The Blood Crown - Chapter 238

The first snow of winter arrived in Taiyuan. It is said that the first snow is an auspicious sign, and the heavier it falls, the better. A heavy snowfall heralds a prosperous year.

Yan Sikong wouldn’t usually pay attention to whether the first snow was heavy or light, but on this day, the various winter supplies sent by the Prince of Yong had just arrived in Taiyuan. Five hundred carts churned the vast white land into a winding dragon, with many carts stuck in the snow. Taiyuan City sent out a large number of soldiers to assist, creating a bustling scene inside and outside the city. Only then did Yan Sikong realize that the snow today was indeed quite heavy.

A few days ago, he had been busy purchasing winter supplies for the army, with the furthest expeditions reaching Fuzhou. To avoid the eyes of the imperial court, it had been a great deal of trouble. But Feng Ye’s father-in-law, a wealthy man, solved their problems with just one command, making the marriage arrangement quite advantageous.

Yan Sikong stood on the city tower, watching the carts full of “sincerity” sent by the Prince of Yong, lost in thought for a long time.

Until a sound of footsteps approached, and the next moment, someone was standing beside him.

Yan Sikong glanced sideways and saw that it was Yuan Nanyu. He spoke calmly, “There is no need to trouble General Que with such duties.”

Yuan Nanyu waved his hand, signaling the guards to move away. After they left, he said, “Sikong, I have something to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Did you really ask the Wolf King for a future for my elder brother?”

Yan Sikong’s face remained expressionless. “No.”

Yuan Nanyu frowned. “Then why did you tell me you would ask the Wolf King?”

“I lied to you.”

“You…”

Yan Sikong turned his head to look at Yuan Nanyu. “My elder brother is too ambitious. If I went to ask on behalf of you and me, and failed, he’d be dissatisfied; if I succeeded, the Wolf King would be displeased. I’d rather offend my elder brother than the Wolf King.”

“Even if my elder brother can’t replace General Zhang Rong, a little promotion is better than nothing, right?”

Yan Sikong coldly said, “What about next time?” He sneered, “He’s not a three-year-old child who should rely on tantrums to get what he wants.”

Yuan Nanyu looked at him in disbelief. “You’re going too far. My elder brother is not that incompetent. Moreover, if you never intended to ask the Wolf King, why promise me?”

“I asked you to tell my elder brother that I would handle this matter to stop him from bothering you and to give you peace. Isn’t that good?”

“I’ve had peace, but what about you and my elder brother?” Yuan Nanyu sighed deeply. “Do you know how ashamed and angry my elder brother is? Why do you have to treat him this way? He is your real brother…”

“What if he’s not?” Yan Sikong suddenly shouted.

Yuan Nanyu froze.

Yan Sikong’s gaze was sharp. “What if he’s not my real brother? What if, in his quest for wealth and power, he lied about our backgrounds? Would it be justifiable for me to treat him this way?”

Yuan Nanyu stared at Yan Sikong for a moment. “This matter… I…”

“Actually, you’ve had doubts too, right?” Yan Sikong gave a bitter smile. “After all, the only ones who know the truth are my elder brother and I, and you’ve forgotten everything. It’s fine, I don’t care anymore. The world knows I, Yan Sikong, am treacherous and ruthless, willing to do anything. Given what my elder brother has done to me, he should’ve been executed long ago. But because he’s my father’s son, I won’t act against him. That’s already showing mercy. But he can forget about getting any benefits from me.”

Yuan Nanyu exhaled shakily. “Sikong, you just said that brothers should stand united. Even if my elder brother has faults, we should let the past go. We study the teachings of sages, respecting loyalty and forgiveness, being lenient with others. If we treat outsiders like this, how much more should we treat our own brothers?”

Yan Sikong mocked with a smile. “You don’t understand me. I’m someone who repays even the smallest grudge.”

“Sikong!”

Yan Sikong patted Yuan Nanyu on the chest. “Don’t try to persuade me anymore. Instead, I’ll advise you—don’t go looking for Feng Ye. Even though you captured three cities, Feng Ye has already promoted my elder brother because of your influence. The selection of generals concerns the lives of soldiers and the fate of the army. It cannot be based on personal feelings. If you bring it up again, it will be an unreasonable request. Just pretend you don’t know and let my elder brother hate me alone.”

“But…”

“No buts. Once the weather warms up, the army will make its move. The situation in Yongzhou is also unpredictable. Your thoughts are already distracted from preparing for battle. Don’t waste energy on these trivial matters.”

Yuan Nanyu sighed. “Alright, but I’ll still give you one last piece of advice—avoid making enemies.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Yan Sikong suddenly remembered something. “By the way, when you were in Yunnan, you helped Chen Mu train the troops and made connections with those generals. You’ll need them later, so before the year ends, send them some gifts.”

“I understand.”

Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes. “Among the strategists, there are also some people I’ve placed. If Chen Mu really joins forces with the imperial court to deal with us, those people will certainly be able to play a role.”

“We went to great lengths to help him suppress the bandits and recruit soldiers for him. Could he really do this?”

Yan Sikong shook his head. “I don’t know. I hope he doesn’t do something foolish. But Shen Hexuan has already arrived in Yongzhou, and Chen Mu still hasn’t replied to me. Now, all we can do is wait and see. But clearly, Feng Ye already believes deep down that Chen Mu will burn the bridges behind him, which is why he hastily arranged the marriage with the Prince of Yong.” As he spoke, Yan Sikong’s voice grew lower, realizing his tone was like that of a jilted woman, which was somewhat embarrassing.

Yuan Nanyu stole a glance at Yan Sikong. Though his expression was calm, his gaze was unfocused and hollow, and he sighed inwardly.

As they were talking, a luxurious carriage slowly approached from the south of the city, different from the route taken by the carts carrying winter supplies, suggesting it came from Yanzhou. Judging by the ornate exterior of the carriage, it was likely a woman’s.

To quickly bring the winter supplies into the city during the snow, Taiyuan had prohibited civilian carriages from entering, but this carriage didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping and boldly drove towards the city gate.

Yuan Nanyu, curious, watched as Yan Sikong had already guessed who was inside the carriage. It was most likely Sa Ren.

Sure enough, when the city gate guards saw the occupant of the carriage, they did not dare delay and made way for the carts carrying the winter supplies, allowing her carriage to enter the city first.

Yan Sikong thought to himself, now that Feng Ye was staying in the city instead of the camp, he had no reason to refuse Sa Ren from entering the residence. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

—

After Sa Ren entered the residence, her willful behavior and disregard for etiquette made everyone in the household feel troubled. However, she didn’t do anything too outrageous, so Feng Ye mostly left her to her own devices, seldom paying attention to her.

In Yan Sikong’s eyes, Sa Ren had left her homeland to marry into the Feng family but was ignored by her husband, especially with the legitimate wife about to arrive. Now that she had finally entered the residence, her rebellious behavior was likely a way to attract Feng Ye’s attention, which made her somewhat pitiable.

But as much as he pitied her, Sa Ren often came to bother him, making it hard for him to feel sympathy.

With the wedding date fast approaching, Sa Ren became more anxious and even seemed to want to win Yan Sikong over. This made him laugh and cry at the same time. If he were reduced to “competing for favor” with a few women, he might as well die in a collision.

Unfortunately, behind Sa Ren’s stunningly beautiful face was a head that wasn’t very intelligent, yet filled with jealousy. Yan Sikong almost felt a sense of schadenfreude, thinking that Feng Ye’s harem might not be very peaceful in the future.

Yan Sikong continued to go about his daily routine, seemingly unaffected by everything. However, apart from communicating with Feng Ye on military matters, they hadn’t exchanged a word or shared a meal in private for a long time. This was fine. If it weren’t for Feng Ye’s obsession, he would have let go a long time ago. If marrying a wife and concubines could bring Feng Ye back to the right path, even though it was late, it could still be considered somewhat complete.

As for him, he had been burdened by the ties of love for too long. If he could shed these burdens, even if it left him bloodied, it would be less painful in the long run.

—

One day, when he was returning to the residence from the government office, he coincidentally ran into Yuan Shaoxu, who had just come out of a restaurant. The two of them met eyes.

One of the officers accompanying Yuan Shaoxu sarcastically said, “Subordinate greets Lord Yan.”

Yan Sikong nodded slightly and turned to leave.

Yuan Shaoxu blocked his way and coldly said, “Lord Yan, may I have a word with you?”

“Sure.” Yan Sikong raised his head, calmly looking at Yuan Shaoxu.

The two of them walked to a corner, and Yan Sikong cupped his hands. “What does my elder brother wish to say?”

Yuan Shaoxu’s facial muscles twitched, and he lowered his voice, saying fiercely, “You put on a humble act on the surface, but behind my back, you’ve repeatedly sabotaged me. Yan Sikong, have you been relying on these double-dealing tactics to get so many people killed over the years?”

Yan Sikong stared at Yuan Shaoxu. “That’s right, I’ve been using these tactics to avenge my father.”

Yuan Shaoxu’s face darkened. “The Yuan family saved your life and raised you. It’s only natural for you to avenge my father. As for the matter with you and Yu’er, it was an accident. How would I have known you’d go to the Wolf King? But now you’re resentful and secretly sabotaging me, making sure I never rise to an important position with the Wolf King. You’re truly as venomous as a snake!”

Yan Sikong raised an eyebrow. “Does my elder brother really think he’s underappreciated and that I’ve been plotting behind your back? You’ve followed the Wolf King for many years, with both merits and hardships. Now you’ve been promoted to the head of the office, which is only fair. The Wolf King hasn’t wronged you. Have you ever thought that it might be your own over-ambition?”

“If it weren’t for you, Yu’er would have gone to the Wolf King to seek help. How would I still be stuck as the head of the office?”

“Big brother,” Yan Sikong said earnestly, “if you rise too quickly, you won’t be able to gain the support of the people. If your virtue doesn’t match your position, disaster will follow. You’re Yu’er’s older brother, and the Wolf King surely wants to promote you, but it must be done gradually.”

“Nonsense.” Yuan Shaoxu gritted his teeth. “Don’t think I don’t know. Yu’er was originally going to seek the Wolf King’s help, but you intervened and took over the matter. You’re just venting your private grudges.”

“If my elder brother insists on thinking that way, there’s nothing I can say.” Yan Sikong said impatiently, “I hope my elder brother can contribute greatly to the Wolf King and rise to glory. When that happens, I will sincerely congratulate you.” With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

Yuan Shaoxu glared at Yan Sikong’s retreating figure, his red eyes filled with hatred and venom.

Yan Sikong quickened his pace toward the residence. The cold weather made it unsuitable to linger outside, but more importantly, he instinctively wanted to get away from Yuan Shaoxu. The man disgusted him to no end. If Yuan Shaoxu weren’t Yuan Mao’s son, he would have poisoned him long ago.

Perhaps he was walking too fast, as he collided head-on with a man who was also in a hurry. The two nearly bumped into each other. Yan Sikong felt a strange movement near his chest. He quickly stepped back, lowering his head to check, noticing his collar was slightly uneven. He turned sharply to find the man he had collided with, but the person had already turned into an alley.

He turned around to chase, but by the time he reached the alley, the person had disappeared without a trace.

Yan Sikong checked several other alleys but found no sign of the person. Finally, he stopped, reached into his collar, and felt something— a piece of cloth.

His face remained expressionless as he pulled out the cloth, unfolding it to reveal a letter.