Chapter 68068 [Newly revised] You are not afraid, but I am afraid...

The soldier waiting beside Xie Zhan scratched his ears in disbelief.

Who is this young lady? How dare she address the general by his name?

He thought the general would be displeased, but unexpectedly he turned around slowly, his figure seemed to flash, and then he strode forward and hugged the young lady tightly in his arms.

The soldier's jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"Loosen up a little, I can't breathe." Yun Sheng turned his head and hit Xie Zhan's shoulder.

"Ah Sheng, didn't I ask Bai Yuanbao to send you away? How did you end up in Meng Town?"

Xie Zhan didn't dare to blink, for fear that the person in front of him would disappear in the next moment.

He held Yun Sheng's face in his hands, it was warm, it was not an illusion.

Yun Sheng felt that she should push him away, but when she thought about how he had just been through a fierce battle and must be physically and mentally exhausted, she softened her heart for a moment.

She pursed her lips and explained the whole story in a few words.

Xie Zhan felt a wave of fear. His face darkened as he softly rebuked, "Nonsense! How can you treat a battlefield as a joke? This Bai Yuanbao, I think he really doesn't want his life anymore."

Yun Sheng glared at him and demanded, "What do you mean, Lord? Who treats the battlefield as a joke? Besides, I insisted on coming to the battlefield, and Steward Bai couldn't stop me. If Lord Marquis wants to blame him and chop off his head, why not chop off mine first?"

Xie Zhanmei's heart was pounding. Chopping off her head would be no different from digging out his heart alive.

Yun Sheng felt very bored. This man never said a nice word.

She gently pushed Xie Zhan away, and Xie Zhan didn't notice and took a few steps back.

This man was indeed a disaster for thousands of years. She looked at him and nothing happened to him.

Afterwards, Yun Sheng learned from the military doctor that Xie Zhan had feigned defeat in order to lower the Tuqu people's guard. Xie Zhan also learned from the military doctor how hard Yun Sheng had worked during this period, that she could both prescribe medicine to save lives and boost the morale of the women.

Xie Zhan stared at Yun Sheng, his heart swelling.

He was wrong, he was so wrong. He had always thought that Yun Sheng couldn't live without him, so she could only depend on him, and she couldn't live without him.

Because of his arrogance, Xie Zhan never thought that Yun Sheng would leave him one day.

But later, the fire and the fake corpse were like two hard slaps in his face.

It’s not that Yun Sheng can’t leave him, it’s that he can’t leave Yun Sheng.

Xie Zhan finally realized that Yun Sheng could live a good life without him.

She was no longer his concubine, but Lady Yun, who was known by others as someone who could heal illnesses and save lives.

He realized Yun Sheng's goodness only later and even regretted it.

He had been wrong all along.

Xie Zhan looked up, his eyes sore.

The military doctor, unaware of their past, teased Yun Sheng, "So the lover Madam Yun was thinking about that night was the general?"

Yun Sheng didn't refute him, but just smiled faintly.

After the war, in addition to cleaning up the battlefield, the soldiers still had to be on high alert after recuperation, as no one knew when the Tuqu people would make a comeback.

However, this defeat should give the other side some peace for a while, and we should be able to have a good New Year.

What no one expected was that horse plague was still unavoidable after the war and was transmitted from animals to humans. Soldiers in the barracks soon fell ill and were immediately isolated by military doctors.

Fortunately, plague is not uncommon. The military doctors all have prescriptions left by the imperial physicians of the previous dynasty, which they have improved. In addition to the patients infected with the plague, everyone has to drink a large bowl of it just in case.

There were not enough people at the front, so Yun Sheng wanted to go to the barracks with the military doctor to help. Xie Zhan was the first to be reluctant. He said in a deep voice, "You don't know how serious this epidemic is. If you really get it, you can have a fever for days. Even strong men can't survive it. Are you really not afraid?"

Yun Sheng was just a mortal, a common person, so of course she was afraid. But she had witnessed the cruelty of war with her own eyes, and the current situation did not allow her to be afraid.

She pursed her lips and shook her head. "I know everything the Marquis said, but if I really don't help out of fear of death, my conscience will be uneasy. I have already taken the medicine in advance and will protect my mouth and nose. God will not be so unkind to me."

Xie Zhan stepped forward, grabbing Yun Sheng's shoulders tightly, with redness at the corners of his eyes.

"You are not afraid, but I am."

"I'm so scared that I can't sleep or eat." His voice was trembling, and he hugged Yun Sheng tightly in his arms.

Yun Sheng closed her eyes and smiled bitterly, "Then I'd like to ask you, Lord Marquis. Were you ever scared every time you went to the battlefield? Were you scared the first time you followed the old Lord to the battlefield?"

First time going to the battlefield with your father?

Xie Zhan was stunned. Of course he was afraid.

He was still a young man at that time, but although he was afraid, he could not hide his excitement in his heart. This meant that his father trusted him. From now on, he could fight side by side with his father to defend the country and protect this land and the people on this land.

However, going to the battlefield was nothing. Killing someone for the first time on the battlefield was the real test for Xie Zhan.

He still vividly remembered the moment he chopped off the enemy's head, their eyes wide open like bells, their eyes wide open in death. Blood splattered all over his face, and Xie Zhan stared at the bodies scattered around him. His mind went blank, and only a glaring red remained in his eyes.

Afterwards, his father went to the rooftop with a pot of liquor to find him and patted his shoulder: "Today is my son's first time on the battlefield killing people. He must be scared. Xingzhi, don't feel guilty."

"Father, I..." Xie Zhan's voice was hoarse.

"This is the first time your uncles and I have killed someone, and our reactions are even greater than yours." Father seemed to sigh, "After all, these are real lives, and they ended in our own hands like this. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

"Ke Xingzhi, remember this. If you can't get over the hurdle in your heart, you can't be a general. If you don't kill the enemy, they will kill you and the millions of people you protect."

What his father said that night was an epiphany for Xie Zhan.

Yes, fighting between two armies was just that cruel. He had never been afraid of going to the battlefield since then.

He could not bring shame to his father, nor could he bring shame to the Dingbei Army. The most important thing was not to disappoint the monarch and the people.

When Yun Sheng saw Xie Zhan recalling the past and remaining silent for a long time, she had the answer.

"Your Majesty was afraid before, wasn't he?" Yun Sheng smiled. "But even if you were afraid, you still defended Beiting for five years, regardless of your own safety, for the sake of this land and its people."

She glanced out the window and muttered to herself, "My Lord, you are a real man, protecting your country. How can you look down on me just because I'm a little woman? You gentlemen can do your part, and I, your wife, can't just hide behind you. In the face of a great war, how can I just do it for myself?"

Xie Zhan moved his lips. "Ah Sheng, you know this is not what I meant. Who can look down on you now? I am just worried about your safety."

"If the old Marquis had insisted on not sending you to the battlefield because he was worried about your safety, what would you have thought?"

Xie Zhan was speechless. He felt that his father did not trust him enough.

He gently stroked Yun Sheng's tough brows. It wasn't that he didn't trust her enough. He had seen how hard she had been working these days. He just didn't trust himself enough.

Xie Zhan's heart was gripped with grief. He was afraid that he would not be able to protect her. He was afraid that his inability would cause him to suffer and regret for the rest of his life.

"A'man is still so young, A'sheng... don't you really want to consider her?" Xie Zhan said with difficulty in his throat.

"Be obedient and pack your bags today. I will send you to see A-Man. You are not allowed to come back."

When Yun Sheng mentioned his daughter, his heart ached.

She bit her pale lips hard, forcing herself to push back the tears in her eyes.

The person she felt most sorry for in this world was her A-man, but she had no choice.

"When the Marquis went to the battlefield, he must have been worried about the old lady at home." Yun Sheng wiped his face and asked back.

Xie Zhan closed his eyes. She didn't need to say anything more, as he already understood her completely.

The current Yun Sheng is no longer the timid young lady in the Marquis' Mansion. She no longer needs to hide under his wings and be protected by him, but is now the Lady Yun who can fight alongside him.

How could Xie Zhan not understand the truth?

But he had already lost Yun Sheng once, and he couldn't bear the pain of losing her a second time.

Xie Zhan looked over intently. He could have kidnapped her like he had done before, but when Yun Sheng looked at him with those determined eyes, he knew that if he really acted like he had done before, Yun Sheng would never forgive him.

"Since you have made up your mind, come with me to the military camp." He sighed softly and finally compromised.

He would never let anything happen to her.

Yun Sheng's eyelashes trembled, and his expression was quite surprised.

Xie Zhan...seems like something has changed, not like before.

The military camp was full of men, so to make things easier, Xie Zhan prepared a set of fitted men's clothing for Yun Sheng, and the tent was also arranged on his side.

After a few days, Xie Zhan reminded Yun Sheng to take the medicine every day without missing a bowl, and to use alcohol to disinfect it every day. Seeing that Yun Sheng had no reaction, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The improved prescription sounds simple, but to actually put it into practice one has to toil day and night in reading medical books, constantly making soups and trying them out, until the plague can be completely suppressed.

Yun Sheng took over the task, probably because she suddenly remembered that the notes left by her master had recorded a prescription for plague. No matter what, it was a way after all.

The stove in the small kitchen was burning brightly. The medicine boy fanned the stove while covering his nose as he lifted the medicine jar. The pungent bitter smell of medicine filled the entire room.

Yun Sheng frowned, leaned over and sniffed, then instructed, "It's still not right. Try adding another two ounces of Coptis chinensis and one ounce of Forsythia suspensa."

The medicine boy wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed again.

Before I knew it, it was already getting dark outside. Since the beginning of winter, the nights in Beiting had been falling earlier and earlier.

The medicine pot on the stove was still bubbling with steam. The medicine boy turned his head and glanced at Yun Sheng, then quietly lowered his footsteps.

The door of the house was pushed open with a creak. The medicine boy looked up and saw the person coming. Before he could even shout "General", Xie Zhan signaled him to be quiet.

He raised his eyelids slightly and saw Yun Sheng lying on the edge of the table, half of his cute and innocent face showing while his palm was still tightly pressing the thick medical book.

Xie Zhan walked closer and saw that Yun Sheng's eyes were a little tired and his expression was a little haggard, and he felt distressed.

He didn't want to wake anyone up, so he took off his black cloak and gently draped it over Yun Sheng's shoulders.

Yun Sheng moaned softly twice, then rubbed her eyes and opened them.

She was surprised and asked, "My Lord, why are you here?"

"Did I wake you up?" Xie Zhan pursed his lips.

"No." Yun Sheng straightened up. "I was just taking a nap. I still have most of the medical book to read."

She glanced at the cloak on her body and was about to take it off and return it to Xie Zhan. Xie Zhan held her shoulders, turned his head and coughed twice: "Put it on. It's freezing cold. After all, your body can't compare to mine who has been practicing martial arts since childhood."

Yun Sheng said helplessly: "I have one too. Didn't the Marquis have two made for me?"

Xie Zhan said calmly: "A Sheng, are you disgusted with even my clothes now?"

He insisted on doing so, so Yun Sheng stopped arguing with him. In some ways, this man was still as strong and overbearing as before.

"Okay, I'll send it to the Marquis later."

Xie Zhan's brows finally relaxed and he hummed softly.

There was a long silence between the two of them, and the atmosphere suddenly became silent. He raised his hand, wanting to touch Yun Sheng's head, but withdrew his hand mid-air and advised, "Fang Zi can't be improved in a short time. If you exhaust yourself, it will be a waste of time. It's late, go back and rest early."

"Your Excellency is right. I'll watch for a moment."

Xie Zhan nodded, lowered his eyes and said, "Okay, then I'll leave."

Yun Sheng watched his departing figure. She hesitated, wanting to speak, and then said, "The Tuque people are treacherous. My Lord, you must be more careful when patrolling."

Although the enemy has temporarily withdrawn, it is inevitable that they will take advantage of the epidemic to invade. Therefore, Xie Zhan has to take a small team of people to take turns on duty every day recently.

Xie Zhan stopped walking and raised his lips: "Ah Sheng, are you really concerned about me?"

"No, I'm concerned about the general."

Xie Zhan didn't look back and chuckled.

Yun Sheng bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, and she suddenly regretted having said too much.