Fate Trading System – Chapter 385

Plan B

Mandarin Ducks 15

Su Xin was carried into the camp tent, and a wave of jeering followed from behind. Someone remembered the news from a few months ago that the General had brought a young woman back, and they revealed smiles of mutual understanding without words.

Su Xin was placed in front of a desk. Before she could even speak, she was met with a kiss.

It was like a violent wind and torrential rain¹, filled with excitement and joy, an irrepressible delight.

Their lips and tongues intertwined, and Su Xin was almost out of breath.

Lin Suhuai was more passionate than ever before, as if trying to find some way to express the emotions in her heart that could not be put into words.

Lin Suhuai’s assault gradually slowed, and the sound of pecking kisses that would make one’s face blush and heart race filled the air. Su Xin supported herself on the desk behind her, maintaining her body’s balance.

“I’ve dirtied my wife’s clothes. How about I compensate you with a new set later?”

There were still bloodstains on Lin Suhuai’s iron armor, and because of the recent movements, much of it had rubbed off onto Su Xin’s clean clothes.

“It’s not important. Which of the things I own wasn’t bought for me by you? I’ll just change when I get back.”

“After we return to the capital city, I’ll buy you several more sets of beautiful clothes.”

“I don’t care about those things.”

“I know, but you’re my wife. You should have some nice clothes to match your flower-like face and noble status.”

“You, you just know how to say sweet things to coax me.”

Su Xin smiled, reached out to tap Lin Suhuai’s nose, and then gently touched the scar on her face.

“This isn’t coaxing. Every sentence comes from the heart. If you don’t believe me, come feel here. When it sees you, it beats so fast.”

Lin Suhuai took Su Xin’s hand and placed it over her heart, earning a playfully reproachful glare from Su Xin.

“But my wife, life in the capital city is not like it is here, nor is it like at your family home. It will be very dangerous, and you might find it hard to adapt. Those ladies and young misses have their own circles. My status is a bit delicate, and at the behest of their respective husbands, they will certainly extend invitations to you. They like to have small gatherings every few days, and they are very clearly divided amongst themselves.”

Lin Suhuai tucked a loose strand of hair behind Su Xin’s ear, carefully explaining these matters to her.

“Will I be watched?”

“Naturally. But you can see Princess Yuyuan, and the Prince Consort… Liu Yunyi.”

“Mm… will… will he still remember me?”

“Whether he remembers you or not, you are already his adversary.”

The joy in Lin Suhuai’s heart was instantly diluted, and she became displeased.

That Liu Yunyi was once the man her wife loved, and he had despicably become a heartless man, greedy for vanity and glory.

But it was also thanks to that Liu Yunyi being blind and consumed by greed; otherwise, if he had returned to marry her wife, where would she be in the picture now?

It wasn’t that Lin Suhuai was afraid Su Xin would rekindle her old flame with Liu Yunyi. She could tell that her wife was a person who cannot tolerate sand in her eyes², and it was impossible for her to forgive Liu Yunyi. Lin Suhuai was just afraid that seeing Liu Yunyi would upset her again.

Her wife would only be happy if Liu Yunyi was dealt with.

Lin Suhuai had previously supported the emperor because her family had always been loyal subjects, because she and the emperor were green plums and a bamboo horse³, and for the love of her country. But now, there was one more reason.

Only by toppling the Empress Dowager would Princess Yuyuan lose her backing, and that Prince Consort would become even more of a nobody.

“I understand. If you tell me, I will understand.”

“I know my wife is the cleverest.”

Lin Suhuai unfastened her armor. She hadn’t suffered any serious injuries. The enemy nation had mobilized its troops this time because their emperor had changed, and the new one was eager to achieve something great. All the generals had been replaced with his own confidants. In Lin Suhuai’s opinion, their quality was far worse than before. And this time, she had even more motivation.

“Do you know what I was thinking about while I was killing the enemy?”

Do you know what I was thinking during the days and nights of these past few months?

When I polished my weapon, when I studied the marching routes by lamplight and put down the map, when I stood on the yellow earth and gazed into the distance, what was I thinking?

“I was thinking of you.”

Lin Suhuai kissed Su Xin’s forehead.

You were the one on my mind, the one I longed for. You were the one who appeared in my thoughts. When I tossed and turned in the dead of night, I thought only of you.

“My wife is still here waiting for me. No matter what, I could not lose this battle, nor could I be reckless. I had to come back safely to see you.”

Lin Suhuai nuzzled Su Xin’s cheek. Her direct and affectionate gaze made Su Xin a little tense; she even felt a slight urge to avoid Lin Suhuai’s eyes.

Only deep affection cannot be betrayed, but Su Xin knew she could not give back an equal amount of emotion.

She truly couldn’t enjoy Lin Suhuai’s kindness with a clear conscience, so she could only do her best to love Lin Suhuai, to let her also feel the sensation of being loved.

In fact, sometimes, Su Xin thought she had lost the ability to feel love.

How to like, how to love.

Everyone seemed more or less the same to her. Her feelings for people were divided into only three categories: like, dislike, and indifference. She had no desire for a romantic relationship, even finding it troublesome.

She liked Lin Suhuai, and she liked being with Lin Suhuai, but when it came to love, she felt a little hesitant.

Su Xin always felt that love was like the tide. When it came, it could drown a person, but when it left, it was just as swift.

Love was too unreliable.

It wasn’t that Su Xin was unwilling to try; she was trying hard, but here, she didn’t have the luxury of being reckless.

Su Xin felt guilty towards Lin Suhuai because her initial approach was to use Lin Suhuai’s status, to cling to her thigh to complete her mission. Although she had saved Lin Suhuai, these were two different matters, not something that could be calculated to cancel each other out.

Just as “wanting to die” and “not wanting to live anymore” are two different things.

Lin Suhuai loved her, but she would not forget her original purpose.

Lin Suhuai closed her eyes and held Su Xin, and the air was quiet for a moment.

After enjoying the quiet feeling for a while, Lin Suhuai opened her eyes and pinched Su Xin’s cheek.

“Are you going to wait for me here, or go back and wait for me?”

“I’ll go back and wait for you. It wouldn’t be proper for me to stay here while you discuss matters. I’ll wait for you to come get me.”

“Alright, I’ll walk you back.”

“No need, I can go back by myself.”

“Then be careful on the road. Are you riding back?”

“Yes.”

Su Xin left the camp tent and came face-to-face with Xiao Lanqian. Xiao Lanqian smiled and nodded at her, then lifted the tent flap and strode inside.

Xiao Lanqian looked much better in spirit, as if he had let go of something.

Sometimes, some things are not as hard to let go of as one might think.

Su Xin rode back on her horse. The people in the city already knew the news of the great and complete victory and were all celebrating.

They were people living on the edge of danger. If the border defenses were to fall, their home would be the first place to be impacted. But for various reasons, they had not left this place and would not leave. Every time a war broke out, they were extremely nervous, and when victory came, they were happier than anyone.

There was no snow here, but the temperature was indeed dropping bit by bit.

When the first snow fell in the capital city, Su Xin followed Lin Suhuai and arrived in the capital city.

The snow had just stopped not long ago. The eaves of the houses were covered in a layer of white frost. Someone was sweeping snow in front of their door, and the broom made a “rustle rustle” sound as it moved.

The General’s wife was overjoyed. When Su Xin and Lin Suhuai returned, she first hugged Lin Suhuai and said a few words, then quickly pulled Su Xin over to show her concern.

Lin Suhuai needed to hurry to the palace for an audience with the emperor⁴, so after staying at home for a short while, she left in a hurry.

Su Xin, on the other hand, was properly receiving the care of her mother-in-law. The General’s wife doted on her and had prepared many good things for her during this time.

“Jinyan, Mother has prepared many beautiful accessories for you. They’ve all been placed in your room. Quick, come with me and see.”

“My lady, Jinyan has just returned. Let the child rest for a while first.”

The General was a little helpless. Ever since they received Suhuai’s letter saying she was coming back, his wife hadn’t been able to sit still, busying herself with one thing after another.

“Oh, right, right, right. Rest, rest. Rest first. Look at me, I got so excited I almost couldn’t think straight. Come, come, Mother will take you to your room. You and Suhuai will of course share a room. Mother had it redecorated for you before you came back. I don’t know if you’ll like it. That bed is so comfortable.”

“Mother has such good taste, I will definitely like it.”

“You child, you have such a sweet mouth.”

Su Xin wore a smile on her face as she linked arms with her mother-in-law, letting her lead the way forward.

The Young General is married!

A whole group of noble ladies were in an uproar, and the adults were also left breathless by this news.

There were always people who wanted to form a marriage alliance with Lin Suhuai, but Lin Suhuai was always at the border, leaving them with no options. They wanted to approach the Old General, but he would always play dumb, occasionally putting on an act of prioritizing the country over his descendants, turning them all away.

Those people tried to hint at it to the emperor, but the emperor also pretended not to know, playing dumb along with him and changing the subject.

At Lin Suhuai’s age, other people’s children could not only go buy soy sauce⁵, yet Lin Suhuai was still unmarried. It was truly something else. But those who were watching wouldn’t just give up. If the eldest daughter was too old, the younger daughter would do, right? Anyway, among the young ladies waiting at home to be married⁶, there were always some of a suitable age.

Some people were looking on with eager anticipation, only to suddenly be met with such a bolt from the blue.

Everyone wanted to see what kind of person this General’s wife, who had appeared out of nowhere, really was. What masterful methods did she use to get the Young General in her grasp without a sound, making the Young General marry her as his proper wife?

“Suhuai, by doing this, aren’t you pushing her to the wind’s mouth and the wave’s tip?⁷ Whether it’s the Empress Dowager’s side, our side, or those with other intentions, they will all notice her.”

The emperor hadn’t expected Lin Suhuai to be so direct. He thought Lin Suhuai would hide the person away carefully, to prevent her from receiving even the slightest harm.

“She is the wife I brought back with proper go-betweens and a formal wedding⁸ in an eight-person sedan chair⁹. Of course she must be shown to people. As for the wind’s mouth and the wave’s tip… if I cannot protect her, what face would I have to be her husband?”

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