A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 50.1

Passing through Cangnan, they arrived at Linxia.

A hundred miles of uneven road, a journey marked by the clash of steel.

The Emperor’s edict, once issued, tore away the last layer of silk covering the veneer of peace.

The winds and clouds were changing, and a storm was brewing.

Chen Liangyu’s troops shook off their ambushers at the border between Linxia and Cangnan.

Upon entering Linxia territory, they were met by a troop of light cavalry clad in military armor, who led the way to the Linxia Garrison camp.

The heavy wooden gate of the camp and the high surrounding fence stood starkly before them. A group of people, clustered around a young couple, gazed out from the camp entrance, seemingly having waited for a long time.

Xie Yuan, dressed in embroidered python robes, stood tall, already possessing the authority befitting a Prince overseeing a region. Beside him was Princess Shen, Xun Shuheng, who was heavily pregnant.

Chen Liangyu reined in her horse at the forefront, and the horse’s hooves kicked up dust.

The carriages and men behind immediately halted.

When the carriage stopped, someone placed a low stool beside the carriage shaft. Dai Qing lifted the curtain first and stepped down, then turned to help Xie Wenjun.

Xie Wenjun gripped the handrail on the carriage wall, her face ashen.

She had vomited on the way.

With constant clashes, dodging open and hidden arrows, they inevitably had to detour through the winding mountain roads with eighteen turns. The various sizes of loose gravel gave her a hard time; the carriage wheels occasionally sank into deep ruts, then suddenly bounced up, swaying from side to side.

She couldn’t bear such jolting. She had vomited several times, and having eaten little, there was nothing much left to throw up.

The sudden halt of the carriage made her dizzy.

Chen Liangyu dismounted and bowed, paying her respects to Xie Yuan and Xun Shuheng waiting at the camp entrance. She then walked straight towards Xie Wenjun’s carriage, “Princess, are you alright?”

Xie Yuan stepped forward to greet them, and the entire group followed suit.

“I’m fine.”

It was expected.

Even if she felt sick to the point of her spine collapsing and her lips were colorless, she would only say “I’m fine” to the outside world.

During the days of rough travel, most of the hairpins and diadems she wore when leaving Yongdu were lost along the way. The remaining ones were collected by Yan Rong and Dai Qing. Her long hair was simply tied with a ribbon in the middle.

Only now did she understand why Chen Liangyu called her head full of golden hairpins and ornaments a burden back when she was practicing archery at the Xuanping Marquis Mansion. At that time, she thought Chen Liangyu disliked her, and consequently, she even found fault with the flower ornaments and golden hairpins she had meticulously chosen to wear when meeting her. They were indeed quite a burden.

Xie Wenjun put one foot out of the carriage, and suddenly her vision went black. Everything disappeared.

She quickly grabbed the carriage body to steady herself.

Yan Rong also deftly reached out, supporting her firmly, preventing her from falling straight down.

Chen Liangyu’s eyebrows furrowed.

With quick eyes and hands, she took a step, standing in front of Xie Wenjun, and offered her palm.

Xie Wenjun took a moment to recover. When her sight returned, everything in her field of view was hazy and blurred. She grasped the hand reaching up from beneath the carriage, thinking it was Dai Qing, but felt that something was wrong as soon as their palms touched.

The sensation was wrong.

Dai Qing’s hands were well-cared for, but this hand had calluses on the palm.

She was not unfamiliar with that worn, thick sensation; the moment she touched it, she knew whose it was.

A force instantly gripped her hand in return, powerful and strong.

Chen Liangyu leaned forward, her other arm circling Xie Wenjun’s lower back, and with a gentle pull, she lifted her down from the carriage, much to everyone’s surprise.

The person was very light; her arm felt almost no weight.

“You’re practically fading away.”

Chen Liangyu said this, letting out a subtle but clear sigh. When she spoke, she seemed extremely remorseful.

Seeing this, Xun Shuheng’s face flashed with a nuanced astonishment.

Based on the demeanor of the Chen Liangyu she knew in Yongdu, lending a hand to help was not uncommon, but this embrace, and the care and caution woven into the movement, made her wonder if she was mistaken.

Chen Liangyu was a disciplined and boundary-keeping person.

She stood firm and acted appropriately.

Although polite to others, she strictly maintained boundaries, and it seemed no one could truly be intimate with her.

Because she knew her character so well, Xie Wenjun also hadn’t expected her to make such a move in broad daylight.

She had repeatedly allowed her to approach; holding hands and traveling together seemed to be the maximum Chen Liangyu could tolerate. If anyone tried to cross that line further, she would likely immediately turn hostile, her face cold, and ask the person to have more self-respect.

To embrace someone so intimately in public, such an act of overstepping boundaries and propriety, was not her style.

Chen Liangyu seemed completely oblivious to the outside strangeness.

She leaned closer, exerting her strength, using her body to support Xie Wenjun, and kept her eyes focused on the path ahead.

The Linxia Grand Camp was pitched between two mountains, with a flowing stream not far away. The crushed stones rolling down the mountains into the stream had their edges worn smooth by the water over the years, accumulating at the bottom and on the banks. Occasionally, soldiers from the camp would pick up a few to play with, only to discard them randomly along the paths.

Chen Liangyu nudged a fist-sized river stone away with her foot, saying, “Watch out.”

Xie Wenjun quietly concealed her physical weakness. This was the Linxia Grand Camp, and the group behind Xie Yuan consisted mostly of named generals. Xie Wenjun had come with the imperial decree; no matter what, she couldn’t lose the royal dignity.

She wanted to withdraw her hand from Chen Liangyu’s grip; she was tired for a moment, but not so weak that she couldn’t stand. The moment she moved, she was gripped even tighter by the quickly tightening fingers.

She looked over.

Chen Liangyu’s expression was normal. She lowered the tightly clasped hand, hiding it in her sleeve.

Chen Liangyu’s attire consisted of a narrow-sleeved, turn-down collar top, with the cuff secured by a leather strap and a binding tie, which remained tidy no matter if she wielded a spear or danced a sword. However, it couldn’t hide anything.

She had to borrow Xie Wenjun’s wide sleeve for cover.

Chen Liangyu: “Greetings to Prince Shen, greetings to the Princess.”

Xie Wenjun: “Third Brother, Royal Sister-in-law.”

“No need for formalities.” Xie Yuan first looked at Chen Liangyu, then his gaze fell on Xie Wenjun’s face, saying, “Jiangning, you’ve suffered.”

Between the camp gate and the central military tent was an open drill ground. On all four sides of the drill ground, military flags fluttered loudly in the wind, and patrolling soldiers moved between the tents.

The “clang” of armor colliding as soldiers drilled was deafening.

Warmth was concealed and exchanged under the eyes of the public. They held each other like this, even their steps were in sync.

The small area of their palms provided another place of peace.

Such a firm support, as if it could withstand all the storms of the world.

Xun Shuheng was heavily pregnant and held her waist, walking slowly. Xian Yu supported her from the side.

Her protruding belly blocked her view.

She couldn’t see the ground and occasionally stumbled.