Chapter 118 Amidst the Clouds (Part 8) Is she a romantic, or will she travel with him...?
Spring colors lingered on the flower branches. After Lan Ye left, only two people and a horse remained on this mountain path.
The figure at the head of the group moved a little faster. Wei Yuanzhan smiled, strode forward, and, just like when he used to tease her for her messy hair when she was a child, hooked a strand of hair with his index finger and let it sway gently.
Zhi Rou felt a tingling sensation on her scalp from being pulled by the ends of her hair, and she subconsciously shrank her shoulders: "...Wei Yuanzhan!" She turned to the side and pushed his arm away, "Don't touch my hair."
Wei Yuanzhan smiled as before: "Pei Cheng won't come with you, will he? Are we going to Suiyun Tower later? Are you hungry?"
“He will probably wait for my sister to come down and then take her back to the manor.” Zhi Rou hadn’t eaten much this morning and had practiced her sword in the courtyard for a while before coming out. She was a little hungry, and a smile appeared on her lips. “Want some goose meat? I think I’m starting to like it now.”
"I'll listen to you." Wei Yuanzhan slipped his hand into Zhi Rou's sleeve, like morning dew dripping onto flower petals, and squeezed the back of her hand.
She turned her head to look at him, and his smiling gaze made her heart skip a beat. Then, a rapid warmth rushed into her chest, and she gradually tightened her grip on his hand.
Having just used a bow and arrow, the jade thumb ring was still on his thumb; its menacing patterns pressed against his skin, like a weapon.
Zhi Rou pulled Wei Yuanzhan's hand in front of her. At first, she wanted to play with the jade thumb ring, but somehow, her fingertips gradually broke away from the engravings, turned his palm over and twirled it, then wandered to the back of his hand, studying it very carefully for a while.
A man's hands are not as delicate and sensitive as a woman's, but Wei Yuanzhan endured the torment as if a raccoon lived in his palm, searching for a way to torment him.
His weakness suddenly became apparent when he was wielding a weapon, and he instinctively pulled his fingers back and pressed her down. Just then, he heard her say sincerely, "Your hands are beautiful."
Wei Yuanzhan's ears were burning hot.
His heart was pounding, completely captivated by her. But when he glanced at her, her eyes were exceptionally pure and clear. He suddenly couldn't tell if she was understanding his feelings or just playing a game with him.
His hands felt wonderful, Zhi Rou thought. Warm and large, they could easily envelop her, giving her a strange sense of security.
She said slowly, "Will you be in the military camp on the Shangsi Festival?"
The third day of the third lunar month is the day when the Marquis's residence holds a spring banquet.
Zhi Rou learned from Song Hanjin that Wei Yuanzhan, as the heir of the Marquis's mansion, was completely unaware of the truth.
He glanced at her for a moment: "I can come to you too."
Zhi Rou liked this response.
She smiled and said, "Okay. But... I won't wait forever, you need to come soon."
There was a hint of coquettishness and urging in her words. Wei Yuanzhan smiled slightly, assuming she just wanted to see him as soon as possible. What was so difficult about that? His Yueying was incredibly fast.
After walking a while, he saw two carriages parked at the foot of the mountain road, and involuntarily, he thought of "Young Master Ling" again.
"Was the person next to you just now Ling Ziheng?" Wei Yuanzhan suddenly asked.
Zhi Rou nodded: "He is the thirteenth young lady's cousin. My sister accepted the thirteenth young lady's invitation to come to Yunshan for a spring outing. I didn't know he was here too."
Wei Yuanzhan then said, "We've known each other for so many years, why haven't you ever said 'see you again when we return to the capital' to me?"
Zhi Rou was slightly taken aback. She couldn't even remember what she had said. Thinking back carefully, she realized it was probably just polite talk. After all, his surname was Ling, which was her mother's surname.
Yueying paced slowly to the side, its tail twitching frequently as if bitten by mosquitoes, before drooping again.
Zhi Rou turned her dress to the side and scrutinized Wei Yuanzhan with a crooked face.
He was exceptionally handsome, with prominent brow bones that cast shadows in his eyes, as serene as an abyss and as gentle as a stream. A moment's distraction made it impossible to discern the emotions that flickered in his eyes.
Zhi Rou met his gaze, her beautiful eyes filled with exploration, teasing, and smugness. She raised one corner of her mouth and said, "It's so sour."
"What?" Wei Yuanzhan's eyelashes fluttered in surprise.
She smiled and looked away, raising her hand to hook her neck, her fingertips brushing against the soft red thread. Her voice seemed to come from her heart, firm and powerful.
"Once I've accepted your things, I won't accept anything from anyone else."
Her voice wasn't loud. When she was a child, her voice was very clear and melodious. As she grew up, it became more restrained, unlike her personality. Her voice sounded faint, like hazy moonlight.
A strong throbbing suddenly filled his chest, and Wei Yuanzhan's breathing became slow as he tried to conceal this overly obvious palpitation.
He did indeed have a despicable possessiveness towards Zhi Rou, even though he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't resist his feelings. But his affection wasn't actually that strong; he liked her regardless of whether she reciprocated his feelings.
Wei Yuanzhan was used to being stubborn, and there were some things he wanted to say to her, but he just couldn't bring himself to say them. In contrast, Zhi Rou was much more open-minded than him.
He pulled her into his arms with a force that was both tender and gentle, as if afraid of hurting her.
"Zhirou," he called softly, then fell silent.
After a moment of shock, Zhi Rou's breathing became slightly erratic. After a long while, she relaxed, moved her arms to embrace the warm waist in front of her, and subconsciously sniffed the air. There was a scent of the forest. Only then did she lift her eyes from his embrace and ask, "What are you doing?"
Wei Yuanzhan's arms tightened around her, freeing one hand to pinch her cheek, then touched her eyebrows. After a moment, he looked at her and laughed: "I've rubbed your face red."
Upon hearing this, Zhi Rou's cheeks burned even hotter. She quickly pushed away his chest and broke free from his embrace: "Aren't we going to Suiyun Tower? Hurry up... If you can't, give Yueying to me."
Wei Yuanzhan held the reins with one hand and pulled her palm back to his side with the other, his thumb and jade thumb ring rubbing against the back of her hand.
"Have you thought about going to Qinyang?" This is a common occurrence, and the closest clue right now is the Ling family. "If you want, I'll go with you."
Unexpectedly, he would suddenly ask this question. Zhi Rou weighed the options in her mind, nodded, then shook her head: "Qinyang... in what capacity should I go..."
Personally speaking, the Ling family is extremely attractive to her now. She is curious about the place where her mother grew up and also wants to meet the people who accompanied her mother as she grew up.
That day, she asked Song Peiyu to write a letter of apology, but in reality, she also harbored some wishful thinking.
Wei Yuanzhan never thought about these things: "Who cares about his status? If I want to do it, I'll do it."
His voice was low and sounded exceptionally gentle. Zhi Rou glanced at him and saw an arrogance on his expressionless face that he himself was unaware of.
She used to dislike him for this, but now she finds him rather endearing.
Zhi Rou smiled silently: "As expected of Prince Wei."
Wei Yuanzhan frowned slightly upon hearing this, but relaxed his expression after a moment: "I'm serious. If you intend to go to Qinyang, you must tell me. You're not allowed to leave secretly."
Their clasped hands separated, and Zhi Rou moved to face him again, her fingers interlocked behind her back. She moved slowly, like a cat, backing away delicately, tilting her chin slightly as she looked him over.
His eyes were full of playfulness, but his smile was bright, as if the spring sunshine was shining on him alone, shimmering and radiant.
"Don't worry, I will never abandon you, absolutely not."
Zhi Rou said this to Wei Yuanzhan twice.
"It's the first time now," he said with a satisfied smile.
On the same day, a chilling wind swept across the grasslands, passing by the Northern Li King's tent.
Since the new Khan came to power, external enemies and internal troubles have accumulated like snowflakes.
On the night Princess Yan set off to return home, the Khan bestowed a noblewoman from the Tar tribe upon Enhe, and on their wedding day, he secretly delivered a royal decree to Enhe's tent.
The emperor claimed that the Tar tribe had colluded with the Kun Kingdom and ordered him to immediately lead his troops to annihilate the rebels.
At that time, Enhe had not yet broken ties with Alamusu. He had been lying low for a long time, waiting for a golden opportunity.
The timing was unfortunate. After receiving the order, Enhe dared not disobey. He locked his newlywed wife in the tent and led his troops to launch a surprise attack on the Tar tribe at night.
The chieftain of the Tar tribe already harbored resentment towards Enhe for marrying his noble daughter to a prince of slave blood. The battle dragged on for many days, forcing Enhe and his party to Deer Mountain, where they remained for half a month. Everyone assumed he had perished there.
A few days later, the chieftain of the Tar tribe led his army north to attack the royal court, but the Khan was prepared and lost two-thirds of his troops. He also watched helplessly as the Khan sacrificed his daughter to the flag.
In this battle, the Northern Khan not only weakened the rebellious Tar tribe, but also fed the ambitious nineteenth prince to the wolves. His fame spread rapidly, but fearing that Enhe might not be dead, he secretly sent an army to Deer Mountain to search for his body.
The group did not bring back a single message.
In February, as the grass grows long, the holy day of Beili arrives in a flash.
For the people of the grasslands, this is a grand celebration in spring. All tribes gather together, dressed in their finest attire, and songs and drumbeats awaken the entire plains until nightfall.
The setting sun dyed the sky and earth amber, the bonfire blazed brightly, and the Khan sat at the head of the table with his wife in his arms, watching people dance in circles.
A long wind blew from afar, still a bit chilly. The queen fed the wine to the Khan's lips, and he grabbed her delicate wrist, whispering something in her ear. She giggled, and soon the Khan pulled her up by the waist and led her back to the tent.
After the Holy Day, the Khan fell ill.
Overnight, the nineteenth prince, who had disappeared without a trace, returned and began a ruthless purge.
Sensing the upheaval in the royal court, the various tribes of Beili remained on the sidelines, waiting for the Zuoqin tribe to set an example first. However, Enhe did not give the Zuoqin tribe a chance to react, and launched a direct attack the very next day.
The soldiers he brought were plump and strong, while the horses of Zuo Qin's tribe, for some reason, were running slowly and were not as good as they had been the day before.
The valiant cavalry, having lost their fine steed, were like dragons without horns, retreating in disarray.
At the end of February, Enhe Dai Khan took charge of the affairs of the various tribes. He was still nominally a prince, but in the entire Northern Li, there was nothing he wanted to do but could not do.
Alamusu could never have predicted that what he had done to his father, Khan, would be repeated in his own life. The only difference was that Enhe had intentionally kept him alive.
That day, after Enhe finished his meeting with the tribal chiefs, Ao Yun led in three women, a knowing smile playing on his lips: "Prince, they were sent by Urentuya. What do you think... should we keep them?"
This is the seventh day since Enhe occupied the royal court.
The fact that the nineteenth prince's wife was killed by the Khan was no longer news on the steppe. Many of his supporters in the tribe wanted to offer their daughters in marriage, but they still had reservations and did not act rashly.
Unexpectedly, it was Urtuya who first took this step.
Enhe glanced at them with her narrow eyes, then frowned: "Mother?"
Enhe stood up from the felt rug, and his tall figure passed by them. It seemed as if there was no room for them in the tent, and they all lowered their eyes and dared not meet his gaze.
"Prince?" Ao Yun followed.
"Send it back," Enhe immediately ordered.
Ao Yun understood the tone; there was no room for negotiation.
"Okay." He shrugged, looking like a thankless, resentful man, and listlessly led the person out.
I thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly, at dusk, Enhe was ambushed in the birch forest.
The shadows of the trees shimmered with silver light. Seven or eight people lay on the ground, their throats slit in thin gashes, blood gushing out.
Upon hearing the news, Ao Yun immediately rode his horse from the main tent. As soon as his gaze fell on Enhe, he hurriedly jumped off his horse: "Enhe!"
In her haste, she forgot all respectful titles and practically ran to his side, frantically peering at him in the deep blue moonlight.
"It's nothing." Enhe avoided Ao Yun's overly scrutinizing gaze. Her thick, straight eyelashes were lowered slightly, concealing the resentment and pain in her eyes.
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and a chill ran into his boots: "This is... her intention?"
Enhe stared at the ground for a long time, then took a deep breath, exhaled, turned around and walked to the stream, plunging the blood-stained knife into the water.
His movements were agitated; the blood hadn't been completely drained, and he scraped the back of the knife against his boot with force.
After the knife regained its gleam, he held it for a moment, then suddenly got up and threw it into the water.
Ao Yun felt that too many things were rushing through his mind and he couldn't sort them out, so he asked as usual, "Prince, should I cut off their heads and send them to Urentuya?"
Enhe remained noncommittal.
After a moment, he closed his slightly moist eyelids, then opened them again. His eyes were like a newly sharpened knife, but his tone was lenient: "Send their robes back, and the people... stay here."
After saying that, he walked south, the moonlight falling on his back in scattered patterns, making his figure even colder.
After such an incident, Ao Yun dared not leave Enhe's side for even a moment. He hurriedly chased after him, saying, "Prince, where are you going? That good-for-nothing Mu Xile, let him..."
“Don’t follow me,” Enhe said coldly.
Ao Yun paused slightly, then slowly stopped.
Heading south, the night wind is like a precious silk in the hands of a Yan person, cool and refreshing, not itchy at all.
In the boundless abundance without beginning or end, as if by nature itself, the gentle and peaceful thoughts are soothed by the grassland, without showing the slightest ripple.
He walked slowly, the road stretching out beneath his feet, his loyal horse following him closely, leaving two new hoofprints in the grass.
I don't know how long I walked, but it seemed like I had walked from the birch forest into another forest, but with fewer trees and thicker ones.
Enhe tied the horse to one side, climbed up a big tree, and without thinking about anything, just gazed south.
The moon hung in the sky, and two dirty boots dangled from the tree trunk, swaying in the air.
Unsurprisingly, he remembered someone.
Enhe's Mandarin isn't authentic, but when you call her name, you can even speak with a refined accent.
“Song Zhirou…”
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