Chapter 117: Leaving the Central Palace

As the sky slowly darkened, there was still no word from Xiao Bi’s secret agents. Kaiming paced about, growing impatient. She tried to console herself with the thought that Xiao Bi would never deceive her, and that the Eastern Palace’s agents must simply be tied up with trivial matters.

Clinging to this reassurance, she endured until dinnertime. Just as she was pacing in agitation, a guard reported that someone was there to see her. She was overjoyed and, not waiting for the visitor to enter the room, hurried out to greet them. To her great disappointment, it was not the man in green, but Chunhua, Gouzi, and the others.

"What is it?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"Kaiming, you’ve been promoted to General? And you have such a grand estate? This is truly amazing!" Chunhua’s eyes sparkled with immense wonder, and her two cohorts chimed in with enthusiastic agreement.

"It’s all government property," she said vaguely. "Nothing to be happy about."

"Government property?" they asked, confused.

"If I don’t perform my duties carefully, it could be taken back at any moment," she replied dismissively, her eyes darting toward the entrance. *How slow they are,* she thought. *Why hasn't he come yet?*

Gouzi noticed where her gaze was fixed. "Kaiming, are you looking for Commander Chang Geng? He has matters to attend to today and cannot come."

"I am not—"

"Oh, speaking of Chang Geng," Xia Cao interrupted, cutting her off with an excited exclamation. "Commander Chang Geng has some good news!"

Kaiming finally showed a flicker of interest. "Good news? What kind of good news?"

Gouzi shot Xia Cao a glare and tried to cover for her. "Don't spout nonsense. It’s just that Chang Geng’s mother came to the barracks to visit him."

"Just a visit from his mother?" Qiu Ju interjected, offering a strange smirk. "Then who was that fair-skinned, delicate girl who came with her?"

"A girl?" Hearing this, it finally started to make sense to Kaiming.

Chunhua clutched her chest in mock agony. "Oh, my poor, battered heart! Why is every man I fall for already taken?"

"Taken?" Kaiming’s eyes brightened. "Is that girl Chang Geng’s wife?"

"Wife?" the group chorused.

"You know, his lady, or something of that sort," she quickly clarified. *That Chang Geng,* she thought, *hiding a wife at home while trying to flirt with me? Hmph, men.*

"No, that’s not it!" Gouzi defended his commander vigorously. "That young lady isn't the commander's wife; his mother just took a liking to her and brought her along for a matchmaking visit!"

"Matchmaking?!" The women gasped, covering their mouths as they giggled deviously.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Gouzi snapped. "The commander doesn't have time to go home; it's perfectly normal for his mother to do something like this!"

"Normal, sure, normal." Kaiming found it somewhat amusing. It sounded as if Chang Geng’s mother had grown impatient enough to pull such a shocking stunt at the barracks. Besides, Chang Geng was certainly old enough to have a wife.

"Did you all come here just to gossip? Are you done yet? If you’re done, hurry along!" Kaiming felt a strange sense of irritation. Worried about the Eastern Palace’s agents, she began to shoo them away.

"Don't be so heartless, Kaiming. Didn't we say before we joined the army? We don't necessarily have to share the hardships, but we must share the good fortune!" Chunhua argued righteously.

Kaiming glared at her. "Get out!"

"I hear we’re going to war with the Western Palace tomorrow, and the Thirty-Sixth Team will have plenty to do," Gouzi said, signaling them with his eyes. "Don't you need to go back and prepare? Hmm?"

"All right, all right," Chunhua muttered, digging at her ear. "Honestly, being promoted really changes a person—she doesn't even want her sisters anymore." Grumbling, she and her two cohorts slowly made their way out.

Before leaving, Gouzi added quietly, "Some things don't need to be taken to heart. It’s all just rumors."

Kaiming twitched the corner of her mouth, wanting to smile but finding she couldn't.

***

No sooner had they left than another guard reported, "General, someone is here to see you!"

"Bring him in quickly!" This had to be the agent!

To her surprise, a small figure darted in—wearing oversized clothes, a headscarf, and carrying a small bundle. He ran toward her, sniffling and sobbing.

Seeing him, she froze as if struck by lightning. "Spoon?!"

Spoon didn't say a word, throwing himself into her arms and weeping, calling for his mother.

She couldn't believe her eyes, pulling him into an embrace and unable to speak a single word. How long had it been since they were separated? How long had she gone without seeing him? In this strange world, she had been as worried about this sweet boy as if he were her own child. She felt his bony spine and whispered, "You've lost weight..."

Spoon wiped his tears and mucus on her collar. "I couldn't see you or my little sister. The woman at the General’s estate kept me locked in my room and wouldn't let me leave. I refused to eat until she got scared and promised to let me come see you. Mother, I missed you so much!"

Kaiming sighed. "General Dayin has protected you well..."

"Mother, let's go! Look, I brought all my things!" Spoon held up his bundle excitedly. "Let's run away to a place where that woman can't find us, okay?"

"A place where she can't find us?" The thought stirred something in Kaiming. If she took Spoon with her to the Eastern Palace, what would happen?

She stroked the boy's dark hair, gazing into his bright, glistening eyes. Looking closely, he truly resembled his parents. The brow was the Emperor’s; the tightly pressed lips were exactly like Dayin’s. This was the only remaining bloodline of the Imperial Palace, the child Dayin had sacrificed everything to protect—sacrificing Tianlang and Little Wan in the process.

*No, I cannot take him!* It was absolutely forbidden to let even the slightest mishap occur.

She softened her voice. "Mother has to go to war tomorrow, so I can't take you with me..."

"Where Mother goes, I go!" Spoon declared firmly. "I’ll go to the battlefield with you!"

"Silly child." She rubbed his head firmly, her heart aching. "General Dayin treats you well. Don't make things difficult for yourself; the General will be sad. Once I have everything settled, I will come to see you."

A look of deep disappointment clouded Spoon’s eyes. "Does Mother not want Spoon anymore?"

"Nonsense, how could I not want you?"

"But when Father left, he said the same thing, and he hasn't come back even once..."

Kaiming pulled him into her arms again and let out a long, heavy sigh. *Poor Spoon. Mother is incompetent. Even if I kept you by my side, I fear I could not protect you.* Today, due to a lapse in judgment at court, she had nearly caused his death.

She held him tighter, cursing herself silently. Why couldn't she exercise more restraint? She had never been one to stand out, yet in front of Dai Yuheng, she had spoken out of turn—and made an unforgivable mistake.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Spoon asked uneasily.

"Nothing, nothing." She loosened her grip, her eyes dampening. "Do you want to have dinner with Mother?"

"Yes!" Spoon cheered happily.

A guard entered and reported, "General, people from General Dayin’s estate are at the gate, saying they are here to escort the young master back."

Kaiming and Spoon exchanged a look; Spoon looked as if he were about to cry.

She smiled. Dayin was keeping a very tight watch, which actually put her mind at ease.

She pinched Spoon’s nose. "Little silly, there will be plenty of chances to see Mother. When I return victorious, we can play together for a few days, how about that?"

"Okay," Spoon replied, looking aggrieved. "You have to keep your promise, Mother."

"Pinky promise!" She immediately extended her little finger, and Spoon hooked his around it. Only then did he break into a smile, happily following the guard out.

Watching his retreating back, she sighed deeply again. She could not forgive herself for what happened that morning; she would carry the guilt for this child for the rest of her life.

The more one says, the more mistakes one makes. With her meager, bean-sized cleverness, she was simply not suited to go head-to-head with a fox like Dai Yuheng. There were too many talented people in the Central Palace; for someone as ordinary as her, it was best to shrink back into the crowd of commoners and live a quiet, unremarkable life.

As she stood there, lost in thought, the guard reported once more, "General, someone is here to see you."

She no longer held out hope. "Who is it this time?"

"It’s me, General Kaiming!" Emerging from behind the guard was the man in green—the Eastern Palace agent she had been waiting for all day.

Her eyes lit up instantly. She jumped up from the ground and said excitedly, "Why, why have you only just arrived?!"

"There were some preparations that took more time than expected," the man in green replied, bowing respectfully.

Kaiming waved the guard away, and he left immediately.

The man in green then looked up and smiled. "It seems it will take some effort to get you out, General."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

The man in green glanced left and right, gesturing for her to go inside. She understood and followed suit.

Once inside, he said, "We have been observing the area around your estate for half the day and discovered two groups of people monitoring it, so we dared not enter rashly."

"People are monitoring my estate?" She was startled.

"Yes," the man in green nodded. "According to our reports, one group is coming and going from the Imperial Palace, and the other is from General Dayin’s estate."

"It’s no surprise that Dai Yuheng is watching me, but why would Dayin do this?" she asked, confused.

"However, just a moment ago, all of Dayin’s men suddenly withdrew."

*Ah,* she understood. It was because of Spoon. Dayin must have been worried when the boy ran off, but now that he had returned safely, she had naturally pulled her men back.

"Our people drew off the palace guards, which gave me the chance to slip in."

"Thank you for your hard work," she said, genuinely moved. Even escaping required such elaborate maneuvering; she had only ever seen this in palace intrigue dramas, never expecting to witness it firsthand, let alone experience it.

"We have little time. Please disguise yourself, General, and we shall depart."

"Right!"

She followed the agent’s instructions, changing into servant's clothes and wrapping a scarf around her head before slipping out the back gate with him. Several men with tense expressions were waiting. When they emerged, they immediately pushed out a wheelbarrow, cleared away the messy straw, and settled her inside. They quickly covered her with bundles of straw, concealing her completely, and began to move forward at a steady, unhurried pace.

The men nearby, having procured farming tools from somewhere, slung them over their shoulders and followed the cart, talking and laughing loudly.

Kaiming couldn't help but admire the cleverness of their plan.