Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Look no further
Xuan Jinyu's face flushed at his smile, and she muttered, "If you don't want to let me go, then don't let me go."
Not wanting this man to see that she had been bewitched by him, she hurriedly urged him, "You haven't finished yet." She scratched his palm.
With their fingers clasped together, Su Guanzhang stroked the back of her fair and delicate hand, and whispered in her ear, his warm breath burning Xuan Jinyu's face.
"I suspect that Minister Yue of War noticed the omission in the imperial edict. Fearing that His Majesty would become enraged, he chose a difficult route ahead of time. This way, even after being exposed, it would at least help him cool down."
"Furthermore, Minister Yue is a former member of the Su family. He did this to avoid arousing the new emperor's suspicion."
Otherwise, there would not have been such a confrontation and dialogue between the Minister of War Yue Feng and the Minister of Justice Liang Fangfang at the gate of the Ministry of Justice that day.
After being in officialdom for a long time, even the most upright and selfless person will more or less know some self-protection skills.
This is not about right or wrong, it's just human nature.
Moreover, he had a vague suspicion...
Since Yue Feng is an old member of the Su family, if he operates properly, in the eyes of the new emperor, would he be the best candidate to lead the Su family army?
Minister Liang entered the palace so promptly that Wang Hu and a group of imperial guards stopped them before they could set off and took away their horses.
Are these all coincidences?
He stayed in the Dali Temple for three years, handling countless files and cases personally.
Both his intuition and his rationale told him there was a 90% chance these weren't coincidences. The remaining 1% was a gamble on how much respect Yue Shangshu had for his former superior; which was more important to him, loyalty to the emperor or loyalty to the army?
Su Guanzhang lowered his eyes and met Xuan Jinyu's gaze.
But there is no need to tell her this.
"Are you scared?" Su Guanzhang stroked her cheek with his free hand.
He could see that Xuan Jinyu's face was turning slightly pale, and there was a hint of trembling in her eyes as she looked at him.
"No."
It's just that she was too well protected by her family, so she was a little surprised when she suddenly heard about the game between imperial power and court officials, just a little bit.
"So, we are just their pawns?" she asked in a low voice.
Su Guanzhang was surprised that she could think of this. She was both relieved and distressed. She never liked to use her brain and just relied on her intuition. Anyway, she would not be the one to suffer.
It was unbelievable that in just a short time, she could so quickly understand things that she had never thought about before.
"Yes." Su Guanzhang did not give her a perfunctory answer and gave her a positive response, which he would not do in the past.
He would just protect her under his wings like the Xuan and Lin families did, so that she wouldn't have to endure the wind and rain, wouldn't have to grow up, and they would be able to protect her for the rest of her life.
For the first time, he realized that she might not want them to do this.
"But the worst outcome would be what we are doing now, taking a path that is more difficult than the normal path of exile." Su Guanzhang still had his hand on her face, stroking under her eyelids for a moment, and then he held her in his arms.
"But don't be afraid, I will always be by your side," he promised.
Xuan Jinyu nodded and no longer thought about the fact that they were on the chessboard and were being used as chess pieces in the game.
There's no use thinking about it.
They are already on the road of exile, jumping out of the chessboard, and no one can do anything to them anymore.
She told this to Su Guanzhang, and received a restrained kiss from him on her lips and a compliment, "Not bad."
Xuan Jinyu curled her lips.
"However, the one who has it the hardest right now is you," Su Guanzhang said distressedly, "You're pregnant now, and you'll have to endure a lot of hardships in the future."
His voice was muffled and seemed to be a little choked.
Xuan Jinyu poked her head out from his arms and looked at him. She was stunned to see that the corners of his eyes were indeed slightly red.
He rarely showed such a vulnerable side in front of her.
Are you feeling sorry for her?
Does he have her in his heart too?
"Then you have to take good care of me." Thinking of this, Xuan Jinyu couldn't help but say to the man in front of her, her voice soft.
Su Guanzhang nodded slightly and kissed her forehead.
A tender moment.
"Let me see your waist." Xuan Jinyu finally remembered that this man had teased her just now, causing her to pinch his waist.
She was well aware of her own strength. Seeing that Su Guanzhang had untied his belt and his slightly lifted hem of his clothes was indeed covered in bruises, she felt a rare sense of guilt, but soon she felt justified again.
It was he who made her angry, so he deserved to be punished.
She did not think about the suffering of exile she had endured because she married him. She thought about the fact that she was pregnant and that as her husband and the father of her child, he had to take good care of her.
"Okay, hurry up and pack your clothes." Xuan Jinyu urged him.
Now is not the time to apply medicine. It's broad daylight and in public. It's okay if his clothes are messy, but don't let people think of her.
Besides, it's just a little bruise that will go away in a few days, why would I need to use medicine?!
Su Guanzhang looked at his wife, whose expression changed faster than a magic trick, and smiled as if it was normal. "Cover it up for me, don't let anyone see it."
This made it sound as if the couple were doing something shameful.
Xuan Jinyu's face became hot again, and she quickly turned sideways, leaving only her bright and rosy profile to him.
She looked around frantically and fanned her face with her hands a few times, trying to cool the heat off her face quickly.
Su Guanzhang quickly tidied his clothes and said, "Don't worry, no one is watching us." He was just teasing her just now.
Romantic rumors are hurtful, and he won't let them get involved with her.
Hearing this, Xuan Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked around again with some concern before she was completely relieved.
Fortunately, their grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, second aunt, brother and sister-in-law, and children did not look at them. The officers, soldiers, and guards in the distance were all busy with their own things and did not even glance in this direction.
Otherwise she would be humiliated.
"It's all your fault." she said angrily.
"Well, it's all my fault." Su Guanzhang replied. The usual coldness on his face had disappeared at some point, replaced by a gentleness that could not be ignored.
The heat on Xuan Jinyu's face, which was just beginning to dissipate, rose again. She buried her face in her knees, not wanting him to see her shy look.
"It's all your fault." She whispered, the voice muffled against her knees but it couldn't hide the joy in it.
-
The five imperial guards who had previously concealed their identities and hid in the Su family army under the orders of the new emperor were now picking up firewood with Wang Hu and a group of imperial guards.
The leader of the five imperial guards was named Li Xiaoming. When he was escorting Su Guanyu and three other major generals to catch up with the exile group of over a hundred people, he immediately saw a familiar face.
The acquaintance was Wang Hu.
When Wang Hu saw Li Xiaoming, whom he hadn't seen for three years, he was stunned for a moment.
The two of them were from the same hometown, joined the Imperial Guards in the same batch, and were promoted to centurions in the same year. Three years ago, when the new emperor ascended the throne, they each pursued their own careers, and when they did not want to see each other again, they were both promoted to thousand households.
"It's really fate." Wang Hu sighed.
Li Xiaoming nodded.
Wang Hu asked him hesitantly, "So, are you going back to the Imperial Guard?"
He now understood Li Xiaoming's whereabouts and situation over the past three years.
Li Xiaoming hid in the Su family army for three years. When General Su disappeared, he revealed his identity as a member of the imperial guards and captured the three major generals on the battlefield. He will definitely not be able to return to Mobei.
Li Xiaoming smiled bitterly and nodded again.
Wang Hu just looks a little honest, but he is not stupid at all. Instead, he is quite smart.
The brotherhood forged on the battlefield is the purest emotion. Once the battlefront rebelled, and Li Xiaoming captured the most respected members of the Su family, the camaraderie within the army must have been exhausted.
He could imagine the knot in Li Xiaoming's heart, so when no one was around, he comforted him, "You are only following His Majesty's orders. Don't make things too difficult for yourself."
Mentioning this, Li Xiaoming finally spoke.
"The same to you."
Wang Hu was silent.
He had only been on the job for three days when he was already in trouble everywhere.
That day, when Su Guanzhang pointed out his situation, he realized that he was also walking on a cliff, and if he was not careful, he would be smashed to pieces.
At least the Su family has someone to protect them.
Once he was sent back to the capital by the Su family, or if secret eyes found some evidence against him, he could easily be killed.
Human life is not worth mentioning at all under the oppression of imperial power.
Li Xiaoming didn't need Wang Hu's response and continued to talk to himself, "If it weren't for the three major generals protecting us and actively cooperating with us to return to Beijing, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stand here and reminisce with you."
Otherwise, let alone completing the imperial order, he might not be able to leave Mobei alive.
He recalled the shock, pain and hatred in the eyes of his former comrades after he revealed his identity. Amid the clamor, those soldiers who had fought alongside him would have skinned him alive if the three major generals had not stopped them.
"I have to return to Beijing after dinner to report. I'll leave everything else to you." Li Xiaoming patted Wang Hu's shoulder, "You should also be polite to them."
As they once slept in the same room, Li Xiaoming understood a little bit about his old friend's personality.
"Just because they're willing to cooperate with this exile doesn't mean they're incapable of resistance." Li Xiaoming lowered his voice. "If you really piss them off and they run away, your tenure as a captain will be over."
Maybe your life will end here.
Only after going to the battlefield will you know how precious life is.
"Use your own eyes to see whether the Su family is guilty or not, no matter whether it is written in the imperial edict or not, you can go and see for yourself." Li Xiaoming said it very bluntly, almost saying that the Su family is not guilty.
He had been in the army for three years and was sent to the army as soon as the new emperor ascended the throne.
Having been in the Su family army for such a long time, not to mention the time spent in the military camp during daily training, but just looking at the six months of war with Mobei, he would not believe that the Su family would collaborate with the enemy and commit treason.
Wang Hu was frightened by his blunt words and broke out in a cold sweat. He looked around hurriedly and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was watching.
"Think about it carefully. I'll go out first." Li Xiaoming patted his shoulder, carried the big bundle of firewood easily, and walked out.
By the time Wang Hu calmed down and emerged from the dense forest, the others had almost finished their work.
The hunting team has not returned yet, but the fishing team has already brought a bucket full of fish and shrimp, and several people are squatting by the river cleaning them.
He observed his surroundings and found that the spies in the dark had disappeared. He didn't know whether they had gone to eat far away or had been replaced by a group of people with stronger martial arts skills who would not be noticed by him.
Several major generals of the Su family were playing with the children, and the women also started a fire.
On the other side, Wang Hu paused, looked away quickly, and turned his head away.
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