When tender sprouts began emerging from the accumulated snow, the irritating winter finally showed signs of ending.
The endless convoy of grain transport carts stretched as far as the eye could see. Well-trained soldiers were loading bundles of newly forged weapons onto the carts, creating a scene of bustling activity.
“His Majesty has been in a standoff with Yu Polu in Ningming County for over a month. With these supplies and weapons arriving, we should be able to break the deadlock,” Cui Qi sat in his wheelchair, looking at the increasingly steady Wang Dian. “Although the capital has stabilized and the administrative reforms are showing initial results, who knows how many people are still plotting in the shadows. It’s not appropriate for you to leave at this time.”
“The noble families won’t dare to make any moves for now.” Although the wound had healed, the residual poison wasn’t easy to eliminate. His left forearm still ached on cloudy days. Wang Dian moved his arm and said, “If I leave now, they won’t be able to guess what we’re planning to do, and won’t dare to act rashly. Besides, with Sixteenth Brother in the capital, I can leave with peace of mind.”
Cui Qi got a headache whenever he heard the term “Sixteenth Brother”. Yet Wang Dian seemed particularly enthusiastic about using it, being quite provocative. Since Cui Qi couldn’t really do anything about it, he simply chose to ignore it as if he hadn’t heard.
Wang Dian’s mood, which had been gloomy for over two months, finally showed signs of brightening. He turned to look at the magnificent city gate, “Although the capital is nice, staying too long makes one feel suffocated. I’m going out to cleanse my soul, and I’ll have to trouble Sixteenth Brother with various matters.”
Cui Qi gave him a bland look, “His Majesty won’t be at ease.”
“It doesn’t matter whether he’s at ease or not. Even if you rebel, you can only push Ah Huan to be emperor, and I can just take your brother with me,” Wang Dian was amused by his own hypothesis and patted the back of Cui Qi’s wheelchair. “You can fight this war however you want, and I can even donate some money and grain to show my support.”
Cui Qi’s face darkened slightly. It was obvious that he wanted to curse, after all, he had been forcibly tied to their “rebel ship.” Whether he rebelled or not, the one who would be emperor would still be Liang Huan. Although he had no such intention, he had been thoroughly manipulated by Wang Dian and Liang Ye, and he couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
He very much wanted to stand up and kick someone.
Wang Dian could be even more irritating than the troublesome Liang Ye at times. He casually tugged at the collar of Cui Qi’s cloak and said teasingly, “If you rebel, I will definitely lend you a helping hand.”
“It’s getting late, Your Highness should hurry to depart,” Cui Qi wheeled his chair backward and cupped his hands in salute.
Wang Dian sighed, straightened up and formally cupped his hands in return, saying seriously, “Then I’ll trouble Elder Brother with matters in the capital.”
This address of “Elder Brother” came out so naturally and calmly that Cui Qi didn’t even feel anything amiss. Perhaps he had become numb from being called “Sixteenth Brother” so often. In the end, he added one more sentence. “Your Highness, have a safe journey.”
Wang Dian stepped onto the footboard and mounted the carriage. Hearing these words, he turned his head and flashed a brilliant smile.
For a moment, Cui Qi thought he saw Liang Ye, but before he could ponder further, the carriage had already galloped away, splashing snow and mud everywhere.
The magnificent grain convoy headed northeast toward Ningming County.
****
Because of Tan Yishuang’s matter, Chong Heng had become particularly quiet lately. Usually, he would be bouncing around without a moment’s rest, and would have gone crazy riding horses by now, but currently he was willing to sit properly with Wang Dian in the carriage, listlessly peeling roasted peanuts, eating them one half at a time.
Wang Dian was looking at a map when two peeled peanuts appeared on his table.
He looked up at Chong Heng, who was casually looking out the window as if nothing had happened. Wang Dian smiled and picked up the peanuts, tossing them into his mouth.
“We still haven’t found out who was behind Qi Ming. Why are we leaving the capital?” Chong Heng probably felt awkward being alone with him and could only reluctantly find a topic.
Of course, he also genuinely couldn’t understand.
“I pushed the noble families too hard. If I keep pushing, it might backfire,” Wang Dian patiently explained to him. “With Qi Ming’s death, the other side’s mind is mostly at ease. Moreover, the noble families have suffered heavy losses this time, and they probably won’t make any major moves for a while. My leaving now is perfect to test them. I left so readily – how would they know if I’ve left any tricks behind? It’s just a matter of who has more courage.”
Chong Heng crunched the peanuts crispy between his teeth and nodded blankly, “Ah.”
Wang Dian laughed, “It’s just like playing chess – some moves are feints, some are real. Sometimes you know it’s a trap but you have to fall into it, sometimes you know there’s benefit but you dare not make a move.”
Chong Heng gave him two more peanuts, gesturing for him to eat.
“Besides, I miss Liang Ye,” Wang Dian picked up and ate the peanuts.
“Oh,” Chong Heng understood this time, “I miss Master too.”
In the main tent, Liang Ye sneezed several times in succession, startling all the generals who sat frozen in place, not daring to move.
“Continue,” Liang Ye rubbed his itchy nose, gesturing for them to proceed.
“The Loufan and Eastern Chen armies had a conflict last night, nearly a hundred soldiers died, most of them Loufan people,” Lu Shu said, “Their camps are too close together. The longer they stay, the more friction there will be, so this minister believes we should continue to delay and wait for the right opportunity.”
“General Lu, though your thinking is good, we can’t afford to delay,” a general objected. “We’re almost out of grain, and we don’t have enough weapons. What can we use to delay with?”
Lu Shu frowned and said, “But this is currently the most reliable method.”
“Yu Polu also wants to delay,” Bian Feng said, “Although we’ve had both victories and losses in the previous battles with Yu Polu, he clearly hasn’t used his full strength.”
“The Emperor of Eastern Chen, Shen Yao, is ill,” Lu Shu said, “The Crown Prince is dead, and Shen Yao has appointed the Crown Prince’s son as heir, but he still has more than ten sons. With Shen Yao’s illness, the outcome is uncertain. Crown Prince’s son Shen An’s foundation isn’t stable, and he’s fighting fiercely with his uncles. Yu Polu might want to fight quickly, but he doesn’t dare to go against the Emperor’s wishes.”
Liang Ye stroked the stubble that had grown considerably on his chin and spoke, “What about Kashi Lianxue?”
“They say he’s very easy to talk to,” Jiao Yan said, “Now that he’s joined forces with Kashi Duolu, military power has basically fallen into Kashi Duolu’s hands. He’s seriously ill and plays the domesticated cat every day. Who knows if this domesticated cat can transform into beautiful women or what – maybe one day he’ll be bitten to death by that little domesticated cat.”
These words were rather crude, and the tent was full of rough men who killed with sabers. Hearing this, they all burst into laughter.
Liang Ye’s lips curled into a smile, and he lightly tapped the map with his scabbard, “That fool Kashi Duolu is easily swayed. Find some people who speak the Loufan language to infiltrate. Yu Polu is straightforward in nature – Zhen doesn’t believe they can truly be of one mind.”
“Yes!”
“Report—Your Majesty!” A messenger lifted the tent flap and hurriedly knelt on the ground, his face full of joy, “The grain and weapons from the capital have arrived!”
When the news spread, the tent erupted in excitement.
“Finally, damn it! The wolf cubs under me have been waiting until their eyes turned green!”
“Excellent! Perfect timing! Let’s get that bastard Yu Polu!”
“Those rice-eating idlers in the capital finally did something useful!”
“Cough—” Jiao Yan gave a hard nudge to the general beside him, who immediately realized he had misspoken and sheepishly rubbed his head.
“Your Majesty, shall we go out and take a look?” Bian Feng was also excited and couldn’t help but ask.
The excited crowd in the tent suddenly remembered their leader was sitting there, and instantly sat back in their chairs, as docile as quails.
Liang Ye slowly turned his neck, slapped the scabbard he had been playing with onto the table, and stood up saying, “Let’s go! All of you follow Zhen to see what they’ve brought!”
All the generals followed behind Liang Ye with jubilant expressions, rushing out of the main tent like a pack of hungry wolves.
As soon as Wang Dian lifted the carriage curtain, he was hit in the face by the bone-chilling cold wind, as if he had swallowed a handful of dry sand. Knowing he was sensitive to cold, Chong Heng quickly draped the stored cloak over him.
Countless tents were pitched in the Gobi desert. Snow and withered grass stretched endlessly, everything exuding desolation and dry coldness. As dusk approached, patrolling soldiers passed by in shifts. Bonfires were gradually being lit around them, and officers coming to receive supplies were verifying the exact quantities.
“His Majesty arrives!”
At this sound, people all around dropped to their knees in waves.
A group of armor-clad figures with indistinct faces emerged from the darkness. Wang Dian couldn’t make out which one was Liang Ye, and looking down at the hard ground, he really didn’t want to kneel.
Chong Heng gently tugged at the hem of his robe.
Wang Dian sighed, and just as he was about to kneel, someone grabbed his arm.
The burning warmth penetrated through his clothes to his skin, and a familiar yet strange presence suddenly invaded his personal space. Wang Dian narrowed his eyes to look at the person before him, and froze.
“After three months apart, has the Prince of Danyang missed Zhen?” Liang Ye’s teasing voice sounded in front of him.
This was followed by hearty, rough laughter from the group behind Liang Ye.
Wang Dian stared woodenly at the bearded Liang Ye before him with his sun-darkened skin. If not for those eyes filled with overly direct and intense emotions, he would have almost thought he was facing some bandit chief from the mountains.
His wild, uncontrollable longing for Liang Ye suddenly became manageable.
“This minister Wang Dian pays respect to Your Majesty.” He lowered his eyes, feeling that his earlier fantasy of Liang Ye gallantly riding up on horseback to meet him was idiotic.
“No need for formalities!” Liang Ye had gotten used to fighting these past few months, and his voice, which he thought normal, was truly rough, “Bian Feng, count the grain and fodder! Jiao Yan and Lu Shu, count the weapons!”
“We obey!” The generals, who had already been excited, immediately left the emperor aside, mainly because they were extremely concerned about the arriving weapons. The noise level in the camp instantly rose several times.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Liang Ye tightly gripped Wang Dian’s hand, practically dragging him back to his main tent.
As soon as the heavy curtain fell, before Wang Dian could even speak, he was pulled into an embrace and fiercely kissed.
At first, Wang Dian tried to resist, as Liang Ye’s full beard was quite shocking, but soon he couldn’t care anymore. After three months apart, if not for being busy with countless matters in the capital, just thinking about him would have driven him crazy.
The scent on Liang Ye carried the wind, sand, and desolation of the Gobi desert. His armor was ice-cold, pressing heavily onto Wang Dian with both man and metal. He almost brutally bit and nibbled at Wang Dian’s lips. The taste of blood spreading between their teeth made the predatory look in his eyes grow even stronger. His hot, rough palms forcefully pressed against Wang Dian’s spine, pushing him hard against himself, as if wanting to knead him into his very sinews, bones, and flesh.
Wang Dian had been kept warm all winter in the palace, his whole person unreasonably fair, his clean soft robes carrying a faint fragrance, like a hot, precious, white dumpling, making the starved Liang Ye salivate with desire.
Long, fair fingers gripped his armor as Wang Dian panted heavily and said through gritted teeth. “Stop kissing or I’ll die. Get up.”
Liang Ye was breathing heavily, glaring at him fiercely. He swallowed hard, his gaze deep and dark, raw surging desire completely unconcealed, “No.”
He was like a fierce beast that had just killed its prey, sniffing everywhere bit by bit, contemplating where the meat would be most delicious to bite into.
Wang Dian caught his paws that were trying to undo his belt, his own breathing none too steady. His tongue had been bitten in several places and was still numb. He reached up to hold Liang Ye’s chin, “Lift your head and let me look at you.”
Liang Ye reluctantly raised his head following Wang Dian’s force, his sharp gaze roaming over his face, drawing closer as he looked, wanting to bite those reddened lips.
Wang Dian firmly gripped his jaw and retreated slightly in disgust, “Your Majesty, are you planning to take your troops and become bandits?”
“Zhen also thinks it’s quite mighty.” Liang Ye grinned, wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him into his embrace, and wedged his knee between Wang Dian’s legs, pressing hard, “There’s something even mightier, want to try?”
“…” Wang Dian was silent for two seconds, “What on earth have you been learning in the army?”
