Chapter 044: The Ever-Changing Tides of Time

Song Ye thought to himself that Li Xiuling was already considering postwar reconstruction; it seemed the war was truly over. As he had expected, the victors were the army and people of Li, defending their own land.

“Why didn’t you leave this place? Aren’t you afraid the Yan soldiers might kill you?” Li Xiuling suddenly asked him out of the blue.

Song Ye knew this was a dangerous question. If his answer wasn’t careful enough, Li Xiuling might suspect he had ulterior motives for staying, or even that he was a spy planted by the Yan.

After all, within a hundred miles, he was the only soul around, leisurely running a teahouse that saw no customers. It was only natural for suspicion to arise.

“Because I can’t bear to leave.”

In the end, Song Ye answered with just these three words.

He understood that the simpler the answer, the less suspicion it would arouse. After all, his current identity was just that of an ordinary country boy. Knowing the Yan army was approaching, while most people fled south, his only reason for staying could be this: “I can’t bear to leave.”

A bright smile appeared on Li Xiuling’s face. “Yes, no one wishes to be driven from their home.”

Clearly, Song Ye’s answer satisfied her.

“These Yan dogs invaded our country. Even in death, their corpses cannot return home—this is their just deserts.” Li Xiuling gazed at the pile of Yan deserters’ bodies and spoke in a low voice. “Take your sister home first. It’s not good for her to see these corpses.”

Song Ye smiled. “I’ve been covering her eyes the whole time.”

Li Xiuling smiled as well, thinking that Song Ye’s careful, tender care for his sister surely marked him as no villain.

“Princess, the smell here truly isn’t good. I’ll take my sister back inside,” Song Ye said.

“Mm.” Li Xiuling nodded.

Song Ye placed Song Yan back on the goat’s back in the rear yard, asked Little Black Tree to help watch her, then went to the kitchen and brought out two sesame cakes.

“Princess, I only have these sesame cakes to offer you,” Song Ye said, handing one to her.

Li Xiu smiled. “No need.” She thought, what a simple country fellow—offering guests whatever he has at home, without scheming or hidden motives.

Then she conjured a fire spell and set the corpses ablaze.

A roaring fire sprang up, flames leaping several stories high.

Watching the fire, Li Xiuling suddenly sat cross-legged and said to Song Ye, “Do you drink?”

“I do,” Song Ye replied with a nod.

“Then drink with me.” She took a jar of wine from her storage bag and tossed it to Song Ye, then brought out another for herself, drinking straight from the jar.

Song Ye took several hearty gulps with her.

Li Xiuling quickly cautioned, “Slow down. This wine may be drinkable for a mortal, but it’s strong. If you get drunk, I won’t help care for your sister!”

Song Ye nodded. “Yes, Princess.”

“Don’t call me princess. That makes me sound old. Call me Princess Yi’an,” Li Xiuling said.

Yi’an was the official title her father had granted her in life.

“Yes, Princess Yi’an,” Song Ye said, taking another sip.

“Who’d have thought drinking by the corpses of Yan dogs would be so satisfying? Hahaha!” Li Xiuling exclaimed with a bold laugh, draining her jar in one go.

She tossed the empty jar into the fire, then produced another sealed one.

“Song Ye, seeing your village destroyed must pain you, but don’t worry. Reconstruction will begin soon. And this place won’t remain a small village—it will become a real town, with sturdy walls!”

“What? This will become a town?” Song Ye was taken aback.

“Indeed.” Li Xiuling nodded. “I rode here alone from Xuancheng, and as I chased off the Yan stragglers, I surveyed the terrain. I think a town should be built here, forming a triangle with Wengcheng and Xuancheng, so they can support and defend one another. Then, if the Yan army invades again, there will be another barrier here, and troops from Xuancheng and Wengcheng can quickly come to reinforce, blocking the enemy at this spot.”

Ultimately, it was all to protect the southern capital, Luocheng.

Xuancheng was too close to Luocheng; if the enemy could be stopped north of Xuancheng, the royals in Luocheng would feel secure.

Of course, Li Xiuling’s considerations were not solely for the royal family. She had indeed surveyed the area, and building a town here would greatly strengthen the defense against threats from the north.

At this, Song Ye realized that his “beginner’s village” would one day become a “beginner’s town.” He, a “villager,” would become a “townsman.”

Yet if this place really became a town, much would change. His teahouse might not survive, and how would he make a living then?

No matter what became of the place—ruins or a bustling town—he could never leave the original bounds of the village. He could not change his environment, so he could only change himself.

If the teahouse was gone, with a three-year-old sister to care for, he would have to find another way to survive.

“I’m off!” Li Xiuling suddenly rose, tossed her wine jar into the flames, and said, “Thank you for drinking with me!”

With that, she mounted her horse and rode away at a gallop.

Song Ye called after her, “Thank you, Princess Yi’an, for the fine wine!”

Once the bodies had burned to ash, Song Ye dug a pit and buried them, then returned to the rear courtyard of the teahouse to prepare lunch for his adoptive sister.

…

Upon returning to Xuancheng, Li Xiuling ordered the prefect to check the household registration of “Song Ye” from Qiuyu Village in Cheng County.

The prefect replied that the county offices of Cheng had been burned to the ground by the Yan dogs, and all the household records of the villages under Cheng had been reduced to ashes—there was nothing left to consult.

Since that was the case, Li Xiuling decided not to pursue the matter further. She no longer harbored any doubts about Song Ye.

Moreover, her imperial brother had already sent several edicts, summoning her back to Luojing to celebrate the great victory at Xuancheng.

In the battle for Xuancheng, under Li Xiuling’s command, the enemy forces had been nearly annihilated, and the Yan commander Liao Qing had been captured alive by her own hand.

Soon, Li Xiuling would personally escort Liao Qing back to Luocheng and present her imperial brother with this grand gift.