Chapter 255.1: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 255.1: He Also Misses the One in Jiangnan
Chang Suining accepted it and saw that it was a neatly folded letter.
She unfolded it and, borrowing the flickering firelight, read for a moment before raising her head to look at Wei Shuyi. “...Grand General Cui?”
Wei Shuyi, who was taking another object out of his sleeve, looked surprised. “How did Young Miss Chang come to know of that?”
Chang Suining put the letter away and replied calmly, “I also have a copy of that list.”
Wei Shuyi’s expression shifted to one of understanding. He then revealed the object in his hand with a teasing smile. “Young Miss Chang has the list, but I wonder—do you also happen to have this as well?”
He said it in jest, yet when Chang Suining looked over and nodded lightly, “I do,” Wei Shuyi could not help but laugh in disbelief.
“I was wondering why Grand General Cui sent someone out to handle affairs, yet only allowed them to carry half of the copper talisman,” he said, looking at the half-piece in his palm with a faint smile. “So the other half was with Young Miss Chang all along.”
Grand General Cui Ling’an—when he cares for someone, it seems he spares no effort, holding nothing back.
A fleeting silence passed. Something flickered behind Wei Shuyi’s downcast eyes—part contemplation, part astonishment. When Chang Suining handed the list back to him, she said evenly, “So, Lord Wei, this time you came aided by the list of usable men and the token Grand General Cui provided?”
“Exactly so.” Wei Shuyi sighed with a wry smile. “And to think I toiled so long, only for all the credit and glory to end up belonging to him... Now Young Miss Chang must understand why I was so reluctant to speak of it earlier?”
Listening to his self-mocking tone, Chang Suining stoked the fire with a branch, letting the flames leap higher, and said leisurely, “Your achievements are real and plain to see, Lord Wei.”
If victory could be gained simply through a copper talisman and a list from Cui Jing, she would have gone herself long ago.
Wei Shuyi’s success owed not only to Cui Jing’s aid but also to his own courage, insight, and resourcefulness—combined with his Imperial Envoy title and the Imperial Edict authorizing the punishment of Li Yi.
In truth, this was a matter of heaven’s timing, earth’s advantage, and man’s harmony—none could be lacking.
Wei Shuyi smiled faintly and turned slightly toward her. “Then, in Young Miss Chang’s opinion, between me and Cui Ling’an, whose merit is greater? If there are ten parts of merit, how many do I hold, and how many does he?”
Chang Suining gave him a sidelong glance. “The division of merit and rewards is a matter for the Holy Emperor, not me.”
Wei Shuyi chuckled, amused.
But he was not truly asking for reward.
Seeing that she had little interest in his teasing, he instead asked, “Then, may I know when and where you obtained Grand General Cui’s token?”
“Before entering Shouzhou,” Wei Shuyi replied. “It came from General Cui Yuanxiang himself.”
Chang Suining was surprised. “Yuanxiang came to Jiangnan?”
Judging by the timeline, Wei Shuyi’s entry into Shouzhou must have been over ten days ago. That would mean Yuanxiang left the northern front at least half a month prior.
Half a month ago, the battle at Hezhou had not yet ended.
Could it be that after hearing of the Hezhou situation, Cui Jing sent Yuanxiang south bearing his token to provide aid?
Wei Shuyi’s tone grew more reflective. “It seems Grand General Cui, though confined to the northern frontier and unable to leave his post, has nonetheless kept the Jiangnan campaign close to his heart.”
And also the people of Jiangnan—someone in particular.
Wei Shuyi turned toward the girl beside the fire, smiling. “Thanks to his concern for Jiangnan, I got to reap an easy victory.”
“Lord Wei does have a knack for good fortune,” Chang Suining said lightly, “but tell me, where are Yuanxiang and the others now?”
“They escorted me and General Xiao secretly all the way as we went to rally the eighty thousand troops,” Wei Shuyi explained. “The journey was not smooth—avoiding Xu Zhengye’s spies was perilous, and each stage of the route had to be carefully scouted.”
Once in the military camp, dangers multiplied. The deputy general, Yu Zai, was fiercely arrogant, and several skirmishes broke out before order was restored.
Wei Shuyi recalled the scenes vividly. “General Xiao and I brought with us some of the finest men, yet we were no match for Yuanxiang’s group when it came to handling the battlefield. After all, they are the elite of the Xuanzhe Army, battle-hardened under Cui Jing’s command for years.”
Even though Cui Yuanxiang often acted like a simple-minded man... seeing him in action, Wei Shuyi realized those missing wits had merely been put to other use.
This “loss and gain” of wits made his aide, Chang Ji, once fall into utter despair—convinced that the only fool among them was himself.
Wei Shuyi smiled faintly at the memory. “To ensure General Chang’s safety, General Xiao and I led the vanguard forward while the rear troops moved more cautiously. Yuanxiang’s men followed at the rear, maintaining formation and securing the route.”
Chang Suining nodded approvingly. “That was a prudent arrangement.”
Wei Shuyi’s expression softened. “It’s thanks to Yuanxiang and his men that we succeeded. No matter how the Holy Emperor decides to divide the credit, I must still thank Cui Ling’an.”
He then smiled at her. “And I must also thank you, Young Miss Chang, for once again letting me gain great merit without lifting a finger.”
The word “again” naturally referred to the incident with Zhao Fu in Hezhou.
At that time, he had watched two “thieves” sneak into his carriage from a teahouse window. One of them, oddly courteous, had left behind a piece of broken silver as “payment” for temporary shelter—beneath which lay the confessions of the Zhao family’s accomplices.
That was his first encounter with her.
Because of those confessions, he easily captured Zhao Fu’s crimes with minimal effort.
This time was even easier—he had been sent to apprehend Li Yi, yet before he could so much as touch the man’s sleeve, the deed was already done for him.
Wei Shuyi laughed lightly. “It seems every time I am sent as Imperial Envoy, I complete my mission smoothly—all thanks to you, Young Miss Chang. You might be my lucky star.”
Though his tone was playful, his thoughts drifted back to that first meeting in Hezhou—to the rain-soaked temple night when Cui Jing had said, “I’m sorry, I cannot say,” and to that mysterious Heavenly Maiden Tower.
“I should thank you too, Lord Wei,” Chang Suining said suddenly.
Wei Shuyi raised a brow, smiling. “And what would you thank me for?”
“For letting me kill Li Yi.”
“For not becoming a burden to you, perhaps?”
They both spoke at once.
Chang Suining looked at him calmly. “Both, I suppose.”
Wei Shuyi laughed heartily, his laughter open and bright.
Then, growing thoughtful again, he said, “Speaking of Li Yi—his advisor mentioned Xu Zhengye’s so-called secret weakness...”
He paused to warm his hands above the fire. His fingers were long and slender, fair and smooth—the hands of a scholar, not a soldier.
Unhurriedly, he continued, “It turns out the secret was simply that Xu Zhengye is fond of women.”
Chang Suining raised a brow. “That’s hardly a secret worth dying over. For such a trivial reason, he really went to all that trouble?”
The interrogation had almost reached the point of listing Xu Zhengye’s daily habits—eating, drinking, and visiting the latrine—as “secrets.”
The advisor’s fate was pitiful indeed, loyal to a master who, even at death’s door, left him a pit to fall into.
But remembering how much Li Yi’s depravity had been encouraged by this same man, Chang Suining thought perhaps it was poetic justice—each made the other what they were.
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