On the day Xie Jue and Fang Chuning led the delegation to Sannan, the Grand Marshal also set out with his troops to return to Jiangnan. Xie Xun led the civil and military officials to bid farewell at the palace gates. Ruyi, knowing she wouldn’t see her father for months, cried her heart out. Although Little Ru Yi had been raised by Xie Jue and often faced his cold deanor, her nature was exceedingly gentle and emotional. Knowing Xie Jue would be away for so long, she had been unhappy for days. During the farewell, she wailed bitterly, and even Mingzhu’s attempts to console her with sweets proved futile. Her cries were heart-wrenching. Xie Jue, truthfully, was soft-hearted because of her tears. If not for the treacherous and arduous journey to Sannan, he might’ve taken Ruyi along, treating it as an opportunity for her to explore the world.
"Daddy, Ruyi will stay ho and be good while waiting for you to return. You must co back soon." Ruyi hugged Xie Jue’s neck softly while wiping her tears, her voice tender. "Ruyi promises to be very good."
"Alright, listen to your aunt at ho and also heed your teacher’s words. Daddy will check your lessons when he returns."
"Oh..."
There’d be no slacking now!
No matter how reluctant Ruyi was, Xie Jue and the departing entourage marched away from the Capital City toward Sannan. The envoy’s delegation and the Grand Marshal’s troops traveled together, but Fang Chuning and Xie Jue separated—one traveled with the diplomatic team, the other with Fang’s Army.
At dusk, they camped in the wilderness. Since they weren’t in a rush, and Beiman remained stable, neither the Grand Marshal nor the envoy felt pressed for ti. After the Grand Marshal settled in, he turned around intending to look for Fang Chuning. Xiaoqi told him, "Big brother went to find Prince Yan."
"Have they reconciled again?" The Grand Marshal raised an eyebrow. Not long ago, they appeared to have fallen out so badly it seed they’d never speak again. Yet, now they’d made up so quickly? He knew it! From childhood till now, whenever Fang Chuning angered Xie Jue, he would quickly apologize and seek reconciliation—no backbone at all.
"Did they ever truly fall out?" Xiaoqi seed a bit slow to realize. At most, it had only been so bickering, not the dramatic fallout that outsiders rumored. If they had really severed ties, how could Xie Jue have stord into the father’s study late at night?
The Grand Marshal remained puzzled about Xie Jue bursting into the study, unable to figure out a reason why. Moreover, no ergencies within the envoy had since surfaced. Fang Chuning’s tight-lipped behavior clearly indicated he didn’t want the Grand Marshal to know anything.
Since that day, his wife had been restless and even suggested stopping Fang Chuning from going to Sannan. The matter had already been finalized, and Xie Xun’s imperial edict was issued—it was impossible to change. He’d assud his wife wanted Fang Chuning and Junjun to go to Jiangnan instead, so he didn’t agree. His wife, already cold toward him, gave him even less face after that refusal.
The Grand Marshal felt bitter about it, thinking to himself that if the Sannan talks went smoothly, he should retire and return to the countryside. If his wife didn’t wish to co to Jiangnan, then he would return to the capital. He had spent so many years stationed in Jiangnan; it was ti to pass the burden to Fang Chuning.
Xie Xun was ambitious for Sannan. If diplomacy didn’t yield results, conflict was inevitable. With Beiman’s submission, ample grain supplies, a military brimming with skilled warriors, and Dugu Jing strengthening their ranks like a tiger with wings, reclaiming Sannan was only a matter of ti. The only question was when Xie Xun would decide to make his move—the Jiangnan army was always ready for war.
"Let them be!"
When Fang Chuning sought out Xie Jue, he found him watching the sunset by the river.
Clad in white, bathed in golden light, his robes fluttered in the breeze. Graceful and sentintal, Xie Jue already showed signs of missing ho even though they hadn’t yet left the outskirts of the Capital City. Fang Chuning’s heart trembled at the sight and he slowly walked to his side.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Xie Jue didn’t need to turn around to know it was Fang Chuning.
He had beco so familiar with Fang Chuning’s footsteps.
With soldiers patrolling nearby, there was no hint of intimacy between the two. Since that night, Xie Jue hadn’t known how to interact with Fang Chuning and chose silence instead.
Fang Chuning asked, "Do you plan to keep ignoring all the way to Sannan?"
"Are you sure you want to talk to about this now? The Grand Marshal could very well be right behind us."
"If it weren’t for you barging into the study that day, he would already know."
"If it weren’t for barging in that day, you’d be dead already!" Xie Jue said coldly, "You’d still be lying in a grave instead of standing here trying to banter with , heading to Sannan together!"
"Oh, so Ting Feng feared for my life and disregarded decorum to storm into Father’s study!" Fang Chuning smiled provocatively. "You cared that much about dying?"
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