The fierce battle at Ziging Pass left too many soldiers dead, some without even a complete body, making it impossible to identify who was who.

Qin Zheng and her team spent several days organizing the records, finally compiling a thick stack of group.

Each name written in ink on those pages had once represented a vibrant life.

She categorized the fallen soldiers by their hometowns, recorded their names in registers, and sent the rosters and compensation silver to local authorities.

Representatives from their side would ensure that the compensation reached the families of the fallen soldiers.

Among those who died in this foreign land, some left behind elderly parents, some had wives and children, and some had young sons.

Though the silver sent was not much, it was enough to help them through a difficult period.

It was impossible to transport the bodies back to their hometowns.

Chu Chengji ordered the fallen soldiers to be buried together on a hill outside Zijing Pass, and the people referred to it as the Hero’s Mound.

Local residents often went there to burn incense and pay their respects.

Occasionally, elderly people, widows, and young men from far away would come here.

Some came to see their sons who died on the battlefield, some came to catch a glimpse of their husbands, and some came to pay tribute to fathers who had left home to join the army in their youth.

Ordinary soldiers who died in battle were not entitled to be carried back home wrapped in horsehide.

But they all rested here. If their families came looking for them, they could still light incense and burn paper money.

Even after no one remembered them, on festive occasions, local residents would come to the hill to commemorate these soldiers who guarded the pass.

Sleeping peacefully in this green hill, they were not too lonely.

The body of Shen Yanzhi was personally collected by Qin Jian.

They were once childhood friends, two esteemed young gentlemen of Bianjing praised by everyone.

Despite the deep enmity caused by the fall of their country and the loss of their families, when Shen Yanzhi died in such a way, it seemed that the hatred that had lingered in their hearts for so long had dissipated in an instant.

Shen Yanzhi was once a traitor of Great Chu, later proclaimed himself king of Chen, and resisted the Northern Barbarian.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites, comparing him with past ceremonial standards, were unsure whether to convict him in the name of a Chu subject or to honor him for his merit in resisting the Northern Barbarian and posthumously confer titles.

There would certainly be curses, but since Shen Yanzhi had declared himself king of Chen and refused to ally with Great Chu, it was not considered a wrongdoing from a political standpoint.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were at a loss and had to seek advice from Chu Chengji.

Chu Chengji said, “Just bury him as the Regent King of Chen.”

The officials received the order and, seeing that their future ruler seemed to have no intention of troubling this “dead enemy,” besides admiring his broad-mindedness, they stopped asking further questions.

However, when organizing the funeral, they encountered difficulties with the ceremonial standards and epitaphs for the Regent King’s funeral.

After all, the Regent King of Chen was not the regent king of Great Chu.

The ceremonial standards for the funeral had to be adjusted accordingly, but to what extent was a question.

Moreover, the epitaph, usually praising the deceased’s achievements, how could a group of Chu ministers praise Shen Yanzhi, this traitor of Great Chu?

They were all perplexed and dared not ask Chu Chengji again, so they turned to Song Heqing for advice.

Song Heqing sighed deeply at Shen Yanzhi’s life story and asked Qin Jian, who was transcribing documents on the side, “My dear nephew, what do you think we should do?”

Officials who had once worked under Shen Yanzhi did not dare to handle the bodies out of fear of suspicion, so only Qin Jian went to collect them.

But precisely because it was Qin Jian, no one dared to gossip about it.

After all, there was a deep-seated feud between the Qin family and Shen Yanzhi, and Qin Jian himself was upright and principled.

When Song Heqing asked him, Qin Jian’s brush paused for a moment, and after two breaths of silence, he said, “Great Chu has just experienced war, and many things need to be rebuilt. It’s a time to use money. Keep the funeral simple. There’s no need to write anything on the tombstone. Leave it blank.”

The officials from the Ministry of Rites were all stunned, but soon they realized that Qin Jian’s suggestion was the best course of action and praised him.

Qin Jian remained silent for the most part, and even when he responded, it was in a subdued manner.

He was like a rock on a cliff, with the outermost edges gradually worn smooth by the wind and sun.

He was no longer sharp, but still firm and unyielding.

Even Song Heqing often gazed at this young man in a daze, feeling as if he saw a shadow of his former friend in him, The Duke of Qin.

Qin Zheng had been struggling to hold on while defending the city, and after handling the compensation silver for the fallen soldiers, she finally fell ill.

Chu Chengji was leading his men in chasing the remnants of the Northern Barbarian army all the way back to Liangzhou Prefecture.

However, because they were not adept at defending large cities in the Central Plains, Liangzhou Prefecture fell to the Chu army shortly thereafter.

Upon hearing that Qin Zheng was ill, and with the remaining Northern Barbarian’s army already lacking the will to fight, Chu Chengji entrusted the task of pursuing the Northern Rong people to Xie Chi and An Yuanqing, and he himself returned to Zijing Pass.

Qin Zheng may have suffered from psychological trauma after the war.

She ate little and slept restlessly, feeling lethargic all day long.

Chu Chengji arranged for the best doctor in the city to examine Qin Zheng.

The doctor prescribed calming medicine and advised her to relax.

Chu Chengji knew that during the days when the Northern Barbarian’s people attacked the city, Zijing Pass was like hell on earth.

Qin Zheng must have been frightened, but due to the circumstances, she had to force herself to bear the pressure.

Now, it was likely the backlash after she had relaxed.

Even the several civil officials who had defended Zijing Pass fell ill and were unable to do anything.

Chu Chengji had already decided to send them back to Jianghuai.

During this meal, he picked up some vegetables for Qin Zheng and said, “I have ordered someone to bring Madam Qin back from Wu County to Qingzhou. You should go back to Qingzhou with those ailing officials first. I’ll take care of everything in Bianjing and come back to Qingzhou to pick you up later.”

Qin Zheng’s spirits were low, and she seemed a bit haggard, like a white hibiscus that had just weathered a sudden rainstorm and lost its petals.

She replied, “You still have many matters to handle at Zijing Pass. How to recapture the four counties of Hexi from the hands of the Northern Barbarian, and you also need to discuss with Lian Qinhou.

It may be next year before you can settle everything here and return to Bianjing.

Instead of returning to Qingzhou with those ailing officials, it might be better for me to go to Bianjing first and handle everything there.”

The officials who had defected to Chen Country in Bianjing needed to be discussed and dealt with.

In addition, integrating their influence into the capital, coordinating various large and small matters, and considering personnel issues all required careful consideration.

It was not an easy task.

Chu Chengji wanted her to return to Qingzhou to recuperate and not to worry about these matters.

Hearing her words, he raised an eyebrow. “You should focus on recovering.”

“I can’t spare the time to handle this, and if I can’t find anyone to temporarily take over Bianjing, what’s the point of keeping these people?”

Qin Zheng didn’t continue on this topic, tacitly accepting Chu Chengji’s arrangement.

She chewed her food slowly, and Chu Chengji finished two bowls of rice while she still had half a bowl left.

Seeing her continue to eat, Chu Chengji didn’t put down his chopsticks either.

Occasionally, he would pick up a few more bites of food to accompany her.

At first, Qin Zheng didn’t notice, but when Chu Chengji picked up another bite for her, she intended to reciprocate, only to find that his bowl was already empty.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Do you want some more rice?”

Chu Chengji shook his head and said, “No need.”

Only then did Qin Zheng realize that he was just keeping her company.

Although they were an old married couple, this subtle care from him still warmed Qin Zheng’s heart slightly.

She lowered her head and hastened her pace of eating.

Chu Chengji looked at her holding the bowl, almost burying half her face in it, and felt that she was extremely thin.

He furrowed his brows unconsciously and picked up another bite of food for her.

Qin Zheng said, “I can’t eat anymore.”

Chu Chengji held the wooden chopsticks in his long, slender fingers, and the veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible.

Half of his face was against the light, highlighting his handsome features.

He said, “Eat more. If you keep getting thinner like this, you’ll be nothing but skin and bones.”

This was obviously an exaggeration, but Qin Zheng could feel herself becoming looser in her clothes than before, indicating that she had indeed lost a lot of weight.

She put down the bowl and met Chu Chengji’s gaze. “If I become skin and bones, will you still like me?”

Chu Chengji pressed his eyebrows and extended his long arm to pull her into his embrace.

With his eyes lowered, he looked at her haggard yet still beautiful face and said, “Sometimes I find you intelligent, and sometimes…”

He paused and said, “I find you strangely foolish.”

Qin Zheng retorted, “You’re the foolish one.”

Chu Chengji wrapped his arms around her waist with one hand and said with a sigh, “When you can’t eat, and you’re getting thinner day by day, my heart tightens day by day. Now you’re asking me if I still like you?”

He pulled back slightly to look at her and said, “If you’re foolish, then who isn’t?”

Qin Zheng closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist, with a slight smile on her lips. “So, do you dislike my foolishness?”

Chu Chengji was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but chuckle. “I misspoke. You keep surprising me with your wit. Where does foolishness come into play?”

Qin Zheng’s smile widened, and she rubbed her cheek against his chest.

Beside Chu Chengji, Qin Zheng slept a bit more peacefully at night.

But on this night, despite taking the calming potion, she was still awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night.

The bloody heads on the war chariot, the Northern Barbarian’s people cooking the soldiers of Chu on the battlefield…

She had had greater determination at the time, but now, the aftereffects of that resolve lingered in her dreams.

Qin Zheng woke up gasping for breath, as if she had been pulled out of water.

Chu Chengji woke up when she struggled to sit up, and seeing her pale face, disheveled hair clinging to her cheeks, and lifeless eyes, clearly still trapped in the nightmare, Chu Chengji’s brows furrowed tightly.

He gently patted her back while calling out softly, “Azheng? Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

Hearing his voice, Qin Zheng finally had some reaction. “Chu Chengji?”

“I’m here.”

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Zheng had already buried her head in his arms.

Her pale, slender hands gripped his thin inner clothes tightly, even digging into his flesh, but Chu Chengji didn’t furrow his brows.

He just locked his eyes on Qin Zheng, patiently comforting her in a low voice, “It’s just a nightmare, don’t be afraid.”

His chest was damp from her tears, and although the night was cool, Chu Chengji felt as if magma was seeping into his skin layer by layer, burning into his lungs.

Qin Zheng was crying.

All the fear and insecurity she had experienced during those days of guarding the city alone were now etched into Chu Chengji’s chest through her tears on this late night.

For a moment, a sense of guilt, tenderness, and almost overwhelming anger nearly overwhelmed Chu Chengji’s rationality.

He wanted to retaliate against the Northern Barbarian’s people, but he quickly suppressed that thought.

He closed his eyes and held the trembling figure tightly in his arms, kissing her hair to comfort her. “Don’t be afraid, it’s just a dream.”

Qin Zheng vented all her fear and suppressed emotions through tears after this nightmare, comforted by Chu Chengji until she lay back down.

Chu Chengji held her tightly, his chin resting on her head, and looked up at the dark canopy above. “I won’t send you back to Qingzhou. From now on, wherever I am, you’ll be there too. I won’t leave you alone again.”

He had never seen Qin Zheng so fragile since he had known her.

If it weren’t for her nightmares tonight, he wouldn’t have known how frightened and helpless she had been during those days when she had to face everything alone.

Chu Chengji felt guilty and pained.

His kisses fell lightly on Qin Zheng’s still wet eyelids, full of pity and cherish.

Perhaps because emotions were amplified at night, even though Qin Zheng had already cried herself awake, she still seemed to long for his presence.

In this moment, she seemed to want to seek solace actively, leaning in to find his lips.

Chu Chengji’s kisses were gentle, meant to soothe her, but she pressed further, exploring with abandon.

Chu Chengji’s breath became heavier.

Before, they had been overwhelmed by the brutality of the battle, and then they had been busy with the next deployment and comforting the families of the soldiers. Later, Qin Zheng fell ill.

Even though they slept side by side every night, Chu Chengji never bothered her when she wasn’t feeling well.

Tonight, it was her who initiated it.

Chu Chengji remembered how she had persevered through her illness, her temples throbbing visibly, but he still kissed her gently, only with the intention of comforting her.

When his mind was finally about to snap, he held her tightly in his arms, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

His breath was scorching, his voice husky with an intoxicating hoarseness. “You’re not well…”

But the next moment, he grunted.

Qin Zheng lightly bit the fabric of his clothes that had been rumpled by her movements on his chest, feeling Chu Chengji tensing like a stretched string.

She raised her head slightly to look at him.

In the faint light, the curve of his jawline was surprisingly attractive.

She leaned over and kissed it lightly before biting down on his Adam’s apple, which had been rolling several times.

Chu Chengji’s mind finally snapped.

His veins stood out on his hand as he pressed her down forcefully, as if wanting to swallow her whole with his kiss.

Qin Zheng fell asleep again in the early hours of the morning, still sobbing softly.

Chu Chengji looked at her face, still flushed, tears clinging to her eyelashes, sleeping soundly in his arms, as if she had been bullied.

But he had indeed “bullied” her.

Chu Chengji wiped away the tears from Qin Zheng’s long eyelashes with his hand, gently caressing her soft and delicate cheeks with his fingertips, his eyes gradually softening. “I’m sorry. I said I would give you the best of everything, but all the way through, I’ve let you suffer so much.”