Fate Trading System – Chapter 381

Plan B

Mandarin Ducks 11

To get from here to the border pass¹, Lin Suhuai, whipping a fast horse onward and taking the most direct route, would need half a month.

Therefore, Lin Suhuai did not easily return for private meetings with the Emperor, unless there was a particularly momentous matter to discuss, only then would the Emperor summon her.

This time, she had returned to report on the matter of the carrier pigeon.

She and the Emperor used specially trained carrier pigeons to correspond, but that day, Lin Suhuai had noticed something amiss. There was a peculiar fragrance on the pigeon; although it was masked by other scents, Lin Suhuai’s trusted subordinate² had a keen nose and detected the source of that faint aroma.

This carrier pigeon had been in the hands of the Empress Dowager.

This was no small matter. Fortunately, the letter delivered to the Emperor this time did not report on anything urgent, merely some updates on the situation at the border pass, which was still relatively stable.

Lin Suhuai arranged some affairs and, without delay, immediately set off secretly for the capital city. On the way, she released another carrier pigeon with a message for her father, asking him to enter the palace and seek an audience with the Emperor to convey this news.

But unexpectedly, she was betrayed on the road. Heavily injured and unable to discern the path after killing the traitor, she fled in a hurry and fainted in that dilapidated bamboo hut.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw her wife.

A small part of Lin Suhuai’s heart was actually grateful to the originator of all this, Her Ladyship³ the Empress Dowager sitting in the imperial palace. For this “kindness,” she would certainly “repay” it well.

“Do you really want to go with me?”

Lin Suhuai fiddled with Su Xin’s fingers. The night was now deep, and they were lying in bed, discussing the topics left unfinished during the day.

“Mhm.”

Su Xin nodded, sat up, and knelt on the bed, resting her hands on Lin Suhuai’s shoulders and gazing into her eyes.

As they faced each other, Lin Suhuai looked at her seriously, knowing that she probably wanted to say something.

“Whatever I say next, you must answer me quickly without any hesitation, okay?”

“Alright.”
Although Lin Suhuai didn’t know what Su Xin was up to, she still nodded.

“Are you a General or a merchant?”

“A General.”

“Is your name Lin Suhuai or Qiu Yu?”

“Lin Suhuai.”

“Are you going to the border pass or the capital city?”

“The border pass.”

“Do you like me?”

“I do.”

“Have you lied to me?”

“I have.”

“Will you harm me?”

“I won’t.”

“I won’t either.”

Su Xin smiled and gave Lin Suhuai a peck.

She wasn’t trying to test Lin Suhuai about anything; there was nothing to test. She knew what kind of person Lin Suhuai was: upright, strong, and compassionate. If she weren’t a general fighting on the frontier, she would be a person of great achievement in any other field.

To have a clear conscience before oneself and others.

Lin Suhuai touched her own cheek and clasped Su Xin’s hand. Her heart felt a mix of helpless and sweet emotions. What a sweet and mischievous little wife, making one’s heart pound uncontrollably.

Before meeting Su Xin, Lin Suhuai didn’t believe in one look, bell of feelings⁴.

But after meeting this person, she discovered that such a marvelous person truly existed in the world.

It was as if their hearts were printed on each other’s⁵, a perfect match in every way.

Since they had to set off early the next morning, the two of them rested well for the night. Lin Suhuai’s body temperature was always just right, and Su Xin loved to slip her hands inside her robes to sleep against her warmth.

A dreamless night.

Because her pain sensitivity had been lowered, Su Xin didn’t feel too uncomfortable riding a horse.

Xu Jinyan couldn’t ride a horse, but Su Xin could.

Lin Suhuai had originally planned to whip the horse to a gallop with Su Xin on the same mount, but Su Xin wanted to ride her own. Lin Suhuai was afraid she would fall, but upon discovering that she rode quite well, a bit more admiration grew in her heart. As expected of her wife.

Although she appeared very delicate, with the manner of a young maiden, sewing things for her, she was also exceptionally resilient, with an exquisite mind⁶, never complaining of hardship or fatigue.

Su Xin was actually still a little uncomfortable, but it was fine. When Fourteen lowered this body’s nerve sensitivity, it had also enhanced her muscle strength, greatly improving her physical stamina.

After a long and arduous journey, Su Xin and Lin Suhuai finally reached the border city where the soldiers were stationed. The encampment was three li⁷ away.

When Su Xin dismounted, her face was a bit haggard. This was unavoidable; after all, it would be strange not to be so after traveling continuously for over ten days.

When Lin Suhuai arrived at the military camp, a group of soldiers was startled. What surprised them even more was the woman Lin Suhuai was leading by the hand, Su Xin.

The disguise on Lin Suhuai’s face had been washed away, revealing her original appearance.

Su Xin’s veil was not lost; she had specifically put it on before arriving and was led inside by Lin Suhuai.

“The General is back!”

Someone shouted this, and soldiers began emerging from all over the camp, standing perfectly straight to show their respect.

Su Xin noticed that after entering, the expression on Lin Suhuai’s face changed. She became not one to casually talk or laugh, looking cold and severe. Paired with the scar on her face, it gave her an even more commanding presence.

It was simply cool to death.

Considering Su Xin’s walking speed, Lin Suhuai was trying her best to match her pace, making it as comfortable as possible for Su Xin to walk.

“General!”

Su Xin saw a man in white robes walking over quickly, his expression excited.

Su Xin thought the man might rush over and hug Lin Suhuai to express his excitement, but he did not. He stopped very restrainedly three steps away from Lin Suhuai and Su Xin.

Although his face still carried an excited expression, it was slightly reined in.

“General, you’re finally back!”

“Lanqian, thank you for your trouble during this time.”

“It’s nothing. I should be sharing the General’s burdens.”

Xiao Lanqian⁸ knew Lin Suhuai was alright, just that she had been injured and nearly lost her life. Thankfully, he later received her orders, but this three-month separation had truly been worrying.

“Let’s go inside.”

Xiao Lanqian nodded, quickly sized up Su Xin, and lowered his head with a trace of astonishment on his face. When he saw Lin Suhuai’s and Su Xin’s clasped hands, his eyes dimmed slightly.

Su Xin followed Lin Suhuai into the main tent, and Xiao Lanqian followed them in.

Fourteen transmitted Xiao Lanqian’s basic information to Su Xin, allowing her to understand the situation.

Xiao Lanqian was Lin Suhuai’s military strategist⁹, who also held high prestige in the army. He was a trusted subordinate whom Lin Suhuai relied on greatly, loyal heart, loyal heart¹⁰ to Lin Suhuai.

Su Xin gave it a quick look-over and, confirming that this Xiao Lanqian was not some spy and could be trusted, felt relieved. In any case, eliminating one person from the list of suspects was a start.

Su Xin had no way of knowing who the traitor in the shadows was; she could only investigate them one by one. If she found out, she would hint at it to Lin Suhuai. This was one of the few things she could do for her. After all, her status didn’t allow her to interfere in the centers of power, but she couldn’t just watch Lin Suhuai take a tumble.

Lin Suhuai was her thigh, her woman; nothing could happen to her, and she absolutely could not capsize. She still wanted to see her and the Emperor’s side win.

“General, would you like to rest for a bit? You must have rushed here.”

“No need. First, tell me the situation.”

Lin Suhuai had rushed back precisely because she received news from Xiao Lanqian. She couldn’t afford to worry about any plans; she absolutely could not let foreign enemies have an opportunity. Internal strife was one thing, but under no circumstances could they let outsiders take advantage.

However, neither Lin Suhuai nor the Emperor could be certain if the Empress Dowager would suddenly go mad out of impatience and collaborate with outsiders to take the Emperor down. And to clip the Emperor’s wings, they would have to get rid of Lin Suhuai and annihilate the Lin family.

As long as military power remained on the Emperor’s side, the Empress Dowager would not have a day of peace.

But it was also possible that a spy was stirring up trouble. Regardless of which it was, the intentions behind it were deeply malicious.

Yet, the Emperor and Lin Suhuai could only pinch their noses, grit their teeth, and accept it¹¹. Lin Suhuai had returned to take charge of the overall situation.

“This is…”

Xiao Lanqian looked at Su Xin, hesitating, a look of confusion on his face.

By now, Su Xin had removed her veil, revealing her beautiful face.

Su Xin smiled at Xiao Lanqian in a very friendly manner. After all, her impression of this military strategist was quite good. He had done so much for Lin Suhuai, was her left arm and right arm¹², and seemed like a good person, a junzi¹³.

“She will not speak of this to anyone, you don’t need to doubt her. This is not an outsider. She is my wife. You can just call her Saozi¹⁴. She is also my life-saver.”
Lin Suhuai turned her head to glance at Su Xin. Her expression was incredibly gentle, and even her tone of voice had changed subtly, sounding much softer.

“Saozi…?”

Xiao Lanqian looked extremely surprised, his eyes wide. But he quickly concealed his lapse in composure and showed Su Xin a friendly smile.

“Greetings, Saozi.”

“Hello.”

Su Xin nodded but did not say her name. A lady’s fragrant name¹⁵ was not something to be casually revealed to a strange man, as that would seem frivolous.

Su Xin had to maintain her image as a reserved and dignified general’s wife.

“First, tell me what’s going on. Then, tell me if there have been any abnormalities during this period. The more detailed, the better. I will explain my own matters in detail after this is handled.”

Lin Suhuai waved her hand, signaling for Xiao Lanqian to focus on her words. Xiao Lanqian nodded, concentrated his mind, and walked closer to speak with Lin Suhuai in a low voice.

Su Xin sat to the side, listening in, but her attention was not on their conversation but on studying other things in her mind.

She had Fourteen give her a map of the area, the terrain, and then studied the state of the army and the enemy’s situation.

Time passed unknowingly. Lin Suhuai would occasionally glance at Su Xin while she spoke, and seeing Su Xin staring elsewhere, she would continue her conversation with Xiao Lanqian.

By the time Su Xin had more or less finished her research, Lin Suhuai and Xiao Lanqian were also nearly done talking.

“General, you and… you and Saozi should get settled first. I’ll go give the orders. Do we need to find separate quarters for Saozi? Will she be staying here in the military camp? This is a camp full of rough men¹⁶; it might be inconvenient for Saozi to be here.”

“That’s true.”

Lin Suhuai pressed her temples. She didn’t want to be separated from Su Xin, but it was indeed inconvenient for Su Xin to be here.

There were a few women in the army, but they were… how could they be the same as her wife? And they were even more different from her.

“Why don’t you leave it to me? I’ll escort Saozi into the city.”

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