Fu Shen sat up and pointed threateningly at the mess from the vinegar jar before getting up to open the door and receiving a large basin of hot water. Yan Xiaohan consciously moved a small stool and followed over. Fu Shen rolled up his sleeves, tested the water temperature, and said, “Alright, come and wash. I’ll keep watch at the door.”
“
Yan Xiaohan silently untied his clothes, removing the wet garment and revealing a corner of a white bandage on his shoulder. Fu Shen caught a glimpse of it and immediately reached out to press down: “What happened? Where are you injured?”
“It’s nothing, just accidentally scraped a bit of skin, probably already scabbed over,” Yan Xiaohan said. “The military doctor made a big fuss and insisted I wear a bandage.”
Fu Shen was not reassured: “Turn around, let me take a look.”
Yan Xiaohan obediently sat on the low stool facing away from him, baring his shoulder. Fu Shen carefully removed the bandage, seeing a fresh red wound about three inches long, sliced open by a sharp blade, already starting to close but with only a thin scab that looked like it could split open at any moment.
Fu Shen had seen far more severe wounds in his battles, and such an injury on himself would hardly make him furrow his brow. But now, seeing this scar on Yan Xiaohan’s shoulder, he felt a wave of tightness in his heart.
After a moment of silence, he gently touched the swollen area around the wound’s edge with his fingertip: “Does it hurt?”
Yan Xiaohan laughed: “If I say it hurts, will I get candy?”
Fu Shen made an ambiguous sound, then suddenly lowered his head. Yan Xiaohan felt a soft, warm sensation briefly touch the wound. “
The newly formed tender flesh was extremely sensitive, and a slight tingling spread like a flame meeting dry kindling, heat sweeping through his entire body. His limbs trembled on the edge, his voice suddenly hoarse: “Jing Yuan… what are you doing?”
“Washing you,” Fu Shen straightened up, lightly slapping his bare back and casually reprimanding, “Daring to jump into the river with an injury, if it gets infected, you’ll be crying later.”
Yan Xiaohan tried to throw the cloth into the basin, but Fu Shen pulled it from his hand, dipped it in hot water, and slowly wiped down from his neck, softly saying, “Don’t move.”
This wound was for Fu Shen.
“Feeling sorry for me?” Yan Xiaohan gradually understood, if he had a tail, it would be wagging to the sky: “This small injury can get me a kiss, so…”
Fu Shen said: “You dare to continue?”
“I don’t dare, I don’t dare,” Yan Xiaohan turned sideways, looking at him with laughing eyes, “Knowing the marquis cares for me, I’ll definitely be more careful in the future.”
Fu Shen looked at him suspiciously, sensing he might have more to say.
Indeed, Yan Xiaohan skillfully grabbed his wrist, lowered his head to kiss his hand, and looked up softly: “I don’t want to make you worry either.”
The night wind carries a light floral fragrance, with a brilliant starry sky overhead. Two riders travel side by side at a leisurely pace. Under the vast and boundless sky, the separations and wanderings of the past year, the pain of longing, flow away like river water, leaving only the steadfast heart of a rock after the great waves have washed away the sand.
Fu Shen’s affairs in Gan Zhou were nothing special, merely stockpiling grain and training troops. Yan Xiao Han carefully explained the new court situation, especially the Long Zhi Emperor’s attitude and the conflicts between the Southern and Northern factions. Yan Xiao Han thought it over repeatedly and felt he couldn’t hide the truth, so he told everything in detail.
Fu Ling’s marriage to the Prince of Qi was arranged by Fu Shen himself years ago. He had originally thought the Prince of Qi was gentle and honest. Who could have predicted the unpredictability of fate? With the country fallen and the family destroyed, it now seemed he had personally pushed his sister into a fire pit.
He had promised Fu Ling many things, and hadn’t accomplished a single one.
Fu Shen’s face was expressionless, his profile in the dark night like a cold and hard stone statue. Yet Yan Xiao Han always felt he had an inexplicable fragility.
Just as he was about to offer comfort, Fu Shen spoke first, blocking his words: “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Even as her own brother, I might not have been as meticulous,” he self-deprecatingly gave a bitter smile, “Moreover, I couldn’t afford to offend the leader of the Jiangnan faction at the risk of being exiled for her sake.”
Although Yan Xiao Han didn’t elaborate, Fu Shen was no stranger to official circles. Connecting this with the Xue family matter, he naturally guessed that Yan Xiao Han’s explanation of “obtaining a military supervisor position from the Emperor” was just a fabricated excuse to comfort him.
He wasn’t voluntarily joining the military… but was kicked out of the central government for making a mistake.
For a moment, guilt and defeat crashed over him like a tsunami, overwhelming him. Fu Shen knew exactly what path he had chosen, and could only move forward with no chance of retreat. At this moment, his heart was like a raging storm, shaking the earth, unprecedented in his doubt.
Had he truly chosen the right path?
He was a failure as a brother, providing no support to his sister alone in the palace, instead making her a thorn in everyone’s side.
He was a failure as a husband, choosing to head north at the outbreak of war, leaving Yan Xiao Han alone to manage the situation in Jiangnan, and ultimately forcing Yan Xiao Han to clean up his mess and be exiled from the central government to this dangerous frontline…
The Northern Yan army’s duty was to protect their home and country, but he was about to destroy his own family.
“No one forced me, I came to find you myself. I’ve been waiting for seven years and don’t want to wait for anyone’s favor anymore.” Yan Xiaohan lowered his head and kissed his temple. “Jing Yuan, I am your husband, not your burden, so don’t be distant with me—if there’s a next time, I’ll really get angry.”
In the black night, there was only endless silence.
“But… Meng Gui,” after a long silence, Fu Shen pulled his hand and placed it on his chest, speaking in a hoarse voice, “I can’t even take care of my own family. What face do I have to claim ‘loyalty’ or talk about restoring the country and defending the homeland? Isn’t that all just a joke?”
Yan Xiaohan closed his eyes in frustration and took a deep breath, thinking that this matter would not be resolved tonight.
Fu Shen’s sense of guilt was too heavy. A year of separation was like poison, and with the empress’s catalyst, under multiple influences, this guilt was finally cooked into a heart demon.
“Fine, if you insist on making yourself unhappy, I’ll fulfill your wish.”
Yan Xiaohan said straightforwardly, “You, as an elder brother, failed to take care of your sister and should be punished. I’m two years older than you, and you once called me ‘brother’. This past year, I’ve been busy establishing a new dynasty and haven’t come north to find you. So, as an older brother, shouldn’t I also be punished?”
Yan Xiaohan’s question was truly tricky. No matter how Fu Shen answered, it would be equivalent to admitting he was the “older brother”. If he didn’t answer, Yan Xiaohan would take it as a default, and he would be completely at a disadvantage. Talking about “punishment” would likely end up with various unconventional methods.
