Chapter 63 If ​​my wife wants your brother, my wife will come in exchange for it.

Although Su Panyue gained the upper hand verbally, she still took the initiative to apologize to Xie Lanzhou.

After finally getting rid of the person, Su Panyue couldn't help but seek out Uncle Gui.

"Can we hear each other's thoughts?" she asked uncertainly.

Gui Bo stroked his beard and recalled for a moment, "No, it should be based on the strength of the Gu worms."

"The mother Gu in his body could initially control the child Gu. Only after the child Gu absorbed the essence of the mother Gu could it turn around and control the mother Gu, which is why you heard his inner voice."

Su Panyue asked in confusion: "Essence?"

Uncle Gui just smiled without saying a word. Su Panyue suddenly realized what he meant and coughed lightly twice, feeling a little awkward. "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Uncle Ghost: "You didn't ask either."

Su Panyue sighed helplessly and then asked, "Could you prescribe some sleeping pills for me? I'm having trouble sleeping."

Uncle Gui gave her a strange look. "It's possible, but if you can't fall asleep, it means you're not sleepy enough. You'll naturally fall asleep when you're really sleepy."

Su Panyue pouted, took the medicine from him, waved her hand, and sent him away.

She could have consulted Physician Gao, who had come along, but she didn't want Xie Lanzhou to misunderstand, so she had to give up the idea.

Unexpectedly, she fell asleep shortly after lying down on the bed and didn't wake up until dinner time.

Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Su Panyue suddenly realized that what Uncle Gui said made a lot of sense.

Feeling refreshed, she went out to find Xie Lanzhou, only to run into him arranging to investigate the side gate that evening.

After what happened that morning, when the generals saw her again, they all bowed respectfully, and at least their faces showed no more disrespect.

Su Panyue smiled politely, and after listening to their arrangements, she suddenly spoke up: "Could you please avoid hurting the herdsmen?"

“They have lived and grown up here for generations, making a living by herding livestock. They do not participate in politics or power struggles, so it is best not to involve them.”

"What does Your Majesty think?" After saying that, she felt that she had said too much, so she turned her head to ask Xie Lanzhou for his opinion.

The latter nodded, and the soldiers obeyed the order and set out.

Xie Lanzhou put a cloak on her and sat by the fire to warm herself.

Since crossing Youzhou, the weather has grown colder day by day, and the autumn wind at night is even more chilly.

Su Panyue was already used to this kind of weather. She was always more afraid of the heat than the cold. Before she was adopted, she could often get through the winter with just a straw mat and a tattered cotton-padded coat.

But who doesn't love a warm and comfortable hand warmer? So Su Panyue naturally placed her cold little hands on Xie Lanzhou's chest.

It's supposedly for warming hands, but it's actually quite dishonest, groping around rather unsteadily.

Xie Lanzhou was completely exasperated by her antics, so he could only hold her tighter and whisper a threat in her ear:

"If you move around again, I'll get angry."

Su Panyue raised an eyebrow and said arrogantly, "That's not what His Majesty thinks."

If you move around again, we'll go back to the account and continue doing what we didn't get to enjoy this morning.

Hearing his thoughts, Su Panyue immediately stopped what she was doing and obediently leaned against his chest.

She wouldn't believe in other forms of punishment, but she was truly terrified of being punished in bed.

The two sat and waited for a while longer, when a young soldier came running up, panting, and said:

"Your Majesty, they're back!"

"how?"

"The side gate is passable, but the guards are very weak; it's just that the gate is a bit small."

Xie Lanzhou got up and escorted Su Panyue back to her tent, saying, "Go to sleep and wait for me."

Su Panyue tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Are we attacking the city tonight? Are we ready?"

Xie Lanzhou nodded, "Speed ​​is of the essence in war; once we seize an opening, we must strike immediately."

Su Panyue let go of his hand and watched him leave, feeling uneasy.

*

As night fell, the entire land was shrouded in a gray hue, and the autumn wind blew by, scattering the sounds of horses' hooves.

Ji Hongxi accepted the order to launch a surprise attack, leading a cavalry of elite soldiers slowly approaching a side gate. Before the gatekeepers could utter a sound, he swiftly and decisively eliminated two of them.

The side gate was forced open, but the opening was so small that it could only accommodate one person and one horse at a time.

Ji Hongxi had his soldiers line up in a row, and then rode his horse through the gate first.

Behind the door was pitch black. With a whoosh, Ji Hongxi shouted, "Watch out for hidden arrows!" He turned his horse around to dodge, and also warned the soldiers behind him.

However, in the next instant, the horse's legs were tripped by something, and it fell straight to the side. At the same time, a large net fell over its head.

Ji Hongxi jumped off the horse, and before he could react, he was completely covered by the large net.

The soldiers who came in later immediately rushed forward to rescue him, but the large net tightened rapidly, dragging Ji Hongxi into the dark bushes like a snake.

"General!"

Hearing the commotion inside, the soldiers behind them moved even faster.

But once everyone had come in, Ji Hongxi was nowhere to be found.

Seeing the approaching flames in the distance, the group could not waste any more time and had to turn around and go open the city gate first.

A quarter of an hour later, the city gate was opened, and Xie Lanzhou, who had been waiting outside, led his soldiers into the city.

Their momentum was unstoppable, forcing the Lu state's defenders to retreat step by step.

Sitting in her tent, Su Panyue listened to the sudden sounds of swords clashing, shouts, and horses' hooves outside, experiencing the terror of war firsthand for the first time.

As time passed, her unease grew stronger, and she twisted a plain handkerchief into a flower shape in her hand.

Xie Lanzhou did not return until dawn.

She could no longer sit still, so she got up and left the tent, leaving only Feiyan guarding the door.

"How is it? What about Feixue?" Su Panyue asked.

"My lady, we've won! The city gates are open! Some of the wounded have been brought back. Feixue knows some medicine, so she went to help," Feiyan said excitedly.

"That's good, that's good." Su Panyue breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Where is His Majesty?"

"His Majesty has not yet returned; there may be other matters at hand," Fei Yan replied.

Su Panyue nodded. This was only the outermost line of defense for the State of Lu. There would be many obstacles after they went in, and he would probably be busy arranging those as well.

After telling Fei Yan to wake her up when Xie Lanzhou returned, Su Panyue went back to bed for a nap.

I slept very restlessly, with one dream after another. First, I dreamed of my days in the Chang Le Prince's Mansion, then Shan Mingyuan's face appeared, and finally, there was a battlefield with flashing swords.

A long spear came hurtling towards her, startling her awake with a scream.

Hearing the noise, Fei Yan, who was guarding outside, hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in. "My lady, what's wrong?"

Su Panyue gasped for breath, and it took her a moment to recover. Still shaken, she said, "I had a nightmare."

After saying that, he remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Has His Majesty returned?"

Feiyan shook her head, "No."

Su Panyue immediately noticed her complicated expression and grabbed her hand, asking, "What happened? What's wrong with His Majesty?"

"It's not His Majesty, it's General Weiyuan."

"According to the returning soldiers, General Weiyuan led his troops to attack the corner gate last night, but unexpectedly there was an ambush at the gate. General Weiyuan and his horse were captured and their whereabouts are still unknown."

"His Majesty is leading a search party, which is why he has not yet returned."

Su Panyue listened quietly and remained silent.

General Weiyuan was Xie Lanzhou's maternal cousin, and they had always been close. Therefore, he was willing to entrust him with important responsibilities. Now that Ji Hongxi had been captured, Xie Lanzhou must be extremely anxious.

However, Su Panyue was also very anxious at this moment, because it was she who suggested the surprise attack on the corner gate, and now that someone had been injured, she was very uneasy.

But there was nothing she could do but stay in the tent, trying to recall the confidential news she had seen with Shan Mingyuan and search for useful information.

Even after Feiyan brought in dinner, she still hadn't found anything.

"My lady, please have your meal first. You haven't eaten lunch yet, so please take care of yourself," Fei Yan advised.

Su Panyue said listlessly, "I have no appetite."

Why do you have no appetite?

A familiar voice came from inside, and Su Panyue looked up to find Xie Lanzhou walking in.

Feiyan tactfully withdrew, and Su Panyue stood up, stepped forward, and reached out to hug him.

However, the man's armor was still on, and there were still some dried bloodstains on the hem of his clothes, indicating that he had just returned from outside.

"Let me change my clothes first," Xie Lanzhou said, taking off his armor as he went.

Su Panyue watched as he removed his elaborate armor layer by layer, revealing his inner garment. Seeing that there was no blood on it, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Lanzhou changed his clothes and washed his hands before pulling Su Panyue to the table: "What are you standing there for? Let's eat."

Su Panyue's expression remained grave as she asked, "Did you find it?"

Xie Lanzhou paused, his hand holding the chopsticks still. "You knew?"

Su Panyue nodded slowly and asked again, "Did you find it?"

Xie Lanzhou shook his head in silence and said in a deep voice, "They must have been kidnapped and imprisoned."

"What should we do then? I didn't expect there to be an ambush at the side gate, and I never thought my suggestion would harm him." Su Panyue's voice trembled slightly.

Xie Lanzhou put his arm around her shoulder and patted her gently to comfort her, saying, "It's okay, he's definitely not in danger. Once we know his identity, someone will most likely come to negotiate tonight or tomorrow. We just need to wait."

Su Panyue looked up and asked, "What if Shan Mingyuan's conditions are excessive?"

Xie Lanzhou lowered his eyes: "It was I who sent him, so I will spare no effort to bring him back safely."

There was really no other way at the moment, so the two of them ate their dinner absentmindedly, and then the long wait began.

Inside the tent, the candlelight crackled, and the occasional chirping of insects and birds could be heard.

Xie Lanzhou stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the Lu State sand table on the table, constantly arranging his troops in his mind.

Su Panyue sat on the edge of the bed, still writing and drawing on the paper, the content of which was what she had seen and heard over the years while she was with Prince Chang Le and Shan Mingyuan.

She didn't know if it would be useful, but she wanted to write more, just in case it could be of some help.

As the night wore on, despite Su Panyue's repeated attempts to persuade Xie Lanzhou to go to bed, he refused. So she secretly added the tranquilizer that the ghost had left behind earlier that day to his tea.

He hadn't slept a wink last night and had been searching all day, so he was exhausted. He fell asleep quickly thanks to the pills.

However, Su Panyue had something on her mind and couldn't sleep soundly. Suddenly, she heard the sound of soldiers reporting outside.

She tiptoed up from the couch and went outside the tent. Feixue was explaining something to the soldier who had delivered the message.

Su Panyue glanced at the soldiers' anxious expressions and asked, "What's wrong?"

The soldiers bowed and said, "We found a letter during our patrol. It concerns the brave general, and we have come to present it to Your Majesty."

"Give it to me." Su Panyue reached out and took it, then returned to her tent, unfolded it by the candlelight, and froze on the spot.

Inside the envelope was a painting. The woman in the painting smiled sweetly, turning her head from among the flowers—it was herself. Judging from the woman's attire, it was exactly what she had worn on her coming-of-age ceremony…

She unfolded the other note inside the envelope, her fingers trembling slightly.

There was only one line of text on it: "If you want your brother, my wife will come in exchange."

Looking at the familiar handwriting, Su Panyue sat at the table for a long time before finally putting away the painting and the letter.

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Author's Note: We're about to enter a chaotic battleground, are you ready, Porridge? [Newbie]