Chasing the Light and Accompanying the Moon

The wind at Yanmen Pass is always so cold that it can penetrate armor. When Su Zhuguang tightened the reins of the war horse "Treading the Snow", a thin layer of sand had accumulated on the black cloak, and dust was falling from the gaps in the armor. She had just led the light cavalry to clear out the Xiongnu cavalry thirty miles outside the pass. On the way back, she saw a circle of forbidden troops surrounding the official road ahead. The word "Xia" on the flags was rustling in the wind and sand - it was the royal guard of honor. "General!" Lieutenant General Lin Rui urged his horse forward with a very low voice, "Look at this formation, it looks like the frame of the eldest princess's carriage." Su Zhuguang's eyes darkened slightly. The eldest princess Xia Wanyi, the only sister of the current emperor, was raised in a deep palace since she was a child. It is said that she is good at playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but she has never set foot outside the capital. How could he appear outside Yanmen Pass now? She raised her hand and pressed the sword on her waist. When she turned over and dismounted, her movements were crisp and clear. The black iron armor collided with each other and made a crisp sound, which was incompatible with the brocade robes worn by the Imperial Guards. "Su Zhuguang, I have met Her Royal Highness the Princess." She knelt down on one knee, her voice was smooth, but her eyes inadvertently swept over the carved wooden carriage - the curtain was lifted by the wind, and you could vaguely see the woman sitting inside, her fingertips becoming more and more shiny under the plain dress, lowering her head and gently fiddling with the jade bracelet on her wrist. The car curtain was suddenly completely opened. Xia Wanyi's voice was like jade tempered with warm water, gently falling on the windy sand: "General Su, there is no need to be polite. I heard that the general has just finished wiping out the rangers. Thank you for your hard work." When she raised her eyes, Su Zhuguang raised his head. The moment their eyes met, Su Zhuguang was slightly startled - the eldest princess's eyes were not timid like those of a noble lady in the capital. Instead, they were as bright as a stream under the moon, showing gentleness, but hiding an unnoticeable firmness. "Serving the imperial court is the duty of a general." Su Zhuguang withdrew his gaze and kept his straight and straight movements when he stood up, "It's just that there is still no stability outside Yanmen Pass. Why is Your Highness's rich body here?" As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Cheng, the commander of the Forbidden Army, took a step forward and said in a somewhat wary tone: "General Su, His Highness's itinerary is decided by His Majesty. It is inconvenient..." "Commander Zhou." Xia Wanyi interrupted him softly, placing her fingertips lightly on the car's shaft, "General Su is the guard of Yanmen Pass. He knows the safety here, so it doesn't hurt to tell her." She looked at Su Zhuguang, her eyes more serious, "I came here this time to deliver cotton-padded clothes and medicinal materials to keep out the cold to the soldiers at the border. Your Majesty said that Yanmen Pass is the gate of the country, and the soldiers guard the country and cannot let everyone get cold." Su Zhuguang's heart was slightly shaken. She has been guarding Yanmen Pass for five years and has seen countless officials from the capital come to inspect, either showing off and asking for offerings, or returning to the capital after a cursory inspection. No one has ever done this like this eldest princess, personally carrying supplies and braving the wind and sand to come to this bitter cold place. When she looked at Xia Wanyi again, there was more genuine respect in her eyes: "Your Highness is interested. It's just that the wind outside the pass is strong. Will you send someone to escort His Highness to the post house inside the pass?" Xia Wanyi smiled and nodded, and her fingertips brushed the orchid grass pattern embroidered on the car curtain: "There is General Laosu." On the way to escort, the wind and sand gradually became lighter. Su Zhuguang was riding on the left side of the carriage, and occasionally he could hear the slight sound of books turning in the carriage. She couldn't help but look sideways, and saw Xia Wanyi holding a volume of book, reading carefully through the light coming through the gap in the car curtain. The sunlight fell on the ends of her hair, coating it with a soft golden edge. "Is General Su literate?" Xia Wanyi suddenly raised her head and asked, her tone a bit curious. Su Zhuguang was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "When I was young, I read some military books with my father." "Then the general has read "Sun Tzu's Art of War"?" Xia Wanyi's eyes lit up and she took out a volume from the car and handed it out, "I have several annotations in this volume that were left by famous generals of the previous dynasty. If you are interested, general, you may wish to read it." When Su Zhuguang took the book, his fingertips accidentally touched Xia Wanyi's. The other person's fingertips were warm and soft, completely different from her hands that were calloused by holding swords all the time. She quickly retracted her hand, but her movements in holding the book were extremely gentle - the pages were yellowed, and the annotations on it were in beautiful handwriting, but there were a few sharp comments written at key points, which was obviously not the handwriting of an ordinary boudoir woman. "Your Highness's annotation is quite insightful." Su Zhuguang turned to the page "Soldiers use deceitful ways" and was shocked again when he saw Xia Wanyi writing beside it, "Deceitful ways are not unjust, but protect thousands of people." Hearing this, Xia Wanyi's cheeks turned slightly red and she said softly: "I'm just writing casually. Don't make jokes, general. When I was in the capital, I always heard people say that the general is a young hero. He went on an expedition with his father at the age of fifteen and guarded Yanmen Pass alone at the age of twenty. When I saw him today, he is indeed well-deserved for his reputation." Su Zhuguang's hand tightened on the reins. She had long been accustomed to being called "hero" and "strong general", but when it came out of Xia Wanyi's mouth, it carried a different kind of warmth, like the sunshine falling on armor in spring. It didn't burn people, but could slowly seep into her heart. Just as she was about to say something, there was suddenly a rush of horse hooves in front of her - it was the scouts she had left behind in the pass. "General! It's not good!" The scout turned over and dismounted, his voice was breathless, "The granary in the pass suddenly caught fire. The fire was too strong, and the brothers couldn't put it out at all!" Su Zhuguang's expression suddenly changed. The granary is the lifeblood of Yanmen Pass. If it burns down, the soldiers will be without food next month. She immediately turned her horse's head and said to Lin Rui: "You lead a team of people to escort His Highness to the post house, and make sure His Highness is safe!" Then she looked at Xia Wanyi, with a somewhat apologetic tone, "Your Highness, the general needs to go deal with the granary immediately, I'm sorry." Xia Wanyi suddenly opened the curtain and stood up quickly, but she still maintained her dignity: "General Su, I will go with you." "No, Your Highness!" Su Zhuguang hurriedly stopped him, "There is chaos in the granary and there may be danger." "It's because of the chaos that I should go." Xia Wanyi's eyes were particularly determined. She took out a brocade box from the car and handed it to Su Zhuguang, "Here is the fire prevention pill given by His Majesty, which can relieve the pain of burns. And the medical officer I brought may be able to help." She paused and looked into Su Zhuguang's eyes, "General Su, the soldiers are guarding our country. Although I can't go into battle to kill the enemy, I still want to do something for them." Su Zhuguang looked at the determination in her eyes and couldn't refuse for a moment. She nodded, turned over and dismounted, and personally helped Xia Wanyi get on her horse "Take the Snow" - this horse had a fierce temper and had never been ridden by anyone except her, but today it was carrying Xia Wanyi, and it was particularly docile. "Sit tight." Su Zhuguang got on his horse and held the reins with both hands. He deliberately kept a slight distance from Xia Wanyi, but he could clearly smell the faint fragrance of orchids on her body, mixed with the smell of wind and sand, which smelled particularly good. The snowy horse hooves stepped on the official road, raising clouds of dust. Xia Wanyi sat in front, gently holding the saddle with both hands, and occasionally turning her head to look at Su Zhuguang beside her - her profile was sharp, her jawline was tight, her eyes were full of anxiety, but she still had a reassuring composure. "General Su," Xia Wanyi said softly, "Don't be too anxious, maybe things will turn around." Su Zhuguang looked sideways at her and saw that although she was a little bumpy, she was still calm, and she suddenly felt more at ease. She said "hmm" softly, her voice softer than before: "With your highness's words, I will feel more at ease." The wind and sand are blowing again, but it doesn't seem so harsh anymore. Su Zhuguang held the reins, feeling the warmth of the people around him, and suddenly felt that the days at Yanmen Pass might be different from before. Concept: Growth of both hardness and softness: Su Zhuguang reveals softness in Xia Wanyi's warmth, and Xia Wanyi adds tenacity through border experience. The two-way growth proves that both "hardness" and "softness" can be protective armor.