maidservant

"Hey~ Young Master Song, has he become rich? Is he going to buy the whole street?"

"What a coincidence!" Yun Shan looked at Yan Lie running hurriedly from behind, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"How come you have time to be on the street today? Ever since you and Lin Xiao went to the military camp, it's really rare to see you."

Yan Lie naturally took the items Yun Shan had bought, curled his lips slightly, and said half-jokingly:
"What can I do? It's just bad luck. The general sent me here today specifically to protect your safety."

Yunshan frowned slightly when she heard this, her eyes full of confusion: "How did he know my whereabouts?"

Just as she said this, she seemed to suddenly think of something, her eyes widened, "You haven't been following me since the palace gate, have you?"

"Hey, don't say that." Yan Lie waved his hands hastily, feigning indignation. "What do you mean by 'following'? Lord Song, please don't insult my integrity. I'm on duty for Zhan Qian today, temporarily protecting you for a day. You must cherish this."

"Zhanqian? Who is that?" Yunshan was confused. She stopped, tilted her head, and looked at Yan Lie with confusion.

"You didn't know? Zhan Qian is the sword-wielding guard who has been with Lin Xiao since childhood. His skills are even better than Lin Xiao's. Of course... compared to me, he is on par with me." Yan Lie raised his chin with a look of complacency.

Yunshan listened quietly to the whole story. It turned out that since the day she went to visit Lin Xiao who was injured, this guard named Zhanqian had been secretly protecting her on Lin Xiao's orders.

Yunshan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. How could she have become so important to someone else? Heaven was truly kind to her.

Moreover, although Lin Xiao seems carefree on weekdays, I didn’t expect that he has such a delicate and tender side.

But the joy was fleeting, replaced by deep doubt.

Why did I have to protect myself from that day on?
Is there an unknown danger lurking around me?
Or is it that Lin Xiao is making enemies in secret and is worried that he will become his weakness?

"Well, if you don't know, don't speculate. If I had known you would think so much, I wouldn't have said it."

Yan Lie was a little impatient and waved his hand, "Zhanqian is happy to take this job. After all, the monthly salary for this job is much higher than before."

Seeing his attitude, Yunshan instantly understood something, thinking this matter likely involved military secrets. Being intelligent and understanding, she tactfully stopped asking questions and cleverly changed the subject.

"Then why were you assigned to me today? Do you have a rotation system in the military camp?" Yun Shan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, with a smile in her eyes, and asked half-jokingly, trying to make the atmosphere more relaxed.

"Today... I was just bored staying in the military camp." Yan Lie's eyes dodged and he subconsciously turned his head away without telling the truth.

In fact, he has been in charge of interrogating the rebels in the past two days.

Among those being escorted, there was a general who was extremely special, with the word "prisoner" clearly marked on his face.

Every time he was brought to trial, although the general's voice was hoarse, he always stood firm to clear the name of the deposed prince.

Even though he was beaten all over, with blood dripping from his skin and flesh, and even his teeth were knocked out, with thick blood oozing out of his broken teeth, he still gritted his teeth and refused to admit that his behavior was "against heaven."

No matter what torture was used to force a confession, he refused to yield and his attitude was tougher than one could imagine, which made Yan Lie feel difficult and confused.

Yan Lie's eyes gradually became empty, and his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the dim and depressing scene in the interrogation room.

"The late Crown Prince has always been the late Emperor's treasure and was destined to inherit the throne. How could the Crown Prince force the palace to rebel?"

"It was the bastard Emperor Zong Zheng Yangzhao who slandered the late Crown Prince! He was the one who deviated from the orthodoxy! He was the one who defied Heaven!"

"He stole the throne, so how can it be said to be the destiny?!" The rebel general's face was covered in blood and he roared at the top of his lungs. Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Yan Lie's heart hard.

Yan Lie stood aside, listening to these fierce accusations and defenses. His hand holding the whip tightened unconsciously, and his heart began to waver.

There was a hint of confusion in his eyes, and the valve of memory opened, and all the past events flooded into his mind like a tide.

Back then, although the Yan family had some gray areas in official circles and their hands were not clean, it was far from the point of having their property confiscated and their heads beheaded.

In the melting pot of Kyoto's officialdom, apart from the Huangfu family, which family has made great contributions to the founding of the country and is a veteran of three dynasties, which family can truly withstand strict scrutiny?
Yan's family was ransacked overnight and he was exiled. The real reason was that he followed the deposed crown prince and was accused of "forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebelling."

If what the rebel said is true, doesn't it mean that my father was wrongly accused?
At least the crime is not punishable by death?

He shouldn't have suffered all these hardships, and perhaps he would still be the beloved young master in the Yan family.

Recalling the days of exile, Yan Lie's eyes flashed with pain. In those days, not having enough to eat was the norm, and hunger was always there.

The fourth concubine died at her feet from hunger and cold, and she could only rely on her strong physique since childhood to hold on.

Along the way, he was looked down upon and ridiculed. Even after going through so much hardship and returning to Kyoto, he was still ignored and sighed.

He fell from his former glory and wealth to the dust and mire in an instant. The huge gap made him experience the ups and downs of life.

Yan Lie's hands trembled slightly at the thought, and the whip slipped from his grasp. His heart was filled with conflict and struggle, and his hesitation was evident in his words.

Lin Xiao watched all this from the side, and when he thought of Yan Lie's tragic experience, he couldn't help but feel a trace of pity in his heart.

That's why they arranged for him to take over Zhan Qian's shift, so that he could temporarily stay away from the rebels and help him get rid of his inner difficulties.

"But, is Lin Xiao very busy lately?" Yun Shan asked casually, but secretly thought that she might not be able to see him again this time. She lowered her head slightly, and a trace of subtle loneliness flashed in her eyes.

"There are a large number of rebels. We have to take care of everything, including investigating their backgrounds, detaining them, interrogating them, and registering them. The general is really too busy these days." Yan Lie answered truthfully.

"Oh." Yunshan responded softly, and the sense of loss that she had not hidden just now suddenly surged into her heart without any defense, and even her tone unconsciously dropped.

"Tsk tsk, you're not even married yet and you're already complaining about your husband not coming home at night?" Yan Lie noticed her displeasure and half-jokingly said, then changed the subject.
"But General, there is something I really need your help with."

"what's up?"

"There's an unused house on the street near the city gate. A few years ago, the family there committed a crime and was raided. The house isn't big, much smaller than our Yan Mansion back then. So none of the meritorious officials who were rewarded back then were interested in it, so it's been empty ever since."

Yan Lie seemed to have memorized these words, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "The general received a reward from His Majesty a few days ago, and this house was given to him. If you're free today, go and help him take a look at it and figure out how to take care of it, like how to arrange the furnishings and plants in the house."

This was indeed the task assigned to him by Lin Xiao. After all, Yunshan and Lin Xiao would live in this house in the future, and Lin Xiao wanted to hear Yunshan's opinion.

"I...this isn't appropriate..." Yunshan muttered. Although she had feelings for Lin Xiao, they hadn't officially gotten married yet. She felt a little embarrassed to participate in the decoration of the house.

"Don't be so shy, it's really annoying."

Yan Lie said this, quickening his pace as he headed towards the Li residence. Yun Shan, seeing this, hurriedly followed him, her loose trouser legs swaying slightly as she moved. (End of this chapter)