Rebirth of a Star General 92
Whose Fiancee?
He Yan entered the Xianchang Pavilion when she was fourteen years old. When she turned fifteen, she joined the Fuyue Army. She joined the army in a hurry and no one knew about it. The teachers and guardians in the Xianchang Pavilion were taken aback. Later after she returned to the capital, she had already obtained meritorious service and was granted a royal gift. Therefore, the He family did not pursue the matter on why she wanted to join the army.
Now thinking about it, if she didn’t get the merits back then, but was instead just an ordinary soldier, the results would not have been the same when she returned to He’s family after a few years of living in displacement.
He Yan still remembers Song Taotao.
The fifteen-years-old He Yan, under the identity of He Rufei, went to study in Xianchang Hall. Her aptitude was mediocre, and also because a girl is inherently less powerful than a man, she couldn’t really be compared to the teenagers in Xianchang Hall. He Yuansheng gradually realized it too, but he didn’t blame her either. He Yan also thought that she could live a peaceful life forever.
Until that day.
Students of the Xiangchang Hall are allowed to go home twice a month. But as the rainy season was approaching, all the plaques at the entrance of Xianchang Pavilion were washed down by the rain. So the teachers asked the students to go home one day in advance and to return three days later.
He Yan went back in a hurry and no one at home knew about it. She changed her clothes first and then went to He Yuansheng. Everytime she returned to He’s house, He Yuansheng would ask her how she had been doing in Xianchang Hall. This kind of alienated, and almost surveillance-like questioning has never made He Yan feel warm. Whenever she talked to He Yuansheng, she actually felt a little nervous.
But that day she went, He Yuansheng hadn’t yet returned, and even the servant was not there at the door. She sat and waited in He Yuansheng’s study. There was a screen in the study. He Yan felt that there was nothing to do, so it was better to sit down and read a book in front of the small table behind the screen.
She sat there for a moment when someone came in.
It was He Yuanliang’s voice. He said, “How are you considering the matter about He Yan?”
He Yan, who was about to go out, was stunned for a while, and immediately paused when she wanted to bypass the screen. She did not go out but shrank back.
He Yuanliang had a different temper from He Yuansheng. He Yuansheng looked mild but was in fact harsh. Later, when Mrs. He gave birth to other children, he had also treated them very harshly. On the other hand, He Yuanliang, her biological father, had a completely different temperament and was always smiling. His children, except her, were all well pampered
He Yan’s feelings for He Yuanliang were very complicated. If she was to say that she was in awe of her elders like He Yuansheng, her adoptive father and uncle, then she always felt a trace of imperceptible dependence and expectation to He Yuanliang. She hoped that He Yuanliang would treat her as kindly and affectionately as he was to her sisters, but He Yuanliang did not. Every time he looked at her, it was as if he was only looking at his nephew. He was always polite to her and would at most give her a few words of preaching.
In this way, the number of times she felt disappointed only increased, and He Yan stopped forcing her expectations.
But that day, when she heard her name from her biological father, He Yan didn’t know why she wanted to hide instead of going out.
“She is very well now. She is studying in Xiangchang Hall and no one has noticed any anomaly. She is also fifteen now… Before she turns eighteen, we have to settle her marriage.”
He Yan, who was shrunk behind the screen, could not even breathe for a while.
Marriage? She had never thought about this. She was now in the identity of He Rufei, a man, how can she make a marriage? Once she is engaged, what should she do with her identity of Rufei? Who will be “He Rufei”?
She took it for granted. She was a woman, so she naturally thought she was going to get married to a man. After all, she was not even good at dressing up. However, what He Yuanliang said next surprised her.
“Brother, have you found any suitable girl in the capital?”
A girl?
How could it be a girl?
He Yan raised her head. The two people outside the screen had their backs facing her. She couldn’t see their expressions clearly so she could only listen to their tone of voice. They were calm, not feeling even the least bit shocked by what they had said.
“Song Ci, the deputy chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has two daughters. The elder daughter is married while the younger daughter is now eleven.” He Yuansheng said, “She is a little bit younger but when He Yan is 18 years old, she will have reached maturity. After waiting for two more years, they can get married.”
“Song Ci’s daughter?” He Yuanliang hesitated, “Is she the little girl named Song Taotao? I remember Song Ci was looking for her daughter’s birthday gift the year before, for that he even went through the entire merchants of Shuojing.”
“Yes,” He Yuansheng said with a smile, “There are no young boys in Song Ci’s mansion, only two daughters. Now that the eldest daughter is married, he is particularly fond of his youngest daughter. If we can tie the knot with the Song family, we will have the help of the Song family. There would be no worry about whether our house will flourish or not.”
He Yuanliang also slowed down his expression when he heard the words, saying, “Elder brother is right. It’s better for me to host a banquet at the mansion and invite Song Ci to come to the house, so we can talk about the children’s affairs. At least, first, we can let him know that we have this idea.”
The two of them talked happily as if the marriage was just a deal, and that was all. Nowadays, in the rich and powerful houses, most of the women were the counterweights to the marriage. She can be considered as a counterweight, but how could they ignore her identity?
She is a woman! How can a woman marry a woman? If they had really gotten married, wouldn’t it still do harm to the girl’s life?
He Yan thought this way in her heart, unexpectedly touching the screen and making a sound. He Yuansheng turned his head and shouted, “Who?”
Seeing that she was discovered, He Yan simply stood up and said, “It’s me.”
“He Yan?” He Yuansheng breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned, and said, “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in Xianchang Hall today?”
“Teacher Bao asked us to leave school one day in advance, so I came here to find my father.” He Yan said this, paused, and took a peek at He Yuanliang. He Yuanliang showed his usual smile, his expression has not changed a bit even when she called He Yuansheng “Father”.
It was just another disappointment, so why not give up? He Yan lowered her head to cover the loss in her eyes.
“I have something to discuss with your second uncle now. You can come back to me later.” He Yuansheng said, “Just go see your mother first.”
He Yan didn’t move.
“He Yan?” He Yuansheng frowned again.
I have heard what my father and second uncle just said.” He Yan raised her head, her voice calm, “Father, I am a woman, how can I marry the second lady of the Song family?”
Unexpect that He Yan would actually speak this way, and the two brothers of the He family were stunned for a while.
“These are not things you should take care of,” He Yuansheng replied after a long while, “I will arrange everything for you.”
“I won’t marry the second lady of the Song family. As a woman, it’s enough to sacrifice me alone. You don’t have to involve unrelated people in this.” He Yan said.
She was now fifteen years old, a little taller than before, and dressed as a teenager, with clear and open eyes, standing here, like a poplar tree, not familiar, just like a stranger.
He Yuan furiously said, “What do you mean by this? Are you complaining about us? Are you blaming us for sacrificing your rights to be a woman?”
He Yuanliang looked at her with a smile, “He Yan, how can you talk to Elder Brother like this? Elder Brother is doing all these for your own good.”
He Yan thought, is this really for her? She went to study in Xianchang Hall, and her teacher taught her “the heart of compassion is the end of benevolence; the heart of shame and evil is the end of righteousness; the heart of right and wrong is the end of wisdom.” But what the He Family wanted her to do now was to ask her to be unkind and rude. How ridiculous!
He Yan was not afraid, and replied loudly, “I will never agree to be betrothed to Miss Song! Not only that, I will not marry any woman in this life. This will delay the lives of others!”
He Yuansheng and He Yuanliang were dumbfounded.
Everyone in the He family knew what kind of temperament He Yan had. She was gentle and easy to talk to, even a little timid and cowardly. In the He family, she did whatever she was told to, and didn’t like to cause trouble. If it hadn’t been for the change of identity at the beginning, she would be like all mediocre official ladies in Shuojing, reticent, well-behaved, and living life like a puppet.
But what is she like now?
“He Yan, how dare you speak to me like this?” He Yuansheng was really angry. Whenever he was angry, his facial features would appear very fierce, and so the children in the He family’s eldest household were very afraid of him.
He Yan looked at him and was unmoved, “My father sent me to Xianchang Hall to study, to show etiquette and to know virtue, not to be a liar for profit.”
The young man held his head high, proud, clear, and honest. It was probably the contempt in her eyes that stung He Yuansheng. He Yuansheng became angry and slapped He Yan fiercely on the face.
That was the first time He Yan was beaten by He Yuansheng.
And her biological father was watching without saying anything. The sentence from the beginning to the end was “Eldest Brother is doing all these for your own good.”
The quarrel between He Yuansheng and He Yan shocked the entire He family. As the highest authority of the He family, no one would doubt He Yuansheng’s decision. He Yan was kept in the ancestral hall for a day and a night and was only released the next night.
No one visited her during this time. Whether it was her adoptive parents or her biological parents. During this time, He Yan looked at the large and small memorial tablets up and down the ancestral hall, with only one question in mind.
What kind of family was the He family? Did she really want to stay in the He family? If the meaning of her existence in this family was to be a substitute to tie down the interests that did not belong to them. Without a bit of sincerity, she was here, there was really no place to be nostalgic.
A puppet would also want to break free from the thread and dominate its life.
The next night, she returned to her house, and the room was deserted. He Yan remembered that the Fuyue Army was conscripting in the street these few days. She sat on the couch and thought, if someone came to see her tonight and asked her whether she was okay, she would not leave.
However, no one came.
When the sound of shifts came from a distance, He Yan carried the bag on her body and sneaked out of the door in the dark. For so many years, since she started practicing martial arts on her own, she has been doing this and was too familiar with it. It was precisely because the He Family didn’t value her, even when she left, she felt so relaxed.
She thought it shouldn’t matter, though she could no longer stay in the He family. At least, she has saved a little girl in Shuojing. If she was not here, how could the He family have set up a marriage? That girl named Song Taotao, in the future, would reach maturity and stay with a young boy who would love her for life, instead of being implicated in this shameful plan and becoming a sacrificed pawn.
The night was heavy and she couldn’t see the way ahead. The girl disguised as a young boy didn’t know what was ahead of her. She looked back at the door of the He family. The house was hidden in the night, alongside with her past. Seemingly cruel, she turned around, continued walking forward, and never looked back.
The past was laid out in front of her eyes, as if blowing away the dust-covered over it, and it gradually became clear, as if everything happened just yesterday. Only He Yan knew that it was her previous life that she could never go back to.
She was young and angry at that time — angry at the ridiculous decision of the He brothers. She didn’t even think about it seriously. As a woman, if she really married Miss Song, her secret would be revealed. How could the He family allow this to happen?
Unless they had long expected that such a thing would never happen.
He Yan stared at the incense bag hanging on the bed net.
It was all because He Yuansheng and He Yuanliang knew that He Rufei would return sooner or later and that He Yan and He Rufei will each revert to their own identities so they had talked about the marriage. They had long decided that before He Rufei married, He Yan would have taken off the clothes of a man and return to becoming the Young Lady of the He family.
At that time, He Yan didn’t realize this. She thought that she would be He Rufei for a long time, perhaps she would even sacrifice her life for it. She didn’t expect that she would have to return to be herself again. But this is not a gift. Once a person has become for too long, the person will inevitably forget who he is.
Moreover, she left the He family with a bag on her back that day and enlisted for the Fu Yue army. Since then, she had already disrupted the entire He family, and the chess game has long been out of control.
Who would have thought of it?
Who would have thought that she had lived a lifetime and died once, then woke up again and while wandering around, she unexpectedly met the girl with whom she was almost engaged to in her previous life. The eleven-year-old girl had grown into a slender lady, and the boy who left home with a bag on his back had already tasted all the flavors of the world. Fate is mysterious. If there wasn’t Song Taotao back then, she would not have left home, would not have joined the army, and there would be no General Feihong or He Yan today.
In the darkness, He Yan smiled silently.
Fate made them meet here, perhaps just to explain one thing to her.
She did nothing wrong; she saved a girl.
…
When He Yan woke up the next morning, Fei Nu was no longer in the room.
She thought about things till late last night and slept so deeply that she didn’t even know when Fei Nu left. After she woke up, she freshened up and went out, wanting to go knock on the door next to hers to see if Xiao Jue was there.
As soon as she knocked, the door opened, and Song Taotao’s head came out from behind the door. She said, “Are you looking for Young Master Xiao? They are eating downstairs.”
They didn’t even call her for the meal? He Yan said in her heart, this really is the same as not treating her as their own. He Yan asked, “Have you eaten? Let’s go down and eat together.”
Song Taotao nodded.
The little girl went downstairs with her, and she saw Xiao Jue and Fei Nu sitting downstairs by the window with some small dishes on the table. She didn’t know if people were shocked by Xiao Jue’s identity last night. The innkeeper made this breakfast with extra and exquisite care. He Yan wanted to curse at the extravagance when she saw it.
“Uncle, why didn’t you call me for breakfast.” He Yan muttered, “Even if you didn’t call me, why didn’t you call Miss Song?”
“It’s because I wanted to sleep more, it doesn’t have anything to do with the second young master Xiao.” Song Taotao said quickly. For some reason, she seemed to fear Xiao Jue. But thinking, Xiao Jue was cold all day long, how could a little girl bear it?
He Yan picked up a single piece of golden milk cake and stuffed it into her mouth. The milk cake was fragrant and sweet. It just came out of the bakery and was hot and appetizing. She smiled and said, “Uncle, what are we doing today?”
Xiao Jue looked at her with a faint smile, “What do you want to do?”
“I…” Song Taotao spoke before He Yan could finish speaking.
“Cheng…Cheng Lisu.” She already knew that He Yan was not Cheng Lisu, but she also saw that He Yan was now playing the role of “Cheng Lisu”, so she didn’t reveal it. Following the name of Cheng Lisu, she said, “Can you accompany me to go out?”
After saying this, the other three people on the table looked at Song Taotao.
“I…I don’t have any clothes. I really can’t wear men’s clothes. I want to go out and buy two ready-to-wear clothes, but I don’t remember the way. Master Cheng, can you go out with me to buy something?” She mustered up the courage to finish.
Of the three people on this table, Fei Nu was not used to talking, and Xiao Jue was not a person who could accompany a girl to buy things. Only He Yan was kind and gentle. He Yan said, “Of course! It’s just…” She looked at Xiao Jue, “Uncle, do we have anything to do today?”
“Nothing.” Xiao Jue lowered his eyes and said calmly, “You can go with Second Young Miss Song.”
“Thank you, Young Master Xiao!” Song Taotao was overjoyed.
After eating, He Yan went out with Song Taotao. After the two of them left, Fei Nu said, “Master, this subordinate will follow them now.”
“Don’t get too close.” Xiao Jue ordered, “He also has Song Taotao with him.”
Fei Nu responded and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He hesitated for a moment and said, “Master, the matter with Sun Ling, do we just forget it?”
“Who said it?” Xiao Jue hooked his lips. “Wait, it’s not the time yet.”
…
He Yan followed Song Taotao out of the inn.
As soon as she left the second son of Xiao, Song Taotao was obviously more cheerful. She approached He Yan and whispered, “Why are you calling Young master Xiao ‘uncle’? Why did you call yourself Cheng Lisu?”
“It’s a long story. Young Master Cheng has something to do, so he can’t come to Liangzhou for the time being. So I’m here instead of him. Don’t tell anyone about it.”
Song Taotao said, “Of course I won’t tell anyone! That trash boy must have been unable to do it by himself, so he let you replace him? This kind of person still want to be my husband? In his dreams!”
Secon Miss Song’s prejudice against Cheng Lisu was really deep.
“Then what’s your name?” Song Taotao asked.
“I can’t tell you now, so as not to spill anything. I’ll tell you when things in the city are settled.” He Yan smiled.
Song Taotao curled her lips, seemingly not too happy. He Yan pointed to a clothing store, “Look, there are clothes there, why don’t you go in and pick one?”
Only then Song Taotao turned her attention, and He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. However, it didn’t take long for this tone to relax, when suddenly thinking of something, she secretly said that it was bad.
When He Yan came out of Liangzhou Wei, Cheng Lisu gave her clothes, hairpins, and jewelry, but forgot to give her silver. He Yan didn’t dare to ask Xiao Jue for it, so she only had one silver coin she got from the flag competition. She has been reluctant to use it and kept it on her body, even preferring to exchange the button of Cheng Lisu’s clothes for tea and drinking instead of touching it. Song Taotao just came out of Wanhua Pavilion and was completely tangled up and raided. Where would there be money on her? He Yan was afraid she would have to pay for everything she buys today.
This is all she has now!
Fortunately, Liangzhou City was not Shuojing. There was no such kind of tailor shop that charged hundreds of taels of silver for a single piece of clothing. The ready-made clothes here were cheap, and He Yan could afford it. Song Taotao picked one, and then picked a pair of shoes, a hairpin, and a pair of earrings. He Yan couldn’t help but pay with the silver, which was the only thing she had.
Song Taotao picked out the clothes and then changed them before coming out. When she came out, the little boy who was originally carved like jade turned into a charming little girl in a short time. She picked a cherry-red dress, her long hair was tied in a flat bun, and her headband was also cherry-red, with bright eyes and white teeth. She looked beautiful and lovely.
He Yan’s eyes lit up. In an instant, the distress of spending money disappeared in front of the cute girl.
“It’s so beautiful.” She praised it heartily.
Song Taotao blushed, turned her head, and muttered, “The clothes here are too shabby, there are no good clothes. The clothes made by the tailor of Song Palace are much better than this!”
He Yan said in her heart, is this still shabby? This has already cost her savings over the past six months!
After wrapping the original clothes in a bag, Song Taotao walked out of the clothing store and said, “Let’s go shopping elsewhere.”
He Yan, “…okay.”
The beauty of the little girl also costs money, especially for the little girl raised by such a wealthy family. He Yan only hopes that Liangzhou won’t have anything more to attract Second Miss Song’s attention. She really had no money.
God seemed to have heard her voice. Song Taotao had nothing to buy along the way. But she was still excited, strolling around Liangzhou City. He Yan has been doing her best to accompany her, but she didn’t look bored at all. In the end, the arrogant little girl was a little embarrassed, and asked He Yan, “You have been with me for so long? Aren’t you bored?”
“No.” He Yan smiled, “I happen to want to take a stroll, too.”
Song Taotao looked at her for a long while and said, “You are such a good person.”
He Yan was a little surprised when she said that, but the little girl had already moved ahead. She thought about it, shook her head, and smiled.
To Song Taotao, He Yan’s mood, apart from caring for the little girl, also has a kind of pampering that was almost like an elder. After all, this girl almost became her “fiancee”. She was also the person who made her leave her home. In a way, she changed her destiny. In the following years, Song Taotao has not been involved in the inexplicable things and has grown up well.
He Yan felt very fortunate if she hadn’t done that in the first place. Maybe Song Taotao wouldn’t get married to a woman later but would have been married to He Rufei. Is it really a good thing to marry into the He family? That family has no warmth, only sought benefits, and it was really not suitable for a little girl like Song Taotao.
However, He Yan looked at the back of the little girl jumping in front of her, feeling a little helpless. When she left home, she was considered “fleeing from marriage.” Now Cheng Lisu was also running away, and Song Taotao was also doing the same. Can this still be considered as running away from the marriage?
She needs to have a good talk with Cheng Lisu.
…
The Sun’s residence in Liangzhou City, the whole residence was in chaos.
Sun Ling was sent back to Sun’s house last night, and Sun Xiangfu called in famous doctors to treat Sun Ling’s injuries overnight. Although they were all skin and flesh wounds, they were really not light and would take a few months to recuperate.
Young Master Sun has never suffered such a big loss since he was a child. Sun Xiangfu was also in a bad mood. Early this morning, he punished several servants for following wrongdoings.
The subordinates dare not take a wrong step; the house was quiet. Sun Ling was lying on the bed, and Madam Sun was sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping tears, and said bitterly, “Your father is too much. He is just a military commander. How can he beat you like this? My son has suffered. Doesn’t it hurt? I don’t know when the injuries will be…”
Sun Xiangfu heard this as soon as he came in, and said angrily, “Women’s opinion! What does it mean to be ‘just a military commander’? Do you know that he even dared to kill the eldest son of the Minister of Finance! Moreover, the minister pleaded to the emperor. The emperor followed, but what happened in the end? In the end, he had to admit that he was unlucky! If he killed this unfilial son last night, what do you think you can do? Nothing!”
Madam Sun was dumbfounded by the scolding, and it took a long while to panic and said, “Is, is he so powerful? What shall we do now? Are we going to make amends with him?”
“You can go out.” Sun Xiangfu felt annoyed and waved his hand, “I will arrange these for myself. I came here to ask Ling’er a few things.”
Madam Sun walked away, whimpering with tears. Sun Xiangfu walked to Sun Ling and looked at Sun Ling’s pale face, both distressed and angry, and said, “You, I’ve told you it’s not good for you to provoke people, but you have to go provoke yama [king of hell].”
“I… didn’t provoke him. It was his nephew who deceived me too much.” When Sun Ling mentioned this, he didn’t get angry and told what happened last night, and finally said, “How would I know that Cheng Lisu will suddenly make a move?”
“That book boy, is it the woman you like?” Sun Xiangfu asked.
Sun Ling shook his head, “I don’t know either. Before I could see the face, the surname Xiao arrived.”
“It’s okay if it’s just a misunderstanding. If it’s really that woman, Cheng Lisu will inevitably have a prejudice against you since he protected her.” Sun Xiangfu sighed, “It’s me who is not good. I didn’t inform you in advance that Xiao Jue and the others would visit the city. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been such a mess.”
Sun Ling never cared about political affairs, he only knew about eating, drinking, and gambling. Therefore, he did not know that Sun Xiangfu posted an invitation to Xiao Jue.
“Father, we have offended them. Won’t they trouble us later?” Sun Ling was a little worried.
He was lawless in Liangzhou city because he was relying on being a county magistrate’s son. But last night, the appearance of Sun Xiangfu bursting into tears in front of Xiao Jue made Sun Ling understand that Xiao Jue is not a figure that the Sun family can afford to offend.
“Don’t be afraid,” Sun Xiangfu said, “In a few days, Master Yuan, the supervisory official, will be here. Master Yuan is Xu Xiang’s person. Xu Xiang and Xiao Jue have never been at peace. Maybe we can do something about it.”
