Chapter 7

As she was about to step through the back gate of the General’s Mansion, Jiang Lianzhi stopped her with a shout, “Why?”

Shen Yu’s foot was already inside the door, but at his words, she hesitated. The entrance had a few steps, giving her a higher position as she looked down at him.

“Because I already have someone I like. Is that reason enough?” she replied.

“Who?” Jiang Lianzhi approached, showing no signs of giving up.

Shen Yu didn’t really have anyone she liked. If she hesitated for even a moment, she would give herself away.

“Master Lan Yue,” she said, and then slammed the door shut with a bang.

The sound of the door startled Lu Yao. “Miss Shen has quite a temper. I don’t think she’s even crippled. She walked quite fast.”

Jiang Lianzhi looked at the closed door for a while before smiling faintly. Shen Yu didn’t really know anyone named Master Lan Yue. She probably just heard it from someone else and dared to use it to brush him off. It would depend on whether he believed her or not.

Lu Yao looked at Jiang Lianzhi’s expression, wondering why his master was smiling at the lantern.

Could he be crazy? He’s being rejected, yet he’s smiling so happily.

“Master, if Miss Shen doesn’t marry…” Lu Yao’s voice trailed off.

“She will marry,” Jiang Lianzhi turned and walked towards the alley confidently. “She will definitely marry me, and only me.”

With several masters often stationed on the border, and not many maids and servants in the General’s Mansion, most of the servants had already retired at this hour.

Shen Yu and Lu Yao chose a less populated path, making their way smoothly into the courtyard without any obstacles.

Lu Yao had been muttering quietly along the way.

“Have you seen Master Lan Yue, Miss? Is he more handsome than Deputy Jiang?”

“I heard that Master Lan Yue is elegant and refined. Is that true?”

“Miss, Miss?”

Shen Yu said sternly, “Shut up!”

Lu Yao fell silent.

North Prince Xie Yun, with the courtesy name Tingzhou, the title of Master Lan Yue somehow got out. It was said to have originated from “stopping the boat to embrace the moon, admiring the clear sky in the late mountains.”

Shen Yu had never seen Xie Yun in her previous life. She only remembered that the Prince Xie started military exploits at the age of fourteen, driving the Northern barbarians out hundreds of miles, becoming a killing god that terrified enemy forces at the border.

Unfortunately, he was later injured on the battlefield and lost his martial arts skills, somewhat similar to her own fate. Later, with the change of imperial power, the new emperor feared the North Prince and plotted to kill him outside the Chengtian Gate.

A generation of heroes fell, which was indeed lamentable.

“Don’t be so sullen, say something,” Lu Yao urged anxiously.

Shen Yu came back to her senses and said softly, “Think for yourself. If he’s as elegant as they say, what did he rely on when he was on the battlefield? Did he use his charm to enchant the enemy?”

Lu Yao suddenly realized, “Right, but I’ve heard such rumors. They say that when the enemy saw the Master Lan Yue on the battlefield, they froze in place, forgetting even to draw their swords.”

Shen Yu had been on the battlefield herself, where life and death were decided in an instant. Who would be so distracted as to forget their own lives? Such rumors were believable to those who wanted to believe them, but she definitely didn’t.

“The rumor about him scaring people into stupidity might have some persuasive power.”

“But not all rumors are false, right? He doesn’t go to the battlefield anymore, does he?” Lu Yao asked.

Shen Yu pondered for a moment. “That makes sense. He was seriously injured on the battlefield earlier, reportedly poisoned by an arrow. After that, he never went to battle again. The North is wealthy, and the young masters there are all elegant. After he retired, he might have found another path.”

Most of the lights in the courtyard had been extinguished by now. The two of them had slipped out secretly, and upon their return, Shen Yu called out softly.

“Hongqiao”

Hong Qiao had been pretending to be the young lady in bed all night. When she heard Shen Yu’s voice, she quickly turned over, got out of bed, and pulled back the curtain.

“You’re finally back. Young Master came earlier, but I managed to fob him off.”

“He didn’t suspect anything?”

“No,” Hong Qiao replied.

Shen Yu removed all her hairpins, jewelry, and accessories, tossing them onto the dressing table. Then she took out a small packet of medicinal powder from her sleeve pocket and sat in front of the dressing table, lost in thought.

Jiang Lianzhi seemed to have taken the wrong medicine or been struck by lightning. He had deviated from the path of his previous life, unsure if his father and brother would follow the same course of action, going to the battlefield.

If she remembered correctly, the urgent report of the West Jie army’s invasion would be submitted to the Ministry of War on the ninth day of the ninth month. The Cabinet had already discussed the commanders to lead the troops. On the morning of the eleventh, her father and brother would enter the palace and leave the capital for Yanliang Pass.

As long as she could prevent her father and brother from entering the palace, the Cabinet would naturally discuss selecting other commanders. The war was urgent, and the Emperor would not delay. Once the imperial decree was issued, her father and brother would be safe.

The next day was the Double Ninth Festival.

Originally, they were supposed to climb high to worship their ancestors and enjoy the chrysanthemums, but the General’s Mansion was closed to guests. Only two physicians were invited from the largest medical clinic in the capital.

For some reason, three members of the Shen family fell ill: General Shen, Young General Shen, and the rumored crippled young lady of the Shen family.

It was like a mountain collapsing, and all three were bedridden, unable to get up.

Shen Yu lay in bed, having vomited five or six times already that day. Her body was weak, and she felt as if half of her life had been drained away. Presumably, her father and brother were not faring any better.

“Miss, wake up quickly, something’s happened.”

Shen Yu opened her eyes drowsily, feeling weak all over. She realized that her symptoms were even worse than yesterday.

“What’s wrong?”

Hong Qiao squatted beside the bed, wiping the sweat from her neck with a handkerchief, her face full of worry. “The General has entered the palace.”

“What?!” Shen Yu immediately sat up from the bed. “Isn’t father sick and unable to attend court? He could barely walk yesterday.”

Lu Yao furrowed her brow and continued, “People from the palace came again, this time even the imperial physicians were sent. I don’t know what happened over there. After some noise, the General left.”

Shen Yu quickly threw off the covers and tried to get out of bed, but her legs gave way as soon as she touched the ground.

“How long has it been since he left?”

Lu Yao supported her arms and said, “Just about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea.”

“We might still catch up,” Shen Yu instructed. “Hong Qiao, you ride ahead to intercept him, tell him it’s my order. Also, prepare a carriage for me.”

She had been careless. She thought that as long as she prevented her father from entering the palace, there would be room for maneuver. The court could certainly dispatch other commanders. As long as they received the imperial decree, they would have more time to investigate.

But she had underestimated Shen Zhong’an.

The Shen family had been in the military for generations, but they held no titles. Shen Zhong’an had earned his position as a general through his military achievements, climbing step by step from the sea of corpses on the battlefield to his current position. His sentiments toward the border were much deeper than toward the capital.

When war came, let alone not being able to get out of bed, even if he had to crawl, he would crawl to the border.

Just as dawn was breaking, the carriage raced all the way. When they reached the palace gate, they didn’t see Shen Zhong’an, only Hong Qiao, who had been sent to intercept him, anxiously waiting there.

“Haven’t caught up?” Shen Yu lifted the curtain of the carriage and asked.

Hong Qiao’s cheeks were flushed, having ridden her horse frantically, she was covered in sweat. “We did catch up, and I said everything, but we simply couldn’t stop him.”

Shen Yu’s heart sank. Before she could come up with a plan, she suddenly heard the sound of hoofbeats nearby.