Chapter 74

Even though their acquaintance had only lasted a few days, when Nan Gongye thought of that taciturn, aloof youth, the memories remained vivid.
He had heard from Shao Jingyu about the unexpected dangers of this battle, how the Mongol army had foreseen their moves, putting the Xia army at a disadvantage from the start. It was Yan Yiming who had risked an ingenious strategy to cut off the Meng army's supply lines, throwing them into chaos. He had also heard from the imperial physician treating Yan Yiming's injuries that the young woman was covered in wounds from head to toe. Her old scars had already marred her skin, and the new injuries were even more gruesome, too painful to look at.
The old imperial physician stroked his beard and said in an exaggerated tone, “Your Highness, you have no idea, that girl already had a knife wound on her back, and now she's been struck again. It's as if she's been split in two, it's horrifying.”
If Yan Yiming had been the youth he remembered, he could have visited her personally. But now, knowing that Yan Yiming was actually a woman, Nan Gongye naturally couldn't pay her a visit.
The memorial Shao Jingyu had written to the emperor had to pass through his hands since it came from his residence. Nan Gongye only glanced at it briefly, but by chance, he caught sight of a few words:
“Commandant Yan could not be saved and died in battle.”
Holding the memorial, Nan Gongye suddenly felt it was bitterly ironic.
It wasn't that he had any particular feelings for Yan Yiming, but he couldn't bear to see such an extraordinary woman treated this way. With just a few simple words, all of Yan Yiming's achievements were erased.
From then on, all the credit would belong to a title, a dead person. And as for her, she would gain nothing.
No, perhaps she did gain something. Nan Gongye sneered inwardly, she had won Shao Jingyu's affection. From then on, she would no longer be a heroine standing tall between heaven and earth, but an ordinary woman who could only rely on Shao Jingyu.
And for Shao Jingyu, this seemed to have no downsides.
So he asked directly: Wasn't this far too selfish?
Shao Jingyu offered no explanation. Some words might fool others, but when faced with Nan Gongye, who saw through everything at a glance, Shao Jingyu had no way to defend himself.
He set down the book in his hand and, after a long pause, met Nan Gongye’s eyes as he asked, “Does Your Highness intend to stop me?”
“No,” he replied, he had no standing to intervene, nor could he even if he wanted to. “I just find it regrettable. I hope you won’t live to regret this in the future.”
Nan Gongye flicked his sleeve and turned to leave. As he departed, his tone was noticeably colder than usual. “The royal physicians of Yue Manor cannot cure Yan Xiao. For Lady Yan’s illness, General Shao, it would be best to make arrangements to head to the capital soon.”
He would not stop him, because months earlier, Yan Yiming had, as if foreseeing the future, made a request of him: no matter what Shao Jingyu did in the future, she asked that he not interfere.
Whether Yan Yiming had long anticipated this day or was referring to something else entirely, Nan Gongye neither knew nor cared to find out.
The next time they met, perhaps she would no longer be the Yan Yiming he knew, but the unfamiliar Lady Yan that Shao Jingyu wished her to be.
What did it have to do with him anyway? It was merely a matter of the same name...
Yan Yiming and Little A observed everything from the sidelines. When Yan Yiming had first read the contents of Shao Jingyu’s memorial, she sighed and remarked, “I hadn’t even thought of a good plan yet, but Shao Jingyu has gone and delivered himself right to us.”
Jiang Yi had paid an unbearable price for a mere minor mistake. Little A rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Are you going to confront Shao Jingyu head-on?”
“Of course not,” Yan Yiming replied with a faint smile. “I’ll give him the Lady Yan he desires most, and then let him personally shatter that illusion. After all, I never granted him the right to decide my fate.”
Little A didn’t dare ask further. Meeting Yan Yiming’s inscrutable gaze sent a sudden chill down her spine, and she silently lit a candle in her heart for Shao Jingyu.
“But Prince Yue is truly heartless,” Yan Yiming murmured. “Even though he clashed with Shao Jingyu because of me, he didn’t bother to let me stay a few more days out of consideration for my sake. All this travel is exhausting, what if something happens to me along the way?”
“With me here, what could possibly go wrong?” Little A lifted her head.
“You really are as foolish as they come,” Yan Yiming sighed. “No checkers today. Let’s play Gomoku instead.”
Little A cheered, “Yay!”
Because of his inherently upright nature, he would question Shao Jingyu’s motives, but his heart belonged to one person alone, so he wouldn’t go out of his way to interfere. Unable to control the situation and unwilling to tolerate it, the simplest solution was to send them away. Nan Gongye’s love and hatred were always clear-cut.
Shao Jingyu’s memorial finally reached the emperor. In it, Shao Jingyu provided a detailed account of the battle’s progression.
He openly admitted that the battle’s shortcomings were due to his own inadequate preparations, which led the weaker Xia Army into a Mongol trap. Moreover, the Left General had acted without orders, revealing their position to the enemy. However, thanks to Commandant Yan’s remarkable efforts and clever tactics in cutting off the Mongol reinforcements, they caught the enemy off guard. Commandant Yan led the charge against the Mongols, while General Chen guarded the camp. Their coordinated efforts ultimately secured victory in the battle.
But heaven did not grant their wishes, both Commandant Yan and Old General Chen perished in this battle.
After reading the report, the emperor’s initial elation from the great victory had faded, replaced by a sense of desolation.
Old General Chen had devoted his entire life to serving the nation with unwavering loyalty. As for Commandant Yan, he was said to be even younger than Shao Jingyu, yet he possessed such remarkable talent and courage. Though born into a humble family, he stood tall and unyielding.
The emperor, now advanced in age, couldn’t help but feel sorrowful at the loss of such a young pillar of the state on the battlefield. Learning that Yan Yiming had long been orphaned only deepened his pity.
The Chen family was naturally well taken care of, but for this young man known only by reputation, already deceased and without kin, even lavish rewards would have no one to receive them. In the end, the emperor posthumously granted him the title of Marquis of Yiyong, bestowing countless honors upon him personally.
However, considering that his name clashed with that of the deceased Crown Princess, the emperor graciously bestowed a new name upon him.
Though the honors were boundless, there was no one to receive them, adding to the melancholy. Even the Shao family, upon hearing of this Marquis of Yiyong they had never met, sighed with deep emotion.
According to Jingyu, it was this young man who had saved his life during the first battle. Later, it was he who led his troops to arrive just in time, turning the tide of the war and saving Shao Jingyu once again.
Had it not been for his brilliant strategies in this battle, the outcome would have been uncertain. It was a pity they never had the chance to meet him.
After three battles, the northern frontier was pacified. The emperor summoned Shao Jingyu back to the capital to report on his duties. A year ago, when Shao Jingyu left the capital for the battlefield, no one had held high hopes for him. Now, upon his return, he was a first-rank general whom everyone looked up to. Compared to the nominal title of Grand Tutor held by the head of the Shao family, Shao Jingyu’s position, earned through military achievements, commanded far greater awe.
On the day Shao Jingyu returned to the capital, the streets of Jinling were packed with crowds on both sides. Riding on his black steed, Shao Jingyu had shed his former youthful immaturity, now exuding a mature and handsome aura. Behind him followed an extravagant carriage and an endless procession of soldiers.
The Shao family waited impatiently at the gate for his return. But when he finally arrived, before they could even exchange joyful greetings, Shao Jingyu urgently sent someone to fetch an imperial physician from the palace. Then, to everyone’s astonishment, he carefully carried someone out from the carriage.
The entire family exchanged bewildered glances before calling over Yun Xiao, who had been accompanying Shao Jingyu all along. “Who… is that person Jingyu is carrying?”
“Ah,” Yun Xiao hesitated, unsure how to explain. When he first learned that Yan Yiming was a woman, he had been so shocked he couldn’t close his mouth. He quickly accepted the truth, but now, in everyone’s eyes, the Marquis of Yiyong was dead. So, what was Yan Yiming’s identity now?
“The general says she is his wife, whom he has not yet married.”
The bright-eyed young woman standing beside Madam Shao, who had been smiling happily, instantly stiffened, her expression turning cold.