"Impossible!"
Tears instantly welled up in Qi Huan's eyes.
She suddenly remembered that today was the third day of the second month in the Fourth Year of Aiqi.
It was Yan Qinghe's 24th birthday.
When he was seventeen, he had once said: "My wish at seventeen is to be with you all forever."
Qi Huan's tears fell in a flurry, and through her blurred vision, she seemed to see again that vibrant young man on horseback, smiling, his long sword fluttering like the wind.
How could she have forgotten to tell him back then: "Silly, wishes don't come true if you say them out loud..."
Li Shuchen mechanically wiped her tears, and when he came to his senses, he saw that her delicate cheeks had been rubbed red by him.
He said dazedly, "I'm sorry."
*
The banquet soon ended.
As everything quieted down, only the clear breeze and bright moon remained amidst the fading lights.
Li Shuchen refused to believe it, his dark gaze piercing through the night, looking far towards the Western Frontier.
"...Is there a body?"
"Yes."
Yan Wu's shoulders drooped dejectedly, as if all strength had been drained from him.
"It's news brought back by Yan Jiu. He also said the Yan Family Army will return to the capital tomorrow."
"...Along with the young lord's coffin."
Qi Huan listened quietly as they finished speaking, tears silently streaming down her face.
For the entire night, neither she nor Li Shuchen closed their eyes.
The next day.
After the morning court session.
The Emperor and Empress left the palace together to receive the young lord... to bring him home.
Along the route, soldiers maintained strict order, with common folk lining both sides to watch. Song You'an wore a bright red dress, her white hair fluttering lightly in the wind.
She smiled shyly, standing on tiptoes, eagerly anticipating.
Her young general had once said: "You're adorable even with white hair... I'll protect you so you can be yourself freely."
In recent years, she had become increasingly brave.
During the most difficult times of the war, she attended banquets, persuading noble ladies to donate money and buy provisions to send to the frontlines, hoping only that her young general could stay warm and well-fed.
She gradually stopped using hair dye, letting her white hair grow out inch by inch.
She began to embrace her truest self.
Thanks to her cousin's influence, her grandfather was granted the title of Duke of Cheng'en, and now no one in the capital dared to openly mock her.
Even if she occasionally heard a few harsh words, she would just smile and explain: "I'm not a monster, I just have a very cute condition that makes my hair the same color as a little rabbit's..."
The warm sunlight fell on her body, and Song You'an felt a cozy warmth in her heart.
It was wonderful.
Her wedding dress had long been embroidered, and her young general was finally coming back to marry her.
She stretched her neck, trying hard to look ahead.
But...
Amidst the uniform sound of footsteps, why was a golden nanmu wood coffin at the front?
Why did every member of the Yan Family Army look grief-stricken despite winning the war?
...Why couldn't she see Yan Qinghe?
Song You'an panicked, pushing past the Song family guards, desperately trying to squeeze forward.
But she was blocked by the soldiers.
White paper money fluttered in the air as people whispered among themselves.
After a long while.
They finally realized that their god of war had fallen.
Sobbing could be heard rising and falling as everyone followed the procession, slowly moving to escort the young lord back to the Weiyuan Marquis Manor.
Accompanying him on his final journey in this world.
...Bringing him home.
The newly renovated mansion, he hadn't even lived there for a single day...
Servants who had received advance notice had already hung white banners at the gate, and the coffin was placed in the main courtyard.
After the long journey, the body had begun to emit an odor.
But everyone seemed not to notice.
Li Shuchen stood rigidly before the coffin, his body taut as a bowstring, and commanded in a deep voice: "Open it!"
Yan Jiu fell to his knees with a thud.
"Your Majesty, please restrain your grief."
"This subject is guilty, having failed Your Majesty's instructions to bring the young lord back safely."
"But this subject has already verified, it is indeed the young lord. Please let him rest in peace, Your Majesty."
The man who was as hard as iron on the battlefield now wept uncontrollably, his forehead hitting the ground heavily, yet it couldn't compare to even a fraction of the pain in his heart.
Li Shuchen's phoenix eyes were bloodshot as he angrily repeated: "I order you to open it!"
Seeing everyone frozen in place, he suddenly reached out, ripping off the coffin lid along with the nails. A thick stench of decay instantly assaulted their noses.
His gaze swept over the body like a hawk, inch by inch.
The height matched.
The face seemed to have been pecked at by vultures...
It was unrecognizable.
Except for the upper body, there wasn't a piece of intact flesh.
He was still wearing the stab-proof armor Ah Huan had given him...
The warm winter sun gently fell in the courtyard, yet no one could feel a hint of warmth.
Li Shuchen's form swayed as he steadied himself against the coffin.
Beside him, Qi Huan also stared blankly at the stab-proof armor on the body.
Then, she inadvertently noticed what seemed to be a piece of paper in the chest pocket of the corpse.
She reached out and pulled it free.
...It was the first photograph she had taken of Yan Qinghe and Song You'an together.
It was also the last.
Although the image was completely blurred, she recognized the unique size and texture of the photo paper at a glance.
It wasn't until this moment, when she suddenly lost consciousness, that she realized one truly could faint from excessive grief.
Li Shuchen, immersed in his own emotions, almost failed to catch her.
Fortunately, he managed to do so in the end.
He took a deep look at the body in the coffin, then tightly embraced Ah Huan in his arms. It felt as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat.
With extreme difficulty, he said: "Close the coffin."
"Wait!"
Song You'an, in her red dress with silver hair, came stumbling over.
There was dust on her knees and scrapes on her wrists. She had fallen twice on the way, but felt no pain at all.
She didn't believe it!
She ran to the coffin, examining every detail from the hair to the fingers.
But her most intimate gesture with Yan Qinghe had been no more than a parting embrace.
She simply couldn't recognize him...
She helplessly clutched the coffin and broke into loud sobs.
In the past, she had always cried secretly at night, always whimpering quietly. This was the first time she cried openly in the daytime, in front of everyone, without restraint.
Sadly, her young general would never be able to comfort her again.
She cried heartbreakingly, like an abandoned child.
"Yan Qinghe, you said that when my wedding dress was finished, you would come back to marry me."
"Why did you break your promise?"
However, the man lying silently in the coffin would never answer her again.
The Song family members, upon hearing the news, all arrived. Elder Master Song and Elder Madam Song wept bitterly, holding each other.
Song You'an wiped her tears and knelt resolutely before her parents: "Father, Mother, I still want to marry him."
If he lives, she would be his wife.
If he dies, she would be his widow.
This was the first time An'an had ever begged them.
Elder Master Song and Elder Madam Song felt as if their hearts were being cut by knives.
Old Master Song tilted his head back, forcing back tears, nodded to his granddaughter, then bowed to Li Shuchen: "We beseech Your Majesty to grant this wish."
The Song family members all knelt down: "We beseech Your Majesty to grant this wish."
Li Shuchen paused in his steps: "Let me consider it."
...Ah He wouldn't want to hold back the girl he loved.
But the Song family were all as stubborn as mules.
He truly feared they might hold a wedding at Ah He's grave.
After returning to the palace.
Qi Huan woke up, heard everything, and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, she pleaded on behalf of her cousin: "Please grant her wish."
"An'an may seem timid on the surface, but she's very stubborn and has her own mind. Even without this ceremony, she would remain faithful to Ah He for life."
"Rather than having no name or status, it's better to fulfill their wishes."
The imperial edict was drafted quickly.
The white banners at the Weiyuan Marquis Manor were temporarily removed and replaced with red silk.
Amidst the festive decorations, Song You'an married into the family.
In the wedding hall, she was about to bow to a rooster as a stand-in for the groom.
Just as she bent her head, the rooster let out a terrified cluck and was suddenly thrown out by someone.
The rooster: ?
