Chapter 21: Dark Clouds Overhead

*Thwack!*

A snowball struck Aunt Wu square in the face, leaving her covered in white. This distant relative of the Li family wiped the snow from her face, looking quite disheveled. Not far away, Li Wan, wrapped in a thick robe, was laughing heartily, acting for all the world like a child who had never grown up.

Aunt Wu, caught up in the playful spirit, immediately scooped up a handful of thick snow from the ground, packed it into a ball, and hurled it back.

The two chased and frolicked about the courtyard until, exhausted, they retreated to the main hall to boil some ginger soup and rest.

"I wonder how your husband is doing now?" Li Wan sighed, her face clouding with sorrow.

No news had come back from the front lines. The campaign to conquer Shu seemed to have started, yet hadn't truly begun—it was in that stifling, tense period where war could break out at any moment. The imperial court had not yet issued the official decree for the invasion.

"Your husband is a capable man; there is no need to worry," Aunt Wu comforted her with a smile. In truth, she was worried about the Li family's son-in-law as well, but she reasoned that since Shi Shouxin was only serving as an army supervisor, he shouldn't be on the front lines. Surely, he would be fine.

The young couple was usually inseparable, so it was only natural for them to miss each other during this sudden separation. Though Aunt Wu was an experienced woman, she didn't know how else to console her.

"Last year, my father was still in Guanzhong, so he could look out for him. But now that he has returned to Luoyang, things are much more difficult," Li Wan sighed helplessly, unlike Aunt Wu, who was less aware of the situation. Her heart felt like a cloud drifting all the way to Guanzhong.

From what Li Wan knew, there were significant risks in this expedition against Shu. She had heard her father speak of Zhong Hui—a man who would stop at nothing and was notoriously difficult to deal with. With such a man as the commander-in-chief, heaven only knew what might happen.

Just then, Xigou sneaked into the hall, whispering to Li Wan, "Mistress, Master Yang's elder sister is here, and she has brought a lot of game."

"Oh? I shall go and welcome her." Li Wan nodded, though she felt a vague sense of unease.

When Shi Shouxin was home, Yang Hu would often visit, and the couple would frequent the Yang residence. That was nothing out of the ordinary. But for Yang Hu’s sister to come here—especially with Shi Shouxin away at the front—felt strange. What could be her purpose?

Li Wan arrived at the courtyard gate and saw Yang Huiyu’s maid, Xu, directing the carriage driver to unload the game. Beside the maid stood Yang Huiyu, her aura striking, as she looked Li Wan up and down.

"You must be Master Yang's sister. Please, come inside and sit." Li Wan quickly invited her in. She couldn't shake the feeling that the woman's gaze was peculiar, though she couldn't put her finger on why.

"No need. I am simply here on my brother's behalf to deliver some game. Your husband has gone to war, and the household is left to the womenfolk. My brother wanted to pay a visit, but deemed it inappropriate due to the boundaries between men and women, so I came in his stead. These were caught by my brother; we have few people in our Luoyang home and cannot finish it all."

Yang Huiyu smiled, her manner courteous and approachable, showing no airs of status.

Today, she wore a black cloak over a tight-fitting, fiery-red robe, accented with a water-blue shawl. Her slender waist and graceful, curved hips were perfectly accentuated. Every step she took was elegant and fluid. Her fair face, highlighted by carefully applied red lipstick, showed no trace of time, and her dark, lustrous hair was neatly styled, with a portion cascading over her shoulders. She appeared not only exceptionally beautiful but also filled with an air of nobility.

In contrast, Li Wan was dressed in a thick, drab green jacket. Having just had a snowball fight, she still had bits of ice clinging to her. As she rarely bothered with makeup or elaborate dressing, she looked quite plain. Compared to Yang Huiyu, she felt like a servant.

"Thank you, thank you so much," Li Wan said quickly. Yang Huiyu did not linger. Once the driver had finished unloading the pheasants and hares, she exchanged a few more polite words with Li Wan before taking her leave, climbing into the carriage with Xu Ying and drifting away.

Aunt Wu, with her sharp intuition, stood in the courtyard, watching the carriage slowly depart, lost in thought.

"Aunt Wu, are you envious of her fine clothes, or that she has a carriage to ride in?" Li Wan teased, tugging at her arm.

"That woman just now... is she the sister of the Great General?" Aunt Wu asked suddenly.

Li Wan nodded and sighed lightly, "Yes. She is a very formidable woman. To remain standing in the Sima family after Sima Shi’s death—it is no simple feat."

"I don't know about formidable," Aunt Wu remarked with a scoff. "But how should I put it... didn't you find her rather... seductive? Like she was trying to lure a man?"

Aunt Wu, who had never been one to shy away from crude language, spoke her mind, leaving Li Wan stunned.

Now that Aunt Wu mentioned it, the feeling Li Wan had earlier—the one she couldn't quite describe—suddenly made sense. Yes, it was "seductive." Or rather, it was the deliberate display of one's own beauty for others to see. It was as if she had come specifically to flaunt her charms.

In this day and age, women typically wore loose, flowing robes that obscured the figure. Yet, this woman chose to wear a tight red robe underneath, cinched at the waist, with a loose shawl draped over it—revealing just enough. It seemed as if she were terrified that others wouldn't notice her slender, well-proportioned waist and graceful figure.

"If this Yang woman weren't Sima Shi’s widow, she would surely attract the attention of many men. Look at her, right? It would be very easy for such a widow to remarry," Aunt Wu gossiped, gesturing with her hands as she leaned in to whisper. Her smile was meaningful; as a woman who had seen it all, she could sniff out that kind of allure at a glance.

"Watch your tongue! If the Sima family hears you, you're done for!" Li Wan threatened fiercely, yet in her heart, she felt Aunt Wu was right. Yang Hu’s sister was indeed strikingly beautiful.

A flicker of anxiety stirred within Li Wan. She looked down at her own plain, dowdy attire and wondered if she should start paying more attention to her appearance, lest she embarrass her husband once Shi Shouxin made a name for himself.

***

*Clatter, clatter.*

On the suspended plank road of the Bao-Xie Trail, Shi Shouxin was wrapped in a woolen blanket, his teeth chattering from the cold. Before him lay a broken section of the path, with a frozen stream beneath.

The soldiers were felling mountain trees and using saws to process the timber, preparing to rebuild the bridge. The work wasn't massive, as they could source materials locally, but the biting cold of the mountain wind and the intermittent heavy snow made it grueling.

"Supervisor Shi, must we continue repairs today?" Xu Yi asked, walking up to him. He, too, was wrapped in a blanket instead of armor. Watching the soldiers moving like ants, he couldn't help but sigh.

With the New Year approaching, working in the mountains to repair planks was no job for a human! Zhong Hui was truly a son of a bitch! Xu Yi cursed silently, but there was nothing he could do. Rank determined everything, and as the Commander-in-Chief, Zhong Hui’s rank was far above his own.

"We cannot stop. If we do, the Commander-in-Chief will surely punish us," Shi Shouxin said, dismissing Xu Yi’s suggestion.

"Actually," Xu Yi pulled him aside and whispered, "a makeshift repair would suffice. Just enough for the army to pass. Do we really expect it to last eight or ten years? We could finish in ten days if we just patched it up. Letting the men go back to their tents to warm up by the fire wouldn't be so bad."

Shi Shouxin, a professional who had served in the Ministry of the Imperial Household, disagreed. He had actually overseen the construction of a stone arch bridge over the Luo River and had spent the last two years studying engineering. He knew better than to cut corners.

"We cannot just patch it up. It must be built to last three years. Divide the men into two shifts—1,500 by day, 1,500 by night. We shall each supervise a team. The path is too narrow for 3,000 men to work at once anyway," Shi Shouxin said patiently.

Xu Yi, thinking of Zhong Hui’s treacherous behavior, reluctantly agreed. The forward army adjusted its coordination, and with their combined efforts and scientific management, the progress accelerated significantly.

On the morning before the New Year, a messenger arrived with orders: the forward army was to hold its position, and Commander Xu Yi and Supervisor Shi Shouxin were to return immediately to the main camp outside Mei County. Zhong Hui had summoned them.

The messenger was one of Wei Guan’s men; there was no refusing.

Once the messenger left, Xu Yi pulled Shi Shouxin into his tent. All pretense of rank was gone; he looked at Shi Shouxin with palpable panic. "Supervisor Shi, why the sudden, urgent summons? This messenger must have left in the middle of the night. What could be the rush?"

"Nothing good, I suspect," Shi Shouxin said with a dark expression. "The court has not issued the decree to invade Shu, and the Shu army cannot bypass the Bao-Xie Trail to attack Guanzhong. I believe the Commander-in-Chief wants to pick a fight with us to establish his authority in the army!"

"Then... how do we respond?" Xu Yi was clearly rattled.

"Do not worry. Our work is impeccable, and we are not behind schedule. I suspect the Commander-in-Chief has already decided we were negligent. Leave it to me!" Shi Shouxin said firmly.

After preparing, the two galloped back to the main camp. Night had already fallen. At the entrance of Zhong Hui’s command tent, a large number of guards stood with torches, armored and solemn. The tent flap hung open like the maw of a beast, waiting for them.

***

Yang Huiyu had visited Shi Shouxin’s home under the guise of delivering game, but her real intent was to see what kind of woman his wife was. After the visit, she understood why her lover remained so obsessed with her. She was a true beauty.

She felt a wave of frustration, looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror after removing her makeup. *Had I really lost my edge?*

"Are you thinking that I'm just a fool for worrying?" Yang Huiyu asked Xu Ying.

"Mistress, please, do not overthink it," Xu Ying comforted her, thinking to herself that the mistress had been bewitched since that night, her mind entirely consumed by that man. She was blinded by passion. "Mistress, the benefactor is in the army, and it is dangerous. If you are truly worried, you might mention him to the Great General, to ensure his contributions aren't stolen when he returns to Luoyang."

"You are right. A mere 'Officer of the Ministry' is too small a post... he should at least be a Prefect," Yang Huiyu mused. Xu Ying’s words had sparked an idea. If she planned for the future, Shi Shouxin’s departure from the capital was inevitable—perhaps even the only way. As long as he was in Luoyang, his beautiful wife, Li Wan, would be under Sima Yan’s eyes.

"You’ve reminded me. I must properly manage this." As she spoke, she began to calculate. She had the advantage of being able to speak in the halls of power. If she played her cards right, upon Shi Shouxin’s return, he could occupy a position in a larger arena, no longer needing to live under the shadow of others.

*The future... it holds promise!*

At the thought, she smiled, her confidence restored.