59. Moon Viewing

The journey was bumpy, but not far. After a while, many people knew that Yun Zhihe had a beloved maid who was delicate, charming, and had an alluring figure.

Then compare him with Lou Zhi. Although he has a fierce reputation and an ominous aura, most people still believe that he got his position in the army by relying on his physique. Many people look at him with covetous eyes.

Although she is disfigured, she has a good figure, and covering up the scar makes her look even more charming.

During these years in the army, who knows how many alluring sexual skills he has hidden beneath his cold exterior?

Conquest is always in a woman's blood, first conquering the world, then conquering men.

Therefore, some people began to hint at him, openly or covertly.

Lou Zhi's life was dull, and he looked at people dully on weekdays. Even if someone hinted at him, he wouldn't realize they were teasing him.

At most, he would look at the man calmly, and leave embarrassedly when the man could no longer bear his cold and cruel gaze.

No one had succeeded in the past few days, and more people became more and more courageous. During this time, a young officer from the bandit suppression army took advantage of the break to walk up to Lou Zhi. At first, he reported on his work, and then his words became bolder.

"General Lou, the moon is beautiful tonight. At midnight, may I enjoy the moon with you?"

Lou Zhi frowned. Although the young officer was startled by Lou Zhi's frown, he still swallowed and prepared to continue speaking.

She had made a bet with her sisters that they would capture him tonight.

These were soldiers trained by Cheng Guomu. Most of them were in high positions and neglected their subordinates, so they were fools who dared to offend their superiors.

Besides, the border troops had witnessed Lou Zhi’s cruelty before, and no one dared to provoke him.

Lou Zhi knew that the moonlight should be bright tonight. Now there were no clouds, the autumn air was clear and crisp, and the moon was round tonight.

But why should I share it with him?

No one from the border army had ever invited him.

Lou Zhi was a little confused.

The young officer thought he was hesitating and said, "I wonder if you would like me..." She gritted her teeth and said, "My kung fu is not bad..."

Kung Fu...are you going to fight him?

Lou Zhi's face was calm, but he was thinking in his heart.

This officer is frail and probably won't survive. He might even have broken bones. It's difficult to treat him in the wild. What should I do...

Lou Zhi has always been indifferent, so he couldn't understand the meaning, but Yun Zhihe was not stupid, so she understood it.

She paused, sneered, and stepped forward to speak, "I'm so busy on the road, how can I have the leisure to appreciate the moon?"

The officer choked.

She said this cleverly, turning the young officer's hint of romance into the leisurely and elegant appreciation of the moon, and also protecting Lou Zhi's reputation and face.

"When reporting, you should be humble and not look up. You speak casually, seek comfort, and have an unrefined military posture. Do you realize you've broken the rules? How can we allow you to disrespect your superiors in the military?!"

"Someone come—"

Her eyes were stern. "He will be punished by military law for disrespecting his superiors!"

She spoke with great force. After all, the emperor had personally decided to work with the Queen Mother to suppress the bandits, and Yun Zhihe's words also had a certain weight. Soon someone came up to take her away.

The young officer turned pale with fear and begged for mercy loudly.

"Yun, Lord Yun! I didn't mean to do that. Please forgive me!"

If this crime is brought, according to military law, he will probably be disabled.

Yun Zhihe was unmoved, and Lou Zhi was also a little confused.

But he has always liked Yun Zhihe, so he didn't interfere with her decision.

The others also looked at each other. The young officer's screams were heard from far away, so no one dared to offend Lou Zhi again.

Yun Zhihe found an excuse to be alone with Lou Zhi.

She didn't know how to start, so she lowered her eyes and hesitated for a moment.

Of course, I know that he has a calm and natural mind, and is a bit naive in some aspects, but I still have to say this.

"General Lou... lately, have you been invited to watch the moon, or been treated rudely?"

Lou Zhi thought about it and shook his head again.

"Someone invited me to their tent or the woods, but no one invited me to admire the moon like today."

Yun Zhihe's breath was caught in his throat.

“…I didn’t agree.”

"They are very idle and...very annoying."

Yun Zhihe then breathed a sigh of relief, and seeing that he didn't understand, he wanted to teach him.

"General Lou, these people are just..." She pursed her lips, "They are just coveting you and are actually teasing you with words. You should be vigilant and don't let them take advantage of you."

"If this happens again, we will find a reason to deal with it according to military law, and it will never happen again."

"These people are incredibly audacious and don't know how to train. General, show no mercy."

Lou Zhi looked up at her, was silent for a long time before speaking.

"Yeah... I understand."

"I will not hand it over to them, nor will I allow them to do anything to me."

Yun Zhihe nodded and was about to breathe a sigh of relief and say goodbye when he heard him say again.

"When I got married, my father-in-laws taught me that purity is important and should be given to the wife."

He lowered his eyes and stroked the sword at his waist with his fingertips.

Lou Zhi paused again, "...but, my wife has been killed by me."

It was not easy to talk about the Xiao family affairs anymore, and Yun Zhihe didn't know what to say, so he just continued to listen to him.

He raised his eyes to look at Yun Zhihe, and for a moment his dark and plain eyes flashed with an inexplicable tiny light, and his voice became low and hoarse.

"So... do you want it?"

Um……?

What do you want?

She didn't quite understand what he was saying.

Then I heard him speak slowly in a low voice.

“…My innocence.”

Yun Zhihe froze.

What, what kind of lewd words?!

Probably because he spoke seriously and his expression was calm, Yun Zhihe had no idea what he was thinking.

She couldn't follow his thoughts, nor could she tell that he was expressing joy, so her voice froze and she was about to decline to speak.

"General... this is not a joke. Please pour..."

"I'm not lying to you. I still have the toad's blood."

He took Yun Zhihe's hand, then put it on his shoulder, and said in a low voice, "...Here."

Yun Zhihe's palms could feel the coolness on his shoulder armor, and could also feel the roughness and heat of his fingers.

She could also see his eyelashes trembling slightly, and his eyes were no longer as still as before.

The tip of her tall nose was slightly red because of the autumn wind, and her lips were shiny and slightly red.

She was stunned and speechless.

The atmosphere between the two was very strange. Then another gust of bleak wind blew, and Yun Zhihe woke up and spoke.

"General, I have something urgent to do, so I'll leave first."

She hurriedly wanted to leave, withdrew her hand and escaped from Lou Zhi's restraint.

Lou Zhi curled his fingers a few times, as if recalling the warmth he had just felt on Yun Zhihe's palm. He then looked at Yun Zhihe's departing back and spoke.

"So, you were just trying to say that inviting me to watch the moon was a cover?"

Yun Zhihe stopped and nodded. He finally got back to the topic and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, it's just some high-sounding words. General, I will punish you severely next time."

Lou Zhi looked up at the sky, the lines on his neck were smooth and beautiful, his Adam's apple was trembling slightly, and he had a hint of sexiness.

The sunlight fell on his handsome face, illuminating his lips, Adam's apple, and eyes, and he seemed to be mumbling to himself.

"...But, today there are no clouds, so the moonlight should be beautiful."

The voice was low and slow, as if stuck in the throat.

He seemed to be regretful.

Lou Zhi looked at her again, her hair blowing in the wind, and the awe-inspiring, desolate and murderous aura was softened.

"Will you...watch the moon with me tonight?"

His voice was still low and gentle, his expression was still calm, but an inexplicable stubbornness could be seen in his eyes.

Yun Zhihe was in a trance for a moment, hesitated for a moment, and finally responded.

".……good."

He smiled. It was a rare smile for Lou Zhi. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and his eyebrows seemed to soften.

The moonlight was cool and beautiful. Yun Zhihe and Lou Zhi sat on the grass. In the distance there was smoke from the camp, but this place was exceptionally quiet.

People in Beijing would bring a pot of sake and a plate of sweet cakes to enjoy the moon, and raise the wine to drink with the sky. There was something quite unusual about just staring at the moon while sitting on the grass.

The night wind was not cold. Yun Zhihe exhaled, as if exhaling the frustration of recent days.

Lou Zhi remained silent, and the two of them were also quiet. It was a pity that it was not summer. If it were summer, with fireflies and the moon at night, it would be even more beautiful.

After enjoying the scenery for a while, they said goodbye. Although they were alone to enjoy the moon, Lou Zhi did not say anything about the toad's blood or anything like that. They were like ordinary friends, and the atmosphere was particularly peaceful.

Although he vented his anger by beating the rude young officer, it was also an insult to Queen Mother Cheng.

The 5,000 elite soldiers he led this time were all under the command of Cheng Guomu. They were trained by Cheng Guomu herself and had extremely strong combat power. They pretended to be a bit pretentious in front of Cheng Guomu, but their military discipline was not very strict when they were outside.

After all, this army was also named after the Xuanyuan clan, so they walked in a rather arrogant manner.

After learning about the young officer, Queen Mother Cheng felt slapped in the face. It was already frustrating enough that she had to share half of the power of her own army with Yun Zhihe, and Yun Zhihe punished her for a trivial matter.

Mother Cheng was filled with rage, just waiting to vent it out.

Therefore, when Yun Zhihe just returned to the tent, the first person he saw was Queen Mother Cheng.

Perhaps the confrontation between the old and the young was horrifying, so Ah Zhi pushed them out and closed the tent.

Mother Cheng's face was cold. Decades of wind and frost had carved her into such a battle-hardened old woman. Yun Zhihe still had a faint smile on his face, and seemed not to understand Mother Cheng's anger.

"Madam Yun, you and I left the capital to suppress bandits. You punished your own officers for a trivial matter, but is that excessive?"

"This little matter... is it referring to the officer's ignorance of military discipline, and the fact that I ordered him to be punished according to military discipline?"

She seemed to pretend to think, and then narrowed her eyes. The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with darkness.

"How can disrespecting your superiors be considered a minor matter...?"

"Besides, I'm not only here to suppress the bandits, but also... for the Su family's matter."

She emphasized the "Su family matter" a little more and carefully observed Mother Cheng's expression.

Mother Cheng paused, pursed her lips, and said, "Since you are already an official, you must not act impulsively. Mingcheng and his group need to be cautious. The next time you punish someone, you still need a convincing reason. That's all I have to say. Madam Yun, please consider this carefully."

After saying that, he left.

Yun Zhihe paused and looked at Mother Cheng's back.

She closed her eyes and thought, when she was tested on the "Su family matter" just now, Mother Cheng remained calm, was she really wrong?

No, if it had nothing to do with it, why would he volunteer to suppress the bandits?

As the mother of the country, she holds a high position. How could she have the leisure to care about those insignificant bandits when there is no profit in doing so?

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked at Su Zheng behind the screen.

Su Zheng came out timidly.

In order to protect his identity and to live up to his title as a maid, Su Zheng slept in Yun Zhihe's tent at night and rode in a carriage with her during the day.

Men and women should not touch each other, so Yun Zhihe always slept very far away from him at night, close to the wind.

Su Zheng also knew it. He pursed his lips and spoke again.

"Sister Yun, you...sleep in Zheng Zheng's bed...you'll be warm, very warm."

"Besides, Zheng Zheng, you sleep well... you don't snore..." He blushed and stammered, "and you don't kick the quilt..."

The voice became smaller and smaller.

Yun Zhihe shook his head, put his palm on his head and smiled.

"Of course I know, but Zheng Zheng also needs to know the boundaries between men and women. Go to sleep, sister, you won't be cold."

Su Zheng paused.

He reached out and grabbed Yun Zhihe's sleeve, "Then... Sister, can you tell me something?"

“…What’s going on?”

She still had a doting smile on her face, as if she was looking at a child who had not grown up.

"Sister, who did you go to watch the moon with?"

The boy's jade feet shone in the moonlight, his beautiful starry eyes like glass were full of stubbornness, and his voice was clear and crisp.

"I heard from Sister Azhi that my sister was watching the moon with others."

He reached out and hugged Yun Zhihe, rubbing her, his voice still clear.

"Sister, who did you go to watch the moon with?"

"...Don't you like Zheng Zheng anymore?"

The author has something to say:

I don't know what I wrote. I've been stuck recently. I feel like my writing is very poor. I still don't have that political mind. I'm anxious.