Unlike the piercing cold wind atop Cangbai Mountain, the troops taking the eastern route remained trapped in the incessant rain. Even though the night was as dark as ink, the thick, swirling clouds overhead raged like tumultuous tides. The campfire couldn’t be lit in the open and had to be moved inside the tents, casting flickering shadows of those huddled around for warmth against the tent walls, like a series of desolate and absurd shadow puppet shows—no one watched, yet they played on relentlessly.
The only one who would spare them a glance was Yu Wenqian, standing at the entrance of his tent, watching the chaotic silhouettes across the hundreds of nearby tents.
Despite the dim light surrounding him, his eyes remained as clear and bright as ever, seemingly untouched by the fatigue and mud accumulated from the past few days of travel. However, deep within those bright eyes, when he gazed northward, there seed to be sothing surging, akin to the unpredictable clouds above.
Yet, no one could see it clearly.
Cold wind mixed with icy rain swept across his face, entering his tent. Seeing the fire in the brazier nearly extinguished, a pair of fair hands draped a thick wind cloak over his shoulders.
Yu Wenqian didn’t imdiately react until after a mont, when he seed to feel a hint of warmth, and slowly turned around.
What t his eyes was the radiant face of Yu Mingyue.
Perhaps it was thanks to her ill-fated mother, who was yet praised as a "beauty" by the villagers around Ban Yan Temple—her appearance was stunning. Her beauty was so direct it bordered on vulgarity, yet it was a beauty that reached so far it beca indescribable; still, she maintained a sense of indifference, even scorn, towards the world, with the only exception being the gaze she reserved for him.
But even at such close proximity, that radiant yet sharp gaze seed unable to discern the lancholy surging in his eyes, rely expressing concern, "It’s cold, co inside and rest."
Yu Wenqian remained silent for a mont, then looked down at the wind cloak on his shoulders.
He smiled, "I didn’t even notice."
Before the tent flap fell, Yu Mingyue glanced outside again and said, "Rain and snow weather is colder than just snow. You were standing at the windy spot for so long that your body lost its warmth. Of course, you couldn’t feel it."
"..."
"If you keep getting blasted by the wind, you’ll catch a cold."
Yu Wenqian was not hearing such strange yet intriguing terms from her for the first ti, but over more than a year of acquaintance, so things she explained clearly, and so he could understand on his own, so it didn’t impede his comprehension of her words.
Thus he smiled and replied, "Alright."
With that, he returned to the table with her, sitting down. Without the intrusion of the cold wind, the fire in the brazier flared up again, and so smothering heat wafted over, causing Yu Wenqian a bit of discomfort.
As he was lost in thought, Yu Mingyue, sitting opposite, looked at him, "Have you figured out how to fight this battle?"
"..."
Yu Wenqian paused for a mont, then replied with a faint smile, "Not yet."
Upon hearing this, Yu Mingyue’s brows furrowed, "Then why haven’t you asked yet?"
"..."
"He Xin, this Crown Prince position—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Yu Wenqian looked at her, half-smiling, "Mingyue, you should rember, I am now the Han King."
Yu Mingyue’s eyes flickered, "So what?"
"..."
"Can’t I still call you He Xin?"
Yu Wenqian shook his head and said, "I just want to remind you, this place is different from where you ca from."
"..."
"Although I cannot fully understand what kind of place you co from, you need to understand this place—addressing Prince Han directly by his na is overstepping, a punishable offense."
"..."
Yu Mingyue looked at him for a mont.
Unlike Yu Wenqian’s ever-gentle eyes, hers remained sharp, even more fearless and undaunted than armies cutting through resistance, and after a while, she spoke softly, "Indeed."
"..."
"In my current identity, calling you by your na is indeed presumptuous."
"..."
"Then I must—"
At that mont, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside, as if several soldiers had rushed to their tent, urgently calling, "Your Highness!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Wenqian imdiately stood up.
Yu Mingyue furrowed her brows but didn’t say anything, rely stood up to follow. Yu Wenqian personally pulled open the tent flap, revealing three soldiers in rain capes standing at the entrance. Clearly, they were the patrol team tonight; upon seeing Yu Wenqian erge, they imdiately cupped their hands in salute.
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