Chapter 147: The Three-Year Term Has Arrived

"Did you know, that old fellow Zhang Quan, when he was over fifty he still took a sixteen-year-old beautiful concubine—truly shameless.

Everyone in Shazhou says that young lady was exceptionally beautiful; in the past, everyone called her the first beauty of Hexi.

Tsk tsk tsk, truly: 'Beneath the mandarin-duck quilt, a night of pairing; a tree of pear blossoms pressing down on the crabapple.'

How indecent."

In one of the clinic's bedrooms, the torches and oil lamps had already been extinguished. From inside the room came Fang Chongyong's slightly frivolous voice.

Outside the door, Medical Officer Li leaned against the wall, sitting on the ground, listening with great relish. This was already not the first "secret tale" Fang Chongyong had told. The lives of Shazhou's prominent families were truly decadent.

Enough to make others green with envy!

"Oh? In the past? Then what about now?"

Anaye's curious voice came from inside.

"Now? The first beauty of Hexi is of course you—does that even need saying?

Who in Shazhou doesn't know that Lord Fang has a beautiful lady by his side, skilled in medicine, with an even better heart, and the foremost beauty in all of Hexi."

Fang Chongyong's voice was rather different from usual—like a rogue's, deep and frivolous.

From within the room came the rustling sound of clothes falling to the floor.

"Aiya, my lord is so bad—how could I possibly be that wonderful?"

Anaye said coquettishly, her voice sweet enough to make one's teeth ache.

Interspersed with Anaye's soft, yielding laughter.

Just hearing it was enough to make one imagine the "beautiful scene" within.

Medical Officer Li listened outside by the wall with a face full of helplessness, truly not knowing how to judge it all.

Damn it, a man's tricks for coaxing a woman really haven't changed in all these years.

Those words just now had also occurred between Anaye's parents. Only the "Zhang Quan" in the conversation was a different person, with a few minor details slightly altered, that's all.

For instance, "skilled in medicine" became "skilled at dancing."

In this world, yin and yang harmonize; men need women, and women need men—when dry kindling meets an open flame, they simply cannot hold back.

Back when they sent Anaye out with Fang Chongyong to "venture into the world," they should have guessed this day would come sooner or later, shouldn't they?

Medical Officer Li propped himself up, sat in the wheelchair, and came to the courtyard. He saw a bright moon hanging high in the sky, his thoughts surging restlessly.

In his mind appeared the magnificent scene from those years when he followed Prince Xin'an, Li Yi, on campaign against the Tibetans and captured Stone Fort City.

That day, Li Yi returned in triumph, full of pride and satisfaction. At the banquet, he met a certain incomparably gorgeous Hu dancing girl—namely, Anaye's mother.

Not only beautiful, but her Sogdian whirl dance was also peerless.

The two of them, just like Anaye and Fang Chongyong now, were like dry kindling and open flame—once ignited, utterly unstoppable, impossible to pull apart.

Yet, what happened afterward?

The stories of life are not only about heroic ambition and invincibility. There are also low tides and low valleys, suppression and betrayal, even utter ruin.

Anaye's mother died in childbirth. Not long after, Prince Xin'an, Li Yi, fell under the suspicion of the Tang Emperor, Li Longji. Then came demotion, the stripping of his authority, and entanglement in the succession struggle. He was branded as part of a suspect rebel faction and from then on was sidelined and idle.

So much so that even now, Li Yi did not dare bring Anaye back to Chang'an to acknowledge her kinship, fearing that complications would lead to utter ruin.

Back when Li Yi left, he had already spoken very clearly: he hoped that Anaye could carry on his bloodline when the Prince of Xin'an's household was exterminated.

As a form of insurance.

One could see how dire the situation had already become. Much time had passed, yet it felt as though it had happened just yesterday.

Anaye seemed very happy now, but Medical Officer Li felt that Fang Chongyong was not a man content to stay in his lane. What was more frightening was that this restless man was also exceptionally capable.

This was enough to make Fang Chongyong's future unpredictable. This man did not walk an ordinary path—what he would do, no one could predict.

Ascend to heaven, or descend into the earth. Who would dare to imagine?

Would following such a man necessarily bring happiness?

Medical Officer Li could not help but sigh.

Seeing a son-in-law of astonishing ability and volatile temperament—perhaps this was the sort of feeling an old father had.

Medical Officer Li gave a scoff and shook his head helplessly. Since there was nothing he could do, then so be it.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings.

……

When a woman becomes part of a man's life, that man finds himself unable to do without her in all sorts of ways.

After their intimacy, Fang Chongyong leaned against the headboard, pondering the current predicament. The vexation that had filled his heart by day had been swept away entirely.

"My lord has a lot on his mind today."

Anaye leaned her head over and said softly.

"Why do you say that?"

Fang Chongyong's heart gave a start, then he recalled that there had always been a saying that pillow talk was the finest in the world. Hearing Anaye put it this way, perhaps that saying was indeed a profound truth.

"My lord was so rough with me tonight—does that still count as having nothing on your mind?"

Anaye said with dissatisfaction.

"I'm sorry."

Fang Chongyong sighed softly and gently drew Anaye's smooth shoulder into his embrace. There were indeed many things one could not hide from the person beside one's pillow.

"Do you still remember our first time?"

Fang Chongyong asked softly. The "first time" he spoke of was the first time he and Anaye had kissed.

"Of course I remember! I kept waiting for you to take the initiative to kiss me, but you were as dense as a wooden fish—I even had to sneak onto your bed at night."

Just thinking of that matter made Anaye fume all over again!

A young woman's feelings are extraordinarily sensitive. The changes in the way Fang Chongyong looked at her—Anaye had always been quietly observing.

She also understood the changes in her own feelings. Simply put, she and Fang Chongyong were mutually in love, drawn to each other.

The two of them saw each other every day, seeing each other whether they looked up or down, and that thin window paper between a man and a woman had been squeezed and warped out of shape by a suffocating ambiguity.

Anaye had never wanted others to call her some "Hu girl" or other, because a Hu girl was someone who liked to do that sort of thing—seducing men.

But in the end... it seemed her own behavior was no different from a Hu girl's—she was equally the one taking the initiative.

In the end, sinking into it, making one lose oneself.

"Ever since I took you away from Liangzhou back then, I knew we would inevitably have the relationship we have today. In the future, you would also bear my sons and daughters—these things, from the moment the decision was made, were already beyond changing.

Even though it was only a long time after that I kissed you for the first time."

Fang Chongyong said unhurriedly.

Anaye nodded, clinging tightly to her man's arm, and said:

"Of course I knew these things—I already knew them back then. Even though you never said it, I knew that from that moment on, I was already your woman.

I never had a second plan. If you didn't want me, I would have had no path left to walk."

She spoke with deep emotion and couldn't help leaning over to kiss Fang Chongyong's face.

"The matter between you and me is the same as this current affair.

Ever since I decided to form the Shazhou merchant caravan—falsifying, defying all laws, deceiving everyone under heaven, the path of deceiving the ruler and ministers of Chang'an—there was no way to stop it at all, right up until this matter was exposed.

Now, the court has already noticed that something is wrong with this affair, and as the core figure who organized, planned, and connected all the threads, I must go to deal with it, manage the aftermath, and bring it to a close.

It won't simply be said that this matter has nothing to do with me just because I've stepped down as Inspector of Shazhou.

This is just like how, now that I'm returning to Chang'an, I cannot leave you behind in Liangzhou and pretend not to know you—it's the same principle.

I must return to Chang'an to handle this matter properly, just as I must take you to Chang'an to live together.

This is a man's promise! I have a promise to you, and I also have promises to certain people in Hexi!

A person cannot stand without trust; a man simply must not casually break his own promises."

Fang Chongyong said resolutely and decisively.

"Is it really very difficult?"

Anaye asked with great concern.

"It's not very difficult, but the rules of the game are a little different. Come, come, come—today happens to be a good time to talk about this here, so let me demonstrate for you."

Fang Chongyong climbed up and lit the torch on the wall, then rummaged through chests and cabinets to find a robe he had specially custom-made for Anaye, one that could perfectly accentuate her fine figure.

"Put it on, and I'll explain to you."

"It's so small—can I really fit into it?"

Anaye, completely naked, picked up this "strange" robe and asked curiously.

"Trust me, you can definitely put it on. I spent a long time measuring your figure."

"Alang's words are really so indecent."

Anaye grumbled even as she habitually submitted to Fang Chongyong's manipulation, then put on that robe, whose style resembled the qipao of Fang Chongyong's previous life.

Sure enough, a charming and alluring aura instantly radiated under the torchlight, making Fang Chongyong's heart waver.

"It really is nice, especially here."

Standing before the large bronze mirror, Anaye pointed to the slit at the hip on the side of the robe and said.

"I don't know how to describe it—I just feel that the opening of this slit is just right, neither too much nor too little."

The delight in her eyes was completely impossible to conceal; this robe truly could perfectly showcase her tall figure, and no other garment could compare with it.

"An inch lower, and it leans toward the conservative—only fit to appear in a hotel; an inch higher, and it would look vulgar—only fit to appear in a nightclub. Only the way it is now is just right, suitable for occasions gathering with nobles."

Fang Chongyong said, looking at the bronze mirror before Anaye with deep, dark eyes—and that gaze made this innocent young girl involuntarily shiver.

She remembered how back then, a great Western Regions merchant had taken a fancy to her beauty, stepped forward and tried to get handsy, and even asked Fang Chongyong whether he'd sell her for a hundred bolts of peacock cloth.

The look in Fang Chongyong's eyes at that time was just like now.

Within a few days, that great Western Regions merchant had inexplicably died in a bandit raid; not a single person in his caravan survived, the goods were swept clean, and then his business was quickly taken over by someone else.

In Shazhou and even the entire Hexi Corridor, it didn't stir up a single ripple.

"This time I'm going to Chang'an, it is to bring this matter to a close. If the Hexi business is a peerless beauty like you, then I'm going to dress her in a robe like this one.

The slit can't be too high, and it can't be too low. Only when it's opened just right can it properly display her beauty and extraordinariness.

So the difficult part of this matter lies not in victory or defeat, not in killing someone or eliminating someone or defeating someone, but in the right degree and balance!"

Fang Chongyong explained at length using language Anaye could understand.

"Alright, I'll go to Chang'an with you and take care of your daily life. We'll live and die together and face this matter together."

Anaye grasped Fang Chongyong's hand and said very earnestly.

"It's not that dramatic, but it's true that I need you."

Fang Chongyong swept his arm around Anaye's slender waist, looked at the torch on the wall, and said with boundless boldness:

"If I'm going to die when the time comes, then at the very least I'll sweep up half the Great Tang, spectacularly, and let them see what I'm capable of.

Let's just bet whether certain people in Chang'an dare let anything happen to me!"

Fang Chongyong sneered inwardly—did they really think he'd spent these years in Hexi without a single backup plan? His Lord Fang was no longer a fish to be kneaded by anyone!

Seeing her man radiating such dominance, Anaye's eyes practically popped with hearts. She couldn't help throwing her arms around Fang Chongyong's neck and voluntarily offered up a sweet kiss.

……

"Great victory! Great victory! General An Lushan has crushed the Khitans in Hebei!"

On Chang'an's Zhuque Avenue, a messenger on horseback galloped along while shouting at the top of his lungs.

Three banners were planted behind him, each bearing the character for "urgent."

A sturdily built middle-aged man with deep, dark eyes, looking to be no more than in his forties, stood at the edge of Zhuque Avenue—no less than a hundred and fifty meters wide—watching the messenger ride toward the direction of Daming Palace, and finally couldn't help letting out a sigh.

It wasn't until he passed through the ward gate, entered Tonghua Ward on the left, and arrived at the home of his clansman Yan Zhenqing, that this middle-aged man finally couldn't help sighing with emotion.

This person was none other than Fang Youde's former Campaign Marshal: Yan Gaoqing.

Nowadays, however, because he found certain things intolerable at the grassroots level in Hebei, he resigned his post as county magistrate and took refuge in the home of his clansman Yan Zhenqing. Now Yan Zhenqing, on the other hand, has not been affected by Fang Youde's demotion; he has already become a Palace Attendant Censor, and his official career is flourishing.

"Brother, you've had a hard journey; please."

Yan Zhenqing bowed to Yan Gaoqing and invited him to enter the study to drink wine.

After closing the door, the two sat down at the table, and after having just two cups of wine, Yan Gaoqing could not help but loudly curse An Lushan for exhausting the people and wasting wealth!

"Back then, was Yang Yuhuan's death really plotted single-handedly by Commander Fang?"

Yan Zhenqing suddenly asked out of the blue.

Yan Gaoqing stared, then gave a bitter laugh and said:

"What's there to say about Commander Fang's character? Of course it wasn't him. Actually, it was Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan who plotted it; I… I also took part. Zhang Xun alone bore all the responsibility."

Indeed!

Yan Zhenqing showed no surprise on his face, as if he had anticipated it.

"Brother, your wholehearted devotion to serving the country commands my admiration; it's just that now… Yang Yuhuan is gone, but the emperor's side has gained three ladies who are her cousins.

"It would truly be better if there were only Yang Yuhuan alone."

Yan Zhenqing couldn't help but complain.

Yang Yuhuan was indeed removed, but the number of seductive women around the emperor has not decreased; on the contrary, it has increased.

This makes Yan Zhenqing doubt whether that affair was really worth it.

Whether it's Fang Youde, or Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, they are all men of loyalty and righteousness.

What did such a bitter sacrifice earn in return?

Just thinking about this makes Yan Zhenqing feel heartbroken to the point of being unable to bear it.

"Who would disagree? Commander Fang not being in Hebei is a great misfortune for the world!"

"Nowadays, Hebei is truly… a dance of demons!"

Yan Gaoqing felt indignant and didn't know what to say.

"Actually, the behind-the-scenes story of this great victory is……"

Yan Gaoqing was about to continue speaking, but saw Yan Zhenqing wave his hand and say:

"Nowadays, everyone at court and in the countryside knows this, yet they feel no shame but take pride in it. The emperor even boasts before his officials that An Lushan is extraordinarily clever, which truly leaves one speechless."

"Yes, how can An Lushan compare to Commander Fang over a distance of ten thousand li? His genuine abilities may not be much, but his scheming comes in sets."

"If Yang Yuhuan had not been killed back then, there would be no matter of An Lushan now."

Yan Gaoqing downed the cup of turbid wine in one gulp, his eye sockets turning red.

Fang Youde's method was to subdue the Khitan people, then use Khitan military power to weaken other steppe tribes, borrowing strength to strike strength.

An Lushan's method was more direct: he deceived the Khitan chieftains into coming into Tang territory for a feast, then took the opportunity to trap and kill them all! Taking advantage of the Khitan realm being leaderless, he led his troops to sweep across.

The result of this was to make the border situation along Tang's Youzhou front extremely tense, destroying the basic trust between Tang and the Khitan. The "pro-Tang" faction within the Khitan regime completely switched sides.

An Lushan, however, did not mind this at all. For the more tense the frontier became, the more he could demand military provisions, grain, and troops from the court!

The forces under the Pinglu Jiedushi have already been expanded by over thirty percent compared to when Fang Youde was still in Youzhou.

Faced with such a crisis, Emperor Li Longji actually felt no worry but delight!

"In just a few dozen days, it will be the emperor's sixtieth birthday. As a Palace Attendant Censor, I will also attend the banquet. By then, I will confront An Lushan face to face at the feast!"

Yan Zhenqing spoke to Yan Gaoqing with a solemn expression, as if he already had the resolve to perish together.

Come on, cast your votes!

(End of chapter)