Chapter 42: The Old Home

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Wei Qingshan and the others were utterly unwilling to let Shen Ruojin go. They repeatedly refused.

“How could we possibly let the Tenth Young Lady undertake something so dangerous? If the Old General wakes again and learns of this, he certainly will not spare us!”

Shen Ruojin gave them three reasons in succession.

“Grandfather is gravely wounded and unconscious. The army cannot afford to be without any one of you generals.”

“No one knows what condition the rear is in. You are exposed targets, and going to the Protectorate would be even more dangerous. It would be better for you to withdraw with the troops to Xizhou City first. I will secretly go and investigate. Whether or not the people in the Protectorate are willing to cooperate, I will find a way to open the gates and receive the Shen family army.”

“Besides, the Protectorate was once the Great General’s residence. I lived there for eight years. No one knows the layout of the estate better than I do.”

That was the truth.

Indeed, no one was better suited than Shen Ruojin.

Wei Qingshan and the others exchanged helpless glances before nodding in agreement.

Luoyue Pass was bitterly cold. The soldiers lacked both clothing and provisions. With no retreat left to them, slaughter was all that awaited them.

“Give me twenty elite soldiers. Have them disguise themselves as ordinary civilians and infiltrate Xizhou City.”

Shen Ruojin immediately began making arrangements.

She also had someone find her a white garment.

In snowy weather, white clothing concealed one’s figure far better than nightwear.

Wei Qingshan personally brought her a horse, repeatedly warning her, “Tenth Young Lady, be extremely careful on this journey.”

“Mm.” Shen Ruojin nodded, then said to him, “Uncle Wei, I am entrusting my grandfather to you.”

“Rest assured, Tenth Young Lady. As long as I live, the Old General will be safe.”

Wei Qingshan gave his solemn assurance.

Shen Ruojin turned back and glanced once at the army tent. Then she wheeled her horse around and said in a low voice, “Follow me.”

“Yes!”

The twenty elite soldiers answered in unison and followed the Tenth Young Lady on horseback through the wind and snow toward Xizhou City.

Within the military camp, firelight flickered. Clad in white, Shen Ruojin rode against the wind and through the snow, disappearing into the endless darkness.

Wei Qingshan and the others stood before the camp, watching her figure recede.

In years past, the sons of the Shen family had likewise charged fearlessly into the forefront.

The Shen family truly had not a single weakling among them.

…

Around midnight.

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Xizhou City, the Protectorate.

Outside Luoyue Pass, corpses covered the ground. Within the Protectorate, song and dance flourished.

Shen Ruojin brought twenty elite soldiers into Xizhou City under cover of night. She sent them separately to investigate the granaries and armory, while leaving one man in plain sight to deliver the battle report from Luoyue Pass to the Protectorate.

They proceeded both openly and covertly.

Afterward, she entered the Protectorate alone.

This had once been the Shen family residence in the Western Frontier.

The swing she had loved most still hung in the garden. The two plum trees her eldest brother had planted before the courtyard had burst into bloom. Red plum blossoms defied the snow and opened fiercely against the wind. The lanterns beneath the eaves swayed in the breeze, their shadows shifting across the roofs. For a moment, she seemed to see her Fourth Brother vaulting across the rooftops, relying on his exceptional lightness of foot…

The wind and snow blurred her vision.

Shen Ruojin stood at the highest point of the entire Protectorate and surveyed the guards stationed throughout the estate. After counting the patrols moving through the grounds at night, she silently leaped over the eaves and headed toward the place where the singing and music were loudest.

Braving the wind and snow, she lay prone upon the roof and quietly lifted a roof tile to peer below.

Inside, more than a dozen Persian dancers were twisting their waists in performance. The tables were laden with delicacies. Wine, luminous cups, and cases upon cases of treasure were scattered across the floor. Jewels glittered amid the chaotic lamplight, dazzling the eyes.

Yang Wanxiong, the Protectorate appointed personally by the Emperor, sat in the place of honor. With one foot propped upon his chair, he laughed heartily at the man seated among the guests.

“Young Master, you have only just arrived in Xizhou City, yet you have already presented me with beauties and extravagant gifts. You have won my favor. Tell me—what is it you desire? Speak freely!”

Everyone present belonged to Yang Wanxiong’s command. Each was drunk, with beauties held in their arms. Only that man idly toyed with the luminous cup in his hand, seeming to regard himself as above everyone else and everything beneath his notice.

At first glance, Shen Ruojin felt a strange sense of familiarity.

But when the lamplight fell upon his face, revealing features that could only be called regular and pleasant, he looked nothing like that other man—the celebrated beauty of Shengjing, whose appearance surpassed his by leagues.

Xizhou City lay more than two thousand li from Shengjing. Shen Ruojin had ridden without pause, traveling day and night to reach this place.

How could Qin Lang possibly be here?

She had come for her grandfather.

Qin Lang had no one he cared about here. There was no reason for him to come.

“Not yet.”

The young master seated in the place of honor spoke. His voice was entirely unlike Qin Lang’s.

“The time has not yet come. When it does, I will ask the Protectorate for what I want.”

“Good. We are among friends, so let us speak plainly. Drink this cup, and you will have the protection of my Protectorate.”

Yang Wanxiong possessed half foreign blood. He was exceptionally tall and had a pair of green eyes. He prided himself on being an excellent judge of character.

Yet he could not fathom the depths of this wealthy young master who had suddenly appeared in Xizhou City bearing priceless treasures.

Still, one did not strike a man who came bearing gifts.

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Who could dislike such a generous young nobleman?

Song and dance continued night after night in the Protectorate. Naturally, there was no reason to deny themselves a feast tonight.

The young master raised his cup and drank.

The dancers whirled around the hall, their pale, slender waists swaying until the eyes could scarcely follow them. Yang Wanxiong reached out and pulled the most alluring one into his arms. Amid the cheers and jeers from below, he was just about to remove the beauty’s clothing when a guard hurried in from outside.

“An urgent report from Luoyue Pass!”

“Reporting to Your Excellency, Luoyue Pass is requesting reinforcements!”

The moment Yang Wanxiong heard the words “Luoyue Pass,” all interest vanished from his face. He pushed away the dancer he had only just embraced.

The adviser beside him, quick to read the situation, waved for the dancers and musicians to withdraw.

The young master also rose at the appropriate moment. “I am going to change.”

Yang Wanxiong liked clever people such as this—people who understood when to withdraw without requiring him to say a word. Smiling, he said, “Someone, show Young Master Lin the way.”

The man addressed as Young Master Lin inclined his head in thanks and followed the attendant away.

In an instant, only Yang Wanxiong and his trusted subordinates remained in the hall.

The guard bearing the message presented the urgent report.

Without even looking at it, Yang Wanxiong tossed it straight into the brazier.

“An urgent report? What urgent report? General Shen Yi, the old hero, is guarding Luoyue Pass. What wolf, tiger, or leopard could he fail to repel? Do we truly need to send reinforcements?”

“Your Excellency!” The guard was stunned. He immediately fell to his knees. “But if Luoyue Pass falls, Xizhou City will be in grave danger as well!”

Zhang, the Deputy General seated at Yang Wanxiong’s right, strode over and kicked him to the ground. Then he cursed, “Do you think our Protector does not understand such a simple truth? Do you take him for a fool?”

Yang Wanxiong lowered his foot and drawled, “With Shen Yi there, Luoyue Pass will not fall.”

“Did you hear that? His Excellency says it will not fall, so it certainly will not!”

Although Deputy General Zhang did not understand why the Protector, who had long been at odds with Shen Yi, would say such a thing, there was never any harm in following the direction set by one’s superior.

The guard lay prostrate on the ground in pain, unable to speak another word.

“Shen Yi is stubborn to the core, and the Shen family army he leads would rather die than retreat. In the end, they will only destroy one another.”

As he spoke, Yang Wanxiong drew his saber and walked over to the guard. With a single thrust, he killed him.

Blood splashed across the floor. Deputy General Zhang and the advisers all froze.

Yang Wanxiong turned, slid the saber back into its sheath, and began to laugh softly to himself.

“There is an old saying: when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. And I, the Protector, am going to be that fisherman.”