Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Jinjiang First Release

Chapter 60

At the beginning of October, Li Fuyun had allied with the Huang and Qiao families, the prominent clans in Beidi County, and led an army of 200,000 soldiers and horses to conquer the south and the north, defeating the enemy troops and killing the generals, and captured You County, Qiu County and other places.

The Wu Kingdom was engulfed in flames and civil war. Everywhere there were trumpets declaring war, smoke signals of attack, chaos and turmoil, and flames covering the sky.

The nobles fought each other for territory, which eventually led to the common people being displaced and homeless.

The scene was devastated, with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

All able-bodied men in the prefectures and counties were drafted into the army to supplement the military strength, and the only ones left at home were the elderly, women, and children with mobility problems.

But during years of natural and man-made disasters, without laborers to work the land, life was unbearable for the people. At the height of the famine, people even resorted to exchanging their children for food and cooking with bones.

This fierce civil war caused by the Li family eventually caused dissatisfaction among the people of the Han clan.

The common people at the bottom of society did not care who would live in the Dragon Court or who would rule the State of Wu. They only cared about what to eat today, what to drink tomorrow, whether they would have warm clothes in the dead of winter, and whether the babies born to their wives could grow up safely.

But the artillery fire mercilessly destroyed their homes and crushed their hopes. Those high-ranking officials continued to revel in their daily lives, while these lowly ants could hardly afford even a mouthful of porridge or a bowl of vegetable paste to feed their children...

The cold winter is coming.

The ragged, hungry civilians shivered as they watched the increasingly cold weather. They knew that if it got any colder, wild vegetables would wither, leaves would fall, and the rivers would freeze. Without clothes, food, or a place to stay, they would hardly survive until the bright spring.

If Li Fuyun continued to fight like this, the noble families would be plagued by constant strife and unable to take care of themselves, let alone provide relief to the victims. By then, they would all die. No one would survive this winter... All hope of life would be wiped out on this day, vanishing into thin air.

When the Li family's troops attacked the next city again, the starving people rushed into the crowd and smashed the stones in their hands hard on Li Fuyun's forehead.

Bang--!

A sharp pain came, and blood gushed out, instantly covering the late prince's cheeks.

Li Fuyun's eyes were filled with scarlet, like a ghost.

He grimaced in pain, glared, and shouted, "How dare you!"

Before Li Fuyun could issue the kill order, the deputy general had already thrust his spear into the chest of the starving man...

Blood splattered all over the ground.

Before dying, the starving people's eyes were red as they gritted their teeth and uttered, "Traitor! You have made the people of Wu homeless. You have destroyed our families and left us starving to death in the streets! Traitor! You deserve to die!"

This hungry man was obviously a scholar, but he was not from a noble family, and no one recommended such a disadvantaged scholar as him to serve as an official in the court.

The scholars had no chance to realize their ambitions and could only suffer from the ravages of war, starve with the refugees, and die in such a humiliating way under the spears of their comrades.

The rain fell, diluting the thick bloodstains.

At this moment, Li Fuyun was shivering from the cold. He finally lowered his proud head and looked around.

He found that the people of Wu who welcomed him into the city all had expressions of resentment, humiliation and humiliation on their faces.

It turned out that he hadn't looked down for a long time.

The Li family became a tyrant... Li Fuyun lost the support of the people.

The restoration of the country is no longer justified.

It was also at this time that Li Fuyun finally understood why they were able to lead their army straight into the heart of Wu State without any obstruction. At most, they would fight with local nobles, capture cities one by one, plunder supplies, and then continue marching towards Jianye County.

After a few more months of marching, they will be able to reach the capital of Jianye... No matter how patient Cui Jue is, he should at least show some expression, right?

Unfortunately, those big clans in the northwest had not fought with the aristocratic families in the southeast for a long time, and they underestimated the enemy.

They thought that Cui Jue only defended and did not attack because he was afraid of the war horses supported by the foreign barbarians, and was frightened by their fearless fighting spirit, so he became a turtle and dared not show up.

But Li Fuyun suddenly realized that maybe Cui Jue was not afraid of fighting, but was deliberately pretending to be deaf and dumb in order to reap the benefits.

After all, Cui Jue once led his army to tour the local areas. When he demonstrated his military strength, he must have also observed the troops and combat capabilities of the various counties.

Cui Jue could not guarantee that the aristocratic families would be united, and he was also worried that when he led his army to fight the enemy, some ambitious clans would take advantage of the situation and attack his rear.

Therefore, Cui Jue would not rashly lead his troops on an expedition, but would stay in the capital and wait and see what would happen.

Since Li Fuyun wants to fight, let him enter the country and first kill the morale of the local nobles. In this way, when Cui Jue leads the troops to fight again, he can easily gather those local nobles and force them to submit, and even fight Li Fuyun to the death.

Li Fuyun only realized Cui Jue's intention today, and he was frightened to death.

However, Li Fuyun had been marching far away for several months, and most of his food and supplies had been consumed. With such scarce military supplies and tired soldiers, he was afraid that before he could lay siege to the capital of Jianye, he would have been surrounded and wiped out by Cui's army.

Li Fuyun was panicked.

No wonder Cui Jue was reluctant to ascend the throne, and no wonder he kept his troops inactive.

Cui Jue wanted the people to watch Li Fuyun destroy the city and watch the Li family lose the support of the people. He wanted the people to attack the Li Dynasty. In this way, Cui Jue could ascend the throne after the victory and become the saint of the royal family who would bring peace and prosperity to the common people!

This guy is despicable!

Li Fuyun fell into the trap and was gritting his teeth in hatred.

He had a murderous look in his eyes and planned to lead his army to Jiangzhou, a place with abundant resources and a prosperous population.

Since this is the case, he will not make the same mistake again. He should go to Jiangzhou first to replenish food and military supplies, and then fight to seize Jianye County!

-

Mid-October, Jianye County.

Cui Jue closed the letter from the Jiangzhou military adjutant and pondered for a moment before saying to Chen Heng, "As I expected, Li Fuyun is indeed leading his troops towards Jiangzhou... This shows that he is running low on food and fodder, and his troops are exhausted. This presents a good opportunity for us to engage the enemy."

"Chen Heng, in five days, mobilize 50,000 troops from the Light Cavalry Camp, along with 50,000 infantry, and a batch of military supplies for the march... Before the battle, remember to send a message to the Governor of Jiangzhou, instructing local officials to coordinate military defenses and to diligently prepare military pay, war equipment, and fodder, respectfully welcoming the Cui family's troops."

Cui Jue could not guarantee that the local officials would honestly hand over the money and food collected from taxes. After all, there were only a few honest and virtuous officials. But since he was the prince in charge of the country, he had to issue a clear order to the local areas, and the officials of Jiangzhou had to express their stance. After all, everyone was afraid of being punished by Cui Jue later.

"Besides that, remember to enforce strict military discipline and train the troops more frequently to prevent them from underestimating the enemy and becoming complacent. This battle cannot be delayed. In ten days, I will personally lead the army and march to Jiangzhou with the other generals to crush the rebels!"

Cui Jue burned the secret report and said coldly, "As for the affairs of state within the court, they will be supervised by Minister Xie, the elders of the Chen family, and the heads of the six ministries. If there are any national policies to be implemented, or any major policies that are uncertain, order them to be delivered to the military camp at full speed, and I will personally review them."

Cui Jue had to leave Jianye for a while. He wanted to go to the battlefield in person and kill Li Fuyun in front of the common people.

If Cui Jue had ambitions to ascend the throne, this battle would be a great opportunity for him to win the hearts of the people.

Cui Jue has always been smart and good at weighing the pros and cons in dealing with people. He will never miss any opportunity.

-

After a long wait until mid-October, Su Li's period finally ended.

Since the last time they had sex, Cui Jue's movements were so intense that Su Li didn't dare to sleep with her back to Cui Jue for several days.

Afraid that he would suddenly get aroused in the middle of the night, he would grab Su Li's wrist and press her under him...

Direct burial - secluded path.

Later, Su Li vaguely figured out why Cui Jue preferred to enter from behind. Because her neck was the most vulnerable part, and he could hold it in his palm.

Because of this posture, he can go in...very deep.

He can also teach everything he knows and put all his personal belongings into it.

Fortunately, the obscene incident only lasted three days, and Su Li got her period in early October.

Su Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She was very self-aware and knew that Cui Jue's interest in her was nothing more than sexual pleasure. Only by sleeping close to her could he grab Su Li in time to relieve himself. What he loved was nothing more than her body.

That's why Cui Jue wanted to sleep with her.

Since her period had come, Su Li had an excuse to stay in the guest room and no longer had to serve Cui Jue.

After all, there was a tall and strong man lying next to her. Su Li was afraid of offending him, so she didn't even dare to turn over. She really didn't sleep well.

"My lord, I have my period recently, so I am afraid it is not convenient for me to serve you. Could you allow me to stay in the side room for a few days?" Su Li was full of confidence. She felt that there was no reason for Cui Jue to disagree, and she would definitely be able to escape from Cui Jue's clutches this time.

But Cui Jue just looked at her solemnly, with an indifferent expression on his face.

Su Li's heart was beating fast, and she couldn't help but say, "If, if Your Majesty really wants it, I heard that every time there is a banquet, high-ranking officials send beauties to Shuyue Pavilion... It would be a shame for Your Majesty to demote these beauties to maids and send them to the countryside. Why not ask Aunt Huirong to recommend a few smart people to serve Your Majesty?"

Thinking that she wouldn't have to suffer from the torture day and night and could have a full night's sleep, Su Li was happy from the bottom of her heart and the smile on her face became more sincere.

"What do you think, my lord?"

However, Cui Jue was not as pleasant as Su Li had imagined. Instead, he had a pair of cold eyes and a gloomy and murderous aura, looking as eerie as a ghost.

Cui Jue grabbed Su Li's smooth wrist and pulled her in front of him.

The man lowered his eyes, his cold, slender fingers slowly running over the texture of her lips. His voice was dangerous: "Su Li, you seem very happy to give me to someone else?"

He was not wrong... Su Li's almond-shaped eyes were clear, without a trace of selfishness.

She didn't want to possess Cui Jue, she could give him to anyone.

Su Li doesn't care about him.

Su Li didn't understand why Cui Jue's voice suddenly became so sharp. She was not stupid and soon got the idea.

I think all men love to have many wives and concubines, but all men hope that the concubines in their family only have eyes for him. They are jealous of each other and fight with each other. They look forward to it in the yard every day, thinking about getting the favor of the master of the house.

Since that was the case, Su Li quickly put away the smile on her face and sighed, "Why would I want to give the Lordship to someone else? I simply know that the Lordship has the whole world in his heart and would never focus on such trivial matters at home. I only regret that I am not good enough. I only have my period seven or eight days a month, and I can't help the Lordship at night... I care about the Lordship, so I recommended other sisters to help. The Lordship should not misunderstand me..."

She spoke with sincerity and conviction.

Cui Jue actually laughed a little when he heard it, but the short sneer did not reach his eyes and soon faded into the night.

The man's fingertips moved slightly, rubbing Su Li's wrist and lingering: "My body is precious, and it is not something that can be touched by just any cat or dog... In ten days or so, I will go on a long expedition to suppress the rebellion. I have been busy with military affairs recently, and I have been worried about many things. Instead of seeking relief from others, I would rather ask you to try again..."

Su Li felt a pang of pain in her stomach when she heard this. She couldn't help but ask, "How can I serve you in this state?"

Cui Jue pressed his fingertips on her plump lips with greater force, rubbing them with his fingertips in an ambiguous and lewd manner, almost reaching into her lips and teeth to entangle her soft, wet and slippery tongue.

Su Li seemed to understand what he meant, her face pale: "My Lord, I, I don't like to eat random things..."

Cui Jue sneered, "You're overthinking things... Su Li, are your hands doing well?"

Hearing this, Su Li breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that it was just using hands.

But soon she was filled with hatred again... Cui Jue even made her work hard during her menstrual period and refused to let her go at all!

It was obvious that this guy was obsessed with lust and didn't regard her as a human being at all!

However, when Su Li learned that Cui Jue was going on an expedition in a few days, her dead heart suddenly rekindled.

Some inappropriate thoughts slowly emerged again... The Cui family was heavily guarded, and it might be difficult to escape, but she would definitely be able to drink this bowl of heir-extinction soup properly.

Very good, Su Li doesn't want to have children for Cui Jue, so this can end this bad relationship, which is really the best thing.

-

In the middle of the month, Su Li's menstruation had been over for a few days, and her waist and legs finally stopped hurting. She prepared gifts to visit her grandmother and planned to meet Qiu Gui and ask about black chicken soup.

Winter is approaching and the weather is very cold. Su Li specially made several sets of fine cotton winter clothes for Old Madam Su and also prepared ointment specifically for preventing and treating frostbite.

In fact, the Cui family has already prepared all these items. Cui Jue is not like the Lanhe Su family, who would be harsh on concubines and their families, so Su Li can rest assured.

Su Li prepared all these simply to borrow things to care for her family. She was determined to take care of it, so Cui Jue followed her.

However "harmonious" the two of them seemed, they were still wary of each other.

Everything Su Li buys has to be checked one by one by the doctor and Huirong to prevent her from having the thought of defecting again.

On the day of leaving, Su Li learned that Cui Jue had returned to Shuyue Pavilion after the court session. She also thought about paying a visit to Cui Jue before leaving, so as to teach him not to become suspicious and stop her from reminiscing about the past with Qiu Gui.

However, Shuyue Pavilion today is very different from usual.

A circle of armored private soldiers surrounded the courtyard, guarding two carriages flying the banners of the Xie clan. One carriage, adorned with a purple canopy and richly decorated with splendid ornaments, immediately revealed the carriage to belong to a high-ranking official in the capital. The other carriage, with its pink satin windows and delicate fragrance, had maids standing guard beside it, their brows lowered and their eyes lowered. It seemed the carriage belonged to a noble lady from some high-ranking family.

Su Li couldn't help but take a few more glances and became suspicious.

Just as she was about to lift her skirt to go in and meet Cui Jue, Wei Zhiyan stopped her: "Madam Su, wait a minute, don't go in yet."

Su Li greeted him with a smile: "Your Majesty said that Shuyue Pavilion allowed me to go freely. Brother Wei, isn't it a bit unreasonable to stop me today?"

She was just joking with Wei Zhiyan, and also wanted to take the opportunity to inquire about the identity of the visitor.

Wei Zhiyan thought for a moment and whispered, "It's the Lord's order. Not only Madam Su, but even if the old patriarch comes, he can't enter."

After a pause, he let Su Li know the truth, "The officials who came are Mr. Xie, and his granddaughter Xie Qinghan... They wanted to discuss matters, but they insisted on bringing female relatives with them, even bringing Miss Xie's engagement letter. I think something is amiss."

Choosing a concubine? So blatant, afraid that people would not know that it was to discuss marriage.

Wei Zhiyan was of course on Su Li's side. He guessed in his heart that Xie Qinghan should be the mistress of the Cui family's main house in the future, but he didn't dare to say anything more. He could only hint to Su Li and teach her to be prepared and not feel bad.

When Su Li heard this, she was just stunned and didn't say much.

No wonder Cui Jue specially asked people to go into Shuyue Pavilion to discuss matters today instead of receiving the Xie family in the outer courtyard... This was his urgent personal matter, and it even concerned the future mistress of the Cui family, so naturally he had to treat her with courtesy and handle it with caution.

And Su Li was just a shameful concubine.

It was shameful for a concubine to invite him to pleasure every day and stay overnight in Shuyue Pavilion. Cui Jue did not allow her to enter because he was afraid that she would speak without restraint and offend Xie Qinghan.

It's understandable, Su Li will cooperate well.

After all, Cui Jue relies heavily on the Xie family, and now is a critical moment when the war is about to begin. How could he offend the Xie family?

In Su Li's eyes, this marriage was a done deal.

Very good, Su Li smiled.

If the girl from the Xie family married into the Cui family, at least in the future, there would be a clan wife in the family and there would be rules of hierarchy between wives and concubines.

She no longer had to serve Cui Jue in the bedroom every day, and she could sleep well alone.

Thinking of this, Su Li curled her lips towards Wei Zhiyan. "Well, I won't bother you anymore. When you're done, please let Brother Wei know for me... Just tell him I'm going to visit my grandmother tonight and might be back late. If he's tired, he can go to bed first. I'll stay at Mudong Pavilion and won't disturb his rest."

Wei Zhiyan felt a pang of sadness when he heard Su Li's considerate words.

He always felt that since his master and Madam Su had been sleeping together for so long, they must have a deep bond. Now that he knew a new bride was coming, Su Li was naturally unhappy.

He sighed and handed Chixia, who had been waiting for a long time, to Su Li. "Madam Su, since you're going out, why not give your lord a ride? Chixia understands human nature and is also very affectionate. When you came back earlier, you didn't pet it, but instead petted another colt. It was so angry that it even refused to eat its straw cakes! Your lord specifically instructed his subordinates to let you ride Chixia for two days, so you can relax and have some fun."

Su Li couldn't help laughing when she heard this. She could guess that Wei Zhiyan wanted to comfort her.

However, Cui Jue, such a cold-hearted person, would actually be considerate enough to send her a horse to coax her... Could it be that he was compensating her for something?

Su Li nodded repeatedly, hugged Chixia's head and rubbed it twice: "Hey, don't be jealous! How could I care about those wild flowers and weeds? Of course I like our Chixia horse brother the most! Come on, I'll take you out to play, and we'll come back later!"

Chixia shook his mane happily, lowered his head and leaned over, nudged Su Li's waist, and coaxed her to get on the horse.

Su Li followed suit and stepped onto the saddle.

Su Li was in high spirits and rode away on Chixia.

Behind her followed Aunt Huirong, who was monitoring her, and a team of elite soldiers. The long team looked like an invisible chain pulled out from Shuyue Pavilion.

Even though Su Li was tied up with chains, she did not torture herself.

It was a rare opportunity for the girl to ride a horse, so she was very happy and in a good mood.

Su Li never looked back once.