Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Nanfei said lazily, "Ah Feng has sharp eyes and is a hero. Of course, someone as blind as you can't see it."

Nianyao turned around to kick him, but saw Luo An and withdrew her foot: "Luo An, Nanfei said I must be blind to have fallen for you."

Nanfei closed his eyes and said, "I'm asleep."

Nianyao snorted: "Ah Feng, continue."

Yuan Feng said, "Let me put it this way, when Nan Hua sees a bird flying, he says that Nan Fei will soar high in the sky like an eagle; when Nan Hua sees a fish swimming, he says that Nan Fei is slippery and graceful; when we can't memorize our books, Nan Hua says that Nan Fei has a photographic memory and can learn them in one go; when we can't practice our kung fu well, Nan Hua says that Nan Fei has a strong comprehension and can master it in one go..."

Nianyao said, "No way, she opened her eyes... no, she's blind... no, they have a very good relationship, don't they?"

Yuan Feng said, "Yes, very good. Their family is very good."

Yuan Feng is an only child, and her parents have a distant relationship. She enjoys listening to Nan Hua talk about her parents and family.

Seeing Yuan Feng lost in thought, Nian Yao quickly pulled her aside: "What happened next?"

Yuan Feng said, "His family had just built a new house, and Nanhua invited me to visit. In the third month of spring, the garden of the Nan family was full of golden forsythia flowers. He was wearing a white round-necked imperial academy robe, and he was lying on the side of the flowering tree with his legs crossed, reading a book..."

As the wind blew, forsythia blossoms adorned the white clothes, making the boy a flower among flowers.

Nianyao asked, "You've taken a liking to him?"

Yuan Feng quickly clarified, "No. He was only twelve years old then, still a child. How could I..."

Nianyao said, "Wasn't he engaged when he was twelve?"

Yuan Feng choked for a moment: "It was still spring then, and we got engaged at the end of the year."

"How big of a difference is that?" Nianyao thought to herself, then asked, "What happened that year?"

Yuan Feng said, "That autumn, my mother passed away, and the Tatars invaded the border. My mother had always been in charge of the Zhenbei Army, and the court officials recommended me to take over. Nan Hua was worried about me, so he came with me, and Nan Fei said he wanted to see the desert scenery, so he went along too."

Nan Hua and I, young and impetuous, led our troops into battle but were ambushed at Bugen Mountain and captured. That night, they set up a large fire, intending to burn Nan Hua and me alive to boost morale.

Batu married at the age of seven; his wife was nineteen years older than him, making her his grandmother's generation. This led to his twisted and abnormal personality, and he kept a bunch of boys. Nanfei somehow ended up among the boys, dancing around the fire and serving Batu wine…

Nianyao asked, "Nanfei can dance?"

Yuan Feng said, "The people of Bianjing are good at singing and dancing. Nanfei has been wandering around the city for several days and has seen a lot of things. He can dance quite well now. Nanhua said that he has a photographic memory and strong comprehension, which is not an exaggeration at all."

Nianyao asked, "Oh, and then what happened?"

Yuan Feng said, "Nanfei is handsome, with fair skin and a beautiful face. He has bells tied to his hands and feet, which make a clear and melodious sound. He sways gracefully and is the most outstanding and flamboyant among the boys..."

Nianyao guessed, "Batu has taken a liking to Nanfei..."

"...Yes, he was holding Nanfei and feeding him wine..." Yuan Feng spoke slowly, and after a while, she continued, "Our mouths were gagged so we couldn't make a sound. Nanhua struggled and cried, which alerted Batu, so Nanfei had to act first. He pulled out Batu's sword and slashed at him, the blade scraping half of Batu's face and cutting off an ear..."

Nianyao exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing!"

Yuan Feng nodded: "He was very capable. He originally wanted to kidnap Batu and release Nanhua and me, but he didn't expect things to turn out this way. Batu's face was covered in blood, which looked terrifying, and the scene was chaotic for a while. Nanfei took the opportunity to untie us, set off colorful fireworks as a signal, and led us away on horseback."

General Yin Jing led a hundred men to ambush the enemy camp. Upon seeing the signal, they launched fire arrows to set the camp ablaze. General Le Chunqiu led a hundred men to meet them on the return journey. Batu sent men to put out the fire while simultaneously dispatching troops to pursue and kill them.

With the pursuers only about 200 meters away, Le Chunqiu suddenly led us to change direction. Nan Fei stayed behind, holding torches and waving flags to lure the enemy. When the pursuers were in front of us, he jumped off his horse and detonated the munitions that had been planted beforehand, blasting the pursuers into a frenzy.

General Yin led his troops to catch up with us. One man and two horses, their horse tails tied with branches, kicked up dust that blotted out the sun. They looked like a formidable force, as if reinforcements had arrived. Only then did we return safely.

Nianyao listened and nodded: "To intercept the pursuers single-handedly and escape unscathed is truly remarkable."

Yuan Feng said, "He didn't escape unscathed; he was arrested."

Nianyao said, "You came back safely and then abandoned him? That's so disloyal!"

Yuan Feng said, "Rash courage and loyalty are the least needed things on the battlefield."

Nianyao looked incredulous.

Yuan Feng seemed to think it was going too far, and explained, "Nan Hua and I survived the ordeal, and only after walking twenty miles did we realize that Nan Fei was not there. Nan Fei only brought two hundred light cavalry who volunteered to help, and turning back would mean certain death. Yin Jing and Le Chunqiu told us that Nan Fei had instructed us that he would come back on his own and that we should not worry about him."

Nianyao asked, "Aren't you really worried about leaving him alone?"

Yuan Feng said, "Of course we are very worried. In fact, before Nan Hua and I set out with our troops, Nan Fei advised us that we were new to Fengzhou and the people were not at ease, and we were not familiar with the terrain. He suggested that we should defend our position and not attack for the next six months. We did not listen to his advice and that led to this disaster. This time we dare not disobey him."

Nianyao said, "Oh, he's really wise."

Yuan Feng said, "When this news reached Bianjing, his father was demoted three ranks, from Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to Academician of the Hanlin Academy."

Nianyao said, "What does this have to do with the Nan family? Is Lord Dongyang really that incompetent?"

Yuan Feng said, "No. The northern desert needs me to guard it, so the emperor had no choice but to take his anger out on the southern family."

Nianyao said, "Are all the men in Dongyang dead? Why must girls guard the border?"

Yuan Feng couldn't help but turn around, just as Luo An was half-closing his eyes. Nan Fei had exhausted himself last night and had gotten up early today, so he was sleeping soundly now.

Nianyao said, "Don't worry about him, he's just a doctor who doesn't understand military strategy."

Yuan Feng said, "No, my mother was originally a Hu person surnamed Tuoba. After surrendering to Dongyang, she changed her surname to Yuan. There are many Hu people in the Zhenbei Army. If we rashly change the general, I'm afraid the Zhenbei Army will not obey our command."

Nianyao said, "Tch, he's just afraid of dying."

Yuan Feng was silent for a while, then continued, "During that time, my hair turned white from worry. I spent day and night familiarizing myself with the Zhenbei Army, studying the terrain and Batu, cramming on military books and formations, and discussing tactics with Nan Hua and a group of deputy generals."

Nan Hua and I couldn't wait six months, so we decided to take the initiative a month later. I had just finished mustering the troops at the drill ground when a soldier came to report that he had returned.

Yuan Feng let out a long breath; even after all these years, the tension and anxiety were still vivid in her mind. She repeated, "A month later, Nan Fei returned. He came back."

Nianyao asked doubtfully, "He came back by himself?"

Yuan Feng took a while to say, "Mm."

Nianyao was incredulous: "Batu didn't do anything to him? He just let him come back like that?"

Batu didn't do anything to him? What does that mean?

Seeing her frown, Nianyao realized she had misspoke and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "And then you two got engaged?"