A general, dressed in a black battle robe and gold armor, wielded a sword that was more than a meter long and rode on a black horse to fight his way out of dozens of enemies. There was a young woman by the side of the castle wall, shivering in fear from the fighting outside. The general knew that these Huns were ruthless and would not let go of this lassie, so he quickly approached the woman, his sword falling on the enemies' necks, blood splashing, and a dozen Huns falling into a pool of blood. He leaned down at an angle of 120 degrees with the horse, put his arms around the lassie's waist, and hooked her in front of his arms. At this time, the enemy had been defeated and withdrew. However, pursuit was not the best strategy due to the lack of dry food in the barracks, so the general brought the lassie back to the barracks to wait for the government to rescue them. The soldiers were very curious about why the cold and murderous general would save a woman whose origin was unknown and bring her back to the barracks. In fact, the general himself could not explain the reason, but there was only one idea in his mind — save the lassie. Although this lassie did not have the appearance of legendary beauty, she was still delicate and charming, which was also unique.
The general took her back to his tent and carefully bandaged her wound. Could I have your name? Why were you outside the castle wall?"
"I have no name, but everyone else calls me Lassie Su. My parents died a few years ago, and I lost my livelihood in my hometown, so I wanted to turn to my relatives. I have walked a long way to come here, only to realize that there was a war. I could not enter the castle gate, and I had no way to retreat. I could only find a hidden place by the wall to hide." She said and began to sob. The yellow candlelight swayed, reflecting on her pale face added a bit of color. Bean-sized tears rolled down quietly, across her cheeks, "What's your name?"
" You can call me Jiang Xun." He looked at her indifferently at first, but the more he looked at her, the more he felt fondness.
"Why did you save me? Aren't you afraid that I'm a spy?" She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said doubtfully with a slight frown.
Jiang Xun looked at the young woman in front of him. She was simple but clever, so he laughed, "Did you learn how to read in your hometown?"
"I never learned to, but there was a private school a few streets next to my house. I secretly go to listen to the teacher's lectures every day, and now I’m able to identify a few words." When it came to reading, Lassie Su replied with light in her eyes.
For some reason, Jiang Xun became more and more curious about this maiden and promised to find her a private school teacher to teach her how to read after the battle.
After a day, the government managed to send dry food. Jiang Xun led the soldiers and raided the Huns according to the route provided by the Hun captives. Five days later, he won a big victory.
Jiang Xun took Lassie Su back to Luoyang in triumph and kept his promise to find her a private school teacher. Since then, Lassie Su had a place to stay. Although she was a servant girl in the General's Mansion, she had the right to study, which was the biggest difference between her and other maids. After Jiang Xun returned to Luoyang, he indulged in feasting and revelry for several days and nights. Although he still had a burly body due to his daily morning training in martial arts, his vigor had weakened a lot. Only then did he remember the lassie he brought back from the frontier fortress the other day. He decided to recuperate and recover, and see how the woman was doing. In the back courtyard of the mansion, Lassie Su had to carry clothes to wash by the river every day, and she had to weave and dye clothes. She only had two hours at noon to study with the teacher; in the evening, she went to the backyard garden to recite while watering the flowers. The days were very satisfying, and her heart was full of gratitude to General Jiang Xun, but every time she thought of the picture of him saving herself on the battlefield, she could not help but feel admiration for him. Given that there was a huge disparity in their statuses, she often laughed at her absurd ideas. As Jiang Xun observed this lassie from time to time, he found that this Lassie Su was very smart. She could memorize the knowledge that she was taught at noon during the evening, and also make exquisite embroidery.
Two months later, Jiang Xun was sent back to the frontier fortress without any warning. Half a year later, he returned to Luoyang with serious injuries. When Lassie Su learned of the news, she volunteered to take care of Jiang Xun. In the hot summer, not only was the wound not easily healed, but it was also easily infected. So, Lassie Su looked after him all night. One night, Jiang Xun woke up in a hazy state and looked at Lassie Su who was holding her chin with one hand and fanning him with the other, closing her eyes tightly. The moonlight outside the window scattered on her black hair, shining on her fair face and exquisite facial features, which showed her gentleness even more. The breeze blew into Jiang Xun's nose with the faint scent of flowers on her body, which perhaps had been produced over time by caring for flowers in the garden every day. Lassie Su did not look like a child of poverty, but rather like the charming daughter of a rich family. Jiang Xun did not wake her up and let her sleep like this, and he could not help but feel a ripple of love for Lassie Su in his heart. After spending many days together during the recovery period, they could feel each other's love.
Unfortunately, when the love was strong and unspoken, there was an sudden war at the frontier. He had to put aside his love and rushed to the border overnight. Under the moonlight on the silent desert, he could not forget the Lassie Su. In the past three years, Huns invaded frequently, and he was afraid that he would never have the chance to go home to see her again. Therefore, he wrote many letters and sent them to her, writing all the unspoken words into each letter.
Soon after, the battle subsided, but news of Jiang Xun's death came from the frontier. Staggering, Lassie Su left the crowd and walked to the pavilion by the pond in the backyard. She did not cry out, but her heart seemed to be blocked by a boulder and it was difficult to breathe. She took out the well-kept letters that Jiang Xun had written to her from her arms and wanted to open them to read again. However, tears blurred her vision, she could not see any of the characters. A few months later, she saw the last letter that the general had written to her clearly, "When I come back, I will marry you."
Lassie Su smiled and fell into a deep sleep, never waking up again.
