Chapter 262 Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

　　The clouds gently breezed over the moon, engulfing all but the brightest of moonlight. The veil of darkness was broken by the shattering of an object, accompanied by gusts of wind blowing towards the distant horizon.

　　“Understood,” Xuan Mo nodded.

　　Nalan Hongye momentarily paused in silence, before ordering, “Inform General Yang to prepare the army for a coordinated operation with Yan Bei. Be prepared to be deployed against the Xia Empire.”

　　The man in the darkness looked up immediately, glaring at her in both shock and disbelief. Nalan Hongye, seemingly unaware of his shock, breathed and continued calmly, “Xuan Mo, rogue elements have invaded the East Sea. This time, I’ll need to rely on you again to defend the Eastern Borders for me.”

　　For a moment, there was nothing except absolute silence on the white tower as Xuan Mo stood rooted on the ground like a tree. He stared at her as decades of memories flashed by in an instant, only further highlighting his speechlessness.

　　They had played together during their younger years as Xuan Mo was the child of a noble family. Xuan Mo had the honor of being her personal bodyguard and witnessed her youthful beauty. When news broke of the Emperor’s passing, he spent three days and nights painstakingly convincing his father to abandon his ambitions of plotting a coup d’état, and instead assisted Nalan Hongye’s younger brother to the throne and have her be princess.

　　Since then, Xuan Mo had backed her throughout the years, establishing himself as her most loyal courtier and most trustworthy subordinate by obeying every single order of hers, even if it meant marrying the daughter of a powerful minister.

　　At present, the Song Empire’s survival was at stake, especially with Yan Bei marching their troops towards the Song Empire. Yet she assigned him to resolve a small skirmish in the East China Sea at such a critical juncture. At that instant, he realized what this meant. Gradually, he calmed down and went back to his usual steady and confident self, before kneeling and replying, “Yes, this subordinate understands.”

　　Throughout this, Nalan Hongye was nervous and filled with apprehension, her fist tightly clenched. Only after Xuan Mo replied in his calm and collected manner did she loosen her grip. She turned around, with unparalleled clarity in her expression, the golden powder at the corner of her eyes only exemplifying her intent. She felt that an explanation was only necessary. “A fierce battle will certainly occur between Yan Bei and the Xia Empire, with absolute carnage on the battlefield. You are the only person I trust. I do not wish for you to take any risks.”

　　Still bowing, Xuan Mo calmly replied, “Yes, I understand.”

　　Nalan Hongye took a deep breath and smiled. “Alright. Come on up, there’s no need for formalities between us.”

　　Instead of getting up, Xuan Mo stayed knelt, his hair reflecting the silver moonlight, the crows fluttering across the silent sky. The night wind blew across his robes, and the embroideries that signified his rank fluttered. For that moment, the pattern seemed like a double-edged sword that could easily hurt anyone who touched it. From there, he took out a few objects, placing them one by one on the white jade steps.

　　Puzzled, Nalan Hongye wanted to speak out, only for Xuan Mo to softly say, “As this subordinate will not know when I return from this assignment, I shall return command of the Jingji and Xuanzi armies back to Your Highness.”

　　Her first instinct was to reject his request, yet as she looked at the two tokens, she had a sudden realization. The Jingji Army was originally under the control of the Military Department. After she and Xuan Mo joined forces to defeat the department, the Jingji Army was absorbed and transferred to Xuan Mo’s leadership. As for the Xuanzi Army, it was Xuan Mo’s personal forces, its strong combat capabilities meant that it was the one of the Song Empire’s elite military unit.

　　She smiled as she walked over and helped him up, then said, “Sure, I will keep this for you. When you return I will return it to you.”

　　Xuan Mo stood up, prideful but still maintaining respect for Nalan Hongye as he looked at her calmly. She lifted her head and smiled lightly, the surrounding light further highlighting the soft curvature of her chin while also reflecting off the dazzle in the eyes.

　　“Though the Taiping King has already started a rebellion, the others such as King of Jingjiang may stir things as well. Once I’m gone, Your Highness must know how to protect yourself.”

　　Nalan Hongye gently smiled. “Xuan Mo, after all these years we’ve known each other, you still worry about my capabilities?”

　　Xuan Mo lowered his head. “Your Highness is greatly talented, I take back my words.”

　　“Alright, there’s no need for the formalities. We’ve known each other for so long and supported each other as friends. I promised you before, that regardless of the direction that the Song Dynasty takes under this leadership, as long as I am in charge, I will make sure that your family will be honored.”

　　As dew started to form on their clothes, the embroideries on their clothes turned moist. Xuan Mo replied, “Thank you, Your Highness. It’s late, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave now.”

　　Nalan Hongye had initially wanted to caution him further, but she could not find many words to say. Instead, she nodded, “It’s dark out there, get the guys to light a lantern.”

　　“Yes, I will do so.” As soon as he finished, Xuan Mo bid her farewell before heading down an alleyway. The moonlight, filtered through the grid pattern at the ceiling, casting a pattern down, to which Xuan Mo walked steadily along. It was a while later before Xuan Mo finally exited the white tower onto the parade square. As the darkness of the night enshrouded him, all Nalan Hongye could see from the tower was an increasingly blurry shadow.

　　The night wind gusted, blowing up her hair as she stood rooted to the ground like a statue, barely moving an inch. She was then reminded of events when she was a child, when piracy was rampant in the East China Sea and her father as Emperor personally led missions against them. The Empire then was mighty powerful, ruling the seas with its vast troops and resources. She could not understand why her father would, as Emperor, with the might of his forces, would still voluntarily lead missions in the field. Her younger self tugged her father’s robe, asking with confusion, “Father, why do you voluntarily lead missions in the field?”

　　That moment, her father gently tapped her head, replying calmly, “There is no reason. These are matters that I should resolve and be responsible for, else there would not be anyone to shoulder these burdens.”

　　While her younger self did not understand the meaning behind her father’s words, her current self fully understood the significance of his reply, that there were responsibilities and duties one would have to shoulder in their lives, whether or not they were willing to.

　　Her momentary lapse had given King Taiping’s allies an opportunity to poison the young, deaf Emperor, who had suffered not just the loss of his hearing but now also slow death from the poison. His death was certain to plunge Song Empire into chaos, to which King of Jingjiang and Huai’an were certain to pounce on such an opportunity. At that moment, the Nalan Family would cease to exist.

　　She was especially upset that after all these years of being involved in family and state politics to protect and assist the young Emperor, all that the noble family hoped for was the day of her death. Were the efforts of her ancestors on the battlefield for merely giving others an opportunity to ascend to power? After all her years of hard work, there was no way she would let the Empire fall into the hands of those people.

　　Yan Bei’s dominant position was only made more apparent with the Tang Empire and Song Empire in civil chaos, while the Xia Empire was in no better position. Rather than waiting for Qing’er to die and the Empire falling into the hands of the noble families that she despised, it made sense to surrender the entire lands in exchange for peace for the people of Song Huai and the continuation of the Nalan family. After all, Yu’er still had three young daughters and she had a gravely ill mother to care for. In addition, there were still countless ministers who had been deeply loyal to the old Emperor….

　　Agreeing to his offer would not only allow Nalan to maintain her image, but it would also unite the two regions into a strong partnership that would have the capabilities to achieve greater accomplishments, something that she had desired for years.

　　The gates of the palace opened, as Xuan Mo’s silhouette slowly disappeared into the endless night. A sense of loss hit her, as if it was disappearing into the night.

　　With the military strongly opposing fighting the battle, she was effectively forced into sending Xuan Mo to the Eastern Borders. His widespread command of military elements meant that he would have interfered with General Yang, preventing full control of the military and possibly cooperation with Yan Bei. Furthermore, King Taiping’s defection had made her realize the importance of raw military prowess and influence, at which she would never match Xuan Mo’s capabilities. During peacetime, she could utilize her power and other small skirmishes to keep him in control, but with the situation escalating and becoming more chaotic by the second, she was forced to guard against his very might.

　　She could only hope that he would understand the spot she was in.

　　Xuan Mo strolled down the expansive royal road, accompanied by his personal assistant Jiang Wu and his carriage, creaking as it followed behind them.

　　The princess’s trust of King Xuan meant that his residence was not far from the palace. It wasn’t long before the warm radiant rays of lanterns at the front door were visible.

　　“Master, you are back, though why were you carrying an unlit lantern?” Lady Yu, also known as Yushu asked, puzzled, her white dress glistening under the moonlight.

　　Xuan Mo glimpsed down in surprise, and indeed his palace lantern was yet to be lit, the thin layer of jade looking ever so fragile under the light of the other lanterns.

　　Gently, he replied, “I must have forgotten,” before heading into the compound.

　　Yushu took a coat, and she placed it on his shoulder. She brushed his hands, asking in surprise, “Why are your hands so cold, Master?”

　　“It’s nothing.” Xuan Mo shrugged, before heading towards the study room.

　　Yushu stood as watched as his shadow faded into the garden, the white coat in her hand fluttering gently like a kite in a breeze.

　　“Ma’am?” the assistant’s servant asked awkwardly. “The wind at night here is strong, you should head back indoors.”

　　Yushu nodded her head, before gently saying, “Go to the kitchen and prepare some food. Master must be hungry having arrived back at this hour.”

　　The female servants nodded obediently. “Yes, this servant will head out. You should rest soon, lady, after all, you’re still recovering.”

　　Yushu urged, “Just go.”

　　As the servants took their leave, Yushu turned around, only to see a candle lit in the study room next door, from it a thin silhouette stood and flickered on the window. Yushu smiled before taking a few of the servants into the tea room, where a few fresh boxes of tea had just arrived that could be later brewed for Xuan Mo to try.

　　Back in the study room, Xuan Mo unwrapped a fresh piece of Lanling paper and dipped his brush tip in ink. Yet for the longest time, he sat there deep in thought, without writing anything.

　　Ink from the brush dripped onto the paper, forming a large dark spot, yet Xuan Mo remained deep in thought, completely unaware.

　　Standing in a corner, Jiang Wu asked cautiously, “Sir, shall I change the paper for you?”

　　Xuan Mo glanced down, before crushing and throwing the paper onto the floor, his expression unchanged.

　　Jiang Wu couldn’t help but be taken aback. After all, having known Xuan Mo for over seven years, it was obvious to him that he was in a very foul mood.

　　Xuan Mo grabbed another piece of paper, and stared at the blank sheet before starting his writing. In a short while, he had written an entire paragraph, before which he passed the paper to Jiang Wu, instructing, “First thing tomorrow morning, I want this sent to over to the Department of Ceremonies and handed over to the Master there. From there I want this letter to be sent, escorted, and personally handed to Yan Xun at Baizhi Pass.”