After reading through all the letters, Han Yunxi had seen the crux of matters at Western Zhou: different generals were vying for supremacy. And Long Feiye still wants me to sleep? He has no choice but to keep chatting with me!
It had to be said that Long Feiye preferred to discuss matters with Han Yunxi instead of those reckless warriors like Baili Yuanlong. For one thing, he didnât need to explain as much to her; for another, this woman could always surprise him with her schemes.
The skirmished at Western Zhou had Emperor Kangcheng sending troops into Tianningâs borders frequently until he saw that the situation was dire. Now his soldiers were guarding the borders, leaving both sides at a stalemate. Long Feiye hadnât left many soldiers of his own in the west, so the main resistance force was made up of the chu Clan troops. After their sudden rebellion,[1] Long Feiye had transferred a few more battalions to beef up the ranks. Both the Baili and Ning armies were part of the forces at the western frontier, while two to three more branches laid in wait in the central regions. As long as Long Feiye gave the word, any one of them could head west to attack Western Zhouâs front lines, thus toppling the country within a year and eliminating its royal seat.
Long Feiye had recently been too busy to give orders, so the various generals began to guess at his intentions. They kept asking Long Feiye who he was sending to Western Zhou to gain military merits, then who would go into Western Zhou afterwards to take over the country.
But Long Feiyeâs thoughts were a mystery, so every one of the generals began to contend with each other and send letters asking for permission to act, hoping to be the main commander of the western expedition. It began with the Baili and Ning Clan troops, then involved the central regions when their respective commanders received support from the various established families and financial groups.
The Baili and Di Clanâs Ning family had always been at loggerheads, so they didnât merit much comment. But the competition between the other forces were out of insecurity towards their future positions. If they couldnât maintain their position, theyâd have tough days ahead.
If this was the past, Long Feiye could stll send a contingent west. Now he had to consider the problem from all angles before he acted.
âIâve come up with a good idea,â Han Yunxi grinned.
Although Long Feiye long knew the gist of handling the western borders, he was willing to hear her out. âWhat will it take to make you talk?â he asked. Heâd seen through her machinations before she even started asking for favors.
Han Yunxiâs smile turned sly. âThereâs only one condition! I promise you wonât lose out.â
âSpeak,â Long Feiye smiled helplessly back.
âTake me into the army!â Han Yunxi was dead serious. Although Long Feiye hadnât arranged for her to leave Medical City yet, she knew heâd make her go to look after her baby.
As expected, Long Feiyeâs expression darkened at her words.
âI donât mind if you find a few extra Zhao mamas to look after me. Iâll be good and listen to everything you say, eat the things Iâm supposed to eat, and sleep when Iâm supposed to sleep. As long as you bring me and the baby along!â Han Yunxi declared.
Long Feiye looked at her silently, making Han Yunxi grow nervous. She added, âI can agree to all and any terms if I can come with you. Long Feiye, you definitely wonât go to the battlefields or Northern Li. Youâll likely stay within Tianningâs army camp.â
Long Feiye arched his brows. âYouâre so certain?â
âYou should be staying in the Tianning army for at least two to three months before joining me in the south around New Yearâs, right?â Han Yunxi asked.
Long Feiye wanted to say no, but those were his exact plans.
âSo youââ Han Yunxi didnât get to finish as Long Feiye took her by the hand.
âThere are too many chaotic things in an army camp. Iâm afraid itâll affect your rest. Moreover, the army camp is far away from any towns and goods are scarceâŠâ So speaking, he wiped her nose lovingly and sighed. âIâm afraid you and the baby wonât have anything good to eat.â
Han Yunxi arched her brows at him. âThatâs an excuse!â she accused. âNone of those are real problems! Speak, you just think my big stomachâs a whole heap of extra trouble, isnât it?â
Long Feiye didnât know whether to cry or laugh. He couldnât come up with a rebuttal. Seeing this, Han Yunxi grew gleeful. She knew bringing that upâŠwould definitely work! Looking wronged, she muttered, âEnough of that, Iâm not talking to you anymore. You can send me wherever you want, Iâm going to bedâŠâ
As she spoke, she lied down and turned her back to him to âsleep.â At last, Long Feiye realized that this woman hadnât gone to the study to help him with his work at all. She just wanted to talk about going to the army with him! He looked at her form with knitted brows and didnât speak.
No matter how chaotic or scarce an army camp might be, his worries were nothing as long as he was willing to take care of her well. He was only concerned that sheâd know too much and tire herself out instead of relaxing and resting. After all, there were plenty of conflicts and power struggles that would start from the army camps there.
Long Feiye continued to crease his brows as Han Yunxi laid there waiting with open eyes. She was counting from one to ten and had already reached seven, her patience running thin. However, Long Feiye scooted over by the time she got to nine.
In a soft voice, he said, âTell me the chessboard you were planning, quick.â
Han Yunxi gave a start before she turned around, thrilled. âYou agreed?â
âIf itâs a good plan, Iâll agree. If it isnât, go to the Plum Blossom Sea and wait for me obediently there,â Long Feiye said.
Han Yunxi looked at him before bursting into laughter. He was putting up such an obvious front. Had he ever been dissatisfied with any of her schemes?
âGiving up!â Han Yunxi declared. âJust tell them that we donât want a fight, just a peaceful surrender.â
Long Feiye only stared at her, speechless. His original plans were to listen to all the plans of the generals before picking one amongst them. But Han Yunxiâs idea was even better! He didnât have to give any orders or make any choices. All he had to do was show their stance and let the underlings vie amongst themselves. Whoever had the skills to make the Western Zhou army surrender would be charge of managing its affairs thereon.
Of course, the most important point was that Long Feiye wouldnât need to express his views on this matter at all, leaving his intentions inscrutable to his subordinates vying with each other for his attention. If the master of a household wanted to stabilize his position, he had to be impartial; the same went for a sovereign of a nation.
Naturally, it was impossible for anyone to be truly impartial. Whether it was a single incident or matters of state, no true impartiality existed. Nor was a pure neutral stance the best way to rule a country. Now with hundreds of incidents and the whole chessboard poised for a reshuffle, the battle between factions had already turned turbulent. What Long Feiye needed to do now was to take a middling stance and keep his thoughts and preferences private.
âWhat are you looking at? Did I say the wrong thing?â Han Yunxi asked.
Long Feiye smiled wordlessly, three parts helpless and seven parts doting.[2]
âSay something! What are you smiling for?â Han Yunxi fretted. He should understand what Iâm getting at!
âItâs really a shame youâre not ascending the throne as an emperor yourself,â Long Feiye said sincerely.
Han Yunxi gave a start before she grinned. âI prefer to have your babies instead.â
Without a word, Long Feiye rose and walked out of the room. Soon enough, Han Yunxi heard him instructing Xu Donglin to give orders to the Baili battalion stationed in Tianning to find a quiet place for setting up camp. They were to also set up a tent and provide adequate water and rations. Zhao mama would be sent over ahead of time to make arrangements for the servants.
The weight on Han Yunxiâs chest finally lifted as she began to imagine her future days. That night, Long Feiye stayed by her bedside while the couple poured over the letters. Gradually, she trailed off into a peaceful sleep.
â
Late at night, Gu Qishao was jolted awake because Gu Beiyue had materialized out of thin air to take his pulse by his bedside.
âWhat are you doing?!â Gu Qishao retracted his arm, on guard.
âYou promised the princess beforehand that youâd let me take a good look once we returned to Medical City. She and His Highness were asking all about it this afternoon,â Gu Beiyue said seriously.
âEven if they asked you in the afternoon, you didnât have to drop by in the middle of the night!â Gu Qishao huffed.
âWhen else could I find you if not now?â Gu Beiyue rebutted.
âTomorrow morning! I want to sleep tonight, so I wonât be seeing you out,â Gu Qishao was in good enough spirits to show a slight smile.
Itâd be strange if I could find you tomorrow! Gu Beiyue hadnât been able to find Gu Qishao that morning, so after coming back from Clearbreeze Peak in the afternoon, heâd kept searching until night fell. If he hadnât found Gu Qishao in his rooms tonight, he would have assumed the man had gone missing again.
âIâm only taking your pulse, so it wonât affect your rest. Go sleep,â Gu Beiyue said gently.
Gu Qishaoâs smile dropped as his voice turned cold. âGu Beiyue, are you getting lost or not?â
Gu Beiyue simply grabbed Gu Qishaoâs wrist without a word. Gu Qishao knocked him aside and prepared to flee. In two somersaults, he was at the door. âBye!â
Gu Beiyue didnât chase after him. âQishao,â he said, âIf you canât abide by your promise to the princess, Iâll have no choice but to trouble her with the news.â
Gu Qishao froze. Then he insisted, word by word, âIâm fine! I wonât die!â
âGo tell that to the princess yourself.â As Gu Beiyue spoke, he suddenly appeared by Gu Qishaoâs side and gripped him by the shoulder. This time, Gu Qishao couldnât break free no matter how he tried, so he was forced to submit. Without a word, he turned impatiently towards his room and sat down, offering Gu Beiyue his arm.
Gu Beiyue took his pulse for a long time and kept feeling that something was wrong, but couldnât figure out what. He asked, âQishao, your pulse is very unique, different from normal humans. Itâs impossible for me to get a proper reading. Have you been feeling any more hunger pangs in the past two days?â
âHow could I be hungry when your medical academy serves such good food?â Gu Qishao retorted.
âThen what about exhaustion? Do you still feel out of energy?â Gu Beiyue asked next.
1. Reminder that this was the Li Clanâs adherents within the ranks that rebelled, not Chu Tianyinâs original revolt.
2. Isnât it interesting how Chinese expressions like to take comparisons out of ten? In English weâd use âhalf hopeless, half dotingâ but here itâs a clear 30/70 percent divide. Youâll see this in similar expressions of other novels too.