60 Battle of Guanshan

Is she... really that happy?

Qi Gu turned to look at the spoilsport. She felt that she was completely cured and didn't need to take any more medicine. Those medicines were really hard to swallow.

Sima Hong walked over with a moon-white cloak, making no attempt to conceal Xu Jin's presence, and draped the cloak over Qi Gu. The cloak dragged on the ground; it wasn't her own clothing, but Sima Hong's. She looked up at him in confusion. Wasn't this man a germaphobe?

Forget it, given their current relationship, he wouldn't be able to afford any of his own clothes anyway.

Sima Hong's eyes, which had always been like glaciers and frozen for years, melted into water at this moment. He looked at Qi Gu with gentleness, "It's windy. Your injuries haven't healed yet. You shouldn't stay outside in the wind for too long."

In autumn, the temperature difference is indeed large. The sun has not completely set yet, and the wind is a little cool. Qi Gu did not think much of it, tightened her cloak and thanked her, "Thank you, sworn brother."

Sima Hong paused in tying the cloak for Qi Gu, then straightened the cloak before taking it back.

At this moment, Xu Jin was already standing excitedly to the side, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with Sima Hong draping a cloak over the princess.

His eyes were filled with reverence. The person before him was a genius who had followed Sima Taigong out of seclusion at the age of sixteen and worked with the emperor and empress to rebuild the devastated Jin Dynasty. He was also a person admired by the sons of noble families and scholars all over the world.

The many policies he proposed for governing the country have benefited countless people. Most importantly, at the beginning of the unification of the world by the Great Jin Dynasty, he proposed that all people of insight, regardless of their background, age, or even gender, should be given important positions by the state and should have a fair opportunity to enter the court as officials, as long as they have ability and talent.

Although this national policy has not yet been fully realized, when he was twelve years old, he admired Sima Langjun immensely after hearing his teacher recount his deeds.

Now, this young master Sima is only twenty years old, yet he has reached a position that no one else can reach. As the Minister of Works, he not only proposed several policies to the emperor and empress on building roads and water conservancy, but also took the lead in supporting the empress's policy of reducing taxes for the people.

How could Xu Jin not be excited to finally meet such a revered person in person? Xu Jin suddenly felt that his unlucky first half of life might be coming to an end. Otherwise, how could he have met the princess first and now meet Lord Sima?

With great excitement, Xu Jin cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Lord Sima. I have long admired you, and it is a great honor to meet you today."

Qi Gu's hands were folded inside her long cloak, and she watched as Xu Jin spoke highly of Sima Hong. She never expected that Xu Jin, a man who had abandoned literature for martial arts, would also admire Sima Hong.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. There's a saying among the people of the capital: who doesn't love Sima Hong? He's loved by everyone, young and old.

Thinking of this, Qi Gu's lips curled up slightly, but Xu Jin didn't notice. He was currently immersed in the excitement of seeing his former idol.

Sima Hong, however, had been secretly observing Qi Gu. When he noticed her chuckling, he had a strange feeling. Was she... really that happy?

Sima Hong, holding Qi Gu's hand, said to Xu Jin, "Young Master Xu, it's getting late, and the princess is still injured, so it's not convenient for her to stay with you any longer."

Xu Jin then realized that he deserved to die. "Lord Sima is right. It is all my fault that the princess suffered because of me. I disregarded the princess's health and made her stand in the wind for so long."

Xu Jin said apologetically to Qi Gu, "Princess, it's so good to see that you're alright. I'll come to see you again once you're fully recovered."

After the servants saw Xu Jin off, Sima Hong pulled Qi Gu back to the West Garden. Once inside, Qi Gu pulled her hand away. What was wrong with Sima Hong? He had no sense of propriety at all since his rebirth.

"Lord Sima doesn't tolerate such cuddling and pulling; it's not good for either of us," said Qi Gu, clearly trying to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

“Since you have acknowledged me as your ‘sworn brother,’ I will naturally fulfill my responsibilities as an elder brother. Xu Jin is a failure now, and besides, he is plagued by bad luck and is not a good match for you.”

Qi Gu chuckled, "Alright, I didn't expect you to be so irresponsible as a husband, but quite dutiful as an older brother." It's better to be a younger sister.

Sima Hong naturally heard the sarcasm in Qi Gu's words. He always felt that the person in front of him was like a cunning fish that deliberately blew a few bubbles at him before swimming away with a happy tail. That tail brushed against his heart, making him itchy and... unbearable.

It was rare to see Sima Hong silent, so Qi Gu shrugged indifferently. "By the way, the reason I came to see you today is to tell you that I want to go back to the palace."

Sima Hong did not respond to her words. He said, "It's time for you to take your medicine."

Hongyan was already waiting by the side with the medicine in her hands, and next to the medicine bowl was a bowl of crystal clear donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nest.

Hongyan smiled her signature smile. "Princess, drink it now. If you don't, the medicine will get cold and we'll have to brew it all over again."

Seeing that she couldn't struggle, Qi Gu reluctantly picked up the medicine bowl and drank it. To dilute the bitterness in her mouth, she also drank the donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nest next to her.

It was bitter, greasy, and bloating. Qi Gu felt that she didn't need to eat dinner. After drinking these two bowls, who could eat anything else?

At this moment, Hongyan gestured for her to look behind her, where she saw Sima Hong holding an oil paper package.

Oil seeped out from the oiled paper package, and Qi Gu's eyes lit up instantly. "It's roast chicken!"

Sima Hong's slender fingers unwrapped the oil paper package, revealing a golden-brown, fatty but not greasy, and fragrant roasted chicken inside.

It looked at Sima Hong with instant joy, like a little dog wagging its tail, drooling as it stared at the meat bone in its master's hand, its eyes pleading, "Master, I want to eat meat."

"Hehe, my sworn brother is still the best to me." In her heart, she thought to herself, "Humph, if it weren't for your interference, my father and Hongyan would have bought me several roast chickens. Not only roast chickens, but also crystal pork knuckles, fish, braised pork, and so on." But now she decided to forgive him for the time being.

"Want some?" Sima Hong asked, looking at Qi Gu.

Qi Gu swallowed hard and nodded, reaching for the chicken leg, but Sima Hong stopped her. Qi Gu glared at him, displeased.

"Tell me what you and Xu Jin just talked about, and all of this is yours."

"Huh?" Qi Gu realized that Sima Hong must think Xu Jin was involved in her kidnapping, so she said, "Oh, don't worry, I think Xu Jin is just unlucky. He has nothing to do with Song Shi or Chen Zhan. But he's quite interesting. You know, he was so unlucky before. How could anyone be so unlucky? He even got hit by a flowerpot thrown by Song Shi while buying pastries. He was incredibly unlucky. But he actually said that I was the one who brought him good luck because he deduced from Song Shi's and my footprints that I might be in the south of the city. And I really was in the south of the city. He even ran into you. He said he had never been so lucky before. Hahaha, this guy is so interesting..."

Once Qi Gu started talking, she went on and on, probably because she really found Xu Jin very interesting.

Hongyan watched as her princess spoke, and Sima's gaze grew colder with each word. She really wanted to cover her princess's mouth. Princess, didn't you see that Sima's face was so dark it was practically dripping water?

Her princess seemed to have lost her mind in front of Lord Sima; even she could tell that Lord Sima was... jealous.

"Really? You think Xu Jin is great, you... like him?"

"Hmm~ It's alright, I quite like him. He's quite interesting to talk to, and he's a nice person too, quite different from other people in the capital."

"Can I eat the roast chicken now?" Aunt Qi thought that if she didn't eat it soon, it would get cold and wouldn't taste good.

"Of course, it was specially prepared for you. Eat up." Sima Hong thought, Xu Jin? He shook his head in his heart. He was not worthy of Qi Gu, nor could he protect her. Even if Qi Gu did not marry him, she should marry someone who could protect her.

But it doesn't matter, he still has plenty of time to carefully select Qi Gu.

Qi Gu ate until her mouth was full of oil and her belly was round. Finally satisfied, she brought up the matter of returning to the palace again.

Sima Hong had already prepared his explanation. He said, "I have already discussed it with Her Majesty the Empress. The palace is not peaceful right now. You should stay at my residence to recover from your injuries before returning. If you have anything to do, you can tell the people in my residence, and they will take care of it for you."

"I want to see Li Qiao."

Sima Hong nodded: "Okay."

I want to go out.

Sima Hong thought for a moment and said, "That works too."

"I want to see Chen Zhan."

Sima Hong looked at Hongyan, who lowered her head. She had no choice but to obey the Empress's orders.

"This... I need to think about it."

Qi Gu wiped her mouth. "Lord Sima, you should know that the simplest way to quickly obtain that iron-casting method is for me to meet with Chen Zhan."

In her previous life, she did not know Chen Zhan, so her mother did not ask her to meet him. This time, her mother sent Hongyan to ask her if she was willing to meet Chen Zhan. Her mother was asking her if she was willing, and if she was not, her mother would not force her.

But what reason did she have to refuse? She had known Chen Zhan all her life, and she knew that, no matter what, perhaps... perhaps this was the last time she would see Chen Zhan.

Besides, the Empress Dowager needs the method of casting iron. Although she remembered that in her previous life, Sima Hong also found the method of casting iron two years later, she had the opportunity to get it sooner, so why not? She had no reason to refuse. She thought that the Empress Dowager also hoped that she would agree.

"Chen Zhan's parents were the King of Yan and Zhao Ji, as everyone knows. During the final battle, to inspire the soldiers, Zhao Ji offered her own blood as a sacrifice for the Yan army. The soldiers, who were already too weak to fight, were filled with righteous indignation and fighting spirit because of Zhao Ji's suicide on the battlefield. In that battle, the King of Yan was surrounded on all sides, but they fought desperately and finally managed to tear open a gap in the encirclement, allowing the King of Yan to escape with a small group of men. However, later, Qu Yan, who was by the King's side, guessed the escape route, and the King of Yan was eventually killed by his father. Zhao Ji was such a courageous woman, and she committed suicide for the greater good of her country, for the victory of her soldiers and her husband. The people of Yan should have loved and respected her. But Song Shi's attitude made me feel that... these Yan survivors actually... despised Zhao Ji."

Actually, this was no secret. Basically, several trusted generals around the King of Jin back then, as well as the Queen who had been a prisoner in the State of Yan, all knew the truth.

As for how he knew this, it's simple: his grandfather knew that Zhao Ji was not just a concubine of the King of Yan, but his strategist.

Before the final battle, there was another battle, the Battle of Guanshan, which was commanded by Zhao Ji.

His grandfather had a friend who was a general serving the Prince of Yan. He told his grandfather about this and they hoped that his grandfather could come out of seclusion to help the Prince of Yan. They did not trust that a woman could command them in battle, let alone believe that her command could really lead them to victory in the Battle of Guanshan.

"Sima Taigong ultimately did not grant the King of Yan's request, and the Battle of Guanshan was lost. The King of Yan and his entourage blamed Zhao Ji for this?" Qi Gu asked.

Sima Hong shook his head: "That general told my grandfather about Zhao Ji's entire plan. After listening, my grandfather thought that although the plan might not guarantee a 100% chance of winning, it was flawless and very thorough, with a 70% or 80% chance of victory."

"Ah?" Qi Gu's mouth dropped open in surprise. "But everyone knows that the King of Yan lost the Battle of Guanshan, and he lost it completely." It was because of the Battle of Guanshan that the King of Yan was severely weakened. In the final battle, Zhao Ji sacrificed herself to the flag, hoping to gain a last chance.

"That's why my grandfather finally made up his mind not to help the Prince of Yan."

"Just because of this battle?"

Sima Hong shook his head, "It's because the infighting around the Prince of Yan is already very serious, and people are not united, so how can anything be accomplished? My grandfather concluded that the Prince of Yan is not good at using people and cannot judge their character. His ability to manage subordinates is not as good as that of the Prince of Jin. From then on, he refused any attempts to persuade him from the Prince of Yan's side."

[Author's Note]

The plot of this chapter is inspired by the story of "Farewell My Concubine," but from another perspective, this story is actually a tragedy for women.