Since returning this time, Zheng Quchi often felt that Yuwen Sheng in front of her was like a completely different person. It was as if he had put away all his claws and fierce appearance in front of her and put on a false human skin called "Liu Fengmian".
However, she had already seen his true colors: cruel, ruthless, and devoid of any empathy. He thought that as long as he learned, he could have normal human emotions, but she felt that he had only been imitating others all along, resembling them in form but not in spirit.
This includes feelings for a person.
——
Upon returning to Ye, Zheng Quchi thought of the construction of Guixu Ridge. After all, this was the first project she had undertaken as a general contractor. Having abandoned it halfway through, she was naturally concerned about the progress of the city wall construction now that she was back.
Yuwen Sheng guessed what was on her mind, so he let Wang Zebang and the others lead the main force back to the camp first, while he led Zheng Quchi to Guixu Ridge first.
The two did not speak to each other along the way.
Zheng Quchi didn't know what to say. She was mainly afraid that she would say something wrong and offend Yuwen Sheng, who would then abandon her horse and leave her to walk on her own.
She didn't know why Yuwen Sheng remained silent, simply assuming he didn't want to talk.
When they arrived at the foot of Guixu Ridge, the guards saw General Yuwen's entourage slowly approaching and immediately went forward to greet and lead the way.
As the city wall construction proceeded in an orderly manner, and he imagined that it would be completed on schedule soon, Zheng Quchi felt both gratified and disappointed.
Now that her identity has been revealed and she is no longer "Sang Xuanqing," it's likely she won't be able to work as a carpenter anymore.
But that's what she's good at. If she were asked to be a stay-at-home wife, all the ambitions, money-making plans, and life plans she had made in her heart would be impossible to realize.
She was unwilling and resentful.
"Cheese, come here."
Yuwen Sheng called her.
"What?"
She turned around and saw that Qi Gong and other foremen had brought a group of stonemasons over.
When they saw Zheng Quchi dressed in women's clothing, they were all taken aback.
However, perhaps someone had given them a heads-up beforehand, because after a moment of stunned silence, they quickly recognized Zheng Quchi as "Sang Xuanqing".
Immediately, they all shouted excitedly, "Sang Gong?"
Seeing all the familiar faces of her colleagues, not one was missing, Zheng Quchi couldn't help but smile and said cheerfully, "Yes, it's me. Are you all alright?"
"We're all fine, but I heard... you were seriously injured while trying to distract those vicious barbarians, and were even kidnapped by the people of Julu Kingdom. Your fate is unknown..."
When they heard this, some of them choked up and their eyes reddened. They were especially shocked when they learned that Sang Gong was actually a petite but extremely brave woman.
Zheng Quchi was taken aback, then waved his hand to reassure them, "I... I'm fine too. Look, I'm back perfectly alright."
“We are all very grateful to you. If it weren’t for you, Sang Gong, risking your own safety to ring the bronze bell, set fire to the beacon towers, and summon reinforcements, I’m afraid all of us here would have died in this disaster… Thank you for sacrificing yourself to save us.”
Qi Gong spoke with emotion, his eyes brimming with tears. He called everyone in the back to kneel down and kowtow to Zheng Quchi to express their gratitude.
"No, no, please get up quickly."
Zheng Quchi went to pull Qi Gong, who was leading the group, but Qi Gong stubbornly insisted on kowtowing three times before he would give up.
Zheng Quchi had been suppressing her emotions, choosing to endure and ignore her suffering and torment, telling herself to be strong and brave. But now, those emotions surged up, making her nose sting.
In fact, when faced with life and death, she was just like everyone else, with an innate fear and timidity.
She was terrified, but she stubbornly endured it.
Although she hadn't expected any reward for saving people, when her actions were affirmed and recognized by them, she truly felt that what she had done was not meaningless.
She didn't want to cry in public, so she wiped her face, cleared her hoarse voice, and said, "Since I'm responsible for you, I should take responsibility for your lives. I won't abandon you."
Those who heard this statement for the first time were both surprised and moved.
"Sang Gong, you saved our lives. From now on, we will never listen to any of your arrangements. If you say go east, we will never go west!"
Everyone solemnly promised that they could not find such a good leader and that they would follow her lead from now on.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Quchi couldn't help but laugh. These straightforward men from Shandong were so attached to their own opinions that they didn't care who they were, and they weren't afraid of offending the great deity in front of her.
Helpless, she could only try to salvage the situation for them: "I don't have the ability to save you. The one who should truly save you is General Yuwen."
Upon hearing Zheng Quchi's words, Qi Gong and the others went from being full of enthusiasm to feeling like they'd been doused with cold water, their blood instantly turning ice-cold.
They dared not look directly at General Yuwen; his "prestige" was truly deeply ingrained in people's hearts, and who could not be afraid of him? Only Sang Gong was bold enough to talk and laugh in front of him.
In fact, they all knew by now that Sang Gong was not only a woman who was no less capable than any man, but also the wife of General Yuwen.
When they heard the news, everyone's expressions were priceless; they felt it was utterly absurd, ridiculous beyond belief.
"Thank you, General Xie Yuwen."
For a moment, the voices of thanks sounded weak and trembling, with the last syllable rising in the air, and dared not be sincere.
Yuwen Sheng had never paid any attention to these people, but when he saw Zheng Quchi looking at him, he smiled gently and said, "Since Madam asked me to help, I naturally came."
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