Chapter 73 Because His Majesty will be His Majesty in the future

Seventeen opened his eyes and found himself standing inside the red-tiled palace walls. He looked around at the somewhat familiar scene, not understanding how he had returned to Yejing.

But he couldn't remember where he should be. He... he should be in Yejing, right?

He started walking forward, feeling dazed and unsure of where to go.

Suddenly a rain started to fall, and Seventeen fled in panic. Suddenly an umbrella appeared above his head, shielding him from the wind and rain.

Seventeen turned around and saw a face that was somewhat familiar yet not entirely familiar.

That was Long Langyue's face, but it was more youthful. If you had to say... it resembled His Majesty on the day I first met him.

"...His Majesty?"

Seventeen was a little unsure and called out softly. Long Langyue laughed when she heard it: "What are you shouting about, you little guard? If Father hears this, your entire clan will be wiped out."

"...I have no five clans."

Seventeen's voice was still very soft; he was still somewhat confused about the situation.

Upon hearing this, Long Langyue hissed and frowned, asking, "Which palace are you from?"

"I......"

Before Seventeen could finish speaking, Long Langyue immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him aside until they were both hidden in the shadows. The torrential rain washed away all traces of where they had just stood.

Then a large group of people walked across the road. Seventeen blinked, not recognizing them.

He turned to look at Long Langyue, whose expression was no longer as it had been before; instead, it was somewhat gloomy.

The two were standing very close. Seventeen's clothes were wet and damp, but Long Langyue didn't mind and pulled him closer to her.

The familiar smell filled her nose, and Seventeen felt a little dizzy.

"His Majesty......"

Long Langyue looked down at him. This little guard kept calling him "Your Majesty," and anyone who didn't know better would think he was eager to ascend the throne.

She's beautiful, but why isn't she smart?

"Why do you call me Your Majesty?"

Seventeen tilted his head and thought for a moment, then whispered, "Because Your Majesty will be Your Majesty in the future."

Despite hearing this seemingly random question, Long Langyue's mood improved. He put his hands on Seventeen's shoulders, pouted, and asked, "Do you know who that group of people who just passed by were?"

"have no idea."

"They are the ones who don't want your emperor to become emperor."

Seventeen frowned, somewhat displeased, and said, "So mean."

"Yes, it's really bad."

Long Langyue found him amusing and reached out to pinch his round cheeks, laughing: "What guard is as round as you? Hurry up and go back to the palace, don't get involved."

Seventeen pursed her lips and remained silent. Long Langyue was speechless. The two looked at each other, and in the end, Long Langyue gave in: "Alright, you can go wherever you want, but I'm leaving now."

After saying that, he waved to Seventeen, handed the umbrella to him, and rushed into the rain.

Before Seventeen could call out to him, he felt a sudden dizziness and opened his eyes. There was no His Majesty there; he was clearly in the camp in the north.

"His Majesty......"

Eunuch Yuanfu poked his head in: "Has the Seventeenth Guard woken up? It's already dawn."

"His Majesty has not returned all night?"

"yes."

After changing his clothes with a frown, Seventeen saw that the soldiers outside were all normal. He told himself that nothing had happened and that nothing would happen. However, this fierce battle was bound to be difficult, and it was normal for His Majesty to stay for a few more days.

Yuanfu cautiously observed his expression, and seeing that it seemed alright, he asked, "Shall we order some food?"

Seventeen rubbed his temples and smiled, "Eunuch Yuanfu, what's the point of being so formal between the two of us? Let's eat together."

A few days later, Seventeen and his soldiers inquired about the situation and found that the battle was relatively stable. A small unit of the Northern Army had infiltrated the Northern Rong, and Meng Qiuna, under the guidance of Long Xiaoyun, had successfully concealed her identity and gained the trust of the Northern Rong King.

With the combined efforts of Long Xiaoyun and Long Langyue, they "defeated" several of the Northern Army's garrison points, greatly boosting morale within the Northern Rong Army.

The Northern Rong King also trusted this mysterious "advisor," especially since the other party's predictions were so accurate that his suspicions gradually diminished, leaving only admiration.

This is his Northern Rong god! This is his Mother Earth!

Meng Qiuna suppressed her disgust and subtly avoided the Northern Rong King's touch. She couldn't understand what her mother had seen in this disgusting man in the first place.

They even dared to harm people who were about the same age as their own children and were called "gods".

They have absolutely no bottom line.

The King of Beirong was completely unaware of this; listening to his subordinates' reports, he felt only great joy.

No matter how long it took Long Xiaoyun to defeat their Northern Rong army, they will pay back little by little!

It is said that the former "God of War" Long Langyue has also come. The dignified Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty has actually come to fight in person. He must be in a terrible predicament.

The more the Northern Rong King thought about it, the happier he became. He couldn't help but burst into laughter. With a wave of his hand, a group of women dressed in Northern Rong attire jingled and entered, crowding around him.

Meng Qiuna lowered her eyes and scanned the faces of these women one by one, finding them all numb.

They couldn't even show any pain or fear, otherwise they would be subjected to whipping at best, and skinning alive and having their blood drawn at worst.

The entire Northern Rong royal family is in utter disarray, from the Northern Rong King and Queen to... those useless children.

＊

"The snow is getting heavier, Seventeenth Guard, go back inside."

Grandpa Yuanfu stood behind Seventeen, holding an umbrella. Seventeen, who had come to her senses upon hearing the voice, sighed softly, turned around and replied, "Alright, Grandpa, you should also go and rest early. The weather is getting cold too quickly, so don't catch a cold."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Have the soldiers' winter clothing been prepared?"

Yuanfu nodded: "Everything is here, no problem."

Nearly a month has passed since Long Langyue left, and Seventeen has never felt so sad about parting.

Is this the taste of longing? It's a little chilly.

Seventeen snapped back to reality, realizing that snowflakes had landed on her face.

The climate in the north is indeed quite unusual. After just over two months of heat, winter arrives quickly. Overnight, the temperature changes from scorching sun requiring light clothing to the need for a padded jacket.

Seventeen exhaled a breath of white air and wrapped his outer robe tighter around himself.

The climate in Shiqi is better than here. Perhaps he was too young at the time and doesn't remember anything except the warm palm-leaf fan and the thick, warm coat.

News from the other side remained stable; every step the Northern Rong King took was within their expectations, and the day the second snow fell would be the day they marched straight into the Northern Rong.

With nothing to do back home, Seventeen simply strolled around the camp. During this time, the soldiers had become familiar with him and greeted him along the way.

One of the lieutenants left in the camp by Long Langyue, wrapped in thick winter clothes, approached Seventeen and asked, "Where is Seventeen, the guard, going?"

"I'm going to go check out winter clothes."

He figured he had nothing better to do than to sort out the winter clothes. Winters in the North were extremely cold and long, and if anything went wrong with the winter clothes, it would be a fatal blow to the Northern Army.

"Alright, then I won't go with you." The lieutenant waved and left, but Xie Qingyan returned shortly after.

Under Shen Weige's care, the other person's health improved significantly, and his complexion became visibly rosier. Even in the cold snow, he did not appear shiver despite being wrapped in thick winter clothes.

The two were old acquaintances from Maple Forest Town and were more familiar with each other than others, so they went together to the warehouse where winter clothes were stored.

When Seventeen pushed open the door, an indescribable smell wafted out, but there was nothing that could be done about it. As long as the warehouse had the necessary preservation conditions, that was enough; they couldn't worry about anything else.

Stacks of winter clothes filled the warehouse. Seventeen walked over and casually picked up a few. The cotton filling was quite substantial, and they should be able to get through this cold winter without any problems.

Xie Qingyan pressed a few items on the other side as well, but found no problems.

"There shouldn't be any problem."

Seventeen nodded, feeling much relieved. Although he couldn't do anything openly, he felt that Long Langyue cared a lot about the Northern Army, and he wanted to help.

However, the Northern Army had many years of experience and operated very smoothly, so he did some useless work.

Xie Qingyan was chatting and laughing with Seventeen as they prepared to leave, but when they reached the door, they saw Seventeen stop in her tracks.

"What's wrong?"

Seventeen frowned, turned around, and glanced at the quiet warehouse again.

He turned around and walked back to the pile of winter clothes.

"Something seems off..."

Seventeen squatted down and looked at the pile of winter clothes at the bottom, and said thoughtfully, "Don't you think these bottom few pieces seem a bit thinner than the ones on top?"

"Hmm?" Xie Qingyan asked in confusion. After looking at it carefully for a while, she hesitated and said, "No... these winter clothes underneath have been pressed down for so long, it's normal for them to be a bit thin, right?"

That makes sense, but Seventeen just felt something was off.

However, digging out the winter clothes underneath for inspection is a big and troublesome task.

Xie Qingyan's eyes darted around, and seeing that Seventeen was clearly suspicious, he simply called over a few soldiers, and the group helped carry it.

Hearing the commotion, Eunuch Yuanfu came over. He looked left and right, then pulled Seventeen aside and whispered, "Seventeen, have you discovered something?"

"Father-in-law, I feel there's something wrong with the pile of winter clothes underneath this batch."

Seventeen's voice was also very soft, but Yuanfu knew him well and knew he was not the kind of person to act recklessly. His face darkened, and he raised his voice in a shrill voice to order someone to bring him winter clothes.

After all, Eunuch Yuanfu was someone close to His Majesty, and even the soldiers who were initially reluctant obediently began to move the load.

Eunuch Yuanfu stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, chin raised, watching the group of people carry winter clothes. It was only then that Seventeen realized that this man was from the palace.

Yuanfu's usual amiable attitude towards him made him forget that this man was no ordinary eunuch.

But then I thought again, could it be that Eunuch Yuanfu knew about his affair with His Majesty? Otherwise, why would he...?

As she thought about it, Seventeen blushed a little. She shook her head to clear her mind before looking back at the warehouse.

Seeing that most of the winter clothes had been moved, Seventeen stepped forward, picked up a winter coat that was underneath, and shook it out.

The sun was shining brightly outside. Seventeen, holding his winter coat, squinted at the sunlight streaming in. The thin fabric and the patches of cotton inside made him squint.

Grandpa Yuanfu was also greatly surprised and asked sternly, "Who sent the winter clothes this year?"

The soldiers who were helping were also startled. They looked at each other and said cautiously, "It's a cloth shop in the city. They've been providing us with winter clothes for so many years."

With a cold face, Eunuch Yuanfu ordered the soldiers to follow Seventeen's command, then turned and left.

Before His Majesty left, he instructed that the affairs of the camp be temporarily handled by him, which is why Yuanfu came with such a fierce momentum.

The deputy general left behind was the highest-ranking officer in the camp. When he saw Eunuch Yuanfu approaching, his face still looked somewhat unwell. Startled, he asked, "You've arrived, sir. Has something gone wrong with the battle?"

"Deputy General Liu, may I ask you, who made and delivered the winter clothes for the soldiers?"

“This…” Deputy General Liu scratched his head and said, “It’s a cloth shop in the city. We’ve been doing business with them for many years.”

"Would it be convenient for you to take us to have a look?"

"It's convenient."

When the remaining seventeen were counted, a full third of the winter clothes were such cheaply made and poorly made items!

He was so angry that his face turned red. This was discovered in advance. If it had not been discovered, would the soldiers have had to wear such thin winter clothes when they went to the battlefield?

How did they kill the enemy?

Seventeen was glad that she was perceptive enough, and grateful to Grandpa Yuanfu for his unconditional trust in her; otherwise, she didn't know how long it would have taken for her to have the examination done on her own.