Chapter 59

Ye Rui became the fastest person in the history of the Phoenix Army to be promoted to squad leader. Though she only commanded four people, that was already enough to make others look at her in a new light.

When the female soldiers from the capital first arrived, Ye Rui had seemed slender and fair-skinned, and no one had taken her seriously. Of course, Pang Niu knew Ye Rui and Lu Yihua had been recommended by someone, so she was even more unconvinced; the two of them ended up fighting.

After that fight, everyone came to know that Lu Yihua and Ye Rui really did have some skill. Now that Ye Rui had become the core figure in this operation against the Crow Tribe, and had even risen to squad leader faster than Pang Niu and the others, no one felt unconvinced anymore.

Everyone here respected strength. If you weren’t convinced, you could just fight it out; the rules here were that simple. Of course, if you lost a one-on-one match, you had to accept the punishment. Back then, Pang Niu had been made to carry a tree trunk and run five laps around the camp.

As expected, Ye Rui chose Xiao Yu, Pang Niu, Lu Yihua, and another sister with excellent close-combat skills to be on her team; that sister was named Liu Ting.

With her own squad established, Ye Rui now had fixed companions to go to the Flaming Phoenix Forest to chop wood and gather supplies with. For several days after that, there had been no sign of the Crow Tribe. The last battle had caused too many casualties on both sides, so they probably wouldn’t attack again anytime soon.

But Ye Rui felt that endless defense was only bleeding the Phoenix Army dry. If they could crush the Crow Tribe instead, that would be the best way to truly free the Phoenix Army.

Ye Rui had selfish motives too. She didn’t want the Phoenix Army to remain confined to this tiny patch of land, standing guard forever. Her sisters should belong to a wider world, earn more military merit, and make every man too afraid to look down on them.

Spring Festival was approaching, and Ye Rui experienced her first day off in the Phoenix Army. Come to think of it, she had once asked around for news of Yu Lang. She only knew that he had first served in the Azure Dragon Army and had performed very well. Later, Nan Zhenchuan sent for help, hoping that Qingzhou City could send support to Yuzhou’s Qingxin Ridge to drive back the barbarians.

Yu Lang had been sent there and was still helping the Yuzhou troops defend Qingxin Ridge.

It was also then that Ye Rui learned Nan Zhenchuan had always maintained close ties with Qingzhou City. The two sides supported each other, and that was how the borders of Great Yan remained so unshakable. In addition, because Qingzhou City lacked support from the court, Nan Zhenchuan would secretly send supplies to Qingzhou City as well; that was what allowed the city to stand firm to this day.

On her day off, Ye Rui first went to the bank to withdraw some silver, then bought a set of new clothes for each of the people in her squad. After that, she even took her team to a restaurant for a proper meal.

The food in Qingzhou City’s restaurants naturally couldn’t compare to the capital city’s, but the prices were much cheaper. The owner knew they were soldiers, so he kept cutting the price lower and lower, until Ye Rui herself felt a little embarrassed; in the end, she could only leave a bit extra as a tip.

Pang Niu and the others had not come from wealthy backgrounds. Aside from Liu Ting, the rest were orphans. On ordinary days, a bowl of plain noodles from a street stall was enough to satisfy them. Now that they could eat at a restaurant and have good food, meat and all, they were practically overjoyed.

Pang Niu was curious about Ye Rui’s background and, without beating around the bush, asked where she had come from. Ye Rui only said that she had originally been a guard in the household of some high official in the capital city, and that after helping that official handle a few matters, she had received quite a bit of silver.

After that, for some reason, Ye Rui had left the capital city and come all the way to Qingzhou City to enlist, hoping to make a name for herself.

Half true and half false, that was how Ye Rui told it. Pang Niu and the others didn’t question her; instead, they began talking about their own backgrounds.

Pang Niu’s name was Li Panpan. Because her family had been poor, she had been sold to a wealthy household as a maid. Later, Pang Niu discovered that family had been keeping many young girls, intending to sell them off, and in the end someone exposed the whole thing.

After they were rescued, those people gave the girls a few choices. Pang Niu ultimately chose to come to Qingzhou and join the army. It had already been five years since then.

Xiao Yu’s experience was much the same. She had also been a victim of girls being raised and sold off, and the people who saved them gave them choices as well. Xiao Yu had also chosen to come to Qingzhou City, where she met Pang Niu on the road; they had been friends for five years now.

Ye Rui held her teacup, her gaze deepening.

So Mu Xue had also been breaking up those places where girls were raised for sale, and had given the girls the choice to decide their own lives.

From what Pang Niu and Xiao Yu said, those people had offered them a choice: go to the capital city and work for some lord, obeying his every command; or find a good family to adopt them; or go to Qingzhou City and join the army.

At the time, many of the girls were afraid that if they went to the capital city or were adopted by some good family, they would just end up back in the same hell, falling into the hands of bad people again. In the end, they chose a path they had never imagined and knew nothing about: joining the army.

Pang Niu had stumbled in, stumbled through training, and only after she had truly fought the Crow Tribe did she understand what military service meant.

Killing for peace. Killing to defend their homeland. At any moment, they had to be ready to sacrifice themselves for the land.

“When I first learned the court had given us no support at all, I actually wondered why I was fighting. Is this really the land I’m protecting?”

Was a ruler who could abandon the common people and leave soldiers trapped in misery and suffering because of struggles for power really someone she should swear loyalty to?

“Later, I figured it out. Qingzhou City raised me, so I have to protect the people of this city. No matter what the court is doing, I still can’t abandon Qingzhou City.”

Normally Pang Niu spoke very straightforwardly and never went this deep into a topic. Ye Rui hadn’t expected that after taking off her armor and setting down her long blade, in this quiet private room, she would hear such sincere words from her.

“I’m the same. I’m not loyal to that ruler; I’m loyal to the people. The people of Qingzhou City treat us well, so we should protect them with our lives too.”

Qingzhou City had been attacked by enemies year after year. It was the soldiers who built a wall of flesh and blood to shield the people. Over time, the military had become the faith of Qingzhou City’s citizens, and the citizens could live in peace because of these soldiers.

Looking at the ambitious, determined expressions on their faces, even Lu Yihua and Liu Ting had joined in with energetic voices. Ye Rui’s lips curved slightly.

I want to protect you.

That was what Ye Rui thought.

Protecting Xie Tinglan’s vision; protecting this land and its rivers and mountains. She wanted to see the day when Xie Tinglan’s vision was finally realized.

Only through this conversation did she learn that nearly half the girls in the Phoenix Army had experiences like Pang Niu’s. Many of them had suffered far worse, though, having been abused and humiliated, so everyone in camp tried not to bring those things up.

Many of the other female soldiers were from Qingzhou City, just like Liu Ting. Back then, because the court had done nothing, the city’s military recruitment had become desperately short. The women of the city had volunteered to go into battle, modeling themselves after the Eldest Princess.

The rise of the female soldiers had indeed resolved Qingzhou City’s urgent crisis. Later, Sun Zhong did not report it to the court, and instead changed all the women’s household registrations into military ones. That would have been impossible in the capital city, but Sun Zhong felt that since the court would do nothing, then he would personally give these brave soldiers an identity.

From then on, female soldiers became an indispensable force in the Qingzhou Army. Aside from the Phoenix Army, other battalions also had female units, but only the Phoenix Army was this special; it was entirely made up of women.

When Pang Niu talked about the female army’s achievements, she could recount them one by one. For example, five years ago, when she had only just enlisted, the female soldiers of the White Tiger Battalion used an ambush tactic to wipe out the elite troops of the barbarian Golden-Eyed Tribe. Or four years ago, the female soldiers of the Spirit Fox Battalion sneaked in from behind and hijacked all the enemy’s grain carts, not only helping the Spirit Fox Battalion enjoy a full winter, but also leaving the enemy too afraid to attack for more than half a year.

Or two years ago, the female general Hongying of the Black Tortoise Battalion met the barbarians of the Damu Tribe head-on and beat them so badly they couldn’t lift their heads, forcing them to stay quiet for nearly half a year.

There were many more such victories. Pang Niu could have talked about them forever, but they had already finished two whole pots of tea.

Seeing that the hour was about right, they were planning to go wander the market a little longer when, just as they stood up, a messenger from the prefect’s residence arrived. Ye Rui’s skin instantly tightened. She was afraid it meant the Crow Tribe had suddenly attacked and that they were to hurry back to camp and fight.

Fortunately, it wasn’t...

“Lady Ye Rui, Prefect Sun has ordered you to come to the prefect’s residence at once.”

Ye Rui was stunned for a moment, then looked at the sisters on both sides of her. “Just me?”

“Yes.”

The messenger still stood with clasped fists, answering in a stiff, formal tone. Ye Rui sighed. Sun Zhong was a good person, but why had he summoned her on her day off? He wouldn’t even let people rest.

After giving the four of them a quick explanation, Ye Rui followed the messenger to the prefect’s residence. But when she stepped into the main hall, Sun Zhong was nowhere to be seen. The messenger had already left too, even pulling the door shut behind him, which immediately put Ye Rui on guard.

That wasn’t right. I don’t have any enemies here. How could I still be getting set up?

“Don’t look so bitter and tragic. Long time no see, little one.”

At that moment, a woman emerged from the inner hall. She wore a purple robe embroidered with faint silver cloud patterns. Her black hair was casually tied into a ponytail, and she held a scroll in her hand. There was mischief and charm in every line of her brow and eyes.

“You?!”

Why was Mu Xue here! Ah! Right!

Only then did Ye Rui remember Mu Xue had once said they would meet again in Qingzhou City. She hadn’t expected her to really come!

Back then, Ye Rui could only be described as dazed and lost. She remembered what Mu Xue had said, but there were some things she hadn’t taken seriously; for instance, that Mu Xue would actually come to Qingzhou City.

The capital city was as bustling as a song. Ye Rui hadn’t thought Mu Xue would come to this harsh borderland of Qingzhou City. But now that she thought about it, Mu Xue had been throwing huge amounts of silver into the Qingzhou Army, and when she linked that to the matter of the Eldest Princess, this place seemed to be tied to Mu Xue by countless invisible threads.

Smiling brightly, Mu Xue sat down in the main seat, as if the prefect’s residence were hers. Only after she set down the scroll did Ye Rui realize it was a ledger, not a book. As expected of a businesswoman, she never went anywhere without her accounts.

“So? Are you getting used to life in the Qingzhou Army?”

Mu Xue crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in the grand chair, every inch the mistress of the place. Ye Rui quickly made up her mind and found a chair to sit in as well. “It’s all right. I accidentally became squad leader.”

Come to think of it, her spear skills were now at the beginner level; they had improved when she formed her squad and came to Qingzhou City. Her saber skills were also at the beginner level now, upgraded after completing the squad-leader task.

Right now, Hu Tu’s task for her was to become a platoon leader within three months and raise her swordsmanship to advanced level. If she failed, twenty stamina points would be deducted.

Not having stamina points in the army was terrifying. Daily training was already intense enough. Without good physical strength to back her up, there was no way she would be able to keep going.

“Oh? Then it seems you really are suited to being a soldier. My eye for people was right after all.”

After saying that, Mu Xue took a small mirror from her wide sleeve and used it to straighten her hair as she continued, “I didn’t make this rushed trip for nothing just to see you.”

“I’m not important enough to have a great beauty like you personally come all this way. Don’t give me too much credit.”

As soon as she said that, Mu Xue broke into another fit of laughter. Especially when Ye Rui called herself a great beauty, it seemed to please her immensely.

“Talking to you really does put me in a good mood.”

Mu Xue put away the mirror and said, “I came for something important, but it’s also not false that I came to see you. After all, I was worried about whether the person I recommended would cause some kind of trouble. If that happened, Sun Zhong might just curse my entire family tree.”

Ye Rui raised an eyebrow and looked at Mu Xue for a moment with a meaningful silence before saying quietly, “If Sun Zhong cursed your entire family tree, he’d probably lose his head.”

At that, Mu Xue’s smile deepened. When their eyes met, she said nothing at all; yet it was precisely because she said nothing that Ye Rui became even more certain of her guess.

If she were an ordinary person, she would surely have been stunned by what Ye Rui said and asked why. But Mu Xue hadn’t.

Now, when she looked at Ye Rui, her expression was even more meaningful than Ye Rui’s had been when looking at her.

“Do you know that some secrets can cost you your life if you learn them?”

Mu Xue’s tone turned icy, though her lips were still curved in a smile. Ye Rui had been tempered by everything she’d experienced along the way, so she didn’t feel afraid now. Instead, she smiled and said, “If Great Beauty Mu wants to keep that secret, then she wouldn’t have let me come to Qingzhou City.”

“You’re testing me to see what choice I’ll make after learning your identity.”

Mu Xue’s eyes lit up, and she laughed twice, bright and hearty, just like when she had joked and laughed with others aboard the painted boat. It was a little nostalgic.

“You’re very smart. So what choice will you make?”

Mu Xue paused, then smiled. “Do you intend to keep this secret, or...”

“Of course I’ll keep it secret. I even want the whole world to know there was once an Eldest Princess. She was a heroic female general, a woman of heroic courage who once gave her life to defend this land.”

Listening to Ye Rui’s firm, ringing words, Mu Xue suddenly froze. She had never expected Ye Rui to say something like that. After all, she had been far away from the battlefield for too long—so long that she herself no longer remembered how she had once ridden on horseback, how enemy blood had stained her blade, or how she had held her comrades’ corpses in her arms.

“You can’t say things like that carelessly. Walls have ears. You never know who’s human and who’s a ghost.”

Mu Xue was tacitly admitting her identity, and that instead made Ye Rui let out a breath of relief. It was as if the secret she had hidden in her heart for so many years had now been shared by one more person, and she had gained one more outlet for all that she carried inside.

These years, Mu Xue had lived freely, traveling the jianghu and sitting on a mountain of wealth; but only the medical envoy knew how stifled she truly was. She couldn’t even leave behind a name on this land. She was just a failure who could not write her own history, a dead person.

She was unwilling to be dead. But if she were still “alive,” then the Qingzhou Army would become rebel troops in the emperor’s mouth, and the people of Qingzhou City and the surrounding towns would all become souls beneath the imperial cavalry’s iron hooves.

Right now, Nan Zhenchuan still helped Qingzhou City. Aside from that bit of righteousness in his heart, it was also because the Qingzhou Army was still, after all, part of Great Yan’s military.

But if Qingzhou City were regarded as rebels, Nan Zhenchuan would surely march south, turn his blade toward his own people, and let iron cavalry slaughter the city, silencing all dissent.

She did not want to be a dead person; but she could only be a dead person.

“I understand.”

Ye Rui nodded. Her guess had been confirmed. Though still a little shocked, she had more or less anticipated it.

So this world was like a chessboard, and everyone was laying out their own traps, walking their own paths. As for her, Ye Rui...

Was she just a chess piece?

“You want something from the capital city?”

Secretly supporting the Qingzhou Army and having them resist barbarian invasions—aside from that, did Mu Xue have other goals?

For example, aiming her sword at that supreme position in the capital city?

“I don’t want anything.”

Mu Xue shrugged and smiled lightly. “Who’s as fixated on that seat every single day as Xie Tinglan?”

She paused, not noticing that Ye Rui’s expression didn’t change at the mention of Xie Tinglan. Then she continued, “I never had any intention of taking the throne. Back then, when I was framed, it was just because that old bastard from Zhongshan couldn’t stand seeing his son, who was also a general, get completely overshadowed by me, a woman. So he stirred up trouble.”

Mu Xue laughed twice. Even while talking about being wrongly accused and targeted, she was still carefree. When Ye Rui heard what she said next, she understood why.

“I don’t have much ambition, but I’m not easy to bully either. So I turned around and killed that bastard, and pissed that old Zhongshan bastard off to death!”

At that moment, Mu Xue’s openness and authenticity let Ye Rui see her true colors. The carefree version of her had stayed in the jianghu, but the real her had stayed on the battlefield. Whenever she talked about battlefield matters, Mu Xue was no longer that money-hungry boss; she was like a comrade she had lost and found again after a very long time.

“After I killed that old Zhongshan bastard’s son, I even wanted to kill the old man himself. But I was afraid the Qingzhou Army would be branded as traitors, so I held back.”

As Ye Rui listened, her eyes shifted back and forth, and the corners of her mouth lifted into a rather strained smile... Hadn’t this person just said that walls have ears? And now she looked ready to stand in the middle of a plaza and shout her glorious deeds to everyone.

Still, Mu Xue knew when to stop. She stood up and walked step by step toward Ye Rui, then sat down beside her and said, “I had my own reasons for sending you into the Qingzhou Army.”

The smile faded from Mu Xue’s face, and her expression turned serious. “The Qingzhou Army’s momentum is getting weaker and weaker. Very few new recruits are willing to join. After all, everyone knows this is a place the court refuses to manage. Joining is the same as offending the court, and your military career is ruined before it even begins.”

“Even if the people of Qingzhou City are willing to join, and even if some strong young men from the surrounding towns are willing to join, training a soldier takes far longer than losing one. The Qingzhou Army is in danger.”

By this point, Mu Xue’s eyes were full of darkness. Ye Rui understood. The Qingzhou Army had been built by Mu Xue herself, and it was also the place where she had once made her name. If it were to be ruined by power struggles, who could truly accept that?

But what could she do for the Qingzhou Army?

“My private reason was that I hoped to find someone who shared my path and could solve this problem.”

Seeing Mu Xue look at her so seriously, Ye Rui felt a little troubled. “I... how am I supposed to solve it?”

Ye Rui felt she didn’t have that kind of ability. This was a very difficult predicament to reverse. With her alone, there was absolutely no way she could do it.

Mu Xue gave a soft laugh. “Do you know? The Qingzhou Army may be a force despised by the emperor, but to some noble heirs without military power, it’s like a treasure.”

The moment she said that, Ye Rui immediately thought of Xie Tinglan and got goosebumps all over. She understood what Mu Xue meant. A despised army was an army without a fixed political stance; ambitious people would naturally be drawn to it and seek to seize it for themselves.

“Maybe one day, you’ll lead your own soldiers to make a choice.”

Mu Xue took Ye Rui’s wrist and added, “I trust your judgment.”

“Just as I agree with you trading your life for the lives of over a hundred people in that mountain stronghold.”

“We’re both equally foolish.”