Chapter 11 "Xie Zhuo, are you crazy?!"...

To have a great general serve as one's coachman is nothing short of an insult.

Xue Mingyao felt a surge of satisfaction just from making the request. When Xie Zhuo nodded after a moment of contemplation, Xue Mingyao felt even more exhilarated, almost to the point of disbelief.

"Has the general made up his mind?"

"The princess insisted on this method to prove her sincerity, and I, Xie, humbly accepted. It just so happens that the Xie family's carriage has already returned, and I was just wondering how to get back home when the princess sent me this method."

It turned out to be for real.

Xue Mingyao instructed Lüzhi to take out a small silver pastry and hand it to the coachman, saying with a smile, "Uncle Qian, you should go back to the Xue residence by yourself. A noble person wants to hire you."

"Thank you, Princess!" Uncle Qian smiled, revealing two deep wrinkles, and bowed to Xie Zhuo again. "Thank you, sir!"

Xue Mingyao guessed that Xie Zhuo's expression under the mask wouldn't be very pleasant.

Master and servant boarded the carriage. Xie Zhuo sat on the carriage platform without saying a word, put on the reins, and drove steadily away from the side gate.

Xue Mingyao was surprised by his skill and said with a half-sigh and half-sarcasm, "General, you are used to riding warhorses on the battlefield. Are you not used to pulling a chariot now? Do you feel like you are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

Xie Zhuo's voice came from the front, "We are both horse riders, so there is no difference in skill. I feel fine, so the princess need not worry."

Xue Mingyao pursed her lips and quietly lifted the curtain to peek. Xie Zhuo was driving with his back straight and his waist upright, yet he also had a faint sense of relaxation. One leg was flat on the ground and the other was hanging down. His strong thighs were vaguely visible from the slit in his robe, which made her stare at him for a few seconds without being able to look away.

"What is the princess looking at?" Xie Zhuo suddenly turned around.

Does this person have eyes in the back of their head?

Xue Mingyao quickly averted her gaze. "Ahem, General Xie, you should drive along the side road. Otherwise, if you take the main road and people recognize you, it will be bad for your reputation as a general."

Or perhaps people will recognize it as Princess Yongning's carriage, and if they see a young man in brocade robes driving it for her, they might gossip about her.

There are so many unfounded rumors circulating about her. It's one thing to say she keeps men in Xichuan, but some even claim she keeps several male concubines in her household. She's not that bad!

Xie Zhuo followed her instructions and walked through the alley in the neighborhood. Just as Xue Mingyao was about to lower the curtain, she spotted a graceful figure at the end of the alley.

"General Xie, please stop!"

After the carriage stopped, Xue Mingyao quickly jumped down. "I'm going to say a few words to Chen Hanlin. You just wait here. I won't let you lose face in front of him."

After speaking, she strode towards Chen Liangqing. A lock of black hair hanging down her back fluttered in the evening breeze, and the red skirt peeking out from under her cloak swayed even more joyfully. Xue Mingyao was like a happy little bird, running enthusiastically towards her beloved.

Xie Zhuo's hand holding the reins trembled uncontrollably, and the two horses in front of him began to paw at the ground uneasily.

Even from several feet away, he could see clearly that Xue Mingyao and Chen Liangqing were talking very close to each other. Then, Chen Liangqing took something out of his pocket and handed it to Xue Mingyao.

The two chatted for a while longer. Xie Zhuo's eyes suddenly darkened, and Xue Mingyao raised her arm and gently stroked Chen Liangqing's hair.

"It seems that even plum blossoms are attracted by the scholar's charm."

Xue Mingyao plucked a pinkish-white plum petal from Chen Liangqing's head with two fingers, and her palm suddenly brushed against his ear.

Chen Liangqing lowered his eyes, his handsome face devoid of emotion. "Your Highness is joking."

Xue Mingyao's gaze flickered on Chen Liangqing's reddened earlobes before gently brushing away. She took a step back and said softly, "Princess Yi'an will give the item to you, along with a sachet. I hope you will accept it. If you do not wish to accept it, you need not return it to me; simply destroy it."

“Princess…” Chen Liangqing sighed almost inaudibly.

Xue Mingyao waited for his next words.

But Chen Liangqing ultimately said nothing, only gently saying, "I understand. It's getting late, Princess, please return to your residence soon."

"Okay, then I'm off." Xue Mingyao said obediently, holding the notebook of General Xue that Chen Liangqing had returned to her, and slowly walked towards the carriage.

As the evening breeze blew, Xue Mingyao tightened her cloak, a damp feeling welling up inside her.

It was just a very slight touch...

He is the same as Xie Qinglang.

Back then, she merely whispered something in Xie Qinglang's ear, and his ears instantly turned red. He became furious and pushed her away, scolding her for being shameless.

Chen Liangqing has not pushed her away yet, and she should be happy about that.

So she quickened her pace, not noticing Xie Zhuo waiting for her in the twilight, and nimbly leaped onto the carriage. "General Xie, let's go!"

The car didn't move. Xue Mingyao was slightly puzzled, while Lüzhi, who was in the same carriage, looked at her with concern.

Xue Mingyao didn't know what Lüzhi was worried about. At this moment, the carriage slowly started moving, and she felt relieved, leaning back against the carriage wall to find a comfortable position.

However, she soon became uncomfortable, and Xie Zhuo cracked the whip, making the carriage run faster and faster.

Xue Mingyao bumped into the carriage wall several times and said urgently, "General Xie, slow down!"

Xie Zhuo ignored him and kept cracking his whip, the wheels of his horse speeding across the lane, making a series of rough noises.

The carriage shook violently, causing Xue Mingyao and Lüzhi to lose their balance and sway from side to side. The carriage showed no sign of slowing down, and the two strong horses galloped wildly, making sharp turns at every corner, almost throwing Xue Mingyao off.

"Xie Zhuo, stop right there!" she shouted angrily.

Her response was Xie Zhuo's cold, hard back and the carriage's even more frantic speed.

"Waaaah, Master..." Green Branch hugged her waist tightly, her voice quickly drowned out by the clattering of the carriage.

Xue Mingyao lifted the car curtain, gripped the window sill, and craned her neck out, "Xie Zhuo, are you crazy?"

The bare branches of the roadside trees rushed past, and a cold wind howled, whistling into her mouth.

Xue Mingyao's curses, mixed with the sound of the wind, rang out in unison: "Xie Zhuo, just because I spoke a few more words with Chen Liangqing, you have to act like this? Petty, mean, and despicable!"

Xie Zhuo ignored them, his heart as hard as stone as he spurred his horse forward. These two horses of the Xue family had once been General Xue's mounts in their youth, traversing desolate mountains and deserts, braving sword fights and bloodshed. Now, in their old age, they had become mere cart-pulling horses, never again to gallop freely. At this moment, as if summoned by a bugle call, they neighed excitedly, their hooves pounding the wind, and in an instant, they had raced through several streets.

Xue Mingyao felt dizzy and nauseous, but she managed to endure it for a while. Finally, the carriage slowed down and became more stable. Xue Mingyao breathed a sigh of relief and pulled back the curtain to scold Xie Zhuo a few more times, but the carriage came to a stop.

"What are you going to do now?" Xue Mingyao poked her head out and asked suspiciously.

Xie Zhuo jumped off the carriage, glanced at her indifferently, and said, "I will return to my residence first. Please make yourself at home, Princess."

Having said that, he turned and left.

Xue Mingyao looked up and saw that the carriage was facing the Xie family mansion. The two black characters on the gate plaque seemed to have sprouted sharp teeth, cackling at her eerily.

Xue Mingyao was trembling with rage. She kicked the carriage door, and the sandalwood door let out a painful groan.

A few moments later, Green Branch carefully closed the door that had popped open. "Princess, what should we do now...?"

The Xie residence is only two lanes away from the Xue residence, which is quite close, but there is no reason to ask the princess to get out of the carriage and walk.

"What else can we do?" Xue Mingyao kicked open the car door again. "Lvzhi, get out and drive!"

......

In the courtyard of the Xie residence, the general, still in his brocade robe, soared through the air with the agility and power of a dragon. His long sword, capable of slicing through gold and jade, moved with overwhelming force, leaving trails of afterimages and whipping up a gust of wind that made the branches and leaves in the courtyard rustle.

"What's wrong with the general today? He came straight here to practice his sword without even resting after returning from visiting the Chen residence," A-Lian wondered.

Liu Quan didn't care, his eyes following the general's figure back and forth, occasionally cheering. The general's swordsmanship was so good that it was always exciting to watch. In the past, the general always practiced in tight-fitting clothes, but today, dressed in an elegant robe, he wielded the sword with exceptional handsomeness and elegance, making people call him the Jade-Faced General.

Steward Liu stared at the swaying plum blossom branches in the courtyard, muttering to himself, "The general's sword practice has been tough on these plum buds. These rare green plums, barely survived being transplanted, were just waiting to bloom this winter..."

General Xie trusted him and entrusted him with the management of the residence, making almost no demands. The only instruction he gave was to plant a few green plum trees in the courtyard.

Red and pink plum blossoms are easy to obtain, but green plum blossoms are rare and extremely difficult to cultivate. Steward Liu remarked that the general was indeed a refined person, having gone to great lengths to acquire green plum blossoms, which he specially planted in the spacious courtyard where the general practiced martial arts daily, to accompany him alongside bows, swords, spears, and halberds.

Liu Quan comforted him, "General, you've never hurt Green Plum when you practice your sword before. It seems you used extra force today. That's a good thing. It means the poison is completely gone. In a few days, once the rash on your face has completely disappeared, you won't need to wear that damn mask anymore!"

Manager Liu thought about it and agreed.

Those plum trees have already sprouted delicate green and white buds. When they fully bloom, the general's illness will be completely cured.

In Juxianfang, west of the Xie residence, a carriage shakily turned into the side gate of the Xue residence.

With one hand gripping the reins and the other clutching her chest, Green Branch was covered in sweat. Before she could even stop the carriage, the door burst open from the inside with a loud bang, and Xue Mingyao jumped down, furious, and walked with lightning speed.

She went back to her room, changed into a neat Hu-style outfit, rushed into the mansion's martial arts training ground, grabbed a red-tasseled spear, and started practicing.

One thrust, two points, three sweeps, four entanglements... Xue Mingyao finished a set of fancy spear techniques, stumbling and scrambling, and broke out in a sweat before feeling less of the tightness in her chest.

I haven't been this angry in a long time.

Xue Mingyao, leaning on her spear and panting, then noticed that two zhang away, Xue Mingyu was holding a bow and Xue Xingtai was holding an arrow, both looking at her.

"Hey, sister, who's so capable of provoking you to make you so angry?" The two walked over, Xue Mingyu speaking with an air of anticipation.

Xue Mingyao's spear technique was passed down from General Xue, and it was Xue Chongyi's weapon of choice when he swept through the enemy lines on the battlefield. However, Xue Mingyao's skills were not very good, and in recent years she only picked up the red-tasseled spear when she wanted to vent her anger or miss her father.

Xue Mingyao picked up her water pouch and took a big gulp. "Xue Mingyu, instead of meddling in my affairs, you should learn something. The third daughter of the Chen family is so beautiful, and she's proficient in all the arts, from music and chess to calligraphy and painting. Her words and actions are always appropriate and measured. You're busy gossiping about me instead of learning from her. When it's time for you to get married, what will you use to attract your future husband?"

Xue Mingyu's face flushed red and then turned pale. "Mind your own business. You've only read a few books and painted a few pictures in the last two years, and now you think you're superior? Don't forget that when you were my age, you were just a pretty face with no substance."

"That's why I'm worried about you. At least I have a pretty face, but you're just a good-for-nothing." Xue Mingyao said casually.

Among the Xue sisters, Xue Mingyao was a renowned beauty in the capital, resembling her deceased aunt, the Empress, which contributed to Emperor Deyuan's favor with her. Xue Mingyu, on the other hand, could only be described as pretty. Although she and her elder sister were born of the same mother, her sister possessed both noble status and beauty, a fact that Xue Mingyu resented from a young age.

Xue Mingyao hit her sore spot, and she blurted out, "Yes, you are beautiful, but you still married a general with no family background, and even cursed him to death, so you slunk back to your parents' home in disgrace!"

“Yu Niang,” Xue Xingtai couldn’t stand it anymore, “you should say less.”

"Brother, you will always help sister!" Xue Mingyu bit her lip, her voice trembling with tears.

Xue Xingtai patted his head in distress and looked at Xue Mingyao, "You too, why did you scold Yuniang as soon as you got back? She wasn't idle; she practiced archery with me all afternoon."

Xue Mingyao fell silent, sullenly putting the red-tasseled spear back in its place. On the bow rack next to her was the rhinoceros bow that Xie Zhuo had sent. Xue Mingyao felt uncomfortable looking at it and told someone to throw the bow into the woodshed so it wouldn't be an eyesore anymore.

Xue Xingtai, unaware of the bow's origin, saw that Xue Mingyao was still angry and asked, "What's wrong? Did someone really upset you? Tell your brother, and if someone bullied you, your brother will stand up for you!"

Xue Mingyao had heard these words since she was a child. Xue Xingtai liked to solve problems with his fists. If the person who bullied her was her husband, he would beat him up. If the person was his wife, he would beat up her brother.

However, Xue Mingyao was never one to suffer a loss. She was always the one bullying others, and no one dared to bully her. Therefore, over the years, the only person Xue Mingtai had ever actually punched was Xie Qinglang.

This time, however, Xue Mingyao listened to Xue Xingtai's words and said seriously, "Brother, General Xie Zhuo, do you dare to hit him?"

A note from the author:

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Enraged, Xue Xiaoyao declared: "I'm going to find a whole truckload of bread-bread men to deal with him!"