177 Close at hand
"Don't be mad at me this time, okay?"
Heat waves were rolling on the long street.
Because it was noon, there were few pedestrians on the street, and even the stall owner was sitting on a chair, fanning himself dejectedly.
There was the sound of horse hooves in the distance. It turned out to be a man and a horse galloping towards them, raising a cloud of dust.
The owner of the wonton stall could only vaguely see a black shadow passing by, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Immediately afterwards, another horse, also very fast, caught up.
The man on horseback chased after him, shouting, "General... Sir, your wounds haven't been bandaged yet, please wait!"
Xie Qi turned a deaf ear and just raised his whip and rushed forward.
The scorching sun and heat waves were hitting his face, but they couldn't stop him from wanting to see Xu Qinghe immediately.
Whether it hurts or not, whether it’s poisonous or not, it’s no longer important at this moment.
There was only one important thing for him to do now, and that was to see her.
Meet Xu Qinghe.
He didn't know what to say after seeing her. Should he say sorry, sorry for not being by her side in such a difficult time?
Or should I say thank you for going through so much difficulty to give birth to a child with him and raising Ping An so well?
However, all the plans in his mind vanished the moment the horse stopped in front of Xu's house.
He immediately dismounted and ran to the main courtyard. He circled around but did not see her shadow, not even the little girl Ping'an.
"Where are the lady and the young lady?"
When he went out, he happened to run into Indigo coming towards him, and Xie Qi asked anxiously.
Because of her negligence, Lord Xie misunderstood the princess's intentions and ran away from home. Indigo still feels a little guilty when facing him now.
Then he lowered his head and whispered, "My wife is not here. She just left the house."
"Where did you go? When did you leave?"
Indigo replied, "Madam didn't tell me where we were going, only that we were going to Jizhou. We've been gone for about two hours."
Jizhou.
That means we should go back to the princess's mansion.
It had only been two hours, he was able to catch up.
Xie Qi was about to take a step to chase after her when he suddenly remembered Ping An and stopped to ask, "Is the young lady awake? Is she okay?"
Indigo smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, my dear. The young lady woke up in the afternoon of the day you left. She was frightened, but after drinking some tranquilizing soup, she's fine. But she was sad for a while because she didn't see you after waking up."
Thinking of his daughter's pitiful appearance with her head down and her lips pouting, Xie Qi couldn't help but smile.
"What about the lady? Did she leave any words for me before she left?"
Indigo's smile froze on his face, and he stammered, "The Madam must have left in a hurry, without leaving a single word."
He first put his daughter in danger and then left without saying goodbye. It was understandable that the girl didn't want to pay attention to him.
But even so, Xie Qi still couldn't hide his disappointment.
Since you are feeling disappointed, you should meet her as soon as possible and explain the reason to her.
While Chen Tai was chasing the general, he was caught up by his brothers in the barracks, who reported an important matter.
When he finally arrived at the door of Xu's house with a whip in his hand, he happened to see the general striding over the threshold. His body was like a gust of wind, and he jumped onto the horse in the blink of an eye.
In the blink of an eye, the man was running forward again like a gust of wind, whipping his horse.
Chen Tai immediately urged his horse to give chase, shouting as he went, "Sir, there's urgent news from the army! Urgent news, General!"
However, the general's horse was a very good one, and even though he shouted at the top of his lungs, the general, who was only a shadow left, could not hear a word.
All that was left in Xie Qi's ears was the whistling sound of the wind.
He whipped the horse quickly, and the horse obviously understood its master's mood and ran as fast as it could.
After leaving the city gate and heading north, you will reach the territory of Jizhou.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Xie Qi's originally fair face was tanned red by the sun, but his lips were pale.
He was sweating, but it was cold sweat, and his back was wet, but it was blood, not sweat.
The wound on his waist relapsed, and he could no longer raise the whip.
On the wide road ahead, the shadows of a group of vehicle frames can be vaguely seen.
It must be Xu Qinghe and his group without a doubt.
At this moment, his wife and daughter should be hiding comfortably in the carriage.
They only had to lift the curtain to see their husbands or fathers walking across countless miles to come behind them.
"Mom, it looks like Dad."
When Ping'an stuck her head out to look at the scenery, she suddenly saw a figure galloping on horseback following closely behind them.
The figure was getting closer and closer, and it was clearly his father.
"Mom! It's really Daddy! Daddy is here to see us!"
Xu Qinghe still held a grudge against this person for being petty and running away from home. Upon hearing this, he snorted coldly and said coldly, "You know what to do now."
But Ping'an clearly saw that her mother's fingers tightened around the pages of the book.
Her father taught her that this is called saying one thing and meaning another. Her mother always likes to say one thing and mean another.
Ping'an didn't dare to laugh at her mother, so she stuck her head out again and waved to her father with a smile.
"Daddy! Daddy! Ping An is here!"
“…”
Hearing her daughter's excited voice, Xu Qinghe knew that Xie Qi was right behind her.
She could no longer hold the pages of the book in her hand, and even her heartbeat inexplicably quickened, and the air in the car became increasingly hot.
She had just grasped the round fan in her hand and was about to fan it when she heard her daughter ask in confusion, "Huh? Why did Daddy stop?"
Xu Qinghe paused, and before she had time to think, she heard her daughter say aggrievedly, "Mom, why does Daddy seem to be turning around and leaving?"
The little girl retracted her head and looked at her mother with tears in her eyes.
Xu Qinghe also lifted the curtain behind her to look. Passing the crowd of people behind the car, she unexpectedly met Xie Qi's eyes in the scorching air.
He looked at himself deeply, then turned his horse around and galloped away.
“…”
Even with just a glance, the man's rosy cheeks, pale lips, and the slight wetness on his waist were all imprinted in her mind.
Xu Qinghe took the crying little girl into her arms, fanning her and comforting her: "If he doesn't come, we won't want him anymore. Mother, can you take Ping An back to the princess's mansion to meet my aunt who has come from Kyoto?"
The little girl sniffed and asked softly, "Aunt? Is that Aunt Jing'an who always sends gifts to Ping'an?"
Xu Qinghe reached out and scratched his daughter's nose, then smiled and said, "Yes, that's her. Ping An, just stop missing Daddy, okay?"
Ping'an hugged her mother for a long time before finally nodding heavily.
"become!"
If her father doesn't come to see her and her mother, she won't miss him!
**
At the end of the Xu hour, Xie Qi rode back to the Yingzhou military camp at full speed, his wounds on his body were already badly broken.
Doctor Fan sighed while quickly treating his wounds.
Finally, he asked Doctor Fan for some painkillers.
A quarter of an hour later, Xie Qi put on his armor and headed to the training ground.
Except for the generals and soldiers who are defending the border lines and those with important tasks, all the remaining soldiers of the Southern Border Army are concentrated here.
From a distance, it was a sea of people, even more lively than the Lantern Festival in Kyoto.
The difference is that the soldiers in the army are all well-trained. Not only are they wearing armor and looking energetic, but they all have solemn faces. Even if the commander-in-chief is unable to be present, they all stand in unison and remain silent.
When Xie Qi arrived, everyone bowed and called him "General".
These two short words almost resounded through the sky.
It was sunset at this time, and the red crow had lost its sharp edge, hiding half of its body behind the mountain.
The sky is shrouded in orange-red clouds.
Xie Qi walked step by step to the center of the training ground and saw Qi Sheng, the commander of the imperial guards, whom he had not seen for five years, sitting on the martial arts stage with several people dressed as eunuchs.
The former is solemn and the latter is leisurely.
Seeing him coming, the eunuchs snorted and said in a pinched voice, "The Marquis is finally here. We really kept you waiting for so long."
Xie Qi pursed his lips, glanced at Qi Sheng, and said coldly, "If I'm not mistaken, the person next to you should be the Prince Consort. Now the Prince Consort hasn't said anything yet, but the eunuch has already picked up Qiao. Could it be that the one who came here to announce the decree today is not the Prince Consort, but you, the eunuch?"
As he spoke, his voice became softer and his expression became colder.
He was a man who was decisive and ruthless on the battlefield. Now that his face was gloomy, his eyes were even more terrifying, as if he wanted to hack someone to death.
The eunuch shrank his neck and dared not say anything more.
The few eunuchs who came here today were only for surveillance. The one who actually read out the imperial edict was naturally Qi Sheng, the most trusted son-in-law of Emperor Yongshun.
Xie Qi had already anticipated the content of this decree.
At that time, he signed a military order in front of Emperor Yongshun, stating that Nan Yi must surrender within five years, otherwise he would bring his head to him.
Now five years have passed. Although the Southern Emperor and two other princes have died in Nanyi, Nan Mingzhao is still eyeing the southern border with the intention of establishing grand plans.
Emperor Yongshun was unhappy and naturally wanted to punish him.
Therefore, the content of the decree was nothing more than asking Qi Sheng to take over the Southern Border Army and "invite" Xie Qi back to Kyoto.
As soon as the words "imperial order" were uttered, there was an uproar in the training ground, and even several commanders could no longer keep their composure.
In terms of public affairs, Shen Yueying is a general in the southern border, so he naturally would not watch his master being stripped of his military power and taken back to the capital.
Personally, he was her third brother. Even for Xie Heng and Qinghe, she couldn't let this imperial decree fall.
Chen Yueying stepped forward and asked loudly, "Your Majesty, what is your intention? Why are you sending a son-in-law who knows nothing about our Southern Border Army to take over the Southern Border? And why are you sending our Southern Border's chief general back to the capital?"
The eunuch who had been following the prince consort immediately glared at her and angrily scolded her for being so bold.
“General Shen, you must not be rude.”
Xie Qi stopped him gently, but then looked at Qi Sheng and put on a faint smile: "But my Lord, what our General Shen said is not without reason. If you want to take over the Southern Border Army, you have to make everyone convinced, right?"
Qi Sheng met his pointed gaze, paused, and nodded, "What good plan do you have, Lord Marquis?"
Xie Qi didn't say anything, but Chen An suggested, "Why don't you have a duel between the Prince Consort and our general right here on the martial arts stage? If the Prince Consort can defeat our Marquis, we will naturally be convinced by him."
The eunuch beside him was not happy: "The Prince Consort has come a long way and hasn't even rested yet, how can we compare? Even if the Marquis wins, it's not a fair victory!"
Chen Tai also said: "Our general was seriously injured a few days ago while bravely doing something righteous, and he hasn't recovered yet!"
Seeing that the two sides were about to quarrel, Xie Qi looked at Qi Sheng with a smile: "What do you think, Prince Consort?"
Qi Sheng pondered for a moment and finally nodded.
Several eunuchs retreated from the martial arts stage, their hearts in turmoil.
Logically speaking, their prince consort was the top martial arts scholar of that year, and later became the prince consort most valued by His Majesty. Naturally, he must have real skills.
As for that Marquis Xie, he was a fool when he was in Kyoto. Later, when he returned to the battlefield in the southern border, he always lost the battle. It was clear that he was just an embroidered pillow that looked good but was useless.
But this is someone else's territory after all. If the other party wants to use underhanded tricks, they really have no way to deal with it. They can only hope that their prince consort can adapt to the situation.
Several eunuchs were worried, but they never expected that their prince consort was in cahoots with Lord Xie.
The two men on the stage fought with bare hands for countless rounds. Finally, Qi Sheng was not paying attention and failed to dodge, and was hit in the chest by Xie Qi's heavy punch, causing him to spit out blood immediately.
The soldiers below the stage immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
The eunuch's face darkened.
"No, no, that doesn't count. Our Prince Consort is good at using a broadsword. Let's have a sword competition!"
Qi Sheng wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and glanced at the eunuch's face.
The eunuch shrank his neck but did not give in.
He is a close confidant of His Majesty, and this trip is specifically to support the Prince Consort on behalf of His Majesty. No matter who it is today, he is not afraid!
The two men then took out their weapons and started fighting.
"Commander Qi, if you don't get seriously injured today, even if you lose this battle, the eunuchs will still find other excuses to force you to continue fighting until you can successfully take on the Southern Border Army."
During the close combat between the two, Xie Qi lowered his voice.
Qi Sheng blocked his spear with his backhand and whispered, "Then I'll be seriously injured."
Xie Qi responded, and after a moment he found an opportunity, raised the spear in his hand slightly, and stabbed it into Qi Sheng's right shoulder.
Blood immediately gushed out of Qi Sheng's shoulder, the long knife in his hand fell to the ground, and he soon fell to the ground.
He closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious.
The scene was chaotic for a while.
Chen Yueying quickly ordered people to carry the prince consort into the camp for treatment, while several eunuchs hung their heads and stamped their feet in regret.
"The Prince Consort is seriously injured. What should we do? Not only can we not take over the Southern Border Army, but we are also accused of instigating and seriously injuring the emperor's relatives!"
"How did the royal family get seriously injured? Everyone can see clearly that it was Marquis Dingnan who seriously injured the Prince Consort. What does this have to do with us?"
"Yes, what does it have to do with us?"
"Stop talking and go check on the Prince Consort. If anything happens to the Prince Consort, both you and I will be in trouble."
However, Qi Sheng's attendant kept everyone out of the tent on the grounds that the prince consort needed to rest.
In the main tent on the other side, Xie Qi was being scolded.
"I was wondering why the general, who normally would remain calm even when cutting away rotting flesh, suddenly asked me for painkillers today. Well, it turns out he's planning to challenge the Prince Consort. Look at how badly the wound has been torn! Look, just look at it!"
Doctor Fan was cleaning Xie Qi's wound while cursing.
Xie Qi turned a deaf ear to him and thought he was talking nonsense.
"The general is injured. I've always told him to rest and recuperate, but has he ever listened? Not once! If I can't control the general, I should find someone who can! I should ask my wife to come over and keep a close eye on the general. Let's see if you dare to act recklessly despite being injured!"
Xie Qi, who was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly smiled.
"Uncle Fan, if you can find her here, I will do whatever you say in the future and never dare to act rashly again."
He had clearly caught up with the girl this morning. He was only a few steps away from rushing in and hugging the mother and daughter.
But urgent news came from the army, and Emperor Yongshun actually issued an imperial edict to him. He had no choice but to return to the camp.
When he turned his horse around, the girl's clear eyes showed neither sadness nor joy, but they were deeply imprinted in his heart.
First he didn't take care of his daughter, then he left without saying goodbye, and now he turned away when he was so close to her. This time, the girl will hold a grudge against him even more.
Because the general always disobeyed the doctor's orders, Doctor Fan secretly added something to his medicine.
Anyway, the prince consort is now unconscious, and General Shen and his men can handle it, so there is no need for a general.
So when Xie Qi opened his eyes again, it was already dusk the next day.
He had a headache after sleeping and allowed Doctor Fan to change his dressing.
However, a word from Chen Tai outside the tent made him completely sober.
"General, General, the Madam is here and will soon be outside our Yingzhou City!"
Xie Qi suddenly got up, put on his clothes hastily, and jumped onto his horse.
I can’t believe that Uncle Fan actually did it!
“…”
Only Doctor Fan, who was still holding the best medicine in his hand, was standing there, still confused about what was going on.
Outside the city gate, smoke and dust were billowing, and indeed a nobleman's carriage was slowly approaching.
Xie Qi stopped his horse at the city gate and waited for the carriage to approach. He saw the sign of the Princess's Mansion on the carriage at a glance.
A moment later, the car door opened, revealing Xu Qinghe in a sky-blue dress.
She stood on the shaft of the cart, covered in a layer of orange-red clouds, and looked over with a clear gaze.
Even though there was no expression on that beautiful face, just seeing her could make Xie Qi's heart flutter.
He immediately dismounted, walked to the front of the carriage, and held out his hand to her.
In full view of everyone, Xu Qinghe actually put half of his palm into his palm.
Just as he touched the thin callus on his palm, the man took the opportunity to pull him into his arms and then held him sideways.
"Xie Qi! What are you doing?"
As he spoke, Xie Qi took a step forward and actually carried her onto the horse again.
The clatter of horse hooves could be heard, but it couldn't suppress the chuckle above my head.
"This is not the place to talk. I have a lot to say to you."
"Don't be mad at me this time, okay?"
【Author’s words】
The harvest fell again [lemon] The sky fell again [burst into tears]
But it’s almost finished, it should really be finished [Lemon]
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