When Li Shuchen returned home, the last glimmer of light on the horizon had already been swallowed by the skyline.
The once lively Qi Family Courtyard was now cold and quiet. Even Heizi lay listlessly on the ground, too lazy to respond to the barking of Little Flower Dog outside.
Its food giver was gone.
It had no mood to play with Little Flower.
When the master returned, it looked up briefly. Not seeing the mistress, it lowered its head dejectedly once more.
Seeing Li Shuchen's return, Yan Wu hurriedly brought the dishes he had been keeping warm on a steamer to the table, calling everyone to eat.
He had habitually packed the usual amount of food from the restaurant. It was only after the meal, when he saw the rice left in the bowl, that he remembered Qi Huan and Yan Qing were no longer eating with them...
Yan Wu felt a sense of emptiness, the joy of returning to the capital somewhat dampened.
He quickly washed the dishes and turned to report the news brought by the spies to Li Shuchen.
"Your Highness, the imperial envoy has arrived and is resting at the county office tonight. They will likely come to deliver the imperial edict tomorrow morning."
Li Shuchen gave a faint "Mm" in response, then asked, "Have all other matters been arranged?"
"Yes, Your Highness, everything has been taken care of. Zhao Man will continue to stay with the Yunying Caravan to learn, and once he's proficient, Eighth Yan will arrange for him to teach the spies in various locations about secret languages. Xiu Wen will stay behind temporarily to handle the farms and businesses in Mo County."
"Heizi and the dog food left by Miss Qi will be sent next door for Xiu Wen to feed. Seventeen Yan has decent medical skills, so he will travel with us."
After listening to his detailed report, Li Shuchen nodded slightly and rose to take a bath. After washing, he stood in the courtyard with droplets still clinging to his skin, gazing up at the moonlight.
Under the same night sky, Qi Huan was also leaning by the window, looking at the crescent moon.
She missed Li Shuchen.
The fair one has departed, leaving no trace of sound, yet across a thousand miles, we share the same bright moon.
Though she couldn't see Shu, just thinking that they were under the same moon made the moonlight seem gentler.
The young woman stood by the window, her thoughts drifting far away.
Her silent vigil by the window startled Xu Nanny, who was passing by on a late-night errand.
"Miss, why aren't you asleep yet? The night breeze is cool; be careful not to catch cold. Please close the window and retire early. We have to set out early tomorrow morning."
Hearing this, Qi Huan stuck out her tongue playfully, responded with a "Alright," and closed the window with a soft thud.
Inside the room, Yan Qing was emitting soft snores from the couch against the wall.
As she passed by, Qi Huan straightened Yan Qing's tilted head. As her breathing became smoother, the snoring gradually ceased, leaving only the sound of shallow breaths.
After climbing into bed, Qi Huan took out a night pearl for light, propped her diary on her knees, and gripped her pen to write carefully: "The 16th year of the Longshun Era, the first day of the sixth month. First day away from Shu. I miss him! I miss him!"
One kind of longing, two places of idle sorrow.
Li Shuchen was thinking of her too.
He took out their couple portrait from his pocket, his fingers caressing Qi Huan's smiling face, his eyes full of tenderness.
Li Shuchen fell asleep holding the photo. The next day, shortly after he woke up, he heard the distant sound of carriage wheels rolling.
Two hours later, there was a knock at the main gate.
Yan Wu went to open the door and was greeted by a smiling face, pale and beardless.
Eunuch Luo explained his purpose with a smile.
"Your Highness, although the Emperor sent you here to reflect, he has been thinking of you constantly. Now that the weather has warmed up, he has sent me to fetch you. Your Highness, please receive the imperial edict."
Li Shuchen straightened his robe and knelt gracefully, waiting for the edict to be read.
Eunuch Luo's high, thin voice rang out:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Today we bestow upon our eldest son, Li Shuchen, the title of Prince An. He may establish advisors, officials, and a guard in his manor. This title shall be hereditary, passed down to the eldest son. So be it! The investiture ceremony will be held upon your return to the capital!"
"This son receives the edict and thanks the Emperor for his great kindness."
Eunuch Luo handed the imperial edict to Li Shuchen, then turned his gaze to Yan Qinghe.
"Young Master Yan, the Emperor also has a verbal order for you."
"Conveying the Emperor's verbal order: The Marquis of Wei Yuan once rendered great service to Li Country. Although he committed a grave offense in his lifetime, the dead are like extinguished lamps. Let bygones be bygones. We hereby pardon Yan Qinghe from his exile and allow him to return to the capital."
Yan Qinghe was both shocked and overjoyed. After expressing his gratitude, he hurried back to his room to pack his belongings.
In the courtyard, Li Shuchen's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was racing... It seemed the situation on the frontier was indeed not optimistic, which was why he had successfully manipulated the Emperor, forcing him to issue this verbal order under pressure from officials, to treat the descendants of the Marquis of Wei Yuan generously and boost the morale of the military officers.
At this moment, Eunuch Luo reminded him:
"Royal Prince An, the Emperor eagerly awaits your return. Please depart for the capital immediately."
Li Shuchen nodded slightly and instructed Yan Wu to pack their belongings.
An hour later, he too boarded a southbound carriage, slowly heading towards the capital along the same official road Qi Huan had traveled the day before.
Accompanying him were not only Eunuch Luo, who had delivered the edict, but also several hundred elite soldiers led by Commander Mo.
At first glance, it seemed like a grand display of imperial favor and fatherly love.
In reality, it was like a weasel paying New Year's respects to a chicken.
Showing sufficient importance was necessary to make him attract enough attention on behalf of the second prince.
Sure enough.
On the seventh day of the journey, the food was poisoned. After Seventeen Yan detected it, Li Shuchen followed the trail and eliminated the spy in their ranks, conveniently confiscating the unused poison.
On the eighteenth day, they encountered a strange group of bandits. Some wielded their blades chaotically, while others showed disciplined training. Some displayed amateur kung fu skills, while others were highly skilled fighters.
Yan Wu saw through it at a glance and confidently concluded: "There are two groups of bandits here – one real, one fake. The fake bandits are responsible for the assassination attempt, while the real bandits are meant to take the blame."
"You've got me all confused now. Who cares if they're real or fake bandits? Let's just deal with them and be done with it!"
Yan Qinghe drew his sword and leapt from the carriage.
Outside the carriage.
Part of the guard formed ranks, raising their shields to protect the carriage. The rest gripped their spears tightly, engaging in combat with the bandits.
Yan Qinghe flew through the air, kicking one bandit off his horse and leaping onto its back. With a man and a blade, he weaved through the enemy ranks, cutting them down as easily as vegetables.
From the blazing sun at noon to the blood-red sunset, the battle finally ended. The once dry, cracked mud was now soaked with blood.
Yan Qinghe wiped away the blood spattered on his cheek with his fingertips and approached the carriage. "Shu, we've eliminated them all. I want to find a small river to wash up."
"Go wash at the bandit's lair," came the reply.
"Are you sure you're going to the bandit hideout to bathe, and not to bathe it in blood?"
Hearing their conversation, Commander Mo advised, "I implore Your Highness not to act rashly. It's unwise to create complications during our journey. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble. We should leave this place as quickly as possible."
"The bandits are rampant. If we don't eradicate them, they may become a greater threat. As for eliminating this menace for the people, I cannot shirk my duty," Li Shuchen declared righteously.
Commander Mo's lips quivered a few times, knowing he wasn't eloquent enough to persuade him. He wanted to call for Eunuch Luo to convince him, but was informed by a subordinate that Eunuch Luo had fainted at the sight of blood.
He could only say, "Your Highness, we don't even know where the bandits' lair is. How can we attack?"
Li Shuchen put away the map in his hand, lifted the carriage curtain, and gazed at the mountains shrouded in darkness. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he finally said, "Follow me."
Leading the guard troops into the mountains under the cover of darkness, they caught the distant scent of food. Li Shuchen signaled the guards to stay put and ordered Seventeen Yan to sneak into the kitchen and secretly add a colorless, odorless poison to the bandits' pot.
They killed most of the bandits guarding the stronghold without shedding blood.
The guard troops occupied their stronghold, bathed, and rested peacefully for the night.
The next day, news spread through the teahouses and taverns of Jinzhou City: Royal Prince An, passing through Jinzhou, had eliminated the group of bandits from Tiger Mountain!
The bandit problem that had troubled Jinzhou for so long was finally solved!
Royal Prince An, caring for the common people, how truly benevolent!
