The capital had been peaceful for the past few days, but there were undercurrents in the imperial court. Spring had finally come to an end, and after summer had begun, the continuous rain seemed to be endless. The entire city was covered in misty rain.
Right Army Commander Xiao Huaijin volunteered to be the commander and led the new soldiers to the Liang Province Guard. After Xiao Huaijin left, the situation in the imperial court changed again. The Crown Prince's faction was elated, and the word "happy" was almost written on their faces.
The common people still had no way of coming into contact with the matters of the imperial court, and they continued to live their daily lives. A few days ago, the capital Fan Family's young master had been killed, and the murderer had still not been found. The Fan Family had searched everywhere for the murderer, but they had failed, so they vented their anger on Lady Fan. Who would have thought that Madame Fan's family, the Minister of Household, was not an ordinary person. After waiting for a long time, after the seventh day of Fan Cheng's death, he forced Master Fan to write a letter to release his wife and take his daughter back to the manor. Tang Ying was in her prime, and her husband had died shortly after she married. How could the Tang family allow her to become a widow at such a young age? Naturally, they had to plan for her future. She and Fan Cheng had no children, so the Fan Family could do nothing.
In comparison, He Yan, who had been killed along with Fan Cheng and drowned in the Chunlai River, had become an insignificant supporting character in this incident. He didn't even have the right to be discussed. Other than the He family, no one mentioned him. It was as if He Yan had never existed in this world.
He Yunsheng went out wearing a bamboo hat as the rain grew heavier. After He Yan's accident, he had temporarily stopped going to the academy. He Yan had told him to go to the Willow Spring Residence to collect the letter in five days. Today was already the tenth day, and He Yunsheng finally found some time to go out. He was afraid that the Fan Family would be waiting outside to observe his movements. He Yan had fought so hard for the opportunity for the He family, so he couldn't let it be ruined in his hands.
In the past few days, he had already looked around the house. The Fan Family watching the He family had all withdrawn, and only then did he feel at ease to go out. He changed into an old set of clothes so that he wouldn't attract any attention. He lowered his head and wore a bamboo hat as he walked out of the back door, braving the rain.
He Yunsheng lived a life worse than death for the past ten days. He couldn't fall asleep every night. He wanted to hear news about He Yan, but he was also afraid to hear news about He Yan. Luckily, ten days had passed and the authorities had not caught He Yan yet. Perhaps from another perspective, He Yan was safe.
But he couldn't help but think, He Yan is still in the capital, where can she go? Other than the He Family, she didn't have any other friends, so she was bound to wander about. Did she eat well? Did she sleep well? Did she get bullied? Thinking of this, He Yunsheng quickened his pace.
The reason why Willow Spring Restaurant was called Willow Spring Restaurant was because there was a spring at the back door of the restaurant. Beside the spring was a row of willow trees. There were not many people in the tavern on this rainy day. He Yunsheng went in without anyone noticing.
He still remembered what He Yan said at that time.
"Go to the west of the city. There is a tavern called Willow Spring Restaurant. There is a row of willow trees in front of the tavern. Find the third willow tree from the left and dig three inches down. I will leave a letter for you there."
He Yunsheng squatted down.
He dug three inches down from the third willow tree from the left.
The soil that he dug out was still wet from the rain. As he dug, his fingers touched something hard. He Yunsheng's heart skipped a beat. His hands moved even faster. A moment later, he dug out an oiled paper bag. He didn't immediately open it to take a look. He only put the oiled paper bag into his arms and quickly filled it with the soil he dug out. Then he turned and left the tavern.
After he left, he trotted back home. When he got home, He Sui wasn't there. He Yunsheng went back to his room, locked the door, and took out the paper bag.
He had been holding it in his arms, so the paper bag wasn't wet. It was well protected. He Yunsheng opened the paper bag with trembling hands and saw what was inside.
There was a piece of clothing and a letter.
He Yunsheng opened the letter first. The letter was probably written in a hurry. The paper was crumpled and the handwriting was sloppy. It was probably flower paper used to wrap snacks for others. There were still oil stains on it. On the side without patterns, there were a few lines of flamboyant words written with a brush.
"I have joined the army and am going to Liangzhou. The mountains are long and the rivers are wide. After the cold spring, the hot summer follows. I hope you will cherish yourself. When we meet again in the future, please take care. "
He Yunsheng stared blankly at the few lines of words as if he didn't recognize them. After a moment, he finally understood. He gritted his teeth and went to take the clothing.
It was a summer shirt made by the old tailor. When He Yan parted with him that day, they each wore one in order to disguise themselves. This one was neatly folded by He Yan and sent back.
The material was very cold. When he touched it, he seemed to see the cool smile on the girl's face that day and her comforting words.
"Don't worry, we will meet again."
The room was silent.
After a moment, someone choked with sobs.
"Liar …"
He Yan, who was called a liar, didn't know that he was being scolded behind his back.
Speaking of which, they were already on the way from the capital to Liangzhou. This time, they recruited less than 20,000 soldiers. There were new recruits on the way. Now that summer had arrived, the journey became difficult. It was fine to leave early, but by noon, they were sweating profusely.
Hong Shan sat on the grass, eating dry food and picking up a leaf to fan himself. It was so hot that he grimaced. "Damn it, the weather is too hot. When will we reach the end?"
"It will take more than two months to reach Liangzhou from here." He Yan poured water into his mouth. "Take it slow."
"I miss the mung bean soup in the capital." Xiao Mai smacked her lips. "Put it in a bowl and soak it in the well for a few hours. Sprinkle some sugar on it. It's sweet and cold. It really quenches thirst!"
His description was so detailed that the people who listened swallowed their saliva.
"Don't talk about it. We're soldiers. Don't talk about mung bean soup. It's good enough that we don't starve." Hong Shan sighed. "If we want to eat it, we may have to wait until we receive a reward and get promoted. Then we can eat it, just like Military Governor Xiao."
He Yan laughed in his heart when he mentioned Xiao Jue.
She joined the army and followed everyone to Liangzhou. They traveled day and night and slept in a tent in the wilderness. Even so, she didn't even see Xiao Jue. He and his men rode at the front of the team. The tent they stayed in at night was different from the tent of the soldiers. In addition, He Yan knew that Xiao Jue was the most fastidious person when he was in the Xianchang Mansion. The second son of a Xiao family was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Even the princess was not as fastidious about his food and clothing.
Thinking about it, even if they were traveling now, his life was much better than theirs.
They were both young generals, but they had different fates. Now that she was reborn, she had actually become a soldier under his command. He Yan sighed. Who would believe it if he said it out loud? She still wanted to earn military merits and get promoted quickly. However, Xiao Jue was very picky. It was not easy to become a soldier under him.
What could she do? She had already been registered in the military register. She could only look at it as she walked.