Chapter 132 Has Tuo Baxiao been planning to move south these years?…

Chapter 132: Has Tuo Baxiao Considered Moving South in Recent Years...

Watching Su Li being chased by Lingxiao, running for cover with none of his usual general's composure, Jiang Congyan almost laughed but held it in. She asked sternly, "Why are you at my tent? Did you do something? Otherwise, why would Lingxiao attack you?"

"I didn’t do anything, really, I didn’t!" Su Li pleaded his innocence, still running and shooing Lingxiao away. "Damn bird, scram!"

Hmph. What divine bird? To him, it was more like a spoiled brat. If any ordinary bird dared scratch him like this, he’d have had it shot down long ago.

"Really?" Jiang Congyan sounded skeptical.

"Really, really! Khatun, please call your bird off!" Su Li was about to cry.

After teasing him a bit more, Jiang Congyan knew when to quit. "Lingxiao, come back," she called out loudly.

Lingxiao seemed reluctant, making sure to flap its massive wings to give Su Li a parting swipe before flying back to Jiang Congyan’s side.

It couldn’t be bothered to look at Su Li, landing and calmly preening its feathers, completely unbothered.

Seeing this, Su Li was even more pissed off.

Twice now—he’d been clawed by this damn bird twice!

Jiang Congyan finally took in Su Li’s state. His braided hair had come undone, and his clothes at the shoulders and arms were torn by Lingxiao’s claws, with a bit of blood seeping through.

Yet he ignored those injuries, immediately checking his face first to ensure it wasn’t scarred.

Last time Lingxiao had left bloody scratches, it took months for the scars to fade before his good looks returned. During that time, he hadn’t dared to ask Lan Zhu out, afraid she’d be repulsed—after all, she’d once complimented his looks.

After finishing its grooming, Lingxiao nuzzled up to Jiang Congyan’s leg and gave a proud "Yo!" before lifting its neck for her to pet.

Jiang Congyan chuckled, giving it an absent pat before turning her gaze to Su Li. "What exactly are you here for?"

Her voice was deliberately cold, her presence commanding.

Su Li felt an invisible pressure. Seeing her frosty expression and the way she rhythmically petted Lingxiao’s head, it was like one wrong word would send the bird after him again.

"I... I just..."

"Just what?" Jiang Congyan narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp.

Su Li mumbled for a long time but couldn’t spit it out—it was just too embarrassing.

Seeing his flustered state, Jiang Congyan barely kept her stern expression.

She’d already guessed Su Li hadn’t done anything truly wrong—otherwise, Lingxiao wouldn’t have only been messing with him. But since he’d come to her of his own accord, letting him go that easy would be a waste.

"Khatun, could you... help me? Talk to Lan Zhu, get her to forgive me." Su Li finally came out with it.

"No."

Her immediate refusal left Su Li stunned.

"Why not?"

"Why should I help you? Have you forgotten you offended me not long ago?"

"I..." Su Li had nothing to say. It was true—that incident was why Lan Zhu was angry with him. But he was desperate; he’d tried everything else.

Su Li lowered his eyes, visibly dejected. Just as he thought this approach wouldn’t work either, he heard her voice again.

"But it's not entirely impossible."

Su Li abruptly lifted his eyelids, gaping at her.

"Come in," Jiang Congyan threw the words behind her and walked into the tent alone.

Su Li hesitated for a moment but eventually followed her inside.

Jiang Congyan took her seat at the head of the tent, watching Su Li standing there awkwardly. She raised her arm and pointed to a nearby chair. "Sit."

Su Li cautiously sat down. Even now, he felt a sense of unreality—she had just refused him, only to agree moments later. So unpredictable? Han people really are scheming.

He couldn't figure out her motives at all, and without realizing it, his arrogance had completely faded, leaving him just wary.

"First, explain to me clearly what happened earlier. Lingxiao never attacks without reason," Jiang Congyan said.

Su Li slapped his thigh indignantly. "I was just walking around your tent a couple of times, trying to figure out how to approach you. Then I suddenly saw this blasted—uh, Lingxiao. I just glanced at it, and it started chasing me nonstop!"

Jiang Congyan understood. His earlier fight with her third brother had pegged him as an enemy in Lingxiao's eyes, and his suspicious behavior had only made it worse.

Of course, she wasn’t about to blame Lingxiao for this—Su Li had asked for it.

"You want me to persuade Lan Zhu for you?" Jiang Congyan got back to the point.

"Really?" Su Li's eyes lit up as he leaned forward.

"Of course."

"Thank—"

"Don’t thank me yet." Jiang Congyan raised her palm. "I have a condition."

"Not just one—even ten! As long as Lan Zhu forgives me, I’ll agree to anything," Su Li declared, standing up.

Jiang Congyan smiled at him. "No need for ten—just one. Do one thing for me."

"What is it?"

Jiang Congyan said casually. "A few days ago, the Khan announced the adoption of Han writing among the Xianbei. Right now, I’m short-handed to help me promote it and sign people up. I wonder if General Su Li would be willing to assist me with this?"

Su Li’s eyes widened, and he jumped up, taking a step back.

"No way. Not happening," he said firmly.

Forget about others, even his own Daxi clan had no interest in learning those Han characters—not only that, they wanted to persuade the Khan to abandon the idea altogether. And now she wanted him to help her promote it and sign people up?

This one task was harder than ten combined. Su Li turned to leave.

"Ah, well. Never mind, then." Jiang Congyan sighed with feigned regret. "Lan Zhu is so much better. Knowing I was troubled by this, she volunteered for it just two days ago."

"Lan Zhu?" Su Li’s legs rooted to the spot as he stiffly turned his head back.

"She didn’t tell you? Oh, right—you two are still fighting. It’s only natural she wouldn’t mention it," Jiang Congyan said with a smile.

Su Li had no intention of agreeing to her condition, but now that Lan Zhu was involved, he was completely torn between leaving and staying, utterly conflicted.

"If it’s too much for you, I won’t force you."

Su Li thought, perhaps he should just let it go—he couldn’t betray his family. But then she changed tack: "In three days, Lan Zhu will depart for the tribal regions and will be away from the royal court for at least three months. General Su Li, you should act fast to win her over."

Su Li’s eyebrows nearly flew off his face in shock, his eyes widening. "Three months?"

"Hmm," Jiang Congyan nodded. "And that’s if everything goes smoothly. If not, four or five months is possible."

Su Li scratched his head in frustration. "Can’t you assign someone else?"

Jiang Congyan’s voice turned cold. "Do I need your permission to assign tasks?"

"That’s not what I meant..." he muttered, lowering his voice.

"If you’re unwilling, then you’re dismissed." Jiang Congyan stood up, gesturing toward the entrance.

Su Li dragged his feet to the door. Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly turned back.

"I agree."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Su Li reasoned with himself—this was the royal decree. If he refused, someone else would take the job. Three months away meant three months alone with Lan Zhu. If he didn’t agree, what if Lan Zhu ended up liking someone else?

After convincing himself, Su Li finally made up his mind and met her gaze steadily.

Jiang Congyan smiled. "Good. Then I’ll appoint you and Lan Zhu as envoys for the Han script reform. The specifics and requirements will be explained to you later."

Su Li clasped his hands eagerly. "And Lan Zhu..."

"I promised to help persuade her, and my word is bond."

"When will you—"

"If Lan Zhu is free, I’ll call her over soon."

"Perfect!" Su Li almost leapt for joy.

Jiang Congyan looked at him with uncharacteristic warmth. Whether he was sincere or not, as long as he did this for her, others would see it as his endorsement of Tuo Baxiao’s Sinicization reforms.

Da Xi Su Li, the Da Xi family—settled.

She immediately summoned an Imperial Guard to relay the message. Su Li waited eagerly, and soon enough, Lan Zhu arrived.

"Sister Ah Yan, you called for me—" she called out cheerfully, her voice preceding her. But as she stepped into the tent and spotted Su Li, she went quiet.

"What are you doing here?" She turned her face away, unwilling to look at him.

Before Su Li could explain, Jiang Congyan cut in, "General Su Li and I discussed some matters. General Su Li, you’re excused."

Su Li exited with lingering backward glances, burning to know how she’d persuade Lan Zhu, but he didn’t dare disobey.

Once Su Li was completely gone, Jiang Congyan walked over to Lan Zhu, guiding her to a side chair and summoning a maid to bring butter tea and sweets.

"Truth be told, Su Li came today to ask for my help."

"He’s so annoying," Lan Zhu grumbled, cheeks pink.

"You guessed it before I even said what it was about," Jiang Congyan said with playful reproach.

Lan Zhu averted her gaze, her cheeks burning hotter.

Jiang Congyan quit teasing her and asked, "You still like Su Li, don’t you?"

Lan Zhu didn’t want to admit it, but she couldn’t lie either. She just lowered her head and picked at her fingers. "He’s too impulsive. And... I’m not as keen on marrying him anymore. I really like my life now. If I marry him, can I still keep being a general? I like Qiu Liju, but I don’t want to end up like her—not that there’s anything wrong with how she is. Ugh, I can't quite put it into words..."

Lan Zhu spilled her thoughts in fragments, her words disjointed and illogical, but Jiang Congyan understood.

The Xianbei didn't have the rigid traditions of the Central Plains, but due to the natural physical differences between men and women, their society was still male-dominated, where women took a backseat.

Noblewomen could hold some status, but female slaves were treated little better than livestock. For someone like Lan Zhu, who now commanded an army of ten thousand left by the Sixth Prince and managed tens of thousands of herders, this was practically unprecedented.

If she married Su Li, he'd inevitably call the shots.

But do you have to give up love for the sake of career? Jiang Congyan didn’t think that was much of a trade-off.

"Su Li has his share of flaws, but the most important thing is his character."

"You’ve spent more time with him than I have, so you should know him better. As long as he respects you, supports what you want to do, and you still like him, then you can be together."

"If you’re unsure, feel him out some more. You don’t have to marry him right away—just seeing each other is fine too."

Jiang Congyan’s tone was clear and unhurried, naturally calming.

"Seeing each other?"

"Right. Before marriage, you still hung out together—that’s seeing each other. Just keep doing what you did before."

"You can tell him your thoughts. If he agrees, keep at it. If he doesn’t—hmph—then drop him."

Lan Zhu tilted her head and thought for a moment. "That sounds good."

Jiang Congyan ruffled her hair affectionately. "In short, communicate more deeply and lay your cards on the table. That way, you’ll know if he’s the right one."

"Mhm, I’ll listen to you, Sister Ah Yan."

...

"Khatun, you promised to help me persuade Lan Zhu."

The next day, Su Li barged into Jiang Congyan’s quarters again, fuming.

"I did persuade her," Jiang Congyan replied calmly.

"But she still hasn’t forgiven me or agreed to marry me!" Su Li’s voice was aggrieved.

Jiang Congyan kept her cool. "I only promised to persuade her, not that she’d definitely marry me."

Su Li: "..."

He felt hoodwinked.

"If General Su Li isn’t satisfied with this outcome, we can scrap our arrangement. Though I fear if Lan Zhu finds out, how she sees you might..." She deliberately trailed off.

Su Li: "..."

He was ready to blow a gasket.

"I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it," he bit out through gritted teeth.

"General Su Li truly lives up to his word as a Xianbei warrior," praised Jiang Congyan.

Su Li: "..."

—

Traveling light and moving quickly, Zhang Xun finally returned to Liangzhou by the end of April.

After two grueling months on the road, he was finally home. Upon hearing the news, everyone rushed to gather around him.

"Where’s the letter from Chang Shengnu? Hand it over!" said Madam Cui.

"How’s Ah Yan holding up with the Xianbei?" asked Zhang Hongying.

"Is Tuo Baxiao as ugly as they say?"

"Third Brother, are those Ah Yan’s gifts for us?" Zhang You asked keenly.

Zhang Xun: "...Couldn’t you at least ask if I’m tired from the journey or if I encountered any dangers?"

"You’re fine, aren’t you? No need to fuss. Besides, you’re a man—suck it up. Quit whining and tell us about Ah Yan’s situation among the Xianbei," Zhang Hongying said mercilessly.

Zhang Xun: "..."

Fine, but no tea first? Harsh.

Once the chaos settled, Zhang Xun recounted everything he had seen and heard in detail, though he omitted the part where Su Li had come to trouble him.

"So, this Tuo Baxiao isn’t as brutal as the rumors say. From Third Brother’s description, he seems quite protective of Ah Yan," Zhang You remarked.

"What’s so special about that? He married Ah Yan—of course he should treat her well," Zhang Hongying rolled her eyes.

"Exactly," Zhang Yinhua piped up.

"What does he look like? Is he worthy of Ah Yan?" Zhang Hongying asked.

Zhang Xun: "He’s… fine."

"What do you mean ‘fine’? Is he handsome or ugly?" Zhang Yinhua pressed, dissatisfied.

Ugh, yes, he’s handsome. Satisfied now?" Zhang Xun snapped.

"How good-looking are we talking?"

Zhang Xun couldn’t understand why the girls were so fixated on another man’s appearance, but under their relentless questioning, he finally said, "He’s a few inches taller than me, well-built, clean-shaven, with fairly regular features. Other than the green eyes, he could pass for Central Plains."

Oh yeah—Tuo Baxiao’s half-Han.

The two sisters imagined him and concluded he probably wasn’t ugly, and wouldn’t look out of place beside Ah Yan. That settled their worries.

After the excitement, by evening, the whole family had assembled—even Zhang Lingxiao, who was already married, came back just for this. Everyone read their letters, received their gifts, and gave Zhang Xun a hard time.

After dinner, the Marquis of Liangzhou summoned his two sons, eldest grandson Zhang Yan, and third grandson Zhang Xun to the study.

The study’s mood shifted from cheerful to serious. "Third Son, from what you’ve seen, will Tuo Baxiao invade the south soon?" Zhang Wei asked.