156 Chapter 156
“…Don’t scare her.”
Xie Qi?
At this time, shouldn't he be packing up his things at the governor's mansion and preparing to leave early tomorrow morning?
"Lord Xie is drunk and just smashed the wine jar. Now he is sitting in the corner in a daze." Wu Shi added.
Xu Qinghe was wearing a veiled hat with a layer of gauze around it that hung down to her waist.
Even so, she was afraid that Xie Qi would recognize her.
After all, that person's eyes are very poisonous.
She hadn't intended to care about it, but when she was about to leave, another wine jar was smashed.
Xu Qinghe: “…”
She remembered what Governor Qin said, that all the strong liquor in the city had been brought into the Governor's mansion in recent days.
Although I know this person won't do anything stupid when he's drunk, it's still better to be on the safe side.
No matter what, he is the leader of the Southern Border Army.
"Go and see how he is. If he is alright, go find him in the building and send him back to the governor's residence."
To be honest, Xu Qinghe had never seen Xie Qi truly drunk in his entire life.
This man is a military general after all. Although his father has long established military regulations prohibiting drinking in the army, when a group of military generals gather together outside the military camp, what else can they do besides drinking?
Even during the New Year when my father, Uncle Xie, and the three brothers of the Xie family got together, they would drink.
Therefore, Xie Qi has always had a good alcohol tolerance. At least in front of Xu Qinghe, he has never been drunk and always maintains his composure and sobriety.
But this time it was different. The man was so drunk that even a female warrior couldn't pull him up from the ground.
Xu Qinghe went over with another martial servant. She carried two lanterns and asked two people to carry Xie Qi out.
It's quite scary to be in such a corner and suddenly make a noise.
They made the person lean against a tree beside the street. After just such a short walk, both waitresses were slightly out of breath.
She had planned to leave one person by her side and have the other go and report the news, but drunk people like to talk nonsense and tell the truth.
Xie Qi leaned against the tree trunk, holding a jar of wine tightly and refusing to let go. He called Qinghe again and again, and occasionally called her "Madam".
The two waitresses looked at them strangely.
Xu Qinghe's face darkened and he felt ashamed.
I shouldn't have chosen this pseudonym. It's really hard to tell the difference between Qinghe and Qinghe sometimes.
"Well, you two can go together."
She handed over a lantern. Although this left her alone with a drunk Xie Qi, she was not afraid as long as they were in Lanzhou.
The night wind whistled past, blowing out the candle in the lampshade.
The surroundings immediately fell into darkness.
Although he said he was not afraid, he was actually still a little nervous in the dark. Xu Qinghe wondered whether he should move closer to Xie Qi.
Even though he is a drunkard now, he is also a drunkard with great martial arts skills.
Before she could come to a conclusion with the struggle between her conscience and her desires, Xie Qi over there had already woken up after a short nap. Xu Qinghe could hear the sound of him getting up by supporting himself with the tree trunk.
A little scared.
His eyesight has always been very good at night. What if he recognizes me?
Just say it was a chance encounter along the way.
However, Xie Qi just leaned against the tree and coughed again, and then seemed to be groping for something.
He took out a tinder from his pocket and blew on it, but no light appeared.
There was no moonlight today, and the candlelight around him had been blown out by the wind. His vision was completely dark, and he could not see anything.
He heard the breathing of others around him, so he asked, "Excuse me, could you lend me a lighter?"
The man didn't respond.
Xie Qi didn't force it. When he looked up, he could see a dim light in the distance. It should be a busy neighborhood. The candles were still on. Maybe he could find a lantern.
He stood up and stumbled over there.
But because he couldn't see the road clearly, he didn't know what was in front of him. He bumped into a tree, then a wall, and then tripped over a stone on the road and fell to the ground.
He rubbed his eyebrows, shook his head to get rid of the drunkenness, and continued walking.
After he walked away, Xu Qinghe blew out the fire stick in his hand and lit the lantern in his hand.
The person in front was still walking on his own. The road was not good and there were always scattered stones. He stumbled every three steps and fell every five steps.
Xu Qinghe raised his hand and threw the fire starter in his hand out with force.
Xie Qi's hearing is still very good now. After hearing the sound, he stopped and groped towards the place where the fire starter fell.
When he touched the tinder, he blew it to light it and looked back.
Xu Qinghe's heart was slightly lifted.
But he didn't recognize her, he just said "thank you" to her from a distance.
With the light in his hand, the man walked much more steadily.
Xu Qinghe pursed his lips.
Xie Qi used to have good eyesight.
When he was young, he could take advantage of the night to avoid the palace guards and wait in front of her boudoir window to coax her not to be angry anymore.
Later in the capital, he was a man who could sneak into the palace and break into her room under the cover of night.
How could she be stumbling around in the dark now, and even unable to recognize who she is from such a distance?
Perhaps he was pretending. He knew it was her from the beginning, so he deliberately played a trick.
Or maybe...
Xu Qinghe suppressed his thoughts in time.
Anything else may have nothing to do with her.
**
The next morning, before dawn, as soon as the city gate opened, Xie Qi set out to leave Lanzhou.
Since he no longer had the will to ride a horse despite being seriously injured, Xie Qi asked He Yu to get a carriage.
He Yu was driving a car outside. He hadn't slept all night last night, so he took a nap in the car.
"Where did you go last night, General? I waited outside your door all night but didn't see you."
He Yu's puzzled voice could be heard amid the bumpy sound of the carriage rolling over the gravel road.
Inside the carriage, Xie Qi was still awake, holding an exquisite fire starter in his hand.
After a while, he brought the tinder to his nose and sniffed it, then carefully put it in his arms.
"I got drunk in the tavern and didn't come back. I have a headache, so I'll take a nap first. Call me back in the evening."
They did not travel fast along the way, and they just arrived in Yingzhou at dusk.
Xie Qi asked He Yu to park the carriage while he went to pay and book a room, planning to stay in this small town tonight.
He Yu came back and saw the sign with the room number in his hand. He was puzzled: "Why are the two rooms so far apart?"
Xie Qi rubbed his brow, looking very tired: "It's good enough to have a place to stay, you still want to pick?"
Knowing that the general had been in a bad mood these days, He Yu didn't dare to say much. After dinner, he went back to his room obediently and lay down on the bed to rest.
After driving all day, he was really tired.
Xie Qi didn't go to bed. He just rested his head at the table, as if he was waiting for someone.
A quarter of an hour later, a cough was heard outside the door.
He opened the door and outside was his other deputy general, Chen Tai.
Before entering the room, Chen Tai looked around again to make sure that no one noticed him before entering the room.
He said succinctly, "General, we've found out there's something fishy going on at the Cuiyu Pavilion in Lanzhou City. The person who reported our military situation to Nanyi State is hiding there. Also, He Yu did go to the Cuiyu Pavilion during the days he took leave."
Xie Qi poured a cup of hot tea for Chen Tai and held a cup in his own hand.
He Yu was the one he rescued from the bandit's lair after he woke up a year ago. The boy was very thin at that time, but when he saw him, he wanted to repay him and insisted on joining the army to stay by his side and take care of his daily life.
Seeing his sincerity, Xie Qi agreed.
But it was from then on that people in Yingzhou began to secretly transport weapons and horses to the Nanyi Kingdom.
At that time, the only two people left in the Nanyi Kingdom were Nan Mingzhao and the fourth prince from the people. The two were evenly matched in the court. Xie Qi planned to take advantage of their discord to defeat Nanyi in one fell swoop.
However, when someone discovered the transportation of weapons and horses, they unraveled the mystery and found out that someone had been secretly communicating between Yingzhou, Lanzhou and Nanyi Kingdom for many years.
Judging from the time, it should have started shortly before he set out for Nanyi Kingdom.
So in the past few years, he is not the only one who has been restraining his edge and hiding his strength.
But for a moment he couldn't tell whether the other party was his old rival Nan Mingzhao or the Fourth Prince whom he had never met.
Since the only clue now was He Yu, whose appearance at a very suspicious time, Xie Qi simply brought him to Lanzhou with great fanfare to raise money, but secretly asked Chen Tai to bring people to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Now the target is directly aimed at Lanzhou Cuiyu Restaurant, and he should have stayed to investigate the matter thoroughly.
But he had been away from the army for too long, and there were some military affairs that he still needed to deal with, so he had to return to Yingzhou first.
As for Lanzhou...
After a while, Xie Qi spoke, "You and your men continue to investigate here. Besides that, you...take good care of the princess. Always prioritize the safety of the princess...and those around her. Report any problems immediately."
"yes."
After the important matters were explained, Chen Tai did not move.
Xie Qi frowned: "If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why are you hesitating?"
Chen Tai asked, "I heard someone say that the dam in Yunya County was damaged?"
Xie Qi remembered that Yunya County was the hometown of Chen An and Chen Tai.
In previous years, the southern part of the country was rainy in summer, with heavy rain often lasting for more than ten days. When the rain was heavy, the embankments were destroyed, causing floods.
And so far, there seems to be more rain in Lanzhou this year.
“That’s true.”
Xie Qi nodded and continued, "But the most important dam has already been rebuilt under the personal supervision of Governor Qin. The rest will also be taken care of when the new Governor takes office."
"What kind of person is the new governor sent by the court?" Chen Tai was silent for a moment and asked again.
Before joining the army, their family was just an ordinary family in the county. Their parents told them that most of the officials sent by the court were just sycophants who only took office and enriched themselves. The money for building the dam was a huge sum of money, so who wouldn't be greedy?
The governor Qin was a good official, but this new official from the court might not be.
Xie Qi did not pay attention to the new governor of Lanzhou, so he did not know anything about it.
"But the princess is in Lanzhou now. If the new governor does nothing, she will not ignore it."
Chen Tai breathed a sigh of relief, then retreated and returned to Lanzhou under the cover of night.
Xie Qi couldn't sleep.
He slept too much during the day, and now whenever he closed his eyes, all he saw was Xu Qinghe.
The adorable little princess when she was young, the charming little princess when she was a teenager, the cold and dignified princess when she grew up, and the distant and indifferent Boss Xu after the reunion.
My heart and eyes are filled with her.
At the banquet yesterday, many people opened the wooden box he had given as a gift. Actually, the things he gave were nothing special. They were just some common things used in official social gatherings. They were not valuable, but they looked good when given as a gift.
But hers is unique.
He knew that the girl would never open the box in public, but he was still looking forward to it when she picked up the box.
I hope she will open the box and make public the things that were once part of their love.
He hoped that everyone would know that they were once a pair of lovers who depended on each other and loved each other deeply.
Even if she deliberately brought her child with another man today, it would not change this fact.
But she didn't after all.
So what if she doesn't have it? It's enough as long as those things stay with her, reminding her at all times that she once loved Xie Qi.
He didn't want to let go, but now she had another man and no longer needed him.
She is happy now, so why should he disturb her?
What's more, Nan Yi is still alive, and even he himself doesn't know what his future will be like. Why should he force her to give up her original happiness and peace?
But no matter how hard I try, I still can't give up.
He had decided that she would be his wife since she was so young, but he never imagined that such a happy situation would last less than a year.
Xie Qi and Xu Qinghe were supposed to be together in life and death.
…
Returning to the camp the next day, Xie Qi handed the money he had raised to a military advisor under the prince who was in charge of finances.
"Replace the weapons of the remaining soldiers, and get another 20,000 war horses. The armor General Shen brought last time was very good, and replace it for the soldiers in the cavalry battalion. As for meals, from now on, you can have meat for one meal a day."
When he woke up a year ago, the holes in the army had been almost patched up, and Fu Zongying also ordered people to replace a batch of weapons and armor for the soldiers in the army.
But when people have more money, of course they want better.
Half a year ago, Xie Qi used the money from his men to replace most of the soldiers' weapons. Now that he had new money, he naturally had to replace the rest, buy a batch of armor, and improve the food.
The military advisor who received the money weighed the banknotes in his hand and was overjoyed: "As expected of a general, you have made so much money in just one trip to Lanzhou. Not to mention one meal a day, we can all eat meat every day from now on!"
With him taking the lead, all the generals began to praise him.
Xie Qi shook his head: "There is someone else you should praise."
The generals asked who it was.
Xie Qi looked at all the generals in the camp one by one.
Among these people today, some were people trusted by the prince, his father and his brothers back then, while others were people he trusted very much in the capital later on.
But even so, when it came to Xu Qinghe, he subconsciously didn't want to talk much with others.
He shook his head, asked some people to leave, and asked others about the specific situation of the group at the border.
After explaining the situation, a general concluded, "It looks like a group of Nanyi people disguised as a merchant caravan."
Xie Qi thought, this person must not be one of Nan Mingzhao's subordinates.
That guy thinks he is a noble man and would never do such a sneaky thing.
But just in case, he decided to go and find out the truth himself so that he could respond more quickly.
"By the way, how's the investigation going on with the person in the portrait? Are there any leads now?"
“General, you forgot. This matter was handed over to General Shen for investigation. She is not here today.”
Xie Qi lowered his eyes.
Chen Yueying is not here today because today is his second brother's death anniversary.
In fact, he can also supervise these military affairs in Lanzhou. After all, these generals are now his confidants.
But since today is his second brother's death anniversary, he has to come back no matter what.
Xie Qi looked tired and asked everyone to leave.
After a short rest, he changed into a plain robe and went to the Yingzhou Heroes' Tomb.
Like the princess, Shen Yueying is a rare female general in the army with excellent martial arts and talent. Even though she is a woman, she can convince the soldiers.
When Xie Qi arrived at the Hero's Tomb, Shen Yueying, who was also dressed in plain clothes, had already drunk two jars of wine while leaning against his second brother's tombstone.
The two said nothing, just nodded to each other in greeting.
Knowing that she was talking to her second brother, Xie Qi stood not far away and waited.
"Okay, you two brothers can catch up."
After drinking the last sip of wine in the jar, Shen Yueying patted the tombstone and stood up to leave.
At dusk, Xie Qi came back from the Hero's Tomb and met Shen Yueying alone.
It was late spring in March and the weather had not yet warmed up completely. Especially once the sun went down, the wind became chilly.
Xie Qi put on a cloak and asked someone to lift up the curtains of the tent.
He and Shen Yueying sat across the table from each other. Even standing outside the tent, one could see that there was a distance of several feet between them.
"I couldn't find any trace of the person in the portrait in the three southern states, so I sent people to sneak into Nanyi Country to look for him. Can you guess who the person in the portrait is?"
Shen Yueying sat in a bold posture, drank a glass of fine wine, and looked expectantly at Xie Qi opposite her.
Xie Qi pondered for a while: "The fourth prince of Nanyi Kingdom."
"Smart."
Shen Yueying was surprised: "I've been looking for it for so long, and you guessed it right away?"
It’s not that he is smart, but when he was in Lanzhou, Xu Qinghe asked the governor Qin to convey the matter about the person in the portrait on his behalf.
"The Imperial Guard heard the man's subordinates call him 'Your Highness'."
Shen Yueying nodded, took another sip of wine, and asked, "I've completed everything you asked me to do. Do you have any other instructions?"
Xie Qi shook his head.
Now he was more and more certain of the identity of the caravan. Most likely, it was the Fourth Prince's men. What's more, maybe it was the Fourth Prince himself.
Therefore, he had to check it out himself.
Chen Yueying drank the wine, raised her eyelids to glance at the cloak on him, and frowned: "It's this time of year, and you still need to wear that?"
Xie Qi agreed.
Chen Yueying frowned even more tightly: "Is it because your body hasn't recovered yet?"
Xie Qi still agreed.
Chen Yueying smiled. "Isn't it your own fault for not following the doctor's advice? Uncle Fan told me everything about Lanzhou, and he even told me to discipline you. Don't you think this is something I can manage?"
She looked around. It was the time when the soldiers were resting after dinner, and there were ears everywhere.
"Have someone lower the curtain. I have something to tell you, a private matter." She lowered her voice.
Xie Qi frowned: "No."
Men and women must be very careful and cautious.
Chen Yueying glared at him: "I am your second sister-in-law, and I went through the six rituals with your brother!"
Xie Qi: "That's why we must be more polite."
Chen Yueying muttered, "How come he's even more pedantic than your brother was back then..."
Although she couldn't avoid people, as the daughter-in-law of the Xie family, she still had to ask some questions: "Did you see her when you went back to Jizhou this time?"
She didn't specify who it was, but Xie Qi already knew.
After a moment of silence, he nodded.
"How is it? Have you two decided on your marriage?" Shen Yueying asked happily.
Since she didn't really marry the person she loved, she hoped that others could do the same.
Unexpectedly, the person in front of him turned pale, and finally said sadly: "Sister Yueying, she has married someone else and has a daughter."
With a "bang", Shen Yueying slammed the table, causing the wine cups on the table to tremble and most of the wine to spill.
"How is that possible?!"
The way the little princess looked at their third brother when she was young was so full of love, how could she marry someone else?!
Xie Qi smiled bitterly: "Don't blame her, I was the one who pushed her away first."
Shen Yueying had experienced all of this and could understand it, and the shock in her heart disappeared in an instant.
Sighing, she said, "Have you told her everything that happened over the years?"
Xie Qi shook his head: "It's not a big deal, why bother worrying her."
Chen Yueying: "Half of my life is not a big deal? In the eyes of you Xie family, lying in the ground is a big deal?"
She didn't know what she remembered, but the anger that had just subsided in her heart immediately flared up again. Finally, she couldn't sit still anymore, so she slammed the table again, stood up and strode out of the tent.
"Sister Yueying."
Xie Qi called her.
"If you see her again in the future, don't tell her those things. Don't scare her."
Shen Yueying felt annoyed and responded casually with "I know".
But what he was thinking in his heart was, just wait, as soon as she sees the princess, he will tell her everything that has happened over the years!
【Author’s words】
Shen Yueying has appeared in previous lines
These two chapters are basically transitions. We’ll meet in the next chapter. Kiss me quickly!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
