Chapter 139 Zhu Mingyue's eyes curved into crescents...

Zhu Mingyue's eyebrows curved into crescents, and her eyes sparkled with a smile as bright as the stars.

"Xie Pei, after we get married, you'll have to be responsible for me for the rest of your life."

"Mmm." Xie Pei couldn't help but smile. "I'll be good to you for a lifetime." Not just for a lifetime, but if there is an afterlife, the next life, and the life after that, he will find Zhu Mingyue for all eternity. His love for Zhu Mingyue is deeply rooted in his soul and cannot be separated from her. He wants to be responsible for Zhu Mingyue for all eternity.

"Ah Yue, I love you."

Zhu Mingyue's ear tips twitched; he could hear Xie Peipeng's vigorous heartbeat, as if it had broken free of his chest and was whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

His face continued to heat up, and he covered his cheeks in an attempt to cool it down physically, but all his efforts were in vain.

Xie Pei's affection was too blatant, and that shyness never dissipated. Zhu Mingyue scrambled up from the bed, her voice slightly hoarse, "I'll go find a doctor to change your dressing."

Excessive and continuous pressure may raise Zhu Mingyue's threshold, so Xie Pei indulges his escapism.

Zhu Mingyue found the doctor and explained the situation. Instead of going back into the house, she found a quiet corner where no one was around and waited there to calm her racing heart.

It's unbelievable that he suddenly settled his marriage so suddenly, when he hadn't even considered it before today.

"Mingyue, what are you doing here?"

Zhu Mingyue turned around at the sound and saw Guan Shao.

He quietly came out of He Dayong's house without anyone noticing. Seeing him huddled in a corner, he was puzzled and came over to ask him.

Could it be that Xie Pei has angered someone?

Zhu Mingyue patted the dust off her sleeves and said respectfully, "Uncle, I just felt stuffy inside and came out for some fresh air."

Need some fresh air?

Guan Shao glanced at the airtight corner of the wall. There were no doors or windows, so how could it possibly breathe?

Guan Shao didn't expose him, but instead asked, "Is Xie Pei alright?"

Zhu Mingyue nodded, "It's alright." He bit his lip and added, "But he said his wound hurt, so I went to find a doctor to change his dressing."

Guan Shao immediately wanted to grin, but then felt it was inappropriate for the occasion, so he held back. He struggled to suppress his laughter, so he covered his mouth and pretended to cough. After coughing enough, he said, "Then you'd better take good care of him."

When this kid charges into battle, he doesn't even blink at swords and spears. With that kind of fighting spirit, how could he be afraid of pain? This trick can only fool the naive and simple-minded Zhu Mingyue.

However, Xie Pei clearly had no intention of deceiving anyone.

Inside the house,

The doctor applied some ointment to his wound and casually asked, "Sir, does the wound still hurt?"

Xie Pei uttered two words expressionlessly: "It doesn't hurt."

Doctor: ...The newly changed wound medicine doesn't work so quickly. This person is really strange. Why would he come to change the wound medicine if he's not in pain?

He shook his head and walked out of the house, where he saw Zhu Mingyue standing in a corner talking to Guan Shao.

They're all so strange. Didn't they say they were going out for some fresh air? Who goes there for fresh air? Don't they feel stuffy...?

Zhu Mingyue was talking to Guan Shao when she seemed to sense something, turned her head and saw the doctor, nodded and smiled, and then looked away.

"Uncle, I saw Lord He throwing things in the room earlier. Is he still angry?" he asked cautiously.

What's there to be angry about? He Dayong didn't stab me with that knife at all.

He wanted to finish the job and vent his anger, but Xie Pei didn't give him the chance.

Unfortunately, this guy is a complete idiot. He fell into Xie Pei's trap without realizing it, and was shouting and making a scene while brandishing a knife. Now, everyone thinks that Xie Pei's injury was caused by this idiot.

Even if He Dayong wanted to defend himself, he would be powerless to deny it. After all, the knife wound on Xie Pei's body was real, and the knife was in He Dayong's hand. Everyone believed their own eyes, and even the guard who reported back to the camp said with certainty that He Dayong had stabbed Xie Pei.

But they all overlooked one fact: Xie Pei didn't want to be stabbed, and He Dayong couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

So this stab was intentional on Xie Pei's part, and it's highly likely that Xie Pei himself carried it out.

After all, it's never as reassuring to have someone else stab you as it is to do it yourself.

Guan Shao scoffed: "Whether you've calmed down or not is not important, as long as the matter is resolved."

When he entered, He Dayong was still throwing a tantrum, wearing down his subordinates until they were bent over. He was nothing like the proud and upright soldiers of the army.

Guan Shao was furious when he saw this, and in front of his subordinate, he gave He Dayong a severe scolding. Now, He Dayong doesn't dare to utter a single word.

He had long disliked these good-for-nothings who used the Jizhou Army as a stepping stone to gain seniority.

He talks about the Xu family of Beijing all the time. Others might be wary of him because of the powerful backer he has, but he isn't.

So what if they are imperial relatives? The political landscape of the capital is about to change. Not to mention the Xu, Li, and Dou families, which have stood strong for many years, they may never regain their former glory.

"By the way, Mingyue, there are rumors circulating in the army about you and Xie Pei. It's not a big deal, but it's still not a good thing. Do you have any thoughts on this?" Guan Shao asked, thinking that since Zhu Mingyue was right in front of him, he might as well add fuel to the fire for Xie Pei.

Zhu Mingyue didn't know why the conversation about He Dayong suddenly turned to this topic.

He lowered his head in a panic, staring at the sleeve he was clutching tightly in his hand, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to respond.

Guan Shao wasn't in a hurry and didn't urge him.

Zhu Mingyue paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and raised her head: "The rumors in the military are true. Xie Pei and I are indeed in that kind of relationship."

One second, two seconds...

A hint of confusion appeared on Zhu Mingyue's face. Wasn't General Guan surprised at all? Or did he already know about her relationship with Xie Pei?

Sure enough, Guan Shao spoke up under his gaze: "I know everything. I promoted Xie Pei myself, so I naturally know everything about him."

Then he raised an eyebrow. "I already found out about your situation a long time ago." In fact, he was the one who orchestrated this whole thing.

Zhu Mingyue let out a soft "ah" and then fell silent.

Guan Shao smiled and said, "So, how do you plan to deal with this?"

"I...I..." Zhu Mingyue curled her fingers and said in one breath, "I want to marry Xie Pei."

"As for those rumors, they are true. Rather than letting people gossip and speculate behind our backs, it's better to just confirm them."

This time, it was Guan Shao's turn to be surprised.

Xie Pei is quite something! I wanted to give him a push, but he got it done in the blink of an eye. Judging from Zhu Mingyue's shy expression, she probably even took the initiative to propose it.

Guan Shao secretly clicked his tongue, unable to hide his envy of Xie Pei.

Zhu Mingyue is such a good child, it would be hard to find even in the capital, let alone in Ganzhou and Jizhou. Yet now she hangs herself on Xie Pei, this boring old tree, and she did it willingly.

He raised his hand and patted Zhu Mingyue's shoulder to encourage her: "Xie Pei is perfect except for his naturally cold and aloof personality. You should treat him well. If he dares to treat you badly in the future, feel free to come to me and complain, and I will teach him a lesson."

Zhu Mingyue's ears turned bright red, and he lowered his head. Guan Shao thought he was just shy because he was young.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Mingyue sniffed and said firmly, as if she had made up her mind, "Xie Pei is very easy to get along with."

Guan Shao: ...Well, she's not even married yet, and she's already siding with Xie Pei like this. How much good fortune did Xie Pei accumulate in his past life to meet someone like Zhu Mingyue?

"Very well, very well. Xie Pei is easy to get along with and not cold at all," Guan Shao said against his will. If this kid is easy to get along with, then there's probably no one in the world who isn't.

Don't they realize that besides him, how many people in the army can get a good look from him?

“I can’t stay here any longer. It’s time to go back to camp. Take good care of him and tell him to heal his wounds quickly. Once he’s almost recovered, we’ll head back. There’s a lot of business to attend to in the army.”

“Okay!” Zhu Mingyue agreed.

Guan Shao bid him farewell and turned to leave.

Zhu Mingyue pursed her lips: "Uncle, thank you!"

The way he called him "uncle" in such a soft and sweet voice melted Guan Shao's heart, and his loving heart overflowed.

He waved his hand: "No need for thanks. Just stay put and don't worry about things in the army."

Guan Shao left, but a group of guards remained outside the clinic.

Zhong Kai also rushed over upon hearing the news, and breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that the person was alright.

No one knows what Guan Shao said, but He Dayong quieted down a lot after that. The soldier who was taking care of him was replaced. He Dayong was probably sent by Guan Shao. The soldier didn't tolerate He Dayong at all.

Two days later, He Dayong's injury had almost healed. He could not walk, but he could get down with crutches.

The doctor at the clinic was so overjoyed that he wept, and managed to persuade the person to leave.

His perfectly good clinic couldn't possibly accommodate two big shots like him. He Dayong was no pushover either, always looking down on them and treating them with disdain.

And so He Dayong was sent back to the army in a somewhat disheveled state.

When he left, Zhu Mingyue didn't even bother to check inside. He peeled a fragrant chestnut, waved it in front of Xie Pei, and then put it in his mouth and ate it with great satisfaction.

Xie Pei smiled helplessly, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Zhu Mingyue ate two pills and then didn't want any more. She lay back on the couch and tapped Xie Pei's face: "Xie Pei, when will your injury heal?"

Xie Pei grabbed his fidgety fingers, "Want to go back to camp?"

"Hmm," Zhu Mingyue replied without hesitation, "I want to go back."

He Dayong, the one who started the rumors, has gone back. I feel uneasy if he doesn't go back.

Xie Pei: "If you want to go back, we can go back today. The wound has almost healed."

Xie Pei has a good physique, and even his wounds heal faster than others. Moreover, he uses the best medicine, and his wounds have not become inflamed or bled so far.

But Zhu Mingyue thought about it and shook her head: "Forget it, there's no rush. It's fine to lie on the couch, but it would be troublesome if it tore open due to excessive movement."

A few days later, Zhu Mingyue calmed down, but Sun Kan couldn't hold on any longer and sent someone to ask Xie Pei how he was doing.

The implied meaning is extremely clear.

The day Xie Pei returned to camp, the procession was quite large. Not only were Xie Pei's men escorting him, but also the men Guan Shao had left behind that day.

His attitude was particularly clear; anyone with eyes could see that Guan Shao was on Xie Pei's side this time.

However, no one dared to voice their dissatisfaction, since one was a general and the other a captain, there was no point in comparing them.

Although General Xie beat He Dayong, he also apologized.

I heard that He Dayong was the one who stabbed me, and he stabbed me very hard. If someone hadn't stopped him, he would have stabbed me a second time.

The victims, who were originally being sympathized with, were immediately turned into targets of boycotts.

Everyone knows that Xie Pei is a pillar of the Jizhou army. While beating someone was certainly wrong, one cannot pay for it with one's life.

There are many people in the military, and most of them follow the crowd, so the winds of opinion can change very quickly.

He Dayong seemed to realize what had happened and started explaining to everyone he met that he hadn't stabbed anyone.

But no one would believe it, after all, it was witnessed by General Guan's men, so how could they lie?

Some people were more rational and went to He Dayong's personal guards to inquire about what happened that day. In the end, they all came to the same conclusion: He Dayong really did stab Xie Pei.