Chapter 5 We agreed to take a walk, but how did it turn into frivolous behavior outside...?

After several days of snow, Princess Rongning arrived at the training ground. Not wanting to act like a noblewoman of the imperial family at the training ground, she made a small entourage and didn't tell anyone.

Princess Rongning had some basic martial arts skills, though not much. Zhan Yunmei arranged for her to practice the basics first. She nodded and mingled with the soldiers training together.

As the year draws to a close and the New Year approaches, a review is an essential part of the celebrations. This review will not only showcase the training results but also demonstrate that Hou Yu has firmly established himself and commands respect from all sides.

From the previous dynasty to the reign of Emperor Yu, the use of firearms was already widespread. Firearms were a crucial part of the inspection and display. Zhan Yunmei personally took charge of everything, so whenever she had free time, she would personally inspect the firearms stockpiles.

Geng Qi stayed in the Jingying garrison all night yesterday. There was a heavy rain last night, and the martial arts hall was locked. He couldn't go out or go in, so he had to run to the armory to hide.

Zhan Yunmei arrived very early today. When she arrived, he was still lying under the eaves, half asleep. She glanced at Deputy General Chen, who immediately understood and stepped forward to give Geng Qi a feint kick.

Geng Qi grumbled as he got up, but what he saw was Zhan Yunmei's smile. He pursed his lips and swallowed his insults.

After several officers and soldiers verified the identification tags, they allowed Zhan Yunmei to pass and delivered the inventory list to her.

Geng Qi glanced at them discreetly. There was nothing for him to do here, so he said to Zhan Yunmei, "This subordinate will go back first." He paused, then gritted his teeth, "I don't know who locked the door yesterday and didn't even know that this subordinate was still inside!"

Zhan Yunmei raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and turned to look at Geng Qi. "That must have been hard work for you, Deputy Geng. Go back and rest for a while. You still have to train the soldiers around noon."

He was promoted yesterday, and today he's even being asked to train soldiers.

However, Geng Qi could not refuse at all, and said with a serious expression, "Fine."

As the training approached noon, the drill ground was filled with neat and orderly movements, except for one person at the very back who was swinging his fists and feet in a strange and unorthodox manner, standing out from the crowd. Geng Qi sat on the platform with his legs crossed.

He beckoned to his attendant, raised his chin in that direction, and said in an unfriendly tone, "What's going on? Who is that? Someone with such mediocre skills has managed to get into the training ground."

Even standing on tiptoe, he was too far away to see clearly, so he casually remarked, "Maybe some rascal sneaked in."

Having been angered in the morning and having nowhere to vent his frustration, Geng Qi gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Bring him to the martial arts hall!"

Princess Rongning was still practicing at the back of the crowd when she was suddenly dragged towards the martial arts hall. When she heard that they suspected her of being a rookie who had snuck in, she tried to explain, but they didn't listen much.

"You're a princess, and I'm a prince! The princess hasn't even sent a message, and you're still pretending!"

When Geng Qi saw the person, he made a rough assessment. Rong Ning was dressed as a man, and he only recognized her as a woman, but he did not recognize her as a princess.

"Do I need to show you my identity?" Princess Rongning said angrily. She was impetuous and restless, and when she heard that Geng Qi wanted to investigate her, she immediately flew into a rage. "Bring out General Zhan! If anyone is going to investigate, it should be her. What makes you think you can investigate me?"

Upon hearing Zhan Yunmei's name, Geng Qi felt a surge of anger and slammed his fist on the table. "You dare to argue? You woman, you barged into the Beijing Garrison, and I haven't even punished you yet. Do you know who I am?"

Princess Rongning was so enraged by Geng Qi that she completely lost her temper. She took out the seal of the Prince's Mansion from her waist and slammed it on the table. Geng Qi was stunned when he saw it.

He fell silent, still angry at being questioned for no reason. Princess Rongning stepped forward, pointed at his nose, and said fiercely, "What? Women can't enter the capital's garrison? Do you dare to spread your words? The emperor is a woman. Why don't you say that women dare to be emperors?"

When Zhan Yunmei returned to the martial arts hall, the entire hall was filled with the voice of Princess Rongning. She had said in the morning that she would be humble, but she started causing trouble before noon.

It was the same before; I would follow Zhan Yunmei around, go to exercise with her, and not cause her any trouble.

At that time, Princess Rongning was only a few years old. Her aunt, who was also the current emperor, forbade her to run around. She repeatedly assured Zhan Yunmei that she would never tell her aunt.

Zhan Yunmei didn't keep a close eye on her for half a quarter of an hour, and she caused trouble. In the end, her aunt found out and scolded both of them.

“Princess Rongning,” Zhan Yunmei frowned as she stood at the entrance of the main hall.

Princess Rongning stopped arguing, snorted at Geng Qi, ran to Zhan Yunmei's side, pointed at Geng Qi, and said, "Who is he to dare question His Majesty!"

"Nonsense!" Geng Qi opened his eyes in shock, his face flushed with anger at Princess Rongning's ramblings. "General, how could this humble servant dare to do such a treasonous thing?"

Zhan Yunmei glanced at him calmly. His eyes widened in panic, and it was clear that he wasn't lying. So she gently patted Princess Rongning's shoulder and dismissed the rest of the people in the hall.

"Rong Ning, tell me the truth."

Princess Rongning clicked her tongue and reluctantly revealed the truth.

Zhan Yunmei then realized that Geng Qi's anger wasn't directed at her by Hua Lang, but rather at these trivial acts of discrimination. Thinking about it this way, it seemed that Hua Lang and he had a personal grudge, or rather, Hua Lang and he had no enmity with each other; he was simply venting his anger on people weaker than him.

Geng Qi remained unconvinced, and Princess Rongning was unable to calm him down. Zhan Yunmei thought for a moment and said, "Deputy Geng, even if someone else infiltrated the capital garrison, you should have confirmed it first before thinking of a countermeasure. I will remember this offense, but I will pretend I didn't hear about the other matter. You know what to do next."

Then, pulling Princess Rongning by the hand, he said, “Deputy Commander Geng is always like this, outspoken and unrestrained. Let’s be understanding of him this time.”

Princess Rongning disdained to argue with such a person; it would be pointless in the end. If she couldn't produce anything substantial and didn't let him see it, he wouldn't change his biased views.

"Hmph, fine this time," Princess Rongning squeezed Zhan Yunmei's hand back. Her hands were long, with somewhat thick fingers, calloused and rough, making them uncomfortable to hold, but giving a great sense of security. "General, could you teach me a few moves? I've been practicing the basics all morning..."

The voices drifted further and further away, and Geng Qi stared at their retreating figures.

“Deputy Commander Geng,” Deputy General Chen suddenly appeared from behind, followed Geng Qi’s gaze to Princess Rongning, smiled, and then said, “Offending the princess will be punished.”

Geng Qi turned around abruptly, "Didn't the princess say it was alright?"

Deputy General Chen raised an eyebrow and looked towards the corner of the hall where someone was hiding. He said, "That's the princess's personal nanny, who is in charge of her. The princess said it's fine, but she didn't say anything. She just specifically asked me to tell you to accept the punishment according to the rules."

Geng Qi was speechless and had no choice but to comply.

Princess Rongning made a rash move, her sword wobbling and tearing a piece of Zhan Yunmei's sleeve. After the lesson ended, Zhan Yunmei first checked the affairs of the Beijing Garrison.

After confirming that everything was normal, he asked Princess Rongning, "Has anyone come to pick you up and take you back to the Prince's Mansion?"

Princess Rongning shook her head. "No, I came by myself this morning, without anyone with me."

"Then I'll take you back."

.

The General's Mansion was finally renovated and completed. Several empty rooms were furnished, and the courtyard was arranged. Hua Lang liked to sit in the flower hall, so Zhan Yunmei specially ordered that the flower hall be renovated.

The flowers and plants around the flower hall were carefully pruned, and the eaves of the pavilion were extended to block the wind and snow. Hua Lang was not a person who loved flowers and plants. Seeing them so vibrant, he couldn't resist reaching out and giving them a good thrashing.

He often got his hands covered in mud, and the flower hall became dirty and messy. Hua Lang used this to test Zhan Yunmei's attitude. Unexpectedly, she didn't care at all and even had water tanks, shelves, and basins placed in the flower hall so that he could wash his hands after he had ruined it.

So he lost interest in ruining the flowers and plants, and Hua Lang sat on the bench, looking up at the sky expressionlessly.

On a sunny day, the sky was cloudy but sunny. Hua Lang's vision was blurry and his eyes felt a little sore, so he couldn't help but close them.

Suddenly, his hand was grasped by another rough hand. He did not resist violently, but slowly opened his eyes, his brows furrowed, and a gloomy expression spread.

Zhan Yunmei unconsciously curved her lips into a smile, her fingertips gently rubbing Hua Lang's palm. "Why didn't you go pull up flowers and weeds today?"

“It’s pointless,” Hua Lang said, pulling her hand away and getting up to go back inside, her steps revealing a subtle tension.

"What's interesting?" Zhan Yunmei followed up unhurriedly.

Hua Lang did not answer.

The two ate dinner together, but Hua Lang only ate a few bites and then stopped. He hadn't moved much all day and couldn't eat much anyway.

He stopped eating, but couldn't leave the table because Zhan Yunmei was still eating, so he crossed his hands to observe her.

At first glance, one's eyes fall on Zhan Yunmei's lips. They are neither thin nor thick, and their color is rosy and healthy. Her lips are extremely assertive, which is different from the gentleness she exudes on her face.

Every time I kiss him, it feels like I'm going to devour him.

"Tsk," Hua Lang couldn't help but turn his face away.

Zhan Yunmei paused. "What's wrong?"

"nothing."

“Oh,” Zhan Yunmei shifted her gaze from Hua Lang’s slightly flushed ears, then suddenly remembered Geng Qi and asked Hua Lang, “Do you have any grudges with Geng Qi?”

"Why are you asking this?" Hua Lang became wary. Could it be that she knew about what happened that day?

Let her know that he won't have an easy time. The once arrogant man has suddenly become a prisoner, confined to a small courtyard all day. He finally escaped, only to be humiliated by others outside. In the end, he was only able to stay safe thanks to her.

In an instant, his self-esteem was crushed and rubbed into the ground.

Zhan Yunmei put down her chopsticks, took the handkerchief Yao Shuniang handed her to wipe her mouth, and asked Yao Shuniang to leave first. Then she stood up and gently pulled Hua Lang's arm. "It's nothing. I just met Geng Qi recently. He and I don't get along very well. I wanted to learn more about him through you. Since we don't have any grudges, I won't learn anything from you. Come on, let's go for a walk."

“It’s not that we’re without grudges,” Hua Lang said softly. But as soon as she finished speaking, she realized something and Zhan Yunmei pulled her out of the main room. “Where are we going? I’m not going. Don’t take me with you.”

Ignoring Hua Lang's weak protests and pretending not to hear his mutterings, Zhan Yunmei smiled gently and said, "Your leg has been injured for several days and should have recovered quite a bit. Walking around more will help it heal faster and allow you to eat more."

"Do you treat me like a child?" Hua Lang said fiercely, suppressing his anger. "The less you interact with me, the more I can eat."

Zhan Yunmei stopped and turned around.

Hua Lang's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that these words had offended her?

He swallowed nervously, not daring to look at her again, and lowered his eyes to stare at the ground, trying to ignore her scrutiny.

Zhan Yunmei approached step by step, while Hua Lang gripped the hem of her clothes and retreated.

Although we couldn't see Zhan Yunmei's face, she must have been angry, after all, he was jumping around wildly in her territory.

She placed her hands on his waist, pushed him against the wall, and slightly raised her head.

Hua Lang gasped nervously, slowly moving his head. Zhan Yunmei watched, then reached out and pried his face down, leaning in to kiss him, kissing him from his lips all the way to his ear.

She only wanted to kiss him, but he trembled even more violently, his breath coming out wet gasps.

Zhan Yunmei blinked, her palm slowly resting on Hua Lang's sash, as if she wanted to move it downwards and backwards, but she didn't.

He was not prepared, neither mentally nor physically.

Forcing Hua Lang is very interesting. Zhan Yunmei doesn't mind listening to him struggle, make a fuss, and cry. She even looks forward to that moment.

Unfortunately, that won't work now. Given Hua Lang's proud and arrogant nature, he would react negatively.

A pinching sensation came from her neck and waist. Zhan Yunmei groaned and released Hua Lang as he resisted.

Zhan Yunmei thought that Hua Lang had become so resistant that he wouldn't even kiss her anymore. Unexpectedly, as soon as she let go of him, he immediately resigned himself to burying his face in her chest. From her perspective, she could only see his red neck and ears.

“We agreed to take a walk,” Hua Lang said angrily, her tone filled with resentment and hatred, “How did it turn into you taking liberties with me in public?”

Zhan Yunmei could tell he was shy and wanted to laugh, but he held it back. She rubbed the exposed half of his face and said, "Sorry."

Hua Lang was stunned, stiffly raised his head, and looked on suspiciously.

So she wasn't angry at his rebuttal, and even apologized to him.

If she's not angry, then it's his turn to get angry!

A note from the author:

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