Chapter 98 Chapter 98 is the only genuine version...
Gong Hai's face was grim and his eyes were filled with hostility.
Gu Yican used himself as bait to grab his full attention. The leader must be someone Gu Yican trusted deeply. Besides Li Qing, there were two other captains in the Thousand Machine Battalion. Who could they be?
As long as he finds this person, he still has a chance to turn the tables.
Xie Jing looked back and forth at the two of them, feeling confused and uncertain.
"Ten days, this prince will be waiting for your good news."
Gu Yican said this with a smile, then walked away with a flick of his sleeves.
He walked straight out of the palace gate and stood in front of it, looking around. A carriage stopped silently in front of him. Qin Chen, sitting on the shaft, greeted him: "Prince Gu."
"Ah Chen, Xiu Mu, do you want to go horseback riding with us?"
"go!"
"Okay, I'll count you in, but I won't take your son with me." As he said the last sentence, he lifted the curtain and got into the carriage.
Xie Yingchen had a faint smile on his lips and threw a water bag over.
Gu Yican took it, opened the water bag, and drank most of it in one gulp. He raised his sleeve to wipe his mouth, sat down opposite Xie Yingchen, and took out some dried meat from his purse to chew on.
Due to his habit from marching and fighting, he would often carry some dried meat with him so that he would not have to stop to eat frequently during long-distance raids.
He stayed in the palace for a whole night and relied on these dried meats to fill his stomach.
The carriage started moving.
Xie Yingchen poured him another cup of hot tea, his every move revealing gentleness and courtesy: "There are snacks on your right."
Gu Yican opened the lunch box and looked at it, saying disdainfully, "Nothing hot?"
"No."
You can dislike it even if you want to, but you can still eat it.
Having been in the military camp for a long time, the Gu family never had the rule of "not talking while eating". When he talked about the things in the palace, he held his chin with one hand and said, "You are so angry, is that enough?"
"That's enough."
Xie Yingchen changed the subject and asked, "How hidden is the secret passage?"
Gu Yican raised an eyebrow and looked at him: "My sister told you?"
"It's not hard to guess. I'm afraid Gong Hai will guess it soon."
Xie Yingchen pushed the hot tea in front of him. The tea gave off a faint medicinal smell, and Gu Yican frowned when he smelled it.
"Yaoyao made it herself."
All right. My sister made this, so I have to give her a favor. Gu Yican didn't even ask what kind of tea it was, and drank it all in one gulp. The tea smelled like medicine, but it tasted like chewing mint, icy cold. It was obviously hot tea, but after drinking it, a cool feeling spread throughout my limbs, making me feel very comfortable.
Xie Yingchen's eyes were focused, and his tone was neither hurried nor slow: "Gong Hai's ability to sit in this position is not just due to his meritorious service."
Gu Yican put down the tea bowl, leaned back, ate snacks and listened to him talk.
As for Xie Yingchen, although he is not very good at horse riding and is weak, his grasp of people's hearts is extremely accurate.
As he said, Gong Hai was impulsive and easily angered. He had been in a high position for a long time, and the older he got, the more he enjoyed the admiration of others. Therefore, if he was angered and humiliated, his actions would be fragmented and he would lose his composure.
It went surprisingly smoothly.
Xie Yingchen knocked twice on the small tea table, drawing Gu Yican's attention back, and continued, "Once he calms down, he'll realize that the Thousand Machine Battalion was able to move so swiftly and ambush the baggage train without anyone noticing. They must have taken an unknown path, bypassing the imperial guards patrolling the capital."
"Cancan..."
"Don't call me by my nickname, we're not that familiar."
"Brother?"
Gu Yican: "..."
The two of them stared at each other with wide eyes. Gu Yican rubbed the goose bumps on his arms and shuddered: "...You should just call me Cancan."
"Cancan, if we use all the Imperial Guards to search, how long will it take to find the path you're taking?"
Gu Yican put his hands behind his head, stretched his body, and said, "If we're lucky, he might find us within ten days. You're a ruthless person. Please help me think about this. It would be best if we can keep him. I also want to transfer some troops from the northern border. Without this small road, it will be a lot of trouble."
Xie Yingchen lowered his eyelashes and tapped his knuckles. "Xiliang has recently begun tentatively deploying troops at the border, and small-scale harassment has increased."
Gu Yican didn't understand why he suddenly mentioned Western Xinjiang and raised his eyebrows.
"Ten days ago, citizens from four of the thirteen cities in Western Xinjiang simultaneously rebelled, killing the military supervisor and offering sacrifices to the souls of the slaughtered. The other cities are also preparing to make moves, attempting to force the general to dispatch troops against the Xiliang people who entered without permission."
"The current commander-in-chief of Xiliang is the Prince of Jin."
"If the Prince of Jin were in danger, the Prince of Jin would be more anxious than you to make Gong Hai vacate his position."
"I'll take care of the rest."
Gu Yican's eyes rolled around as he figured it out: "Tsk tsk, you've planned this far. I'm afraid it's not something you came up with last minute. You're really wicked."
Xie Yingchen smiled but said nothing.
He had already started making arrangements before Yaoyao went to Western Xinjiang.
Xijiang is now just one step away from lighting the fuse.
Originally, he had intended to let the Emperor and the Prince of Jin fall out again, and then instigate the Prince of Jin to take action. Now, adjusting the order wouldn't hurt.
"but……"
Gu Yican stretched out the last syllable, like a beast pouncing on its prey, full of intimidation: "If you use this evil heart on your sister, this prince will cut out your heart and throw it into the ink pool to dye it completely black."
Xie Yingchen sat upright and said, "Okay."
Gu Yican looked at him intently, then suddenly leaned back and said nonchalantly as usual: "Do you want to go to Qianji Camp? My sister is still in the camp. I'll take you along that trail later."
After saying that, without waiting for him to speak, she lifted the curtain and said something to Qin Chen.
Seeing that Xie Yingchen had no objection, Qin Chen drove the carriage smoothly out of the capital.
Walking on the official road, when there were no people around, Qin Chen asked outside: "Gu Shizi, aren't you under house arrest? Is it okay to go out all the time?"
Gu Yican lazily replied, "If the emperor wants to find fault, I'll have to pack up and go to jail immediately, otherwise everything I do will be wrong. Why would I bother with so much?"
That makes a lot of sense! Qin Chen admired his mental state immensely.
Gu Yican couldn't stand the slow pace of the carriage, and Yan Yunzhao went back home by himself. He sat for a while, stood up, and looked out for a while. He was busier than the coachman Qin Chen.
When they finally arrived at the camp, he couldn't wait to jump out of the carriage and stretched as if he had been tortured.
"Gu Cancan, you're here."
Gu Zhizhuo ran out from inside and was about to ask how he could ride in a carriage when his beautiful phoenix eyes suddenly lit up, twinkling like stars in the sky.
"Young Master!"
Xie Yingchen got out. He had been sitting in the carriage for so long that his bamboo-moon-colored brocade robe with dark floral patterns had no visible wrinkles. His every move was calm and composed, except when he saw Gu Zhizhuo, when he naturally extended his hand to her.
Gu Yican silently took a step forward, standing between the two of them, and happily caught his sister for him.
As he walked in, he asked, "How is it?"
"It went very smoothly!"
Gu Zhizhuo leaned over behind him and said with a bright smile, "Sir, I snatched two!"
Xie Yingchen applauded: "You are really amazing."
Gu Zhizhuo's smile widened. "When I came back, it was still early, so I sent scouts to investigate. Gong Hai had indeed hurried back to the capital, and there had been no movement from the Fifth Army Camp."
"Food and arrows, only children make choices!"
Gu Zhizhuo raised his arms high: "I want them all!"
Gu Yican was determined not to fall behind and also applauded: "Sister, you are amazing!"
Xie Yingchen followed them slowly, listening to Gu Zhizhuo's vivid description of the ambush, and glanced briefly at the military camp.
Excellent order.
Everyone was doing their job, and no one would deliberately put down what they were doing and come over to greet them unless they walked right next to them. When it came to strict military discipline, the Imperial Guards and the Thousand Machine Battalion were completely incomparable.
Gu Zhizhuo reached out from behind Gu Yican and tugged at Xie Yingchen's sleeve: "Master, I'm going to pick herbs, do you want to come?"
"go."
"I'm going too!"
"You're busy." Gu Zhizhuo glared at him. "Li Qing hasn't been tried yet, the arrows haven't been shipped back, and the food and wages haven't been properly arranged. If the imperial guards find your sister, my efforts will be in vain. Do you hear me?"
Gu Yican: "...Okay."
"I'll pick some wild fruits for you to eat... Young Master, wait for me while I get the bamboo basket."
Gu Zhizhuo scurried back, leaving the two men staring at each other. Xie Yingchen said politely, "Don't let the imperial guards find us." He paused, then added, "You can also use deceptive tactics."
"oh?"
"When there are so many doubts, it's hard to tell whether it's true or false."
Gu Yican clapped his hands: "That's right..."
Gu Zhizhuo came running back, the bamboo basket in his hand was taken from the military doctor's tent.
"Gu Cancan, go and get busy."
She grabbed Xie Yingchen's sleeve and ran, "We're in the back mountain and will be back soon."
Gu Yican stared at their backs, feeling sour in his heart.
Qin Chen said thankfully: "Fortunately, I don't have a sister."
"Shut up," Gu Yican pretended to raise his fist, "I'm going to beat you up."
Qin Chen wasn't afraid of him at all and smiled at him: "Hahahahaha!"
Gu Yican was so angry that his teeth itched. He hooked his neck and dragged him inside: "Since you are here, go and do hard labor for this prince."
Amid the noise, Gu Zhizhuo had already run away.
While carrying the arrows, the soldiers suffered burns, some more or less. They were covered with fire-resistant cloths, and most of the burns were just redness, swelling, and blisters, but some were inevitably more severe. No one said anything at the time, and it was only after they returned to camp that Gu Zhizhuo discovered the burns. Redness, swelling, and blisters could be treated with a little talisman ash, while more severe burns required the addition of herbs. Before Gu Yican and the others arrived, Gu Hezhuo had been planning to settle their food and wages before heading out to collect herbs.
"Just find some Asplenium longifolium. Common herbs are available in the military doctor's tent."
They walked on the muddy mountain road, heading towards the mountains. Gu Zhizhuo was walking in front, carrying an empty bamboo basket on his back, looking around with his head down.
"I saw it once before. This herb often grows in patches. If you only have one plant, there will definitely be many."
"careful."
Xie Yingchen put his hand in front of her forehead, blocking a hanging branch.
"What does it look like? I'll find it with you."
Gu Zhizhuo turned around and smiled.
Even though she hadn't slept all night, she was still full of energy, with her beautiful eyes looking forward and small dimples faintly visible on her cheeks.
She said: "The scales are lanceolate, micro-toothed, and have narrow brown or black edges." (Note: "Atlas of Ex-situ Conservation of Chinese Herbal Medicines")
"I'll draw it for you."
Gu Zhizhuo pulled up his hand and drew a rough outline on his palm.
"That's about it."
"It grows on rocks or tree trunks. There must be one nearby."
After Gu Zhizhuo finished his painting, he patted it, his fingertips itching. Xie Yingchen's breathing became irregular, and he thought to himself, "I think I've seen it before."
"Where?"
Xie Yingchen naturally took her hand and strode ahead to lead the way, their fingers intertwined, and the warmth made Gu Zhizhuo feel at ease: "Master, are you practicing riding?"
The thin calluses on his knuckles were a little rougher than before, and could be easily felt by touching them with the fingertips.
In his previous life, Gu Zhizhuo had heard Huai Jingzhi say that the young master had mastered the six arts of a gentleman since childhood, including archery, horseback riding, and archery. Later, when the Eastern Palace collapsed, he was injured and poisoned, his foundation severely damaged, and his physical strength waned. It wasn't that he couldn't ride, but his body couldn't withstand the bumps of a horse's back.
Gu Zhizhuo touched and pinched it. This position must be due to the friction of the reins, there is no mistake.
"yes."
Gu Zhizhuo disagreed, saying that he would have to raise the child for at least several more years.
Xie Yingchen squeezed her restless fingers and said aggrievedly, "I can't always be left behind by you."
"Who said that?" Gu Zhizhuo said confidently, "I have never abandoned you, sir."
"have."
"No."
Xie Yingchen chuckled softly. He held her waist lightly and leaned down. His breath lingered around her ears, blowing her hair slightly up.
"The day Cancan came back, you ignored me and left me alone in front of the Golden Palace. I was so pitiful." His voice was soft and numb, and a blush appeared on Gu Zhizhuo's cheeks.
Did I do something so excessive?
It seems to be true!
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her pupils seemed to be covered with a layer of mist.
Xie Yingchen was a bit stunned. He gently stroked the corner of her eye, his fingers lingering on her face for a moment, his fingertips moist. Xie Yingchen's heart also felt strangely bitter. Master Wuweizi had said that their fates were closely linked, and her every frown and smile could easily tug at his heartstrings.
Gu Zhizhuo raised his voice at the end, as if whispering in his ear: "I won't abandon you anymore, okay?"
"good……"
Before he finished speaking, Gu Zhizhuo suddenly said excitedly: "Sir, I found it."
She let go of his hand and ran happily towards a rock not far away.
How long has it been?! You little liar, you just said you wouldn't abandon him. Xie Yingchen's shoulders trembled slightly, and the laughter he had been suppressing for a long time finally escaped his lips. He spread out his empty palm, then slowly clenched it. He walked quickly towards her.
She didn't need to stop for him; he could keep up with her.
"Sir, this is the long-leaved Asplenium."
The rock was half her height. On the side that was not lit, there was a green "weed" growing. Its roots were deeply embedded in the cracks of the rock, growing tenaciously. Its finely toothed leaves grew extremely lushly. It was a mature long-leafed iron fern.
Gu Zhizhuo put down the bamboo basket on his back and squatted beside the rock.
She drew her knife, stuck the tip of the knife into the crevice of the rock, carefully dug it out with the roots, and put it into the bamboo basket without damaging even a leaf.
"The long-leaved Asplenium can be used without being processed. The fresher it is, the better the effect."
Xie Yingchen gestured for her to look forward: "There's more ahead."
There were several rocks nearby with long-leaved iron ferns growing on them. Gu Zhizhuo dug them up one by one with their roots and put them into a bamboo basket along with the soil. In a short while, he had collected seven or eight of them. These herbs were very fresh, and dewdrops were rolling on the leaves of some of them.
"That's enough."
Xie Yingchen put the bamboo basket on his back and raised his hand to support her: "Are your feet numb?"
The roots of this last plant were very deep, and her sword was not very flexible, so it took her a whole incense stick to dig it out with the roots.
Gu Zhizhuo nodded. She pulled his sleeve and shook it, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Sir, I've made up my mind."
"Let's get married!"
Forehead?
"Does what you said last time still count?"
She won't abandon the young master, so they should get married!
Only by getting married can you be together forever.
Sometimes, Xie Yingchen felt that he should understand her very well, but sometimes, she was very similar to Gu Yican, always catching people off guard.
Xie Yingchen was unwilling to use the imperial decree granting marriage to restrict her.
He waited patiently for her to say "yes", but something seemed to be wrong with the process.
However, how could Xie Yingchen go against his good luck?
He caught the joy in her eyes and eyebrows, his gaze stopped at the dimples on her lips, and just like he had thought about it countless times, he kissed her between the eyebrows. Xie Yingchen's voice was seductive, and a faint smile was on his face.
"We're getting married."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
