A Bitter Heart (Part 11)

Actually, things like forms of address are naturally as intimate as one pleases when in private and alone. However, once out in the open, the impact is immediately magnified a hundred, even a thousand times. Fortunately, behind their masks, others could not see their expressions. Chi Lian's ears tingled from how he was addressed, and he replied in a small voice, "What does the young master desire?"

"I will tell you when I've thought of it." Wei Ming held his shoulder and pulled him closer into his embrace. "I hope my beloved won't go back on his word then."

Chi Lian: "..."

For him to say that meant he must have already thought of something, and it was the kind of thing Chi Lian would not do of his own accord. No wonder Wei Ming had asked for a gift in return; he was actually just trying to use this to get a hold over him.

However, a word once spoken cannot be recalled. It was too late for Chi Lian to regret it. Besides, he didn't really have any bottom line when it came to Wei Ming. For some unspeakable reasons, he would even be especially indulgent and grant his every wish.

It was not until late at night that the crowds at the lantern festival finally began to disperse. The two of them reached the end of the long street and boarded the Prince's Manor's carriage. After a while, Chi Lian lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside, asking in confusion, "This doesn't seem to be the way back to the Prince's Manor?"

Wei Ming appeared to be sitting upright, resting with his eyes closed against the carriage wall. One hand rested on his knee, while the other was wrapped neither tightly nor loosely around Chi Lian's waist. It didn't restrict his movement, yet it carried a strong sense of possessiveness. "Mhm, I plan to take advantage of the dark, empty night to abduct you and elope."

"..." Chi Lian leaned back against him and said helplessly, "Although I'm not very familiar with the Capital, I can still recognize this as the road to the inner city. Is Your Highness planning to elope with me to the palace?"

With his eyes still closed, the corners of Wei Ming's lips curved up. In the swaying, dim lamplight, his profile was breathtakingly handsome. He said casually, "When that day comes, it won't be called eloping. Announcing it to the world... that should be considered a proper, official marriage, I suppose."

As an immortal, aside from caring about Wei Ming's fate, all other worldly matters were but fleeting dust to him. In any case, the two of them were fated to be bound together in this lifetime, so eloping and marrying were not much different to him. Therefore, he didn't immediately grasp the hidden ambition and expectation in Wei Ming's words. He just followed the clues and continued to speculate, "Your Highness went out tonight under the pretext of the lantern festival, but you've actually already figured out how to deal with Fang Tianchong, haven't you?"

Wei Ming scoffed, "What do you mean, 'under the pretext of the lantern festival'? I spent all this time with you for nothing. Fang Tianchong is just incidental. If we hadn't come out to see the lanterns tonight, who would have the time to go see him in the middle of the night."

"Is that so?" Chi Lian asked doubtfully. "But that's not what Your Highness said before we left. You said you were accompanying me because you needed my help... Mmph!"

Some people just lack a bit of sense when they should be sharp. Call him slow, and yet sometimes he would be unexpectedly clever. Even someone as smart as Wei Ming would be caught off guard. He had no choice but to forcibly seal his mouth, to prevent him from bringing up old scores.

After a long while, Chi Lian finally had a chance to catch his breath. His breathing was slightly unsteady, and his eyes seemed to hold a pool of shattered light. It was unclear if it was from being kissed or from laughing. He said teasingly, "So fierce. Are you not going to let people speak?"

Wei Ming looked down at him. The carriage was small, and the two were pressed extremely close. When he looked at him like this, it was as if his gaze completely enveloped him. He said softly, "Say something nice, and I'll let you go."

Chi Lian raised a hand to touch his cheek and smiled, "Mhm, I like Your Highness the best too."

The carriage passed through the dark long street, turned into a narrow alley, and finally stopped at the back gate of the Dali Temple.

As the two got out of the carriage, an official was already there to receive them. He led them towards the Dali Temple's prison and said to Wei Ming in a low voice, "As the Prince instructed, everything has been arranged. The prisoner has been given a sedative. He won't wake for at least three shichen."

The Dali Temple's prison was not as spacious as the Ministry of Justice's main jail. It didn't hold many prisoners and occupied a small courtyard of its own. Besides the cells, the courtyard also had side rooms where the jailers usually rested. The group came to a room in the westernmost corner. The official pushed the door open for the two and bowed, "This way, Prince."

Wei Ming walked into the side room and saw Fang Tianchong, shackled and deeply asleep on the wooden plank bed. He nodded and praised the official, "Well done. Thank you for your hard work. Stand guard outside until we come out, and don't let anyone get close."

"This subordinate obeys."

The door closed. Inside, a single lamp burned like a bean, illuminating only a small area. The rest was hidden in shadows, appearing particularly dim and desolate. Chi Lian casually placed a sound-insulating ward at the door and asked, "What does the Prince intend to do with him?"

"Previously, in Liang Continent, Gui Heng once used the Reappearance Technique to help me view a dead person's memories. But because the person had been dead for several days, only the last segment of memory remained," Wei Ming said. "This time, it's a living person, so his memories should be complete. I want to directly view his memories from six years ago in the North Land Army. Can you do that?"

Compared to Gui Heng, who had been as nervous as a student having his homework checked by a teacher last time, Chi Lian was the picture of calm and composure. He said leisurely, "My skills are crude, but for His Highness, I can force myself to try."

Wei Ming raised an eyebrow. He suddenly recalled the awe he felt back when he was just an ignorant mortal, gazing at the otherworldly Grand Preceptor as if seeing a true god descend to earth. A faint smile appeared in his eyes. He made a "please" gesture. "Then I shall wait and see with eager anticipation."

Chi Lian formed a seal with his hands. A ball of pale red spiritual light appeared in his palms. It flew to a spot directly above Fang Tianchong's forehead, where it transformed into thousands of fine threads that connected to the qi channels throughout his body. It extracted his divine thoughts, which coalesced mid-air into a mirrored surface of light. Upon it flowed the various scenes of Fang Tianchong's life from his perspective.

He raised his hand and swiped it through the air, rewinding the scenes to review the corresponding time. Wei Ming also watched with rapt attention. When the image shifted from vast seas to wide plains and mountains, he said, "That's about right. A little further back. Let's start watching from here."

The scene froze on a border city at the foot of a mountain, within a spacious military encampment.

Wei Ming had never met the man in person, but he recognized Duan Muxun. From his position and attitude, he knew that the stern-faced, middle-aged man beside him, clad in light armor with a short mustache, was none other than the dynasty's foremost military commander, the legendary Great General Shenwu, Wei Chenwu.

A group of people stood at the entrance of the camp, seemingly waiting to welcome guests. After a short while, a rider galloped over from the distance. Upon arrival, he swiftly dismounted and reported, "General, the Imperial Emissary has entered the city and will arrive shortly."

Wei Chenwu gave a faint 'mhm'. From Fang Tianchong's perspective, his face was taut, not looking pleased at all. But since the Imperial Court would send an emissary to reward the border army, it meant they must have just won a great victory and achieved significant merits. Why did Wei Chenwu look as if he wished they wouldn't come at all?

A moment later, the thundering sound of hooves and carriage wheels approached from the distance. A travel-worn procession arrived at the camp's entrance. The escorts were the Capital Guard. They surrounded two carriages in the middle. Two officials disembarked from them separately. One wore the robe of a sixth-rank civil official, while the other was in the daily attire of a palace eunuch, pale-faced and beardless, his voice higher and thinner than an ordinary person's when he spoke. The civil official saluted Wei Chenwu and the others, saying, "Greetings, General Wei. This subordinate is Li Pingnan, Vice Director of a bureau in the Ministry of War. This is Eunuch Meng Sui of the Department of Palace Attendants. His Majesty was deeply gratified to learn of the several victories at Dingfang Pass in the third month and has specially commanded us to travel to the border to comfort and reward the officers and soldiers of the North Land Army."

Wei Chenwu led his subordinates in expressing their thanks, and after receiving the imperial edict in the courtyard, he invited the Imperial Emissaries into the camp to rest and dine.

During the banquet, wine cups were passed around, and all the generals were in attendance. However, the two emissaries from the Capital were quite arrogant. Though they didn't say it directly, their words dripped with a critical attitude, as they nitpicked matters concerning the North Land Army's rewards and pay. That Meng Sui was merely a servant who had rarely ever left the gates of the Capital, yet, emboldened by the wine, he dared to lecture Wei Chenwu on military strategy. The deputy generals and others who heard this were on the verge of smashing their cups in anger, but they were all silenced and suppressed by Wei Chenwu's firm command.

After finally enduring until the end of the banquet, Wei Chenwu sent Fang Tianchong to escort the two men back to their quarters to rest. Since Meng Sui was a confidant of His Majesty, he was naturally escorted first. Once he was settled, Li Pingnan walked back towards his own tent with Fang Tianchong. He suddenly said, "Deputy General Fang, I remember your name now... So you're that Fang Tianchong, the one who led troops at Yuanshi River Head to pursue the Husiqi Tribe bandits and beheaded over thirty of them, right?"

The Husiqi Tribe was one of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Northern Region. In earlier years, they had rebelled but were suppressed by Wei Chenwu's army, after which they submitted to the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, these small border kingdoms were internally unstable, with frequent incidents of usurpation, internal strife, or banditry. They often wouldn't remain peaceful for long before testing the waters and trying to take a bite. The North Land Army guarded the Northern Frontier precisely to defend against these vipers that would pop up from time to time. The battle Li Pingnan mentioned was due to a band of bandits suddenly emerging from the Husiqi Tribe and wreaking havoc on the border and in neighboring countries. Another tribe, the Fenglin Kingdom, unable to bear the harassment, asked the North Land Army for help. Fang Tianchong then led troops to engage the bandits at Yuanshi River Head, slaying over a hundred men and bringing back more than thirty heads, for which he received a commendation from the Imperial Court.

However, the Husiqi Tribe's insolence was not beaten back by this battle. Instead, it escalated, and they launched a frenzied retaliation against the Fenglin Kingdom, ultimately leading to Fenglin's destruction. The last prince of Fenglin fled in panic, trying to borrow troops from all over the Northern Frontier to restore his kingdom, but he was pursued and hunted by the Husiqi Tribe. In the end, it was Wei Chenwu who personally led the North Land Army to suppress them. Achieving three victories in three battles at Dingfang Pass, he crushed the Husiqi Tribe, restoring peace to the Northern Frontier.

Fang Tianchong said cautiously, "It was a meager contribution, not worth mentioning. I am honored that you remember it, my lord."

But Li Pingnan laughed and said, "Not at all, what you did was by no means meager. Even the Lord Minister was greatly shaken by it and has a deep impression of you."

Fang Tianchong didn't seem to understand why he was suddenly trying to get familiar, and didn't reply.

Li Pingnan's quarters were not far from Meng Sui's, and they arrived after a short walk. He stood at the doorway, smiled at Fang Tianchong, and said, "This is far enough. Please, Deputy General Fang, no need to go further."

Fang Tianchong lowered his head and said, "Rest well, my lord. This general will take his leave."

"Oh, right, one more thing. Today, I saw that General Wei wasn't very happy. Most likely because he was vexed to see us." Li Pingnan said meaningfully, "Go back and listen to what he has to say. If you have time tomorrow, I will come find you again."