Chapter 47: Your Highness, are you...seducing me? Song...
Song Youning stopped the brother and sister from hugging each other: "Okay, there will be plenty of time for you to chat later..."
Song Youning tapped the eaves of the sedan chair with her fingertips. The light from the lamp beside the sedan chair shone on her face, making her expression even more solemn. She said lightly, "Jiuxiao, let's talk business first!"
Upon hearing this, the young man immediately let go of Chun Tao, knelt on one knee, and clasped his fists. The silver bells adorning the northern border jingled, "Your Highness..."
His voice was extremely low, his throat still carrying the lingering military accent. "For the past few months, I have led twelve of my brothers to infiltrate the Northern Border Patrol Camp, specifically targeting the dead of night to raid the Gan State camp."
His eyes sparkled, carrying the unfading chivalrous spirit of youth: "I followed your Highness's instructions, disguised myself as a Rong soldier, secretly burned the dry grass, and when I fled, I deliberately left behind the Rong army's weapons..."
"The Rong people have always been arrogant and often sent troops to provoke. Therefore, the King of Zhenbei did not suspect that someone was pretending to be a Rong person. He just thought that the northern border was becoming more and more rampant."
"As for the northern border troops, because the cedar forest is remote and dotted with swamps, they rarely patrol here, and they didn't notice us entrenched here!"
"Now the garrison troops in Dagan all believe that it was the Northern Territory that deliberately disrupted the border defense of Dagan, and the Northern Territory would certainly not have thought that it was Your Highness who took the initiative to cause a dispute between the two countries."
He suddenly pulled out a roll of nitrated parchment from the lining of his fur coat. "I spent several years in the cedar forest. This is a map of the defenses of the Three Kingdoms I drew. The border areas of the three kingdoms are all here. Your Highness, please take a look."
Chuntao took it from Jiuxiao, her brows furrowed as if locked, and looked at her brother worriedly, but still took the parchment from him and handed it to Song Youning in the sedan.
A few years ago, my brother was a palace guard, but he was suddenly sent out by His Highness, who said that there was something important for him to do.
But they never thought that they would see each other again. Although they had been exchanging letters, their brother never revealed his whereabouts. Who would have thought that he had been working on the border.
Chuntao was still shocked when she heard the conversation between the two. Although she knew that the princess had been planning something in secret, she never knew that she was trying to provoke confrontation between the two countries.
Song Youning looked at the detailed parchment in his hand, which was even accurate to every path along the border of the Three Kingdoms, and suddenly chuckled.
She stroked the cinnabar markings on the sheepskin, counting the pieces on a chessboard. "Well done! Even the sentries in the cedar forest have been marked. Now I'm determined to take over the cedar forest!"
"Your Highness..."
Chun Tao's knuckles turned white as she twisted the handkerchief, and her lips trembled a few times before she squeezed out a sound: "Your Highness, this maidservant..."
The words turned around on his tongue three times before he finally swallowed half of it. However, his eyes couldn't hide his worries.
Even though His Highness saved her and her brother's lives, she did not want her brother to become a desperate criminal who provoked the Three Kingdoms War.
Song Youning suddenly laughed out loud. She naturally knew what the girl was worried about. She pointed her finger towards the sky and said, "Silly girl, do you think I'm some wicked person? I can't bear to see the people of the Three Kingdoms have an easy life?"
She folded the parchment in her hand and put it into her sleeve: "Don't worry! I know what's going on, you don't have to worry..."
"I'm tired..." After saying that, she rubbed her head and pretended to be tired.
Seeing that she was tired, Chuntao subconsciously wanted to step forward to serve her. Song Youning seemed to have guessed her thoughts, waved her hands, and said lightly: "I will take a rest for a while, you two brothers and sisters can have a good chat, don't come to disturb my rest during this time!"
There was a scent of incense in the sedan chair, and she deliberately turned her body to the side so that the brother and sister could have more private conversation.
Chuntao understood, looked at Jiuxiao, nodded, and walked gently to the front of the sedan chair, quietly lowered the curtain halfway, and thought of what the prince had said. The worry in her heart was like a big stone falling to the ground. She chattered with Jiuxiao and expressed their longing for each other.
Song Youning, with her eyes closed in the sedan, suddenly recalled for some reason the days when she and Xiao Lin were stationed at the border.
At that time, she was disguised as a woman and was abducted by spies from the Northern Territory. At that time, Xiao Lin, leaning on a broken sword, single-handedly broke into the Northern Territory camp. His robe was soaked in blood, and there were even three feather arrows stuck in his chest.
If I hadn't been wearing the gold-threaded soft armor she gave me... I'm afraid I would have to go to hell to see him.
He raised his broken sword and roared at the Northern General, "If you dare to touch a hair on her head, I will lead my cavalry to slaughter all three states of your Northern Territory!"
Her voice rasped through bloodstained teeth: "From newborn babies to centenarian women, you northerners will be taught what it means to leave no grass uncultivated!"
Xiao Lin, who has always been kind to the people, unexpectedly showed such a bloodthirsty side. But if there was no other way, she would never gamble with the war.
She didn't want to be a victim of others, she would rather be the one who was killed first. If it could bring her permanent stability, she didn't mind bearing the bad reputation.
Song Youning suddenly turned away. The half-broken tiger talisman in his hand stabbed against his palm, and the slight pain just suppressed the inexplicable hardness in his throat. After all, he had let Xiao Lin down.
By the time Song Youning returned to the army, it was already night. The night sky over the Dagan border was dotted with stars, the faint chirping of cicadas could be heard all around, and smoke from the bonfires was curling.
Song Youning got out of the sedan chair and went to the tent. Just as she was about to open her tent, the servant guarding the camp winked at her, as if to remind her of something.
Song Youning suddenly stopped lifting the curtain. She looked around and finally found a familiar figure beside a smoky campfire.
Jingwen was walking towards her and bowed to her. The curtain of the tent was wide open. That place belonged to Li Funing's tent.
Looking through the curtains, one could vaguely see Li Funing leaning on the couch reading a book. Under the bright moonlight, he looked like a banished immortal.
She smiled, and naturally understood what this showy man meant, and was about to walk towards Li Funing's tent.
Just as she turned around, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a hand, and she turned back.
Xiao Lin was just coming out of his tent when a muscular arm firmly grasped her slender wrist. Her eyes flickered: "Xiao Lin?"
"Why did you come out of my tent?"
She subconsciously looked towards the tent on the other side, until she saw the big word "Xiao" written on the flag, she was absolutely sure that she had not come to the wrong place, and this was her own tent.
Her eyes were even more puzzled as she stared at the man in front of her.
Speaking of the distribution of the tents, she was really puzzled. She even suspected that these two people had bribed the officials who set up the tents.
How come among so many tents, they were divided into three groups and she happened to be stuck between Li Funing and Xiao Lin.
"Your Highness, where are you going?" Xiao Lin asked with raised eyebrows.
"This palace... This palace looks at the moon. It is so round today... What does Prince Xiao think?" Song Youning pretended to be pretentious, looked up at the moon in the sky, and glanced at Li Funing's tent inadvertently.
At this moment, there was no one on Li Funing's bed. There was only a broken book left on the couch, placed alone on the desk.
Xiao Lin followed Song Youning's gaze and found that the focus was actually Li Funing's tent. His tone became more and more sarcastic: "Your Highness, now that we have arrived at the border, are you still only thinking about Lord Li?"
"Have you forgotten... that I nearly lost my life in the enemy country to save you? Has your Highness forgotten me?"
The originally innocent eyes were now like grapes soaked in water, feeling aggrieved.
Song Youning, who was still thinking, panicked when she saw those aggrieved eyes and tried to make excuses. "How could it be, I just..."
"That's... I just wanted to discuss it with Lord Li..."
"Discuss how to disguise yourself as a hunter and get closer to the northern border! I must have Xiao Lin in mind!"
Song Youning was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. He was talking nonsense and didn't bother to think. He just continued talking.
She was struggling internally. Now was not the right time to tell Xiao Lin the truth. If she told Xiao Lin that she would return to Beijing with Li Funing to get married after her triumphant return...
Her previous plan was doomed to fail, but he was her best friend... and she didn't want to lie to him.
"This prince knows that His Highness still has me in his heart!"
After hearing this, Xiao Lin was no longer angry, and the wetness in his eyes disappeared as if by magic.
He held Song Youning's wrist, and his big hand slid along her slender wrist bone to the back of her hand, holding her fair hand tightly, and returned to his previous heartless look: "I know that His Highness must have me in his heart!"
"Yes! Your Highness cares about the world, but I wonder if there is a place for me in His Highness's world?"
Song Youning was about to explain to Xiao Lin when he suddenly heard a familiar teasing voice behind him.
These two people are really endless. It's the middle of the night, can't she be left alone?
Li Funing was wearing a moon-white robe and holding a folding fan in his hand. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, but there was no smile in his eyes.
His tone was gentle and his words were clear, but they inexplicably frightened her, like a piece of jade soaked in snow, so cold that it made her shiver.
Before she finishes dealing with one, another one comes... Who the hell is it that puts these two together with her? She will definitely hunt him down to the ends of the earth.
Song Youning pulled the corners of his mouth, with a forced smile: "Master Li, you are out so late, do you have something to ask me?"
Li Funing chuckled, took off his outer robe, and covered her with it: "Nothing happened, but I was a little tired of waiting in the tent, so I came out for a walk..."
Song Youning suddenly recalled Li Funing's immortal-like posture and the tent with the curtains wide open. Li Funing was indeed waiting for her.
Xiao Lin frowned, puzzled, "Lord Li, it's dark and windy, are you waiting for someone?"
Li Funing grinned, and glanced at Xiao Lin holding Song Youning's hand: "Yes! Waiting..."
Before he finished speaking, Song Youning quickly shook off Xiao Lin's hand. Before the two of them could react, he took their arms and led them into his tent: "It's dark and windy outside. Why don't we go inside and talk?"
"I've asked Chuntao to prepare some special dishes from the border region. Since you two are not busy, why don't you try some with me?"
"Your Highness... today..." Li Funing wanted to complain a few more times, but suddenly he felt a small hand climbing up his waist, and the palm of the hand was stroking his waist like a snake.
“Quite…”
Before he could finish his words, the small hand on his waist suddenly pinched the soft flesh on his waist, threatening him not to talk nonsense. Although it didn't use much force, it was enough to make Li Funing suffer a lot. His fair and smooth skin immediately became red and swollen.
Song Youning, this devil, has been running around and wielding spears and sticks with the military general Xiao Lin since she was a child. Her strength is not something that an ordinary girl can possess.
"Quite...interested!" Li Funing stammered, and the red spot on his waist was filled with pain in waves.
"Air-dried beef, sesame baked naan, pineapple cakes, and the fine grape wine I brought from the palace!" Song Youning let go of the two of them, climbed onto the couch, sat cross-legged on the cushions, and enthusiastically introduced her midnight snacks to the two of them.
She picked up a piece of roasted dried meat, tore it into three pieces, put one piece into her own bowl, and placed the other two pieces into the other two bowls. "This is what I bought from a military merchant at the market at the junction of the three kingdoms today. Would you two like to try it?"
She tore off a small piece and put it in her mouth. Compared with the beef dishes cooked in the past, this smoked and roasted meat had a unique flavor, it was chewy and had a meaty aroma.
Xiao Lin didn't bother to be polite with her. He picked up the meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He said with a bulging mouth, "Sure enough, the jerky roasted with apple branches in the North is still the most delicious... You can't eat such chewy beef in Da Gan..." Soon a piece of jerky was finished.
Only Li Funing sat there, watching the two of them eat heartily, without saying a word, just quietly looking at the food on the silver plate.
He grew up in Jiangnan, and then followed his father to Bian Jing. He had never seen this kind of raw food, and his usually gentle brows were furrowed.
The charcoal fire crackled inside the tent. Li Funing looked at the dark brown dried meat in front of him, his fingertips hanging above the rough meat, not knowing where to start.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "Your Highness, I am not very hungry. I will leave this meat to Your Highness..."
Although Song Youning was chewing the whole time, his eyes never left him.
Seeing that he was hesitant to take action and his brows were furrowed, I knew that he was afraid of trouble and afraid of losing his composure.
She clapped her hands and suddenly reached out to pull out the dried meat from his bowl: "I'm full. Lord Li has been in the capital all year round, so why would he tear this... Let me do it!"
Song Youning tore the dried meat into strips for him and arranged them neatly on a silver plate. He then pushed the plate over to him, along with a dish of honey-colored sauce, and patiently instructed, "Master Li, use this to dip in mayonnaise."
Li Funing looked at the suddenly delicate flesh-colored stockings, his Adam's apple moved slightly, and the red in the corners of his eyes became brighter: "Your Highness..."
"how?"
Song Youning suddenly raised her eyes to look at him, and seeing his flushed ears, she couldn't help but want to tease him: "Could it be that Master Li wants me to feed him?"
The tips of Li Funing's ears were even more red, but he remained calm on the surface. He took a sip of the grape wine, and the bright grape wine made his lips even fuller and juicier. He said leisurely, "Of course not... I did it myself..."
Xiao Lin looked down at the messy piece of dried meat in his hand, paused, and brewed his emotions for a while, then said aggrievedly: "Your Highness..."
Song Youning frowned, snatched the food from his hand, and threw it out of the tent: "If you don't want to eat it, feed it to the dog..."
Xiao Lin: ...
Xiao Lin's defense was instantly broken, his eyes were red and swollen, and he pointed his finger at Li Funing, speaking incoherently: "You... me... him!"
"Your Highness, you are biased..."
Li Funing glanced at Xiao Lin, a smile on his face, and sipped the wine in his glass. "The fine grape wine Your Highness brought is rare. It complements the roasted and crispy meat perfectly..."
After the three-person banquet, Xiao Lin felt that Song Youning was partial to him and was in a bad mood, so he drank a few more glasses and passed out on the bed. Song Youning did not tolerate him and sent someone to send him back.
The lights in the tent were bright, as for Song Youning and Li Funing.
Although they didn't drink as much as Xiao Lin, and the concentration of the wine itself was not high, the two of them were still reeking of alcohol, and the air was filled with the sweet and charming aroma of wine.
The two people sitting at the collapsed table looked at each other. Song Youning felt hot all over. She leaned against the embossed eaves beside her. She inadvertently pulled the collar around her neck, revealing a small part of her hot and burning neck.
Li Funing's Adam's apple rolled as he drank another glass of wine.
The cups and plates intertwined, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes like a beast, staring at Song Youning nakedly, as if ready to attack at any time and anywhere.
Li Funing slowly raised his eyes, his eyelashes trembling under the light of the tent, and his lips parted slightly: "Your Highness..."
"...Are you trying to seduce...me?" His voice was hoarse from the smell of alcohol.
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