After experiencing these turbulent events, Yan Xiaohan’s image increasingly resembled that of a “deep and scheming court official”. His once-frequent smile rarely appeared, his demeanor becoming restrained and severe, unpredictable yet subtly melancholic, making others hesitant to approach him.
Estranged from old court officials and unfamiliar to new nobles, Yan Xiaohan felt as if he had returned to the Yuan Tai era, once again isolated.
The deeply trusted Yan remained indifferent to his colleagues’ whispers and glances, having long grown accustomed to such treatment. He had not planned to achieve great merit in these chaotic times, but circumstances compelled him. If Emperor Changzhi could not establish himself, a wandering prince would either become a puppet emperor or be eliminated, and his followers would fare no better.
Yan Xiaohan did not wish to be controlled or die in Jiangnan.
During sleepless nights in Jiangnan, he would sometimes awaken, feeling an inexplicable emptiness, reminiscent of his past drug addiction, with an indescribable sense of longing consuming his heart. Not knowing Fu Shen’s whereabouts tormented him. He knew the capital had fallen, Emperor Yuan Tai had fled west, and the Northern Yan cavalry had broken through, but Fu Shen’s exact location remained a mystery. Since their parting in Jingchu, they had lost all contact. Yan Xiaohan had questioned numerous officials and soldiers who had fled south, yet received no response. The fallen Central Plains separated them like an entire world.
When unable to sleep, he would find solace in a osmanthus flowers candy, a bittersweet reminder of their past. Yu Qiaoting said: “I see the new emperor is establishing a small court in Jiangnan, and doing quite well. I’m afraid that while we’re fighting hard in the north, the south won’t be in a hurry at all.” Fu Shen became even more worried after hearing this. He had reorganized the Ganzhou army and remnant troops from northwest regions into the Northern Yan cavalry in Weiwei, holding military power almost comparable to the Great Zhou court in Jiangnan. However, Fu Shen would never rebel with his troops. The Northern Yan military had been loyal to the country for years and naturally viewed reclaiming the Central Plains as a matter of course.
Yet their perspective did not mean that local military governors and the Jiangnan court shared the same view.
