Gao Yuexing was tending to the wounded in the medical hall. She wanted to inquire about Li Fuxiang’s whereabouts but didn’t know how to bring it up.
The western region was a bit cold. Although the spring equinox had passed and there were signs of warming weather, unexpectedly, after arriving in the western region, the climate took a sudden turn. A thin layer of ice formed again on the river encircling the city.
Gao Yuexing found a thick piece of clothing to wrap herself in. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a group of riders approaching rapidly. From the urgency in the hoofbeats, Gao Yuexing thought they were bringing in more wounded, so she immediately lifted the curtain to look outside.
The streets were empty and filled with a chilling sense of desolation. Li Fuxiang’s blood-red horse stopped outside the medical hall. Clad in lightweight armor of red and black, he addressed Langdu in the courtyard: “Are you a doctor from the Medicine Valley?”
Langdu looked him up and down. He didn’t appear to be injured, so Langdu cupped his hands and said, “I wonder, young general, what do you need?”
Li Fuxiang leaned slightly forward and asked, “Four years ago, a woman from the Gao family in the capital joined your Medicine Valley. Has she arrived?”
Langdu was startled and instinctively turned to look toward the second floor of the medical hall.
Li Fuxiang followed his gaze.
Gao Yuexing had already removed the veil from her hat, leaving only a white gauze covering her face. Li Fuxiang couldn’t see her features clearly, only that a young woman stood by the window with black hair tied simply with a wooden hairpin.
Four years had passed.
Many youthful feelings can hardly withstand the erosion of year after year. Children grow up quickly, and those fleeting impulses, like dragonflies skimming the water’s surface, are often forced to end before they can take root and grow.
When they meet again, it is often that things have changed, and people are no longer the same.
Yet, as their gazes met, Gao Yuexing hid her hands in her sleeves and touched the white jade bracelet on her wrist.
Fortunately, things were still the same. So were the people.
All that was left unsaid was understood in silence.
“Your Highness—” Zhan Ji came chasing on horseback.
“I hadn’t even finished speaking! How could you leave just like that? It’s time to set off, Your Highness; everyone is waiting for you.”
He was about to march out of the city with the army.
Li Fuxiang turned his horse around. Before leaving the city, he had rushed over for just a glimpse of her.
They hadn’t even exchanged a single word.
Gao Yuexing looked back on the past. During those two years in the palace during her childhood, she realized that they rarely had quiet moments together.
He matured late.
And she was always busy—either planning this or scheming that, constantly calculating.
But in the end, things turned out to be far more complicated than she had imagined, slipping out of her control. If she continued, she feared repeating the mistakes of her previous life. So she decisively chose another path.
When she left, she didn’t even dare to look back at him.
In the end, they had missed out on so many years.
Gao Yuexing stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Langdu called, “Little sister Gao?”
Gao Yuexing nodded lightly.
“Senior brother.”
Langdu asked, “The young general just now—I heard someone call him ‘Your Highness.’ Could he be the fifth prince who’s marching with the army?”
Gao Yuexing: “It’s him.”
Langdu sighed with emotion. “He looks quite young. Truly, heroes emerge in their youth.”
Gao Yuexing, in high spirits, sweetly complimented, “Senior brother, you’re also a young hero.”
Langdu watched her cheerful figure as she skipped away, standing alone in the desolate courtyard, lost in thought for a long time.
—
The Zheng army set up camp thirty miles outside Xiang City.
Above was a grayish-white sky, and below was yellowish-brown land. The gravel here was still hard and dry. Zheng Qianye gazed into the distance and said, “Ahead, we’re about to enter the vast desert.” Just as he finished speaking, it seemed as though he could already see the distant sandstorms rising from the ground, rolling toward them.
Zheng Yunji said, “The Fox Hu have retreated ten miles into the depths of the desert. They’re leaning on the oasis, prepared to drag this out with us.”
Zheng Qianye pulled out a handful of roasted chestnuts from his pocket and began eating. “If they want to drag it out, they’ll have to see if we give them the chance.”
Zheng Yunji cast an envious glance at the chestnuts in his father’s hand. His father had a peculiar fondness for them—sugar-roasted chestnuts, a favorite snack he’d eaten for decades without tiring. Zheng Yunji wasn’t particularly fond of them, but in the western regions, with food supplies scarce, gnawing on dry rations became tasteless. Chestnuts, in turn, became a rare treat.
In the past, if he showed some envy, he might have been able to beg for a couple. But ever since Li Fuxiang, that kid, joined him, constantly eyeing his father’s chestnuts, Zheng Qianye’s stash had dwindled by more than half. Now, no one else could even think about getting a single one.
Zheng Yunji gulped down his saliva.
Zheng Qianye, mid-peeling a chestnut, paused and, for once, generously handed him one.
Zheng Yunji exclaimed, “—Whoa! Red rain is falling from the sky? Father, how are you so generous today?”
Zheng Qianye counted the few remaining chestnuts in his pocket and said, “Tonight’s the last battle. Let’s enjoy this last meal. Tomorrow, we’ll return triumphantly to the capital.” He placed the rest of the chestnuts into his son’s hand, saying, “Send these to my little grandson so he can have a good night’s sleep tonight.”
Zheng Yunji asked, “Why? Aren’t you planning to let him see some action tonight?”
Zheng Qianye sighed. “This battle will be perilous…”
Li Fuxiang wasn’t just his grandson but also the emperor’s beloved son. With the status of a prince, there was no room for any mistakes.
After deliberating for several days, Zheng Qianye finally decided to have him stay behind at the camp.
The Fox Hu were destined to lose tonight.
Zheng Qianye handpicked the most elite cavalry from the army. As night fell, they moved like leopards, splitting into multiple groups and disappearing into the desert.
Ji Wei’s subordinates remained stationed at the camp. Though the soldiers didn’t say it aloud, they were all restless at heart.
What soldier didn’t feel a surge of passion when heading to the battlefield?
Who genuinely wanted to cower at the rear?
—Perhaps only Li Fuxiang truly did.
Ji Wei carried a jug of wine to console a few dispirited soldiers. As he walked through the courtyard, he glanced at Li Fuxiang’s tent and noticed that the candles inside were already extinguished.
The Jinyiwei accompanying Li Fuxiang were strolling nearby. Ji Wei greeted them, “Has His Highness retired for the night?”
Receiving an affirmative response, Ji Wei chose not to disturb him and headed toward another tent.
—”He really can sleep soundly, huh.”
—”How could he not sleep? Tomorrow, when news of a grand victory comes back, we’ll be able to return to the capital in glory. As the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. His Highness the Fifth Prince can count himself among those with military achievements!”
—”You’re being too harsh. I think His Highness the Fifth Prince is quite admirable. He’s different from those spoiled aristocrats raised in luxury in the capital. At least he can endure hardship and has never once complained.”
—”True, but he does sleep an awful lot… Every time I see him, he’s either lying down or asleep.”
—”Probably because he’s still young. I’ve heard his health isn’t very good.”
Ji Wei, holding a wine jug, knocked each of the soldiers on the head with it.
“Enough! Keep quiet, all of you. You’ve got sharper tongues than brains. If a Buddha were right in front of you, you wouldn’t even recognize it.”
On this late spring night, with the lingering cold in the air, the sight of wine was like seeing their lifeblood. They warmed it over the fire, each taking a bowl to drink while gnawing on dry biscuits.
Amid the lively chatter, someone suddenly shouted, “Hey—look! It’s snowing outside!”
In the middle of March, at the border of the western region, a heavy snowfall of goose-feather-like flakes began to fall.
—
That night, Gao Yuexing went to bed early and had another dream.
In her dream, she saw her past self from her previous life.
It felt unusual.
Gao Yuexing had long severed ties with the person she was in her previous life. Looking back now, everything felt unfamiliar, as though it belonged to another world.
In that life, Gao Yuexing was already married, a sought-after and influential Princess Consort of Xiang. Clad in brocade adorned with floral patterns and with lustrous pearls dangling by her ears, she spent her time in the capital with a few other noblewomen. They had rented out a teahouse to pass the day listening to storytellers.
That day, the storyteller narrated a tale: “Flying geese tread on snow without leaving a trace, a young general rises to fame.”
With a resounding slap of the storyteller’s wood block, the audience exchanged knowing smiles.
The protagonist of this tale was someone everyone knew.
It was Li Fuxiang’s legendary battle at the age of sixteen. He had retreated with the army to a supposedly secure camp, only to face an unexpected and brutal ambush that nearly wiped out the entire force.
With only 3,000 cavalrymen, Li Fuxiang narrowly escaped. Yet, instead of retreating further, he boldly advanced into the western desert. With a surprise counterattack, he struck at the heart of the Fox Hu royal tent, killing their general and king. He captured 137 members of their royal family and court, binding them together like locusts on a string, and brought them back to the capital.
It was an unparalleled glory.
But what the world didn’t know was that Li Fuxiang had wandered the desert for half a year during that campaign.
Gao Yuexing didn’t know either. She had no idea how difficult or perilous that battle truly was.
In the end, it became a story casually recounted in light-hearted conversations.
Gao Yuexing didn’t understand why she would dream of such a scene. She opened her eyes calmly, realizing it was only the third watch of the night. Climbing out of bed, she noticed the bed across from hers was empty—Xia Tianwu was nowhere to be seen.
Pouring herself a cup of tea, she soothed her parched throat and tentatively called out, “Sister Xia?”
There was movement outside.
Xia Tianwu entered, draped in a fur coat, rubbing her hands together.
“Ah Xing, you’re awake too?”
Noticing the chill emanating from her, Gao Yuexing asked, “What’s happening outside?”
Xia Tianwu reassured her.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. The weather is just acting up. It’s snowing outside.”
Gao Yuexing responded with an “Oh” and rolled over in her warm bedding. Just as sleep began to take hold again, her entire body suddenly tensed. She jolted upright in shock.
Xia Tianwu was startled by her sudden movement. “Ah Xing?”
Without even stopping to grab a coat, Gao Yuexing ran barefoot out the door. The world was a vast expanse of white as snow blanketed everything. Yet, amidst the snow, Gao Yuexing seemed to catch the faint scent of blood in the wind and the echo of clashing weapons.
It was snowing.
But how could it snow after the spring equinox had already passed?
Xia Tianwu rushed out after her, draping the fox fur over her shoulders. “Look at you, all worked up! Snowfall in spring may be unusual, but it’s happened before…”
Gao Yuexing couldn’t hear a word of what was being said beside her. She pushed her trembling legs to move, gripping the railing for support, and stumbled down the stairs. Reaching the stables, she led a horse out.
Finally sensing that something was wrong, Xia Tianwu shouted, “Ah Xing, stop! Where are you going?”
Gao Yuexing struggled twice before barely managing to climb onto the horse. The fox fur fell into the snow, and her feet were already so frozen they had lost all feeling.
Langdu, now alarmed, vaulted over the railing and landed in front of her. Grabbing hold of the reins, he shouted angrily, “Ah Xing! There’s fighting and killing everywhere outside! Are you trying to get yourself killed!?”