Chapter 84 Stealing another's husband is an irreconcilable crime
Lu Jinlan knew what she was thinking, and his face darkened. "No, think of another plan."
Wen Ji pursed his lips. "Well, then we'll just have to put it off for now. Maybe in a couple of days, the imperial decree of reward will arrive."
"I reckon I'll promote you a bit more, so you'll be on equal footing with her. If you refuse to return your troops, she won't be able to do anything about it. But if she stays in the city, which is full of former members of the Ling family army, it's a real threat to us."
Yan Wuxin then asked Yang Ning, "Does Yan Lufeng have any other shortcomings?"
Yang Ning scratched her head. "Let me think about it."
She thought for a while, "I can't think of anything. But isn't she lustful enough? She likes handsome men, and isn't there a handsome young man by General Lu's side? Could it be that the General can't bear to part with him?"
Lu Jinlan met Yang Ning's questioning gaze, lowered his eyes slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Making a fuss about a man is against the principles of a gentleman."
Yang Ning was filled with respect. "General, you are right. I'll think about it some more. By the way, I have a close subordinate who served as a bodyguard for the Yan family for a few years. I'll go ask her."
As soon as Yang Ning left, Yan Wuxin sat down on the table with a pout, looking at Lu Jinlan suspiciously, "What are you really thinking? Don't talk to me about gentlemanly conduct, don't I know you? You can only fool Yang Ning with those kinds of words."
Lu Jinlan smiled helplessly and glanced at her and Xiang Ruzhen. "I didn't mean to lie to you, but it's inconvenient to explain to Yang Ning in detail."
“Xiao Heng is a bit of a problem for me. He likes me sincerely and honestly, and I could have just enjoyed his affection. But now you want me to use him, or even use his good looks to seduce other women. I feel uneasy and don’t want to feel guilty.”
Xiang Ruzhen nodded and said, "That's true. How important is a man's reputation? If he does something like this and word gets out, how will he ever get married?"
Yan Wuxin hurriedly said, "Jinlan, why don't you just marry him? Let him seduce him, just make it look convincing, but don't actually make him lose his virginity. Besides, Jinlan, you've lived together for so long, everyone has already accepted him as your man, aren't you going to take him in?"
"Even if Xiao Chengying takes him back to Qu Kingdom, are you really planning to abandon him?"
Lu Jinlan sighed softly, "I haven't decided yet. After all, relations between the two countries are tense. As the young master of Qu Kingdom, marrying me would not be good for either of us."
"I don't want to get involved in a messy situation with my enemies. Keeping him by my side was out of necessity. Having a relationship with him was something I couldn't help myself to. But if it really comes to me marrying him, I'll have to think about it some more."
"Even if I were to marry him in the future, how could I possibly ask him to do something like this now?"
The room fell silent for a moment. After a long silence, Wen Ji spoke softly, "The general doesn't have to say anything, I'll give him a hint. If the young master is willing, he will naturally do it."
Lu Jinlan remained silent.
No objection meant tacit approval, so Yan Wuxin nodded slightly and mouthed to Wen Ji, "Go."
Wen Ji rushed to the back hall and returned hastily in the blink of an eye, "The young master is not in the room."
Lu Jinlan frowned. "Did he return to Qu Kingdom?"
Wen Ji said, "His bundle is still here. I asked the guards at the door, and they said that Young Master Xiao ordered some wine and dishes not long ago, but they don't know where he took them."
Before he could finish speaking, a guard rushed in and reported, "General Lu, General Yan is drunk and was chasing after your young master Xiao on the city wall, making indecent advances. I tried to stop her, but she scolded me. Several generals couldn't persuade her to stop. You should go and see for yourself!"
*
When Lu Jinlan arrived with the others, Yan Lufeng was choking Xiao Heng and pinning him against a pillar. There appeared to be blood on Xiao Heng's forehead.
Lu Jinlan shouted, "Stop!"
Yan Lufeng was taken aback, and Xiao Heng took the opportunity to break free and quickly rushed into Lu Jinlan's arms.
He breathed heavily and whispered in her ear, his voice choked with emotion, "Everyone saw her try to take liberties with your man. That's enough to make General Lu furious, isn't it?"
"I'm useful to you, please don't... send me away..."
Lu Jinlan listened calmly to his murmurs, but her eyes grew increasingly red. Suddenly, her arm went limp, and the person in her arms fainted completely.
Everyone watched nervously. Yan Lufeng said unhappily, "He didn't say he was General Lu's man. How would I know? Take him back. I'm leaving."
Yan Lufeng was about to return to his room when he suddenly heard Lu Jinlan say coldly from behind, "Please leave something behind."
Yan Lufeng turned around in confusion, "What?"
"life."
Lu Jinlan embraced Xiao Heng and drew the guard's sword with one hand.
Yan Lufeng only felt a flash of cold light before his eyes, and before he could react, he was already lifeless.
*
Wen Ji was in the study, discussing something in hushed tones with Lu Jinlan.
"How does the general plan to write the memorial to the Emperor?"
Lu Jinlan said, "I will write two memorials: one to apologize, so that the Emperor will find my actions understandable and I can explain them in front of the officials. The other will be a secret memorial to tell the truth."
Wen Ji was slightly worried. “Killing a third-rank General of the Northern Expedition is no small matter. This is a last resort for us. I wonder if His Majesty can understand.”
Lu Jin smiled slightly, "Although I have never met His Majesty, I don't know why, but I feel that there is an inexplicable tacit understanding between us."
“I can guess what she’s thinking, and she can guess what I’m thinking. I’m doing this for the greater good, and the Emperor will understand.”
"By the way, is there any news outside?"
Wen Ji hurriedly said, "After your battle with Suo Hongzhu, the soldiers have great respect for you. I think they've already sided with you. Today, Yan Lufeng acted recklessly after drinking, and everyone saw it."
"The saying goes, 'To steal another man's husband is an irreconcilable enmity.' General, you fearlessly and ruthlessly killed this man, which has earned you even greater respect from your soldiers."
Lu Jinlan nodded and immediately wrote two memorials, "Send them to the capital immediately."
After arranging everything, she returned to her bedroom.
Xiao Heng was still unconscious, while Lu Jinlan sat on the bed, lost in thought.
She remembered telling him to leave, "There's no point in you staying here."
She said it unintentionally, but the listener took it to heart.
It's astonishing that he was so eager to prove himself that he actively seduced Yan Lufeng, only to end up hurting himself like this.
well.
Lu Jinlan held his hand and gently stroked it.
Xiao Heng slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing the person in front of him, he felt a surge of joy. "General."
He was about to get up when Lu Jinlan quickly said, "Don't move around. You have a head injury. Just lie down."
Xiao Heng obediently lay back down. "Has the matter been resolved?"
"Um."
"Great, I can finally help you."
Lu Jinlan touched the bandage on his forehead. "How did this happen?"
Xiao Heng said pitifully, "I accidentally bumped my head on the corner of the table while I was struggling."
"Does it still hurt?"
"pain."
"I'll go get you some painkillers."
"No painkillers."
Xiao Heng quickly grabbed her hand, "If you lie down with me for a while, the pain will subside."
Lu Jinlan gave a helpless smile. Xiao Heng leaned against her, his slightly pale face revealing an excited expression. "Wasn't I exceptionally clever this time?"
Lu Jinlan shook her head, stroked his cheek, and denied it, saying, "No, you're really stupid. You're an idiot."
Xiao Heng snorted coldly, "I know, you're going to say that one of your men is smarter than me. So what? They're not around right now, are they? If you're so capable, go find them. All you do is complain about me all day long. What have I ever done to deserve this…"
Lu Jinlan kissed his lips, abruptly ending her sarcastic remarks.
The sweetness between the lips and teeth is like that of a sweet fruit; one can savor it slowly and repeatedly, never tiring of it.
That night she said to him, "Go write a letter to your sister and tell her that you want to stay with me."
Xiao Heng smiled smugly, "I'd like to add one more thing: 'You also hope that I'll stay by your side.'"
*
The news of the victory against Suo Hongzhu has reached the capital. The Emperor was overjoyed and promoted Lu Jinlan to the rank of Second-Rank General, Xiang Ruzhen to the new General of the North, and Yan Wuxin to the rank of General of the East.
All soldiers at Qiulong Pass were awarded half a year's salary.
Three to five days later, the Jiang Kingdom appointed a new commander-in-chief, and the new commander-in-chief made his first move. He launched an attack on the city as soon as he arrived at the front lines, but Lu Jinlan was prepared, and the enemy suffered heavy losses and retreated in disgrace.
Seven or eight days later, Lu Jinlan estimated that the other party had rested enough.
She held a meeting to remind all departments to be vigilant.
"I anticipate that Jiang's army will attack the city again within three days. We must not be careless at night either; we should add another patrol shift."
Just then, Zuo Suizhi came to report in a panic: "Something terrible has happened, General. You'd better come to the city wall right away."
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