On the surface, he merely scratched the back of his head. "If she wanted to die, of course she wouldn't let us find out. Hmm? What's that on the table?"
There appeared to be another ball of paper on the table, soggy and wet.
"See for yourself." He Chunhua let out a breath full of venom. "Hong Chenglüe sent another message."
He Lingchuan opened the paper ball and looked. Sure enough, it was in the same handwriting as last time:
"I hope you will return my wife's body."
The brushstrokes bit deep into the paper, making it plain how heavily suppressed the writer's emotions were.
"What do you plan to do, Father? Return it?"
He Chunhua fell silent for a long moment before waving a hand. "Return it."
He Lingchuan gave an affirmative murmur. Just as he was about to step outside, He Chunhua suddenly asked, "Tell me, why did she do this?!"
"I..."
Before He Lingchuan could speak, He Chunhua continued in a furious burst, "It was only a peace talk! If it worked, it worked; if not, we would talk again! I didn't want her life, nor did I want her husband's life, and I was going to release her after three months! Why be so fierce, so resolute?!"
"This probably..." He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "Had nothing to do with you, Father, right?"
He Chunhua's eyes widened. "Nothing to do with me?!"
Nothing to do with him? Then why did A-Jin choose that exact moment to take her own life!
"Perhaps she didn't want to drag Hong Chenglüe down anymore. Once dead, everything is over and done with," He Lingchuan said. "Didn't she tell Hong Chenglüe that from then on, the sky is wide for the bird to fly?"
A-Jin was the rope binding Hong Chenglüe. Only when the rope snapped was he truly free.
"Of all times, right during the peace talks!" He Chunhua's roar could almost be heard for two li around. "Right when we were on the verge of reaching an agreement!"
In truth, he knew that Hong Chenglüe bringing only Dong Rui instead of an army this time meant he intended to compromise. Which meant He Chunhua's plan had been sound and could have succeeded.
Just a little more, and they would have reached a deal!
That woman had deliberately ruined his good fortune.
He Lingchuan remained silent.
This was the first time he had seen He Chunhua become so hysterical, and it was truly surprising.
In the past, his father had always carried himself as a modest gentleman, elegant and refined.
He Chunhua paced back and forth several times, seemingly venting half his anger through those furious roars.
Only after quite a while did he regain his composure, saying to his son, "Tell me, what method could he possibly have to make General Zhao suffer a defeat?"
This was the condition Hong Chenglüe had raised during their negotiation. Though it sounded preposterous, He Chunhua could not help feeling suspicious now.
A man like Hong Chenglüe would hardly speak without aim, would he?
Earlier, he had discussed it with Zhao Pan to no conclusion; Zhao Pan had merely laughed out loud and declared it impossible.
"Your son does not know."
He Chunhua rubbed his temples. "General Zhao and I agreed that the entire camp must heighten vigilance over the coming days. If you have no business, don't wander around."
Now that the deed was done, no matter how infuriated he was, they had to prepare for the enemy's retaliation.
"Understood."
He Lingchuan stepped out of the tent, placed two torches onto the carriage holding the remains, and after some thought, set the comb beside A-Jin's pillow. Only then did he order his personal guards to drive the carriage to the edge of the woods and lash the horses hard across their rumps.
Stung by the pain, the horses bolted into the forest. Before long, the glow of the torches went out.
A dozen breaths later, even the clatter of hooves faded into the darkness.
He Lingchuan stared in that direction for a while, knowing Hong Chenglüe had received A-Jin.
The couple was finally reunited.
A chill touched his face as a few raindrops fell, and the patter of rain resumed around him.
The rain had returned.
***
Baiming Valley.
Inside the massive cave, a fierce fire blazed. Hong Chenglüe watched his beloved's figure be engulfed by flames, his face expressionless.
The Xunzhou skirmishers stood behind him, not daring to utter a sound.
The fire finally burned out by dawn.
Hong Chenglüe stepped forward to gather the ashes and placed them carefully into an urn, murmuring softly all the while as if soothing her. He had to take his wife home; he could not bury her all alone in a foreign land.
Wu Qing was also beside him, sweat continually beading on his forehead, though he dared not wipe it often.
From time to time, he stole glances at Hong Chenglüe ahead.
After storing the urn safely, Hong Chenglüe suddenly turned to him. "I already confiscated A-Jin's Hanjiu Powder. Why did she still have more? Did you give it to her again?"
Here it came. There was no dodging it. Regardless of dignity, Wu Qing dropped to his knees with a thud. "General, I don't understand either! Whatever she said, I reported everything truthfully!"
When A-Jin asked him for the poison last time, she had even told him to keep his mouth shut. How could Wu Qing dare? The moment he turned around, he reported it to Hong Chenglüe. Hong Chenglüe had immediately gone to A-Jin and confiscated the Hanjiu Powder.
By all rights, nothing should have gone wrong.
Hong Chenglüe ground his teeth until they clicked.
Wu Qing suddenly remembered something and blurted out, "Ah, Madam had already taken the spiritual medicine given by National Preceptor Shuangye several times. Could it be... could it be that she could actually move?"
A-Jin had originally been paralyzed from the neck down, only able to twitch her fingers slightly. When Hong Chenglüe took away her Hanjiu Powder, he hadn't thought much of it, because without help, she couldn't possibly have put the medicine into her mouth.
Yet once Wu Qing mentioned it, he realized as well.
National Preceptor Shuangye's medicine had already taken effect; she might have regained movement in her hands!
So she had let Hong Chenglüe take away most of the Hanjiu Powder while secretly hiding a few small pellets herself.
At this thought, Hong Chenglüe's eyes grew hot again.
National Preceptor Shuangye's medicine truly could heal her! Her condition was clearly improving, yet in the end, she had still chosen to die!
She had used her life to pave his way!
Wu Qing felt the murderous aura on Hong Chenglüe grow heavier and heavier, terrifying him so much he remained prostrate on the ground.
Hong Chenglüe glared at the back of his head, fighting the urge to draw his blade.
Useless trash! If this bastard hadn't provided the poison, A-Jin would still be alive. He clenched his fists tightly, then slowly unclenched them, burying the hatred deep within his eyes. Wu Qing was a subordinate valued by National Preceptor Shuangye; if he killed him like this, it would be difficult to explain upon returning to Beijia.
Wu Qing's sweat dripped onto the ground. "This subordinate has committed a grave error, an offense unpardonable even by ten thousand deaths! Please punish me, General Hong!"
He confessed to having "committed a grave error," but certainly not to having "killed Madam." A-Jin's pursuit of death had been her own will.
Hong Chenglüe exhaled a long breath. "Remember it well. You will be punished later. Right now, I need you to handle something first."
Currently, Wu Qing was also his only link to the Beijia Kingdom. Operating alone deep in the Yuan army's rear while leading Xunzhou skirmishers to cause havoc, assistance from Nian Zanli and Beijia was exceptionally vital.
"Please give your orders, General!" Wu Qing's suspended heart finally dropped. Being assigned a task meant he was not going to be killed.
"I want to meet with Nian Zanli," Hong Chenglüe said coldly. "Arrange it. Tell him I have a way to help him achieve his goal and land on the southern bank of the Han River."
Huh? Wu Qing was stunned. There was a way to do that?
They had observed the Yuan camp for days. Zhao Pan was quite skilled at managing troops and organizing defenses; otherwise, the Xunzhou forces' southward advance wouldn't have been blocked north of the Han River.
Now Hong Chenglüe was saying he could effortlessly break this deadlock?
"Is there a problem?" Hong Chenglüe asked when he saw him not moving.
Wu Qing hurriedly said, "This subordinate will attend to it at once!" Ignoring the pouring rain outside the cave, he rushed out.
How to contact the opposite bank in the midst of torrential rain and floodwaters—the test of his abilities had arrived. In any case, it had to be done.
At a time like this, being drenched by rain was better than staying by Hong Chenglüe's side.
***
Five shichen later.
Riding Dong Rui's strange bird, Hong Chenglüe flew across the raging river straight to the Xunzhou main camp on the opposite bank.
Although the floodwaters had swallowed the south bank first, the Xunzhou forces were prudent enough to pull back from the north bank as well, retreating nearly two hundred zhang.
Water and fire showed no mercy; neither was a burden mortal men could withstand.
Dong Rui's strange bird was not suited for flying in such weather either, but fortunately, aided by lightness arts, it could barely manage a short flight.
It landed before the Xunzhou main camp. Hong Chenglüe jumped down and saw the camp defenses were tight and disciplined, displaying an impressive military presence.
Just as he landed, several horsemen galloped out of the camp. "State your name!"
"Hong."
The men led over a horse for him, clearly instructed beforehand. "General Hong, please. Our Lord Nian awaits in his tent."
Hong Chenglüe mounted the horse and followed. The strange bird shrank down to the size of a crow, perching on his shoulder and shaking its head.
Such a sight was rare, and everyone stole a few glances.
Hong Chenglüe was then escorted all the way to the central command tent.
Someone was already leaning against the entrance, watching. Seeing him ride up, heedless of the downpour, the man strode forward, grasped the reins, and laughed loudly. "General Hong, I trust you have been well since we last parted!"
"Lord Nian, it has been a long time." Hong Chenglüe clapped hands with him, dismounted, and entered the tent together.
This man had a pale face, long eyebrows, and an imposing demeanor. His features bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Nian Songyu's; he was none other than the former General Pacifying the North of the Yuan Kingdom, Nian Zanli.
After defecting to the northern demon kingdom, Beijia Kingdom still appointed him Governor of Xunzhou, making him the top civilian and military authority.
Once the two were seated, personal guards immediately served hot tea and offered dry towels for them to wipe the water from their faces.
Nian Zanli said warmly, "Have you eaten yet? We slaughtered a young lamb today—exceptionally tender."
He and Hong Chenglüe had once been adversaries before becoming comrades. Back when he defended the northern border of the Yuan Kingdom and Hong Chenglüe was a commanding general of Beijia, they had clashed while leading troops along the border, and Nian had even suffered a loss.
Hearing from Wu Qing that Hong Chenglüe requested a meeting, he attached great importance to it.
Hong Chenglüe took a sip of hot tea. "Thank you, but there is no need. I have come uninvited to discuss a matter with Lord Nian."
This man was as direct and straightforward as ever. Nian Zanli raised an eyebrow, and Hong Chenglüe continued, "Zhao Pan across the river has already received ten thousand dan of military grain. The one who personally led the Xiazhou grain transport convoy to the front line is the newly appointed Chief Administrator of Xiazhou, He Chunhua. Did Lord Nian know this?"
The smile on Nian Zanli's face slowly faded. "I have heard."
He Chunhua had already arrived at the front line several days ago. He had a feud with him over his son's death, which gave him yet another reason to repel the Yuan army and flatten Xiazhou.
"Lord Nian has confronted Zhao Pan across the north bank of the Han River for nearly two months. When do you plan to launch the general offensive?"
There was a faint edge of accusation in these words, but Nian Zanli pretended not to hear it. "Originally scheduled for the end of the flood season. Zhao Pan pours all his effort into defense—he doesn't venture out lightly or act rashly, won't bite even when offered bait, and does nothing but build palisades and fortify his camp."
Combined with the natural barrier of the Han River, it was indeed difficult for him to attack across to the south bank.
He paused. "However, the Yuan army has a fatal weakness: they are constantly short of food and clothing, struggling just to hold on. If we endure a bit longer, we might take them easily."
No one knew better than Nian Zanli how rotten the Yuan Kingdom was on the inside. No matter how formidable Zhao Pan was, he was only a single general, and there was an entire court of ministers and sovereign dragging his feet. The Yuan army's logistical supply had always been a glaring flaw; in a war of attrition, the advantage was on their side.
Chapter 296