After Rebirth, My Wife Turned Out to Be Myself - Chapter 52

Before long, West Jin sent over a peace proposal.

The arrival of West Jin’s peace proposal indicated their willingness to cede some interests to end the conflict.

Da Yue naturally agreed with pleasure.

With the two nations reaching a friendly agreement, the conflict in the Northern Territory was nearing its end.

Whether Xie Yunliang would return to the capital was unknown, but the Northern Territory support army led by Anyu could now return to report.

“At that time, Her Majesty will send an imperial envoy. West Jin and East Ming will also send envoys. The ceasefire agreement will be signed right here in Jinghe. Once signed, the troops will withdraw, all three parties withdrawing together. By then, Anyu, you can return to the capital,” Xie Yunliang said.

Anyu nodded.

With Da Yue and West Jin signing a ceasefire agreement, East Ming dared not act rashly. If they didn’t withdraw their troops, Da Yue and West Jin might even join forces against them.

So, if there was a ceasefire, all three parties would cease fire together.

With matters settled, snow drifted outside. Anyu rubbed her hands and walked out of the tent, seeing smiles on the soldiers’ faces.

Whether they were local officers from the Northern Territory or the support army from the capital, everyone was happy.

If there were no battles in late winter, they could spend the New Year at home this year.

She was also happy; she could return to the capital.

Anyu tightened her cloak. Her second older cousin also happened to come out of his tent.

“Sister, in a few days it’s the Winter Flower Fest in the Northern Territory. There are good things to eat and fun things to do in Jinghe city. You can go take a look.”

Anyu tilted her head: “Winter Flower Fest?”

Xie Yunliang nodded, “It’s similar to the Qiqiao Festival… or the Lantern Festival in the capital… probably.”

He hadn’t been in the Northern Territory for long either and didn’t know much.

Qiqiao Festival?

Anyu’s expression was strange, “Second Brother, I’m not a young maiden anymore.”

Xie Yunliang looked bewildered, “You’re only seventeen this year.”

“But I’m already married,” Anyu looked at her brother helplessly. Her Majesty wasn’t here, who would she spend the festival with?

Xie Yunliang furrowed his brow.

He naturally knew that his sister had married Her Majesty, but…

“Anyu, you… don’t plan to leave the palace?” When Anyu married into the palace, everyone in the Xie family unanimously opposed it.

Anyu nodded, “I don’t plan to. I still want to be Empress.”

Xie Yunliang spoke frankly, “The Xie family doesn’t have the rule of having multiple wives and concubines, but Her Majesty will marry many. Even if you are the Empress, you’ll have to compete for favor with the men and women in the three palaces and six courtyards.”

“You are favored now, but… Second Brother will say something unpleasant, what if Her Majesty one day favors someone else more? Don’t you know the fate of concubines who have lost favor throughout history?”

Xie Yunliang sighed, “If you leave the palace, you can find anyone you want. The other person won’t and absolutely wouldn’t have multiple wives and concubines, with their heart and eyes only on you. Isn’t that better? If worst comes to worst, you can even have that person marry into your family. Look at Younger Aunt and her husband, haven’t they been loving for so many years?”

“Second Brother…” Anyu pursed her lips, wanting to retort that she wouldn’t lose favor. They were the same person, and she was younger, so Her Majesty would always favor her.

But… Second Brother was right.

What if one day, that person found someone else they liked more?

Thinking of this, a hint of bitterness welled up in Anyu’s heart.

Xie Yunliang couldn’t bear to see his sister look so upset and immediately regretted saying those words that made her sad.

He put an arm around his sister’s shoulder: “Anyu, is it absolutely her and no one else?”

Anyu gently raised her eyes, “Second Brother, I don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds, but right now… it is indeed absolutely her and no one else.”

She had lived for seventeen years, and this was the first time she had worried so much about someone.

The first stirrings of her heart, the voice she missed, echoed like war drums in her chest, deafening.

“Second Brother doesn’t think as much as Eldest Brother,” Xie Yunliang scratched his head, “But if you like it, just do it. Second Brother will work hard to become a Great General. Eldest Brother is also a Minister now. With us as your backing, Anyu won’t lose favor.”

If Her Majesty truly found a new favorite one day, with the Xie family standing there, Anyu’s life wouldn’t be too difficult.

Anyu was naturally moved by his words. She curved her lips, “Okay.”

In fact, if that day truly came… if Her Majesty had someone else she liked more, she would leave on her own without anyone needing to say anything.

Xie Anyu thought, she wasn’t someone who would compromise so much.

She had her dignity.

Better to be shattered jade than intact tile.

The following days became much more leisurely.

Within ten days, the imperial envoy sent from the capital arrived. Anyu guessed that Her Majesty had sent someone after receiving the peace proposal.

The imperial envoy came this time for two reasons: first, to sign the ceasefire agreement, and second… likely to decide the fate of the Northern Territory army.

The timing was quite a coincidence; the day the ceasefire agreement was signed happened to be the Winter Flower Fest in the Northern Territory.

The soldiers of the Northern Territory army were allowed to take an hour’s leave to go play in the city together.

She wondered if Her Majesty had ever been to the Northern Territory, if she had ever seen the Winter Flower Fest in the winter months.

As Anyu was thinking, someone outside the tent called out, “Deputy General, are you there?!”

Anyu’s expression sharpened. She immediately got up and lifted the tent flap, “What is it?”

Standing in front of her tent was a young soldier, a female general.

In Da Yue, not only men could join the army, but women could too.

This female army was a local militia from the Northern Territory, later incorporated into the Northern Territory army and assigned to Anyu’s unit.

Naturally, Anyu had a good relationship with them.

“We’re going into the city, Deputy General, do you want to come with us?”

Anyu looked up. Several female generals had changed out of their armor and were wearing thick dresses like ordinary civilians, their dresses colorful and vibrant. They stood in the distance, waving at Anyu, like a hundred flowers blooming in winter.

They were almost all young women, seventeen or eighteen years old. The Winter Flower Fest was the Qiqiao Festival of the Northern Territory, and young women wouldn’t miss it.

There was nothing to do in the army today, and the General had allowed everyone to go into the city for an hour, so everyone was exceptionally happy.

Anyu didn’t want to disappoint them, so she smiled and said, “…Alright then.”

Hearing her agree, the female generals were very happy.

“Deputy General, want to change clothes?” A female general ran up to her, a small bundle placed before her eyes.

Anyu nodded and said okay.

Winter Flower Fest, huh?

Well, she would go see it herself. Only after seeing it could she describe it word for word to Her Majesty in a letter.

That’s right, she wasn’t just going to play!

Since coming to the Northern Territory, Anyu had hardly worn a dress; everyone in the army dressed uniformly. The girls around her were the same.

Normally, they were tough girls who could easily throw an eight-foot-tall man flying, but in dresses, they were graceful and elegant, possessing a beauty and gentleness no less than ordinary women.

Of course, that was when they weren’t angry.

If they were angry… good luck.

Listening to the girls, there was a tradition at the Winter Flower Fest: if you met someone you liked on the street, you could give them the flower in your hand.

If the other person felt the same way about you, they would accept your flower and give you their own flower in exchange.

Every place had its own characteristics.

Located in the far north of Da Yue, Jinghe had cold weather, but the Snow Plum Blossoms bloomed most vibrantly.

So the flowers people exchanged were Snow Plum Blossoms.

The streets were decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and there were countless stalls selling flowers.

There were also riddle games, poetry recitals, and stalls selling small trinkets.

The liveliness of the street seemed to dispel all the wind, snow, and cold.

It really was like the Qiqiao Festival in the capital.

Anyu witnessed a man offering a flower to a girl on the street. The girl then accepted it with a smile and handed her own flower back.

Both of their faces were red, and the hazy pink atmosphere almost melted the falling snow around them.

“Anyu received so many flowers,” the youngest girl among the female generals laughed.

Before leaving the camp, they had agreed to pretend they weren’t soldiers today. So Anyu also told them not to call her Deputy General and just call her by her name.

“Is it strange for Anyu to receive flowers?” one of the female generals said with a smile, “Don’t look at how Anyu can fight five people at once, look at her demeanor, clearly a young lady from a noble family.”

Anyu’s face was a little red.

Her demeanor?

Thinking of her dignified Younger Aunt, Anyu couldn’t even look at herself.

“Stop teasing, our Anyu is just pretty,” one of the older sisters gently touched Anyu’s face and said with a smile, “These flowers, ah, she deserves them. But… among all those who gave you flowers just now, wasn’t there anyone you liked?”

“Actually, accepting a flower doesn’t necessarily mean getting engaged.”

“That’s right, it’s fine to accept it.” Everyone was strangers to each other. The tradition of giving flowers at the Winter Flower Fest was just a folk custom; there was no law that said you had to marry someone if you accepted their flower.

Anyu smiled, “Mm…”

The fact that she was Xie Yunliang’s sister wasn’t a secret in the army. The support army from the capital knew that she was not only Xie Yunliang’s sister but also Consort Wan from the palace.

But her identity wasn’t something everyone knew.

Although Anyu hadn’t deliberately hidden it, she hadn’t made it public either.

At least the girls here didn’t know she was married.

There was… no need to say it.

If they knew she was a consort from the palace, they probably wouldn’t have taken her out to play like this.

Anyu curved her lips and said casually, “Okay, if I meet someone I like, I’ll give them a flower too.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s go, let’s keep strolling.”

Anyu followed with a smile.

Since she was young, she had been out of place with ordinary young girls because she practiced martial arts. The noble ladies her age in the capital studied zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting; she was different, she wielded swords and spears.

So she had very few friends.

So this was what it felt like to go shopping with girls.

Anyu found it a bit novel.

Her Majesty was also her, and she didn’t seem to have many friends either. Hmm… when she returned to the capital, she would also take Her Majesty out for a stroll in disguise.

What Anyu didn’t know was that behind her, outside the crowded streets, someone was holding a Snow Plum Blossom, examining it carefully.

“My Lord, this is a Snow Plum Blossom from Jinghe city. It signifies pledging love. Would my Lord like to buy one?” The speaker was not a peddler, but the City Lord of Jinghe, dressed in plain clothes.

And the person who could be treated with such respect by the City Lord of Jinghe was none other than the imperial envoy who had rushed from the capital.

At this moment, she was smiling and carefully introducing the flower to the woman holding it, “Today is the Winter Flower Fest. If two people are in love, they will exchange these flowers.”

The woman holding the flower heard this and seemed to think of something. She playfully looked at the guard beside her and asked, “Zhou Ning, want to buy one?”

“…No,” the guard said, then paused, “I can buy one too.”

The imperial envoy successfully teased her and chuckled.

Seeing this, the City Lord of Jinghe smiled and asked, “Does my Lord want to buy one too?”

Guard Zhou interjected lightly, “Buy one, My Lord. Madam will be happy to see it.”

The word ‘Madam’ made the imperial envoy’s expression turn a little strange.

Immediately, she sighed softly again, “Alright, then I’ll buy one too.”