Shen Qingyao stayed at Gu Hui’s residence after arriving in Ningcheng. Gu Hui treated her like his own daughter and prepared a separate courtyard for her. However, Gu Hui was usually very busy, so they didn’t have many opportunities to meet.
On the tenth day in Ningcheng, Shen Qingyao received the first letter from Lu Zhao. At that time, she was sunbathing in her courtyard. When she heard someone from the capital had arrived, she couldn’t wait for them to deliver the letter. She lifted her skirt and ran off, ignoring Cui Qiao and Hong Yun who repeatedly shouted, “Madam, be careful.”
Seeing Shen Qingyao’s joyful figure, the two maids felt both amused and worried. Unable to stop her, they quickly followed her.
When Shen Qingyao jogged to the front gate of the Gu residence, she met the messenger who came from the capital to deliver the letter. When they met, both were momentarily stunned and simultaneously exclaimed, “Why are you here?”
The one who came back to deliver the letter was Gu Ziyan. After not seeing him for three or four months, he seemed taller and sturdier. The harsh conditions of the Northern Frontier had stripped away much of his arrogance, revealing a sharpness like a blade drawn out of its sheath. Shen Qingyao almost didn’t recognize him. Compared to their last meeting in Lingnan, Gu Ziyan seemed to have grown up a lot.
But as soon as he spoke, Shen Qingyao felt he was still the same reckless young master. Gu Ziyan got off his horse with a stern face. Seeing it was her, he leaned lazily against the horse, arms crossed, and asked teasingly, “This is my home. What’s strange about me being here? But you, why are you here again?”
Without waiting for Shen Qingyao to answer, he suddenly seemed to realize, “No wonder! I wondered why the Prince sent me on this errand and Lu Zhao even gave me a letter. It turns out it’s for you?”
Hearing there was indeed a letter from Lu Zhao, Shen Qingyao was delighted and didn’t bother to argue with Gu Ziyan. She reached out for the letter, but Gu Ziyan teasingly refused to give it to her. Shen Qingyao glared at him and tried to grab it. Just then, a stern voice came from behind, making Gu Ziyan jump. He quickly shoved the letter into Shen Qingyao’s hand and stood at attention, calling out cautiously, “Father.”
Shen Qingyao turned to see Gu Hui had arrived without her noticing, glaring coldly at Gu Ziyan. “You unfilial son! You still know how to come back!”
“Father! You know where I went!” Gu Ziyan muttered, head down. After spending nearly half a year at the Northern Frontier, he had learned some of the inside story. His father had partly schemed to send him there. “Stop acting! Father! I have serious business this time!”
With that, Gu Ziyan lifted his head again and took out another letter from his pocket, waving it with some pride. “Look! A secret letter from the Prince! Do you want it or not?”
“What are you showing off for? Get in here!” Gu Hui was even angrier seeing this. How could a secret letter be flaunted at the gate? Losing patience, he kicked Gu Ziyan and dragged him by the ear into the house.
Shen Qingyao laughed secretly at the side. When Gu Hui looked over, she obediently gave way and bowed.
After they had walked away, Shen Qingyao looked down at the thin envelope in her hand, feeling expectant. What would Lu Zhao write to her?
“Miss, let’s go back too,” Cui Qiao suggested softly. Shen Qingyao nodded and was about to return when she noticed out of the corner of her eye a head quickly ducking behind a stone lion at the gate. She paused, recognizing the shadow as familiar. After a moment of thought, she decided to walk over.
Behind the stone lion was a small figure. Seeing her approach, the person seemed nervous but didn’t run away. Instead, they looked at Shen Qingyao with a complicated expression, a mix of resentment and reluctance. As Shen Qingyao got closer, she recognized Lin Wan’er, Gu Ziyan’s fiancée, whom she had seen a few times from a distance in Ningcheng a few months ago.
At that time, Lin Wan’er was often harassed by Gu Ziyan, and because she had mercilessly kicked him over when Shen Qingyao first saw them, Shen Qingyao had a particularly deep impression of her.
“Miss Lin?” Shen Qingyao hesitated as she called out.
Lin Wan’er, standing before Shen Qingyao, was somewhat surprised, her eyes widening slightly as she softly asked, “How do you know me?”
Shen Qingyao chuckled but didn’t answer her. Instead, she asked, “Is Miss Lin here to see Young Master Gu?”
Upon hearing about Gu Ziyan, Lin Wan’er’s eyes darkened. She gave Shen Qingyao a peculiar look before biting her lip and stammering, “What… what is your relationship with Gu Ziyan?”
Shen Qingyao was taken aback but quickly understood. Lin Wan’er must have seen Gu Ziyan playing around with her earlier and likely misunderstood something. She couldn’t help but laugh, hurriedly waving her hand, “Miss Lin, don’t misunderstand. My husband and Young Master Gu’s families are old friends. I’m staying here temporarily because my husband has some matters to attend to.”
“Husband? You are already married?” Lin Wan’er’s eyes lit up, finally noticing Shen Qingyao’s subtle but unmistakably married appearance. While she felt relieved, she also felt a bit embarrassed, as she had thought…
“I’m sorry, I…” Lin Wan’er lowered her head.
She should be younger than Shen Qingyao. Seeing her pitiful look at the moment, Shen Qingyao’s heart softened. She suddenly understood why even the frivolous Gu Ziyan couldn’t forget this girl.
Shen Qingyao smiled and said, “Miss Lin, why don’t you come in and sit for a while?” She then winked and teased, “Young Master Gu has been called by Lord Gu for a meeting. If you come in now, you won’t run into him.”
Lin Wan’er’s face reddened further, but she didn’t refuse.
The two of them entered the house arm in arm, and Shen Qingyao led Lin Wan’er back to her courtyard. The two girls sat together, and Shen Qingyao soon discovered that beneath Lin Wan’er’s delicate exterior was the heart of a general’s daughter, free-spirited and unrestrained. Shen Qingyao had realized this was a special girl when she saw her reprimanding Gu Ziyan a few times.
After chatting all morning, Shen Qingyao genuinely liked her.
When Lin Wan’er began to distractedly glance out the window frequently, Shen Qingyao pursed her lips, understanding who Lin Wan’er truly wanted to see. She said, “Wan’er, if you want to see Young Master Gu, you might still catch him if you go now.”
“I’m not…” Lin Wan’er blushed with embarrassment and vigorously denied it.
Shen Qingyao looked at these childhood sweethearts who clearly liked each other yet played a game of chase and couldn’t help but laugh. After laughing, she couldn’t help but think of her own childhood sweetheart, wondering what Lu Zhao was doing now.
A thousand miles away, Lu Zhao stood in the camp. They had traveled day and night and had been stationed outside the capital for several days now. The northern army had also arrived, but they hadn’t taken any rash actions because many ministers and their families were still trapped in the capital.
Lu Zhao looked at the towering city walls in the distance, his eyes darkening with determination.
Shen Qingli, who had accompanied the army, walked over and stood beside him, glancing sideways, “Thinking about Yaoyao?”
She raised her eyebrows, “I never thought you would be like this after getting married.” She laughed, “Well, our Yaoyao is so wonderful, it’s no wonder you treasure her so much.”
Lu Zhao was teased, but didn’t deny it. He smiled faintly, recalling the girl who would often tear up and call out to him so sweetly. How could he not treasure her? He wished he could keep her by his side all the time.
“Who knows how Yaoyao is doing alone in the south? It’s been over half a year since I last saw her. Once we finish our business here, let’s bring her back to the capital.” Shen Qingli’s smile faded a bit. They were set to attack the city tomorrow. Though everything seemed certain, there were no guarantees in war, so her tone was inevitably heavy.
“Okay,” Lu Zhao responded briefly, saying no more.
Shen Qingli was used to his attitude by now. Without Yaoyao around, Lu Zhao was indifferent to everyone. After discussing a few more details about the city attack, Shen Qingli turned to find Xiao Mu.
Lu Zhao remained there for a while, then gathered his thoughts and left to finalize plans for the next day.
In Ningcheng, Lin Wan’er couldn’t sit still any longer. She stood up to take her leave. Shen Qingyao, smiling, pointed a direction for her, saying that she would have a better chance of meeting Gu Ziyan that way. Lin Wan’er blushed and declined, but her steps still unconsciously veered in that direction, making Shen Qingyao smile again.
Once Lin Wan’er was gone, Shen Qingyao dismissed the servants, sat by the window, and carefully took out a letter from her sleeve that she hadn’t yet opened. After taking a deep breath, she slowly unfolded the letter.
There wasn’t anything particularly special in it. Lu Zhao had written to say he had arrived near the capital and was camping in secret, and have successfully met up with Xiao Mu and Shen Qingli. They were waiting for the right moment to attack the city and capture Xiao Jing. He told her not to worry.
Then, the letter spanned three full pages, filled with detailed instructions on how she should take care of her health. Shen Qingyao found it both amusing and exasperating, joking to the system that the letter could be published as ‘One Hundred Ways to Take Care for a Heart Disease Patient’.
As she read, it was clear that Lu Zhao had written the letter in haste. His usual elegant handwriting was somewhat messy. Only on the last page, in the final line, did he carefully and sincerely write: “It’s been half a month since I left. I miss Yaoyao very much. Does Yaoyao miss me?”
Shen Qingyao’s heart fluttered when she read this. She blushed but couldn’t help reading the line over and over, gently tracing her finger over the words. She softly said, “I miss you too.”
After a long while, she went to the desk and started to write her reply.
After many revisions, she finally finished the letter and went to find Gu Ziyan, intending to ask him to deliver it to Lu Zhao when he left the next day. However, the scene she encountered surprised her.
Lin Wan’er, no longer the sweet and delicate girl she had been in front of Shen Qingyao, looked impatient, frowning at Gu Ziyan. It was unclear what he had done to upset her, but he was circling around her, trying to appease her. Shen Qingyao paused, noticing that despite the impatient expression, Lin Wan’er’s eyes were smiling.
Suddenly, she didn’t feel like interrupting them anymore.