Chapter 160

the next day.

The atmosphere in the camp became slightly strange.

Qu Dubian didn't know how many times he looked back, but every time he looked back, the soldier behind him who was staring at him for no reason would shyly slip away.

“……”What are you doing?

Qu Dubian turned his head back and thought secretly, could it be that his hair was tied crookedly?

Back in his tent, he looked in the mirror.

It’s not crooked, it’s very straight.

Could it be that you wanted to say something corny like 'General, you are awesome and we admire you' to his face, but you felt embarrassed when it came to it?

After thinking for a while without any result, I simply gave up.

It's really hard to guess what the soldiers are thinking.

Around dusk, Xia Fuyang pulled him out of the city, saying that he wanted to inspect the defenses outside the city.

The army of the Northern Frontier has now retreated to thirty miles away. Their area is relatively safe for the time being, and there is no need for their two commanders to come out for inspection.

Qu Dubian still had some military affairs to deal with, so he couldn't resist and just went for a ride on horseback with him.

Night falls and the evening breeze blows.

The night sky over the grassland is cleaner than that over the Central Plains, and the moon seems bigger.

Qu Dubian stretched and looked at Xia Fuyang: "I know why you asked me to come out."

Xia Fuyang's eyes tightened: "You know?"

Qu Watanabe: "You just want to take me out to relax, and give yourself a break. It's good to take some time off during the preparation period."

Xia Fuyang: "Ahaha, yes, I'm just worried that you'll collapse from exhaustion."

Qu Dubian turned around and lay back on the horse, his arms hanging down and his eyes closed, looking as if he was too lazy to use any strength at all.

The horse sneezed and lowered its head to eat grass.

Xia Fuyang laughed.

I still had some burdens in the city, but after leaving the city, I became lazy.

Really...

He didn't say anything either, but squinted his eyes and looked at the lonely moon on the grassland in the sky.

The faint sound of wolf howls came from the depths of the grassland, and the dark blue night sky covered with stars shrouded the top of the northern border.

"Xia Fuyang, after this fight, I will lie down until I die," Qu Dubian said lazily, "You can go wherever you want and have fun."

He wanted to turn himself back into the same sickly person he used to be. He got sick after the vaccination. When asked, he found out that he had been weak for two years and couldn't stand up anymore. He needed to go to a quiet place with beautiful mountains and rivers to recuperate.

"When the time comes, I will find a particularly beautiful place, build a small house, plant all kinds of flowers, and then go out to see the world. I will not be the protagonist in the storybook who punishes evil and eliminates evil, but just be a hermit that the protagonist sees when passing by a certain place..."

Xia Fuyang: "Why, from what you said, you don't want to go back to the capital?"

Qu Dubian laughed out loud: "I go back? If I go back, I will be dragged into the conspiracy and calculation of fighting and fighting."

"That's right. You have made great contributions in the Northern Frontier. I don't know what the people in the palace think. However..." Xia Fuyang looked over and said, "Xiao Qi, you have the ability to compete for that position now."

Qu Watanabe opened his eyes slightly: "Yes, but I don't want it."

If he wants to fight.

He has the support of the people. Fang Taifu, an important official in the court, is his teacher. Xiaochun holds a high position in the East Factory. The two of them are close to him, but no one else knows.

The Xie family and the Xu family are naturally close to him, and he can find ways to persuade the Xia family and the Xi family to take sides with him.

In the three counties, all the scholars and candidates who remembered his kindness in testing medicine for him could be included in the reserve team. He even had money saved by his uncle, which he could use to bribe officials.

He can also use the brotherhood to drag his fourth brother into the water. Knowing the true situation of his fifth and sixth brothers, he can also use the fifth brother to deal with his second brother.

The most crucial thing is military power.

It is no exaggeration to say that at the border of Great Zhou, the soldiers under Xu Jin's command are responsive to his call.

But the throne was stained with too much blood, was too cold, and too lonely; he didn't want it.

The eldest brother, the second brother, the third brother, the fifth brother, the sixth brother... the grudges and entanglements had long been unclear. Even though they had finally escaped from the vortex, the third brother had his arm broken, and even though the party was as strong as the eldest brother's, his wife's family was implicated, and he almost lost his family and children.

How many people around him will be harmed if he shows a competitive attitude?

Moreover, he and Lao Deng had a black brocade agreement.

That promise had long since ended his chance of succeeding to the throne.

It was not a pity for Xia Fuyang. He imagined the scene described by Qu Watanabe and thought about it for a while. He felt happy, happier than sitting on the dragon throne.

"Okay, then don't fight, but you have to leave a room for me in the small courtyard at the back. I want to live in it."

Qu Watanabe: "You can build as many rooms as you like."

Xia Fuyang laughed out loud.

"The soldiers admire you so much, I wonder what they would think if they saw you being so lazy."

"Love can think whatever he wants."

"Last night I was telling the Marquis about your childhood. I told him that even though you looked so impressive when you carried the flag down the city wall, your Qinggong skills were terrible before. You could only go up but not down, and you had to rely on others to carry you. Hahaha..."

Qu Dubian sat up from his horse's back and said, "Xia Fuyang, are you looking for death?"

"What are you talking about grandpa?"

"I'm not talking nonsense," Xia Fuyang turned around and walked away, "Don't hit anyone if you're angry!"

Qu Dubian rode his horse and chased after him.

"Don't run if you dare!"

The two of them made a fuss on the grassland in front of the city for a long time before returning to the city.

After all this commotion, Qu Dubian felt very relaxed.

During this period of time, he was surrounded by war and casualties. He basically had a light sleep and rarely had a deep sleep. Even if he had a deep sleep, the scenes in his dreams were not what he liked.

Xia Fuyang was beaten with a hammer, and together with Qu Dubian, he slowly returned to the city.

The soldiers guarding the city opened the city gate. Xia Fuyang turned around and the soldiers guarding the city smiled silently and made a gesture that everything was ready.

As they walked along this stretch of road, Qu Dubian looked around and said, "Why is it so quiet today? I didn't see any patrolling team. Is Ye Lianyang being lazy?"

Xia Fuyang: "Then you must punish him severely when you return."

After the two of them passed through the hole in the city wall, a depressed voice came from the wall: "General Xia, you are so mean."

Then, Ye Lianyang said happily: "Boss, look back quickly!"

Qu Watanabe turned back subconsciously.

On the city wall, several fireworks suddenly rose into the sky and exploded in the night sky with a bang!

Brilliant golden flowers instantly lit up the city that had been quiet just a moment ago. Soldiers appeared one after another, grinning from ear to ear, and looked eagerly at the young man on horseback:

"Happy birthday, Your Highness!"

"Happy birthday, little general!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Long live your highness!"

"Happy birthday..."

Seventeen times, ten times in total, a total of one hundred and seventy fireworks were emitted and exploded continuously from the city wall.

The noisy sounds of blessings reach my ears in the night sky where fireworks are exploding.

The soldiers around him lined up on both sides holding small flowers, "General, please dismount!"

There are basically no flowers in the northern border, and these small flowers look a bit ugly. They were picked vibrantly in the hands of the soldiers who wanted to show the beautiful flowers to the young general.

Xia Fuyang was the first to dismount, walked up to Qu Dubian, and smiled as he held out his hand: "Come down, my little general. I will personally support you?"

Qu Watanabe suddenly had a vision of walking on the red carpet.

He blinked, slapped Xia Fuyang's hand away, and jumped down. "What are you doing?"

Xia Fuyang: "Just move forward."

Qu Dubian walked along the path that the soldiers had created. After walking for a while, someone shouted, "Happy birthday to your highness!"

Another paragraph passed: "Happy second birthday to His Highness!"

Another paragraph later: "Happy third birthday to His Highness!"

She said one every year, as if to make up for all the birthday happiness he had not received in the past years.

“…”

Qu Watanabe didn't say anything.

Xia Fuyang tilted his head and caught a glimpse of a hint of red under his drooping eyelashes.

He walked step by step to Xu Jin's tent. The old man was not in good health and could only sit on a chair with difficulty. In front of him was a table with a bowl of freshly served, hot longevity noodles on it.

Xu Jin smiled and said, "Xiaoguai, happy seventeenth birthday."

Qu Duanbian felt a sour taste rushing into his nose. He lowered his head slightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Grandpa, I...I don't think I can celebrate my birthday like this. It's too ostentatious."

In fact, just a bowl of noodles is enough, there is no need to be so grand.

Xu Jin glared and said, "Who said that? That's nonsense. In the border area, in the northern border, there are no such stinky rules as in the capital!"

"Yueqing loves you very much. She gave birth to you to enjoy her life. If she knew that you have never had a proper birthday because of her, she would be sad. Why don't you hold on for one more day?"

"In order not to make her sad, you should also enjoy every birthday."

My dear, you were expected to come into this world.

Qu Dubian understood the look in his grandfather's eyes. After a moment's pause, he suddenly picked up the longevity noodles on the table, picked up the chopsticks and started eating.

The soldiers laughed and said, "Be careful of the heat, Your Highness."

The noodles were so hot that two tears came out of their eyes, and when no one was paying attention, they fell into the salty noodle soup.

He was not expected to come into this world.

He is just a person in later generations who lives on for the original child. He takes on the responsibility of that child and that is how he gets this fate.

It wasn't stolen, he told himself.

He is very good and he deserves this love.

Xia Fuyang: "Oh my god, slow down, no one is competing with you."

Qu Dubian squatted behind Xu Jin's chair with the bowl in his hand and hid, leaving the back of his head exposed to everyone, "Don't meddle in the affairs of geniuses."

Xia Fuyang said happily: "I'm shy."

The soldiers laughed good-naturedly.

"Alright, alright, let's go."

Ye Lianyang said, "Hey, don't waste the flowers. You can use them to feed sheep, cows, or horses."

Yi Twelve was very experienced in selecting the flowers to give to Qu Watanabe for his birthday. He picked out some of the perfect and beautiful ones and tied them into a bouquet, and the rest were turned into feed for cattle, sheep and horses in the very pragmatic style of the frontier.

-

Northern Xinjiang Station.

They hadn't gotten over the shadow of the new version of gunpowder yet, and when they first heard the sound of fireworks, they were startled. The people of the Great Zhou were coming to attack?!

Jizhigladu hurriedly ran out of the tent.

Then he looked at the fireworks exploding over Zhongyi City from afar: "..."

Even if you have a new version of gunpowder, you don’t have to show off so much, right?

This must be a demonstration by Da Zhou.

He sent someone to see what was going on, but when the person came back, he said, "They are celebrating the seventh prince's birthday."

Jizhigla: "...Birthday?"

His face turned all colors ugly, he cursed, and walked into the tent without looking back.

"The people of Da Zhou are really sick."

-

After Qu Dubian finished eating the longevity noodles, he helped Xu Jin into the tent.

Xu Jin's energy was depleted very quickly. He seemed to be quite energetic just now, but after entering the tent, he could hardly open his eyes.

After he lay down, he still held Qu Duanbian's hand and said, "Little darling, are you happy today?"

Qu Watanabe: “Very happy.”

Xu Jin: "Grandpa will celebrate this for you every year from now on."

"Okay," Qu Dubian said with a smile, "Then you should get well soon. I'll wait for your birthday next year. Have a rest, Grandpa."

Xu Jin slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Qu Dubian went out for a walk, took a breath, and swung his arms back and forth.

Yi Twelve appeared beside him, one hand behind his back: "Your Highness."

Qu Watanabe: “Hmm?”

Yi Twelve stretched out his hand hidden behind his waist and opened his palm: "Gift."

A thin, colorful hair rope was nestled in his hand, with a string of glittering beads hanging from the bottom. It looked white, but was very gorgeous if you looked closely.

He wrote it himself, for the first time.

"So beautiful!" Qu Watanabe was instantly attracted.

Seeing that he liked it, Yi Shier breathed a sigh of relief and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

Qu Watanabe: "I'll use this tomorrow."

B12: "Okay."

Qu Dubian put away his hair tie and took a deep breath.

This was probably the happiest and most relaxing day for him since he came to Northern Xinjiang.