Chapter 10
"I'm afraid Sheng State will attack the city soon."
County Magistrate Lin looked nervous but not panicked. He spoke calmly and composedly, "Your Majesty, General Zhao has set up an ambush at Yingcui Mountain on the outskirts of the city. We'll wait for the Sheng army to pass by and catch them off guard."
Yu Zhi stood beneath the beam, the dim light slanting across, tinting the left side of his face with a warm hue. After listening to County Magistrate Lin's words, he said in a deep voice, "I will first write a letter of peace and deliver it to Luo Tingshi tonight."
Lin Jun Shou: "Now that the Sheng army is approaching, I'm afraid peace talks won't be easy."
Yu Zhi: "I'll give it a try."
He turned and walked towards the side room. County Magistrate Lin immediately followed him and said, "I will grind ink for Your Majesty."
Yu Zhi sat in a chair behind the long desk and glanced out the window. In the pitch-black night, the air seemed filled with an atmosphere of anxiety and tension. He calmly picked up his pen and began to write a letter.
A quarter of an hour later, Yu Zhi put his pen in the landscape painting stand, picked up the letter, and blew on it gently. After the ink dried, he handed the letter to Lin Junshou.
"Send a letter quickly."
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
After Lin Junshu left, Yu Zhi stood by the window with his hands behind his back. It was pitch black outside, the entire sky covered by dark clouds, not a single ray of light filtering through.
“Quack…”
Toads in the yard were croaking one after another. Yu Zhi was a little annoyed by the noise. He closed the window and slowly walked towards the inner room.
Yu Zhi couldn't fall asleep until he received news from the envoy. He lay on his side in bed, clothes on, gently rubbing the blood duct on his forehead, and closed his eyes to rest.
“Knock knock—”
The knock on the door broke the silence and reached Yu Zhi's ears. Yu Zhi's eyes flashed, and he immediately sat up and shouted, "Come in."
The carved wooden door slowly opened, and the person who came in appeared in Yu Zhi's sight. It was not County Magistrate Lin. A look of disappointment flashed across Yu Zhi's face.
Doctor Zhang's eyebrows raised slightly. He did not miss the disappointment in His Majesty's eyes. He pretended to be lonely and sighed deeply: "I saw that Your Majesty's room was brightly lit, so I came to check it out. Who would have thought that Your Majesty would not want to see me?"
Yu Zhi smiled helplessly: "Doctor Zhang, please stop teasing me."
Doctor Zhang came to the bedside, dropped his joking expression, and said to Yu Zhi, "Your Majesty, you've been traveling for a month, and your body must be exhausted. You've finally settled down, so you should rest well."
Yu Zhi: "I just sent someone to deliver a peace agreement to Luo Tingshi. I can't rest until I hear from him."
Doctor Zhang shook his head: "Forget it, I will take your Majesty's pulse first."
For the past month, Yu Zhi had been in animal form, and his pulse was undetectable. Doctor Zhang had no idea what the fetus inside him was doing. He glanced at the emperor's loose clothing, revealing his slender waist.
The emperor's belly has grown a lot in recent times. He is thin and his protruding belly is more conspicuous than that of others. Now he can only cover it with clothes. In another month, it may not be covered anymore.
Yu Zhi stretched out his hand and asked Doctor Zhang to take his pulse.
Doctor Zhang placed his fingers on Yu Zhi's wrist. After a moment, he uttered a surprised sound: "That's not right..."
Yu Zhi's heart suddenly trembled, and he subconsciously grabbed Doctor Zhang's sleeve and asked anxiously, "What happened to my child?"
"Don't be afraid, Your Majesty. This is a good thing." Doctor Zhang smiled, fine lines forming at the corners of his eyes. He looked at Yu Zhi's belly and said with a smile, "You are pregnant with twins."
Yu Zhi was stunned.
He slowly lowered his head and looked at his belly in disbelief.
There are actually two little guys here?
He blinked, reached out and carefully touched his lower abdomen, and a wonderful feeling arose in his heart.
Doctor Zhang smiled and said, "No wonder your belly is much bigger than others. Your pulse is beating strongly. You are protecting them very well."
Yu Zhi's eyes curved slightly as he gently stroked his belly, unable to help but think of their other father. He looked up at the dark window, his brows furrowed in worry.
I wonder if the letter has been delivered?
-
The sky was dark and the earth was pitch black, and there was complete silence.
A distant neighing sounded, followed by the thunderous clatter of hooves, startling a few birds in the woods beside the road. A steed galloped past the bend, leaping several feet in the blink of an eye.
The man on horseback felt it was not enough and whipped and shouted angrily.
"drive--"
After running for a few moments, a dark mountain range came into view in front of us, but the mountain range was moving.
Upon closer inspection, they were all people!
"Who is it?!" an angry shout came from the front.
The riders heard the sound of bows being drawn and shouted, "I am an envoy from the Yu Kingdom, sent by our Emperor to deliver a message to the Emperor Sheng."
There was a rustling noise ahead, and someone shouted, "Wait."
The messenger gripped the reins tightly and swallowed.
Although two countries do not kill envoys when they are at war, Luo Tingshi has a bad reputation, and who knows if he will violate morality.
The messenger was concentrating, alertly monitoring all movements. Soon, the sound of military boots treading on the sand came towards him, and he stared intently at the dark figure.
"The emperor is calling you in." The shadow shouted at him.
The messenger immediately dismounted, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and followed the soldiers through numerous checkpoints until they arrived at the tent that was surrounded in the deepest part.
"search!"
A sharp chill hit him in the face, and the halberd suddenly pressed against his chest. The guards searched him inside and out, and confirmed that he did not carry any weapons, then took back the halberd.
"Come in." The guard lifted the curtain.
Under the guards' sharp gaze, the messenger suppressed the trembling in his heart and hurried into the tent.
"Your Majesty, the person has been brought here."
A tall figure stood in the tent. He turned around when he heard the voice, and his pair of frightening wolf eyes suddenly collided with the messenger's eyes. In an instant, the messenger's heart almost jumped out of his chest.
He suddenly lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the soft felt floor. He took out the imperial letter from his arms, bowed and presented it, and spoke in a forced, normal tone: "This is a letter from my emperor to you."
A soldier beside him took the letter from his hand and presented it to the Emperor of Sheng.
The messenger felt cold all over. He clenched his fists and pressed them tightly against his legs.
"Peace talks?" A sneer came from the front, followed by the harsh sound of letter tearing piercing the ear canal.
The messenger looked up in fear, watching the letter being torn into pieces by the Emperor of Sheng. The man laughed arrogantly, "Go back and inform your monarch to kneel and welcome the mighty army of Sheng!"
-
"Luo Tingshi refused to negotiate peace?"
The emperor's voice turned cold, and the oppressive feeling that came with being in a superior position fell on the messenger. His legs went limp and he dared not breathe.
Yu Zhi was keenly aware of the other party's fear. He immediately suppressed his aura and said in a gentle voice, "What else did he say?"
"Emperor Sheng also said..." The messenger paused and shook his head, "Your Majesty, please don't listen. I'm afraid it will pollute your ears."
Yu Zhi's pupils sank slightly: "Tell me, tell me everything exactly as it was."
The messenger had to obey the emperor's order. He mustered up his courage and bravely relayed Luo Tingshi's outrageous words to the emperor.
"Kneel down to greet him?" Yu Zhiqi laughed.
Doctor Zhang, who was always paying attention to Yu Zhi's behavior, hurried forward, supported Yu Zhi's forearm, and gently reminded him: "Your Majesty, you are not feeling well, please do not get angry."
Yu Zhi took a deep breath. For the sake of the fetus in his belly, he had to stay calm.
He suppressed the rage boiling within him, and with the help of Doctor Zhang, he sat down. He said to the messenger in front of him with a pleasant expression, "You've been traveling all night, and you must be very tired. Go back and rest. You'll go to the treasury tomorrow to collect your reward."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The messenger's eyes lit up and he left the room with tears of gratitude.
County Magistrate Lin followed the messenger's back and gazed towards the overcast sky. He sighed, "Looks like we'll have to fight a tough battle."
He turned to look at the emperor, only to see his face pale. County Magistrate Lin slapped his thigh, feeling a surge of remorse. "Your Majesty, I failed to notice your discomfort. I was negligent. I will send someone to boil some medicine for you."
Yu Zhi stopped him: "With Imperial Physician Zhang here, it's all right. It's late, County Magistrate Lin, don't worry. Go back to your room and get some rest. I'll be fine after a while."
After County Magistrate Lin withdrew, Yu Zhi lowered his gaze and said to Imperial Physician Zhang, "Please go to Lu Jing's room and tell him to leave for the Shengguo military camp immediately. I want to see Luo Tingshi."
Doctor Zhang was shocked: "Are you going to tell him..."
"That's the only way."
The flickering candlelight reflected in Yu Zhi's pupils, and his expression seemed a little unpredictable. Doctor Zhang rarely saw the emperor in this state, and he couldn't help but feel a little melancholy.
The little emperor seemed to have grown up.
-
As the sky was about to brighten, the Sheng State military camp once again welcomed an uninvited guest.
The guard drew his sword and stopped the man: "Who dares to trespass into the military camp?"
"I'm Lu Jing. Go tell your Majesty that I want to see him."
When the guard heard the well-known name, his face changed drastically: "Please wait a moment." He hurried back to the camp.
Not long after, a general in silver armor hurried over and respectfully welcomed Lu Jing into the camp. The journey was smooth and unobstructed, and Lu Jing followed behind him, discreetly observing the Sheng Kingdom's food supplies, troops, and guard deployments, secretly taking note.
When they reached the depths of the military camp, General Silver Armor did not take him into the most luxurious military tent, but instead took him to an inconspicuous small tent not far away.
A trick, Lu Jing thought to himself.
The silver-armored general opened the curtain for him, and in an instant, a black shadow caught Lu Jing's eyes.
He stepped into the tent. Luo Tingshi strode forward and said happily, "Lu..." His hands were about to touch Lu Jing's shoulders, but Luo Tingshi's eyes suddenly changed. He withdrew his hands abruptly and said in a cold voice.
"You are not Lu Jing."
"I am Lu Jing." Lu Jing looked at the Sheng monarch expressionlessly.
Luo Tingshi narrowed his eyes and looked up and down at the person in front of him. He had seen this person before in the painting sent by the spy.
Lu Jing said calmly: "My emperor wants to see you, please come with me."
When Luo Tingshi heard this, a startling thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He clutched it tightly, his fierce gaze fixed on Lu Jing's side, his voice filled with unconcealed excitement: "Yu Zhi is the one I'm looking for, right?"
Lu Jing didn't answer, but just said, "Please."
This might be a trap.
Luo Tingshi's heart was filled with alarm. His mind told him that if he went to Guyue with Lu Jing, he would be walking into a trap and could be captured and imprisoned at any time. However...
He could never forget those eyes.
Luo Tingshi gritted his teeth, walked past Lu Jing with his sleeves rustling in the wind, and said coldly, "Let's go!"
Before leaving, Luo Tingshi instructed Chu Sui that if he didn't return to the barracks or send any news, they should attack the city overnight. After giving all the instructions, he and Lu Jing rode at full speed, arriving at the prefectural governor's mansion in half an hour.
Entering the County Magistrate's Mansion, the two walked along the long corridor, passed through several doors, and came to a quiet courtyard. They stepped onto the stone steps. Luo Tingshi looked at the closed door and his heart suddenly began to pound.
At this moment, the door was opened from the inside, and Luo Tingshi looked up.
A roar of anger came crashing down on him: "You bastard, do you want me and your offspring to die together?"
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