Chapter 78 Lock him in my tent
Lu Jinlan rushed out, shouting, "Where is he?"
Kong Luan, who was on night duty, hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the general, it was just a small team of six who came to scout the camp. They were discovered and immediately fled. Generals Xiang Yan and Xiang Yan have already given chase."
Fearing an ambush, Lu Jinlan whistled, and her Akhal-Teke horse immediately galloped over. Lu Jinlan leaped onto the horse and decisively followed.
Just as Xiang Ruzhen was about to catch up, the person at the back of the group suddenly lashed out with a long whip, trying to stop them from continuing their pursuit.
With quick reflexes, Xiang Ruzhen dodged to the side, grabbed the whip rope with her other hand, and yanked hard. The rider didn't have time to let go and was immediately pulled off the horse and dragged for dozens of steps.
The man lost his horse, his weapon, and his group, and turned to run into the woods.
Yan Wuxin looked closely and saw that the person was wearing a mask; it was indeed the mysterious person on the city wall.
She couldn't help but laugh. "You think you can sneak into a military camp at night with such a small amount of time? Leave it to me. I'll see what this guy looks like under his mask."
When Lu Jinlan arrived, Yan Wuxin was in a playful mood, holding a short knife and forcing the man to retreat repeatedly.
Yan Wuxin didn't intend to take his life immediately. She pressed on the man's acupoints and playfully twirled her knife around him.
The man closed his eyes in despair as sharp, cold blades slashed across his body, tearing off his clothes like snowflakes.
Finally, Yan Wuxin used the tip of his knife to pry open the man's mask. With a clang, the black iron mask fell to the ground, revealing a face with deep, three-dimensional features as if carved by a knife and axe.
The man had a classic exotic appearance: high, mountain-like brow bones, deep-set eyes, and thick, long eyelashes that drooped slightly, trembling gently. His nose was straight and high, and his jawline was sharp and defined, making him look like a perfect work of art.
Yan Wuxin was stunned. Xiang Ruzhen glanced at the man's flat chest and couldn't help but remind him, "He's a man."
"A man?" Yan Wuxin glanced at his upper body in surprise. The man's clothes had just been torn to shreds by her, leaving him almost naked.
Yan Wuxin quickly took a few steps back, feeling extremely embarrassed.
She swore she never imagined the other person was a man. This was a battlefield; who would expect to find a man on a battlefield?
She thought he was just a clueless jerk, so she deliberately teased him. But he was a man, and anyone who didn't know better would think she was bullying the weak and deliberately taking advantage of him.
In the silence, Lu Jinlan quickly dismounted from her horse, took off her cloak and tied it around the man's body, and then loosened his shin.
She recognized the man; it was Xiao Heng, the young master from the Qu Kingdom who had insisted on marrying her at her wedding.
She didn't know why he was there, and she didn't want to ask at the moment. She simply said, "This is not a place for a man like you. You're lucky to have met us. We'll spare your life. Go home."
Xiao Heng gripped his cloak tightly with both hands, wrapping himself up close, his eyes lowered and slightly red-rimmed.
Yan Wuxin chuckled twice. "Haha, I knew it. What do we women care about beauty or ugliness? And why wear a mask? Oh, so you're a young master! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be disrespectful."
Xiang Ruzhen also said, "Our army does not kill the old, young, men and children. You may leave."
The three of them got up and mounted their horses. Suddenly, Xiao Heng said, "Wait a minute!"
He ran quickly to Lu Jinlan's horse, grabbed her reins, and whispered, "I am your prisoner, you should take me away."
Lu Jinlan smiled and shook his head. "I have tens of thousands of Qu Kingdom prisoners in my camp, but not a single one of them is a man. If I take you away, where should I lock you up?"
Xiao Heng lowered his eyes. "Anywhere is fine. I am... the son of the Emperor of Qu. You can use me to request peace talks."
Lu Jinlan pondered for a moment, then said dismissively, "The odds are in our favor now. If there's going to be any peace talks, it'll be your country begging us to. If I, Lu Jinlan, wanted peace talks, would I need to kidnap a man as a condition?"
Xiao Heng never expected her to be so aloof, cold, and ruthless. He said angrily, "My mother and elder sister both dote on me. There's no harm in exchanging me for gold, silver, horses, fodder, and supplies, is there?"
Lu Jinlan frowned and looked into the distance, then sighed helplessly, "You begged me to take you away, so don't complain about the suffering you've endured."
She held out her hand to him, "Get on the horse."
Xiao Heng quickly took her hand, sat behind her, and grabbed her clothes.
Just as Xiang Ruzhen was about to urge her horse to catch up, Yan Wuxin suddenly grabbed her, "I'm a little confused, can you help me think about it?"
What are you thinking about?
Yan Wuxin said, "We caught up with this person, right? Even if he's not your prisoner, he should be considered mine, right? Why does he say he's Jinlan's prisoner?"
Xiang Ruzhen smiled and said, "This is your fault."
"Blame me?"
"Who told you to only know how to strip clothes but not how to put them on? You don't know how to be gentle with women, yet you expect the young master of Qu Kingdom to chase after you and become your prisoner?"
Yan Wuxin gritted his teeth, speechless.
Lu Jinlan brought Xiao Heng back to the camp. Kong Luan was taken aback when she saw that she had brought a man back.
"General Lu, this is..."
"The prisoner is the young prince of Qu Kingdom. Lock him up properly, and we will decide what to do with him after I report back to the commander-in-chief tomorrow morning."
"Yes." Kong Luan hurriedly ordered someone to bring handcuffs and take the person away.
As the cold, heavy iron shackles were fastened to his wrists, Xiao Heng could no longer hold onto his cloak, and an intense sense of fear instantly overwhelmed him.
He walked through the enemy's camp in tattered clothes, feeling like a lamb to the slaughter.
Everyone's eyes were on him, and their disdainful, mocking, sarcastic, and prying gazes made him feel uneasy and his scalp tingled.
The soldiers on either side roughly pulled him along, and he endured the pain as he walked forward step by step, thinking in despair: They are probably going to send me to hell.
"Wait a minute!" Lu Jinlan's voice rang out just in time, like a redemptive bell. "Lock him in my tent."
Kong Luan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, General."
Xiao Heng breathed a sigh of relief as the guards escorted him to Lu Jinlan's tent.
Kong Luan was a little worried. "General, should we send two guards to watch over him? So you can rest assured."
“No need.” Lu Jinlan held out her hand. “The key.”
Kong Luan exclaimed in alarm, "What if he does something to harm you..."
Lu Jinlan said, "He's just a young master; he can't hurt me."
Seeing her say this, Kong Luan had no choice but to hand over the key, saying, "General, please be careful. We will wait outside the tent."
Lu Jinlan personally unlocked his handcuffs, then turned and went out again.
Alone in the tent, Xiao Heng took out his sewing kit and began to mend his pitiful clothes.
While mending, he cursed inwardly: This Yan Wuxin is really wicked. He ripped a perfectly good piece of clothing like this. How can anyone wear it now?
He had almost used up a whole pack of needles and thread, and still had a lot of holes in his body.
Just as he was worrying, Lu Jinlan lifted the curtain and came in. "No need to mend it. I had them find you a clean shirt from a laundryman. Take it and wear it."
Xiao Heng felt a warmth in his heart. "Thank you."
He took his clothes and went behind the screen to change. He suddenly remembered that it was a similar scene when he first met Lu Jinlan.
This time, however, she was sitting at her desk with her back to him, reading a book, and did not suddenly pull him into her arms.
Xiao Heng looked at the garment. Although the fabric was rough, it had a pleasant smell, like it had been washed and sun-dried.
He quickly changed and stood awkwardly in the tent, feeling lost and helpless.
Lu Jinlan didn't turn around, but casually pointed to the bed next to her, "You can sleep on the bed."
Xiao Heng lay down, still covered with her cloak.
Lu Jinlan quickly turned off the light, lay down on the bed, and seemed about to fall asleep.
Xiao Heng tried to say something several times, but in the end he couldn't say anything and could only toss and turn on the bed alone.
The sounds in the darkness were particularly clear. Lu Jinlan frowned slightly. "Don't worry, I will inform the commander tomorrow morning. She has always acted with integrity and a clear sense of right and wrong. She won't make things difficult for a man like you. You can go back soon."
Xiao Heng thought for a moment, then said, "I'm not in a hurry to go back."
Lu Jinlan smiled. "What? Are you addicted to being a prisoner?"
Xiao Heng did not answer, so Lu Jinlan asked again, "Is the peace talk your idea or Xiao Chengying's idea?"
"It is I who want to negotiate, but my elder sister... is still hesitating."
"Oh, so you'd rather come to our camp this way in an attempt to persuade me?"
Xiao Heng pursed his lips. "I heard that Commander Song values you highly. You are her son, her confidant, and the future commander of the Song family army. If you suggest that she negotiate peace, she will definitely consider it, won't she?"
"Yes, but I won't make that suggestion."
"Why?"
Lu Jinlan took a deep breath. "National affairs are very complicated, and I can't explain them to you. Just like your elder sister is hesitating about whether to negotiate peace, she must have her reasons for hesitating. I don't want to negotiate peace either, and I have my reasons for that too. By the way, how is your elder sister's injury?"
Xiao Heng said helplessly, "I bled a lot, which terrified me, but I managed to save my life."
"She must hate me a lot, right?"
"No, after she woke up, she raved about you, praising your abilities. She said she had never encountered such a formidable enemy. I told her I wanted to marry you, and she even said I had good taste in women. Sigh, but she's probably cursing me now. She told me not to come, but I insisted on coming anyway, and now I'm a prisoner."
Xiao Heng muttered to himself, becoming more and more frustrated.
Lu Jinlan found it amusing. "So why did you insist on coming back with me? Do you want to negotiate, or do you want to marry me?"
Xiao Heng gritted his teeth and answered resentfully, "I want both."
Lu Jinlan snorted coldly, "Don't even think about it."
"Why?" Xiao Heng sat up in the darkness, furious.
Lu Jinlan said, "This war has been going on for more than half a year, involving three countries. Millions of soldiers have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, and countless people have died or been injured, but they still haven't been able to achieve peace. Do you think you, a mere man, can resolve all the conflicts?"
"I'm telling you, no. Wars are neither started by men nor participated in by men, and they will never end because of men. Everything in the world is controlled by women, and victory or defeat has nothing to do with you men."
"The credit certainly doesn't belong to you. However, if your country's historians are incompetent, they might try to pin the blame on you."
"Don't think that you can gain anything by sacrificing yourself; that's just wishful thinking on your part."
Xiao Heng remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Alright, I admit that matters of state are matters between you women, and I am shallow and do not understand them. From now on, I will no longer talk to you about peace talks; I will talk to you about marrying you."
He retorted angrily, "Why do you tell me not to think about it? Do you look down on me that much? Am I less attractive than those men of yours?"
The topic abruptly shifted from serious to absurd, and Lu Jinlan chuckled, "Your looks are no less than those of my men, and frankly, you're even slightly better. But I can't possibly marry every handsome man in the world, can I?"
"Then where did I go wrong? You have to give me an explanation today."
Lu Jinlan yawned. "I'm sleepy. I'm going to sleep."
Xiao Heng persisted, "No, explain yourself clearly. Why don't you like me?"
Seeing that Lu Jinlan remained silent, he simply got up, walked to the bedside, and nudged her, "Tell me, what exactly is it about me that I'm inferior to them?"
Lu Jinlan sighed, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you. First, my husband is virtuous, intelligent, and knows what's important. If he were you, he certainly wouldn't rashly barge into the enemy camp and say a bunch of stupid things;"
"Secondly, my attendant Yu Mian is gentle and considerate. If I say I'm sleepy and want to sleep, he will immediately make my bed and get me a pillow. He certainly wouldn't be as persistent as you are."
"Thirdly, my Yingzi Qilang is pure and lovely. He would never do what you did, running off to a strange woman's bed late at night. Don't you know there's a difference between men and women?"
Xiao Heng grew angrier the more he listened. "What do you know? The men of our Qu Kingdom aren't as coy as the men of your Hua Kingdom. What's wrong with me liking you and being close to you? How can you say that about me? Are they all better than me in every way?"
Lu Jinlan said seriously, "You can't say that. When it comes to being willful, capricious, and unreasonable, they definitely can't compare to you."
Xiao Heng was so angry he was practically spitting fire. "I don't believe it!"
He climbed onto the bed as he spoke, startling Lu Jinlan, who grabbed his wrist. "What are you trying to do?"
Xiao Heng retorted angrily, "You don't understand me at all. If you did, you wouldn't dislike me."
"So what if you know? Why did you go to bed with me?"
"I want to become yours, and then let you slowly get to know me."
As he spoke, he began to take off his clothes. Lu Jinlan quickly grabbed his hand, saying, "Your Qu Kingdom is truly known for its fierce and unruly people. Xiao Heng, I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless!"
Xiao Heng: "I don't care. I don't believe that after tonight you will still think I have no redeeming qualities."
Seeing his stubbornness, Lu Jinlan simply knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck and pushed him aside. Too lazy to dress him, she tossed a blanket over him.
Lu Jinlan lay down again and finally got a good night's sleep.
As dawn broke, Xiang Ruzhen, Yan Wuxin, Chu Yishu, Sun Lewen, and a dozen other classmates arrived at Lu Jinlan's tent, chatting and laughing.
"General Lu, we've come to bring you good news. You have to treat us to a meal today."
As Yan Wuxin spoke, he lifted the bed curtains and stared in disbelief at Lu Jinlan, who had just opened her eyes, and the shirtless man beside her.
Lu Jinlan's vision went black, and she sighed helplessly, "The situation is not what you think."
Before he could finish speaking, someone outside the tent said, "General Lu, the commander-in-chief requests your presence."
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