Chapter 117
Fan Changyu had not had a good sleep for two days and one night. He had been traveling all day and fighting on the battlefield until he was exhausted. It was more like he was half unconscious than sleeping.
It was the next afternoon when she woke up again. In addition to the bleeding cuts, the soreness in her muscles reached its peak today. She grimaced in pain every time she moved. Fan Changyu almost couldn't get out of bed by herself.
Doctor Ah Hui came to change her bandages and she complained of severe pain in her back.
Ah Hui looked at the bruises and purple spots on her body and said distressedly, "Captain, you have more than just sword and axe wounds on your body. Your entire back is bruised. I'll rub some medicine for bruises and swellings on you."
Fan Changyu thanked her.
On the battlefield, she was forced to fall off her horse by those assassins and rolled on the ground for several times. During this time, she had to dodge the spears and axes that were stabbing at her. The injuries and bruises were not obvious yesterday, but today they are swollen and look scary.
In order to make it easier for Ah Hui to apply the medicine, Fan Changyu took off his robe, sat on a round stool, and half-leaned beside the table.
The knife wound on her abdomen was not deep. Although it did not hurt the dirty organ inside, the cut was stretched very long, almost all the way to her waist. Fortunately, her arm was also injured on this side. When Fan Changyu lay flat and the bruise on her back was pressed so hard that it hurt a lot, she slept on her side with the other half of her body.
Ah Hui helped her to push her black hair in front of her body, and scooped some medicated oil with her hands to rub the bruises on her back. As she rubbed, her eyes turned red.
Fan Changyu's skin color was warm white, and because of the injuries, it lost some of its color, making the bruises and wounds particularly eye-catching.
When a tear fell on Fan Changyu's back, she turned around in confusion, looked at the little girl with eyes as red as a rabbit, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ah Hui wiped her eyes with her sleeve and choked up, "Captain, this must be very painful, right?"
Fan Changyu was slightly startled when he realized that the little girl was feeling sorry for him. Then he smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt that much, actually."
She leaned back over the table, and the corners of her smiling mouth slowly curled into a lonely arc.
How can it not hurt?
In the past, she followed her father to practice martial arts, and occasionally hurt herself. She was afraid of being embarrassed, so she insisted that it didn't hurt. Her mother pulled her into the room to apply medicine on her. She grimaced and cried out in pain, and her mother scolded her gently. It all seemed to have happened just yesterday.
But she no longer has parents, and there is no one in this world who can cry out in pain without hesitation when she is hurt.
Ah Hui silently rubbed the medicated oil on the bruises on her back, and suddenly she exclaimed, "Captain, you're hurt here too."
She used her hand soaked in medicinal oil to rub the area behind Fan Changyu's neck near his shoulder and said, "It's red."
Fan Changyu didn't care: "Maybe he was hit by a stone on the ground when he fell off the horse."
Ah Hui stared at the two fingernail-sized bruises for a few more seconds. The other bruises on the captain's body were dark blue or dark purple, but only these two were red, as if they had been there not long ago.
She just came of age this year. Since her father is a military doctor, she has learned medical skills since she was a child. And since Fan Changyu is a woman, she was specially asked to bandage and change the dressings for Fan Changyu.
She had seen similar red marks on the neck of a fireworks lady who was seeing a doctor. When the fireworks lady saw her staring at her, she covered her lips with a silk handkerchief and giggled.
Her mother saw this and scolded her coldly, then told her that she was not a decent woman and asked her not to have too much contact with her.
Ah Hui asked her mother if the woman was sick because of the red marks on her neck. Her mother scolded her even more severely, saying that girls should have some sense of shame.
Ah Hui still doesn't know what it is, but she secretly guesses that it is definitely not a good thing.
But the captain also had a red mark on his neck...
Ah Hui thought hard but couldn't come up with any answer. She only thought that the red marks on the captain's body were probably brought back from the battlefield, and were different from those on the fireworks woman.
-
Fan Changyu knew nothing about this. For lunch, Ah Hui brought him some lean meat porridge.
The military doctor said that she had not eaten for a long time and was too weak to replenish her body. She should avoid overeating and eat small meals frequently.
Fan Changyu didn't feel that hungry at first. After a bowl of meat porridge, she didn't feel full at all. She looked at Ah Hui with the empty bowl in her hand. Ah Hui couldn't stand her dog-like gaze waiting for food. Her eyebrows were knitted together and she said, "Daddy said that the captain can only drink a bowl of porridge at noon..."
Fan Changyu didn't want to embarrass a little girl like her, so he handed the empty bowl to Ah Hui and asked Xie Wu, "How is my brother?"
Ah Hui said, "He hasn't woken up yet, but when I fed him medicine this morning, he was able to swallow it subconsciously. Daddy said that since he can eat now, his life is saved."
This was probably the best news for Fan Changyu in the past two days. She stood up with the help of the bedpost: "I'll go see him."
Ah Hui came over to help her up: "Captain, you are still seriously injured. Daddy said that you need to stay in bed for a few days to recuperate."
Fan Changyu just said: "I have thick skin and flesh, so it won't matter."
Fan Changyu was considered tall among women, and Ah Hui was more than half a head shorter than her.
When helping her up, Ah Hui could see her beautifully-shaped jaw by turning her head. The afternoon sunlight shone on her face, which was pale due to severe injuries, and even the fine hairs were clearly visible.
Ah Hui blushed and stuck out her tongue, saying, "The captain is not thick-skinned. She is the most beautiful girl Ah Hui has ever seen."
She had seen a kind of orchid in the courtyard of the City Lord's Mansion. Its leaves were like swords, sharp and hard, a large plant like an iron tree, but the flowers were pure white like snow, blooming in clusters in the center of the pile of sword leaves, breathtakingly beautiful.
The servants in the mansion wanted to pick the flowers, but the sword-like leaves blocked their way and they could not easily pick them.
Seeing Hun covered in wounds, she was so scared that she trembled while helping him bandage the wounds. When Fan Changyu, who was trying to comfort her, came to Ah Hui's mind, she thought of the orchid with sword-like leaves.
She thought that only a hero like the one in the storybooks could be worthy of a good girl like the captain.
-
Xie Wu was still in a coma. After Fan Changyu visited him, he personally asked the military doctor about Xie Wu's condition. The military doctor said that it was not easy to save his life with such an injury. He had a knife wound on his left arm. Although the arm was still there, the bones inside were broken. Even if the wound healed, the hand would be useless.
Fan Changyu looked at the young man lying on the sickbed, and felt sad when he thought about how he still brought people out to save him even though the situation was so dangerous that day.
But he was lucky to survive despite being stabbed several times.
Fan Changyu's eyes were slightly red as he said, "As long as the person is rescued, it's fine."
She was worried that the military medical department didn't have enough staff and Xie Wu wouldn't be well taken care of, so she wanted to transfer two people from the army. However, Ah Hui said that someone had come to look after Xie Wu last night. She found that the person looked unfamiliar, so she asked a few questions. The person said that he was Xie Wu's brother in the army.
Fan Changyu immediately thought of Xie Zheng.
Now that he has come to Lucheng, his personal guards must have followed him.
Those who came to guard Xie Wu last night were most likely his former brothers.
After knowing that Xie Wu's life was safe, Fan Changyu finally had the time to think slowly about what happened yesterday.
In fact, she did not expect to meet Xie Zheng in Lucheng.
After the Li family and Wei Yan began to fight for the military power of Chongzhou and Jizhou, he went to Kangcheng on the pretext of arresting the remnants of the rebels and never returned.
It is farther from Cannes to Lucheng than from Chongzhou. He was able to arrive in such a short time, so the army must have been on the way a long time ago.
Did he learn the news in advance, or did the army happen to be near Lucheng?
Fan Changyu was full of doubts, and...what did that sneer on his face and that aggressive question mean when he heard him call him Marquis?
Thinking of the look he gave her before he left, Fan Changyu felt even more uncomfortable.
She forced herself to stop thinking, otherwise she would be thinking about Xie Zheng.
Xie Wu is fine now. The most important thing now is how to save Yu Qianqian.
The military doctor and Ah Hui kept a close eye on Fan Changyu. She used the excuse of going to pay a visit to He Jingyuan, and the military doctor allowed her to leave the courtyard where the generals were recuperating. Fearing that her injuries were serious and she might have difficulty moving, he specially asked Ah Hui to follow her.
The mourning hall was clad in mourning clothes, and on the pitch-black coffin in the middle was a large Chinese character "甸" (Dedication), which made people feel heavy-hearted.
Fan Changyu endured the pain in his abdomen, knelt down and kowtowed three times before burning incense to He Jingyuan.
Madam He personally helped Fan Changyu up, her face showing deep sorrow, but she still said kindly: "You must be Changyu, I often hear Master mention you."
She had just received the news this morning and had rushed here from Jizhou with her two children. She was wearing a white mourning dress with black embroidery. Her eyes and brows showed signs of fatigue, and silver hair could be seen faintly at her temples. But when Fan Changyu saw her for the first time, he felt a sense of closeness.
She said hoarsely, "Aunt."
Mrs. He smiled sadly and responded, then comforted her: "Good child, don't cry. Lucheng has been defended. If the old man knew about it, he would be able to smile in his afterlife."
Fan Changyu suppressed the sadness in his eyes and nodded.
Mrs. He sighed and said, "I heard that you are also in the army. If you see Wen Chang, tell him for me. My master and I will not blame him. Tell him not to blame himself."
After asking carefully, Fan Changyu found out that her blow with the knife was too heavy and Zheng Wenchang did not wake up until this morning. When he woke up, he knelt in front of He Jingyuan's spirit, refusing to eat, drink or speak. He did not leave until Madam He came with her two children, as he felt ashamed to see Madam He.
Fan Changyu agreed immediately.
Although she had only worked with Zheng Wenchang for a short time, she knew that he respected He Jingyuan very much, and He Jingyuan's death was no small blow to him.
Fan Changyu was planning to go back to the military camp to look for someone, but unexpectedly, after leaving the mourning hall, he saw someone in a secluded vine at the base of the courtyard wall.
The other person looked at her with gloomy eyes, as if he was waiting for her.
When Fan Changyu was about to go over, Ah Hui grabbed her arm and stammered, "Captain...Captain, that man looks very ferocious. Does he have a grudge against you? You are injured now..."
Fan Changyu said, "It's General Zheng, don't be afraid."
Ah Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fan Changyu, supported by Ah Hui, came closer and called out, "General Zheng."
Zheng Wen often stood against the wall, with most of his face hidden in the shadows, a light blue stubble growing on his chin, and a degenerate look to his whole person.
"Captain, you have acted like a hero. Have you got what you wished for?" He raised his head and looked at Fan Changyu with sarcasm.
When Ah Hui heard this person slandering Fan Changyu, she was so scared that she immediately said fiercely: "How can you talk like that? What do you mean by being a hero? Do you know that the captain was only half alive when he was carried back from the battlefield! If it weren't for the captain, Lucheng would not be able to defend against the arrival of the Marquis with his army!"
Zheng Wenchang listened to these criticisms, and the mockery and grief in his eyes became even heavier. He stared at Fan Changyu and said, "I would rather die outside the city! I don't want to be knocked unconscious by someone, and when I wake up, everyone tells me that the war is over, and there is no chance of even avenging my teacher! I have become a joke!"
Fan Changyu struck him unconscious at that time because he was afraid that he would be too grief-stricken and rush out of the city, thus losing his life in vain.
She said in a cold voice: "It would be a joke if the proud student taught by Lord He died in vain on the battlefield because of impulsiveness!"
She went out of the city to buy time and wait for reinforcements. When Zheng Wenchang went out of the city, he would just rush into the enemy camp without caring about anything and seek revenge on Sui Yuanhuai.
How could he, alone, defeat an army of 20,000, no matter how skilled he was in martial arts?
If a wave of arrows were shot down, I would probably be pierced into a hedgehog.
Zheng Wenchang was so irritated by Fan Changyu's words that his jaw clenched. He stared at Fan Changyu and suddenly took a step closer. Ah Hui was horrified and afraid that he would attack Fan Changyu, so she quickly shouted, "What do you want to do!"
Zheng Wenchang punched the wall beside Fan Changyu heavily and said coldly: "When your injury is healed, we will compare our skills."
After saying that, he left without looking back.
But because of Ah Hui's cry, many people came to mourn He Jingyuan today, and many people looked over here.
People were talking about it: "Isn't that General Zheng and Commander Fan? What happened?"
Someone stammered and whispered, "Well...it seems that General Zheng has cornered Captain Fan..."
The main thing was the punch that Zheng Wenchang threw at Fan Changyu's side. Because of the angle, it looked like a wall-bang from a distance.
As soon as that person said this, someone else followed up and said, "Is it possible that General Zheng likes Captain Fan?"
These words undoubtedly caused a huge uproar, mainly because the man and the woman were unmarried, and they worked together and were close friends on the battlefield. After thinking about it carefully, they felt that there was nothing surprising about this matter.
When Fan Changyu left, she did not hear other people talking about these things, and she did not take Zheng Wenchang's matter to heart.
When she went to Tang Peiyi to get the token in order to visit Yu Qianqian and her son who were imprisoned, she realized how outrageous the rumors were.
The cause of the incident was that after she paid tribute to He Jingyuan, she inquired from the generals nearby about the place where the rebels' families were imprisoned. She thought that although she could not rescue Yu Qianqian and her son at the moment, she could bring some food and daily necessities for them and give a few words to the jailers so that they would not be bullied in the prison.
When they arrived at the prison gate, the guards told them that they had to have a token from Xie Zheng or Tang Peiyi to enter.
Fan Changyu naturally wouldn't go to Xie Zheng to ask this question.
After finally telling a lie, he got the token from Tang Peiyi. Before leaving, Tang Peiyi said with a smile, "I heard that Captain Fan and General Zheng are getting married soon?"
Fan Changyu was confused: "Why do you say that, General?"
Tang Peiyi thought that her daughter was too shy, so he smiled and said, "Captain Fan, you don't have to hide it from me. The story between you and General Zheng has spread throughout the barracks. No wonder Lord He wanted to transfer General Zheng to Chongzhou to help you before he left."
Fan Changyu was even more confused: "Are you talking about General Zheng's promise to challenge me to a duel after my injury is better? What does this have to do with Lord He transferring him to Chongzhou in the first place?"
Tang Peiyi glared at me and said, "It's already this late, and you're still playing dumb with me?"
Fan Changyu was not pretending to be stupid, she was really confused.
Perhaps seeing that she really had no idea, Tang Peiyi also became confused and said, "I heard that you and General Zheng had feelings for each other. Yesterday, he wanted to go out of the city to avenge Lord He. You were afraid that he might get into trouble, so you knocked him out and left the city for him."
Fan Changyu felt as if he was struck by lightning.
She finally realized what it meant when words spread like wildfire.
She repeated the situation to Tang Peiyi and said helplessly, "I was afraid that General Zheng had lost his life in vain. Lieutenant General He was also there. If you don't believe me, you can ask Lieutenant General He."
Tang Peiyi had not expected such a blunder. He asked in surprise, "Then why did General Zheng come to see you today?"
The rumor he heard was that Zheng Wenchang was heartbroken and angry when he learned that she was seriously injured while fighting in the city for him, so he pushed her into a corner in public to "question" her.
Fan Changyu's eyelids twitched, and he said, "He blamed me for knocking him out that day, and almost fought with me. But when he saw that I was injured, he said we could fight another day."
Tang Peiyi slammed the table and shouted, "That's outrageous! I'll reprimand him later!"
Fan Changyu felt that this was nothing more than a disguised form of snitching. If Tang Peiyi really went to Zheng Wenchang to give him a lecture, it would be even more embarrassing to see him again in the future. So he said, "Thank you for your kindness, General, but it is better for General Zheng and I to resolve this matter privately. After all... the death of Mr. He is indeed a hurdle that General Zheng cannot overcome."
He Jingyuan was also very grateful to Tang Peiyi. He felt guilty for not being able to bring the army to the scene in time. He could understand Zheng Wenchang's feelings and sighed, "Okay, let the two of you settle this matter privately."
After leaving Tang Peiyi, Fan Changyu sighed in frustration.
Ah Hui hung her head and blamed herself, "It's all my fault for yelling and causing the captain to be criticized."
Fan Changyu rubbed Ah Hui's head and said, "I don't blame you."
Ah Hui was also afraid that Zheng Wenchang would fight with her, so she shouted to stop him in a hurry. Who could have thought that such a trivial matter would be spread into such a rumor by gossipers?
When they arrived at the prison, Fan Changyu handed the token to the guard, who said that only she could go in. Fan Changyu then asked Ah Hui to wait outside while she went to see Yu Qianqian with a lot of things in her possession.
The jailer led her to the innermost cell and said respectfully, "This is it, but there are rules and regulations, and it is difficult for me to do this. Captain, you can only stay here for the time of an incense stick."
Fan Changyu saw the woman in the cell wearing prison uniform, protecting her child and hiding in the darkest corner. His face was not visible, but her hair was messy and she seemed to have suffered a lot.
Her heart ached, and she forced herself to say to the jailer, "I understand. You can go down first."
After the jailer left, she said to the woman in the prison: "Qianqian, I came to see you. I haven't figured out a way to get you out yet, so I brought some things for you and Baoer. This is the pine nut candy that Baoer likes to eat..."
The woman inside heard her voice, shrank back in even greater fear, hugged her child tightly, buried her face in her knees, and said nothing.
Fan Changyu found this strange and continued to call her: "Qianqian?"
The woman still didn't respond, but the child in her arms heard Fan Changyu mention pine nut candy, and secretly raised his head and looked at her timidly.
When he saw the child's face clearly, Fan Changyu's eyes changed.
Not Yu Baoer!
When the woman noticed that the child raised his head, she raised her head in panic and quickly pressed the child's head into her arms, as if she didn't want Fan Changyu to find out that they were fakes.
But the moment she raised her head, Fan Changyu had already seen her face hidden by her messy hair; it was a woman he didn't recognize.
For a moment, Fan Changyu didn't know whether he was relieved or worried again.
The ones who were brought back were not Yu Qianqian and her son, so the one who was executed was probably not Sui Yuanhuai!
She stared at the woman who was huddled in the corner with her knees hugged and her head down for a while, then she handed in all the food and bedding she had brought, and then left the prison without saying a word.
After Xie Zheng was called away by the guards yesterday, he should have seen the mother and son. Did he not know that the mother and son were fake, or did he already know but tacitly assumed that they were Yu Qianqian and her son?
If it was the former, then I would be the only one who knew that the remnants of the rebels were still alive.
If it is the latter, then Xie Zheng tacitly acknowledged that all the rebels had been killed. What was his purpose?
After leaving the prison, Fan Changyu was supported by Ah Hui all the way, and he was still thinking about these things absent-mindedly.
The uninjured arm was suddenly grabbed by Ah Hui, and Ah Hui's stammering voice was heard immediately afterwards: "Captain... Captain."
"Hmm?" Fan Changyu paused and looked sideways at Ah Hui.
Ah Hui, however, was like a chicken with its neck strangled, and signaled Fan Changyu with her eyes to look forward.
Fan Changyu already had a bad guess in his mind, and sure enough, when he looked up, he saw a group of people walking towards him not far away.
The leader was wearing a crimson brocade robe with a pattern of sea of clouds and river cliffs. His face was as white as jade and his eyes were like cold stars.
If it’s not Xie Zheng, then who else could it be?
He tied up all his long hair, making his facial features look even colder and more stern, suppressing the last bit of youthfulness in him. He looked surprisingly handsome and majestic.
Several civil servants followed behind him, apparently going to the prison to interrogate the prisoners.
Fan Changyu thought to himself what a coincidence it was that he met him here.
Until now, she didn't know what attitude she should adopt when she saw him again, or how to address him appropriately.
After a brief thought, he clasped his fists and said according to military etiquette: "Greetings, Lord Marquis."
Unexpectedly, the other party didn't even glance at her. His handsome face seemed to be covered with a layer of frost. He walked straight past her and walked towards the prison as if he saw nothing.
Fan Changyu was slightly stunned.
Ah Hui called her softly, "Captain, what's wrong with you?"
Fan Changyu came back to his senses, suppressed the bitterness in his heart, and said calmly: "It's nothing, let's go."
This is how it should be when they meet again.
The author has something to say:
Even later, it’s just two chapters in one!
Someone is getting jealous again. Haha.
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