Chapter 84: The Letter That Burned the Truth

After Fan Chuan went to the military camp for a few more days and handled the military affairs, she returned home.

 

By then, they had been back in the northern border for a month.

The accumulated military affairs had all been dealt with by Fan Chuan.

She called all the main generals of the Fan family army to the military supply camp north of Zhuozhou, planning to give them a heads-up.

 

Soon, the generals filed into Fan Chuan’s tent one by one.

 

Fan Chuan had them all sit down and had her personal guards serve tea to quench their thirst.

 

Fan Chuan swept her gaze over everyone and said, “I’ve just returned from the capital not long ago.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen you all.

Are we all well?”

“Couldn’t be better, Marshal.

But why does His Majesty do this?

Summoning you back every year.

We’re so far from the capital.

What a waste of time and energy!”

Kang Bai, a fierce general under Fan Chuan and a straightforward female Qiankun, couldn’t help but complain.

 

The other generals also chimed in.

The court truly was unreasonable.

How could the royals and high officials, comfortably ensconced in the capital, possibly understand the suffering of soldiers like them?

“Exactly.

I’m blunt, but His Majesty’s actions truly chill the heart.”

“Alas, not only do they cause trouble at every turn, they also frequently delay the military pay.

It’s already been two months again.

The soldiers are suffering.”

“The last time, the Marshal even had to dip into her own pocket to cover part of the military expenses.

I’d say, I’d say the court is useless.”

A bearded general in his forties cursed.

 

After their complaints, the ten people in the tent cautiously looked at Fan Chuan’s expression.

 

Fan Chuan sighed and said, “It’s exactly as you all say.

The human heart is made of flesh; it can indeed be chilled.

My Fan family has been loyal for generations.

Now, only I remain.

Yet His Majesty still refuses to trust me, nor give the Fan family army the treatment it deserves.

A court like this is not worth keeping.”

 

The eyes of the generals below lit up, and they exchanged glances.

 

Finally, the bearded general named Guo Jie tested the waters by asking, “Does the Marshal mean we rebel?”

 

Fan Chuan sat motionless behind her desk.

She nodded slightly.

“Yes and no.

The Fan family army has been loyal for generations.

Naturally, I won’t raise arms rashly.

There must be a reason.”

 

Hearing that Fan Chuan truly had the idea of establishing her own domain, the generals below grew excited.

“Marshal, when will we raise the army?”

Kang Bai asked excitedly.

“We’ll wait until the capital is in chaos.”

Fan Chuan said calmly.

After a long moment, she sighed.

“Don’t tell the soldiers about this yet.

You can sound out the junior officers under your command.

As for military expenses, I’ll continue to cover them from my private funds.”

“Marshal, you’re using your private funds again.

Those court officials are truly useless.”

Guo Jie couldn’t help but curse.

“When you pay the soldiers, you can emphasize how the royals are fatuous and disregard the lives of the northern border soldiers.

The Fan family army must be united.”

Fan Chuan said.

 

The several generals immediately stood up and cupped their hands to Fan Chuan.

“We accept the order, Marshal.”

“Go and prepare.

There may be tough battles ahead.”

Fan Chuan said.

“Yes.”

They acknowledged and withdrew from the tent.

 

The generals who left, however, were all overjoyed.

The court had treated them, the soldiers of the northern border, unfairly.

Withholding pay was a common occurrence.

They had actually been dissatisfied with the court for a long time.

If not for the Marshal, they would have quit long ago.

They couldn’t be more supportive of the Marshal’s decision this time.

 

Sitting in the tent, Fan Chuan sighed.

She didn’t actually have that much silver left.

If the court still didn’t allocate funds, they might not even have enough provisions to march to the capital.

 

Just as she was thinking about these things, a personal guard entered from outside the tent.

 

She bowed to Fan Chuan and quickly said, “Marshal, one of the lady’s guards tried to leave the city to deliver a letter.

He was intercepted by our shadow guards and has been brought here.”

 

Fan Chuan’s brow furrowed slightly.

She nodded slightly.

“Bring him in.”

“Yes.”

The personal guard immediately had someone bring over a guard by Shen Lingwei’s side.

 

The man was gagged, bound hand and foot, and forced to the ground by the soldiers.

 

Fan Chuan waved her hand, signaling for someone to remove the cloth from his mouth.

 

The guard was clearly flustered.

Sweat poured down his face as he said, “What is the meaning of this, Marshal?

I was merely delivering a letter home for the lady.

Why have I been arrested?”

“A letter home?

A letter home to the emperor?”

Fan Chuan sneered and asked.

 

Hearing this, cold sweat dripped from the guard’s face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Whether you know or not is unimportant.

Men, search him.”

Fan Chuan looked at him coldly.

 

Several soldiers immediately searched the guard and found a letter from inside his coat.

“Marshal, it’s a letter.

Please look it over.”

The guard quickly handed it over.

 

Fan Chuan took the envelope in her hand, looked down, and saw that it was the same as last time, with the character ‘secret’ written on it.

 

Fan Chuan looked at the guard, couldn’t be bothered to say anything more, and instructed, “Deal with him here.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

 

Several soldiers held the guard down, and one of them raised a sword and struck him.

The man tried to say something more, but he was already dead.

 

Without needing Fan Chuan’s instructions, the guards dragged the body out and cleaned up the blood in the tent.

 

Fan Chuan clasped her hands together.

Seeing this letter, she was still a bit afraid.

She was afraid of seeing that Shen Lingwei was truly working for the emperor.

If that were the case, what would she do with Shen Lingwei?

 

Fan Chuan took a few deep breaths.

Since she had already chosen to raise the army, she had to be responsible for these soldiers.

She couldn’t let Shen Lingwei delay important matters.

 

Fan Chuan tore open the envelope and took out the six pages of letter paper.

They were indeed written in Shen Lingwei’s handwriting.

 

Fan Chuan frowned as she began to read.

But the more she read, the more relaxed her brow became.

It was all trivial daily matters, either praising the hardships of the northern border soldiers or saying that Fan Chuan was loyal to the court.

Anyway, the letter seemed to have a lot of content, but it was all just nice, empty talk.

Not a single substantive word.

 

Fan Chuan leaned back in her chair and breathed a small sigh of relief.

 

These days, she had indeed been going to the military camp often.

If Shen Lingwei were truly sent by the emperor, she would at least inform the emperor that Fan Chuan handled military affairs without Shen Lingwei knowing, and that she had been away for several days.

But Shen Lingwei hadn’t done that.

 

So, was Shen Lingwei really on her side?

If it had happened once, she might have overthought it, but this was the second time.

It was hard for Fan Chuan not to overthink.

 

She pressed her lips together.

Since that was the case, why not take the initiative to test Shen Lingwei?

Now that Shen Lingwei and the emperor’s remaining ten guards were all in the northern border, if Shen Lingwei was on her side, that would be good.

If she really intended to report her movements to the old emperor, then… then she would place Shen Lingwei under house arrest in her courtyard.

 

Thinking this, Fan Chuan took a piece of paper.

She wrote about a page’s worth of content.

When the ink was dry, she tucked the paper close to her body.

Then she stood up and said to the personal guards beside her, “I’m returning to the residence.”

 

With that, Fan Chuan stood up.

She used a flint to light Shen Lingwei’s secret letter and burned it until only ashes remained.

 

She put on her helmet, mounted her maroon horse, and headed for the Marshal’s residence.

Of course, since Yun Heng wasn’t there, Fan Chuan brought the remaining dozen or so personal guards.

 

They rode for about an hour before reaching the Marshal’s residence.

Fan Chuan dismounted, handed the reins to a personal guard, and entered the Marshal’s residence directly.

 

Her full suit of armor weighed over seventy jin.

If not for her physique, honed through years of battle, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to bear it.

 

When Fan Chuan returned to the courtyard, she saw Shen Lingwei with Xiao Tao, pruning the branches of the flowers and plants in the garden outside.

Shen Lingwei was wearing a white dress today, with only a single jade hairpin holding up her bun.

The white dress made her skin look even fairer.

 

Seeming to notice Fan Chuan’s movements, Shen Lingwei stood up and looked towards her.

Seeing it was Fan Chuan returning, her eyes lit up slightly.

 

She quickly stood up and walked over to Fan Chuan.

“Just back?

Why didn’t you send someone ahead to let me know?

I would have had them boil hot water earlier.”

“It’s fine.

I’ve mostly finished things over there.

I can rest at the residence for a few days.”

Fan Chuan’s gaze shifted away from Shen Lingwei’s face, not daring to look too long.

“Then hurry into the bedroom.

Let me help you take off your armor.

You must be exhausted?”

Shen Lingwei knew that Fan Chuan’s armor was very heavy and wanted to help her remove it quickly.

“It’s fine.

I’m used to it.”

She had worn armor since childhood, sometimes needing to wear it every day.

 

As they spoke, they had already returned to the bedroom.

Shen Lingwei had someone bring water, washed her hands, and dried them with a cloth before beginning to help Fan Chuan undo her armor.

 

Fan Chuan’s gaze fell on Shen Lingwei’s fair wrists.

Shen Lingwei’s hands were also very beautiful, fair-skinned with long, slender fingers.

Unlike her own hands, which had developed calluses in a few places from years of wielding a sword.

 

As Shen Lingwei worked, she seemed to notice Fan Chuan’s gaze.

The corners of her mouth curved imperceptibly, and she continued with her task.

 

Finally, she undid the chest piece.

Shen Lingwei really couldn’t lift it, but Fan Chuan was still daydreaming.

Shen Lingwei had to remind her, “Marshal?

Give me a hand.”

 

Fan Chuan, hearing Shen Lingwei’s voice, finally snapped out of it and quickly helped hang the chest piece on the wooden rack.

 

Shen Lingwei smiled at her and continued to unfasten the other pieces of armor.

 

Fan Chuan pressed her lips together.

Every time Shen Lingwei got close to her, she would get a little nervous, sometimes even forgetting to breathe.

 

Shen Lingwei carried a faint scent of cold orchids, very pleasant.

Fan Chuan bit her own lower lip, warning herself not to think nonsense.

What if Shen Lingwei was still deliberately letting her guard down?

That was also possible.

 

Thinking this, her thoughts returned.

The romantic feelings in her heart had disappeared.

 

She hung all the armor that Shen Lingwei had undone on the wooden rack.

 

Shen Lingwei walked in front of her again, preparing to help her undress completely.

Fan Chuan hadn’t had time to change clothes while staying in the camp for days.

 

Fan Chuan stepped back, afraid her own smell might offend Shen Lingwei.

 

Seeing her step back, Shen Lingwei looked up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I smell.

Let me do it myself.”

Fan Chuan said, about to do it herself.

 

Just as she was about to move, Shen Lingwei walked over.

She looked up at Fan Chuan and said softly, “We’re married.

I wouldn’t think you smell.

Stand still.”

 

Fan Chuan was completely captivated by her gentle voice and actually stopped moving.

Shen Lingwei was already nestled against her.

No, more precisely, Shen Lingwei’s arms were around her waist, undoing the clasp of her belt.

 

Fan Chuan’s earlobes suddenly turned red.

If only Shen Lingwei was really on her side.

She thought to herself, closing her eyes.

When she opened them again, Shen Lingwei had already stepped back from her embrace.

 

Placing the belt on a nearby stool, Shen Lingwei began to untie Fan Chuan’s garment sashes.

As she untied, she said, “Do you need to go out again today?

If not, you can rest properly after your bath.”

 

She looked up at Fan Chuan’s face.

They hadn’t seen each other for six days.

She felt Fan Chuan looked thinner.

“I’m not going out.

I’ll rest a bit today.”

Fan Chuan replied.

 

Shen Lingwei nodded, her hands not stopping.

By now, she had helped Fan Chuan take off her outer clothes.

 

Soon, the maidservants had prepared the bathwater.

Fan Chuan drank a cup of tea, then stood up and said to Shen Lingwei, “I’ll go bathe now.”

“Mm.”

Shen Lingwei actually wanted to go in and help Fan Chuan bathe; her back and hair weren’t easy to wash alone.

But considering her current relationship with Fan Chuan, her wife probably wouldn’t want that, would she?

 

Shen Lingwei didn’t mention it.

Instead, she took a travelogue and lay quietly on the soft couch, flipping through it.

 

Behind the screen, Fan Chuan soaking in the hot water was incredibly comfortable.

Wearing armor for days was tiring, but now a hot bath made her feel light and relaxed.

 

Afraid her body might smell and be unpleasant when she shared a bed with Shen Lingwei at night, she soaked a little longer.

When she came out, she saw Shen Lingwei already asleep on the soft couch.

 

Fan Chuan dried her wet hair as she looked at Shen Lingwei lying on the couch.

Her gaze traced from Shen Lingwei’s brows downwards, unable to look away for a moment.

 

Normally, she didn’t dare look Shen Lingwei in the eyes, always looking away.

But now that Shen Lingwei was asleep, she could look a little longer.

Thinking this, the corners of Fan Chuan’s mouth curved.

 

She dried her hair for a while, then switched to another cloth.

She didn’t stop until her hair was no longer dripping.

 

Seeing that the couch was small, Fan Chuan thought that since she was going to sleep anyway, she might as well carry Shen Lingwei to the bed.

 

She remembered the last time she had carried Shen Lingwei.

They had still been traveling then.

Shen Lingwei had been sick, and Fan Chuan had carried her from the carriage to the post station to rest.

 

Fan Chuan’s fingers curled at her sides.

Her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

This shouldn’t be considered overstepping, should it?

After all, she and Shen Lingwei were already married.

 

Thinking this, Fan Chuan walked slowly to the couch.

She gently reached out, supporting Shen Lingwei’s back, and slipped her other arm under Shen Lingwei’s knees.

With a gentle lift, she carried Shen Lingwei in her arms.

 

But before she had taken two steps, Shen Lingwei in her arms slowly woke up.

Seeing herself being carried horizontally in Fan Chuan’s arms, her heart pounded heavily.

She quickly reached out and grabbed Fan Chuan’s collar.

“Put me down.

I can walk by myself.”

 

Fan Chuan hadn’t expected Shen Lingwei to wake up.

She felt a bit awkward, but she still braced herself and said, “It’s only a few steps.

Let me carry you to the bed.

The couch is too small; it’s uncomfortable to sleep on.”

 

As she spoke, Fan Chuan had already walked to the bedside with Shen Lingwei in her arms.

 

Shen Lingwei’s entire face burned red.

The last time Fan Chuan had carried her like this was because she was sick.

She had been too uncomfortable to notice.

But now she was in good health, and in broad daylight, being carried to the bed by a Qiankun – was this not too forward?

 

As a pampered young lady, how could Shen Lingwei withstand this?

But before she could think further, Fan Chuan, with her long legs and quick pace, had already reached the bedside.

 

Before Shen Lingwei could react, Fan Chuan even tried to help her take off her shoes.

 

Shen Lingwei quickly pulled her leg aside.

“I can do it myself.

I won’t trouble the Marshal.”

 

Seeing she didn’t want help, Fan Chuan stepped back.

She sighed, blaming herself for acting on impulse.

Now, would Shen Lingwei be angry with her?

 

While she was thinking, Shen Lingwei had already taken off her shoes, curled up on the inside of the bed, and covered herself with the blanket.

She hadn’t even taken off her outer clothes.

 

Fan Chuan looked at Shen Lingwei’s back with some distress.

Had she scared her?

She had just been afraid of Shen Lingwei being uncomfortable on the couch.

She hadn’t wanted to do anything intimate.

 

Fan Chuan sighed, then got into bed and lay down.

She lay on her side, facing Shen Lingwei’s back.

 

After thinking for a good while, Fan Chuan felt she needed to apologize.

She had indeed scared her.

“Um, I’m sorry.

Did I scare you?”

 

Shen Lingwei’s earlobes were still red, her heart pounding.

Her good upbringing told her that what had just happened was absolutely wrong.

But she couldn’t lie about her heartbeat.

Amidst the shyness, there was also a hint of joy.

 

Shen Lingwei composed herself, then said, “It’s fine.

Just don’t do that again.”

“Alright.”

Fan Chuan’s eyes lowered.

So she had made her angry after all.

She should have just not carried her.

 

But there was nothing to be done; it had already happened.

So Fan Chuan’s thoughts alternated between how to appease Shen Lingwei and whether Shen Lingwei was on her side or the old emperor’s.

Her mind was a mess, and she was very tired.

Soon, she fell asleep.

 

Sensing that the person behind her had even breathing, Shen Lingwei turned over.

 

She looked at Fan Chuan, still a bit shy.

But seeing her tired and asleep, she felt a bit sorry for her.

After looking at Fan Chuan for a while, Shen Lingwei propped herself up.

She carefully leaned over Fan Chuan and lowered the bed curtains.

 

The light inside the bed dimmed, and Shen Lingwei closed her eyes, preparing to sleep.

 

When Fan Chuan woke up again, the light in the bedroom had already dimmed.

Shen Lingwei was no longer beside her.

 

Fan Chuan sat up, pulled open the bed curtains, and looked into the bedroom.

She saw Shen Lingwei sitting straight-backed at the round table, drinking tea.

Her spine was as straight as a pine tree.

 

The corners of Fan Chuan’s mouth curved.

She got up and prepared to dress.

 

Shen Lingwei noticed she was awake and walked slowly to her side.

“Let me.”

 

Fan Chuan carefully looked at Shen Lingwei’s expression.

Confirming she wasn’t still angry, she relaxed a little.

“Thank you, my lady.”

 

Shen Lingwei raised an eyebrow at Fan Chuan.

Fan Chuan usually only called her that in front of others.

She gave Fan Chuan a faint smile.

“Why are you being so polite with me?”

 

Hadn’t she just carried her to bed?

Why was she being so polite again after waking up?

 

Fan Chuan cleared her throat and let Shen Lingwei help her dress.

“I still have some things to handle.

I’m going to the study.

I’ll be right back.

If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat.”

“I’m not in a hurry.

I’ll wait for you.”

Shen Lingwei said.

“Then I’m going.”

Fan Chuan said, leaving the room and heading to the study.

At the same time, she instructed the personal guard beside her to have the shadow guards watch both the bedroom and the neighboring courtyard.

 

Earlier, she had deliberately dropped the paper with the writing on it under the clothing rack.

Now that the rack was empty, the paper would have been exposed.

Shen Lingwei, being as intelligent and perceptive as she was, would surely notice it.

She wanted to see what Shen Lingwei would do.

 

That paper instructed her generals to prepare early, that they could raise the army as soon as the capital was in chaos.

 

Back in the bedroom, Shen Lingwei returned to the round table.

She had Xiao Tao light a few more lamps and then waited for Fan Chuan to return for dinner, drinking tea as she waited.

 

Her gaze casually swept over the folded paper under the clothing rack.

 

Shen Lingwei’s brow furrowed slightly.

The bedroom was cleaned by maidservants every day.

If there was such a large piece of paper, it would have been cleaned out long ago.

 

She thought for a moment, then picked up the paper.

 

Shen Lingwei read it quickly and recognized it as Fan Chuan’s handwriting.

But Fan Chuan was always cautious.

She never brought letters like this back to the bedroom, not even to the study.

 

Shen Lingwei knew very well that Fan Chuan was guarding against her.

So this paper could only have been deliberately left by Fan Chuan.

She was testing her.

 

Xiao Tao saw Shen Lingwei staring at the paper and quickly asked, “Young lady, what’s written on it?

Why have you been looking at it for so long?”

 

Shen Lingwei looked at Xiao Tao and said calmly, “It says Fan Chuan is planning to rebel.”

 

Xiao Tao’s eyes went wide.

She was almost scared into tears, running around like a panicked ant on a hot pan.

“Young lady, what do we do?

When do we run?

The Marshal’s residence is heavily guarded.

I don’t know if we can dress up as maidservants and escape.”

Xiao Tao lowered her voice, almost crying.

 

Shen Lingwei, however, was amused.

“Run from what?”

“No, young lady, wake up!

Marshal Fan has been good to you, but now that we know this, she’ll definitely silence us!

Let’s run now!

I’ll go get clothes and silver.

Yes, yes, we’ll run now.”

Xiao Tao, very action-oriented, really wanted to drag Shen Lingwei and run away.

“Xiao Tao, it’s fine.

She won’t hurt us.”

Shen Lingwei smiled at Xiao Tao and even calmly took another sip of tea.

“Young lady!

At a time like this, you’re still drinking tea?

Hurry up and run.”

 

Seeing that Xiao Tao was genuinely about to cry, Shen Lingwei smiled and explained, “She dropped this here on purpose.

She’s reaching out to me, and testing me.”

“Young lady, what does that mean?”

Xiao Tao didn’t understand again.

These smart people were always so roundabout.

She simply didn’t get it.

“It means nothing’s wrong.

Just carry on as usual.

When she comes back later, we’ll eat dinner just like before.”

Shen Lingwei said calmly.

“Then… then what about this paper?

I’ll burn it.”

“No need.

I’ll just return it to her.”

Shen Lingwei smiled and shook her head.

Seeing Xiao Tao was still scared, she comforted her again.

“Don’t worry.

I promise you won’t be harmed.”

 

Although Xiao Tao’s heart was pounding, she still trusted her young lady.

After all, her young lady was smart.

Following her young lady’s lead was never wrong.

“Young lady, are you really sure?”

“Really sure.”

Shen Lingwei smiled at her.

 

Fan Chuan waited in the study for nearly half an hour.

There was still no movement from the bedroom.

If Shen Lingwei were really the old emperor’s person, seeing that letter would have at least made her panic.

She should have met with those guards.

Why was there still no movement?

 

Did it mean Shen Lingwei was on her side?

Or did she feel it was unsafe and was waiting for Fan Chuan to leave the residence before sending the message?

 

Fan Chuan couldn’t guess.

Since there was still no movement, waiting any longer would be futile.

Fan Chuan stood up and walked towards the bedroom.

 

She knocked on the door.

“My lady, I’ve already had them serve the meal.”

“Alright.

I’m hungry too.”

Shen Lingwei smiled at Fan Chuan.

The paper was still by her hand, folded so the writing couldn’t be seen.

 

Xiao Tao’s heart was full of guilt.

Seeing Fan Chuan enter, she nearly cried with fear.

She thought the Marshal was going to silence her young lady.

 

Shen Lingwei, however, just smiled at Fan Chuan.

Then she said to Xiao Tao, “Xiao Tao, go out.

I don’t need you here.

I want to speak with the Marshal alone.”

 

Xiao Tao was completely shocked.

If she were there, she could at least take a blow for her young lady.

What did her young lady mean by sending her away?

Could her frail young lady withstand one punch from Fan Chuan?

 

Seeing Xiao Tao still standing there, Shen Lingwei urged, “Go.”

“Yes.”

Xiao Tao looked at her young lady, taking one step, then looking back.

She said she would go, but she didn’t dare leave, just standing by the door.

 

Xiao Tao thought that as soon as she heard any noise from inside, she would be the first to rush in.

Even though she couldn’t beat Fan Chuan, she could still take a few blows for her young lady.

 

The bedroom door was closed.

Only Shen Lingwei and Fan Chuan remained in the room.

Their gazes met, then looked away.

 

Shen Lingwei smiled at Fan Chuan.

With her left hand, she picked up the folded paper.

“The Marshal was quite careless.

What if a villain had seen something so important?”

 

Fan Chuan’s throat tightened slightly.

“You saw it?”

 

Shen Lingwei smiled faintly and nodded.

“Mm.”

 

With that, she brought the paper close to the candle and lit it.

When the paper was about to burn her hand, she dropped the rest to the ground.

Soon, the paper turned to a pile of ashes.

 

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