Although Yan Jingshu had been placed on the bed by Jiang Chenghan, his arms around Jiang Chenghan's shoulders did not loosen. Even when he sensed Jiang Chenghan trying to pull away, he let out a couple of pitiful whimpers and clung even tighter.
Drunk, Yan Jingshu was clingy and feverishly affectionate, leaving Jiang Chenghan nearly helpless. His mind grew heavy, his blood hot and restless, his breathing increasingly ragged. Closing his eyes briefly, Jiang Chenghan ultimately couldn’t bring himself to refuse Yan Jingshu.
Lowering the bed curtains, he carefully and gently pressed him down onto the bed. Soon, the sound of fabric rustling filled the air as garments were discarded one by one. Though it was still broad daylight outside, Jiang Chenghan could no longer hold back…
Before long, the sky outside had darkened completely, and candles were lit in the room. Yan Jingshu slowly opened his eyes, still clouded with lingering confusion.
However, the confusion soon cleared, replaced by full awareness. Discovering himself completely naked and covered in unmistakable marks, he quickly recalled everything that had happened not long ago. Instantly, his face flushed crimson, and he buried it in the blankets, overcome with shame.
He had drunk before—even gotten drunk—but never had he clung to Jiang Chenghan like that, refusing to let go, kissing and nipping at him. Not even in his past life.
Yan Jingshu didn’t know when he had developed this habit, but no matter what, he absolutely could not get drunk again in the future…
Lying on the bed, Yan Jingshu silently swore to himself. Jiang Chenghan walked in holding a bowl of porridge. Seeing Yan Jingshu awake but lost in thought, he said, "You’re up? Perfect, have some porridge to fill your stomach. You must be hungry since you didn’t eat dinner?"
Yan Jingshu had already calmed down, but when he turned to look at Jiang Chenghan, his gaze was immediately drawn to Jiang Chenghan’s unusually swollen lips, marked with bite marks. After a brief pause, his cheeks flushed bright red again.
Knowing Yan Jingshu was easily embarrassed, Jiang Chenghan pretended not to notice and cheerfully brought the porridge to the bedside.
"...Thank you." Yan Jingshu quickly sat up, murmuring softly as he took the porridge and began eating in small bites.
Jiang Chenghan watched him eat and smiled. "It’s quite late now, so eating too much isn’t good—it’ll cause indigestion. Just have some porridge for now, and tomorrow I’ll make you something delicious."
Yan Jingshu nodded and gave a quiet "Mm," but said nothing else, keeping his head down as he ate.
The bowl of porridge wasn’t large, so he finished it quickly. Jiang Chenghan took the empty bowl and fetched water for Yan Jingshu to rinse his mouth. Once everything was tidied up, he also climbed into bed.
Though Yan Jingshu had been exhausted earlier, he had slept all afternoon and now, having just woken up, didn’t feel sleepy. But after lying there for a while, enveloped in Jiang Chenghan’s presence, drowsiness gradually crept over him, and he soon fell asleep.
The next day, Jiang Chenghan went to his official duties, leaving Yan Jingshu alone at home. At noon, Jiang Chenghan returned to have lunch with him before leaving again. Yan Jingshu planned to take a short nap, but as soon as he lay down, Wenxiu came to report that someone named Song Fan was at the door asking to see him.
Hearing that name, Yan Jingshu’s drowsiness vanished instantly. He sat up abruptly and hurriedly said to Wenxiu, "Quick, bring him in at once."
Noticing Yan Jingshu’s urgency, Wenxiu bowed and acknowledged the order before swiftly stepping out.
In his past life, after Jiang Chenghan’s death, Yan Jingshu had initially believed he had simply fallen in battle. But when Jiang Chenghan’s body was brought back, Yan Jingshu discovered, while preparing it for burial, a faint arrow wound on his back. Though part of it had been obscured by the fatal sword wound that pierced his chest, Yan Jingshu confirmed through careful examination that the arrow had not come from the Bei Di forces Jiang Chenghan had been fighting—it was one used by their own Da Qi army.
This led Yan Jingshu to suspect that Jiang Chenghan had first been struck by a treacherous arrow from behind, leaving him unable to dodge the enemy’s fatal sword thrust.
At the time, Jiang Chenghan had been assigned a special mission by Kou Shijun, who handpicked fifty soldiers to accompany him. After realizing Jiang Chenghan’s death might not have been accidental, Yan Jingshu sent a letter to Kou Shijun explaining his findings and requesting to investigate those fifty men.
Though Kou Shijun was leading troops against Bei Di on the front lines, Jiang Chenghan’s death had devastated him. Upon receiving Yan Jingshu’s letter, he immediately granted permission, issuing an order allowing Yan Jingshu to conduct investigations freely in Ningcheng and even sending additional personnel to assist.
But while Yan Jingshu trusted Kou Shijun, he dared not rely on others, so he only used the men left to him by his grandmother for the investigation.
Originally, all fifty soldiers who had followed Jiang Chenghan had also perished in battle. Yan Jingshu started his investigation with them, focusing particularly on archers and those skilled with bows.
Fortunately, the fifty bodies—initially meant to be buried alongside Jiang Chenghan—had not yet been interred due to the delayed funeral. Among them, Yan Jingshu shockingly discovered the corpse of a Bei Di soldier.
He then cross-referenced the names and units of the fifty men, questioning their former comrades, and finally confirmed that an archer named Zhao Dali was not among the dead.
Clearly, Zhao Dali had faked his death and escaped. But though the monk monk can run away, but the temple cannot. Armed with Kou Shijun’s order, Yan Jingshu went to the Governor’s Residence to check Zhao Dali’s household records and learned he still had parents, a wife, and children back home. He immediately sent men to investigate Zhao Dali’s hometown.
[跑得了和尚跑不了庙 (pǎo dé liǎo héshang pǎo bù liǎo miào): lit. The monk can run away, but the temple cannot; fig. You can escape, but your roots or responsibilities remain.]
However, not long after, before the investigators could report back, Yan Jingshu found himself targeted by unknown assailants. Despite the protection of the men left by the Dowager Lady, the attackers were ruthless and relentless. Outmatched, Yan Jingshu and his protectors were eventually driven to the edge of a cliff…
After being reborn, though Jiang Chenghan was still alive, Yan Jingshu decided to take precautions. He asked the Dowager Lady for a few men to investigate Zhao Dali in advance. Song Fan was one of them—a former scout under the old Duke of Anguo, skilled in reconnaissance.
But Zhao Dali’s hometown was far to the south, distant from both the capital and Ningcheng. Thus, it had taken over two months for Song Fan to return with the investigation’s findings.
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