Unlike the White Horse Temple, the backyard of the Great Xiangguo Temple is planted with a large maple forest. At this time of year, the maple leaves are as red as fire, which makes Song Ting unconsciously think of the great fire at the former Prince's Mansion five years ago.
“Master, over the years I’ve always wondered what would have happened if Huaixu had gone with you back then,” Song Ting said calmly.
"Does Your Excellency regret it?"
“No,” Song said. “Perhaps I am still selfish. I want Huaixu, so even if I think about it a thousand times or ten thousand times, I still won’t let him become a monk with you. I just regret not protecting him better.”
“I am already guilty of countless sins, so I don’t care about a million more sins. But Huai Xu must be by my side. I will kill any god or ghost that gets in my way.”
“If the gods and Buddhas cannot save us, I will save myself. No one can take them away from me.”
"You've already lost him twice, you absolutely cannot allow it to happen a third time."
He remained arrogant and refused to accept his fate.
He only acknowledges Chu Huaixu as his own.
This time, no one can take him away from him again.
No one can.
When Song Ting returned, Chu Huaixu had not yet finished the bowl of pear soup. Several hours had passed, and the soup had gone completely cold.
He pulled her into his arms, gave her a sweet kiss, and then drank the rest of the cold soup in one gulp.
"Is the Commander so poor that he can't even afford a bowl of pear soup?"
Chu Huaixu ignored his lips, their lips pressed together, caressing each other, "Aren't you afraid I'll pass my illness on to you?"
His question was completely illogical; such intimate actions would obviously make it easier for the illness to spread. Of course, Song Ting wouldn't care about that.
"I have something to give you," Song said upon hearing this.
Chu Huaixu leaned in and touched his dry lips again, asking, "What is it?"
Song Ting took out a sachet from her bosom and showed it to Chu Huaixu as if it were a treasure.
The sachet is brocaded in peacock blue, with a pair of mandarin ducks embroidered on it in gold thread. The workmanship is exquisite, and it is clear at a glance that it is not an ordinary item.
"I instructed Wang Shanggong to make this sachet with the calming herbs prescribed by Physician Yan, and put the herbs inside."
As he spoke, he pulled open the red string sealing the sachet, showing Chu Huaixu what was inside.
But the latter immediately noticed a yellow paper talisman inside: "What's this?"
"I obtained this from the Daxiangguo Temple and put it in the sachet for protection."
He retied the sachet and tucked it into Chu Huaixu's arms. Chu Huaixu chuckled, "When did you start believing in this?"
Song Ting responded listlessly with a "Mm".
This amulet was personally blessed by Master Liaochen, and it's said to ward off evil and bring peace. I don't know if it's really effective, but I'll just do it for peace of mind.
"The rebels are coming in strong, and the Turks are also marching towards Dayan. This morning in the court, the young emperor ordered General Cheng to reorganize the troops and lead 50,000 elite soldiers to Shanmen Pass to join forces with General Gu Yi in five days."
"I have also received an imperial decree to go to the northern desert to negotiate with the Turks. I don't know when I will be able to return."
He wrapped his arms around Chu Huaixu's waist, buried his face in the side of his neck, and gently, very tenderly, pecked at the warm, smooth skin on the corner of his lips.
Chu Huaixu remained nestled in his arms, still in the same position as when they had just kissed, letting Song Ting rub against him affectionately like a large dog [ignore].
"You have to promise me that you will eat well, sleep well, and take good care of yourself. I will have Xiao Wu and Qi Zhou keep an eye on you."
"As for the eldest son's revenge, those Turks will surely pay for it in blood. There's no need to rush."
Speaking of his elder brother, Chu Huaixu felt very uncomfortable, but he didn't want Song Ting to worry, so he smiled.
Then he leaned in and kissed Song Ting's lips, with pure intimacy and tenderness, without going deeper, and said, "I know."
Song Ting, however, couldn't resist being teased, and pressed her burning lips against his again.
The kiss was restrained and gentle, as if afraid that the person born would break if there was even a little more force.
Chu Huaixu wanted to laugh again. He turned around and hugged Song Ting: "My lord has devoted himself to the Great Yan Dynasty. Let me serve you tonight?"
Song Ting didn't like hearing him say that word, and angrily bit Ting's lip.
"Next time."
When is the next time?
"I'll wait until you've recovered," Song Ting said, her ears turning red.
Chu Huaixu chuckled softly, his lips close to his: "You went to such lengths, even killing and setting fires, to snatch me back, just so you could treat me like a goddess?"
"Mmm." Song Ting's ears turned even redder. "That's good."
"Because I'm your darling?"
Song Ting: "..."
Song Ting: "…………"
Chu Huaixu let go of his hand, laughing uncontrollably.
...
The Great Yan is going to war!
The news spread rapidly throughout Dayan. In less than half a day, even beggars on the street began to talk about the living Yama, who could stop children from crying at night, going to lead a group to negotiate with the Turks.
"Hey, you all know, right? Several ministers died when the Empress Dowager was buried in the imperial mausoleum. The court is now desperate for talent. Even that living devil has been sent to the battlefield by the young emperor!"
A five- or six-year-old beggar took a bite of a dry, cold steamed bun, called over a few of his friends, and they squatted in a circle, talking mysteriously.
The slightly larger one shrank its head, its eyes wide and round:
"Yes, yes, I heard the rebels have already started a massacre in Pingcheng. The entire population of Pingcheng has been wiped out. The blood is so thick that you can see blood gushing out if you stick a tree branch into the mud! It's so tragic!"
A skinny little beggar, looking like a monkey, retorted, "Hey! Your news is obviously fake. I heard that the rebels are afraid of running out of food, so they've killed all the people in the city to make them into jerky!"
"This is too, too terrible! Will we be killed and made into jerky too?!" said another little beggar.
"You're afraid of this? Then you're in big trouble. The Turks are even more ferocious. I heard they eat you raw. They'll grab your leg and start gnawing on you while you're still alive, and you'll just have to watch yourself get eaten to the bone!"
"Don't, don't scare me! There's no such person!" The timid little beggar was almost crying from fright.
"What's there to be afraid of! We have General Gu and the Commander. The Commander's soft sword is unmatched. He'll definitely scare the Turks so badly they'll run home and farm!"
This little beggar was clearly a fan of Song Ting.
The first beggar retorted, "Come on, King Yama Song is good at killing loyal officials and common people, but he's never fought a war. What skills could he possibly have? We'd be lucky if he didn't end up handing our entire Dayan over to the Turks..."
“Didn’t that little emperor say he was innocent?” said one of Commander Song’s admirers.
The beggar immediately retorted, "You believe that? How many lives has he taken over the years? He's the emperor's man now, of course the emperor will speak up for him..."
"Yes, I think so too. He and the emperor were in cahoots. If it weren't for him, Prince Duan and the two young masters wouldn't have died. Now, what right do the Turks have to speak? Bah!"
"Exactly! Pshaw!"
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