Chapter 98: (Chang’an) A Thousand Miles of Moonlight, I Share with You…

Chapter 98 (Chang'an) Under the Same Moonlight, a Thousand Miles Apart...

Chang'an, the Huan residence.

Huan Jun had ten days of wedding leave. Most newlyweds would use this time to bond as a couple—either by traveling together or being glued to each other.

Huan Jun and Jiang Yuer, however, were entirely different. One kept his distance; the other was awkward and nervous. Only fear of rumors about her husband neglecting her kept her from avoiding him at all costs.

Even when pretending for appearances’ sake, they merely sat separately—one in the inner chamber, the other in the outer—each lost in their own book.

Before her sister left, she had told her: *If you ever feel lonely with nothing to do, read books. The more you read, the clearer certain things may become.*

Huan Jun had many matters to attend to and remained busy even after marriage.

On this day, as he was leaving, Jiang Yuer saw him off to the courtyard gate. Suddenly remembering something, Huan Jun turned and whispered to her, "I’m going to the Golden Market today. If there’s a letter from *her*, I’ll bring it back for you."

She knew exactly who he meant.

Jiang Yuer's eyes lit up with hope. "Really? Then... please check carefully, my lord. A-Jie told me she would reach the Xianbei by June, and sending a letter back would take at most a month. It’s already late July now..."

As she spoke, she counted on her fingers—no matter how she calculated, the letter should have arrived by now.

This was the first time Huan Jun had seen her so excited, and the first time she displayed the liveliness appropriate for her age. It oddly reminded him of Eleventh Brother.

This was good. Her constant wariness had worn even him out.

"If there’s a letter, I’ll definitely bring it back for you. If you want to write to her, I can also deliver it for you."

"Th-thank you, my lord. I’ll get it—no, maybe I should wait for you to bring back her reply first. After reading it, I’ll rewrite one. But wouldn’t that trouble you too much? Maybe it’s better to send it today if it’s on the way..."

She stumbled over her words, torn between wanting to reply after reading the letter and fearing inconveniencing him with another trip. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do.

Huan Jun chuckled. "Then wait until you’ve read the letter before replying. It’s no trouble—I’ll be going out these next few days anyway."

"Alright..."

After Huan Jun left, Jiang Yuer eagerly awaited his return. Logically, she knew he wouldn’t be back for at least two or three hours, but she couldn’t control her emotions—hopeful yet anxious. The moment lunch ended, she hovered by the gate.

Eleventh Brother happened to be on leave today and hadn’t gone to class. A fidgety teen, he had invited two clan classmates over to play. Since Huan Jun and Eleventh Brother’s courtyards were adjacent, their noise drew attention to her standing at the gate.

"Why are you standing here all this time? Waiting for my elder brother?" Eleventh Brother asked.

"Uh..." Startled by his question, Jiang Yuer paused, then hesitantly nodded.

She *was* waiting for Huan Jun, though the specifics were not something she could explain. She simply admitted to waiting for him.

She figured waiting dutifully for her husband looked proper.

To her surprise, Eleventh Brother snapped, his eyes widening as he glared at her. "You can’t wait here!"

"Why?"

"No reason. I just forbid it," he said imperiously.

At fourteen, some of his classmates knew about *those* things. Even if they hadn’t experienced them themselves, they couldn’t help but wonder. Some had secretly circulated romantic novels among themselves, and he, unable to resist, had sneaked a look. Among them were stories of *a woman’s love wearing a man down.*

His elder brother loved Sister Lu and had no affection for this Sixth Princess. They were meant to be. Yet now he had married *her*. Though Sixth Princess wasn’t as beautiful as Sister Lu, she wasn’t ugly either. What if, like in those novels, she doted on his brother until his affections shifted?

The idea made his blood boil. He stepped in front of her, blocking the gate, hands on his hips. "You can’t wait here!"

Jiang Yuer felt flustered since Eleventh Brother was acting so harsh.

As a young master of the Huan family and Huan Qi's younger brother, he outranked her significantly, so she wouldn't dream of crossing him.

Jiang Yuer lowered her eyes. "Alright..."

"Eleventh Brother!"

Before Jiang Yuer could finish speaking, a sharp male voice cut in from ahead.

Huan Jun had returned.

All thoughts of Eleventh Brother vanished from her mind. Instinctively, she stepped forward, looking up at him expectantly. "You're back, my lord." Her eyes then flicked to his hands.

Huan Jun nodded at her, giving her a look that signaled they would talk later inside, then turned his attention to Eleventh Brother, sweeping his gaze over everyone present.

His brows were tightly drawn, his stare bore down like a physical weight, making everyone hold their breath.

Eleventh Brother’s face fell, and he gave his brother a wounded look before obediently standing aside, not daring to speak. The two classmates behind him also stood frozen like scared rabbits.

Huan Jun apologized to the two youths, saying he needed to handle some family matters, and had a servant escort them out.

The atmosphere was so tense that they were itching to bolt, nodding hastily before quickly disappearing from sight. Only Huan Jun, Jiang Yuer, and Eleventh Brother remained.

"Eleventh Brother, is this the etiquette you’ve learned? Is this your upbringing? Who allowed you to speak to... the Sixth Princess like that? Bow to Her Highness and apologize."

Eleventh Brother initially kept his head bowed, taking the lecture, but at the end, he couldn’t help but lift his chin, giving his brother a wounded look. "I’ll apologize—today was my mistake. But brother, have you forgotten about Sister Lu just because you married her? You held on for years—how could you give up so easily? What will Sister Lu do now?"

Huan Jun frowned.

Eleventh Brother put loyalty above everything else. In the past, when Huan Jun had refused to part with Yunniang, the whole Huan clan had been against him—only Eleventh Brother had firmly believed he was right. Now that he was married, the family rejoiced for him, yet only Eleventh Brother still stood up for Yunniang.

Thinking of this, he softened a little, and his tone wasn’t as stern. "No matter what my circumstances are, you must not disrespect the princess. This is the first and last time. If it happens again, I will punish you."

With no other choice, Eleventh Brother bowed to Jiang Yuer, with hands pressed together. "Sixth Princess, I apologize for my rudeness earlier."

"It’s... it’s alright," Jiang Yuer said, flustered.

She'd picked up that Eleventh Brother was upset on behalf of that Lady Lu, but without Huan Jun’s permission, she couldn’t reveal the truth about their false marriage.

Only then did Huan Jun’s frown ease. Turning to Jiang Yuer, he said, "Eleventh Brother's still young. I’ve already reprimanded him. As the elder, if he dares to disrespect you again in the future, feel free to chew him out."

Knowing how timid she was, he added, "If you don’t know how to scold him, just tell me or Mother afterward, and we'll straighten him out."

Eleventh Brother, hearing his brother’s lack of trust, got worked up again.

Huan Jun gave him a look—he'd said that on purpose.

"Mm, alright. Let’s go inside quickly," Jiang Yuer urged, getting antsy.

Huan Jun then dismissed Eleventh Brother.

Once they stepped into the courtyard and entered the house, Huan Jun backed off on his own, waving the maids away before fishing an envelope from his robe and handing it to her.

Jiang Yuer even forgot to thank him, immediately reaching for it to open it, stopping mid-motion when she noticed he was still standing nearby.

She didn't have the heart to shoo him away but also didn’t want him to see the letter’s contents. Sensing this, Huan Jun backed off further.

"I've got some business in the study."

When no one was around, Jiang Yuer finally took out the letter and sat by the window to read it carefully.

"To Sixth Sister: By the time you receive this letter, you should already be married. I won’t waste words wishing you marital happiness—just that you have some peace for now. I wonder if you still cry as easily as before. I suspect that after I left Chang’an, you must have hidden under the covers and wept again. Ah, sometimes I think your eyes must be mountain springs themselves—how else could they hold so many tears..." By this point, Jiang Yuer’s tears were already plopping down. Seeing her sister tease her, she was crying and laughing at the same time.

Her tears smeared the ink on the letter, and she gasped, quickly pulling herself together before wiping it away with her sleeve. She then carefully composed herself, careful not to ruin the paper further.

She continued reading: "Though I’ve married far away, all is well. My husband may not be the gentlest, but he treats me kindly, and I’ve suffered no grievances. Besides, you know my temperament—if I were wronged, I’d surely find a way to repay it if given the chance. You needn’t worry..."

At the end of the letter, it read: "I only hope you take good care of yourself, Sixth Sister. May we someday reunite and share the same moon across the miles."

By now, Jiang Yuer’s voice was breaking with sobs.

It was such a warm letter, yet it made her cry all the same.

After a long while, she finally calmed down and read it once more, word by word, as if to memorize it by heart.

*Elder Sister, I’ll be well. We’ll meet again.*

Jiang Congyan’s letter was careful not to mention names. The distance was great, and she couldn’t be sure it would arrive safely—Jiang Yuer understood this and similarly avoided specifics in her reply.

She revised her response several times, nearly handing it to Huan Jun for delivery before remembering missing words and rushing back to add them. In the end, afraid of missing his departure, she hastily sealed the letter and gave it to him.

Huan Jun held the thick stack of paper, his expression briefly frozen in rare surprise.

Jiang Yuer blushed in embarrassment—she had written so much, but every word was what she wanted to say.

Once the letter was sent, she began eagerly awaiting the next one. It was the only bright spot in her life now.

——

Huan Jun stayed home for over a month. By late August, before winter set in, he was finally ready to head south.

Court affairs, military matters—everything was in place. It was time to go all in.

Perhaps he would succeed. Or perhaps he would meet a far more tragic end to his short life. But he had no regrets.

The young man radiated determination, his presence intense and unwavering.

Jiang Yuer and Eleventh Brother saw him off ten li beyond the city walls, watching Huan Jun swing onto his horse and ride into the distance. Only when his figure disappeared into the barren landscape did they slowly turn back.

Eleventh Brother was gloomy. He had never been separated from his elder brother for so long—this departure meant Huan Jun wouldn’t return for at least a year.

On his pony alongside Jiang Yuer’s carriage, he knocked on the wooden frame. "He left just a month after your wedding. Aren’t you sad?"

Jiang Yuer: "..."

This boy was really strange—clearly disapproving of any bond between her and Huan Jun, yet asking such a question.

She wasn’t sad. In fact, she even felt relieved. But she couldn’t say that, so she countered, "You’re the one who’s sad, aren’t you?"

Eleventh Brother hadn’t expected her to turn the question back on him. After a pause, he admitted freely, "Yes. I’ve never been so far from my brother before."

Hearing his tone, Jiang Yuer suddenly thought of herself—when her elder sister left Chang’an, she too had been overwhelmed with grief, crying secretly at night more than once. Eleventh Brother was even younger than her; perhaps he had also hidden away to weep.

She felt a pang of sympathy. So when they passed the Golden Market, she called for the carriage to stop.

Eleventh Brother didn’t understand what she was doing, but Jiang Yuer stepped out and entered a pastry shop, coming out with two warm bundles of sweets.

He got mad all over again. His brother had just left, and here she was, cheerfully buying treats like it was any other day. Did she feel no sadness at all? After how good Huan Jun had been to her!

He turned away angrily, preferring not to look.

Suddenly, a serving of pastry appeared before him.

Golden peach shortbread, shiny with oil and the sweet aroma of flour, warm and mouthwatering. He hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

Jiang Yuer: "Have some pastry. When you're sad, something sweet helps with the bitterness."

Eleventh Brother instinctively swallowed, wanting to turn away again, but his eyes stubbornly remained fixed on the peach shortbread in front of him.

He had heard of this shop’s reputation—their pastries were made with rock sugar and weren’t cheap, costing a hundred coins for just one serving. Even with his allowance, he couldn’t afford to eat them every day.

"Don’t you like it?" Jiang Yuer, seeing his lack of response, began to doubt.

She felt a little nervous too. Though she had been at the Huan family for over a month, she wasn’t very familiar with Eleventh Brother. His temper was odd, and she wasn’t good at socializing to begin with, easily embarrassed. Now, regret began to creep in. Biting her lip, she was about to take it back.

Just as she moved, the boy swiftly snatched the peach shortbread from her hand, his quick motion brushing against her fingers.

Jiang Yuer jerked back as if scalded, quickly retracting her hand into her sleeve.

"I never said I didn’t want it!" the boy said haughtily. "Who takes back a gift?"

The boy's pride was fragile—though he clearly wanted it, he couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

Jiang Yuer noticed his pretense and smiled faintly, pressing her lips together.

Eleventh Brother caught the smile and suddenly realized that this Sixth Princess was kind of pretty—though not as pretty as Sister Lu.

No way! His elder brother liked Sister Lu, and he liked Sister Lu too. They were perfect for each other. As for this princess… though he didn’t know why his brother had suddenly agreed to marry her, in his heart, he still wished his brother could be with Sister Lu.

Sister Lu had been so kind to him when he was little. It was just a shame she had been implicated by her family…

No one knew of the boy’s private struggle. The rest of the journey home was spent in silence.