Chapter 175 - Going Into the Mountains for Military Training, Slag Male’s Shameful Send-Off
Chapter 175 Going Into the Mountains for Military Training, Slag Male’s Shameful Send-Off
Shangguan LingRan stroked the little woman’s slender back. He took a gold chain of dark tourmaline beads off his neck and hung it on Zi You’s neck. “YouYou, this is something that Mufei prayed for me at the temple when I first left the fu. She said that it was blessed with scriptures for forty-nine days in Pei City’s Taihua Temple. It can drive away evil spirits and calamities. I’ll give it to you for your safety.”
“No.” Zi You suddenly looked up. She wanted to take the necklace off her neck. She wasn’t being coy. She knew that Shangguan LingRan’s situation was far more dangerous than hers.
“I can’t take this. You’re in a much more dangerous situation than me in the capital. I have grandfather and uncle protecting me in the mountains. I also have spiritual power and life-saving medicines. But you’re not the same. You are alone in the wolf’s den.
“Shangguan LingRan, listen to me. Your life was saved by me. It doesn’t belong to just you. I also have a share in it. If you get hurt, I won’t let you off! Promise me that you will protect yourself. I can’t live without you…… this ally!”
Her tone was sometimes overbearing and capricious and sometimes it was pleading, like a little woman acting spoiled. It really sounded pleasant in all ways. Her red lips parted and revealed sparkling teeth, like blooming flowers. A pair of rippling and reluctant limpid eyes seemed to be magical and hooked Shangguan LingRan’s soul out.
Shangguan LingRan hugged her tightly. He hated that he couldn’t hug her deep into his bones. “Be good. Keep the tourmalines. I can be at ease then. Let them guard you in my place!”
Zi You no longer insisted. She turned and put all sorts of life-saving and deadly drugs into a box and handed it to him. “You know what some of them are. If you don’t, there are descriptions. Look over them.
“Also, the Emperor decreed to demote my father to Zhili Province’s magistrate. Nee Wang is also locked in the small courtyard next to the ancestral hall. She won’t be able to get out until we come back. But my father is Zhili Province’s magistrate now, so he’s only two hours away from the capital. It is very convenient for him to come back. My grandfather and uncle are not in the house. Only my aunt will be here. I’m afraid that he will……”
“Don’t worry. Shangguan LingRan immediately understood Zi You. “I will keep an eye on her. If not, I’ll have the Empress Dowager come forward.”
“En.” Zi You nodded and relaxed a little.
After dealing with Shangguan Lingluo and Shangguan Botao’s attempted assassination, the decree had been issued to punish Mu YingRui and Wang Yiping.
Because Old General Mu had already punished them, the Emperor had given them lighter punishment. He had only reprimanded Wang Yiping and had her “contemplate her wrongs and not leave the house.” He had demoted Mu YingRui from a fourth-rank prefectural magistrate to a powerless fifth-rank Zhili Province’s magistrate.
As a result, Mu YingRui would go alone to Zhili Province to take up his post. His family would be left in the General’s Manor.
After Old General Mu, Mu YingYi, and Zi You leave, there would only be Nee Liu left. Zi You was afraid that Nee Liu wouldn’t be able to suppress her elder brother-in-law and Wang Yiping. That was why she told Shangguan LingRan to keep an eye on Mu YingRui.
Because Zi You was leaving for the mountains tomorrow, Shangguan LingRan didn’t stay any longer. Although he really didn’t want to leave Zi You, he still reluctantly said, “You have to get up early tomorrow. I won’t stay longer. I will have Lightning (Shangguan LingRan’s gyrfalcon’s name) send you a message if something is wrong. You have to let Feiyun send me a message if something is wrong too.”
“Okay.” Zi You nodded and promised. She sent him to the door of Hundred Herb Garden.
Shangguan LingRan didn’t have his usual carefree and mischievous demeanor. He held Zi You’s small face and kissed her forehead. Then he flew upwards and disappeared.
Zi You looked at the vast night sky. Her mood was fluctuating up and down. She couldn’t calm down for a long time.
In her previous life, An Wang was defeated in battle by the Xiongnus in the north. Shangguan LingRan went missing. If he wasn’t killed by Xuanwu Emperor, then he had gone into hiding from the imperial family.
In this lifetime…… Zi You gritted her teeth. Since she was prepared to open her heart and accept him, then she had to fight against the Emperor and the heavens. She wouldn’t let him end up with the same fate as in her previous life.
There were 650,000 soldiers under Old General Mu’s command. 350,000 were stationed in the south. 300,000 were stationed in the vicinity of the capital.
Old General Mu was bringing 40,000 soldiers for training this time. He was going to switch them for the soldiers stationed in the southern border.
At the same time, half of the female medical team would follow the 40,000 soldiers to the south.
The army was prepared to set off. Taizi, Second Wangzi, and Third Wangzi were ordered by the Emperor to lead hundreds of officials to send Old General Mu off.
Second Wangzi saw the white-clothed Zi You valiantly and cleanly jump down from the horse. His heart couldn’t help but ache.
So many things had happened on New Year. He had sent a letter on the 2nd asking to meet with her. But she had actually used the excuse of being busy because she was preparing for going into the mountains to refuse him. She had someone send him a medicine sachet. It was filled with anti-poison and anti-gu pills.
The messenger had told him, “Xiaojie wants to tell Second Wangzi that the pills can cure hundreds of poisons and that gus will not dare to approach you if you keep the sachet on your person.”
Second Wangzi held the medicine pouch as if he was holding Zi You’s hand. He had thought silently, ‘I want to see you not because of this sachet. I wanted to tell you that I will miss you and worry about you when you leave for the mountains. But why won’t you give me the chance to tell you?’
Third Wangzi had also thought the same as Second Wangzi. He had also sent a letter to Zi You and asked her to meet him. But Zi You had sent someone to reply that, “Xiaojie said that she is getting ready to go into the mountains. She’s too busy, so she doesn’t have time to see Third Wangzi. Xiaojie said to apologize to Third Wangzi! When she returns, she will enter the Palace to thank Third Wangzi for your concern.”
Unlike Second Wangzi, Zi You only had a messenger leave a message. She didn’t give Third Wangzi a letter, much less a sachet.
Taizi looked at Zi You in a complicated mood. The Empress had repeatedly warned him that this little girl was poisonous. He shouldn’t get close to her.
But he looked at her outstanding temperament that was like a Tianshan snow lotus. He couldn’t help but want to get close to her.
He endured for a long time, but he couldn’t endure anymore. He walked over to Zi You and smiled bitterly. “You’er, it will be a long time that we won’t see you since you’re going into the mountains this time. I hope that you will safely return to the capital as soon as possible!”
“Thank you for your well wishes, Taizi! Chennu also wishes Taizi all the best!” Zi You curtsied with a cold expression on her face.
Old General Mu came over then. “Chen thanks the Emperor for his grace! Thank you, Taizi, Second Wangzi, and Third Wangzi for sending Chen off! Chen will set off now.”
“You’er.” Zhao HongXiang hurried breathlessly over.
He had tousled with the tongfang yatou for too long last night. He almost didn’t get up this morning.
His four tongfang yatous had been sold by his father Duke Yongnan. But his mother was afraid that he couldn’t stand the hardship and sent her pretty maidservants to his room. But she had warned him, “Don’t let your father find out or I will be scolded too.”
There was no other way. He feared that his father would find out, so he had to sneak around in the middle of the night to fool around with the two yatous. He then sent them away afterwards.
This led to a serious lack of sleep for him. He almost didn’t get up this morning. His father had sent someone to hurry him and he had rushed over. He hadn’t even eaten breakfast. He was hungry and he was too tired last night. Even his calf and stomach were trembling.
But he had to come. Let’s not mention that Zi You was his fiancée. Even if she wasn’t, the Emperor had ordered Taizi, Second Wangzi, and Third Wangzi to lead hundreds of officials to send Old General Mu off. Even if he was ignorant and had no power, he still had to be there. Besides, he couldn’t give up the Xiaoyao Powder that Zi You had given him.
Zi You looked at Zhao HongXiang’s puffy eyes and unsteady footsteps. She then knew that he had indulged in excessive lust. She couldn’t help but secretly sneer. Nee Chen was really a “caring mother.” But this was good too. With Xiaoyao Powder and women, she didn’t have to do anything and Zhao HongXiang wouldn’t live long anyway.
Zi You did not dismount. The army had started setting off already. You’re too late. I can’t jump off the horse under everyone’s gaze and bid you goodbye. She was disgusted looking at him anyway, so this was perfect.
Zi You cupped her hands on top of the horse and said, “Take care, Shizi. Hope to see you again.” She didn’t even take another look as her horse started moving.
A trace of dissatisfaction appeared in Zhao HongXiang’s heart for the first time. I’m your future husband, at the very least. You don’t even get off your horse to come over and curtsy to me. You just said one line and left. How can a wife be so arrogant in front of her husband?
Look at Xuan’er. She looks at me like I’m the sky. How gentle and passionate she is. Zhao HongXiang remembered the scene when he had met Yu Lanxuan in the Palace that day. His attention couldn’t help but be diverted.
That day, he and Yu Lanxuan had gone to Ronghua Palace Hall to see Zi You, Third Wangzi, and Second Gongzhu going to Yaohua Palace.
He had wanted to rush over there. But Yu Lanxuan had twisted her foot. He couldn’t just leave her there, right? So, he had looked around and picked her up to go into Ronghua Palace Hall. He had wanted to get a doctor for her, but who knew that Yu Lanxuan would hung onto him?
“Shizi, don’t leave me. I’m scared……”
That voice was very sweet and coquettish to the bone! He had turned numb and pounced over to the little yatou and started kissing her.
But he didn’t think that the little yatou would go crazy. She even took the initiative to tear off his clothing. If he wasn’t afraid of something happening and had asked, “Has your menses come yet?” he would have pressed her down right then.
In the end, the little yatou shook her head bashfully. He had turned speechless. She is really ***. She hasn’t reached adult age yet [fifteen years old] and wants Ye to press her down. She’s not even afraid of harming her own body……