Chapter 97: Conclusion (Part 2)

In the first year of the Yongning era, the new emperor ascended the throne and addressed two major state affairs during the first month of the new year.

The first was to deal with Shen Yuan Ce’s crime of regicide.

According to Daye law, those guilty of treason were to be executed, and their punishment extended to three generations of their family. Fathers and sons were to be executed alongside them, while mothers, daughters, wives, concubines, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren, household retainers, property, and land were to be confiscated by the state. Uncles, cousins, and other relatives were to be exiled three thousand miles away.

The Shen family had few members left. Since Yuan Ce’s fiancée had already dissolved their marriage contract in the twelfth year of Emperor Xingwu’s reign, only his mother remained among the three generations. The servants and retainers of both the Chang’an Shen Manor and the Hexi Shen Manor were dealt with according to the law as a warning to others. However, since none of Yuan Ce’s subordinates were involved in the act of treason, the Xuan Ce Army was not implicated. It was temporarily placed under the leadership of the Mu family and continued to guard Hexi as before.

The second matter concerned the termination of the marriage alliance between Daye and Xiluo.

The new emperor opposed the previous emperor’s policies toward Xiluo and sought to establish peaceful relations through mutually beneficial trade agreements.

The aging king of Xiluo mourned the loss of his second son but could not hold Daye accountable for the calamity caused by the second prince of Xiluo. Weakened by age and unable to continue ruling, he entrusted the governance of Xiluo to his eldest son.

The eldest prince of Xiluo had long intended to foster prosperity in his own country by learning from the Central Plains. He agreed to the peace proposal put forward by the new emperor of Daye and signed an alliance treaty to achieve mutual benefits.

With this, the turmoil that began with the marriage alliance between Daye and Xiluo officially came to an end.

Once everything settled, when people spoke of Emperor Xingwu, they praised him for revitalizing Daye’s military strength early in his reign but criticized him for abandoning his original ideals in his later years—sacrificing the daughters of loyal ministers for peace and distrusting his military commanders. Truly, his rise and fall could be attributed to his reign as Emperor Xingwu.

As for Shen Yuan Ce, although the court did not know the full truth of what happened that day, many speculated that Yuan Ce had entered Chang’an alone, knowingly walking into a perilous situation. His supposed regicide might have been a desperate counterattack. Everyone lamented the loss of such a young and talented general.

It was said that the following month after Yuan Ce’s death, Princess Yongying submitted a petition to renounce her title and return to being a Commandery Princess, choosing to reside permanently in Hexi. The new emperor granted her request.

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In early spring of the second month, at Yaoguang Garden in Guzang, Hexi.

Jiang Zhiyi stood in the courtyard, watching the familiar faces of the servants bustling about. A sense of relief spread across her face as she smiled.

The confiscation of the Hexi Shen Manor and the Chang’an Shen Manor by the new emperor was merely for show. In reality, the people had been secretly replaced. Lady Shen and Qing Song were already on their way to Hexi. The servants and retainers of the Chang’an Shen Manor, who were not close confidants, had been dismissed, while the trusted individuals from the Hexi Shen Manor had been transferred to Yaoguang Garden.

After overseeing the gifts sent to celebrate her move to the new residence, Jiang Zhiyi went to the study alone, sitting by the window to open the letters that accompanied the gifts.

The first letter was from her uncle. As usual, he reassured her that everything at home was fine. However, Lady Zhong was no longer able to fulfill her duties as the lady of the house, so they had decided to separate. Lady Xu, unwilling to break tradition by rising from concubine to wife, suggested that he take a new bride. Her uncle asked for her opinion on the matter.

“That’s fine,” Jiang Zhiyi said to Jingzhe beside her. “The marquis’ household needs a proper mistress. Although Lady Xu is impeccable in character, promoting a concubine to wife would harm my uncle’s career and lower the status of the entire household.”

Jingzhe smiled: “My Lady truly has become someone capable of managing a household. Your foresight is admirable. I think it would be best if you remind Lord Hou to consider the character of the new bride and avoid repeating the mistakes made with Lady Zhong.”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded in agreement, setting aside her uncle’s letter and opening the second one from Pei Xueqing. As she read, she shared its contents with Jingzhe: “Sister Xueqing says that after her brother decided to enter government service last year, she was inspired to open a clinic in Chang’an. After months of preparation, the clinic is now completed.”

“It seems that Miss Pei has truly found strength after avenging her family.”

Jiang Zhiyi blinked softly: “But perhaps Sister Xueqing won’t marry in the future.”

“Perhaps. Not all women must marry.”

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Jiang Zhiyi paused, gazing out the window at the serene garden. Though life had moved on, the weight of Yuan Ce’s absence lingered in her heart. Yet, she resolved to honor his memory by living fully and ensuring that his sacrifices were not in vain. The winds of change had swept through the empire, and amidst the calm, she found solace in knowing that his legacy would endure—not just in history, but in the lives he had touched.

Jiang Zhiyi caught the underlying meaning in Jingzhe’s words. Earlier, when Jingzhe was recuperating at the medical clinic in Zheng County, she had developed feelings for an apprentice. However, with her subsequent travels between Hexi and Chang’an, their relationship had been put on hold. Now that things had settled, Jiang Zhiyi had intended to arrange their marriage, but Jingzhe didn’t want to leave her to return to Chang’an, nor did she wish for the apprentice to abandon his life and career to come to Hexi. Thus, Jingzhe had severed ties with him.

“There’s still plenty of time ahead,” Jiang Zhiyi said as she folded Pei Xueqing’s letter and moved on to open Bao Jia’s. “Perhaps there will be new encounters. If you meet someone good, marrying would be wonderful. But if not, being able to do what you love is just as fulfilling.”

Bao Jia’s letter was characteristically brief. She mentioned that her gift had already arrived in Hexi, and she herself would soon follow. Life in Chang’an had grown tiresome, and the men in the princess’s residence were utterly uninteresting, so she had dismissed them all. She decided it would be better to come to Hexi to relax.

Jiang Zhiyi chuckled as she read it, feeling as though she could hear Bao Jia calculating even from two thousand miles away.

The final letter was from Pei Zisong.

“Pei Zisong says that since I spent all my wealth last year to aid the people of Xingyang, I’ve become a living bodhisattva in their eyes.” Jiang Zhiyi teased Jingzhe as she read the letter aloud. “What nonsense! I haven’t spent all my wealth yet—this is just the beginning. Let’s take stock again later. Managing the properties left in Chang’an has become inconvenient anyway, so we might as well sell them and invest in new ventures here in Hexi.”

Jingzhe nodded in agreement.

Jiang Zhiyi continued reading the letter and saw that Pei Zisong mentioned how Xingyang had regained its vitality. The villagers had built a shrine for the hundred and one heroes of the Xuan Ce Army, including Sanqi.

Jiang Zhiyi gazed southeastward for a moment, lost in thought, murmuring: “Once things settle down, let’s visit Sanqi and the others in Xingyang. We’ll bring them some celebratory wine.”

After carefully putting away the four letters, Jiang Zhiyi sat by the window, resting her chin in her hand as she gazed out at the bright spring sunshine.

Though the content of the four letters varied, they shared one commonality: not a single one mentioned Yuan Ce.

Their deliberate omission might have been to spare her sorrow—or perhaps they had guessed the truth and knew that silence was the safest course.

Before leaving for Chang’an, Yuan Ce had explained his plan to her. Jiang Zhiyi suspected that Qi Yan had arranged for a subordinate to act as Yuan Ce’s double, but given the ferocity of the battle, Yuan Ce must have sustained injuries. Otherwise, with his swift pace, he wouldn’t have delayed this long on the journey.

Though Yuan Ce hadn’t taken a single soldier with him to Chang’an, Li Dafeng had followed shortly after. With Li Dafeng’s care, Yuan Ce’s wounds would have received the best treatment possible.

But oh, how she missed him.

She longed to see him at this very moment, to comfort him and tend to his new scars.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhiyi retrieved a sheet of stationery from a nearby box.

It was the secret message Yuan Ce had sent in the first month to assure her of his safety. It wasn’t written in Shen Yuan Ce’s handwriting but in Yuan Ce’s own, containing only one sentence:

“When the flowers bloom along the road, I will return slowly.”

Jiang Zhiyi raised her eyes and looked at the apricot tree outside the window, its branches heavy with snow-white blossoms, filling the courtyard with fragrance.

The flowers had bloomed. When would he return?

As she rested her chin in her hand, lost in thought, a sudden streak of light flashed before her eyes. An arrow shot through the air like a meteor, embedding itself deeply into the wood with a sharp thud .

The blossoms shook loose from the tree, scattering like a rain of petals in the spring breeze.

Jiang Zhiyi slowly straightened up, staring at the familiar sight, her heart pounding like the vibrating arrow.

With hesitant steps, akin to the nervousness of returning home, Jiang Zhiyi rose from the window and walked out step by step.

In the courtyard stood a youth clad in crimson robes, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. Catching sight of her, he lowered his bow, curved his lips into a smile, and opened his arms wide.

On their wedding day, she had told him that he looked good in red.

So now, he had returned in red, coming to see her in red.

In an instant, tears welled up in Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes. She dashed toward him, her skirt billowing as she crashed into his embrace.

Yuan Ce tightened his arms around her, closing his eyes as he gently nuzzled the top of her head, savoring her presence. “I’m back. From now on, I belong solely to you.”

Jiang Zhiyi clung tightly to his waist, listening to the steady beat of his heart and breathing in the comforting scent of his clothing. Closing her eyes, she whispered: “You’re mine now.”

In the midst of their prolonged embrace, footsteps suddenly sounded. Guyu entered the courtyard, holding a wooden box. “My Lady, Master, this came from the palace in Chang’an. Perhaps it’s a housewarming gift from His Majesty.”

The two opened their eyes simultaneously.

Yuan Ce’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he bit out each word: “Am I dead yet?”

Jiang Zhiyi lightly elbowed him, scolding him for speaking ill omens. Turning to Guyu, she asked, “What is it?”

Seeing the couple still locked in an inseparable embrace, showing no signs of parting even for the emperor’s gift, Guyu stepped forward and opened the box for them.

Inside was a general’s helmet made of dark gold, adorned with scales that draped down to conceal the face.

This wasn’t for her—it was for Yuan Ce.

Yuan Ce could no longer enter the Xuan Ce Army under his current identity. This was Qi Yan’s subtle way of hinting that Yuan Ce could assume a new identity and return as a general.

However, Qi Yan didn’t know that Yuan Ce already had another masked identity within the Xuan Ce Army.

The prestige accumulated over eight years as a scout—the weight of the name “Ji Zhu” in the hearts of every Xuan Ce soldier—rivaled that of “Young General Shen.”

As Jiang Zhiyi thought about this, she heard Yuan Ce mutter softly above her: “No thanks. Send it back. After ten years of fighting, I’ve only just begun to rest. Do they have no sense?”

With that, he bent down and scooped Jiang Zhiyi into his arms.

Jiang Zhiyi let out a surprised gasp, clutching his neck as he carried her steadily toward the bedroom. “What are you doing?”

Yuan Ce smiled down at her in his arms: “Going to be your husband.”