Chapter 249.2: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 249.2
When the two parties had exchanged greetings and courtesies earlier, the Prefect of Chuzhou had already introduced the man’s identity.
He was the Deputy Commandant for Military Affairs of Chuzhou, surnamed Li.
Though the Prefect was the head of the prefecture, military matters within the region were largely in the hands of the Deputy Commander.
Thus, Chang Suining once again fell into her old habit of readily forming friendly ties with others.
This Deputy Commander Li had evidently also heard of her deeds in Hezhou. When he looked at her now, there was surprise in his gaze, yet not the slightest trace of disdain.
For a long moment, he was silent. When he finally spoke, his first question was about the Yun family.
Chang Suining was not surprised.
She had once heard from Yun Hui that before his death, the Prefect Yun had been on friendly terms with Chuzhou’s Deputy Commander Li. When Hezhou first fell into crisis, the Prefect Yun had even sent messengers to Chuzhou seeking aid — but no reply had ever come.
Hearing Suining speak of how the Yun mother and son had defended the city, Deputy Commander Li fell silent for a long time, his eyes shadowed with guilt.
Failing to come to Hezhou’s aid had become a knot in his heart — one that could never again be untied after the death of his old friend.
He did not even know what purpose there was in asking such questions now.
“It is good enough that Hezhou still stands,” he finally said after a pause. “That it was preserved through the life and blood of Grand General Chang and Young Miss Chang is truly Hezhou’s great fortune.”
Seeing that he wished to say no more, and that he made no mention of his personal friendship with Prefect Yun, Chang Suining herself continued the topic that ought to have ended:
“I once heard Second Young Master Yun speak of Deputy Commander Li.”
She wished to probe him a little. At such a juncture, mutual understanding was not a bad thing.
“Ah Hui mentioned me?” Deputy Commander Li looked toward her. The words “Ah Hui” slipped from his lips unconsciously. “What... what did he say of me?”
What he truly wanted to ask was — did Ah Hui resent him?
“Second Young Master Yun said that Deputy Commander Li was a man of steady virtue, who had been close friends with Prefect Yun for many years — the one elder he trusted most besides his own father.”
Deputy Commander Li froze, his thoughts churning violently.
Especially that last sentence — it pierced his heart like a soft blade.
Unfortunately for him, that last line was something Chang Suining had added on her own.
The girl looked mild and harmless, but how could he know the subtle danger in human hearts? Under her gentle probing, he finally revealed the reason he had not gone to Hezhou’s aid.
“At that time, I indeed intended to lead troops to support Hezhou,” he confessed quietly. “But there were also Xu troops causing unrest near Chuzhou… The Prefect, fearing for Chuzhou’s safety, did not dare grant me leave to depart with the army.”
Suining’s eyes flickered. “So Chuzhou was also attacked by the rebel army?”
“No.” Li Canjun shook his head. “They never truly attacked Chuzhou.”
That was why his remorse ran even deeper.
It had been to guard against the rebels taking advantage of the moment that he obeyed the Prefect’s order to remain — yet the rebels’ movements later proved they had no designs on Chuzhou at all.
Suining lifted her gaze toward the carriage ahead.
Inside, Chang Kuo was conferring with the Prefect of Chuzhou. He had already told him of Li Yi’s assassination attempt on General He Wei and his rebellion. The news had been reported back to the capital, and the Imperial Envoy was already on his way.
He also stated that their current mission was to intercept Li Yi — but his own force numbered only a little over ten thousand men, so he hoped that Chuzhou might dispatch troops to aid them.
Upon hearing that Li Yi had rebelled, Wei Jun was greatly shocked.
After listening to Chang Kuo explain the situation and its stakes, he finally said, “...Chuzhou is willing to lend Grand General Chang its strength!”
Chuzhou commanded a total garrison of thirty thousand troops; Wei Jun agreed to lend twenty thousand to Chang Kuo.
That night, the Prefect’s residence in Chuzhou hosted a banquet.
Chang Suining sat cross-legged beside her father, glancing around the hall before asking curiously, “Why do I not see Deputy Commander Li?”
Wei Jun replied, “Deputy Commander Li has gone ahead to prepare the troops. At dawn tomorrow, he will depart together with everyone.”
Chang Suining nodded. “Then I must trouble Prefect Wei for his care.”
Wei Jun smiled faintly and praised them, “Grand General Chang is blessed indeed to have such a daughter — truly astonishing and enviable.”
After some polite conversation, serving maids entered in orderly rows, laying out the dishes.
One maid knelt before the table, pouring two cups of wine for Chang Kuo and Chang Suining.
Music filled the air to enliven the gathering. Wei Jun was just about to raise his cup in toast when the young lady spoke again.
“Prefect Wei so readily agrees to lend troops — are you not afraid that my father might, in truth, be the one harboring treasonous intent? That he fabricated an excuse to slay Li Yi and seize military power?”
The girl’s voice was clear and pleasant, yet her words were audacious. Wei Jun’s smile stiffened.
“Young Miss Chang jests,” he said after a moment. “For Grand General Chang to risk his life in the rescue of Hezhou — how could I possibly harbor doubt toward such a man? Though I am but an unworthy official, I possess at least some ability to distinguish loyalty from deceit.”
Her tone only grew more curious. “If that is so, then why has Prefect Wei placed poison in the wine?”
The hall fell abruptly silent. Even the music ceased.
Wei Jun stared in disbelief at the girl still seated calmly before him. “Young Miss Chang, what do you mean by this? How could I — how could there be any reason for me to commit such a vile act?”
“Then I must have misunderstood.”
Chang Suining’s left hand drew the sword at her side. Its bright blade flashed cold as snow, and the air in the hall tightened at once.
All eyes turned to the girl — her hair tied back in a simple ponytail, clad in a raven-blue round-collared robe. She lifted the cup of wine before her with the tip of her sword, balancing it upon the gleaming edge. Then she turned her sword toward Wei Jun.
Her father, seated at the upper position beside the host’s chair, made no move to stop her.
Wei Jun instinctively leaned back slightly as the sword’s edge came before him.
The wine within the cup quivered but did not spill a single drop. The young lady held the sword easily in one hand, even smiling faintly as she said, her tone without the least hostility:
“If I have indeed misunderstood, then I ask Prefect Wei to drink first.”
Seeing that Chang Kuo made no effort to restrain her — clearly allowing such audacity — one of the Prefect’s advisers frowned and spoke sternly:
“Our lord has shown you generous hospitality and even offered troops in good faith… yet Young Miss Chang behaves with such disrespect. Do you think our humble Chuzhou so weak that it may be bullied?”
“My apologies,” Chang Suining said courteously, yet did not lower her sword. “The Southlands are in chaos; friend and foe are hard to tell apart. When traveling abroad, one cannot afford the slightest carelessness. I mean no offense — should this be a misunderstanding, once the Prefect drinks, I will punish myself with three cups in apology.”
“You—” the adviser began, but Wei Jun raised his hand to stop him.
His gaze shifted from the wine cup on the blade’s tip to the girl herself, then to Chang Kuo and Chu Xing.
After a moment, Wei Jun smiled and reached out. “Very well — as Young Miss Chang says.”
When Suining withdrew her sword, he took up the cup with one hand, lowering his sleeve with the other to shield his face as he made a show of drinking.
Yet in the next instant, the smile vanished from his half-lowered eyes.
He flung the cup aside; it shattered upon the floor as he rose abruptly and shouted:
“Seize them!”
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