The moonlight was as cold as frost. Wang Yunzhao weighed his words carefully, yet in the end, he chose not to mention the events of the past. Suddenly, Murong Yan asked, "Where is A-Zuo?"
Wang Yunzhao breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "General Zuo has been busy with the redeployment of the army recently. She should be at the Wen Manor at this hour."
Murong Yan mused, "Would it be inappropriate to summon her to the palace now?"
Wang Yunzhao was slightly taken aback. "This old servant does not understand Your Majesty’s meaning. You are the sovereign; there is never an inappropriate time to summon your own subject."
Murong Yan nodded. "Then send someone."
Wang Yunzhao hurried to dispatch a junior eunuch to the Wen Manor to deliver the decree. Zuo Canglang was still practicing her martial arts when she received the order and had no choice but to enter the palace. No one in the Wen household would object—and even if they did, what use would it be? Though she bore the Wen family name, she was not truly one of them.
Murong Yan always chose these ambiguous hours to summon her. In a way, was this not also a reminder to the Wen family of her true position?
Zuo Canglang made her way into the palace. Usually, summoning a military officer at midnight implied an urgent military situation. However, despite her repeated inquiries, the junior eunuch only claimed ignorance, daring not to say a word more.
She followed him all the way to the study, where Murong Yan was reviewing memorials. She knelt to perform her salutations. "My Lord, is there an urgent military matter that required a midnight summons?"
Wang Yunzhao, ever observant, led all the palace attendants away. Only then did Murong Yan beckon her. "Come here."
Zuo Canglang walked to his side. Murong Yan stood up and suddenly leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her waist. Startled, she felt him lift her and place her onto his Dragon Throne. As she moved to stand, he knelt down instead, first squeezing her calf. Her leg was still wrapped in medicated gauze; the imperial physicians were, after all, far more meticulous than the army surgeons.
Murong Yan slowly removed her shoes and socks, saying, "You are quite the general—injured before even reaching the battlefield."
Zuo Canglang remained silent. Murong Yan rolled up her trouser leg and gently massaged her ankle. Her face flushed crimson, and she tried to withdraw her foot several times. Murong Yan asked, "Is it serious? What did the physician say?"
Zuo Canglang pursed her lips. "I am grateful for Your Lordship's concern. The physician said it is merely a superficial wound; it is of no consequence."
Only then did Murong Yan stand. "That is good. Be more careful. You are a grown woman; if you don't look after yourself, who can you expect to do it for you?"
Zuo Canglang lowered her head. "If Your Majesty has no other business, I shall take my leave."
Murong Yan stood up, his hands bracing against the armrests of the Dragon Throne, effectively trapping her within his reach. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
He was too close. Zuo Canglang couldn't help but turn her head away, avoiding his gaze. "No... it is just... Lady Jiang is currently in the palace. Though we are lord and subject, for us to be alone in a room in the dead of night... I fear if word reaches Lady Jiang’s ears, it will... it will cause a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Murong Yan spoke as if he had heard something absurd. "Even if word reaches her, it would be no misunderstanding."
Zuo Canglang pressed her hand against his chest, stopping him from drawing any closer. Murong Yan looked at her quietly for a long time before saying, "She cannot continue to live in the palace without an official title. Tomorrow, I will order the Minister of the Imperial Clan to prepare for the Empress’s Investiture Ceremony."
Zuo Canglang lowered her eyes. "Congratulations, My Lord."
Murong Yan smoothed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "A-Zuo, what happened last time was my fault. I can settle everyone else around me, but I do not know how to settle you." His thumb brushed against her cheek. Her gaze remained downcast as she fought back tears, saying only, "This subordinate does not require any special arrangement. After Your Lordship’s grand wedding, I wish to request a decree to guard the national borders. If I receive no summons, I shall never return to court for the rest of my life."
Murong Yan sighed softly. "In your eyes, am I truly such a heartless person? A-Zuo, I was very young the year my mother died. But even then, I swore an oath that I would never treat my women the way my father treated his. I cannot allow you to remain at the border forever. Do you understand?"
Zuo Canglang took a deep breath. "Yet, I am unwilling to stand between Your Lordship and Lady Jiang." After all, theirs was a legendary romance for the ages; she was merely a bystander.
Murong Yan pulled her into his arms. "Let me think. There must be a way to have the best of both worlds. It is late, and your leg is injured. Rest here in Nanqing Palace."
Zuo Canglang accepted the command, silently put on her shoes and socks, and headed toward Nanqing Palace.
When Wang Yunzhao entered to attend to Murong Yan, he was quite surprised. He had assumed that since Murong Yan had summoned Zuo Canglang at such an hour, they would surely spend the night together. Who would have thought that after only a few words, Zuo Canglang would be the first to leave?
Murong Yan said, "Just now, I told A-Zuo of my intention to crown Lan’er as Empress."
Wang Yunzhao’s heart skipped a beat, but he smiled and said, "General Zuo is peerlessly loyal to Your Majesty; she even risked her life to infiltrate Fangcheng and rescue Lady Jiang. She must surely support this wholeheartedly."
Murong Yan said, "She requested a decree to be stationed at the border." Wang Yunzhao paused. Murong Yan continued, "Find a way to make her change her mind."
Wang Yunzhao hesitated for a moment. "Your Majesty, in this old servant’s view, that might not be inappropriate. If General Zuo guards the border, Great Yan’s frontiers will be secure. With Lady Jiang as Empress, it further demonstrates Your Majesty’s profound devotion and your character as a man of great faith and righteousness. Why..."
Murong Yan said, "Wang Yunzhao, she is only seventeen. A seventeen-year-old girl is at the age when her heart first begins to stir. While she is by my side, she is naturally devoted. But if she stays at the border alone for a long time and eventually finds another who catches her eye, should I grant her permission or not?"
Wang Yunzhao froze. Suddenly, a terrifying thought began to take shape in his mind—when Murong Yan had spent that night of passion with Zuo Canglang after drinking, had he truly lost control due to the alcohol? Or was it because he knew that once Jiang Bilan was brought back, Zuo Canglang would never again allow that kind of relationship to exist between them?
He felt a flash of dread, yet his expression remained an unchanging smile. "Your Majesty worries too much. General Zuo’s feelings for Your Majesty are no less than Your Majesty’s feelings for Lady Jiang."
Murong Yan said, "I cannot allow her, in her capacity as the Head of the Wen Clan and the General of the Flying Cavalry, to marry anyone else. Do you understand?"
Wang Yunzhao bowed low. "This old servant has noted Your Majesty’s meaning."
Murong Yan nodded. "Go then. I trust you to handle this."
Wang Yunzhao turned to leave but paused for a heartbeat. In truth, he was not without his doubts—did Murong Yan’s adamant refusal to let Zuo Canglang leave Jinyang contain even a shred of genuine reluctance to let her go?
But he did not ask. Even after all these years by his side, he still could not fathom Murong Yan’s true nature.
