And so, Du Jingyi did not wait for him. After dinner, she strolled through the back garden for a while, aiding her digestion, before returning to the main room. There, she picked up her abacus and a book, appearing as she always did. Yet, deep within her heart, a subtle shift had occurred, a quiet expectation lingering, as if she awaited someone’s return. This thought, however, was swiftly dismissed by Du Jingyi. After a brief freshening up, she slipped into bed, hoping that an early sleep would ward off any stray thoughts.
But sleep did not come easily. As she lay there, the events of the previous night unfurled like a scroll in front of her eyes , with each detail vivid in her mind. The sheer audacity of it all brought a wave of embarrassment to Du Jingyi. The moonlight, cold and unwavering, cast its serene glow, yet the woman beneath it was anything but serene. She was caught in a duality: her heart was troubled, while a longing echoed in a distant place.
Meanwhile, Shang Ji too was consumed by a quiet unrest. In the vast military camp, after his routine rounds, he settled into his tent. On any other night, he would be engrossed in studying the art of war or strategizing formations. But tonight, half an hour had passed, and the book remained open to the same page, untouched.His aid Luo Yuan, observing his general, found this behavior unusually strange. Was he ill? He didn’t appear to be. “General, are you troubled by something?” he ventured to ask.
Shang Ji cast an unreadable glance at Luo Yuan before calmly stating, “No.” The bluntness left Luo Yuan with no room to press further, so he silently resumed to his post.
But not long after, Shang Ji abruptly rose. “Prepare your horses and return home,” he commanded Luo Yuan. Luo Yuan’s brow furrowed. Never had he witnessed his general in such a mood. Yet, years of military discipline ingrained in him the habit of obedience. “Yes,” he bellowed.
Soon, the thundering sound of hooves echoed outside the camp. A contingent of about twenty men, cloaked in the shadows of the night, rode out in haste. Their destination remained a mystery to all but their general. The soldiers guarding the camp exchanged bewildered whispers. “That’s strange. Didn’t the general say he wanted to see our troop training early tomorrow morning? Why is he leaving at this time?”
“I guess he has some mission. Don’t ask any more questions, just stand at our post!” another retorted.
“Well, that’s right.” With that, they widened their eyes, diligently standing guard against any potential attack. The sound of hooves faded into the distance, rushing towards the city, stirring up fallen leaves and scattered flowers in their wake.
They galloped without pause towards the city, and the soldiers guarding the gates, seeing the sudden arrival of a group men on horses in the darkness, immediately prepared themselves. The leader barked, “Who dares to break into the city in the middle of the night?”
“We are the Soldiers of Shang’s army .”
Shang’s army? Weren’t they the very ones who had just returned victorious with General Shang? In the shroud of night, all were clad in dark brocade. Shang Ji remained silent, but Luo Yuan, riding beside him, stepped forward and presented the token of the Army. Upon seeing it, the gate guards instantly cleared the path. “Hurry, hurry, brothers, let go inside !”
“Yes.”
“Thank you!” Luo Yuan had barely finished speaking when Shang Ji spurred his horse, vanishing like the wind on the streets , leaving the guards utterly perplexed. No news of any emergency in the city had reached them. Why then would General Shang return in such a frantic rush, in the dead of night?
With a resounding “charge forward …”, Luo Yuan and the others galloped after him, their primary concern being the general’s safety, preventing any opportunists from causing harm to him . The rhythmic thud of hooves was eerily distinct in the quiet night as the group, without stopping, surged towards the Duke’s Mansion.
In the past, Shang Ji had considered the journey to his home to be easy, but tonight, it felt interminably long and arduous. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt utterly out of his mind. Staying up most of the night, riding back home, all for a mere glimpse of his beloved wife, whom he had only seen for four days. If this had happened in the past, he would have mocked such sentiment, but now, he found no need for self-reproach.
Beneath the moonlight, the contingent halted at the gates of the Duke’s Mansion. “Knock on the door,” Shang Ji commanded.
“Yes.” Luo Yuan dismounted and immediately began pounding on the door. The loud thuds echoed through the night, quickly rousing the young gatekeeper. “Who is it? Who didn’t sleep in the middle of the night to come here?…” Before he could utter the word “unbridled,” Luo Yuan’s thunderous voice startled him awake. “It’s General, who came back, open the door!”
At that single word, the boy rubbed his sleepy eyes and peered through the crack in the door. Indeed, it was Luo Yuan’s grim, serious face. He quickly unbarred the door, profusely apologizing. “The servants all went to bed early. I didn’t know the general was coming back. If I had known earlier, this door would never have been closed.” The memory of Mr. Qi’s beating yestarday was still fresh in his mind, and he had no desire to be the next victim. He hurried to flatter.
However, Shang Ji and his men ignored him, sweeping past with Luo Yuan leading the way. The other guards remained at the door, still as statues. The moon climbed higher, and an eerie quiet settled over the grounds. On the way to Dongyuan, they encountered no prying servants. Everyone, after all, had heard of Qi Er’s beating earlier that day. Those who had once disregarded the people of Dongyuan now shunned them like venomous snakes. Even if they had to pass by Dongyuan, they quickened their pace, fearing they might incur the general’s wrath.
Shang Ji and Du Jingyi, thankfully, remained unaware of these hushed fears. As ShangJi approached the gates of Dongyuan, the boy standing guard was remarkably alert. Seeing the approaching figures, he immediately stepped out and challenged, “Who is it!” His high level of vigilance brought a subtle curve to Shang Ji’s lips. Compared to the gatekeeper who slept like a dead pig, these two guards responsible for Dongyuan were clearly more qualified.
“It’s me,” Shang Ji’s voice, familiar to everyone in Dongyuan, resonated clearly. The boys quickly recognized him and stepped forward, bowing deeply. “The young one has seen the general.”
“Well, get up.”
“Thank you, General.” Shang Ji then strode past them, heading directly for Xitang Courtyard.
The door to Xitang Courtyard was locked, but that was no impediment to Shang Ji. Luo Yuan instinctively moved to knock, but Shang Ji stopped him with a low murmur, “Everyone in the room is fast asleep, why are you knocking on the door?” With that, Shang Ji swiftly scaled the wall beside the courtyard gate, his movements so fluid that Luo Yuan barely registered them.
Shang ji’s actions tonight had made Luo Yuan speechless. Had they ridden for almost an hour in the middle of the night, galvanized their horses, only for Shang Ji to climb over the wall of Xitang Courtyard?