Chapter 66

The secret passage was not spacious; someone as tall as He Xuan had to bend over to move forward. Thirty years had passed, and no one could guarantee if the passage would still lead smoothly to the deserted palace within the Forbidden City or if any accidents might occur along the way.

He Xuan could only take this gamble.

Having faced life and death on the battlefield multiple times, he had long placed life and death beyond his considerations.

The passage was eerily silent, except for the sound of their breathing and the occasional scurrying of insects, along with the faint rustle of wind.

These were all good signs, indicating that the passage ahead hadn’t collapsed or been blocked.

Warm dust brushed against He Xuan’s face as they progressed slowly. Despite the passage being relatively short, their pace felt exceptionally sluggish, and time seemed to stand still in the darkness.

Finally, they reached the end of the road.

He Xuan took a deep breath and listened intently for any sounds outside the passage. He cautiously raised a clenched fist to probe upward.

The Cold Palace was not as bustling as the abandoned mansion on the outskirts. In the pitch-black night, there were no lights except for the cold moon hanging high above the palace walls.

The servants dispersed to inspect the entire palace. “Young master, there’s no one around, and there are no guards outside the palace walls.”

He Xuan nodded slightly.

Although Mo Yin held control over the palace, given its vastness and the secrecy of this passage, a secret passed down through the He family, Mo Yin would unlikely anticipate someone gaining direct access from outside the palace.

At this tense and silent moment, He Xuan suddenly recalled Mo Yin’s indifferent remark atop the city tower.

“General He has the backing of a prestigious family, truly fortunate.”

His jaw tightened slightly. “Let’s go.”

The group retraced their steps through the passage and returned to the general’s residence under the cover of night.

In his chambers, He Xuan untied his belt and pondered deeply. He had a clear objective in mind—rescue the Crown Prince and support him in ascending the throne.

Among the three princes, the Crown Prince was the most wise and worthy of the title of monarch.

Mo Yin had imprisoned the Crown Prince in the Forbidden Palace, using the excuse of “smallpox.” Once the Crown Prince was rescued, the Royalist army would have their banner.

The palace’s defenses, the palace layout, potential allies within the palace… all of these needed to be investigated and refined.

This was a covert military operation.

He and Mo Yin were now the commanders facing off against each other.

They had fought side by side for so many years, only to find themselves at this juncture in the end.

Why? What was the reason behind all of this?

As He Xuan realized what he was doing, he found himself dressed in night attire, standing in a beautifully quiet courtyard. There were several blind spots in the courtyard, which he had already mapped out clearly on his last infiltration. The new Grand Master’s residence was indeed heavily guarded, but He Xuan found it insufficient in his eyes. Yet tonight, for some reason, there was no guard to be seen in the courtyard.

The previously broken window had been replaced with a new one. He Xuan leaned against the wall, hesitating to proceed.

It was the middle of the night, a rare moment of cool breeze in summer. He Xuan was about to scale the wall when he heard an extremely faint cough from inside the house.

Since the incident of coughing up blood in front of the maidservants, Mo Yin had dismissed all the guards and maidservants from the courtyard. Apart from using his apparent weakness as a tool to deceive his enemies, he disliked showing vulnerability in front of others.

This body was deteriorating rapidly. Despite it being a hot summer night, his hands and feet remained cold. Wrapped in a warm blanket, he had slept until midnight, but the coldness of the blanket woke him up. Unable to sleep any longer, he sat up, waiting for dawn.

Leaning against the headboard, Mo Yin coughed softly, his breathing slow, as if he were about to drift off to sleep again. However, sleep didn’t come easy; his chest was in pain, almost making him faint.

Feeling a thin porcelain touch on his lips, Mo Yin habitually opened his mouth and took a sip of water, only to choke and cough loudly. He pushed away the hand in front of him forcefully, clutching his chest as he scolded, “You clumsy fool, get out!” He squinted fiercely in the darkness, only to see a pair of clear, unmasked eyes.

Mo Yin paused for a moment before coughing even more violently.

He Xuan had been standing still, but seeing Mo Yin struggling to breathe, he stepped forward and mimicked the maidservant he had seen that day, offering Mo Yin some water.

This time, He Xuan didn’t give much, and Mo Yin was conscious enough to drink a few sips of warm water, alleviating the pain in his chest.

The room fell silent again, under the cover of darkness, with only the faint sound of Mo Yin’s slightly labored breathing due to his cough.

“You’re sick,” He Xuan spoke first, his voice sounding slightly altered through the fabric of his mask.

“Just an old ailment,” Mo Yin replied lightly.

He didn’t ask how He Xuan had suddenly broken in or what he was there for. The two of them started their most peaceful conversation since they reunited, as if they had agreed to meet, without any barriers.

“Have you had the Imperial Doctor look at you?”

“I’ve said it’s just an old ailment. What use would the Imperial Doctor be?”

He Xuan silently placed the tea bowl back on the table. “What about your maidservants?”

Mo Yin remained silent.

After a while, He Xuan turned around and reached out toward Mo Yin’s blanket.

Mo Yin glanced sideways, his eyes cold and indifferent in the darkness.

He Xuan pulled out a corner of the hot water bottle. “On such a hot day, why are you still using this?”

Mo Yin remarked, “General He, did you break into my residence in the dead of night just to serve as a maidservant?”

He Xuan’s face tensed, and he reached out to check Mo Yin’s pulse.

Mo Yin didn’t dodge, and with his mental strength still intact, his pulse seemed normal.

He Xuan didn’t notice anything wrong with Mo Yin’s pulse, but he felt Mo Yin’s wrist was extremely cold. While his palm was warm, Mo Yin’s hand felt like ice in his grasp. Before He Xuan could think further, he had already wrapped Mo Yin’s icy hand with his own.

Mo Yin remained still, and He Xuan’s hand felt like a furnace, warm and firm, more comfortable than the hot water bottle.

Both of them remained still and silent.

He Xuan felt as if he had returned to the border, with the vast sky above and endless sands before him. There were no emperors, no courtiers, no power struggles—nothing at all.

“Cheng Wu and Chen Niang got married last year.”

Mo Yin closed his eyes lightly. “Is that so?”

“The former clan leader passed on the position to Chen Niang, making Cheng Wu a son-in-law.”

A hearty smile of the sturdy man flashed across Mo Yin’s mind. He raised an eyebrow slightly. “That’s good.”

“Cheng Wu asked about you.”

Since Mo Yin had been away from Yongcheng for so long, Cheng Wu didn’t know Mo Yin had returned to the capital. He assumed Mo Yin was just too busy. Cheng Wu had come to the military camp, asking Li Yuan to help relay a message.

“Sir hasn’t visited the city for a long time. On the day Cheng Wu and I got married, could the general grant him a day off?” Li Yuan looked puzzled and didn’t give a definite answer. He simply acknowledged the request and returned to the tent. He Xuan was wiping his weapons. After hearing Li Yuan’s words, he fell silent for a moment before saying, “Understood.”

Li Yuan was baffled by He Xuan’s response and didn’t understand what he meant.

On the day of Cheng Wu’s wedding, He Xuan personally went to Yongcheng to offer his congratulations. Even so, when Cheng Wu didn’t see Mo Yin there, disappointment was evident on his face.

“The situation on the Yilan border has flared up again. The strategist has led troops to handle it.” He Xuan rarely lied, but his face was tight.

It was Chen Niang who comforted Cheng Wu. “Sir must be thinking of us, but military affairs are more important. Thank you, General, for attending Cheng Wu’s wedding.”

As he was leaving, Cheng Wu handed He Xuan a jar of wine. “I brewed this myself. Sir loves to drink.”

“He gave you a jar of wine,” He Xuan said, “It’s in your original military tent.”

Mo Yin opened his eyes. Their eyes met in the darkness, and after a moment, he said, “There are plenty of fine wines in the capital. Whether you drink or pour it out, it’s up to you.”

He Xuan stared into Mo Yin’s eyes, clear and sharp, devoid of any softness.

“You think this will sway me?” He Xuan, you’re too naive. You’ve been sheltered by the He family since you were young. Besides a few things on the battlefield, you don’t understand anything else. Do you think such trivial matters can shake my determination? Don’t forget, you’ve never beaten me.”

“The Great Prince is virtuous,” He Xuan said, “He would make a wise ruler.”

“And so what? Chen Niang is resolute and courteous, I believe she could also be a wise ruler.”

“This empire was built by the late Emperor Rui’s own hands. Matters of the throne cannot be compared to child’s play.”

“If he could conquer someone else’s empire back then, why can’t I seize his now?” Mo Yin retorted.

He Xuan had never dreamed that one day he would calmly debate with someone about whether or not to rebel. He continued, “Now that the world is at peace…”

“That’s because of my efforts,” Mo Yin interrupted.

He Xuan glanced at him.

“The late emperor was incompetent. Don’t tell me you were unaware,” Mo Yin said calmly.

“Why did the people of Shancheng rebel? Cai Shixin is hardly a strategic genius, yet why did so many follow him?” He Xuan asked.

“That’s because of corrupt officials neglecting their duties and embezzling funds meant for disaster relief,” Mo Yin replied.

“If the emperor doesn’t govern his subordinates strictly, isn’t it his fault? Being emperor means sitting high and mighty, taking credit for the good deeds of officials, and blaming them when they fail. Being emperor is quite comfortable. I’d like to sit in that comfortable position too,” He Xuan said sarcastically.

He Xuan realized he couldn’t convince Mo Yin.

Instead, he found himself wavering.

He Xuan released Mo Yin’s hand and turned away from him.

“He Xuan, you can be a general, and I can be a grand tutor. We both rely on our own abilities. So why can’t the throne be decided by ability as well?” Mo Yin’s voice echoed in the room.

He Xuan stood there for a long time before turning back. “Was Yan Qi really colluding with the rebels in Shancheng?”

“Of course,” Mo Yin replied without hesitation.

He Xuan blinked slightly. “You didn’t forge those letters.”

“No.”

The room fell into darkness and silence once again.

He Xuan stared at Mo Yin. “So, you’ve never considered me a friend?”

This time, Mo Yin fell silent. He leaned against the bed, looking somewhat distant. Time passed so long that He Xuan thought he wouldn’t answer, but finally, Mo Yin spoke.

“No.”

Mo Yin felt as if the temperature in the room had risen for a moment. He realized that one person’s intense joy could affect another person. Without a doubt, Mo Yin had lied in response to the first two questions, simply playing the role of a villain, telling lies. He could easily create plots and schemes while He Xuan was wavering, waiting for an opportunity to trap him.

All these deceptions and schemes were part of the war, something He Xuan, a victorious general, should understand.

But what about the last question?

Was he also lying?

He could deceive anyone, but there was one person he would never lie to—himself.

So when He Xuan embraced him, Mo Yin didn’t resist or avoid it.

He Xuan noticed that Mo Yin looked even thinner than when they parted three years ago.

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t feel it clearly through the fox fur back then, but now Mo Yin was only wearing an undershirt, and He Xuan could even feel the warmth of Mo Yin’s skin, which was also slightly cool. He Xuan hugged Mo Yin tightly, warming him with his own body temperature.

Not long ago, Mo Yin threatened to exterminate the entire He family, and he had also firmly stated that he would never bow down to He Xuan.

Their relationship was as tense as archenemies, with a seemingly insurmountable gap between them of rebellion and loyalty. Perhaps there were many more plots and lies…

But He Xuan still held Mo Yin tightly and carefully.

Mo Yin leaned against his chest, coughing lightly. He Xuan stroked his thin back, pulling the soft blanket over Mo Yin’s back, gradually feeling his breathing become steady.

It wasn’t until the first light of dawn shone through the window that He Xuan suddenly came to his senses. He lowered his head and saw Mo Yin’s pale cheeks, and dark eyelashes, resting against his chest, sleeping peacefully and contentedly.