Chapter 104: Expedition

In the early morning at Yangshan Pass, the sun shines on the soldiers who are ready to go.

In the pass, Zhao Fangye's tens of thousands of soldiers were all wearing armor, with their heads held high, their eyes determined and their spirits high. The armor on his body gleamed silver in the morning light.

Zhao Fangye sat on the leading warhorse with a stern expression on his face, and beside him were Lan Feng and Feng Zhen, both riding on horses.

The Song family and Sun Shuo all stood beside them to see them off.

However, the most important person in the farewell was absent. Lin Rugui looked left and right but did not see Song Huaixi. Doubts arose in my mind.

Logically speaking, Huai Xi should not be absent from such an important day. He turned around and called Chaolu who was serving Song Huaixi: "Chaolu, where is Huaixi? The army is about to set out. Why is he not here?"

"My lady, the princess is sleeping."

"Still sleeping? Child. Today is the day when the army is going to the battle. Why don't you wake up the princess?"

Zhaolu was serving in the room last night so she naturally knew what was going on: "The prince specifically told us not to wake the princess."

Last night, Song Huaixi was very tired. Zhao Fangye got up in the morning but did not wake him up. He was sleeping soundly in the main tent at the moment.

Seeing that it was Zhao Fangye who instructed it, Lin Rugui stopped asking questions. The last time Song Huaixi went to Hanzhou, he was absent-minded. This time he has to send Zhao Fangye to the battlefield with his own eyes. He must feel bad at that time.

Lin Rugui sighed softly and said nothing more, with a hint of worry in his eyes. Song Zigen reached out and embraced his wife. They all knew what Zhao Fangye's departure meant.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.

Sun Shuo supported Zhao Fangye's warhorse, but he still felt unwilling. Trying to plead: "My Lord..."

The prince actually ordered him to stay in the camp for this expedition. He had been by Zhao Fangye's side for so many years, and he was always by his side whenever Zhao Fangye went on an expedition.

But in this battle, he couldn't accompany Zhao Fangye to charge into battle.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Zhao Fangye lowered his light-colored eyes slightly. Her eyes fell on him and her tone was serious.

"Sun Shuo, you have been the best deputy general by my side for so many years. Putting aside the difference between the monarch and his subjects, I have long regarded you as my brother."

"Your Highness..." Sun Shuo was stunned when he heard these words suddenly. His emotions were churning and he didn't know what to say.

"So, I choose to leave my back to you. Protect Huaixi and his family." Zhao Fangye paused, raised his head and looked towards the main tent.

Suddenly her tone softened a bit: "Tell him that I will come back to pick him up as soon as possible. Tell him not to be sad. Wait for me."

Sun Shuo knelt on the ground with a thud, and said in a resounding voice: "Yes! Your Majesty. I swear that I will protect the princess and the Song family with my life. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Nodding with satisfaction, Zhao Fangye looked at the army behind him and nodded to Lan Feng beside him to signal them to march out.

"The army is marching out!" Sikou Lanfeng's voice echoed through the entire Yangshan Pass along with the chilly autumn wind in the early morning.

The Song family and Sun Shuo watched the army gradually disappear in the Yangshan Pass in the morning light. He didn't look away until it was completely out of sight.

Zhao Fangye sat on the warhorse, holding the reins in one hand and slowly stroking his chest with the other hand, lost in thought.

Inside the armor was the jade pendant that Song Huaixi gave him when he set out for Hanzhou. It was a lifelike little rabbit with Song Huaixi's birth date written on it.

It is his own safety pendant.

As a woman, Sikou Lanfeng's mind is naturally more delicate than that of ordinary people. She noticed Zhao Fangye's expression and said carefully: "Will the princess be very sad and upset when she finds out that she didn't send the prince to the battle?"

Putting his hands down from his chest, Zhao Fangye looked straight ahead without answering. After a long while, he said, "The reason why I didn't let him come is because I was afraid to see him sad."

After hearing this, Sikou Lanfeng was moved and once again sighed at the friendship between the two of them.

After sleeping until noon, Song Huaixi opened his eyes in the quilt. The mattress beside him had been cold for a long time. Song Huaixi reached out and touched it, but when he opened his eyes and saw that Zhao Fangye was not there, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Zhaolu heard the noise and walked in with toiletries: "Princess, are you awake? Get up and wash up and eat something."

"Yeah. I'll get up now." Song Huaixi stretched in the quilt and slowly got up. Let the morning dew help me dress and wash.

After cleaning up, Song Huaixi started to have lunch. What was made was his favorite goose oil roll with loose filling. Song Huaixi picked one up and took a bite. It tasted exactly the same as the one in Beijing, and was no longer the same as the one he usually made in the northwest.

"Hey!" Song Huaixi covered his mouth while chewing, his eyes wide open in surprise, "This tastes so good!"

Seeing that he liked it, Chaolu explained, "This was made by Chef Wang. It's his specialty in the palace."

"Chef Wang?" Song Huaixi had no impression of this person: "Who is it?"

"Princess, have you forgotten that it was the prince who brought him out from the palace? Didn't you like eating the goose fat rolls made by him the most in the palace?"

"It's him!" After hearing this, Song Huaixi remembered.

"Yes, the prince specially asked someone to bring him here from the capital. He will be the one to cook for the princess from now on. The princess can just let him know what she wants to eat." Chaolu said with a smile.

Song Huaixi felt warm in his heart when he heard this. He ate a few more bites and then realized that it was already noon but Zhao Fangye had not returned yet.

Then he asked, "Where is Zhao Fangye? Isn't he coming back for dinner?"

Chaolu, who was smiling just now, suddenly froze. I secretly regretted in my heart why I brought up things that were not relevant and why I shouldn't have mentioned the prince.

He quickly changed the subject and said, "Princess, please eat more. You didn't eat anything this morning. You will be hungry."

Although slow, Song Huaixi is still very sensitive about some things. He vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

He suddenly remembered what Zhao Fangye asked him to agree to last night, and felt uneasy.

Song Huaixi didn't want to eat lunch and put down his chopsticks. He hurried to the tent where Zhao Fangye used to hold meetings.

While running, Song Huaixi looked around. Suddenly I noticed that there were fewer tents in the camp, and even fewer soldiers were training.

Song Huaixi became more and more panicked and staggered and almost fell.

When Chaolu saw him running away, she immediately asked Chunhua to call Mrs. Song and others over. The fact that the prince was going to war could no longer be concealed.

To be exact, the truth was revealed before I could even hide it.

After all, Song Huaixi was hanging around Zhao Fangye all day long, so it was impossible to hide it even if he wanted to.

As soon as Song Huaixi arrived outside the tent, he heard a fierce quarrel coming from inside.

Sun Shuo grabbed Liang Xiuzhu and pushed him against the table. Liang Xiuzhu was wearing the uniform of a military cook, and his white jade-like face was deliberately smeared black.

At this moment, Sun Shuo had his hands tied behind his back and pressed him against the table, yelling, "Let me go!!! Why did you arrest me? I have completed my mission! I want to go home!!"

Just as Sun Shuo was about to say something, the curtain was lifted. Song Huaixi rushed in breathlessly, looking like he had lost his soul.

Automatically ignoring the awkward posture of the two, Song Huaixi asked anxiously: "Where is Zhao Fangye? Where is General Lanfeng? Where did Adjutant Sun and the others go?"

Sun Shuo quickly let go of Liang Xiuzhu, looked at Song Huaixi and opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Liang Xiuzhu, who was lying on the table, seemed to be deliberately trying to make things difficult for him. He stood up from the table and said crisply, "The prince has already set out for the capital this morning."

Seeing him say it like that, Sun Shuo frowned and looked at him: "You!"

"What's wrong?" Liang Xiuzhu glared at him: "The princess will know sooner or later, so is it useful for you to hide it?"

After saying that, he walked towards Song Huaixi who was standing there in a daze and said, "Princess, don't be sad. The prince didn't let you come to see you off because he was afraid that you would be sad."

Sun Shuo saw that the window paper was broken, and came over to comfort her: "The prince said that he will come back to pick you up soon, and told you not to be sad. Wait for him to come back."