gently at him. She fixed his tie as she said, "I will wait for you to co back."
After giving him a kiss, she added in a joyful voice, "Husband, you must return early. I have a surprise for you."
When Pei Jianyuan recalled this mory, tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
’If... If I didn’t go on that business trip, would you still be with now? Ruyan... I miss you so much...’
Isolated from the bustling world outside, Pei Jianyuan silently cried, filled with deep regret and loss.
While Pei Jianyuan was numbing himself with mories of the past, ti passed slowly.
In the evening, in one of the dark alleys located in the imperial capital city of the Yu Clan, a man wearing dusty clothes made of coarse cloth was walking in a hurry with his head lowered.
Covering half of his face with an old scarf, the man scanned the surroundings from ti to ti.
After walking for a few more minutes, he arrived at a dark alley where most of the refugees and beggars gathered.
Walking past the thin and motionless beggars, the man suddenly stopped. Looking down, he saw a thin boy grabbing the hem of his trousers.
Seeing that he had successfully gained the man’s attention, the boy hurriedly begged in a hoarse voice, "S-Sir, please give sothing to eat. Please."
The man stared at the boy for two seconds before reaching into his sleeve. Taking out a hard, dried pancake made of mixed coarse flour and husks, the man squatted down and quickly shoved the hard pancake into the boy’s arms.
Noticing the greedy eyes of the beggars around, the man said in a low voice, "Eat it quickly before soone snatches it away."
The boy had lived and survived for two years in this dark place, so he knew that soone weak like him would only get bullied, and that only the strong had the right to speak. If he was not careful, then he couldn’t even protect this hard pancake from getting stolen.
Nodding at the man, the boy quickly said, "Thank you, Sir."
After saying that, the boy hurriedly stuffed the pancake into his dirty clothes, then ran away from the dark alley.
Seeing this, the man stood up, scanned the surroundings vigilantly, and then left in a hurry.
After walking for another hour, the man stopped in front of a dilapidated door. If he did not know that this place had an owner, he might have thought that it was an abandoned house.
The man glanced around the surroundings for a while, then raised his hand to knock on the door.
Knock. Knock, knock~ knock, knock. Knock!
After repeating the knocking twice, the man waited anxiously.
Soon, a hoarse male voice ca from the other side of the closed door. "The past has been forgotten, but the wind has risen again."
Hearing this, the man leaned closer to the closed door and replied in a low voice, "It’s a perfect ti to visit the old friend."
After he said this, the door creaked open.
Looking at the man, the middle-aged man who was opening the door looked left and right, then urgently said, "Co in."
Without saying anything, the man quickly entered the dilapidated courtyard.
After making sure that nobody was around or watching them, the middle-aged man closed the door, then used a thick wooden plank to block it.
"Co in. The general has been waiting for you," the middle-aged man said, then led the way.
The man followed the middle-aged man to the main house without saying a word.
Arriving outside the main building, the middle-aged man said, "Go inside."
Nodding at him, the man stepped into the main house, while the middle-aged man returned to his work.
Seeing the person sitting at the wooden table placed in the middle of the small room, the man quickly knelt on the ground.
Clasping his fists, he said, "This subordinate greets General Fang."
"Please stand up," Fang Shou said, then gestured for the man to have a seat. Pouring a cup of water, he placed it in front of the man.
Giving him a grateful look, the man said, "Thank you, General Fang."
After the man drank the water, he wiped his lips and placed the empty cup on the table. Reaching into his clothes, he took out a letter.
Placing the letter on the table, he pushed it toward Fang Shou and said, "General Fang, this is a letter from His Highness."
Fang Shou took the letter, then opened it. As he read it, his eyes flickered with surprise.
He looked up from the letter, then asked with a hint of doubt in his calm voice, "Why the sudden change of plan?"
The man shook his head and replied, "This subordinate doesn’t know. His Highness only told this subordinate to send this letter to you."
Now that he had completed his mission, the man stood up, clasped his fists, and said, "General Fang, this subordinate still has things to do. This subordinate will take his leave first."
Fang Shou nodded. "Thank you for the trouble. The imperial capital city is not safe these days. Please be careful."
The man bowed to him, then responded, "Thank you for the reminder, General Fang."
Leaving those words behind, the man pulled up the old scarf to cover his face, then left the room.
After the man left, Fang Shou looked down at the letter. Frowning slightly, he muttered doubtfully, "Your Highness, what do you plan to do?"
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