Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 922 - 897: Confiding

"Anning..." Xie Jue called his name, familiar and warm. Fang Chuning loved it when he called him like this, a unique nickname. Every time he upset Fang Chuning, he only needed to call him Anning, and Fang Chuning would no longer be angry. This trick never failed.

Fang Chuning put down the flute and turned to look at Xie Jue, very surprised, "Why are you here?"

"What are you doing?" Xie Jue approached, standing with him on the city tower, gazing into the northern distance.

"Nothing much, just enjoying the breeze."

"Didn’t Zhou Buyan take you around Zhongzhou City? Didn’t you like it?"

"The streets are deserted, and there are no sights to visit. Zhongzhou is not what I imagined."

"Zhongzhou wasn’t like this a few years ago." Xie Jue explained, "During the Yuwen Dynasty, Zhongzhou’s troops were under the emperor’s command, serving as a buffer zone between the capital and Ningzhou. Hence, Zhongzhou was very prosperous, bordering the Twelve States to the north, Salt City, and connecting Jiangnan and the Capital City. Since the fall of the Yuwen Dynasty, after Zhongzhou rose in arms, merchants fled, abandoning their homeland. They not only took the best at doing business but also moved their industries, relocating assets originally belonging to Zhongzhou. After Beining stabilized, the emperor sent troops to take over Zhongzhou. However, they encountered interference from the original Chen Family in Zhongzhou, slowing and disrupting the implementation of new policies. That’s why Zhongzhou has become as deserted as it is now. If the Chen Family would heed my advice and stay loyal to Beining, Zhongzhou could revive in just two years."

"Did you go to find Chen Gui?"

"You remember Chen Gui?" Xie Jue’s tone was odd, slightly displeased. Fang Chuning didn’t even remember him; would he remember a drinking buddy from Zhongzhou?

"...Oh, it’s what Zhou Buyan mentioned." Fang Chuning felt a little guilty, although Xie Jue didn’t notice it. In fact, he specifically asked Zhou Buyan where Xie Jue had gone. Although Zhou Buyan didn’t know the details, he could guess seven or eight parts and explained Zhongzhou’s situation to Fang Chuning. If Fang Chuning hadn’t lost his memory and been transferred to Zhongzhou, it would have stabilized long ago. With his charisma, Chen Gui would have been submissive to him. Chen Gui’s deliberate obstruction was because Zhou Buyan couldn’t command attention.

"Zhou Buyan said that if I hadn’t lost my memory, after returning from Sannan, I would have been assigned to Zhongzhou, and Zhongzhou would have stabilized long ago." Fang Chuning thought to himself, his stern father would absolutely not be willing.

"That was my intention, to come to Zhongzhou for a year or two, then go to Beining, separating you and the Jiangnan garrison. In the future, the main commander will rotate duty. The Marquis Mansion has been stationed in Ningzhou for many years, resisting Beiman. There are downsides to this as the marquis has held military power for too long. So the marquis’s influence has grown, becoming a thorn in the emperor’s side, whether they like it or not. After the lesson Xie Xun and I learned, we don’t plan for the main commander to be stationed in one place constantly. Now that the border is stable, the main commander can be rotated every three years. The south and north are also familiar with each other’s combat methods, avoiding the chaos that arose when Ningzhou Iron Cavalry and Jiangnan garrison resisted Sannan together. Originally, these weren’t considered so thoroughly. I was just worried that if you commanded the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, the increase in military power would affect Xie Xun’s authority. But thinking back, I might have been overthinking."

"You are so assured... You are certain that I won’t betray you, right?" Fang Chuning asked.

Xie Jue hesitated. Even a battle-hardened general is very sensitive to the situation. "Yes, I’m certain you won’t betray me."

"My Prince, trust is something not even the heavens gamble on. You see, I lost my memory." Fang Chuning shrugged, his tone a bit self-mocking.

It turned out Xie Jue trusted him so much.

Is it because he loved Xie Jue too much or Xie Jue loved him too much that he wanted to entrust him with the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, even though civil officials would be in uproar, with the military power of north and south in the hands of the same family? Little did they know Xie Jue’s confidence was due to their relationship, believing he would never betray him?

Xie Jue appeared to be someone who trusted no one but himself.

"I am willing to take the gamble," Xie Jue said lightly, "even if I dislike such hypotheticals. Even if your conjecture holds, I’m still open to talking with you peacefully."

"Are you disappointed because I lost my memory?"

"Not really."

As long as you’re alive!

"What if I never regain my memory and never fall in love with you again?"

"You can try!" Xie Jue looked at him with a half-smile, and Fang Chuning felt a hint of danger. Xie Jue said, "Anning, I don’t like such hypotheticals. Don’t ask again."

He felt Fang Chuning’s personality had changed somewhat since losing his memory, less bright. What affected him? Did something else happen before he lost his memory?

Fang Chuning no longer felt curious. "How long will we stay in Zhongzhou?"

"Chen Gui needs to discuss with the clan elders. I’ll wait for two days. Whether or not an agreement is reached, we’ll head to Ningzhou." Xie Jue had plans for his own matters.

"Zhou Buyan said you always have Shadow Guards around. Where are they? I have never seen them."

"They have things to do, and this time they are not with me."

"You went to find Chen Gui alone, unafraid he would kill you?" Fang Chuning was astonished that Zhou Buyan, unreliable as he was, said Xie Jue had Shadow Guards for protection, yet he was clearly alone.

"He wouldn’t dare." Xie Jue said lightly, "If I die, it’s just a life, but his nine clans would be buried with me. It’s not worth it; he has no reason!"

Fang Chuning found it unimaginable. "But if you die, there would be no use in wiping out his nine clans?"

Xie Jue was naturally someone who wasn’t easily persuaded. However, he looked into Fang Chuning’s eyes and smiled, "Fine, noted. In the future, I’ll trouble Anning to protect this prince closely."

Fang Chuning, "..."

That wasn’t his intention!

Forget it, reluctantly protecting him. To recover his memory, he didn’t want to owe any debts. Knowing he owed an emotional debt he couldn’t repay, Fang Chuning felt deeply troubled. He didn’t dare meet Xie Jue’s gaze, always fearing he’d see disappointment, feeling like a heartless cad.

"Anning, play me a tune, please. I’d like to hear it." Xie Jue gazed at him tenderly. Under the vast sky, his eyes held only Fang Chuning, serene yet intense.

Fang Chuning had mentioned many times that whenever he played tunes on the city tower, looking towards Ningzhou, he’d miss him. But Xie Jue had never heard the tunes Fang Chuning played.

"What do you want to hear?"

"I want to listen to whatever you like to play!"

Fang Chuning worried about how to get along with him, feeling awkward in the silence. Playing music, his forte, was naturally an easy remedy. He quickly played a tune he knew well.

Xie Jue listened to the melodious flute sound, feeling peaceful. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

This filled Anning’s past wish to some extent.

Anning had said that whenever he played a tune deep into the night, missing him, he wished he could hear it, far away in Ningzhou. Now, he finally did.