The prince stepped on me to get to the top, I angrily flirted with the enemy's hostage

But the drumbeats in the parade ground became louder and louder day by day.

Rumors spread throughout the capital, saying that the Northern Di royal court had sent an envoy to exchange three cities for one person - that person was Su Rou.

It was rumored that she had once broken into the camp on her own and shot the uncle of the Beidi King to death with one arrow. When the new Beidi King ascended the throne, he vowed to make her pay with blood.

Gong Yu received the secret report and stayed awake that night. He sat in the tent, watching Su Rou feeding You You medicine. The child lay on her shoulder, its small hands grasping the old scar on her neck, as if grasping a piece of old time.

He suddenly spoke, his voice extremely hoarse:

"Su Rou, I'll go for you."

Su Rou didn't look up, she just put down the medicine bowl, reached out and held his wrist.

Their palms touched, and neither of them spoke. They only heard the child's shallow breathing, like a breeze blowing across the edge of a knife.

"Gong Yu," she whispered, "Three years ago, I entered the imperial court for you. Three years later, you went to the Hongmen Gate for me—we are even now."

Gong Yu smiled, but his eyes seemed to be frozen with snow: "But I don't want to be even, I want to owe you, and I will pay you back in my next life."

Su Rou raised her eyes, her eyes were calm, like the moon reflected in a deep well. She reached out and stroked the new wound on his temple, her voice low and steady.

"Then in my next life, give me a peaceful and prosperous world without wars."

Gong Yu lowered his head and kissed her palm, his voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible: "Okay, I'll give it back to you."

Outside the tent, the drum beat for the fourth time, like a death urge. Su Rou hugged the child tightly, looked up, and saw the light and shadow cast by the tent ceiling, like a knife hanging over her head. She suddenly remembered Shen Wan's last words -

"Tell him for me that I never regret loving him, I only regret... not loving him hard enough."

She lowered her head to look at the crescent-shaped scab on the child's arm, like a seal. She rubbed it lightly with her fingertips, her voice as soft as the wind:

"Yoyo, don't be afraid, Mommy will take you home."

The wind blew away the curtains and blew out the candles.

In the darkness, Gong Yu reached out and held her wrist, their palms touching, as if holding on to the last bit of warmth.

The sound of drums faded away, the sound of rain had not yet arrived, but the flash of swords was already visible in the distance.

There is no moon in Jingzhou City tonight, only wind.

The wind blew up from the river, carrying with it a damp, fishy sweetness, as if someone had spilled a whole jar of aged osmanthus wine in the night.

Su Rou pulled the reins, and the black horse's mane was blown down. She looked up and saw that the word "Jingzhou" above the city gate was illuminated red by the torches, like two red-hot irons that would fall at any time and burn someone's chest.

Gong Yu stood beside her, his silver armor half removed, cradled in his arms, revealing his blood-soaked, air-dried undergarment. He turned his head to look at her, his voice low and hoarse, "We're home."

Su Rou didn't respond.

She could smell the blood, and also something deeper - the mint candy that Shang Jiu had given her, hidden in her sleeve.

The candy wrappers rustled, like some kind of secret code.

She suddenly remembered the night she left the city three years ago. It was the same wind, and the bloodbath. She stepped on the corpses on the ground to get on her horse. Looking back, she saw Yuan Wen standing at the gate of the mansion, holding a glass lamp in his hand. The lotus painted on the lampshade was broken into two petals by the wind.

Now the lamp was on again, ten steps inside the city gate.

Under the lamp, Yuan Wen was thinner than he remembered. His loose white robe was blown up by the wind, like a spirit-calling banner.

She was not wearing a veil, but the gilded butterfly hairpin in her hair was steady, without even a trembling butterfly wing. It was not until Shang Jiu caught up with her from behind and draped a dark green crane cloak over her shoulders that the hairpin suddenly fell, as if bent by some weight.

"Arou!" Yuan Wen called her. His voice was blown into pieces by the wind, but it strangely entered her ears, carrying the sticky sweetness of frosting.

Su Rou dismounted, her boots stepping over the water in the cracks of the bluestone slabs, splashing tiny silver arrows.

The two girls stopped at the same time, one step away from each other, and then stretched out their hands at the same time - not to hug, but to shake hands.

Their fingers were interlocked, palms touching, like two swords colliding in their sheaths, with a clang sound and sparks flying everywhere.

Gong Yu didn't follow.

He stood three steps away, leading his horse. The light from the torch stretched his shadow extremely long, all the way to the base of the city wall, overlapping with another shadow - that of Shang Jiu.

Neither man spoke, but the wind spoke for them, blowing the corners of their robes towards each other and then away, like a silent wrestling match.

Yuan Wen's hands were colder than Su Rou had imagined.

Su Rou used her thumb to stroke the inside of her wrist. There should have been protruding veins there, but now it was as smooth as a piece of warm jade. Only the very tip of her fingertips would jump when pressed lightly - jumping rapidly, as if there was a trapped bird hiding there.

Su Rou suddenly smiled: "Shang Jiu has taken good care of you. Even your pulse is stronger than before."

Yuan Wen also smiled, with two very faint crescents appearing at the corners of his eyes, but he did not say anything. He just pulled her towards the city.

The city gate closed behind them, and the sound of the iron bolt falling was dull and heavy, like the closing of a coffin.

Su Rou turned around and saw the last ray of fire locked outside the door, like an eye that had been extinguished by someone.

The house is located in the west of the city. It was originally the residence of the governor of the previous dynasty. Now the plaque has been replaced with only the word "Yuan" written on it.

The vermilion lacquered gate was wide open, and two stone qilins were squatting on the threshold. The qilins' horns were wrapped with red silk, which had faded from the rain and looked like dried blood.

Yuan Wen led her across the threshold and whispered, "I asked them to leave. It's just the four of us tonight."

Su Rou raised an eyebrow: "Four?"