Chapter 88: Eternal Loyalty - Lots of Plot Points! Humorous Chapter + His Majesty Stays with Xiao Xie...

System task: Share a tent with Xie Qianli (0/hahahaha)

Ying Xi: "..."

Sweet Tong: "Hahahaha!"

Sweet Tong: "I strongly suspect that this girl is here to swear an oath with me."

"Of all things she could dismantle, she had to take down your tent—the emperor's tent has collapsed! Is this something that usually happens?!"

The girl's voice rose higher and higher, her giggles never ceasing.

Ying Xi silently closed her eyes, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Ying Xi: "Let's find someone else to trap."

“No way,” Tian Tong replied. “The most handsome guy next to you right now is that big wolfhound. I don’t mind the monotony; a poor physique is always a good thing.”

"And if they're in the same bed..."

Dangerous remarks have begun.

"You lie slightly on your side, the sheet outlining the curves of your body."

"He was half-awake, hunched over, emitting soft humming sounds."

"Then you feel yourself sinking into a warm embrace. Someone hugs you from behind, his large hand holding yours, and you tremble slightly in your sleep from the sting of his calloused skin. General Xie, moved by your butterfly-like trembling, tightens his arms around you."

"The other person's body was hot and hard, and you felt a chill run down your spine."

Ying Xi: "Stop talking."

Sweetie giggled: "Caught red-handed, His Majesty has a reaction!"

"Yes," the emperor said coldly, "It's the middle of summer, and you're making me feel hot."

The second highest-ranking tent in the army was Xie Qianli's.

Besides, Koma is a straight man, so it's fine for them to live together.

Ying Xi made the decision without much difficulty: "I will stay in Xie Qing's tent tonight."

"Yes!" The Longwu Army dispersed, and the quartermaster quickly accepted the order to prepare the necessary items for the emperor.

Only Xie Qianli remained where he was. He had warmed up his muscles after the fierce battle, and a thin layer of sweat had seeped from his forehead.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief; there were no women around the emperor. Then, he vaguely heard that Ying Xi wanted to move into his tent.

Xie Qianli staggered toward the emperor, somewhat dizzy.

"Are you injured?" Yingxi asked him.

"……No."

Yingxi shook her head: "I can't even walk properly anymore."

How could Xie Qianli tell Ying Xi what was on his mind?

All I could say was vaguely, "She's pretty capable."

Ying Xi smiled, a slight curve to his thin lips: "Not as good as my steed."

Xie Qianli went from being in a daze to having his thoughts fixed.

He was terrified that Ying Xi would take concubines and marry, but the other party compared him to Hua Ling, saying that he was better than Hua Ling.

Xie Qianli pondered the meaning behind the words, feeling a surge of sourness followed by a surge of sweetness in his heart.

He secretly raised an eyebrow and slightly curved the corners of his mouth. He quickly walked in front of Ying Xi and led the way for her.

They passed through the rows of tents of the Longwu Army. As night fell and the soldiers returned to their camp, only the two of them approached the general's residence.

Ying Xi asked casually, "Why were you outside the door just now?"

Xie Qianli felt guilty and had no right to say he was jealous.

"Your Majesty, I wish to protect you."

"You also know she's an assassin?" Ying Xi asked.

"I only wish to ensure absolute certainty," Xie Qianli replied. His answer was impeccable, his concealment flawless.

Ying Xi shook her head and chuckled: "Silly girl, if she weren't an assassin, you'd be so embarrassed standing outside the door."

Xie Qianli: "..." His heart sank.

Does that mean you're going to take more concubines?

Emperors definitely take concubines.

With his thoughts in turmoil, Xie Qianli returned to where he started. His steps grew heavier as he lowered his eyes and opened the curtain.

He quickly lit a lamp, and the tent was illuminated. The candlelight revealed the furnishings: a bed and a table; the bed was not large.

Especially someone like Xie Qianli, with his long arms and legs, would never be able to sleep peacefully while sharing a room with someone.

Xie Qianli: "Your Majesty, please make do with this for the night. I will stay in another barracks."

"Leave him here!" Sweet Tong stopped him.

However, the system interface flickered.

System task: Share a tent with Xie Qianli (1/hahahaha)

Task completed.

"Wait, wait a minute!!!"

Ying Xi: "Tch."

Sweet Tong was flustered and kept checking the task interface before realizing that she had made a huge mistake.

They stayed in the same tent, rather than in one at the same time.

It turns out that the Emperor, in his haste to create a buzz, forgot that the Emperor was a master of literary jargon. The Emperor had already figured it out, but he deliberately kept quiet.

Sweet Tong: "Hmph hmph hmph!"

Ying Xi said calmly, "You know he doesn't want to, so why make things difficult for him? Besides, how can anyone else sleep soundly beside the emperor's bed? Ju'er will never lie next to me."

Ying Xi was pleased to have passed the test, and after speaking, she sat on the edge of the bed.

He intended to rest there and climb onto the bed, but the movement aggravated his leg bone and caused a sharp pain in his knee, making him hiss softly.

Actually, the sound was very soft.

Xie Qianli stopped in his tracks and stood at the entrance of the tent. He slowly turned around.

Their eyes met.

Xie Qianli hurriedly lowered his head.

Ying Xi was slightly taken aback.

But at this moment, the emperor's slender legs had already been squatted down, lifted up, and carefully placed on the bed.

The other party's movements were disciplined, with physical contact neither too close nor too far.

The dim candlelight concealed the fact that Xie Qianli's muscles were taut, his throat tightened, and he withdrew his hand, saying, "Your subject has offended me."

The emperor secretly curled his toes.

Ying Xi remained calm and composed.

Compared to the duties of a military commander, Koma's behavior just now was more like that of a close advisor.

But considering that they had known each other for many years, and that Koma had always taken good care of him since he was a child, it's not surprising.

Yingxi shook her head and chuckled: "Good steed."

The dim candlelight in the tent flickered!

Xie Qianli's eyes brightened even more with sweetness, and suddenly she was praised again by the person she liked.

But how could he say that his kindness towards you stemmed more from affection?

He could only suppress his excitement: "Your Majesty, I will always treat you this way."

The candlelight flickered, and his voice was unsteady.

These words were a complete revelation for him.

He saw Ying Xi curl her lips into a smile.

Because of Ying Xi's trust, he indulged in his inner turmoil once again.

However, Ying Xi thought for a moment, her eyes flashing slightly as she replied:

"My darling, you must be loyal to me forever."

"..."

That was a knife dipped in honey.

Xie Qianli raised his handsome eyebrows and eyes, which shone like lacquer in the candlelight.

His expectations have been stretched out infinitely because of this life.

And because loyalty is a thorn in my side.

How could a general resist the word "loyalty"?

Yet he was so terrified, wanting to break free from this constraint.

Xie Qianli's lips parted slightly: "Your subject..."

It's not just about loyalty.

Ying Xi, however, became incredibly dangerous in the shadows, her tone gloomy and revealing an incomprehensible terror.

"You don't want to?"

Xie Qianli's heart skipped a beat!

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, looking down on him, scrutinizing him, and interrogating him.

The thought that had just begun to surface was quickly withdrawn.

But how can he respond to the sudden wariness from his beloved?

Xie Qianli kowtowed on one knee, his throat feeling extremely heavy.

"minister……"

He regulated his breathing.

He said, "Your Majesty, I will always be loyal to you."

Ying Xi then secretly relaxed a little, his shoulders were not so tense anymore, he pulled up the quilt, lay down, and closed his eyes.

You can't see Xie Qianli's lip movements if you close your eyes.

So when the other person looked down at him resting peacefully, they mouthed the words: "I will always love you. Xiao Xi."

"My moon."

Ying Xi will never know.

***

"Urgent! Report from the front!"

"Rebel troops are marching south to relieve the siege! Linchuan is in dire need of help! Linchuan is in dire need of help!!!"

The next day, when they headed towards Linchuan again, the ceremonial guard had only traveled less than ten miles.

At the end of the official road, a swift horse gallops.

The soldier who delivered the message fell off his horse, kicking up clouds of dust, his face streaked with sweat.

The soldier fell right under Xie Qianli's white horse's hooves.

Looking up from below, General Longwu was terrifyingly tall, and there was no indication of how dire the situation was, yet his expression remained unchanged.

Not to mention that not far away, there was a red-and-gold-painted carriage, and the person inside did not utter a single word.

The soldier who delivered the message also calmed down somewhat.

The soldier rose, clasped his hands in greeting, and carefully chose his words:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, General Xie."

"The failure of the siege on the eastern front allowed the rebels a temporary respite. The new capital dispatched a force to the south, led by General Xu Youyi, to coordinate with the rebels in Linchuan. General Xie Meng lost thousands of soldiers!"

Ying Xi: "Several thousand?"

The sound came through the car door.

When the emperor asked a question, the soldiers dared not refuse to answer.

But the soldier hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "...two thousand."

Compared to the tens of thousands of people in the entire southern expedition, the sacrifice of two thousand was not a large number.

But if you think about how these were all living, breathing lives, it's like several streets of people dying in a city.

The emperor remained silent for a moment inside the carriage.

The sergeant outside the carriage whispered:

"The unfavorable situation on the eastern front led to the rebels having the manpower to return to the southwest to provide reinforcements."

"Those reinforcements from Xindu, I don't know what's wrong with them, they're all like wolves and tigers."

"They came suddenly, and General Xie Meng led his naval brothers to fight desperately, but the enemy was indeed too strong."

"So, thank you...—this humble general deserves to die!"

However, the explanation stuck in his throat.

The soldier's scalp tightened. He looked up and saw Xie Qianli's expression as cold as a snow-capped mountain, while Lian Qing was frantically giving him meaningful glances.

Lian Qing pretended to slit his throat.

The soldier quickly lowered his head: "This humble general is guilty! I shouldn't have boosted the morale of others and diminished our own."

"This humble general has been ordered to stop Your Majesty's advance. General Xie Meng is about to regroup his troops for another battle with the enemy. The front lines are dangerous. Please, Your Majesty, halt your advance!"

After he finished speaking, the soldiers stood in the middle of the ceremonial guard, their foreheads touching the ground, blocking the way.

Xie Qianli put away the reins.

He looked back and saw the carriage door open. Ying Xi stepped out and stood at the front of the carriage, gazing towards Linchuan.

There was still some distance to go, and the front lines were neither visible nor audible.

But the emperor did not seem to intend to retreat.

The sergeant shouted loudly:

"To save his brother-in-law, Li Yilong sent Xu Youyi, the leader of the Twenty-Four Generals, to provide assistance."

"This man has followed Li Yilong for ten years and started the uprising with the traitor Li. He is Li's sworn brother and usually only guards Xindu!"

"His reinforcements are advancing south. If our army is counterattacked while His Majesty is nearby, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The soldiers crawled forward on their knees, completely blocking the emperor's view.

"Your Majesty, please stop!"

"Your Majesty, please halt!"

That heart-wrenching advice came solely from Xie Meng's suggestion.

But whether to advance or retreat ultimately depends on the emperor.

Ying Xi stood at the front of the carriage and thought for a moment, calming himself down. Then he coldly sneered, "I never believed that a man who could marry dozens of concubines could be so heartless to his deceased wife, yet he could be so affectionate to his brother-in-law Cheng Qingtan. He's just trying to open up opportunities from both sides."

"He is insatiable, he tried to assassinate me, he disgusted me, and he still thinks he can defeat me."

"Trying to slow down the suppression of the rebellion?"

"At that time, whether it involves the Xiongnu or the barbarian king, it will attract various forces to restrain the Qin Dynasty, allowing it to prolong its existence for a few more years."

"This trick has been used too many times, it's really boring."

Ying Xi's lips curled into a dangerous smile.

Whenever the emperor discussed state affairs, his inner confidence contrasted sharply with his physical frailty, which was quite touching.

Ying Xi knew that the longer she stayed in the south, the greater the threat to the court from the border.

He suffered a loss in his past life, which was due to a border invasion!

The smoke of war was already quietly brewing in Chang'an.

Without hesitation, the emperor decided, "I will advance and quell the rebellion immediately, at any cost, to open up Linchuan."

The imperial edict has been issued and cannot be stopped.

The soldiers had no choice but to make way for them.

However, Ying Xi was not as familiar with how to provide support or specific battle strategies as Xie Qianli, and still needed to rely on Xie Qianli.

Last night, Yingxi felt fear when she thought about the ending of their past lives, but she was very pleased with the vow Xie Qianli made to her.

At least until now... he is willing to believe in Koma.

Ying Xi issued an order: "The army shall follow Xie Qing's instructions and organize rescue efforts at the front lines." He then asked Xie Qianli, "How should we proceed? Xie Qing, please explain to everyone."

Xie Qianli pondered for a moment, and a soldier from the Longwu Army handed him a battle map.

But the map was already imprinted in Xie Qianli's mind. Last night, after leaving his tent, Xie Qianli was preoccupied with worries and couldn't sleep. So, to distract himself, he pondered official business.

Xie Qianli said, "I believe we can head north along the Fu River to cut off the enemy's supply lines, intercept and kill Xu Youyi, and then launch a strong attack on Linchuan City with the southern expeditionary force."

This can be considered a tactic of besieging a point and attacking reinforcements, suppressing the enemy's troop line by water and attacking the enemy city by land, which is feasible.

Yingxi thought for a moment and asked, "Xie Meng is at the front line, intercepting the enemy along the river. Who will lead the naval battle?"

"Your subject is capable," Xie Qianli replied solemnly.

Lian Qing's brow twitched, and she immediately said, "General...you—"

In an instant, he felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. As if his throat was being choked, Lian Qing was speechless and quickly stopped talking.