Chapter 147

Xiaohe was the son of a gardener in Yan Shifeng’s residence. When Yan Bei was defeated that year, he was captured along with Huanhuan. According to Huanhuan, she had valiantly rescued Xiaohe, who was crying and had peed his pants, from the clutches of Xia. However, Chu Qiao heard that a small kid had saved Huanhuan instead, carrying her while walking for over 50 kilometers in the snow before finding the rescue team from Da Tong Guild. It looked like this child was Xiaohe.

In the vast snow were two kids who had lost their families. One of them, about ten-years-old, carried the other and walked for over 50 kilometers. It was unimaginable.

As she went back to the study, she did not see Yan Xun inside. Chu Qiao went to his house and looked around, but did not see anyone there. She asked the guards, who said that the prince had gone to the back mountain.

Lü Yi was high above the ground, its residence perched at the highest point in the city. A hill was situated behind the place. Chu Qiao, wearing a cloak made out of a fox’s skin, made her way up the mountain step by step. She gazed into the distance, seeing an isolated tree on the peak surrounded by stones at both sides without a trace of grass. Yan Xun was sitting on a stone. In the night, the wilted tree appeared ferocious. Chu Qiao’s footsteps startled him, causing him to turn around. He reached out his hand towards Chu Qiao and said, “You’re back.”

“Yup,” Chu Qiao took a few steps forward, caught her breath, grabbed onto Yan Xun’s hand and sat beside him. Beaming with joy, she said, “Huanhuan gave me a horse. She said that it was the king of horses in Huihui Mountains. It’s pretty.”

“Don’t believe her,” Yan Xun replied. “She gave away a lot of horses these few days, telling them that they were the king of horses in Huihui Mountains. She gave me two horses yesterday, claiming that they were the king and queen. Based on her logic, the horses in Huihui Mountains each have their own herd. They are the individual kings.”

Chu Qiao was stunned. She shook her head and laughed, recalling Huanhuan’s mysterious look. “What a kid.”

Yan Xun looked at her from the side of his eye. “You’re younger than her?”

Chu Qiao replied, unsure, “I’m more mature.”

Yan Xun turned around. The moonlight shone on his face. The fog caused his face to appear pale. Chu Qiao asked, “Are you feeling better? It’s cold here. Let’s go back.”

“It’s nothing, I want to sit here for a while,” Yan Xun shook his head, looking down at the city beneath him, and said calmly, “When you were not around a while ago, I could never feel at peace. Now that you’re back, I can finally relax and take a good look at Yan Bei.”

The houses beneath the mountain were lit. Peace reigned everywhere in the land. In the distance, the sounds of the military songs drifted over, carrying a few elements of desolation and solemnity. Yan Xun sighed and remarked, “AhChu, Yan Bei is poor. Coupled with the internal conflict, it is no longer the old Yan Bei. Have you been disappointed these two days?”

Chu Qiao turned around, but Yan Xun did not stare at her. She whispered, “If Yan Bei was still the old Yan Bei, we would not need to risk our lives for it.”

Yan Xun’s body jerked slightly, but he remained silent.

Chu Qiao held Yan Xun’s left hand. His hand was icy-cold and missing a pinky. The remaining four fingers were long and rough and had developed old calluses. The calluses formed from his practice of martial arts coupled with manual labor, which was unlike a noble. Chu Qiao held his hand tightly and put it to the front of her mouth, exhaling warm air onto his palm and rubbing it. She looked up and laughed, saying, “Speaking of poor, was anyone poorer than us back then?”

Yan Xun turned around, seeing the young lady’s mouthful of white teeth. Her smile was like a blooming flower in the night. Thinking of the past, he felt a tinge of sadness. How could he have forgotten the first year that they spent together in Zhen Huang City? Fireworks were being set off everywhere in the city. There was a joyous mood. In the northwestern, remote part of Sheng Jin Palace, two children crouched together in a dilapidated hut, finding everything they could to keep warm. The torn outfits, blankets, curtains… They were like two little beggars back then.

There was a small pot in the center of the room. As they started a fire, they continued to add in firewood. The girl’s cheeks were red. She held a ladle and continuously stirred the contents in the pot.

They shared half a bowl of porridge each, topped with a few cold pieces of salted radish. That was the meal that they had for the new year. Yan Xun felt sad inside, refusing to eat. Chu Qiao held his bowl and coaxed him to eat while preaching about life. After Chu Qiao fell asleep on Yan Xun’s shoulder, he looked down at her frostbitten hands. She had eaten, but her stomach continued to rumble. Her face looked yellow and frail. She looked like she would never grow up. At that time, he swore to himself in his heart that he would provide her with a good life one day. However, many years had passed since that day. She was still on the run together with him, living a dangerous life.

“Aiya!” Chu Qiao exclaimed in panic.

Yan Xun was stunned. “What happened?”

“We forgot to drink the wine that we buried in the palace before we left.”

Yan Xun laughed. A cold, sharp look flashed across his eyes. Calmly, he said, “Don’t worry, we will have a chance to.” It was a simple sentence, but it carried the sharp edges of a sword. The man stared ahead, the wind blowing across his head and across the vast land of Yan Bei.

“Yan Xun, you said that the issue regarding rations and weapons would be solved soon. Are you confident of that? Although Li Ce promised that he would allow us to use the black market of Tang, if we need too many resources, the higher ups will be alerted.” Chu Qiao finally voiced out her concerns which she had been hiding for two days.

Yan Xun raised his eyebrows. After a long while, he replied in a low voice, “The Song Empire.”

“The Song Empire? Why would they help us?”

“I saw the eldest princess of Song.”

“Nalan Hongye!” Chu Qiao was stunned, her eyes widening. She looked at Yan Xun and thought for a long while before saying, “In this case, when you requested Li Ce to grant you access to the black market back then, was it just a decoy? Your real motive was to borrow the waterway of the northern borders to enter Song at will?”

Yan Xun nodded and replied, “You’re right.”

Chu Qiao frowned and said, “Tang and Song are at war. If we do this, we are supporting Song’s supply of iron ore and gold. Would we be considered to be siding with Song, opposing Li Ce in the process?”

“What do we do then?” Yan Xun turned around, a sharp look on his face. “Tang does not want to oppose Xia openly. They don’t dare to supply us with rations and military equipment. I have no choice but to search for a third party. Don’t tell me that I have to buy rations from Xia?”

Despite her reluctance, she had to admit that Yan Xun was right. She should have rejoiced at the Song Empire’s bold actions. If not, they would probably have to do business with the Quanrong people at Meilin Pass.

“AhChu, do you think Li Ce doesn’t know my motives?” Yan Xun sighed and said slowly. “No matter how careful we are, how perfect our plan is, tons of rations will pass through Tang territory and circulate around the black market no matter what. Do you really think Li Ce will not know anything?”

Chu Qiao looked up, her eyes brightening up.

“He is only pretending to not know. From Tang’s perspective, they want a major, long-lasting conflict between Xia and Yan Bei, so that the two sides will perish together. Song will provide us with rations, which suits their interests. That’s why they allowed this to happen. Since the establishment of the three empires, Tang’s enemy is not Song alone. The biggest threat resides in Hongchuan. Regarding this matter, Li Ce understands this better than you.”

Yan Xun sighed and looked into the distance at the numerous lighted houses.

“In addition, we can’t last for much longer. Our war with Xia is a long-term conflict. We have to look far into the future, instead of focusing on short-term interests. Yan Bei has experienced conflicts over all these years. There is still the threat of Quanrong at the northern border. Every year, from autumn to winter, the civilians would be robbed. There are too many casualties and losses. They all look forward to my return, but they are not aware that as long as I am back, a conflict of a larger scale would erupt. It only adds to their misery. You were right in the meeting previously. The civilians form the foundation of Yan Bei’s army. I know that many families do not have food for the winter. If we do not feed them this year, they will freeze and starve to death, worsening our situation. I have to give them a signal, a belief, that as long as I am back, their lives will change for the better. Only through this will they be loyal to me.”

Chu Qiao nodded, feeling slightly melancholy. Gently, she replied, “It’s like this.”

“AhChu, don’t think too much. Everything will pass.” Yan Xun patted Chu Qiao on the shoulder and smiled with determination. “We have been through so much together. Are we worse off now or back then?”

The wind was cold, blowing onto Chu Qiao’s face. Her lashes were long and dense, like two little fans. Smiling, she said, “Yan Xun, I trust you.”

Yan Xun’s eyebrows moved slightly. A thought flashed across his eyes, but he did not say anything. He embraced her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. His lips were cold and wet. Chu Qiao leaned in his embrace, on his hard and broad chest. She could feel his heartbeat through his thick robe. Beat by beat, the determination was there. Their actions were natural, just like how it had been these eight years. Both of them remained silent, but their chemistry was like an old wine, releasing its fragrant aroma from time to time.

They had depended on each other when times were difficult. Many times, the favors they did for each other were ordinary and did not seem to befit their age. However, their painful experiences had allowed them to mature. Although the excitement and passion was still there, it had been masterfully concealed.

“Yan Xun, who will Xia send to attack Yan Bei? Meng Tian? Zhao Che? Or anyone else?”

“Meng Tian is old,” Yan Xun’s voice carried a tinge of seriousness. Amidst the winds, it sounded hoarse. “As for Zhao Che, big trouble will befall him soon.”

“Oh? Why?”

Yan Xun smiled and flicked Chu Qiao’s forehead. Frowning purposely, he said, “AhChu, are you doing this on purpose? Asking me about this kind of thing?”

Chu Qiao grumbled, rubbed her forehead, her nose, and said, “I’m with you. I don’t want to use my brain.”

Yan Xun chuckled. It looked like however wise a woman was, she had her feminine side after all.

“During the rebellion back then, the various lands took their opportunity. Some governors took their chances to test how strong the Zhao family was. In addition, there was a plague spreading about in Zhen Huang. The Zhao family was forced to migrate from the capital. This was the first time in hundreds of years that the Zhao family exhibited weaknesses, making them a laughing stock of the entire world. Only Zhao Che stayed behind to defend the capital, protecting his citizens. He was heroic, and gained his foothold over the army and political systems. Thinking about it, given the character of the Xia Emperor and his power-hungry royal siblings, coupled with the bunch of old fellows from the Elders’ Clan, would they still allow him to flex his muscles?”

Chu Qiao nodded and replied, “Right.”