Chapter 34

Lian Ai returned to his quarters covered in pain. Every step was slow and stiff.

He entered the courtyard, wanting to wash his face. He walked over to the water jar and scooped up a ladle of water. Just as he lifted it toward his face, a familiar voice rang out behind him.

“Where have you been?”

His hand froze mid-air. Lian Ai slowly turned around and saw Bu Nian standing behind him.

“I went to the Prince Regent’s estate.” He turned back and splashed cold water on his face. The movement was awkward because of the wounds on his back.

Bu Nian frowned. Something about this man felt off today.

Lian Ai finished washing, wiped his face with his sleeve, and turned to head inside. Bu Nian followed him in. “What for?”

Lian Ai poured himself a cup of water and replied flatly, “To do what you asked.”
All he wanted now was for Bu Nian to leave. He didn’t want him to see him like this. “If there’s nothing else, General, you should go. I… I’m tired. I want to sleep.”

Bu Nian noticed the redness around his eyes, the disheveled clothes, the hoarse voice, the stiffness in every move. His expression darkened.

“What did Gan Yan do to you?”

Lian Ai’s head snapped up. Panic flashed in his eyes.

“Nothing,” he said quickly. He lifted the cup and took a small sip, trying to hide his expression.

Bu Nian narrowed his eyes. That reaction said it all.

He knocked the cup from Lian Ai’s hand, grabbed his wrist, and forced him down against the table, face down.

Lian Ai cried out in pain. “General?”

Bu Nian held him down by the nape of his neck, refusing to let him up, and took a closer look at what he had only caught a glimpse of before.

A deep bruise ran from the side of Lian Ai’s neck down toward his back, like an ugly rat’s tail. It made Bu Nian want to reach in, drag it out, and strangle whatever left it there.

“You said he didn’t do anything.” Bu Nian pressed his thumb down, rubbing over the glaring bruise. He leaned in close to Lian Ai’s ear. “Then what’s this?” His voice was low, almost a breath.

Lian Ai knew Bu Nian wouldn’t hurt him, but his body still trembled uncontrollably.

“I…” He searched his brain for an excuse, but it was blank. He didn’t know how to explain it.

Before he could come up with anything that might convince Bu Nian, the sound of tearing cloth cut through the air. A chill ran across his back. Bu Nian had ripped open his robe. In the next moment, a warm palm slid across his battered back, from the nape of his neck down to his lower spine.

Lian Ai’s body bruised easily. Even the lightest touch left marks, let alone the beating he’d taken from the punishment ruler. By now, the welts had darkened to a sickening shade between purple and black. It was unbearable to look at.

Bu Nian felt the trembling under his hand. His face tightened. There was coldness in it, and hate. But mixed in was something else. Helplessness.

He didn’t know what to say. His earlier rage had drained into something heavier. It felt like a repeat of that day a year ago, when Lian Ai collapsed into his arms covered in wounds. He had no idea what to do then either.

“Gan Yan did this?” Bu Nian, as his opponent, knew full well the kind of man Gan Yan was. He had heard about that tendency of his. But he hadn’t expected him to lay hands on Lian Ai. Not on someone from the Helian family who still served at his side.

Lian Ai lay across the table. He knew there was no hiding it now. All he could do was tell the truth.

“I broke the jade ring he meant to give me. So he hit me.”

Bu Nian let out a cold, scornful laugh. “He just wanted an excuse to hurt you.”

He pulled back his hand. His fingers slowly curled into a fist. He stepped away and sat on a nearby stool, closing his eyes as if even more tired than Lian Ai.

“It didn’t hurt at all.” Lian Ai slowly pushed himself upright, trembling as he moved. His clothes hung in tatters. He turned around and forced a smile at Bu Nian, one he thought looked reassuring, but it was painful to see.

Bu Nian glanced at him and spoke with ice in his voice. “Be quiet.”

Lian Ai tugged at the loose sleeve slipping off his shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, gathered his courage, walked over and sat down on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around Bu Nian’s neck, paying no mind to the cold look between his brows.

“Who is so important they cannot be discarded…”

Bu Nian froze. His expression turned dark, but Lian Ai went on.

“Who must be kept…”

Bu Nian’s pupils contracted. His voice came sharp and hard. “Shut up.”

But Lian Ai still spoke the last line.

“Who cannot be killed?”

Those words had once come from Bu Nian himself. They were the creed he had lived by. To rise in war meant stepping over bones. If he didn’t want to be crushed underfoot, he had to give up what others couldn’t, discard what others wouldn’t, and kill whoever stood in his way.

But now, hearing them come from Lian Ai, the words felt like mockery. They landed heavy and bitter, like slaps across the face.

Bu Nian grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him forward until they were face to face, eye to eye. “Do you really want me to cast you aside?”

Lian Ai turned his face and pressed it into the side of Bu Nian’s neck. His voice was muffled. “Everything I did was for the Helian family, not for the general. You don’t need to concern yourself. And it really didn’t hurt.”

Bu Nian lifted a hand, wanting to hold him. But as his fingers neared Lian Ai’s back, he remembered the bruises. His hand paused in the air and slowly curled into a fist.

“I will kill Gan Yan.”

—

The military exam questions were redrawn. This time, to ensure caution, the questions were sealed in front of both Gan Yan and Bu Nian before being locked inside the bamboo tube. Two questions were randomly drawn. Aside from the three officials who wrote them, not even Gan Yan or Bu Nian knew which ones were selected. There was no way for the questions to be leaked. Afterward, the exam officials were placed under strict guard and were not allowed to leave until the entire process was complete.

Gan Yan had taken a serious loss, but he still wasn’t ready to give up the chance to reach into the military ranks. He continued to pin his hopes on the martial artists under his command, hoping one of them might rise from the ranks like a dark horse.

The Qian family received word from him early and made preparations ahead of time. They avoided the sweep of Bu Nian’s troops. For now, they were forced to go into hiding in Liangzhou, but that was still better than being wiped out.

Yet it was exactly because Bu Nian had finally moved against the Qian family that Gan Yan realized he couldn’t delay any longer. Ignoring Zuo Lingxue’s objections, he summoned large numbers of martial artists to the capital.

Zuo Lingxue felt the time still wasn’t right. On top of that, a sense of unease lingered in her chest. She tried to persuade Gan Yan to wait a little longer. She didn’t expect that his temper had grown so short. He didn’t even want to hear her speak and struck her across the face.

“You keep telling me to wait. Just how long do you expect me to wait?” He glared at her, roaring, “Or do you want me to lose to Bu Nian, so you can crawl back to him?”

Zuo Lingxue’s cheek turned red and swollen almost instantly, but she only froze for a moment. Then her expression returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. It was as if Gan Yan hadn’t hit her at all, but only brushed his hand lightly across her face.

“How could I ever think that way? I am your wife. Since I married Your Highness, I belong to you. For the rest of my life, I will treat you as my sky and do all I can for your sake.”

Her reply brought a slight calm to the storm in Gan Yan’s chest.

“I can’t touch him while he’s in the capital. I’ll only have a chance once he leaves,” Gan Yan said, explaining with forced patience. “Next month, the young emperor will travel to Tianfu Temple to pray for blessings. That will be the perfect opportunity. I can kill the emperor in the chaos and frame Bu Nian for the crime. Two birds with one stone.”

Zuo Lingxue saw that he had already made up his mind. There was no use in trying to stop him now. She nodded. “I understand. I’ll send word to my father and have them start preparations as soon as possible.”

While Gan Yan moved forward with his plan, on the other side, Helian Qiufeng had also sensed a shift in the wind. He rode hard to get a secret message into Bu Nian’s hands.

“It looks like Gan Yan is finally making his move. He can’t hold back any longer.” Bu Nian read the message, then lit it over an oil lamp. The paper curled and blackened, turning into ash.

Not far from him, Song Qiao spoke. “Does the general mean they’ll act at Tianfu Temple?”

Bu Nian said, “For Gan Yan to wait this long is already impressive. If I were him, I’d strike the moment the emperor leaves for Tianfu Temple. In that kind of chaos, truth and lies would be his to decide.” He paused, then corrected himself. “No. Truth belongs to the one who wins.”

This would be a brutal fight. The outcome would decide everything. He didn’t just have to win. He had to win cleanly.

That day, Zuo Lingyu came looking for Lian Ai to go walk the markets. The two of them wandered through the stalls together. Zuo Lingyu bought all sorts of strange little trinkets. After a while, they got thirsty from walking and stopped by a teahouse to rest and listen to a storytelling session.

The teahouse was crowded. The storyteller snapped his fan shut with a flourish and launched into the tale of Bu Nian, ten years ago, following his father to war against the Huayue.

Stories about Bu Nian had always been popular in the teahouses. His tale was full of blood feuds and family tragedy, laced with both valor and romance. The young general and the most beautiful woman in the empire had met during a time of war. They were once considered a perfect match. But after the old general died, the beauty married another, and the general turned his attention to men. How could such a story not stir emotion?

“Why didn’t that Lady Zuo stay with the general? Was it really just because he had to observe mourning for three years? Was she that desperate to marry?” a man sitting to Lian Ai’s left asked loudly, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Though Zuo Lingxue was now the Prince Regent’s consort, her status high and untouchable, Great Qi’s people were outspoken. Jokes about court officials were common, and as long as they weren’t too crude, no one would be dragged off for them.

“Uh…” The storyteller opened his mouth to respond, but someone in the crowd beat him to it.

“The Prince Regent is refined and elegant. Bu Nian looks like a butcher. Isn’t it obvious who’s the better match? What’s there to ask? Besides, that Bu Nian supposedly loves men now. Who knows if he’s even interested in women anymore. Lady Zuo’s not stupid. Why should she waste years waiting for a man like that?”

All eyes turned to the speaker and saw a young man with open mockery on his face. He said the general’s name directly and spoke with no fear, as if Bu Nian meant nothing to him.

These days, even eight-year-old children in the capital knew how powerful the Prince Regent and the Grand General were. Most would only joke lightly about their past rivalry, never daring to insult them so directly.

The teahouse went silent. The air turned heavy.

Lian Ai noticed the growing anger in Zuo Lingyu’s face. His own expression flattened, the corners of his mouth tightening as unease stirred in his chest.

“That was terrible. Not worth listening to. The storytellers in Zhongzhou do it better,” Zuo Lingyu huffed as he grabbed Lian Ai and pulled him up. The two of them had barely warmed their seats before they were already walking out under everyone’s gaze.

Zuo Lingyu walked in front, kicking at the pebbles along the path. The anger on his face hadn’t faded.

“That man didn’t say she betrayed anyone. He only wondered why she ended up marrying the Prince Regent.”

Zuo Lingyu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him. “But that’s exactly what he meant. Everyone thinks my sister broke her promise and turned her back on Bu Nian.”

But the truth was, she really had turned her back on the general.

Lian Ai lowered his gaze and didn’t comment. He brushed past and kept walking. “Come on. If you’re not in the mood to wander anymore, I’ll take you home.”

Zuo Lingyu stared at his back and suddenly asked, “Are you still in contact with Bu Nian?”

Lian Ai’s steps faltered. He half-turned and met his eyes. “Why would you ask that?”

He wasn’t worried about Zuo Lingyu knowing anything. The boy was simple, easy to mislead. If he used even a fraction of the effort he used on Zuo Lingxue, he could spin him in circles.

The siblings were nothing alike. Zuo Lingyu had simply been spoiled too much by his father and sister. He didn’t understand anything and couldn’t see through anything.

“I just feel like you’re hiding things from me,” Zuo Lingyu said. “Xiao Ai, are we really friends?”

Those words caught Lian Ai off guard. Seeing the unease and hope in his face, something in him softened.

“Of course we are.”

Zuo Lingyu smiled again and quickly walked up to him, falling into step at his side.

“We should become sworn brothers. And when I have a son, I’ll have him marry your daughter.”

Lian Ai couldn’t help but laugh at his sudden outburst. “Our families are already connected by marriage. Why swear brotherhood? And how do you know you’ll have a son and I’ll have a daughter? Even if you’re right, what if they don’t like each other?”

Zuo Lingyu pouted. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll still have my son marry your daughter.” His eyes curved into a grin. “She’ll be a smart and lovely girl, I know it.”