Zhou Gu was at a loss for words, staring at Su Rong with an intense reluctance to part.
Su Rong didn’t want to leave either. She wanted to lie in Zhou Gu’s arms, to kiss him and touch him. She even yearned to undress him to examine his wounds and see how his scars were healing and how long they would take to disappear.
But she couldn’t defy Uncle Xie. He had even sent Fen Ling to drive her away. She really couldn’t stay any longer; that would be improper.
Nor did she want to be punished by copying texts and having her palms smacked. Otherwise, where was the dignity of a princess?
She sighed, covered Zhou Gu’s eyes with her hand, and said to the world outside, "You can tell them that I’m leaving right now."
Fen Ling acknowledged her statement with a reserved "okay" and left.
Su Rong leaned down to kiss Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu briefly held his breath and reached out to clasp her hand in an attempt to seize the initiative.
Su Rong stopped him, "Don’t move."
Zhou Gu bit her lip, displeased, "Are you addicted to teasing me?"
Su Rong vaguely responded with a "uh-huh", "We haven’t got much time. Stop messing around. Let me kiss you, then I’m leaving."
Zhou Gu could do nothing but comply.
Despite her desire, Su Rong didn’t want Fen Ling sent to drive her away for the second time by Xie Yuan, so after Fen Ling left, she kissed Zhou Gu just long enough for a pot of tea to steep and then gracefully climbed out of bed.
Zhou Gu clung to her hand, his voice hoarse, "I don’t want you to leave."
"Behave. We’ll have our grand wedding once we get back to the Nanchu royal palace," Su Rong promised him.
Zhou Gu widened his eyes in surprise, "Really?"
"Really."
Zhou Gu let go of her, "In that case, you should leave quickly."
Su Rong: "..."
What a forgetful creature!
When she left the tent, she saw Fen Ling waiting not far away. Upon seeing her coming out, he grinned, greeted her with a shout of "sister", and gestured toward the nearby tent, indicating that she would be quartered there.
Su Rong shot him a glance and walked toward that tent.
Once inside, Su Rong took off her coat, sprawled out on the bed, and breathed a weary sigh. She thought to herself that Uncle Xie was overly worried. She was so tired that she had no energy to tease Zhou Gu. Even if he hadn’t tried to get rid of her, she wouldn’t have been able to do anything to Zhou Gu. All the more since he was still injured, and now that he was hers, she wasn’t in a rush.
She rolled over, closed her eyes, and almost instantly fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Zhou Gu, on the other hand, didn’t feel much like sleeping. Along the way, he had been sitting in a carriage. Although he was concerned about Su Rong’s rescue mission for Xie Yuan, he was aware that there was nothing he could do about it. As a result, he simply accepted the situation and took things as they came. When hungry, he ate; when tired, he slept. He took his meds on time and changed his bandages as required. Now lying alone in bed, he didn’t feel tired at all.
He lay on the bed for a bit, then decided to get up. Leaning on his crutch, he left the tent.
As for Fen Ling, he couldn’t rest. There were many things to take care of in the army. He had to help Ye Guixue. Also, Cheng Yun’s Vice General, Feng Sheng, and his forty thousand soldiers had reportedly scattered after receiving the news. They were nowhere to be found. Cheng Yun had already taken some people out to look for them.
Fen Ling was discussing the matter with Ye Guixue and Zhang Yun when he saw Zhou Gu hobbling over with his crutch. He blurted out in surprise, "Brother-in-law, can’t you sleep without my sister?"
Zhou Gu was not too embarrassed to admit it, "I’m not tired."
Fen Ling gave a wry smile, "Master Xie is strict about rules, really, there’s nothing we can do. You’ll just have to bear it. Once you and my sister are married, everything will be better."
Zhou Gu merely gave a grunt of agreement, "She said we’ll get married as soon as we get back to the palace."
Fen Ling nodded.
Zhang Yun chuckled, "Congratulations, Brother Zhou."
Zhou Gu looked at the two of them, his gaze finally landing on Ye Guixue, "The congratulations I want to hear the most are from Brother Guixue." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Ye Guixue was silent for a moment before laughing, "Congratulations, Brother Zhou."
Zhou Gu’s mood brightened, and he cracked a smile, "Thank you."
Ye Guixue:"..."
How did such a childish guy manage to attract girls? Perhaps the princess was simply attracted to his boyish nature?
Zhou Gu took a seat next to Ye Guixue, "What were you talking about?"
Ye Guixue replied, "We were discussing how Nangong Zheng retreated his troops too easily. Will Crown Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei agree to this? What are his plans? Will he attack us again when we drop our guard?"
"That is indeed a possibility," Zhou Gu agreed.
"So, we think we should station some troops on the Nanchu border, just in case, until Dawei shows no sign of stirring before we withdraw our troops."
Zhou Gu nodded, "That way we’ll be prepared for any eventuality, which is the best."
"Nanchu is still in chaos right now, and everyone in the Nangong family has withdrawn from Nanchu. The mess they have left behind is probably enough to keep us busy for a year and a half," Zhang Yun spoke up seriously, "Brother Zhou, even if Crown Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei doesn’t wage war, you and the princess probably won’t have time for a grand wedding in the next half a year. There are so many things to deal with. Is the princess up to the task?"
Zhou Gu glared at him, "My father-in-law is still around, hale, and hearty. He is not immobilized. Also, Ye Xiang is here, and he is very capable. Furthermore, the eldest son of the Ye Xiang Residence and Brother Guixue, as well as many others, are here. Don’t tell me you’re planning to shove all the menial tasks onto her? How come we won’t have time for the wedding?"
Zhang Yun choked, "Well, that’s true."
Zhou Gu harrumphed, "We’ll make time, even if we have to squeeze it out."
Zhang Yun chuckled, "Alright, it seems the grand wedding between you and the princess indeed takes precedence over everything else. We’ll all just have to work a bit harder."
Zhou Gu seemed pleased, "I’m glad you understand."
Or what was the point in recruiting all those talented individuals along their journey? Just to feed them without getting any work out of them? He refused to believe they couldn’t find the time for their wedding.
After a bit more discussion, they agreed on some arrangements regarding military matters. Fen Ling, unable to bear the weariness any longer, left for rest.
Ye Guixue, who also hadn’t had a break for a few days, got up, as tired as he was. Seeing that Zhou Gu and Zhang Yun had no intentions of leaving for rest, he asked with a smile, "Aren’t you two tired?"
"Not tired. You should go to bed, Brother Guixue!" Zhou Gu waved him off.
Ye Guixue nodded and left as well.
After the two of them had left, only Zhou Gu and Zhang Yun were left in the command tent. Zhang Yun asked in a hushed voice, "Brother Zhou, lonely night issues?"
Zhou Gu glanced at him, whispering back, "Do you think I could sneak in without getting caught?"
Zhang Yun nodded confidently, "Master Xie is no fool. He’s just as alert when asleep as when awake. If you insist on doing something he explicitly forbids, aren’t you deliberately opposing him? Don’t you want to marry the princess smoothly?"
Zhou Gu was deflated.
Zhang Yun clapped him on the shoulder, speaking in even softer tones, "What’s the big deal? Think about Ye Guixue. As soon as he met with Master Xie today, he was given a clear-cut answer. That girl is your wife-to-be, and nobody can take her away from you. Isn’t he worse off than you? It’s like fetching water with a bamboo basket, all for nothing."
Zhou Gu looked at Zhang Yun, "You’re quite good at comforting people."
Zhang Yun withdrew his hand, "No need for thanks, after all, we are like brothers in life and death."
Zhou Gu did not say anything. Their relationship could indeed be considered as that of close comrades who had gone through numerous battles and risked their lives numerous times. He stood up, "Thanks. I better go back for some rest."
Zhang Yun nodded, thinking to himself how being without a fiancée was even worse, having to worry about irrelevant things.
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