HMHSE - 88

In the deep palace of Chang’an at this time.

Inside the deep and secluded hall, a group of eunuchs bowed and emerged from behind the tall wooden shelves where old court records were placed. They placed a pile of yellow silk scrolls and records on the small table in the outer hall.

This was not Pei Shaoyong’s first time here. To hide the fact that he had seen the secret decree, he only stood at the door.

In front of the table piled with things stood the pale, thin Marquis of Heluo in a red official robe, his gentle and gentlemanly demeanor on full display as he spoke. “The relics left by the late Emperor, without exception, are to be presented to His Majesty. There must be no mistakes.”

The eunuchs all agreed.

Pei Shaoyong saw the yellow silk scroll of the secret decree at the bottom. He lowered his head, clenched his fists, and remained silent.

The Emperor had given the order, so the investigation was naturally swift. This time, he couldn’t be blamed. Shan Zong had brought it upon himself.

He only hoped that A Rong would be all right.

________________________________________

“What did you say?”

In the guest room of the Weizhou post house, after a long silence, a disbelieving question from the Duke of Zhao rang out.

Even at his age, having seen all kinds of turmoil, the Duke of Zhao was still uncontrollably shocked after hearing his daughter’s words.

“You want me to meet Shan Zong?” As a father who knew his daughter well, he figured it out after a moment of thought. “Are you intentionally accepting his proposal?”

Shen Rong had been standing in front of her father since that sentence, not moving. “To be frank, during the urgent war, life and death were unpredictable. I’ve already accepted. I couldn’t explain it clearly in the letter, so I had to come here in person. That’s why I came ahead of time.”

The Duke of Zhao’s brows furrowed as he looked at her. “No wonder you want me to meet him. I didn’t know you and he had reached this point.”

Another moment of silence passed.

Shen Rong gripped her fingers and looked at her father’s expression. When he was away from home, he wore his heavy Duke’s official robe, which made him look very dignified. His pale, beardless face was exceptionally serious.

“There were too many twists and turns, and a lot of things happened in Youzhou. I can only tell you about them slowly later, Father.”

The Duke of Zhao rubbed his forehead, slowly paced a few steps, and then regained his composure. He flicked his sleeves. “You should be glad that your mother isn’t the one here today.”

Shen Rong knew that her father was a reasonable person. Her mind shifted slightly, and she suddenly asked, “Father, do you still remember why you and Mother chose him for me in the first place?”

The Duke of Zhao was caught off guard by her sudden question. With his hands behind his back, his eyebrows still furrowed, he said, “Why? Marrying into the Shan family was one reason, but it was also because he was truly outstanding. A natural-born military genius who was highly regarded by the late Emperor in his teens. He was one in a hundred, a rare talent. Such a person was worthy of you. You should know all this.”

“Since you put it that way, then now, putting aside the Shan family and his hateful past of leaving and divorcing, and just looking at the man himself, do you still think he is a rare talent?”

The Duke of Zhao looked at her, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke. “Based on his ability to gain a foothold in Youzhou on his own, and to achieve such a miraculous victory with so few troops that it even alarmed the current Emperor, of course, he is.”

Shen Rong’s heart skipped a beat at the phrase “even alarmed the current Emperor.” Her thoughts flashed by, but her expression remained calm. “Then why don’t you meet him, Father? Even if you only see him as someone who wants to marry me, at least listen to what he has to say.”

The Duke of Zhao’s eyebrows relaxed, and his face softened. “Don’t you care about his past actions?”

Shen Rong knew that the anger and resentment between him and her mother were all because of her. At the heart of it, it was all out of love and concern for her, and she understood that.

She took a few steps forward and linked her arm with her father’s, nodding. “I do care. What he did, even with a reason, is still something he did. I just hope you can meet the man he is now, Father. Is that okay?”

The Duke of Zhao looked at her for a long time. Perhaps because of the war in Youzhou, she seemed to have lost a little weight since he last saw her. She had not even taken off her cloak when she came in to talk about this. But her spirit was good. Her arm was linked with his, and her eyes were as bright as ever.

He knew how strong-willed his daughter was. He had not seen her in this kind of girlish state for many years.

If she was like this because of that boy, then he really had to meet him.

The Duke of Zhao remembered the straight figure who dared to stop his carriage on the streets of Chang’an. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded. “Alright. Just one meeting. I can agree to that. Let’s see what he’s like now.”

Shen Rong immediately curtsied. “Thank you, Father.”

Outside, Donglai and Zirui had been waiting, not expecting the Young Mistress to be inside for so long.

After a long time, Shen Rong finally came out.

“Young Mistress...” Zirui had just opened her mouth when she saw a fleeting smile on Shen Rong’s face, which surprised her.

“Tell Zhang Wei to go back,” Shen Rong said, the smile fading from her face. She said casually, “I’ve agreed with my father to stay here until the end of the month.”

________________________________________

The military camp had been completely renovated, with only a few scorch marks left on the tiles of the high walls and large courtyards from the war.

Hu Shi Yi had handled the aftermath for the dead soldiers as per Shan Zong’s instructions. He came out of the training ground and saw that group of people standing or squatting together in the courtyard.

Who else could they be but the prisoners from the dungeon?

It was bad enough that they were in the military camp, eating and living with them. Now, they had even tied up their hair and were wearing the military uniforms and soft armour, looking completely different from their beastly and monstrous appearance in the mountains.

Hu Shi Yi watched the fiercest one, Wei Shen Wu, from a distance as he walked. With his hair tied up, the white scar on his left eye was completely exposed, making him look even more ferocious.

“That’s all? Not bad. Although they’re a little worse than the men we had back then, that Shan fellow is a bit skilled at training troops,” Wei Shen Wu said, squatting among the others and glancing at the training ground.

Hu Shi Yi stopped. “What did you say?!”

Wei Shen Wu’s white scar twitched. He glanced at him. “What I say is none of your damn business.”

Hu Shi Yi pulled up his sleeve. “You bastard. What do you think this place is? The chief let you in, and you’re not even grateful. You’re being pretty arrogant!”

Wei Shen Wu’s face was sinister. “What? That Shan fellow made you so obedient that you’re speaking up for him.”

“Our chief is worthy of our obedience in every way! You bunch of monsters, don’t even look at what you are. Who are you to talk smack here!”

Hu Shi Yi had long disliked him and immediately drew his sword.

Wei Shen Wu stood up with a grimace, sneering. “Want to fight? I’ll show you what I am!”

Dozens of people behind him stood up at the same time.

The men from Hu Shi Yi’s squad also gathered behind him.

He was about to take a step forward when he heard a horse neigh loudly. He stopped and turned to look.

Shan Zong was riding over, holding a saber in one hand and reining in his horse with the other, watching them with a cold gaze.

“Chief,” Hu Shi Yi said, subconsciously taking a step back. Knowing his temper, he put his saber away and said grumpily, “That Wei Shen Wu...”

“His name is Luo Chong,” Shan Zong said. “Don’t call him Wei Shen Wu anymore.”

Hu Shi Yi was stunned and looked at the other side.

Wei Shen Wu smirked toothily.

Shan Zong glanced at him and then at the dozens of figures behind him. “Although the Emperor has given his permission, you are in the army to atone for your crimes. You all better behave.”

No one made a sound. Jia Chen San pulled Wei Shen Wu back.

“Pang Lu,” Shan Zong suddenly called out, waving a hand behind him.

Jia Chen San had his hair tied up, revealing his grey temples. He looked up and saw a few soldiers coming from behind him, leading four men. He went up to them immediately.

Those four men also had shoulder-length hair like them. Although it was tied up, they looked even more like monsters because each of them had terrible injuries.

The first one had a long, snake-like scar on his neck. The two men behind him had scars on the side of their faces. One walked with a limp on his left leg, and the last one even had a missing arm.

They were the four people Shan Zong had held hostage.

In an instant, the dozens of people all swarmed around them.

Hu Shi Yi was inexplicably pushed to the side. He watched the dozens of them huddle together and turned to look at Shan Zong, who was sitting motionless on his horse, his eyes dark and his face expressionless.

It was only when a soldier came from the main gate of the military camp and reported in a low voice from under his horse, “Chief, a letter for you has arrived.”

Shan Zong dismounted and walked away with large strides.

Hu Shi Yi looked at the group of convicts again, muttered to himself, and followed him.

The group that was left was still standing. Everyone was surrounding the four men.

“Did he do anything to you?” Wei Shen Wu asked through gritted teeth.

The man with the missing arm shook his head. “On the contrary, he treated our injuries. We were just watched very closely and kept hidden somewhere. We didn’t know where we were.”

Wei Shen Wu’s white scar twitched twice. His face was grim. After a long time, he let out a snort. “He’s smart.”

The surroundings were completely silent.

Jia Chen San glanced at him but said nothing. He only thought to himself that perhaps Shan Zong’s subduing of the four of them was intentional and not just because they were easy to subdue.

Shan Zong stopped only when he reached the middle of the training ground. He took the letter from the soldier. “Where did it come from?”

“Chang’an.”

He opened it and knew from the familiar handwriting that it was from Pei Yuanling.

The letter told him that it wasn’t confirmed, but Chang’an was probably investigating him.

Shan Zong tore up the letter after a quick read and threw it into the bonfire in the field.

Even if Pei Yuanling hadn’t sent a letter to remind him, he had guessed that this would be the result. He had been prepared for it when he sent the report to Chang’an.

It was for this reason that he wanted to keep an eye on the movements outside the pass.

Hu Shi Yi happened to come up to him.

Shan Zong rested his finger on the hilt of his saber and suddenly asked him, “Before Zhang Wei left, I asked him to send people to keep an eye on the area outside the pass. How is it going?”

Hu Shi Yi was caught off guard by the question and quickly replied, “They’re keeping an eye on it. Their military campaign was unsuccessful this time, and the troops in the fortified city are still being mobilized. They haven’t stopped. Those bastards!”

Shan Zong nodded. “A group of outlaws should be coming to report to me later. Remember to let them in.”

He said that and turned to leave, then stopped again. “Also, those people are also my soldiers. There’s no difference between you.”

Hu Shi Yi watched him walk away and looked at the group of monsters huddled together in the distance, his mouth agape.

________________________________________

When it got dark, Shan Zong walked into the barracks alone.

It was pitch black all around. He didn’t light a lamp and was just taking off his arm guards. He actually felt a little unaccustomed to it.

With Shen Rong gone, he didn’t really want to go back to the official residence. It was better to stay in the barracks than to be alone in the main house.

Even after he sat on the narrow bed, he could still remember the few times she had been here.

One time she sat on this bed, next to him, their legs touching.

Shan Zong raised his hand and rubbed his chin. He smiled in the darkness. He didn’t feel this way when he was busy with work, but now that he was free, he suddenly realized that he was actually missing her.

It hadn’t even been that long since they had separated, and they weren’t even that far apart.

In his twenties, he had always considered himself to be a heartless person. But now, he was so worried about a woman. It had never happened before.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside. “Messenger Shan.”

Shan Zong’s thoughts were collected. He quickly got up.

He opened the door, and in the dim light outside, a few men dressed as outlaws stood there.

Hu Shi Yi was standing nearby. “Chief, they’re here.”

“Good,” Shan Zong said. “Speak.”

The leader of the outlaws held his fists together respectfully. “The situation outside the pass has been very tense. We couldn’t go to places that were a bit farther away. But in the last two days, we heard that they will be swapping out their troops. A large group will withdraw first, and then another group of troops will come to replace them. This is the most complete information we could get.”

Shan Zong stood at the door, his body as straight as a pine in the darkness. “So, if I want to leave the pass, this is a rare opportunity.”

“Messenger Shan is brilliant.”

“I understand. The usual.”

The outlaws all said yes and left quietly.

Shan Zong stood at the door, calculating the days.

He didn’t speak until Hu Shi Yi couldn’t help but say something. After he was finished calculating, he gave the order. “Go tell them to get ready and follow me.”

Hu Shi Yi knew he was talking about that group of monsters. He asked strangely, “Where are you going, Chief, and why are you taking them?”

Shan Zong walked out. “I’m going out of the pass for a trip.”