Chapter 61 Ningning, I need you.
Chapter 61
City defense military camp.
According to the plan proposed by He Hansheng, after more than a month of initial adjustments, the city defense army has basically returned to normal, but it is still far from the peak period when He Changxin was in control.
However, this cannot be improved in a short period of time. The city defense army has been under the control of the Ministry of War for only three years, and it has been ruined into its current state. Not only are there vacancies in the number of registered soldiers, but many of them are just recruited to fill the ranks. The army's combat effectiveness is lax. It was not until more than two months ago that He Hansheng merged a part of the Jizhou army and transferred Qi Heng and several new commanders to fill the vacancies.
He Hansheng, Qi Heng, and the other commanders discussed for a long time and decided that they should adjust the defenses in the capital as soon as possible and first deploy the Jizhou army that had been incorporated into the city's defenses.
The group discussed the matter in the tent until the afternoon and drafted a preliminary plan.
As dusk approached, Jiang Yuchu lifted the curtain and entered. Seeing that it seemed to be almost over, she said to He Hansheng, "My lord, the madam has arrived."
He Hansheng was somewhat surprised. "She came in?"
Jiang Yuchu shook his head. "Madam is waiting for you outside. She has been here for quite some time and specifically instructed that you not to disturb your work."
He Hansheng suddenly stood up, then, remembering that everyone else was still there, and perhaps feeling it was somewhat inappropriate, sat back down and asked, "Does anyone else have any objections?"
The commanders present, including Qi Heng, were all married men. They all saw through He Hansheng's thoughts and couldn't help but laugh and tease him, "The Marquis was so busy just now, as if he couldn't say enough. Now that he heard that the Madam has arrived, he seems eager to go home."
Qi Heng had watched He Hansheng grow up, and seeing how loving the couple was, he smiled with satisfaction. He helped He Hansheng out of the predicament, saying, "Now that the defense plan has been agreed upon, Young Marquis, there's no need for you to stay here any longer. You just returned from Yangzhou yesterday, and I'm afraid you haven't had a good rest yet. You should go back early and take care of your health."
Seeing that no one else objected, He Hansheng responded and got up to leave the tent.
He appeared calm and composed, but in reality, he had even forgotten to take the outer robe hanging to the side; it was Jiang Yuchu who chased after him to bring it to him.
The city defense troops were stationed on the outskirts of the capital, in an open area where the wind was particularly strong and it was quite cold.
Outside the military camp, Shen Suining sat sideways on the horse's back, looking up at the sky, her legs dangling and gently swinging, as if she was getting impatient.
She was dressed in thin clothes and didn't feel anything when she was in the Marquis's mansion, but after sitting in this open space and being exposed to the wind for so long, she actually felt a bit chilly.
Shen Suining gently hunched her neck and jumped off the horse.
"Ningning!"
Just then, He Hansheng's voice came from the camp. He rushed towards her, as if controlled by some emotion, and uncontrollably pulled her into his arms.
Jiang Yuchu and the sentries at the gate looked up at the sky and down at the ground, pretending nothing had happened.
In front of others, Shen Suining stiffened slightly, feeling a little embarrassed, but she still reached out and gently grasped the lapel of his clothes, whispering a reminder: "He Hansheng, there are many people watching."
He Hansheng chuckled softly, released her, and gently cupped her wind-reddened face in his hands. "How long have you been here? Why didn't you come in to find me?"
"Well, not long," Shen Suining said vaguely, "I don't want to disturb your work. Besides, it wouldn't be good for me to run into your military camp for no reason."
"It's alright, the sentries all know you. Next time you come, just go straight in."
He Hansheng sensed that her body was a little cold, probably because she had been exposed to the wind for a long time, so he quickly took off his outer robe and wrapped it around her, and then asked Jiang Yuchu to bring the carriage over.
He Hansheng helped Shen Suining into the carriage and said coldly to Jiang Yuchu outside, "Next time Madam comes, just tell me directly. If you keep it a secret again, I will fine you half a month's salary."
Jiang Yuchu was on the verge of tears and quickly looked to Shen Suining for help.
Shen Suining sat down in the carriage and sighed upon hearing this. "I told you I wouldn't go in because I didn't want to disturb you. Why are you blaming him? If he gets fined for listening to me, I won't dare to order any of your people around anymore."
He Hansheng didn't say anything more, and Jiang Yuchu knew that she should be able to keep her monthly salary.
The carriage slowly made its way into the city.
Inside the car, the two sat facing different directions. Shen Suining saw He Hansheng pressing his temples, his eyes bloodshot. After thinking for a moment, she moved to sit next to He Hansheng and tried her best to support her shoulders.
"Take a nap, I'll wake you up when we get there."
He Hansheng said softly, "I'm not tired."
"Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Shen Suining glared at him, pressed his head against her shoulder, crossed her arms, and straightened her back.
He Hansheng chuckled to himself.
Given their height difference, this position wouldn't be comfortable for either of them, let alone for him to maintain this position while sleeping the whole way.
After letting out a soft sigh, He Hansheng slowly lay down, resting his head on her knees and closing his eyes to rest.
Shen Suining was finally satisfied. She adjusted herself for a moment, leaned back against the car wall, and picked up a book from the side to read.
The books on the carriage were the ones He Hansheng liked to read on weekdays to pass the time on the carriage. Shen Suining casually flipped through them, and they were mostly about the way of being a minister or how to lead troops into battle.
Shen Suining found it boring, closed the book and tossed it aside, thinking to herself that it was a real blunder that she had forgotten to put a few storybooks in He Hansheng's carriage.
Now that He Hansheng is asleep, and with a long road ahead, she has no choice but to find a way to pass the time herself.
"Ningning," He Hansheng, who was resting his head on her lap, stirred but did not open his eyes, "Did you go to the Nine Heavens today?"
"You could guess that?" Shen Suining paused, then sniffed herself hard. "Wait, I changed my clothes, so I shouldn't smell, right?"
He Hansheng sighed.
Although Shen Suining is often unpredictable, he understands her impulsive and quick-tempered nature.
He Hansheng: "What did Miss Luo say?"
“Well, Xiao Jiu told me that her people found out about the servants Zhou Hao had with her before her death. Although most of them were secretly executed by He Bufan, two of them are still missing. It is said that one was Zhou Hao’s personal bodyguard Wu Fu, and the other was her dowry maid named Fu Ling. They are now hiding somewhere, and even Xiao Jiu can’t find them.”
Shen Suining didn't intend to hide anything from him and told him the truth: "He Bufan's men are also searching in secret. Do you think if we find these two, we'll know exactly how Zhou Hao died?"
Upon hearing this, He Hansheng opened his eyes. "I know where those two people are."
"Huh?" Shen Suining was a little confused.
He Hansheng sat up and asked her, "So you came to the military camp specifically to wait for me just to tell me this?"
His expression changed very quickly. Others might not be able to tell his joy or anger, but Shen Suining had been traveling the world for many years and was most skilled at reading people's expressions. Moreover, she had been with He Hansheng for so long that she could see through his thoughts at a glance.
She said with a hint of helplessness, "If I say yes, will you get upset again?"
He Hansheng pursed his lips and remained silent.
Shen Suining sighed and sat up straight. "Actually, it's not entirely like that, He Hansheng. I know you heard what He Bufan said yesterday, and although you didn't say it, you were probably a little sad inside. I don't know what I should say to make you happy right now, I just feel—"
"Perhaps you need me at this time?"
Her frankness surprised He Hansheng, but before he could speak, Shen Suining immediately changed the subject, "Of course, it's also possible that I'm just being presumptuous. That's why I said 'perhaps.' If you don't need it, just consider it as me saying it for what Xiao Jiu said..."
“I need you,” He Hansheng interrupted her, enunciating each word clearly: “Ningning, I need you.”
Shen Suining was slightly burned by his intense gaze, looked away, said "Oh," and shrugged indifferently, "Then I made the right choice."
He Hansheng's expression softened considerably. He sat closer to Shen Suining and continued what he had been saying, "Over the years in the capital, I have also cultivated some influence, both overt and covert. A couple of days ago, my men picked up two people who were trying to escape, and I only found out today that they were actually Zhou Hao."
Shen Suining was not surprised that He Hansheng was secretly cultivating people, "but this is too much of a coincidence."
“Unfortunately,” He Hansheng said without giving a direct answer.
Hearing what he said, Shen Suining could roughly guess that since He Bufan was able to plant people in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion to poison the eldest princess, He Hansheng's people must have been keeping a close eye on He Bufan's general's mansion.
He Hansheng pondered for a moment, "Moreover, those two must have known something they shouldn't have known to be so ruthlessly killed. The fact that He Bufan and the Yong'an Marquis's family are not secrets in China. They probably deliberately came to him seeking protection."
“That makes sense,” Shen Suining thought of what the shovel vendor had told her earlier that day. “Since we’re sure Zhou Hao’s death was suspicious and we have witnesses, why don’t we just hand them over to the Dali Temple? After all, this case doesn’t involve your family, and you don’t seem to have the authority to investigate.”
He Hansheng laughed, "Naturally, it will be handed over to the Dali Temple. However, it must be transferred secretly, so that no one else can discover that my Yong'an Marquis's Mansion is also involved in this matter."
Shen Suining nodded, instantly understanding what she needed to do.
The relocation was scheduled for that very night.
After confirming that He Hansheng had gone to bed early, Shen Suining avoided the sight of everyone in the mansion and climbed over the wall to leave the mansion.
She wrapped herself up tightly, her entire face covered by a bronze mask, the shadow cast on her face by the brim of her hat concealing her eyes, and she wore a large cloak that hid her figure.
When Shen Suining arrived at Tongyangfang, she heard He Hansheng say during the day that the two witnesses had been placed there by his people, and that his people would secretly follow and protect them when they were moved at night.
Shen Suining did not want to clash with He Hansheng's people. She hid on a high-rise building in the distance and used binoculars to observe the movements on the surrounding streets.
At three-quarters past midnight, Shen Suining finally saw someone furtively peeking out from a secluded house. After confirming that no one was around, the person beckoned to another person behind them.
The two were dressed very simply, with their heads covered, and walked through the darkness with their heads down. Shen Suining looked in the direction they were heading, which was the Dali Temple.
Shen Suining put away her binoculars, climbed down from the high-rise building, and maintained a certain distance from the two of them throughout.
Wu Fu was originally Zhou Hao's bodyguard. Although his martial arts skills were lacking, he was very perceptive, especially in such a dark and windy situation where survival was at stake. When he sensed that he was being followed, he immediately protected Fu Ling behind him.
Fu Ling was immediately frightened and instinctively grabbed Wu Fu's arm, asking in a panic, "Is the general here to kill us?"
Wu Fu didn't speak, but protected Fu Ling and slowly retreated. In the cold autumn night, a drop of cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.
Just then, several assassins hiding in the shadows of the street swarmed out, their iron claws and rope darts aimed straight at Wu Fu. He had nowhere to hide, and several parts of his body were immediately caught by the iron claws, causing him to groan in pain.
"Xiao Wu!" Fu Ling exclaimed in shock.
Wu Fu spat out a mouthful of blood, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fu Ling, I'll hold them off, you go quickly!"
Fuling responded, wiped away her tears, and while the assassins were still preoccupied with her, she ran around the pillars and fled into the street. One of the assassins saw this and immediately withdrew the iron claws that were pinned to Wu Fu's body, and leaped to grab Fuling.
Another painful groan escaped Wu Fu's lips. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked in Fu Ling's direction. He shouted with all his might, "Fu Ling, run!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the iron claws mercilessly tore a piece of flesh from his body, which, mixed with his blood, plunged into his throat.
Fuling didn't dare to look back. She ran forward desperately, and even though she heard the footsteps behind her getting closer and closer, she didn't dare to stop.
The piercing sound of the rope dart flying approached her. Fuling closed her eyes in despair and fell to the ground, but the rope dart did not hit her.
Fuling turned around and saw two men in black standing behind her, holding sharp swords and blocking the fatal blow.
"Get up and move along!" The man in black shouted when he saw her standing there in a daze.
Fuling finally came to her senses, quickly wiped away her tears, endured the pain in her body, stood up, and limped forward.
Shen Suining witnessed the whole thing and couldn't help but frown slightly. Such an important witness, He Hansheng only sent two men in black to escort him.
But now was not the time for her to think about these things. The other side had sent six assassins to hunt down the witness. The two men in black couldn't stop them at all. When Shen Suining saw that Wu Fu had already breathed his last, she leaped towards Fu Ling.
With a light and graceful movement, she grabbed Fuling's waist and spun around, startling Fuling into a gasp. When she turned around and saw the terrifying bronze cat-beast mask on Shen Suining's head, she was too frightened to make a sound. But out of instinct, she still clung tightly to Shen Suining's shoulders.
Shen Suining frowned, but didn't say anything. She looked back and saw that the two men in black had failed to stop the six assassins, and now two of them had caught up.
She cursed under her breath and jumped off the roof.
"Let's go." Shen Suining drew the sword from her waist and said to Fuling behind her in a low voice.
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