Chapter 146

Chapter 146

The heat within the tent gradually rose, the candle flame sputtered and danced on the table.

When their lips parted, the two stared at each other steadily. The unspoken feelings, once cracked open, ran wild, like long-denied desires suddenly fed, slowly eating away at each other's boundaries, until they dissolved into nothing.

Qi Hanzhou released him, his reason briefly returning after crossing that line.

As he rose, his wrist was suddenly caught.

He stopped cold.

“Don’t leave.”

The man sitting on the edge of the bed looked up, his eyes, once calm as a deep well, now tinged with the color of the lamplight. The lofty figure seemed dragged down by him, the gap in status vanishing like smoke.

In this moment, they were just each other.

That hand barely used any strength, yet Qi Hanzhou felt it heavy as a thousand-pound chain. He pulled back gently, and like an invisible chain, it drew him a step closer. The soft body touched him, and he pulled it onto the couch, the body in his arms like a treasure. As they fell, he instinctively reached to protect the back of his neck, and in doing so, he lost any chance of leaving.

The wind outside picked up, and the candle went out.

Two figures lay on the couch, like a haven of tenderness.

Ying Fusheng looked at the man next to him, his head pillowed on the other’s arm, wrapped in a reassuring scent.

He looked up at him, “I'm still dressed. It's uncomfortable.”

Qi Hanzhou paused, then carefully removed his outer robe for the first time. The sash came undone with a soft rustle.

Before, when the other was sick, Qi Hanzhou had helped him undress before, but now it felt different.

Ying Fusheng leaned into him, murmuring, “The Junior General's never served anyone.”

Qi Hanzhou slid the garment off gently, his heart skipping a beat. “Just you.”

When the lamp went out, only the howling night wind was left outside.

Faint moonlight came in with the lanterns of the patrolling soldiers. The smell of herbs hung in the tent. His undressed body was thin and warm, leaning in to draw coolness from him. Qi Hanzhou felt the heat rising. Countless times before, from his youth to now, he had stayed by this man's side through many nights, watching him sleep.

But this was the first time he had climbed onto this soft bed, lying side by side, sharing the same bed and body heat.

Qi Hanzhou couldn't help reaching out, covering those too-alluring eyes.

At the same time, he pulled the man into his arms, wrapping an arm around his back. The feel of his slender shoulder blade filled his heart to bursting, making him hold him even tighter. He'd already crossed the line too many times tonight, but now, he craved the warmth this person brought. Even if it meant crossing the line, he didn't want to let go.

“Sleep.”

...

When dawn came to Liangzhou City, the soldiers were already up training.

The Crown Prince's tent was in the innermost area. When the Light Garment Guards coming on duty arrived, they saw two guards standing at attention. Before they could say anything, they heard rustling from inside the tent.

The new guards tensed and moved to go in, but as they pushed open the tent flap, another figure walked out, carrying a faint herbal scent. Thinking it was an intruder, the guards had their swords half-drawn before they recognized the Junior General.

They quickly sheathed their swords and bowed, barely stopping themselves from rushing in.

The Junior General’s clothes bore some creases, his demeanor slightly different from usual. As he walked out, he was adjusting his wrist cuffs. Glancing at the guards, he ordered, “In an hour, have Miss Chen prepare the medicine. His Highness had a mild fever last night.”

The newly arrived guards quickly replied, “Yes!”

Only after Qi Hanzhou had walked away did they turn to their colleagues, exchanging questioning glances. Why was the Junior General here so early?

“He never left last night...” the night guard hinted.

The new guard: “Ah?”

He grew alert: “He was discussing matters with His Highness that late?”

The night guard turned and left, not daring to say more.

Late or not, the lamp in the tent had been out since the hour of Hai.

As the Light Garment Guards exchanged confused looks, the tent remained silent.

By the time the sun was high, Ying Fusheng slowly woke. After days of mental strain, he had not slept well. But last night, for a brief moment, he found peace. He had an unusually restful sleep—no nightmares, no startling awakenings. Even the clashing of weapons and shouts of training outside the tent failed to rouse him.

But as he opened his eyes, fatigue surged over him. The exhaustion he had suppressed for so long flooded in now that he had relaxed. Within half an incense stick of waking, a fever broke out. The heat robbed him of his senses; he lacked the strength even to get out of bed. When he tried to call out, his throat burned with pain, and a headache from the fever pounded through him.

He heard a soft sigh, and a cool hand touched his forehead.

He looked up to find Qi Hanzhou had returned at some point, bringing a basin of warm water.

He seemed just back from training, carrying a faint metallic scent. As he wrung out a towel and placed it on Ying Fusheng’s forehead, Ying Fusheng, his voice hoarse, took his hand and said, “I prefer this temperature.”

Qi Hanzhou didn’t reply, only placed his hand on the other’s cheek.

A martial artist’s body temperature is usually warm, but after being outside, the hand gradually warmed up. Qi Hanzhou worried it would make him uncomfortable, but to Ying Fusheng, the discomfort from the high fever had already blurred his sense of heat. He had lived through such days for many years; when feverish, he never said he was in pain, only talked about other things to shift the focus.

As he spoke, he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Qi Hanzhou watched him sleep, changed the cooling towel, and gently smoothed the frown that always appeared on his brow in slumber.

News of the Crown Prince’s illness spread within half a day.

Ying Fusheng’s tent was deep inside, and apart from meetings in the command tent, few visited him.

General Lu, when in court, had not been particularly fond of the Crown Prince—partly due to factional struggles, partly because he felt a crown prince should not be too frail. Yet this man had been the secure foundation for the smooth victory in the Western Shu campaign, from grain transport to pre-battle planning. Everything they had thought of, and what they hadn’t, the Crown Prince had arranged clearly.

“Is it serious? Can the army’s physicians come and help?”

General Lu and a group of military officers waited outside the tent. As soon as they left the command tent, they crowded around, still in their blood-stained armor, peering inside cautiously but not entering.

The Crown Prince was always businesslike with everyone, never building close ties with the generals. In past campaigns, ministers or inspectors would either drink to get close or find ways to curry favor. The Crown Prince did none of that. The generals had never spoken to him about anything beyond official matters, and he never mingled in the camp. When he had time, he stayed in his tent plotting marching routes.

They had known the Crown Prince’s health was poor, but seeing him bedridden with a high fever, these tough men for the first time felt at a loss. They stopped Miss Chen to ask about his condition, then dragged Old Man Wu aside to discuss things.

“A fever at this time might not be a bad thing,” Chen Xuqiu said. She had been very alert to Ying Fusheng’s condition from the start. Whenever something major happened, the Crown Prince held himself tightest. He never fell ill at critical moments, but once that tension relaxed, the fatigue from overexertion would backlash. “Better to let the string slacken than keep it taut.”

The generals were bewildered. A fever was a good thing?

Chen Xuqiu ignored them. The soldiers weren’t good at taking care of others, and Song An was still in the rear, arriving only in a few days.

For the time being, she had to handle everything herself. But the next day, she received a batch of medicinal herbs sent by the court army. A large pile was stacked at her tent entrance, leaving her momentarily speechless.

“Frontline medicine is scarce. Our army physicians asked around, and the brothers gathered some while training on the mountain today,” General Lu said. “See what you can use. If not, we’ll ask others.”

Local medicinal supplies in Liangzhou were already insufficient, and frontline medicines were always in short supply. Chen Xuqiu had been busy collecting them, but seeing these local herbs and the gathered soldiers, even if not all could be used, she did not want to refuse their goodwill.

"I'll take what I can use, and send the rest to the field hospital."

Chen Xuqiu said, "I thank you all on behalf of His Highness."

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, hoping the Crown Prince would recover soon.

But Ying Fusheng's illness lingered, and several days passed quickly.

Weng Yanqing arrived two days later, taking over the official duties left by Ying Fusheng, while Song An rushed over and immediately began sharing the workload of Chen Xuqiu and Wu Lao.

Everything at the front was urgent, and Ying Fusheng didn't want his illness to delay important matters. Whenever he was lucid, he would go over all the matters.

But whenever he tried to say more, Qi Hanzhou would stop him first.

Every night, Junior General Qi came over. The Light Garment Guards on duty at the entrance had grown accustomed to it. Even Ye Xuanjiu, every time he saw Qi Hanzhou, would hesitate to speak repeatedly, holding back for a long time. This made Ye Xuanqi, who was nearby, unable to bear it, and he blurted out what Xuan Jiu had told him in private: "Junior General, Xuan Jiu means you should pay more attention to His Highness's health."

Junior General already understood this, and he didn't understand why Xuan Jiu was so nervous.

Qi Hanzhou gave them a subtle look, and Ye Xuanjiu wished he could crawl into a hole.

Finally, Qi Hanzhou said, "You're overthinking things."

Ye Xuanjiu turned around and gave Ye Xuanqi a thorough beating, making the passing imperial troops nearly think the Light Garment Guards were having an internal conflict.

In Liangzhou City, a few days were enough for intelligence from northern Western Shu to be exchanged. The Liangzhou Army, encamped outside the city, heard news from northern Western Shu every day—where the imperial grain supply had reached, how the people of Youzhou and Yuzhou were being resettled, and what had become of the surrendered rebels... During this time, they calmed their anger, heard the news of the empire, were not deceived or misled, and watched as northern Western Shu gradually recovered.

On the fifth day after Liangzhou City was taken, the old general of Liangzhou chose to surrender.

This surrender seemed like a compromise, or like taking a great risk, trusting the imperial court one more time. The old general who made the decision even prepared to be cursed by other rebels—but if it could bring peace without casualties, with the people living and working in contentment, that was also their original wish. They laid down their arms, relinquished their power, and entered Liangzhou City, and the rebels were scattered to various places, compliantly following the court's resettlement plans. Several leading old generals were also waiting for the court's final decision.

The gates of Liangzhou City were only opened halfway, with the Liangzhou Army and the imperial army coming and going daily. As they awaited news from the court, Liangzhou finally experienced a rare peace after the turmoil of war. Grain supplies sent from the rear were distributed daily to the Liangzhou Army, and the city's residents had their household registrations processed and were relocated to safe areas for settlement.

Every day, scouts kept a sharp eye out for rebel forces in southern Western Shu, but the infighting there hadn't died down yet. The Prince of Qin’s Army had suffered several defeats, each time badly beaten by the Secret Faction. The imperial army had limited troops in Western Shu, and after nearly half a year of campaigning, they finally got a breather and used it to scope out the situation of the Secret Faction and the Prince of Qin.

But from the looks of it, the Prince of Qin's Army probably couldn't hold out much longer.

Yet, based on the situation, after the loss of the Liangzhou Army, the Secret Faction, together with the rebel forces of Marquis Cen'an from Jiangnan, added up to about eighty thousand troops.

Half of these were in Jiangnan, and half in Western Shu. Once these specifics emerged, the court finally got a clear read on the Secret Faction's military strength. With such numbers, the imperial army, after a brief reorganization and redeployment, could engage them in battle.

This valuable intel was gathered and sent to the front lines.

The urgent report of Liangzhou’s recapture had already been sent by fast horse to the capital. With Liangzhou reclaimed, most of northern Western Shu had returned to Dayuan. In recent days, multiple victory reports had been sent to the capital and to Jiangnan. As for the rebellious Western Shu garrison and civilians, the Crown Prince’s letter urging surrender reached the capital, sparking heated debates among civil officials. The war faction and the peace faction went at it nonstop, until the majority of officials ultimately sided with the Crown Prince. The Emperor gave the go-ahead, and after hashing it out with officials, a few clauses were tweaked.

Officials from the Ministry of Personnel in the court carried the imperial decree first to the Heavenly Barrier Pass to proclaim it, and the news spread swiftly across northern Western Shu.

Yet the trickiest issue was still the Liangzhou rebels. The unrest in Western Shu was largely instigated by the Liangzhou Army; rebellion was an act of defiance. While the court agreed to offer amnesty, it had to be decided based on specific circumstances, with all matters deferred until after the war.

Now that the Secret Faction still held sway in Western Shu and the hidden threat hadn't been fully wiped out, the court’s punishment for the Western Shu rebels would be determined only after the dust settled. Until then, the Liangzhou Army’s submission to the court gave them a chance to redeem themselves through merit.

When the news reached Liangzhou, several of the old Liangzhou generals, who had already braced themselves for the worst, found it unexpected.

“Where do you want to go?” Suddenly, General Lu asked this question.

“What?” The old Liangzhou general was taken aback.

“If you wish to stay in Liangzhou, then stay and guard the frontlines. If you want to go to the rear to resettle refugees, then go to the rear.” General Lu gazed at the distant mountains of Western Shu. “The Liangzhou Army is the Liangzhou Army. The Crown Prince does not intend to merge you into the imperial army. During wartime, you will still operate according to your own combat style.”

Upon hearing that this was the Crown Prince’s decision, the old Liangzhou general’s expression shifted slightly.

These days, they listened to Wu Lao talk about Dayuan beyond Western Shu—a peace and prosperity they had never seen before.

It seemed this vision was about to arrive in their Western Shu, too.

Noise and tranquility gradually spread across Liangzhou City.

"Over here!"

"Don't run around!"

Voices came from outside the tent. Song An, hearing the sounds, was about to step out and check, when he saw the prince, who had been bedridden for days, get up, simply draping an outer robe over himself as he walked out. As he lifted the tent flap, he saw several children running among the military tents in the distance, amidst the chaos, bringing a rare sense of calm.

Few people remained in Western Shu, mostly the elderly, women, and children who were unwilling or unable to leave, left helpless and alone. The work-for-relief program from Youzhou had also been arranged in Liangzhou. After Weng Yanqing arrived, he took charge of the matter alongside several civil officials from the Eastern Palace.

"They should be family members of the Liangzhou Army, brought into the city just two days ago. They probably aren't familiar with this area. I'll have someone escort them out," Song An said hurriedly.

Ying Fusheng shook his head, his gaze fixed on those lively children.

In military camps, families occasionally accompanied the troops, mostly for stationed forces. The Liangzhou Army was such a force—half civilian, half soldier, who rose up with whatever weapons they had. Once they laid down their defenses, they were no different from ordinary folk.

This was something Ying Fusheng had never seen in the capital or Jiangnan.

It was as if, through these people, he could glimpse what Dayuan had been like at its very beginning.

Suddenly, a child darted out. Song An was startled, unsure where he came from.

The nearby Light Garment Guard spotted him and immediately stepped forward to stop him.

The guard recognized the child as a local from Liangzhou, probably having crawled through a gap in the camp's defenses.

Ying Fusheng said, "Send him out. Don't give him a hard time."

But at that moment, the child struggled free, jumped down, and hurried over to Ying Fusheng.

"Mother said the Bodhisattva who saved our Western Shu is sick," the child said timidly as the Light Garment Guard held him down. He pulled out something he had been protecting close to his chest, timidly offering it to Ying Fusheng. His small hands, clutching the flower stem, were dirty, but the flower itself was clean. "A peace flower. Mother says if you wear a peace flower, you'll be safe and sound!"

The Light Garment Guard carefully examined it, confirmed it was safe, and then took the flower from the child's hand, handing it to Ying Fusheng.

It was a small white flower. Ying Fusheng couldn't tell what kind it was. He looked at the child, and as the child was lifted up by the guard, his eyes were bright and clear—a rare glimmer of light after recovering.

At that moment, he reached out and took the flower.

The flowers in Liangzhou City had bloomed.