Reunion at the Frontier

With the ceasefire holding, Changyu travels to Yunzhou to reunite with Xie Zheng. Their reunion is emotional and complicated — he scolds her for the insane risk she took, and she fires back that someone had to do something while the men were busy fighting. They argue, then embrace, then argue again, and then kiss in front of his entire garrison, scandalizing and delighting the soldiers in equal measure.

Changyu tends to the wounded, including Wei Liang, using medical knowledge she learned from Qianqian. She sees firsthand the toll of war — the exhausted soldiers, the makeshift graves, the haunted look in Xie Zheng's eyes. She understands now why the Jinzhou case matters so much to him. These are not abstract numbers; they are men like the ones around her, with families waiting at home.

Before they return to the capital together, Changyu stands at the walls of Yunzhou and looks north toward the steppe. Helian Mingyue sends a gift — a steppe horse, the highest honor the Tuoba can bestow on an outsider. Changyu has made a friend and an ally across the divide.