Chapter 68 "What other women are there in this world..."

Xie Zhuo returned to his residence and told Xue Mingyao that Cen Zongjing was not dead, but Xue Mingyao refused to believe it.

"You're making up a story to tease me," she mumbled, biting into a piece of jade dew.

"It's true. His Majesty has spoken, and I must go to greet him tomorrow." Xie Zhuo handed her tea, and seeing her indifference, simply recited the original text of the memorial to her.

Xue Mingyao's mouth gaped open as wide as a teacup, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

"When they were preparing his body for burial, didn't anyone notice anything amiss?" Xie Zhuo asked.

Xue Mingyao shook her head blankly, "The corpse was covered in blood and splattered, and the face was hacked to pieces. I didn't even dare to look."

“Thank goodness he didn’t die such a terrible death,” Xue Mingyao said, eating her pastries again. “Although he suffered for several years in Wuxi, he was also very lucky. I wish my elder brother could have come back to life.”

Xie Zhuo sighed softly, "Ordinary people rarely have such an opportunity."

He recalled that when news of General Cen's death reached the academy in Xichuan, he, like the other students, was heartbroken. When the general's coffin left the city, the entire city, young and old, mourned him, and he was among them. Later, he became entangled with Xue Mingyao, spending the night in pleasure, and felt unbearably guilty, truly feeling that he had let down the general's spirit.

He hesitated before asking, "What kind of person is General Cen?"

"He was the typical general, taciturn, mature and steady, a bit like you now," Xue Mingyao recalled. "But he was very good to me, very obedient. If I said east, he wouldn't go west, and if I was angry, he would coax me."

Xie Zhuo's expression was somewhat subtle. "Do I resemble him?"

And Xue Mingyao's second half of the sentence, does it mean that he is not as good to her as Cen Zongjing?

“You’re both generals, so you have a lot in common,” Xue Mingyao said honestly. “But he has a better temper than you.”

Xie Zhuo felt a little uneasy.

"Are you jealous of him?" Xue Mingyao noticed, and with a slight smile, said sweetly, "I've never liked him."

Xie Zhuo had no doubt about this, but he suddenly thought that if he had already become a general when he met Xue Mingyao, Xue Mingyao probably wouldn't have been interested in him.

She seems to have always favored scholars; isn't Chen Liangqing, whom she's liked these past two years, also a scholar?

“I’m not jealous,” he said. “It’s just that you and I were husband and wife before, and now that he’s back, it’s a little awkward between us.”

“Yes.” Xue Mingyao nodded. “What should I do? I can’t have two husbands.”

Despite saying that, she had a relaxed look on her face, with a teasing smile on her lips, as if she found it very amusing.

Yes, Xue Mingyao has no worries or troubles.

Only he was concerned about this, feeling vaguely uneasy.

“Anyway, you are my wife now,” Xie Zhuo said decisively.

Xue Mingyao yawned and then picked up another piece of jade dew and stuffed it into her mouth.

"You said you'd rather I were still Xie Qinglang, but if that were the case, I wouldn't be a general, and I wouldn't be able to marry you. You're still General Cen's wife, so things are complicated," Xie Zhuo added.

"Is it troublesome?" Xue Mingyao grinned, revealing her teeth. "If you're still Xie Qinglang, then I don't care whose wife you are, I'll still have an affair with you."

Xie Zhuo thought for a moment, "Does this mean that if you meet someone you really like again, you'll cheat on them and be with them?"

Xue Mingyao blinked. "How could you interpret it that way?"

Xie Zhuo had nothing to say. Xue Mingyao was just that kind of person; no matter how you interpreted it, there was something about her that annoyed him.

With a stern face, he snatched the pastry from Xue Mingyao's hand and put it aside, then went to kiss her. Xue Mingyao cried out unexpectedly, but he silenced her. He then lifted her legs and carried her into the inner room.

He tossed her onto the bed, not letting go of her lips, and pressed himself against hers, sticking together. He heard Xue Mingyao ask him with difficulty while returning his kiss, "Is your injury healed yet? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Xie Zhuo kissed her deeply, "I was afraid you'd be anxious."

Xue Mingyao was too lazy to argue with him. She hooked her legs around his waist, thrust her chest into his hands, and closed her eyes drowsily. She thought to herself that Xie Zhuo had one advantage over Xie Qinglang: he was eight hundred times more proactive in bed, so she didn't have to go through the trouble of teasing him.

......

The next day, Xie Zhuo led the Jade Unicorn Guard out of the capital. The autumn scenery along the way was bleak, and thick clouds pressed the sky very low.

At a post station two hundred miles from the capital, he met Cen Zongjing, who had returned from Wuxi.

Cen Zongjing was slightly shorter than him, with a handsome face, thick eyebrows, a broad jaw, and a short mustache. He was thirty years old this year, and you could see that the hardships of the past few years in Wuxi had taken their toll on him, such as the few strands of white hair at his temples and his dark skin, but it had not diminished his heroic spirit much.

Cen Zongjing rose to greet him, then sat down again, his back ramrod straight, exuding a composed and dignified air. This was the demeanor of a high-ranking military officer that Xie Zhuo was familiar with. Xue Mingyao was right; generals shared certain traits, and he and Cen Zongjing were quite similar.

"General Cen, you must be tired from your journey. I am Xie Zhuo from the Jade Unicorn Guard. I will escort you to the capital to meet the Emperor." Xie Zhuo also greeted him and said solemnly.

Cen Zongjing smiled at him. He had a kind and gentle appearance, and his smile made him seem less distant, making him both respectable and approachable.

"General Xie, I know you. You have won many battles in the Northwest and the Southern Frontier, and you are a great general who makes the barbarians tremble with fear. I have always heard that you are a man of outstanding talent, and seeing you today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved."

Xie Zhuo smiled and said, "General, you flatter me. You have remained unyielding for many years in Wuxi. Your integrity is truly admirable."

“I have only done my duty as a subject of the Great Zhou Dynasty, nothing worth mentioning,” Cen Zongjing sighed. “I have been away from the Central Plains for several years. Now that I have returned, everything has changed. Even my wife Yaoyao has remarried.”

"General Xie, you are very fortunate." Cen Zongjing looked at him and said slowly.

Xie Zhuo maintained a faint smile on his face, "I am indeed very fortunate. General, you too, have been brought back from the dead, which is a great blessing, and your future fortune will surely be boundless."

"General Xie is very eloquent. I take your kind words to heart."

Xie Zhuo said no more, invited him to get into the carriage, and the procession set off.

After Cen Zongjing got into the car, Xie Zhuo was about to leave when he was suddenly stopped by him.

Cen Zongjing's smile carried a hint of apology. "General Xie, I can't help but ask you again, how has Yaoyao been all these years?"

Without hesitation, Xie Zhuo said, "She is fine, General Cen need not worry." After a pause, he added, "General and Princess's fate is short-lived, it is the will of Heaven. Why not marry another lady from a prestigious family? That would be a wonderful thing."

Cen Zongjing shook his head. "We don't know what Heaven is thinking. The general's advice to me to remarry is unnecessary. What woman in the world could compare to Yaoyao?"

As Xie Zhuo mounted his horse, the whip cracked loudly, and his hooves thundered, kicking up a cloud of dust.

......

Cen Zongjing and the envoy entered the palace to meet the emperor, and talked with him for a whole day.

The Emperor was moved by his loyalty and integrity, and promoted him to the rank of General Zhongwu, and granted him 100,000 strings of cash to settle his family.

His identity was beyond question. Among the prisoners who returned with him, some knew of his ordeal and spread the details of his experiences in Wuxi. The news not only reached the ears of the officials but also became the talk of the town, becoming a popular topic of conversation among the people.

It is said that King Wuxi tempted him to surrender and pledge allegiance with high-ranking official positions and generous rewards, but Cen Zongjing refused.

It is said that when the King of Wuxi presented him with a beautiful woman and a fine horse, Cen Zongjing bound his own legs and blindfolded himself to show that he would not accept the gift.

It is said that King Wuxi imprisoned him in a bitterly cold place, where he was starving and poorly clothed. Cen Zongjing gritted his teeth and endured the hardship, losing a toe to the cold. He took off his boots to show the emperor, who then shed tears.

All of these events may be true or exaggerated, but it is certain that Cen Zongjing endured all kinds of abuse and temptations from the Wuxi people, leaving the Wuxi King helpless.

The civil officials of the court especially praised Cen Zongjing, comparing his loyalty and righteousness to that of Su Wu of the Han Dynasty. Some military officers mentioned that Cen Zongjing's defeat was mainly due to his greed for merit and reckless advance, resulting in poor command, but this was largely ignored. His integrity and moral character were enough to make up for his mistakes, just as he had used his death to cover up his errors when he was mistakenly believed to have died on the battlefield.

Because of Cen Zongjing, the name of Princess Yongning, Xue Mingyao, has once again appeared on people's lips during their leisure time.

First, she lamented General Cen's unwavering loyalty and chastity, while the princess did not remain faithful to him. Half a year after her husband's "death," she was already passionately involved with her lover and had now married another. However, she also thought the princess was arrogant and domineering, unchaste, and unworthy of General Cen. It was better that she had remarried, as General Cen could now marry a woman from a prominent family in the capital who was a good match for him and find true love again.

Then it was said that Princess Ke married General Xie, and that she was not worthy of General Cen. But was she worthy of General Xie?

Well, the final conclusion of everyone was that the princess was lucky, especially in terms of marriage, as both of her husbands were great heroes.

Xue Mingyao was used to it and accepted the comments with a smile, but Xie Zhuo was different. He was particularly disgusted by the accusations against Xue Mingyao's character in the rumors.

“What are you so angry about? You said the same thing to me,” Xue Mingyao said.

Xie Zhuo said it was different.

Xue Mingyao clapped her hands. "Oh, so you mean you're allowed to curse, but no one else is allowed to curse?"

Xie Zhuoxin thought that this was indeed what he meant, but he couldn't admit it, so he silently kissed her. The kiss was quite forceful, carrying an unspeakable annoyance, making Xue Mingyao's tongue ache.

Xue Mingyao liked this intense way of kissing. With her eyes half-closed and feeling dizzy, she thought how happy she would have been if he had treated her like this back then.

She intertwined her arms and unconsciously wrapped them around his waist. After a while, she realized the problem, let go, and struggled free. "No, there's no time! Cen Zongjing will be here soon!"

Cen Zongjing is coming to the Xie residence today to meet his new wife.

“I didn’t mean to come—” Xie Zhuo paused, then decided to untie her skirt.

Xue Mingyao exclaimed in surprise, "Then what are you doing?"

"I've changed my mind," Xie Zhuo said curtly.

Two incense sticks later, Xue Mingyao's face was flushed, and she went to the front yard with Xie Zhuo to greet the guests.