Chapter 39 He was staring intently at the two of them...
Ji Chengning sidestepped and blocked with his elbow, but Zhou Mufang didn't hold back at all and slammed down hard. Ji Chengning felt a wave of pain and numbness. Taking advantage of Zhou Mufang's half-body tilt and loss of balance, he swept his leg and kicked towards Zhou Mufang's knee.
"Bang!"
Zhou Mufang had no time to dodge and was kicked so hard that she staggered backward. She swiftly reached out and grabbed Ji Chengnin's leg in her arms.
The entire weight of an adult male was pressed down on him, and Ji Chengnin was pulled so hard that he couldn't stand. There were two loud thuds, and the two of them fell onto the sand one after the other.
Ji Chengning braced himself on the ground with his hands, and using this advantage, he flipped over and leaped onto Zhou Mufang's lower back like a horse being trained, pressing his elbow hard against Zhou's neck.
The young marquis exhaled a heavy breath, a metallic taste rising in his throat. He lowered his head and gritted his teeth, saying, "You also think I did something wrong?"
Zhou Mufang's face was slammed hard against the sand, but she was still restless. She twisted her head, and the rough sand rubbed off a piece of skin the size of a fingernail from her eyebrow.
Blood flowed out.
Zhou Mufang narrowed her eyes unhappily.
He already had slightly droopy eyebrows, and with the blood on his face, he looked fierce, much like a wild, untamed wolf.
When did I say you did something wrong?
Ji Chengnin felt a mix of emotions, and the pressure on his hands loosened slightly.
Zhou Mufang keenly sensed this change.
He suddenly exerted force at his waist, flipping the person on top of him over and slamming them hard against the ground.
Ji Chengnin was stunned for half a second.
But it wasn't that Zhou Mufang had learned to use retreat as a tactic; it was that he was stunned—"My hair, Zhou Wenrui, are you crazy!"
Zhou Mufang shook her head, brushed off the dust she had just gotten on, and said smugly, "All's fair in war, young marquis, you're not very good at military strategy."
Ji Chengnin: "Someone like you who can't even distinguish between Sun Bin and Sun Wu dares to say that I'm not good at military strategy," he said, rubbing his hair with one hand. "What exactly are you doing here?"
Zhou Mufang was silent for a few seconds, then said lazily, "You haven't come to see me for three months and nineteen days. The military discipline in the camp outside the capital is strict. If I can't leave, can't you come?"
He swung his fist, intending to punch Ji Chengnin in the face.
Unfortunately, the young marquis had a face as beautiful as a peach blossom, and his solid, sandbag-sized fists would surely break the hearts of countless beauties.
With a flick of his wrist, he slammed his wrist into Ji Chengnin's shoulder.
Ji Chengning saw him rubbing the grit on his hands onto his clothes and grimaced, "I'm afraid that if I go to the military camp, Uncle Zhou will say I'm causing trouble and beat me out with sticks."
“Absolutely impossible,” Zhou Mufang said. “He wouldn’t dare.”
After these words were spoken, both of them remained silent for a few seconds.
Ji Chengning pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and threw it at Zhou Mufang's face.
Before even touching him, she could smell a rich, sweet fragrance. Zhou Mufang couldn't help but gasp in amazement; the young marquis was more particular than many young ladies.
He grabbed a handkerchief and casually wiped the blood a couple of times.
The snow-white satin was instantly stained with red and black, which even changed the color of the small light purple flowers at the edges. Although Zhou Mufang never cared about such things, she could tell that the embroidery was extremely exquisite. Perhaps it was a gift from a beauty who admired the young marquis. She was about to speak.
Through the half-open handkerchief, he heard Ji Chengnin say slowly, "Mu Fang, what exactly did you come here for?"
Zhou Mufang paused in her face-wiping motion.
He mumbled, "I was on leave a few days ago, and Pingzhi came to ask me to have a drink."
"after?"
"Are you interrogating someone?" Zhou Mufang said with dissatisfaction, but the young marquis showed no intention of explaining. His attempt to change the subject failed, and he coughed several times. "He just told me the whole story about what happened to the Qu family, that misunderstanding."
He put down the handkerchief.
But the young marquis, who had just complained about the dirt on the ground, was now lying there expressionless.
He was startled, and upon closer inspection, he saw that Ji Chengnin had two hands propped up under his hair, and he laughed angrily.
Ji Chengnin looked up. "So what do you think?"
"What do I think?" Zhou Mufang snorted. "Of course I think, Young Marquis, you betray your friends for personal gain, are eager to make a name for yourself, and don't know what to do. It just so happens that Young Master Qu made a small mistake, and you're seizing on it, trying to frame him for smuggling contraband to advance your own career." With each sentence he spoke, Ji Chengnin's face darkened. Zhou Mufang had known him for over a decade, and this was the first time she had seen him so distressed. Her tone suddenly changed, "That's impossible."
Ji Chengnin was taken aback. "Oh?"
He regretted it as soon as he said "oh," and really wanted to punch himself.
Oh what? Oh what?
“Given the favor that the current emperor and our Crown Prince have shown you, this case is far too insignificant,” Zhou Mufang shook her head.
After he finished speaking, the young marquis looked up at him, staring blankly, his eyes flickering and trembling, like ripples on an autumn pond.
Zhou Mufang felt awkward under his gaze, "Don't be so sentimental..."
"Then why did you attack me as soon as you saw me?!"
Zhou Mufang was furious that he would say such a thing. "Didn't I just tell you? You haven't come to see me for three months and nineteen days. Do you know how I've been doing for over a hundred days? I almost died of exhaustion on the training ground!"
Ji Chengnin replied dryly, "Oh."
The atmosphere was not as tense as before. Zhou Mufang touched his nose. "Chengning, Pingzhi, he..." He paused, not saying Qu Pingzhi's current situation, but only said, "If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't know what to do either."
On one side is a close friend of over ten years, and on the other is an upright and virtuous elder brother who taught him to read and write from a young age. Both sides are vague in their statements, and no matter which side he sides with, it is tantamount to admitting that the other side has made a grave mistake.
Qu Pingzhi could sense that something was amiss.
However, as mentioned earlier.
Qu Pingzhi certainly didn't want to face the fact that his elder brother had violated the law. Since His Majesty said it was a misunderstanding, then it was a misunderstanding.
That's right, Young Master Ji was too eager for quick success and wronged an innocent person.
Ji Chengnin shook his head and did not respond.
Zhou Mufang then stopped.
He rolled over and lay down next to Ji Chengnin. "Young Marquis, when the army rotates with the Cangzhou army in a few days, will you send me there?"
Cangzhou borders the Yi region, and there have been more than a hundred major battles and countless smaller ones over the past century. Not only are there frequent battles, but the area is also extremely cold, with heavy snow falling before October and water freezing instantly.
Ji Chengning hadn't expected that Zhou Mufang would be going to Cangzhou after only a few months in the army. He was filled with mixed feelings, including melancholy, reluctance, and a longing for something he couldn't quite explain. "Yes, take the willow branch with you, and hold hands with General Zhou and look at each other with tears in our eyes."
Zhou Mufang gasped, overwhelmed by the cloying sweetness, "Don't get me into trouble."
If his father saw it, he would think that he and Young Master Ji had something going on.
Ji Chengnin chuckled softly.
Under the bright sun, Ji Chengning pulled out a handkerchief to shield his eyes.
Zhou Mufang suddenly lowered his voice, "Chengning, what exactly did Brother Qu transport?" Without waiting for Ji Chengning's answer, he continued, "His Majesty said it was a misunderstanding, but I think, if it were something ordinary, would His Majesty really need to personally intervene?"
He noticed the handkerchief twitch slightly. "Don't try to fool me!"
"Aphrodisiacs," Ji Chengnin said truthfully.
Zhou Mufang was taken aback. "What the hell?"
Ji Chengning said, "Aphrodisiac. So," he patted Zhou Mufang, "General Zhou, this is all a misunderstanding, and it is all my fault."
Zhou Mufang frowned, half believing and half doubting, but Ji Chengnin's attitude was firm. Knowing that he would not get any results by asking any more questions, he slowly nodded.
A few seconds later, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "I heard that Brother Qu brought more than a dozen cartloads into the city, all of them were aphrodisiacs?!"
Even if Qu Fengzhi were as robust as a prized horse from the Western Regions, he couldn't withstand such depletion of resources.
This is what you care about?
Ji Chengning looked at Zhou Mufang speechlessly.
A moment later, he suddenly shook his head and burst out laughing.
Zhou Mufang didn't laugh.
He was the one who felt a chill down the back of his neck; the creepy feeling was like being coiled by a venomous snake, both gloomy and menacing.
Zhou Mufang suddenly turned around.
The audacious assassin they had imagined, who dared to trespass on the Qinglu Guard's office, did not appear. Instead, a tall, slender young man in gray stood not far away, staring intently in their direction and smiling at them.
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Author's note: I really won't win.
Goodnight, my wife.
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