Chapter 1638: Chapter 1638: Leisurely Days
"Now that I’m back, you won’t be lonely anymore." Ye Shikai stroked He Linghan’s cheek. A few months wasn’t really long, but his position was different. As commander, he had to lead the Chu Army in battle, sleeping every night "on the edge of a blade." In truth, it wasn’t just him—every soldier had left home and come all the way to Nanyang. For them, war was a giant "meat grinder." If what their superior Generals cared about was whether they could win, what they worried about was whether they could survive the battle.
To be able to live on was already a gift from heaven, because as long as they survived, they had the hope of seeing their families again.
By comparison, as commander, Ye Shikai was already considered fortunate. He had several thousand guards at his side, and he himself was a cultivator. As long as it wasn’t a rout, he could make it out alive—at the very least... live to come back and see He Linghan.
Ye Shikai took He Linghan’s hand and left the kitchen. With the master returned, the mansion was naturally bustling, just like New Year. All the maids and servants up and down the household received rewards.
"What are all these things?" When Ye Shikai entered the main hall, he saw a dozen attendants carrying several large chests in from outside toward the storeroom, an endless stream of them, the scene like moving house. Ye Shikai asked curiously.
"Reporting to the Family Head, these were all sent by some ministers in the city, civil and military, high and low." one attendant replied.
"They sent them, and you just accepted them?"
"No, no, Family Head, some of them insisted and wouldn’t take no for an answer, and some didn’t say a word, just put the things down and left. We couldn’t even find them. There are slips of paper stuck on the gifts—we only know who sent them, but there’s no way to send them back. We can’t just leave them outside in the rain, so Madam told us to bring them in first."
"So that’s how it is."
"Family Head... then these gifts..."
"Move them all in. Count everything clearly; there must be no mistakes."
"Yes."
Ye Shikai understood very well what these people were thinking. He had met Wang Li privately in Nanyang; once this matter spread in Nanyang, it was bound to stir up many rumors. Quite a few civil and military officials took the chance to slander him. Besides that, there were many "centrists" among the ministers who were still watching from the sidelines. Now that Mi Wen had killed two officials to prove Ye Shikai’s "innocence," those ministers, afraid of future retaliation, naturally wanted to send gifts to curry favor.
Of course, Ye Shikai would never accept these things. No reward without merit, and taking from others leaves your hands tied. If he really accepted them, it would be the same as throwing in his lot with those ministers. So he told the servants to finish counting everything, then look for an opportunity to send it all back.
"Husband, has the campaign at the front... really ended?" At the dining table, He Linghan asked.
"Of course. The Qin Army lost over half its strength and has already withdrawn completely back to the Central Plains. They won’t be back for at least a year." Ye Shikai knew why she was asking. Ever since they married, they’d hardly had any peace. One battle after another, and Ye Shikai’s status kept rising—from a lowly soldier in the Qin Army to a commander of the Chu State—naturally he became busier and busier. He Linghan wanted him to stay a while longer.
Thus, the "three months" of leave Mi Wen granted him seemed especially precious.
"Ling’er, I’ll stay by your side properly during this time."
"Mm."
....................................
The two of them spent several days together. Ye Shikai kept the doors closed to visitors, just wanting to preserve some "time for the two of them."
He had thought that since they hadn’t seen each other in so long, they would surely be very excited, but after several days, neither of them was overly worked up. Things were very calm. Perhaps this was what life was...
Two weeks later, Ye Shikai took He Linghan out of the city to hunt and enjoy themselves. With guards protecting them along the way, he didn’t have to worry about safety. He Linghan had been cooped up at home for too long; it was rare for her to come out, and moreover to accompany Ye Shikai. A seldom-seen joy showed on her face.
"Put your hand here, draw the bow hard, regulate your breathing and then... release your fingers."
Whoosh...
"Hit."
"Good."
"Good."
The guards nearby shouted in unison. The Cavalry rode forward and retrieved the game—a deer, its neck pierced through by a single arrow, killed in one shot.
"Looks like tonight’s rations are settled. Pass the word down, give the brothers an extra meal tonight." Ye Shikai said with a faint smile.
"Yes, many thanks, General."
"Ling’er, I didn’t expect your mounted archery to be this good." Ye Shikai teased.
"Don’t talk nonsense, how could I be any good with weapons and fighting?"
"All right, let’s go deeper into the forest. I’ve heard there are some rare birds and strange beasts in there—don’t know if it’s true." Ye Shikai was quite curious. This was the Qin Dynasty over two thousand years ago; there might be some other species.
"All troops, hear my order—enter the forest."
Thud, thud, thud.
"Stop." Ye Shikai suddenly called out. A faint tremor came from the ground. This wasn’t an earthquake, but... the sound of a large force on the march.
Sure enough, in the distance, a huge army formation was marching west. One could faintly see the dust rising and the battle flags fluttering. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but this was definitely a large army, no fewer than ten thousand men.
"What’s going on?" Ye Shikai asked.
"Reporting, my lord, the lord has transferred fifty thousand troops under General Huo Ziqing’s command, advancing west into the two Ba Shu commanderies. It looks like he intends to send out an expedition."
"So fast." Ye Shikai muttered. He had never expected Mi Wen to be so "impatient." How long had it been since the great battle of Nanyang ended? Just among the Chu Army’s elites, twenty to thirty thousand had been lost, and the situation in Nanyang was not yet stabilized, yet he was already eager to send troops against Ba Shu. It was hard not to worry.
"What’s so fast?" He Linghan asked. She didn’t know what was happening, but she could see this was definitely a sign of a great war.
"It’s nothing. Let’s keep hunting." Ye Shikai forced a trace of a smile. Somehow, he had begun to constantly "mind" the situation. After hearing that Huo Ziqing had led troops into Shu, a heavy weight had been on his heart. The word "worry" was practically written on his face. No matter how well he hid it, how could he possibly fool He Linghan, the one who shared his pillow?
Another week passed.
Ye Mansion.
"Husband, have you been worrying about the fighting at the front these days?" He Linghan suddenly asked.
"No... no."
"Liar. These days you haven’t gone to the camp, but soldiers have been coming and going in the mansion from time to time, with lots of bamboo slips in their hands. Those are all military reports, aren’t they?" He Linghan exposed his "clumsy" lie. Indeed, he was not someone skilled at lying, even if it was a well-meant lie.
"Sigh, I can’t hide anything from you. In this position, I must do this job and fulfill my duty. To be honest, I really am worried about the situation at the front."
