Married Thrice to Salted Fish

and struck it with his palm.
The plaque shook and a sealed imperial edict fell down, which Xie Min caught firmly in his hand.
Xie Min looked at it and said solemnly, “This is indeed the handwriting and seal of the late emperor.”

Cui Lian suddenly turned to Xi Rong.
“How is this possible!”

“Heh…” Xi Rong laughed, a vile expression on his face.
“Did Imperial Physician Lin foresee this day long ago and that’s why you forged a copy of the late emperor’s will?”

“Shut you filthy mouth!” Wu Zhan scolded bitterly, “Even Master Xie says this last edict was written by the late emperor himself.
What else do you have to say!” 

Xiao Jie’s legs went limp and he almost fell down.
Xi Rong held him up.
“Could it be that your so-called late emperor’s edict was to appoint the sixth prince as heir?” It was like Xi Rong had heard some great joke, “The late emperor is so wise and powerful, how could he hand over the the empire Dayu to a mentally incomplete prince?”

Xie Min shook his head.
“The edict states that the former Crown Prince Xiao Cheng is the only candidate to inherit the throne and that it cannot be abolished.”

Li Chan immediately said, “The late prince’s concubine mother, Chen Shi, once committed the great crime of deceiving the emperor but even then, the late emperor simply banished her into the cold palace and did not implicate the late prince.
It showed that the late emperor had high hopes for the late prince.
The late emperor never expressed his intention to depose the crown prince in front of anyone.
How could he just suddenly depose him? There must be more to this matter.”

A chill came to his heart, Xi Rong took a few steps back and said in a low voice, “It’s not over yet.” 

Xiao Jie cried and pulled him to a stop.
“A’Rong…”

Xi Rong suddenly shook off Xiao Jie’s hand.
Pointing at Lin Qingyu, he said, “King Heng, Xie Min, what are you still doing? Do you believe his words? When the late emperor was seriously ill, the Empress Dowager and Lin Qingyu were the ones who stayed by his side.
They were with the late emperor far more often and for far longer.
They were the ones who forced the late emperor to write the edict!”

 

“You want to lay a hand on him? Then hurry up and stop talking rubbish.” Wu Zhan rubbed his fists, “They wouldn’t let me go to the Northwest to fight those Xixia barbarians and I’ve been suffocating from boredom! Ninth King, where did your soldiers come from? It’s time to test their mettle.”

King Heng looked back.
The cavalry battalion and imperial guards had already formed an impenetrable ring around them.
They outnumbered his soldiers three to one.
They were waiting at their ease for an exhausted enemy.
They had no chance of winning. 

At this point, the truth of the matter was no longer important.
Being able to make it out of here alive took precedence over everything.

King Heng cleared his throat and said, “The late emperor was my brother and so of course, the late emperor’s last wish must come first—Xi Rong, Xiao Jie, you two persecuted the prince first.
You conspired to usurp the throne from behind.
Even death cannot atone for your offense”

Xi Rong’s hands lowered slowly.
His eyes were empty and his face held a deathly stillness.

Wu Zhan shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“He certainly changes his stance faster than the weather.” 

Xiao Jie grabbed Xi Rong’s arm.
Choked up, he said, “A’Rong, A’Rong, please say something…”

“What else can we say?” Xi Rong said numbly, “The winner is the king, the loser is the emeny — A’Jie, we lost.”

“Ah? We’re not going to fight?” Wu Zhan said regretfully, “I was so excited for nothing.”

Xiao Jie said blankly, “Lost? What will happen now…will you die? I don’t want…” He rushed to Lin Qingyu.
He wanted to grab onto Lin Qingyu’s clothes but then he met Lin Qingyu’s eyes.
What would happen to his hands? He didn’t dare reach out.
“Imperial Physician Lin, don’t kill A’Rong, I beg you…please don’t…” 

Lin Qingyu slowly opened his lips.
“You’re begging me?”

Xiao Jie nodded like he was pounding garlic.
“I’m begging you! I’m begging you…”

“If our military plan fails because this batch of provisions cannot reach the army, our men will be defeated by the Xixia.” Lin Qingyu’s voice trembled slightly, “Do you think the Xixia will spare the lives of those defeated soldiers?”

Xiao Jie suddenly froze.
Wu Zhan sighed, “Provisions, oh provisions.
No matter how powerful the general, he can’t fight without provisions.” 

“I won’t kill him right now.” Lin Qingyu said, “I will keep him alive and when the Northwest Army triumphs, I will behead him as a sacrifice to Heaven.”

Xiao Jie’s eyes widened and he kept shaking his head, “No, no…”

Lin Qingyu walked to Xi Rong’s side.
In a voice that only the two of them could hear, “I gave you a choice.
I told you that if you two didn’t listen, I’ll have someone else take your place.
I wasn’t kidding.”

Xi Rong looked straight ahead.
“If I hadn’t done anything, once Gu Fuzhou came back, I would have lost my life regardless.
I don’t regret it.” 

Lin Qingyu said lightly, “Not necessarily.”

Xi Rong snorted lightly, obviously not believing what Lin Qingyu said.
He finally looked at Xiao Jie, who had tears streaming down his face.
He said softly, “Leave him alive.
He doesn’t understand anything.”

 

Lin Qingyu made no comment.
He raised his hand and two imperial guards stepped forward and took Xi Rong away.

Xiao Jie was heartbroken.
Heedless of everything, he scrambled after him, “A’Rong!” 

Wu Zhan blocked his way and asked Lin Qingyu, “Imperial Physician Lin, what should we do about the emp-… about him?”

Lin Qingyu said, “The emperor is tired.
Help him back to the palace to rest.”

Xie Min frowned.
“Although the late emperor’s decree was to protect the first crown prince’s position, the previous crown prince has already passed from illness.”

“Master Xie is right.” King Heng said in a fair and just tone, “There is no one from the lineage of the late emperor who can inherit the throne and Xiao Jie, who conspired to usurp the throne, must not be allowed to continue to rule.
According to the Dayu’s rules set by our ancestors, an heir can only be chosen from the clan.” 

Lin Qingyu said, “Did the Ninth King forget about King Huai?”

“Is this some kind of joke! King Huai is mentally incomplete.
He is like a three-year-old child.
How can he rule the country?”

“At least King Huai won’t pretend to be smart.
Moreover, he might not be without the possibility of a cure.” Lin Qingyu changed the subject and said, “Matters in the Northwest are at a critical juncture.
Today’s matter must not be made known to the public.
You are all pillars of the court.
You should all know clearly what is to the people’s benefit and what is not.”

After this day, Emperor Chuxi said that he had taken ill and would not be attending court.
Instead, he began to simply issue letters to instruct the court.
The running of the government was left to his cabinet.
In addition, Prime Minister Cui Lian made it clear that he wished to retire and after gaining the emperor’s permission, he left, taking his family with him far, far from the capital.
King Heng was also condemned to return to his fief, barred from entering the capital without an express order. 

Lin Qingyu and Li Chan exhausted everything they had to send that batch of supplies.
It should have supported the Northwest Army for a long time but now, only 20% was left.
Li Chan was anxious to transfer more provisions to the northwest, but the roads were blocked by heavy snow.
The original journey of seven or eight days would take half a month and he didn’t know whether it would be able to make it in time.

After eradicating the dissidents, this was supposed to be a time when he could relax a bit.
But a layer of indescribable fear had settled over Lin Qingyu’s heart.
He was plagued by nightmares for several nights in a row.

In his dream, he was back in the Nan’an Hou’s Mansion, standing in the courtyard of the Blue Wind Pavilion.
He held a crimson umbrella, a vast expanse of snow under his feet.
He saw the familiar wheelchair and Lu Wancheng seated in it, dressed in red.
He was sleeping peacefully with his head down.

He stepped on the snow with bare feet, dragging the hem of his wedding dress.
He walked towards Lu Wancheng, step after step, using the umbrella to shield against the falling snowflakes. 

At this moment, Lu Wancheng’s face suddenly turned into Gu Fuzhou’s.
He desperately stretched out his hand, the umbrella falling onto the snow-laden ground.
But no matter what he did, he couldn’t reach the person in front of him.

Lin Qingyu sat up in shock.
Huan Tong, who was on night duty, heard the movement and hurriedly brought a lamp over.
“Young Master?”

Lin Qingyu was momentarily dazed.
He raised his hand to touch the corners of his eyes, feeling a little bit of moisture.
“Is it… snowing outside?”

“Yes.
It’s been snowing almost the entire night.” Huan Tong said worriedly, “Young Master, are you alright?” 

Lin Qingyu lowered his eyes slowly.
“I’m fine.”

It has been half a month and he yet to receive another letter from Gu Fuzhou.

 

After a year of separation, no matter how deep the affection, only a solitary shadow was left wandering; their meetings confined only in dreams.

But now, he didn’t even dare to dream. 

Now past the twelfth lunar month, in the Northwest, the wind blew harder and the snow fell harder than it did in the capital.
The army’s ration and fodder consumption increased day by day.
The 20% provisions that Shen Huaishi desperately protected was only a drop in the bucket.

In order to stabilize the morale of the army, Gu Fuzhou concealed the fact that they had been robbed of their provisions.
Apart from him and Shen Huaishi, only Wu Youyuan and Shi Pei knew about the supply shortage.
On that day, Shen Huaishi, fighting one agains a hundred, managed to escape with 20% of the provisions.
When he returned to camp, he was seriously injured.
Fortunately, Hu Ji’s miraculous skills brought him back from the brink.
Gu Fuzhou originally wanted to send Shen Huaishi to a safe place to recuperate, but Shen Huaishi resolutely refused.

“Imperial Physician Lin asked me to follow and protect the general.”

Gu Fuzhou smiled and said, “Why are you so obedient to my wife? Do you like him?” 

Shen Huaishi hurriedly said, “I’m not – I don’t! The General is the pillar of the country and I have admired you for a long time.
Even without Imperial Physician Lin’s order, I would have still chosen to serve the General.”

Seeing Shen Huaishi so flustered, nearly jumping out to prove his innocence, Gu Fuzhou pushed him back on the bed.
“I’m just kidding, take it easy.
Even if you like him anyway, I don’t mind.
There are many people who like him, but he……”

Only likes me.

Gu Fuzhou chuckled lightly and said, “I appreciate your kindness.
Why don’t you go somewhere safe and take care of yourself first? You can come back once you’ve fully recovered.” 

Shen Huaishi shook his head.
“I want to stay in the Northwest to recuperate.”

“What’s so good about the Northwest? The chill wind is like a knife,.
Each day here makes your looks age ten years.”

Shen Huaishi was silent for a long time and said, “I have been to many places.
My body is like duckweed and my life, like a piece of grass.
Only in the Northwest have I felt really alive.
I saw my brothers die in battle, in saw innocents die in vain.
I realized that all those things in the past—whether it was Jingchun or Xiao Cheng — they’re all ephemeral, like fleeting dreams.”

The sudden moment of soul-baring made Gu Fuzhou raise his eyebrows.
Shen Huaishi has been in the Northwest for a year and he’s never mentioned the past nor did Gu Fuzhou ask about it.
What surprised him the most was that Shen Huaishi was able to mention Xiao Cheng’s name so calmly.
If his beautiful wife were present, he would surely be surprised as well. 

“Since you mentioned Xiao Cheng, I have a question that I would like to ask you.”

Shen Huaishi said, “Ask me anything, General.”

Gu Fuzhou asked, “The fake death medicine that my wife gave you that day, have you used it?”

Shen Huaishi smiled slightly but kept silent. 

Gu Fuzhou didn’t ask any further questions, but just sighed, “Those who've left cannot be persuaded but those who come can still be pursued. If you want to stay, then stay.
I’ll call Youyuan and Shi Pei and let’s think about what to do next.” Patting Shen Huaishi on the shoulder, he opened the tent flap and walked out into the wind and snow.

Shen Huaishi looked down at his shoulder that Gu Fuzhou had just patted.

 

Talking to Gu Fuzhou was an extremely comfortable thing.
He seemed to have a magical ability to pull people who are stuck in the quagmire back to the present world with a smile.
Just like that day, when he came back riddled with wounds, Wu Youyuan and Shi Pei learned that their provisions had been stolen.
One was furious, threatening to single-handedly break into the enemy camp to get their provisions back and the other was disappointed and depressed.
Only Gu Fuzhou, after a long silence, said in his usual lazy tone, “That’s enough.
What’s done is done.
There’s no use being angry.
Anger will only make us lose our minds.
None of those long faces now.
How about I play the Xiqin for you and we’ll talk serious business after you calm down?”

In this world, only people like Gu Fuzhou can get to know intimately and spend a lifetime together with Imperial Physician Lin. 

The author has something to say: The following chapters will be from Er Zhuang’s perspective~

Translator’s note: Next chapter will be next monday.
So sorry! orz This chapter was quite long but I couldn’t find any good place to cut it in two.