The two look at each other.

Without saying anything, Chi Xiaochi guessed it: “He went to see the pigeons?”

Lou Ying nods.

Chu Ziling was Shi Tingyun’s personal servant and naturally could not leave the house at will, but to build up the trust of the forces within the southern border, his network of contacts with the southern border must not be broken.

He even had to sneak in the middle of the night to get the hemlock poison from the southern borderers who followed the Turkic caravan into Wangcheng, so it was clear that meeting and communicating with outsiders could only be done occasionally, and he had to be prepared for both, just in case.

It would have been difficult to pass on information regularly without being discovered if you had actually been in private with someone outside the house.

So it is not difficult to deduce that Chu Ziling secretly kept a pigeon of his own among the dozens of carrier pigeons kept at the general’s residence.

Shi Tingyun trusted him with all his correspondence, and all his letters were sent to him.

Chi Xiaochi lifted his brush and scribbled on the paper with the remaining ink in his ink stone: “Feeding his own pigeons with rice from the General’s residence, he really had the decency to eat this soft meal and even brought a lunch box to pack it.”

Lou Ying can’t stop laughing.

Lou Ying swung his wheelchair closer: “I was quite mean to him earlier.”

Chi Xiaochi said unconcernedly, “How mean can you be.”

Lou Ying smiles.

He didn’t know what his old self was like, but he liked the Chi Xiaochi he was now, didn’t mind his scheming and calculating ways at all, and liked it a lot.

Chi Xiaochi thinks of him in this way, which makes him look like a bit of an idol.

Lou Ying said, “It’s time he started to watch out for me.”

Chi Xiaochi concentrates on the paper: “It’s okay, if he dares to lay a hand on you, I’ll dump his ashes into the sea, the oldest piece of graveyard circle, every now and then you can also feed a seagull, feed a fish or something, humane, one-stop service, 360 degree sea view room ……”

Chi Xiaochi This mouth is for real ……

Lou Ying patiently listened to him babble out a bunch of graveyard boy kicks before he gently said, “I’m just a little sorry that I can’t help you more in my current state.”

Chi Xiaochi’s heart flutters and he turns his head to look at him.

Lou Ying is a very measured person who doesn’t try to be a pushover and knows how to show weakness.

Chi Xiaochi looked at him and said, “You just have to be there.”

Lou Ying laughs, “That’s an easy request, it could be a little harder.”

Chi Xiaochi said, “Play futsal with me.”

He pushes the typed, gridded paper through.

Lou Ying pens the book and joins him in the army tent to play a trivia game played in the primary school classroom.

In the evening, the two men’s cots were still placed in one place.

The marching couch is on the small side and two of them together are still not quite enough.

Shi Tingyun was a tall man, eight feet tall, with long hands and feet, and he did not like to sleep in a bed when he was fighting in the past.

This time, however, he is accompanied by the all-important Shu.

He said that he had seen a dragonfly on the road today, and the clouds were low in the evening, so it was likely to rain in the evening, so sleeping on the ground would be too cold.

As Shu said, a light drizzle began to fall outside around 11 o’clock.

As it was early spring, it was still a bit chilly, so Ah Shu took care of the gongzi master with thick bedding and soup maids.

About three minutes past eleven o’clock.

Chu Ziling went to see the pigeon coop and set up the sheet, then was called by some of his former acquaintances who had been on the battlefield, laughed for a while and then returned to the Prince’s tent with his oil paper umbrella.

A small glimmer of fire prances in front of the tent.

Chu Ziling came forward with his umbrella and saw that Li Yeshu was building a fire.

The light of the fire lit up his face and a ginger aroma rose from the small iron pot in front of him.

Chu Ziling took the initiative and went up to greet him: “Giving himself a little treat.”

Li Yeshu, sweating from the heat of the fire, kept beating the fan in her hand: “You’re really strong-mouthed, you smell it, don’t you?”

He took a small porcelain bowl and handed a small spoonful to Chu Ziling.

Chu Ziling took it and jokingly said, “So little.”

Li Yeshu closed the lid: “This is purple ginger bought from the Turkic people, I heard it is especially good for cold stomachs. You have a different constitution from the Gongzi master, your stomach is not cold and your fire is still strong, so just drink less and taste it.”

Chu Ziling gave an imperceptible lurch, and the ginger soup that had been in his mouth flowed all the way down to his stomach, where he felt no comfort but a choking sensation.

When he entered the General’s residence, he was delighted to meet a fellow Southlander, but after spending time with him, Chu Ziling realised that Li Yeshu was too clingy and not a man for greatness.

One kind of water breeds a hundred kinds of people, and since we can’t count on him, we won’t.

Chu Ziling refuses to trust anyone but himself.

But to see Li Yeshu ingratiating himself with a foreigner, a sinner, was still a sad and humble experience for Chu Ziling.

He was always good at hiding his emotions, so Li Yeshu was unaware of them and continued to ramble on about his new master: “I have learned a lot from serving Master Gongzi in the past half month. Master Gongzi is thoughtful and dreamy at night and is prone to convulsions, so he can only fall asleep again after drinking some hot soup. It is raining this day, so some ginger soup would be most comforting.”

He put away his umbrella and crouched down into the sheet, saying in a gentle voice, “You have treated the Master well.”

Li Yeshu said, “This is what we should do as slaves.”

Chu Ziling does not answer, smiling as if he agrees with him, but inwardly he snickers.

…… who is “we” with you.

Chu Ziling looked regretful: “I don’t think Master Gongzi likes me very much.”

Li Yeshu was unconcerned: “It’s fine, if there’s something wrong, just change it. You’ve never served another master, you don’t know what the boys are like.”

”It is a rule that young women are not accepted as slaves within the General’s residence, you know that.” Li Yeshu said, “At that time, Ah Qing was very young and had just reached the height of a table, so it was the general’s decision to send Ah Qing to be Miss Qi’s little maid. Miss Qi was gentle and quiet, a good master, but every time I visited my family, I heard Ah Qing talk about what was going on in the house, and I was always staggered. Just last month, there was a young man in Mr. Qi’s courtyard who had grown up with him and was caught selling his master’s things. Who said anything? They say that the Qi family is strict in their governance. And look at our son ……”

Chu Ziling is a pretty good listener, distracted by his own preoccupations and listening to Li Yeshu’s chatter, with appropriate “hmms” and “yeses” at key points.

If he hadn’t had the ability to be so smooth and intelligent, he wouldn’t have endeared himself to Shi Tingyun.

In the time it took Li Yeshu to write a small treatise in praise of his son, Wen, he had already made several plans.

This Yu is not easy to deal with, he is sarcastic and mean, and most importantly, he is sharp-eyed and sensitive, a very difficult person to deal with.

In the past, he did not even see the light of day, so Chu Ziling did not think much of him.

But today the situation is different again.

He is very close to the Duke and cannot be easily moved.

If you can’t kill them, then you should be more pleasant.

Having made up his mind on this, Li Yeshu also began his concluding statement: “…… Gongzi Shi is already considered generous, if in front of other noblemen, not to mention calling themselves by their names, ‘you’ ah ‘I ‘ nonsense name, will be punished.”

The reminder was well-intentioned, but it inadvertently stung Chu Ziling.

Punished?

When he was young and had too much fun outside, he had to eat the cane along with him and confess that he knew he was wrong and would take care of him in the future.

When he was ridiculed by Yan Yuanzhao as a child for “climbing up the ladder” and “being so smooth”, he had to smile and say that I wouldn’t dare.

Did he deserve such treatment given his lineage?

He properly collected his heart’s injustice and did not let it show on the surface: “I know. When the ginger soup is ready, I will send it in for the gongzi master.”

At these words, Li Yeshu was relieved.

He was a bit worried that Chu Ziling, who had not been reprimanded for a long time, might have something against his master and cause discord between them.

He smiled with a frown and said, “Yes, yes. Later when the ginger soup is ready ……”

As he spoke, he raised his eyes and was busy putting down his bushel fan, rising to salute, “Thirteenth Prince!”

It was close to Yan Yuanheng’s daily bedtime. He changed into civilian clothes, washed up, and sat down on the couch for a while, thinking that he missed Shi Tingyun a little.

He used to miss this when he was in the palace, but then he couldn’t leave the palace at will, and when he lay down and thought about it, he fell asleep.

And now Shi Tingyun is within easy reach of his feet.

He took a few hesitant steps and was about to leave when Li Yeshu shouted out to him, and his heart beat a little.

He turned calmly and approached with his umbrella, “Hush. Su Chang rested already?”

Chu Ziling replied, “Back to the Thirteenth Prince, yes.”

Yan Yuanheng casually asked, “Why are you so early?”

As far as he can remember, Shi Tingyun loves to laugh and have fun, and when he returned to Wangcheng, he used to sail on the lake with his sixth brother, listening to the pipa and enjoying the beauty, and returning at midnight. ……

…… is the sixth royal brother again.

It’s a good thing that this time it’s not the sixth royal brother who is going to the border with the army, otherwise if Stop Cloud is unable to help himself, it’s impossible to say that he will ……

Yan Yuanheng was vaguely cheerful when he heard Chu Ziling say, “Your master is not well and needs to go to bed early, so you will follow him and rest.”

Yan Yuanheng’s worldview is unsettled: “……”

Chu Ziling added, “The Duke has slept with the Duke’s Master day after day for the past half month, resting early, and I am somewhat in awe of the Duke’s Master for being able to subdue the Duke to this extent.”

Yan Yuanheng was struck twice in a row, unable to speak.

His fingers gripping the umbrella unconsciously tightened a little: “Stop Cloud respects his teacher and should also deserve his share.”

When he said this, there was a moment of silence in all directions and all that could be heard was the rain.

The three of them were reminded of Shi Tingyun, who dared to pour ink into the snuff bottle of the Doctor of the Imperial Academy when they were young.

This is too much, all three of them are a bit vain, and even Li Yeshu cannot boast.

…… asks the question, when is it really necessary to sleep in one place.

However, Yan Yuanheng quickly put his mind at rest.

The two of them are teachers and students, but to think so nasty of themselves is really polluting this friendship.

Yan Yuanheng turned around to leave when a sudden movement occurred in his heart.

He remembers asking Shi Tingyun who his beloved one was.

Shi Tingyun’s response at the time was, “You haven’t seen it.”

…… Having said that, he had never really met the ” Yu Fengmian”, only sweeping a wheelchair with a man wearing a power fence on it from afar during his camp patrol. Judging from the hand on the wheelchair, it was not the white-bearded old man he had imagined. Although a little too thin, the warm and partially cold aura was truly remarkable.

Yan Yuanheng had already turned around, so he could not turn around and ask for more information, so he left with a belly full of questions.

Yan Yuanheng returned to his tent with his head hurting even more than before he left.

If Su Chang likes A Ling, the difference in status between the master and the servant is so great that it is like a rift in the sky.

If he liked the sixth royal brother, how could it be possible for the son of the royal family and the general’s house? Let’s not talk about whether Father would be furious, although the Sixth Imperial Brother has no proper wife, there has never been a precedent in this dynasty for a man to be married explicitly as a proper wife.

If he liked Yu Fengmian, it would be even more absurd, for a teacher-student relationship is a breach of virtue and would be poked in the back.

After Yan Yuanheng had done a round, he found that all the questions from multiple choice to quiz were deadly.

Who exactly does his best friend like.

Every day at midnight, Yan Yuanheng must fall asleep, and in a short time, sleep comes regularly.

His mind was still dazed with thoughts of Shi Tingyun.

Before he fell asleep, his mind was not quite under control and a somewhat absurd thought drifted into his head.

In comparison, Su Chang is the only match for the sixth royal brother.

If the sixth royal brother can, then ……

He did not have time to catch the ethereal glimpse of his mind and fell into a deep sleep.

Yan Yuanheng fell asleep with his mind full of worries, but the person he was thinking of was still awake.

The blankets were warm and dry, and the sound of the modest rain outside, rustling on the floor, was hypnotic.

Lou Ying had slept for a while when we set up camp today and was not very sleepy at the moment.

They listened to the rustling of voices outside the tent, hearing Yan Yuanheng come and go, talking in between, and with the sound of the rain outside, it sounded cozy in a different way.

Chi Xiaochi said, “The bed is really a bit small, it won’t squeeze the gentleman, will it?”

The word “sir”, when spoken by Chi Xiaochi, is soft and warm.

Lou Ying said, “It’s okay, I’m thin.”

Chi Xiaochi said, “She’s too skinny too, she should be fattened up.”

Lou Ying said, “Two people can’t lie down when they’re fat.”

Chi Xiaochi said, “Then I’ll be thinner, and keep constant.”

Lou Ying said, “Well, you and I keep constant.”

At this point, Chi Xiaochi is silent and so is Lou Ying.

Outside the tent the sound of the wind and rain was so soft and gentle that it could not be heard clearly through the tent, the only thing that was clear was the breathing and heartbeat of the people inside.

Lou Ying was so close to him that he could brush his taut, curled legs through the covers.

It’s been half a month and he’s still like this, his body is always unnatural whenever he’s lying with himself and he always tells Lou Ying to worry that he’ll suffocate himself until he gets a cramp.

Thanks to him, he was able to speak to himself in such a pretentious and relaxed manner.

The wind and rain outside got a little louder, the raindrops hitting the tarp with a muffled thud.

Lou Ying starts counting Chi Xiaochi’s heartbeats.

One, two, three.

After a while, Chi Xiaochi asked, “Are you asleep?”

Lou Ying rested her head gently against Chi Xiaochi’s round wooden pillow and looked at his silhouette in the darkness: “No.”

Both of them have long hair and their pillows are next to each other, so when their hair is spread out, there is a vague tendency to intertwine them, making it difficult to distinguish between you and me.

Chi Xiaochi said, “So why don’t you say something.”

Lou Ying said, “Thought you wanted to sleep.”

Chi Xiaochi said, “Sir, early to bed and early to rise, health comes first, look at the thirteenth prince, that is all running to live at that ancient age.”

Lou Ying : “Yes, as you command, I will sleep.”

He smiled and counted silently to eighty-nine.

A moment ago it was still seventy-nine strokes per minute.

Those ten heartbeats, were they for yourself.

Lou Ying’s gaze is softer, passing through Shi Tingyun’s flesh and gazing silently at Chi Xiaochi inside, at the small mole at the end of his brow, the slightly longer end of his eyes, the straight tip of his nose.

He wanted to kiss him with his eyes, say goodnight and go back to sleep.

His gaze, at last, fell on his lips.

He opened and closed his lips in a count.

Seventy-one, seventy-two, seventy-three ……

Lou Ying froze for a long moment as he watched the silent fluttering of his lips.

…… I don’t think so?

But he couldn’t help but be curious.

He spoke up and asked, “…… How many strokes?”

Chi Xiaochi snapped his head around to look at him.

The one remaining lamp in the tent is a red candle, reflecting a pale red all around, so Lou Ying cannot tell if Chi Xiaochi’s face is flushed.

Fortunately for Chi Xiaochi, he can’t see himself there either.

The only thing the two could tell was that the other’s heart was beating a little faster than it had been earlier.

”It was seventy-three strokes per minute earlier, now ……” Chi Xiaochi paused for a long time before surprisingly speaking out, “I don’t know anymore.”

”It was eighty-nine strokes per minute just now.” Lou Ying contained a smile, “Now it’s ……”

He closed his eyes slightly and pondered for a moment, “Ninety, ninety-one ……”

Each heartbeat tugged at his heartstrings.

Two hearts, each beating deafeningly inside the other’s chest.

Chi Xiaochi tried to digress, “The gentleman’s heart is very vigorous, keep it up and you’ll live to be ninety-nine.”

Lou Ying said, “Then may I ask you to count beside me all the time?”

Chi Xiaochi didn’t say anything.

Lou Ying then waited.

He was actually prepared to wait for no response and was ready to wait and sleep through it, forgetting about it and starting all over again the next day at dawn.

To my surprise, after a few seconds, there was a sound from Chi Xiaochi.

He said, “…… hmmm.”

Lou Ying keeps reminding herself that Chi Xiaochi is using someone else’s body.

However, it was a simple “yes” that blew Lou Ying’s mind.

His legs were weak, but his seemingly weak back and arm strength had long since returned to normal, and he took hold of Chi Xiaochi’s wrist, trying to temporarily extricate his spirit from his body.

He wanted to kiss him, a lot.

Chi Xiaochi felt a strange sense of withdrawal, and his heart moved slightly, forgetting his feelings for a moment, he did as he wished and rolled out of Shi Tingyun’s body, even taking the initiative to use a card to take on a physical form and ride around Lou Ying’s waist.

The bed creaked with a muffled thud.

Looking down at Lou Ying’s face, Chi Xiaochi is panting like an asthmatic, topped by her heartbeat.

Lou Ying is a bit funny, but more than that, she is heartbroken.

He gently reassured, “Listen to me, breathe, breathe, take it easy ……”

Chi Xiaochi also really listened to him, his forehead heaving violently a few times, “Sir, I ……”

Lou Ying reached out and held him by the waist, “Slowly, let’s take it slow. …… a little better.”

Chi Xiaochi nods his head, so well behaved that Lou Ying wants to kiss him on the eyes.

Lou Ying also suppressed a bit of a stuttering heartbeat: “Bend over. It’s not very convenient for me. ……”

Before the words were out of his mouth, there was a surprising sound of the curtain being lifted outside, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Chi Xiaochi, horrified, immediately rolled back into Shi Tingyun’s body and closed his eyes to pretend to be asleep.

Lou Ying : “…………”

Chu Ziling, who had been thinking of pleasing him, heard the sound of a bed in the tent outside and thought that it was the gongzi master who had woken up.

Chu Ziling entered straight away and when he saw Yu Fengmian’s eyes were indeed open, he knelt down respectfully and said, “Master Gongzi, here is some ginger soup, please use it.”

The voice from the couch sounded gloomy, “Who gave you permission to come in?”

Chu Ziling was stunned.

In the past, when he entered the tent, the Prince had tacitly agreed that he could enter without being greeted.

Moreover, he had seen Shu enter to serve at night in the past, and had not knocked on the door in order not to disturb the dreams of the gentleman in the same room.

He had just looked up in surprise when he heard a reprimand, “Get out.”

Chu Ziling : “……”

Yu Fengmian looked really angry: “What, do you want me to kick you out?”

Chu Ziling was mortified.

This was clearly aimed at him!

Luckily, he had good cultivation, and after putting down the ginger soup, he apologized politely, “Sorry, it was Zi …… A Ling who was ill-considered and startled the gongzi master, A Ling knows his mistake and will go out immediately.”

He took two steps back and was just about to turn around when he heard a cold cry from behind him, “Go and kneel in the rain. Get up again in three hours.”

Chu Ziling, in one of his rare moments of anger, came out of the house, startling Li Yeshu, who had heard the angry voices outside and was confused.

Seeing him on his knees among the mud, Li Yeshu was even more puzzled, asking him what had happened and why he had offended the male master.

Chu Ziling really felt that he had been wronged this time, and after listening to his story, Li Yeshu was a bit puzzled: “Perhaps it was because Master Gongzi had a wake-up call.”

Chu Ziling tried to smile as he suppressed his discontent, “It’s fine, it doesn’t matter.”

Li Yeshu took an umbrella and stood beside Chu Ziling to shield him from the rain: “I’ll stay with you.”

Chu Ziling gently pushed him away, “No need. Master Gongzi wants me to kneel in the rain for three hours, so that’s three hours, not a moment less.”

…… He must not give that Yu Fengmian any more chances to nitpick.

Li Yeshu only thought that he was respecting the gongzi master, so he was a little touched and no longer mentioned the matter of covering up the rain, boiled ginger soup and brought it to him, and then arranged to find him thick clothes.

The hot ginger soup burned its way into his stomach, not only did it fail to calm his anger, but it also inflamed his heart.

The mud seeped through the trousers, wetting the knees and making them sticky.

Li Yeshu leaves to fetch his clothes, while he stares deathly at the breezy curtain, his eyes seemingly calm but burning with a dark fire inside.

After sending Chu Ziling away, Lou Ying breathes a sigh of relief and hangs her head to say something to Chi Xiaochi when she realises that he has already fallen asleep.

He thought he was faking it until he realised something was wrong and went to the warehouse to have a look.

Chi Xiaochi flung himself a hypnotic card and the dream vanished.

…… this guy.

Lou Ying is angry and amused.

This man is like a rabbit. Whenever he is in danger, he dives into a hole and doesn’t know where he is, which always makes him hard to find.

It’s not usually like this.

He pulled the covers up for Chi Xiaochi and, unable to resist, pinched the tip of his spiritual body’s nose.

Feeling the spirit instinctively shrink back, Lou Ying softened his heart and whispered in his ear, “Good night.”