CXD - 29

Stunned by the sudden cold tone, Jiang Zhiyi froze, her sweet words abruptly halting: “What did you say—what?”

Seeing him silent, she recalled his sour expression before the match. Jiang Zhiyi blinked at him and suddenly pointed behind her: “...Did you think I didn’t come to cheer for you today? I was late for a class, but I caught the start of the game. I’ve been sitting up there this whole time; didn’t you see me?”

Yuan Ce followed her anxious finger towards the high platform.

Yes, he had seen it—the sight of the incredibly noble Princess, who always looked down on others with her chin, gazing into someone’s eyes for what felt like an eternity from that high platform. Her bright, sparkling eyes were mesmerized, flashing at the person...

Even if it were true, as Qing Song said, that being under the same roof with so many young men might lead her to develop feelings for someone over time—

This day had come too swiftly, catching him off guard.

If it weren’t him playing polo on the field today, but his elder brother instead, would she have ignored her brother just as easily and flirted with someone else?

Yuan Ce narrowed his eyes and let out a soft snort.

Jiang Zhiyi: “Many people on the viewing platform saw me. If you don’t believe me, I can call them one by one...”

“No need, I know.” Yuan Ce turned and continued walking forward.

Jiang Zhiyi hurried after him again, passing through halls and corridors. Several times she tried to speak, but he quickened his pace, leaving her far behind. After struggling to keep up for a while, her legs nearly giving out, she finally gave up, stamping her foot in frustration and stopping.

Yuan Ce paused, turning his head to look at her drooping eyebrows and eyes.

“You already know you wronged me, yet you still give me the cold shoulder. You...” Jiang Zhiyi spoke unhappily, but suddenly noticed Yuan Ce’s ear twitch. The next moment, a warm palm firmly covered her moving lips.

Jiang Zhiyi stumbled backward with the force of the hand, spinning around a corner and hitting the gray wall with her heels and back.

Yuan Ce lowered his gaze, covering her lips with one hand and making a hushing gesture with the other.

Jiang Zhiyi tensed, closed her lips tightly, and listened intently.

After a moment, they heard several hurried footsteps approaching.

Then, an angry male voice rang out in the corridor beyond the corner: “Where is he?!”

Another young male voice followed: “It looks like he went this way... Boyong, calm down. Let’s split up and search!”

“Calm down? He beat me by eleven points and said I was ‘highly skilled’ and he ‘admitted defeat’… Isn’t this clearly humiliating me?” Zhong Boyong gritted his teeth. “If I swallow this today, I won’t be surnamed Zhong anymore!”

The scattered footsteps quickly dispersed to search.

Seeing the “target person” so close to her that their breaths mingled, listening to the approaching footsteps, Jiang Zhiyi’s heart raced wildly, her breathing growing heavier.

Warm breath puffed against his palm, tingling from his fingertips all the way to his heart.

Yuan Ce slightly curled his fingers, drawing his gaze back, lowering his head to see the person in front of him raising two fingers to pinch her own nose, cheeks flushed red.

Yuan Ce: “?”

Jiang Zhiyi signaled with her eyes, saying “no time to explain,” pinching her nose tightly, eyes full of alertness.

They waited until the footsteps gradually faded away and no more sounds could be heard.

Jiang Zhiyi quickly released her nose, gasping for air. Yuan Ce also let go of her.

“This almost suffocated me...” Jiang Zhiyi panted for a while before speaking. “Look at you, how did you forget I have a nose?”

“? “

“The books say warriors have extraordinary hearing and can hear nearby breathing.”

“...”

Yuan Ce: “The books refer to warriors like me. Those useless fellows can’t hear anything.”

Jiang Zhiyi was stunned: “Then why did you keep covering my mouth earlier? I’m not stupid enough to make a sound at a time like this…”

“...”

Yuan Ce lightly clenched his fist and turned his head away: “...I forgot.”

Jiang Zhiyi peeked behind her, recalling Zhong Boyong’s indignant yelling. If it weren’t for this underhanded trickster, she and Brother Ce wouldn’t have had such an unpleasant day.

Jiang Zhiyi sneered: “This Zhong Boyong, where does he get the nerve to challenge you again? Though he provoked you during the previous archery test, he was still relatively straightforward. Today, he actually resorted to despicable means... I should teach him a lesson!”

Yuan Ce: “And how do you plan to teach him a lesson? With your skinny arms and legs?”

Jiang Zhiyi turned back: “Of course with my mouth. I can go to Uncle Emperor and complain!”

“Though Lord Kang Le rarely goes to the front lines these days, he once achieved great military feats. Do you think your uncle emperor will punish a son of a meritorious official just because of your words?”

“At least he can be punished to stay home for ten days or half a month in self-reflection. Wouldn’t that give you some peace at the academy?”

“No need,” Yuan Ce raised his eyes, looking toward the corridor where Zhong Boyong had just stepped. He twisted his lips, “What I want is for him to provoke me.”

“…Don’t use those childish tricks to provoke Shen Yuan Ce anymore!”

At the second watch of the night, in Lord Kang Le’s residence, Lord Kang Le slammed his cane heavily, pointing at his son before him: “Do you understand?”

Zhong Boyong stood in front of the desk, defiantly raising his head: “Why not? He broke my younger brother’s leg, and my younger brother kept mumbling without explaining why he got beaten. What’s wrong with me avenging my younger brother?”

“So did you get your revenge?”

Zhong Boyong choked. This noon, he found Shen Yuan Ce and questioned him about why he stopped playing. Shen Yuan Ce casually said—

“If letting you have an inside man only gives you two points, I might as well let my left hand compete with my right.”

“How could I have such a stupid son!” Lord Kang Le shook his head bitterly. “Not only your younger brother was beaten. It’s just small fights among boys. Why are you so upset?”

“My younger brother broke a leg, and you call that a small fight. Then what counts as a big deal in your eyes...?”

“Of course, the lives of every member of the Zhong family! Your cousin’s son even broke both legs. This means your younger brother wasn’t the main culprit provoking Shen Yuan Ce. By causing trouble now, you’ll truly leave a mark on him!”

Zhong Boyong laughed incredulously: “I really don’t understand. Aren’t the military achievements my father earned years ago higher than this rookie? Just mentioning my father’s limp leg, which the emperor repeatedly regrets... Governor Shen is gone, and the position of Hexi governor is vacant. Doesn’t this show the emperor doesn’t trust Shen Yuan Ce? Is this eighteen-year-old boy worth you being so afraid of?”

Lord Kang Le closed his eyes, taking a long deep breath: “These days, your aunt has been confined in the residence by Princess Yong Ying, continuously sending messengers to ask me to plead with the emperor. Do you know why I’ve been ignoring it?”

“...Why?”

“Because imperial favor isn’t an inexhaustible source of living water. If used up early, when we need it to save our lives in the future, there will be nothing to rely on...” Lord Kang Le opened his eyes, his gaze darkening. “Stop mentioning my past military exploits and my lame leg whenever you talk. While Shen Yuan Ce is in the capital, act low-key, preferably so low that he doesn’t see you! If something like today happens again, you’d better stay at home and never step out of the door!”

At the same time, outside the study in the Shen residence.

Mu Xin Hong knocked on the door, hearing a “come in” from inside. He opened the door to see Yuan Ce reading a military book under the lamp, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

Generals in battle can roughly be divided into two types: those who started with theory and those who started with practice. The eldest master belonged to the former type. In the past, he pretended to be a spoiled brat in public but privately studied these military books in the study. However, the young general was exactly the opposite—

The young general practically grew up in real combat.

To prevent anyone from discovering this face identical to Shen’s “only son,” the young general spent his childhood in a dark, sunless house.

That house was less of a home and more of a training ground, filled with all kinds of weapons and training methods. Since Governor Shen couldn’t often watch over the young general, he sent trusted aides to train his son there.

From the time he could walk, the young general learned all eighteen martial arts, progressing from stumbling to mastery.

Later, when the young general grew older and gained some skills, Governor Shen brought him into the army.

In the army, there was a group stationed in the most mysterious corners, never appearing in public—these were the “scouts.”

They roamed the front lines gathering intelligence, enduring the elements, sleeping in trees, drinking rainwater when thirsty, and needing the ability to escape danger.

The practical experience and skills required of an excellent scout sometimes rivaled those of a commanding general.

When Mu Xin Hong met Yuan Ce, he was astonished that a teenager just over ten years old was the most elite scout in the Xuan Ce Army.

It was during this scout period that the young general traversed every desert oasis, every mountain and hill in Hexi, memorizing every glacier and stream.

In the past year, Governor Shen and the eldest master successively died. Everything the young general had learned over eighteen years culminated in that world-shaking victory.

At that time, Mu Xin Hong thought, perhaps Governor Shen foresaw this day and prepared accordingly, even naming his two sons Shen Yuan Ce and Yuan Ce to let the younger one get used to becoming the shadow of the elder.

...

Mu Xin Hong was lost in thought for a moment, then looked at Yuan Ce reading the military book, asking, “Why are you reading these now? They’re of no use to you.”

Yuan Ce, without lifting his head, calmly replied: “Just seeing what my brother used to read.”

True, brothers who hadn’t met for over a decade and soon parted ways forever, destined for only one to live in the light. Now, everything about the eldest master was being slowly erased, leaving only these relics to prove his existence.

Mu Xin Hong sighed, thinking of the eldest master, and asked about the matter at hand: “Young General, did you find out the truth about Zhong Boyong and those classmates during today’s polo match?”

Yuan Ce paused, raising his head from the book.

Mu Xin Hong silently looked at him.

The young general’s visit to Tian Chong Academy wasn’t for nothing. Avoiding Princess Yong Ying’s marriage proposal was just incidental. More importantly, it was to delve deeper into those aristocratic youths.

Today’s polo match was a team effort, the best opportunity to judge the relationships among those young masters. The reason the young general accepted the challenge to “play along” was precisely for this.

“Half.” After a while, Yuan Ce uttered two words.

“Ah?”

Yuan Ce rubbed his temples: “Something came up, so I only played half.”

Observing his weary expression, Mu Xin Hong quickly consoled him: “Oh, did the princess throw a tantrum halfway through? Don’t worry, it’s not urgent. There will be another chance next ti...”

“It’s not her.”

“Then who in this academy is so powerful that they can trip you up?”

“It’s not her throwing a tantrum.” Yuan Ce furrowed his brows and closed his eyes.

Mu Xin Hong seemed to understand, yet not fully, but either way, he dared not speak.

In the quiet study, only the sound of the water clock dripped. After an unknown amount of time, Yuan Ce opened his eyes and suddenly asked: “If a person is distracted and unable to manage two tasks, completing one while neglecting the other, what should they do?”

“Naturally, they should prioritize and first do the more important task!”

Yuan Ce slowly nodded, looking at the scroll beside the desk that Qing Song hadn’t opened the other night.

He knew that scroll was Pei Zisong’s portrait.

After staring at it for a long time, Yuan Ce spoke again: “You tell me, if she might not necessarily belong to my brother and could one day develop feelings for someone else, should I feel indignant on behalf of my brother?”

Mu Xin Hong was startled, realizing these two questions were still about the princess. After careful consideration, he said: “...It’s understandable for you to feel indignant for the eldest master. But since he’s no longer here, I think if such a day comes, letting the princess go would be a good parting for the eldest master.”

“A good beginning, a good end.” Yuan Ce repeated the four words slowly, nodding.

A knock sounded at the door, and Qing Song’s voice suddenly echoed outside the study: “Master, the princess has come in the middle of the night, saying you were in a bad mood today and she came to keep you company.”

Yuan Ce’s eyes flickered slightly, and his hand holding the scroll tightened.

Mu Xin Hong quickly called out: “On such a cold night, please come in quickly...”

“Wait.” Yuan Ce suddenly interrupted, his brows gradually knitting together.

His days in the capital were dwindling. Today, he forgot his main task while seeking justice for his brother. Such a mistake must not happen again.

Since ultimately he would have to facilitate a good parting for his brother, there was no point in seeking justice...

Better to hope this day comes sooner.

After a long silence, Yuan Ce relaxed his brows, his face showing no trace of hesitation. Turning his head to look out the window, he said: “No need to invite her in. Tell her I’m tired and already asleep.”