The battle ended swiftly.
Bodies lay in disarray across the ground, so killed with a single blow, others with severed hands and feet. Northern Yong troops carried the dead away, anwhile clearing the battlefield. If not for the lingering scent of blood in the air, nobody would know that a fierce fight had just taken place here, claiming dozens of lives.
It was only now that Feng Yun stepped down from the ox cart and greeted Pei Jue with a bow.
"I owe the general thanks for his tily intervention; otherwise, we might have lost our lives."
She spoke politely yet distantly while Pei Jue, tall and long-legged, sat astride his horse without a move, "Hmm."
His response was indifferent, as if he had acknowledged her but also as if he never had.
Feng Yun felt no surprise.
Pei Jue had always been like this; even in the intimate monts in bed, he’d only hum to show he heard her. Asking him to say more was harder than ascending to heaven.
A heart as hard as iron, a person devoid of sympathy or morals. Did she really expect comforting words from him?
Feng Yun smiled briefly and said with forthrightness, "It’s truly astonishing that within the territory controlled by the esteed army, there are bandits killing and plundering."
Pei Jue kept his face stern and said nothing.
Feng Yun then asked, "Isn’t the general curious about which bandits had the audacity to do this?"
Pei Jue said, "There won’t be a next ti."
Seizing the opportunity, Feng Yun prodded, "Could it be the general knows who it was?"
Her smile was the gentlest and least harmful, her tone the most pressing. There was no fault to find in Feng Yun’s speech or actions, yet they were filled with profound implication.
Pei Jue’s gaze fell upon her. At this mont, Ao Qi galloped over, cutting directly between the two, obstructing their line of sight.
"Does the lady have any injuries?"
The young man’s enthusiasm was like a fire, igniting wherever he went, his breath almost seed to carry concern...
"I’m unhard." Feng Yun smiled gratefully, gave him a nod, and then paused as she raised her eyes.
"What happened to the back of Ao Qi’s hand?"
Looking at his hand, Ao Qi laughed carelessly, his bright teeth shimring, "Just a small cut, a minor injury."
Feng Yun said, "I have antiseptic dicine from Tai City, let apply so for Ao Qi when we return to the residence."
Ao Qi’s face brightened, "That would be great."
Pei Jue watched indifferently, his face growing darker and more impatient as he ordered Ao Qi, "It’s getting late; take her back to Andu."
"Understood." Ao Qi glanced at Pei Jue and then at Feng Yun.
Their interaction was awkward; each clearly had feelings for the other yet behaved very coldly. Recalling what he saw at Changn Academy that night, Ao Qi felt an indescribable lancholy...
Pei Jue gathered the reins and turned his horse, ready to leave.
Feng Yun called out to him in a asured tone, "General!"
She stepped forward, "I have gathered two hundred thousand bushels of grain for the Northern Yong Army to help in this ti of need. Will the general agree to my previous request?"
Pei Jue twisted around in the saddle, staring at her intently.
With a faint smile, Feng Yun approached the ox cart and gave it a firm pat, her expression calm and serene, "Tomorrow at dawn, I ask the general to co to Huayuejian in Andu to collect the two hundred thousand bushels of grain and fodder."
Pei Jue watched her silently.
His brooding eyes appeared as an unfathomable abyss.
Feng Yun bowed deeply to him, "If the general remains silent, I’ll take that as his consent."
Not objecting was consenting—that was Feng Yun’s understanding of Pei Jue.
"Suit yourself," Pei Jue said indifferently, and rode away.
Feng Yun watched as his imposing silhouette receded into the distance, fading beneath the halo of the setting sun until it disappeared over the horizon, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
—
Having returned to Andu City without mishap and with the officially obtained grains, Feng Yun felt more confident.
It was ti for rewards.
Each of iling’s n received two hundred coins as well as roasted at and pancakes in a hearty celebration. Everyone was pleased, top to bottom, even the young Aozai got a little fish, caught personally by his brother Ao Qi.
As night fell, Zuo Zhong unexpectedly arrived from the camp.
He brought a handwritten letter from Pei Jue, still just four words.
"Letter duly noted."
He could have said that in person when they t earlier in the day at Jieqiu Mountain, but he made soone run the errand instead.
Feng Yun remained silent as Zuo Zhong presented her with a dagger.
"The general asked to give this to the lady for self-protection."
It was a double-edged dagger, slightly curved like a sickle, light and sharp, with a rhinoceros horn handle and a leather-wrapped sheath—exquisite and valuable.
This was a much better weapon than Feng Yun’s small curved knife and suited for a woman’s use.
Feng Yun was sowhat puzzled.
Was this sudden gift of a precious item an expression of regret for things he’d done concerning Li Sangruo?
Inspecting the dagger, she revealed a lingering smile.
"A fine blade."
She then murmured softly, "Shall I call you Jian Shui?"
Zuo Zhong’s mouth twitched slightly.
Shi’er Niang really did have a childlike nature, giving nas even to daggers.
Yet her complexion was not good, devoid of the joy of one who has received a gift.
Therefore, Zuo Zhong thought of the incident that happened today at Jieqiu Mountain. The lady’s expression changed only after seeing them killing to silence others, presumably because she was frightened.
So he said, "The lady has a kind heart and doesn’t know how cruel the world can be. Those people today insulted and harassed the lady with their foul words, which the general would not tolerate. If we didn’t kill them, who knows to what extent they would have defad the lady’s reputation..."
Feng Yun suddenly raised her head, "What did you say?"
Zuo Zhong was scared by her gaze, hesitating for a mont: "The general said, only the dead can keep secrets."
Feng Yun clenched the Jian Shui tightly.
"Only the dead can keep secrets," Pei Jue had said the sa thing in her previous life. Wasn’t this to uphold the honor of the Beiyong Army and to save face for Empress Dowager Li? She had never considered, was there a possibility, like Zuo Zhong’s interpretation...
Pei Jue’s silencing through murder, could there be a trace of it done for the sake of her reputation?
—
The night grew completely dark, yet the high temperature and humidity did not recede, and it remained hot.
Feng Yun sat by the window of Changn Academy, as if she was waiting for sothing...
The brass clepsydra in the room was silent.
Ao Zai was lying on her rush mat, sleeping, when it suddenly rolled over and began tugging at the hem of her dress with its mouth.
Feng Yun tapped its nose, "Be quiet, we’re going hunting later, you know. We need to conserve our energy, understand?"
Ao Zai fluttered twice more, continuing to tug at her, making a huffing sound.
Feng Yun looked out the window with suspicion, only to see a figure stealthily passing through the plum grove.
Who is it? Feng Yun tensed up, touched Ao Zai’s head, picked it up and placed it on the rush mat, and holding the Jian Shui blade, she tiptoed out.
"Stop right there!"
By the wall, a rigid and erect back spun around.
Seeing Ao Qi’s elongated handso face, as if she owed him money and hadn’t paid him back yet, Feng Yun couldn’t help but smile.
"Guard Ao, you usually surveil openly; why be so sneaky today?"
"Hmph!" Ao Qi, with his proud eyes, had a fleeting look of embarrassnt as if caught in a bind, "The lady never said that I couldn’t co to Changn Academy."
Feng Yun observed him, "Have I offended Guard Ao?"
"No," Ao Qi responded stiffly.
"Then you must have a misunderstanding about ..." Feng Yun was about to say, "that you’ve misunderstood " when Ao Qi, as if stung by sothing, hastily denied it.
"No. Lady, don’t overthink it."
"???" Feng Yun slightly raised her eyebrows, staring at him motionlessly.
"If Guard Ao wants to know sothing, you can ask . If you distrust , just guard openly, there’s no need to..."
After she finished, she bowed to Ao Qi and turned to leave.
"The lady doesn’t recognize what’s good for her!" Ao Qi frantically scratched his head, and in the face of Feng Yun’s puzzled look, he blushed and defended his actions, "If I didn’t keep guard, that night..."
He stopped mid-sentence, the atmosphere weirdly stiffening.
Feng Yun asked, "Which night?"
Ao Qi’s cheeks were flushed as he subconsciously concealed the incident of Pei Jue’s night visit to Changn Academy, "The night the lady was drunk, your behavior was indeed improper. It’s one thing for you to be drunk, but allowing the maidservants to join in, had thieves broken in, how many heads would you have to cut off?"
Feng Yun’s eyes flickered slightly.
No wonder Ao Qi had been acting strangely lately.
Indeed, she was to bla for behaving improperly and for taking liberties with him...
Feng Yun bowed deeply, "It was my frivolity. Please forgive , Guard Ao."
This apology was graceful, polite, and sincere. Ao Qi, flattered, blushed even more.
In fact, her frivolity had nothing to do with him, but the lady’s apology proved that she valued him highly.
Upon reflection, Ao Qi’s tone imperceptibly softened and lowered, "Let’s not talk about that. Speaking of today, why did the lady go to Shiguan County behind my back? If I hadn’t noticed sothing was off and followed imdiately, bringing back reinforcents from the camp, the lady might already be headless by now, or possibly whisked away by so bandit to beco his wife..."
Feng Yun laughed upon hearing this.
She was sowhat pleased by Ao Qi’s complaints.
Being cared for is always pleasant.
She asked, "Have you ever thought about why you always discover quickly when I’m acting behind your back?"
Ao Qi was taken aback, "Why?"
Feng Yun bead and teased, "Fool! Because I want you to find out, of course."
Ao Qi glared, "Is the lady using ?"
Feng Yun’s smile was teasing, neither admitting nor denying it.
"With Guard Ao here, I feel very safe."
Ao Qi fell silent.
His heart felt alternately cold and warm, and those swirling emotions of baseless anger and complaints were easily quenched by her single word "fool."
Ao Qi stood there, foolishly.
Watching the lady walk out of the plum grove, her elegance unhidden by her wide-sleeved robes, she slowly faded from view, then reappeared on the paper windows under the night sky.
She was playing with Ao Zai, and her shadow on the window was tender and heart-twisting...
Ao Qi approached the window, wanting to grasp sothing, yet not daring to touch.
The shadow was faint. He didn’t know why he was standing there, and he didn’t understand why no matter how much he watched, it was never enough, the parched feeling in his throat couldn’t be quenched.
Emotions pressed on his chest, nearly bursting...
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