Chu Xia's observation was correct; coming out of the large tent did indeed involve traversing a lot of yellow earth. If one were to walk on it, their shoes would definitely be covered in thick mud, unlike how clean they are now.
However, as soon as Murong Xi left the tent, Jing Zhe carried her away and put her down when they were almost outside Liangzhou City. Outside Liangzhou City was a withered grassland with no soil.
That's why she was a little flustered.
Seeing Chu Xia's surprised expression, she realized that she had overreacted and grabbed a handful of her hair to hide her panic.
Her outstretched hand immediately drew Chu Xia's attention.
"Your Majesty, where is your white phoenix hairpin?"
The white phoenix hairpin was passed down from the late emperor. Although no one has made any regulations about it, all the people of Yueyao Kingdom know what this hairpin represents in Yueyao Kingdom.
Could it be that it got lost after spending the night outside?
Ah~
Murong Xi thought for a moment, then feigned surprise and reached out to touch it.
"It seems to be really gone... Could it have been lost on the road?"
Murong Xi had never acted before, so her acting was a bit exaggerated. Chu Xia, watching from the side, noticed something was off, but didn't point it out. However, she became even more curious about what happened after Murong Xi and Jing Zhe were taken away yesterday.
"Your Majesty, how did you escape?"
"Us..."
As Murong Xi pondered this, her gaze drifted unintentionally toward Jing Zhe's direction, where she saw Liu Jinghong naturally nestled into Jing Zhe's arms.
With his back to the city wall, Jing Zhe affectionately pinched Liu Jinghong's cheek. Because he was a head taller than Liu Jinghong, the people on the city wall couldn't see his actions at all. However, Murong Xi was standing to the side, and the enthusiastic scene was like a live broadcast.
Something's not right!
Although Liu Jinghong is his sister, isn't this behavior a bit too intimate?
They don't look like siblings, they look more like...
spouse?
Thinking of this possibility, Murong Xi felt it was even more likely. Although siblings could be very close, these two were excessively close, and the expressions on their faces didn't seem like those between siblings at all!
At this moment, she recalled the conversation between Huyan Lie and Babu in the main tent earlier, in which one sentence seemed to imply that none of his sisters were his biological sisters!
If she's not my biological sister... then what kind of sister is she?
Suddenly, Murong Xi seemed to wake from a dream, and realized the truth.
If they were a normal sibling relationship, then both Liu Jinghong and his other sisters would definitely want to see him doing well.
And what about myself?
She's not ugly—in fact, she's exceptionally beautiful, not inferior to Liu Jinghong.
She must be of high status—the Empress of Yueyao Kingdom! If she were to marry him, he would certainly gain face!
But he said that if he married her, his sisters would be angry and dissatisfied. The only explanation was that they were in a romantic relationship, which was why they didn't want him to marry them!
Having figured all this out, Murong Xi stood there, her heart filled with mixed emotions, unsure of what she was thinking.
Seeing Murong Xi's brows furrowing and relaxing, and finally staring at the scene of Jing Zhe and Liu Jinghong embracing in deep thought, Chu Xia gently nudged her.
"The Empress, the Empress?"
Ah~
Murong Xi then came to her senses, her expression returning to its previous aloofness, and her gaze becoming calm.
"Yes, thanks to Young Master Jing, I was able to escape today. Once we reach Jingzhou, I must inform His Majesty Emperor An..."
He then succinctly recounted everything that had happened in the main tent. Chu Xia listened, speechless with astonishment, and her gaze towards Jing Zhe became much more complicated. She had previously tried to fight Jing Zhe to the death, feeling that he was insulting her…
Now it seems that my skills are only good enough to humiliate him by challenging him to a duel…
...
If you count carefully, it's been more than two months since Liu Jinghong and Jing Zhe parted ways in Jingzhou. They just met yesterday, but before they could even enjoy some time alone together, Jing Zhe was taken away by the heavy cavalry regiment in danger.
To be honest, even though Liu Jinghong trusted Jing Zhe and thought he would definitely return safely, she still felt very guilty.
If he hadn't come to Liangzhou, he wouldn't have encountered danger...
So when Jing Zhe finally returned, she could no longer control the emotions she had suppressed for so long. She didn't even care about the many cavalrymen watching from the city wall behind her, and threw herself into Jing Zhe's arms.
Jing Zhe deeply sympathized with her thoughts.
So Jing Zhe responded to her enthusiastically, and after lovingly stroking her face with both hands, he gradually felt a sense of dissatisfaction.
Liu Jinghong was startled.
Although they had parted ways in Jingzhou that night, everything that was supposed to happen between her and Jing Zhe, except for the final step, had already happened. She could accept it even if Jing Zhe's hands were a little more unruly.
The key issue is that now is not the right time!
Especially since the gazes from beside her were so intense, Liu Jinghong was afraid of giving herself away, so she quickly reached out and pressed Jing Zhe's hand down. After thinking about it, she still felt it was inappropriate, so she simply knocked it away.
"Zhe'er, someone's watching..."
"Heh, let them look. I'm not afraid anyway."
Jing Zhe didn't care. He came to Liangzhou to give Liu Jinghong an explanation. He wasn't afraid of being found out. Besides, he didn't even need to turn around to know that the cavalry on the city wall listened to Liu Jinghong, and the sect disciples on the city wall were all his disciples and grand-disciples. What was there to be afraid of?
"Don't worry, they won't dare look. Anyone who dares to look will—"
"What about Young Master Jing?"
Jing Zhe turned around and realized that everyone on the city wall had turned their heads away in perfect unison, and no one was looking at them.
There were two "light bulbs" beside him, and the brightest one was looking at him with a serious expression.
"Forehead…"
Jing Zhe was a little embarrassed: "I just have to let her take a few more glances, haha..."
Jing Zhe chuckled awkwardly, while Liu Jinghong straightened her clothes and walked to Murong Xi's side, asking with concern, "Is the Empress alright?"
"Thank you for your concern, General Jinghong. I am fine."
Murong Xi spoke calmly, her gaze lingering on Jing Zhe almost imperceptibly, before explaining, "This time, we have to thank General Jinghong a lot."
"Thank me?"
"Yes, General Jinghong has a good younger brother. If it weren't for Young Master Jing accompanying me, I wouldn't have been able to return, and Yueyao Kingdom would probably have suffered as a result."
So, Murong Xi told Liu Jinghong what she had just told Chu Xia, but Jing Zhe was too busy being intimate with Liu Jinghong to talk.
Therefore, Liu Jinghong was so surprised when she heard this that her mouth dropped open.
If what she said is true, it would be great news not only for Yueyao Kingdom, but also for An Kingdom and Liangzhou.
————
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