Rebirth of a Star General

THE FEMALE GENERAL

In Da Wei, it was the 63rd year of Qing Yuan. It was March, and the spring season was at its full bloom. The light drizzles shrouded the city with mist, and the land had dampened due to the continuous pitter-patter of raindrops.

In Jing Cheng, the roof tiles of the the Xu Family's house had become bright and clear after the rain, creating a glorious and clean texture. Those tiles which were delivered from Yun Zhou and had the semblance of a half-moon. It was said that these tiles would look as if they were illuminated by the glow of fireflies in a bright, moonlit night. The tile-making process was rather complicated, and the tiles came with a heavy price. The price of a whole roof built with these tiles was equal to a common family's decades of hard work.

However, in the capital city, the Xu Family's satin and silk business was on demand throughout the country, and the price of a whole roof built with half-moon tiles was nothing but a drop in the bucket to them. Master Xu was the prince's esteemed tutor. He had two sons. His elder son, Xu Zhi Heng was outstandingly talented and was a student at Han Lin Academy. Since young, he was praised by everyone in the capital city of Jing Cheng. When Xu Zhi Heng was eighteen, he was married to a young lady from a family of generals. The He Family's Second Lord's first daughter, He Yan, became his wife. The He Family's Eldest Lord's first son, He Ru Fei, had been presented the title of General Fei Hong by the emperor himself. The marriage of two people, one with civil virtues and the other with martial virtues, was indeed the perfect union.

"Furen, is there anything you desire for?" A young servant girl wearing thin clothes asked with a crisp voice as she handed over a cup of hot tea.

"I'm going out for a walk." He Yan answered and finished the tea in one shot.

"But it's raining outside..."

"It's fine, I'll use an umbrella."

The servant girl looked at this young lady. The Xu Family was a family of scholars, and all the ladies here dressed up elegantly, including her mistress, He Yan. However, she had a stingy temperament, which made her incompatible with others. Yet, when she wore the azure blue camlet satin dress, He Yan actually looked very gorgeous, and her heroic and distinct features only emphasized her beauty. Her eyes were clear and distant just like the translucent water of a lake... Unfortunately, she was blind.

He Yan wasn't blind at birth. Just after three months of her married life, she suffered from a mysterious disease, and had a high fever for two days and two nights. When she woke up the next day, she had lost her eyesight. The Xu Family tried to find highly qualified doctors to return her eyesight, but did not succeed. Since then, He Yan didn't go out frequently. After all, it was inconvenient for a blind person to go out.

He Yan walked towards the arbor located in the middle of the courtyard's pond.

She had been married to the Xu Family for a year. She had lost her eyesight after the first three months of her conjugal life. She then spent the next nine months learning how to live without her eyesight. She adapted well. It was just that she would occasionally miss her life before her marriage, when she could see. Now, she could hear the sound of raindrops making ripples on the pond water. She could listen the red carps in the pond fighting for food... but she could not see.

An unseen spring scenery could still be a beautiful scenery to a person who couldn't see.

Maybe it was because she lost her eyesight too soon that she couldn't remember Xu Zhi Heng's appearance very well. All she could remember was the Xu Zhi Heng she had met when she was 14. He was a young boy clad in green, smiling warmly as he offered his hand to her. The present Xu Zhi Heng would not offer his hand to her anymore. Even though he treated her gently and politely, she could definitely feel something faintly blocking their relationship.