Chapter 425 Put me down, prepare water and take off my clothes

The highest-ranking officer in the camp was Wei Ting, who straightened up despite the injury on his back.

"Your Majesty, the Western Jin rebels fired rockets and used falcons to drop fire, intending to burn our army's supplies. The fires have now been extinguished. Two granaries have been destroyed, but the loss of other supplies is not serious."

Zhao Mingyan turned his horse around and glanced at the crowd.

When he turned in the direction of Ji Qingwu, she hurriedly lowered her head.

Ji Qingwu knelt in the corner, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, Wei Ting covered most of her figure.

The other half was also completely blocked, and Li Chengxun happened to be kneeling in front of her.

He heard Emperor Wusu's cold and distant voice from above.

"And what happened to your injury?"

Ji Qingwu almost thought the question was directed at her. She sniffed, her eyes already brimming with tears.

From the moment she heard his voice, her body and her mind were thrown into chaos.

Wei Ting replied, "This humble general is unharmed; I was simply struck by a burning pillar."

Zhao Mingyan looked at the wood that had been split open by the knife and said, "So careless?"

Wei Ting said, "I was in such a hurry to put out the fire that I didn't notice."

Zhao Mingyan nodded and said, "Let's treat the injuries first."

Wei Ting cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Zhao Mingyan raised his whip and said, "You all go back and rest first. In half an hour, summon the generals to my tent for a meeting."

They then rode off.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and Ji Qingwu let out a sigh of dejection.

It's normal that he didn't recognize her in her current state, especially since she kept her head down the whole time...

Ji Qingwu tried to stand up with the others, but her knee was already injured.

I hadn't felt any pain while running, but after kneeling for a while and trying to move again, I found my knees were so stiff I couldn't bend them.

Suddenly, the black horse neighed, accompanied by the soldiers' exclamations.

Ji Qingwu stared in astonishment at the horse hooves that had suddenly appeared in front of him; the jet-black hooves were still covered with withered grass and yellow mud.

She saw her own reflection, after she had disguised herself, distorted into ripples on the stirrup surface.

"look up."

The tone was as cold as ever.

Emperor Wusu has returned.

He recognized her? Just from her silhouette hidden behind someone? Ji Qingwu couldn't believe it, her heart pounding, and she looked up.

Zhao Mingyan suddenly pulled on the reins and turned around. Her cloak billowed like a night tide as she spun around, and the golden dragon coiled on her black armor appeared before her eyes.

Their eyes met, and Ji Qingwu's eyes shimmered with tears, filled with a multitude of indescribable emotions.

Suddenly, a large hand, roughened by the wind and sand of the northern frontier, reached out, palm facing up, fingertips just touching the tip of her nose.

"Mount up!"

The voice seemed to contain a hint of anger.

Ji Qingwu gripped the bag of millet tightly, trying to get up, but he couldn't put any weight on his knees.

The military camp was silent, and all eyes were on Emperor Wusu and the woman.

Sensing its master's emotions, the black horse trotted its front hooves uneasily, splashing mud onto Ji Qingwu's tattered skirt, leaving dark brown stains.

Seeing her dawdling, Zhao Mingyan suddenly leaned down and grabbed her wrist.

The moment Ji Qingwu was pulled onto the horse, he burst into tears from the pain.

The warhorse reared up and left the granary on the east side.

Wei Ting's clenched fist sank into the mud, and he coughed up blood. Li Chengxun went to help him up and saw that he was clutching the long headscarf used to bandage his wounds tightly in his palm.

Li Chengxun sighed, "General Wei, why are you doing this...?"

Mo Ju charged straight toward the main tent of the military camp, and the soldiers along the way quickly moved aside to both sides.

Ji Qingwu's back was pressed tightly against the coiled dragon on the black armor, and the patterns of the dragon scales hurt her. She quietly moved her waist forward.

But she couldn't escape the eyes of the person behind her. The horse suddenly accelerated, and she could only lean firmly back into his arms, pressing herself tightly against his cold, hard black armor once again.

Ji Qingwu was inwardly groaning, but fortunately the military tent arrived soon.

Li Yuzong waited at the tent entrance and saw the emperor riding towards him from afar, with a woman on his back.

He rubbed his eyes. He wasn't seeing things. Where did this woman come from?

Li Yuzong strode to the front of the horse and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, you have returned."

Zhao Mingyan dismounted and threw the riding whip to him.

"Prepare water."

Upon hearing this order, Li Yuzong held the horsewhip in his hand and stared wide-eyed.

Why prepare water in broad daylight?

He secretly glanced at the woman on horseback and saw that she was plain-looking with charcoal ash on her face. She didn't seem like the kind of person who could catch the emperor's eye.

"Hurry up and go!" Zhao Mingyan coldly rebuked.

"Yes, this old servant will go right away." Li Yuzong quickly lowered his head, bowed, and retreated.

Zhao Mingyan turned around and found Ji Qingwu still sitting on his horse, and he frowned slightly.

"dismount."

Ji Qingwu pursed her lips, but still didn't say anything.

There were soldiers guarding the main tent entrance from all directions. Although they did not look to the side and dared not look directly at the emperor's face, Ji Qingwu knew that they were all listening to the sounds coming from this side.

The tears that Ji Qingwu shed when Emperor Wusu pulled him onto the horse had already dried.

Because she had also participated in fighting the fire, her face was covered in ash, and traces of tears were clearly visible.

Her hands gripped the tattered hem of her skirt, her voice barely audible.

Zhao Mingyan couldn't hear what she was saying, but he saw that her eyes were slightly red and there were still tear stains on her face, and his heart softened.

He sighed and strode forward.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

Ji Qingwu looked up in surprise, meeting his deep eyes, and hurriedly shook her head.

That's not what she meant.

All she wanted was a horse stool. Given the stiffness in her knees, if she forced herself to dismount, she would probably fall and embarrass herself in public.

Ji Qingwu shook his head.

But Zhao Mingyan had no intention of asking for her opinion. He stretched out his long arm, lifted her by the waist, and carried her off the horse.

Ji Qingwu exclaimed in surprise, instinctively grabbing his collar, and not forgetting to take the bag of millet seeds with her.

Zhao Mingyan's black armor was icy cold, yet it made her cheeks burn. His gaze fell on her broken, bloodied hands, and a deeper wrinkle appeared between his brows.

With so many soldiers watching, Ji Qingwu protested quietly.

"Put me down..."

Zhao Mingyan ignored her and strode into the military tent with her in his arms.

In the center of the tent was a huge sandalwood table, piled with military reports and maps. Next to it was a bronze lampstand. In one corner of the tent was a weapon rack with swords and bows and arrows.

Zhao Mingyan carried the woman to the soft couch beside the table, and after putting her down, he began to undress her.

Ji Qingwu, still disguised as Chunhua, clutched her clothes and hunched her shoulders, asking, "What is Your Majesty doing?"

Because of the injury on her hand, Zhao Mingyan didn't force her, and simply said, "Take off your clothes."

Even though Ji Qingwu had guessed that Emperor Wusu had most likely recognized her, she still minded being stripped of her clothes by him while wearing the face of a stranger.

She pressed down on his right wrist, her eyes flashing as she asked repeatedly, "Why did Your Majesty bring this humble woman back to your tent?"