“What does Your Majesty mean? What all has he done for me that I don’t know about?” Ning Wei asked the empress.

He had a sneaking suspicion that whatever he was about to hear next would unveil a large part of his little fox’s secrets. He felt both hesitant at going behind Yan Yixuan’s back like this and anticipatory at the possibility of learning more.

The empress noticed his eagerness and hid a smile. From beside her, the consort gave Ning Wei a sympathetic expression but kept her thoughts to herself as usual. She quietly poured some tea, guessing that her lover would talk a lot and might need something to occasionally wet her throat with.

“Do you know that Xiao-Yan is estranged from his tutor and why?” the empress finally probed.

Ning Wei nodded. “Ah-Xuan has talked to me about it before. He said he used Master Jin’s most prized apprentice, someone he considered a son, to protect a friend at the frontlines. His friend was saved but Master Jin’s son was hurt terribly and still bears the consequences.”

The empress nodded. “And who do you think this friend was?”

The general felt a sinking feeling in his gut. It couldn’t be…

Taking a sip of tea, the empress spoke, “Let me tell you what he hasn’t, then. You may have already guessed from the direction of this conversation, but that ‘friend’ was you.”

Ning Wei sighed and massaged his temples. Of course, it was. He wryly wondered just how amused his little fox had been while relating that tale to him, all the while knowing that Ning Wei had no idea it was about himself.

The empress recited, “The reason Yan Yixuan chose Master Jin’s apprentice instead of someone else was because he knew that anyone who had won Master Jin’s unwavering acknowledgement would have a very strong and upright character. The fact that he was a very good medic was only to cover up Yan Yixuan’s true purpose. Everyone simply thought Master Jin’s apprentice was only sent to the frontlines to act as a medic to the higher-ups in the military chain of command.

“What Yan Yixuan needed was someone who could reasonably be sent to the frontlines while also possessing a high moral fiber. You see, Yan Yixuan knew of a plot to assassinate you. But at that time, he neither had enough resources to help you directly nor did he have enough standing to be taken seriously. We weren’t friendly at that time, so he couldn’t ask me for help either when he didn’t have sufficient proof…at least one that was acquired legally.

“Since even Yan Yixuan himself didn’t know exactly what sort of plot it would be, he simply arranged it so that Master Jin’s apprentice would ‘accidentally’ come to know that the general was in danger. The apprentice respected you and was clever, but not altogether experienced. Knowing that he wouldn’t be believed if he didn’t have solid evidence of the assassination plot, he went to investigate it secretly by himself. This directly ended up with him triggering the trap you were meant to be led into a few days later. The trap used explosives and the apprentice was caught up at the edge of it, sustaining severe injuries that have bound him to bed. You were saved, but at great cost to him.

“The ensuing waves made me take more notice of your situation. So I carried out my own thorough investigations and indicted those who were behind it, then made sure to keep an eye on anyone else who might be aiming for your life. I can’t afford my empire’s general to be taken out with a dagger in the back, after all.”

Ning Wei’s hands clenched the armrests tightly and a deep frown etched his forehead. He vaguely remembered an incident like that with someone getting caught up in explosions near one of the camps. But he wasn’t the one involved in cleaning it up, so it didn’t make much of an impression on him.

He let out a breath and finally said, “I…see. So in the end, Yan Yixuan didn’t mean for Master Jin’s apprentice to be injured?”

The empress shrugged. “Only Xiao-Yan knows his own thoughts. But I can tell you that he would not have regretted that man’s wounds if it saved you from even the slightest of danger. He was ready to be blamed for that apprentice’s death if that was what it took to protect you.”

Ning Wei shook his head and stated, “Be that as it may, it was still an accident that caused that apprentice to be injured severely. Yan Yixuan did not maliciously set him up for it from the beginning. Shouldn’t Master Jin cut him some slack for it?”

The empress smiled helplessly. “There is, of course, a reason Master Jin blames him so stubbornly.

“Yan Yixuan never told anyone that Master Jin’s apprentice was being sent over for your sake. When the apprentice got involved in your assassination plot, he naturally grew to worry about you due to his compassion and respect towards you. After he was injured, he refused to tell his master about your indirect involvement, afraid that as angry as Master Jin was, he would make things difficult for you.

“But since he needed to appease Master Jin somehow, he offered up a piece of paper he happened to find by chance. The fragment of information on it was what had first tipped him off that there would be an assassination attempt on someone of high status in the camp. Since it didn’t point to you directly, he thought it would be safe to present to his master.

“Master Jin took the note and saw how the words on it seemed purposefully vague. It indicated that whoever planted it for his smart but naïve protégé to see did it on purpose, probably aiming for exactly this outcome. When he carefully investigated along that route, it was revealed that the one who planted it was one of Yan Yixuan’s trusted agents. Yan Yixuan was yet new to dealing with such subterfuge back then and hadn’t managed to erase all signs of his interference as he would have done now. When Master Jin confronted Yan Yixuan about it, he accepted his guilt readily, thus closing the matter.”

The empress sighed. “It’s obvious to me that the only reason Yan Yixuan even admitted his guilt was because he wanted to divert all of Master Jin’s ire towards himself, not letting him spare even a bit of suspicion to investigate and perhaps find out that all of this was done for you.”

Ning Wei stared at her with wide-eyed surprise. His lover went this far for him? So the biggest reason Yan Yixuan earned his much-respected tutor’s anger was so that he could direct the fire away from Ning Wei?!

“That’s not the only time he acted in your interests,” the empress remarked.

Ning Wei snapped out of his daze. “What other incidents did he get involved in because of me?”

The empress smiled. “Have you heard of how my dear pedophilic uncle, the grand duke, was killed in a duel with Yan Yixuan during a banquet here?”

Ning Wei’s expression twisted. “Your Majesty is saying…that was also for my sake?”

Nodding, the empress explained, “It seemed that the grand duke had once taken advantage of you, and then proceeded to harass your household after his attempt was thwarted by Ning Guang. Xiao-Yan was furious when he learned that you were targeted in such a way as a child. Xiao-Yan wanted a public execution for the grand duke and wanted to do it himself. I’ve never seen him that frighteningly wrathful before. Since I was very displeased with that uncle of mine as well, I let Xiao-Yan do as he wanted and covered for him later.”

Ning Wei almost felt numb at how many actions Yan Yixuan had taken for him. He couldn’t understand the reasoning behind his lover’s deep devotion to him at all…

“As a whole, does Your Majesty know the number of times he has helped me?” the general asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Even I’m not sure,” the empress answered. She took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, then went on, “The incidents I’m aware of already number in the dozens, though there are a few that stand out due to how much extra effort Xiao-Yan put into them.”

Both wanting to and not wanting to know, Ning Wei hesitantly asked, “For example?”

The empress cheerfully spoke, “Do you remember the battle of Mount Xun?”

The general nodded.

A few years into the war, the enemy attempted to sneak troops in through the nigh impassable mountain range sandwiched between Xie and the empire. When word reached him, Ning Wei had taken his elite forces and hurried there, gathering more troops from the various counties and states along the way to bolster their numbers without affecting their speed of travel.

About a week in, their supply chain was disrupted due to an earthquake in one of the relay points. Ning Wei had worried it would delay their rations and other necessary provisions like medicine and weapons. Thankfully it all arrived on time and Ning Wei had simply put it out of his mind.

But since that incident was being brought up now, could it be that Yan Yixuan had a hand in it as well?

Confirming his suspicions, the empress stated, “It was thanks to Xiao-Yan that the broken supply chain was quickly mended and new goods were sent through speedily to your side. He had to strike a deal with the governor at the next relay point to gather enough supplies and send it over to you.

“That governor was in truth a corrupt one who had been stuffing his storehouse with the things he had been stealing from the supply lines and extorting from the people under him all this while. In return for the governor sharing those supplies with the soldiers fighting at Mount Xun, Xiao-Yan had to give him many things. He assured the governor he wouldn’t be penalized for thievery and had to promise several other favors, including transferring to him some very lucrative businesses that had been under the Yan household’s name for generations. The governor agreed and obtained everything over the course of a few under-the-table deals, making sure there would be no transaction records.”

Ning Wei frowned. He couldn’t imagine his little fox suffering through such disadvantages silently, much less collaborating with someone so crooked.

But then he heard the empress say, “Of course, Xiao-Yan wasn’t going to take it all lying down. He waited until the crisis regarding the supplies was resolved, then had the governor dragged to court, tried, and prosecuted for owning and operating illegal businesses. As promised, Xiao-Yan never brought up his illegal acquisition of supplies all this while, but the other charges were already more than enough to send the governor to prison for life.

“The truth was that all those businesses the governor had thought were lucrative actually had their own dark histories of being used for illegal activities by the previous generations of the Yan household. Xiao-Yan had simply wanted to get rid of it, and not only used the clueless governor as a scapegoat, but also got favors for it from him in return.”

Ning Wei chuckled. “That’s very much like his way of doing things. Ah-Xuan does take great pleasure in being sneaky.”

The empress laughed and commented, “Yes, and wouldn’t you know that better than anyone else?” Her tone turned teasing, “My teeth felt like they would rot due to all many times I saw Xiao-Yan stealthily show his affection to a certain oblivious general even during the war.”

“Show his affection?” Ning Wei repeated, feeling that the choice of words implied something. “Do you mean by protecting me in all the ways you mentioned till now?”

The empress shook her head and instead asked in return, “General, do you still have your long knife with the ivory hilt?”

Ning Wei instinctively reached for his waist, then remembered that he made a point to not carry the long knives anymore now that the war was over. Puzzled, he asked, “What does that knife have to do with this? And how does Your Majesty know about it?”

The empress drank some more tea, then replied, “Years ago, you gave that knife for repairs to the military’s specialized weaponsmith since its metal hilt was damaged. Weren’t you curious why it was returned to you with an ivory hilt?”

Ning Wei frowned. “I did ask. The weaponsmith said something along the lines of how, when the materials he requested came back from the capital, the metal he asked to repair my knife’s hilt with had somehow gotten replaced with an already carved ivory one, so he just directly used it. He said he even received a message saying that it was meant for my knife since someone back at the capital had ordered an extra hilt for their blade by mistake and donated it to the weaponsmith at the frontlines to make use of. Except for some carving at the pommel, the hilt itself is simple and efficient enough that I didn’t see the need to refuse.”

After speaking so much, realization slowly dawned on Ning Wei. Could it be that Yan Yixuan had sent that ivory hilt over on purpose? But why…?

Sensing his confusion, the empress explained, “Did you know that the Yan household has a tradition that’s gone back for several generations? I believe it originated when they had just split from the imperial family line.

“After their engagement, the head of the Yan household gives their future spouse an ivory ornament, which often ends up being a comb due to lack of creativity. As per tradition, they engrave it with the characters for ‘harmonious union’ in the hopes that their marriage will be a peaceful and loving one.”

Ning Wei froze, his expression incredulous. So he had already received an engagement gift without his knowledge?! Just how sneaky did his little fox have to be to start playing these tricks so early!

The general thought back to the intricate knot of designs carved at the base of the knife’s ivory hilt. It had looked complex but didn’t seem to have much meaning, so he had ignored it. More than once, he’d knocked out an enemy by hitting them over the head with that knot of designs, praising how convenient its placement was. But now that it was brought to his attention, he remembered wondering many a time about how certain parts of that design almost resembled characters. He just hadn’t given much credence to those thoughts.

Now, being told that his sneaky little fox had already stealthily snuck his claim onto him…Ning Wei both wanted to laugh and missed Yan Yixuan fiercely. He knew that the young man had never really expected them to get together. Had he planned to spend his life consoling himself with the knowledge that Ning Wei carried a mark of his affection with him? Thinking so much about his lovable little fox, Ning Wei’s chest ached with a deep yearning for him.

At the side, the empress sipped her tea and enjoyed the various expressions shifting on Ning Wei’s face. When she ran out of tea, her consort considerately poured more for her.

To distract himself from his longing, Ning Wei prodded, “What else has Ah-Xuan done for me that I don’t know?”

The empress placed her cup down on the table. “The biggest way Xiao-Yan has helped you during that period is undoubtedly when you were captured by Xie.”

Ning Wei startled. He supposed he should no longer be surprised at this after everything he heard. “In what way did he contribute?”

The empress sighed, all mirth receding to turn her expression serious. “Do you know what the biggest obstacle to freeing you was?”

“I’ve been told it was finding my location and an opportunity to rescue me,” Ning Wei answered cautiously.

Nodding, the empress spoke, “I suppose after the way they succeeded in hiding your father from us, they must have learned a few more tricks in keeping secrets. It was very difficult to find out where you would be at any particular time. They carried you in stealthily, settled you in the capital for a few days, then decided to cart you out of the city to a more deserted place for more specialized torture. They must have been confident that whatever place they’d picked for you would be even more secure than Ning Guang.”

Ning Wei nodded. He had already figured all this out.

“When we finally got information on which route Xie planned to take you through, it was thanks to Xiao-Yan’s direct contribution,” the empress said. “Yan Yixuan contacted one of Xie’s courtiers who was involved in handling you. With my permission, he pretended to want to betray the empire, using his title and connections within the court in his capacity as an upper-tier noble. It was a dangerous game he played for your sake.”

Ning Wei’s heart began beating faster with dread. Even though he knew nothing must have happened, just the thought of Yan Yixuan being in such a dangerous situation made him queasy. “Why haven’t I heard about his involvement till now? And why would he even put his life on the line for me like this?”

“No one was informed about his contribution because he didn’t want me to publicize it. And he did that because he’s deeply in love with you, which I thought you’d have noticed by now,” the empress replied sardonically.

Ning Wei gave her a look. “But why go to such a degree? Even if we met, it shouldn’t have been for long enough for him to form such a deep attachment to me, since I can’t seem to recall any lengthy interaction with anyone that could lead to this.”

The empress shrugged. “I can’t tell you, so you shouldn’t ask me. Now, would you like me to continue the story?”

Ning Wei paused, then nodded tersely.

The empress went on, “When Yan Yixuan learned that you were taken and were probably being tortured for information, he was beyond anxious and desperate. He was practically like a madman while he searched for you, pulling every string he could and calling in every favor possible. If not for his steward’s strict management, Yan Yixuan would’ve probably collapsed from sheer exhaustion and regressed in his health.

“Every second more that you were left in enemy’s hands was a second more of torture for you, and he couldn’t bear that. I heard that the only way he could sleep in those days without having brutal nightmares was by taking strong sleeping draughts.”

Ning Wei was speechless and heartbroken at how distraught his little fox sounded. Pain throbbed dully in his chest. He wished he could go back in time and comfort his beloved even a little.

The empress continued, “After all that, it was no surprise, really, that he decided to get directly involved. The courtier from Xie was obviously interested in testing Yan Yixuan and conversing with him to gauge his usefulness and sincerity. He agreed to meet him, but on the condition that he came alone, without any companions or servants. Yan Yixuan agreed.

“He and the courtier talked for almost a whole day. I can imagine Yan Yixuan leading the other man in circles with his words the entire time. He only needed to stall for time until his household’s agents led by his steward, along with the people I sent, reached him. They used animals to track him by the special scent he applied to himself in advance. It would be completely unobvious to humans but would be easy to track for animals with sensitive noses. I remember that they even used birds to make sure they wouldn’t lose him.

“In the end, the trail was unexpectedly broken in between due to a drawbridge. It took our people a considerable amount of time to stealthily get around it and continue. Unfortunately by that time, the courtier started to suspect something and detained Yan Yixuan for interrogation. Though the situation was uncertain, I heard that Yan Yixuan had been calm and confident even then.

“When his upper body was stripped so he could be tortured, the people from Xie noticed the many years of scars layered on him and realized that he had been tortured before, and regularly at that. They were after all not specialists in interrogation, so they lost confidence in being able to break him properly and were afraid of messing it up. They discussed amongst themselves and decided to call for a more expert interrogator to come and weaken Yan Yixuan’s mental defenses first.

“All the while, Yan Yixuan threw one leg over another like an arrogant aristocrat and complained that the courtier’s people were this horrible at treating guests, so how much better could their country be?”

Ning Wei stared at her blankly. That…was too bold! But he could also all too easily see his prideful little fox doing this.

The empress looked down, tracing the rim of the cup as she gently asked, “General, do know why Xiao-Yan was able to act like that even though he was alone in enemy hands, without any weapons, and completely at their mercy?”

Ning Wei shook his head mutely.

Looking up to meet his gaze, the empress spoke with a soft smile, “It’s because he was confident that no matter which way he would be tortured, the one thing he would never do, even in the depths of unbearable torment, is disappoint you. It would be an unthinkable disgrace to him if he gave up the information that you yourself braved much suffering to keep. As long as it was for your sake, he would rather break than bend.”

Ning Wei paled. He didn’t want to know what would’ve happened if things had taken a turn for the worse. As various possibilities of horrible scenarios galloped through his mind, his palms grew sweaty and his pulse thundered through his veins with fear.

“Thankfully, his steward did make it in time and rescued him,” the empress spoke before he could descend too deep. “Our people managed to capture that courtier from Xie and he yielded all confidential information about your arrangements under interrogation. We were able to plan according to that and successfully got you back.”

Ning Wei’s heart settled a bit. Yes, it had all turned out fine. His beloved didn’t have to suffer.

The empress’s voice lowered and she mercilessly kept going, “Back then, sitting alone in captivity in the enemy’s dungeon without knowing whether his people would make it in time or what fate awaited him, I wonder how many different ways to kill himself Xiao-Yan had already thought up so that he could take everything he knew to the grave?”

Ning Wei’s tenuous calm shattered and his expression turned ghastly, his hands gripping the armrests so hard that they shook.

Pushing his half-finished cup of tea towards him, the empress eyed him and said, “Drink. Your lover is fine now, so why are you so worried?”

Slowly letting go of his armrests, Ning Wei wordlessly complied. Moments passed by slowly as he methodically drank from his cup while struggling to wrench his agonizing thoughts into submission. It was quite some time before he felt his pulse settle into a semblance of calm.

The empress leaned back in her seat and lazily waved a hand. “Anyway, we’ve digressed too far. What I wanted to tell you was that Xiao-Yan has already been through many situations, mostly due to his devotion to you. He has faced many dangers and many crises. He’s resourceful and knows how to deal with many things. He can take care of himself, so you shouldn’t worry.”

From beside her, the consort looked at her wryly. Saying all this, did her empress really want to dissuade the general or rile him up more?!