Chapter 49
At the border, there is only one person who can be called "Young Marshal" - General Mu's grandson, the new leader of the Mu family army, Mu Yunqing.
Although Yue Mingming had just arrived, he had heard of it before.
It’s because the Mu family is too famous!
Foreign tribes often invaded the Lingzhou area, and the people suffered terribly. It was not until General Mu, known as the "reincarnation of the Flying General", took charge again that peace was briefly restored. Therefore, there has always been a saying on the border that "they only recognize the Mu family army, not the emperor."
Now that the old general is nearly seventy years old, his temper has become increasingly eccentric, and he has the demeanor of a saint who does whatever he wants. Most of the military affairs are left to Mu Yunqing.
Although he was young, he did not bring disgrace to his family. In just a few years, he had reorganized the army into an orderly manner. His spear made the enemies tremble in fear. He never lost a battle with foreign tribes, which was something even the old generals had not achieved. As a result, the reputation of the "Young Marshal" became more and more famous, and everyone in Lingzhou knew him and respected him.
Unfortunately, Yue Mingming has no good feelings towards the Mu family.
After Zhao Congyun arrived, no one from the Mu family showed up among the reception officials. Zhao Congyun then invited them many times, hoping to meet with the old general or the young marshal, but all his invitations fell on deaf ears.
Such a blatant rejection was really unpleasant. Zhao Congyun rarely showed his feelings, and he always frowned when the Mu family was mentioned, not to mention Yue Mingming, who couldn't hide things like that.
So even though Mu Yunqing saved her, she didn't give him a good look. She reluctantly clasped her fists towards the young man in sable fur and leather armor, and said no more.
Zhang Duo and his companions were even more uneasy. They didn't know why the young marshal went to the mountains to hunt wild boars. They were even more afraid that their robbery would be exposed and bring shame to the Mu family army.
The atmosphere was tense for a moment, and then Mu Yun chuckled and said, "Today is New Year's Eve. I have nothing to do, so I wanted to add some wild game to the old general's table, so I came out to try my luck! Fortunately, I met you all. Later, please help me carry this prey back and we can split it equally. It's a perfect extra dish for New Year's Eve. What do you think?"
Zhang Duo and his companions repeatedly refused. How could they dare to split the prey with the young marshal? Yue Mingming, however, agreed: "Why are you being so polite? He definitely can't carry such a heavy thing back by himself. You contributed, so isn't it normal for you to share a piece of meat?"
She turned to Mu Yunqing and said, "I can't lift the wild boar, but look here, here, and the eyes... I shot them with arrows, so shouldn't I get a share?"
Mu Yun nodded lightly: "My lady's archery skills are outstanding. If it weren't for these injuries, I probably wouldn't be able to kill her with one strike... I'll give you the biggest piece later!"
Yue Mingming accepted the proposal arrogantly, causing the people behind him to frown.
On the way back, Zhang Duo naturally refused to let Mu Yunqing help them carry the wild boar, so Mu Yunqing took An Nian and carried him on his back. Yue Mingming kept looking back, fearing that this man would attack An Nian... The group of people had their own thoughts and finally returned to the city before dark.
When they arrived at the market, Zhang Duo was familiar with the place. He found a butcher to remove the bones and meat of the wild boar and clean it up neatly. He gave two large portions to Mu Yunqing and Yue Mingming, and kept the remaining three small portions for themselves. He also gave some leftovers to the butcher as a gift.
Mu Yunqing left for a moment and returned with several jars of liquor, distributing them to everyone. Zhang Duo and the others were so excited that they thanked him repeatedly. Yue Mingming was not polite either. He handed the jar of liquor to Anian and snatched the small portion of meat from Huo Lianying's hand, giving him his share in exchange: "Take good care of your wife!"
Huo Lianying was a crybaby, and seeing that he was about to cry again, Yue Mingming quickly clasped his fists and said, "The mountains and rivers remain unchanged, and the waters flow forever. We will meet again, my heroes!" After saying that, he pulled Ah Nianti and ran away without looking back.
She was actually afraid that Mu Yunqing would discover her identity.
She may lose face, but her prince cannot be looked down upon!
Yue Mingming was worried and walked in a hurry. When he turned the corner, he almost bumped into someone. He looked up and saw that it was the unlucky Marshal Mu!
He was carrying a small portion of the same kind of meat and looked at her with a smile.
"Why did you change your share?"
"My lady, you are very righteous. I will follow your example. Besides, there are only my grandfather and I in the general's mansion. We can't eat that much."
"Oh...that's great!" Yue Mingming praised perfunctorily, "Then goodbye...it's not on our way anyway!"
"How do you know it's not on your way, my lady?" Mu Yunqing took a step forward, his smile growing even brighter. "Prince Jia's residence is only two blocks away from the General's Mansion. Would you mind if I could take you back?"
*
Zhao Congyun felt that Yue Mingming was very different tonight.
She brought back the best wine and meat, but she never boasted about it. She was humble and quiet, as if she had been taken away from someone else's home.
Uncle Dong prepared a large table of New Year's Eve dinner and was now discussing with Anian what filling to use for the dumplings. Yue Mingming sat there stupidly, putting the hazelnuts in his hand into his mouth without even cracking them open, and it seemed that his back teeth were about to be damaged.
Zhao Congyun suddenly raised his hand and pinched her cheek, and put his other hand to her mouth: "Spit it out."
Yue Mingming was obedient for once, spitting out the whole hazelnut intact. Zhao Congyun then gave her a peeled one and asked calmly, "Who did you meet when you went out?"
!!!
Yue Mingming looked at Ah Nian in fear, as if he were facing a formidable enemy. Ah Nian quickly said, "...I didn't say anything!"
Uncle Dong laughed beside him and said, "He was fine before he left, but when he came back he looked like he had lost his soul. Not to mention the prince, even I could see it!"
Yue Mingming glanced at Zhao Congyun guiltily. Seeing him sipping his tea calmly, he mustered up the courage to say, "Then I'll tell you...it's New Year's Day, don't lose your temper with me!"
"Today there's a guy...who seems interested in me!"
Zhao Congyun swallowed his tea without even looking up: "What do you mean by 'interested in you'?"
"I just like me!"
"who?"
"Mu Yunqing!"
Uncle Dong spilled the flour all over the floor and looked at her with wide eyes: "Madam, are you talking about... the young commander of the Mu Family Army?"
Yue Mingming stole a glance at Zhao Congyun's face and angrily said, "If it's not him, then who is it?"
"What did he do to you?" Zhao Congyun's tone was uneven, and he was pinching walnuts in his hands intermittently.
"He winked at me!" Yue Mingming was certain: "A Nian saw it too, didn't he?"
Before Anian could think of how to answer, she saw Zhao Congyun couldn't suppress his smile.
"Hey hey...what do you mean? Aren't you mad that someone likes me? Or do you think I made it up to tease you?"
"Who said I wasn't angry? Look," Zhao Congyun spread out his palms, "I crushed the walnuts!"
Yue Mingming: "You're a cardboard walnut... Even Ah Nian can crush it with his bare hands!"
Zhao Congyun picked up a large walnut kernel and placed it in her palm: "So, are you 'interested' in him?"
"Of course not! I'm very loyal, okay!"
"That's all!" Zhao Congyun slapped the leftovers from his hands and said, "Why should I bother myself with such trivial matters?"
Yue Mingming chewed the walnut kernel silently. It was fragrant, but because of the thin layer of skin, it was still somewhat bitter, just like the slight sense of loss in her heart at the moment.
Zhao Congyun saw this and paused before saying, "Come with me to the backyard. I'll show you something! I wanted to stay until the New Year's Eve, but I was afraid you'd be too sleepy later..."
Yue Mingming was stunned: "A New Year's gift? But I didn't prepare any for you!"
Did she really forget about this? Did people in ancient times also give gifts during the New Year? Was she still going to prepare New Year's money for Ah Nian?
Zhao Congyun smiled slightly, put the fox fur cloak on her, and pulled her out without saying anything.
Winter nights at the border are always extremely cold, but also extremely beautiful.
In the silent night sky, stars poured out, scattering into an eternal and brilliant galaxy, a scene that could never be seen in the capital. Zhao Congyun stood in such a world and lit thousands of fireworks for her.
That was a scene that Yue Mingming would never forget.
Fireworks exploded in the air. The moon was as white as silver, as red as refinement, and as gilded as boiling water, dyeing the dark night into glass. The stars in the sky suddenly lost their color. Only Zhao Congyun's pair of sparkling eyes staring at her were hotter than fireworks.
"Mingming, since we met, we've been wandering all the way. That was the path I should have taken, not yours. But because I refused to let go, you stayed with me. I think I'm so lucky to be able to marry you, even if we can't be together in the future—"
"I……"
Yue Mingming tried to interrupt him, but he gently pressed the corner of his lips. "You don't have to promise me anything, and you don't have to regret your choice... I'm not saying this to keep you. This fireworks display is the betrothal gift I owe you, and it also reflects the feelings I often can't express. In the past, all I wished for was for the mountains and rivers to be safe. Now, the vast starry sky and the moon over the border desert are witnesses. In my heart, you are as important as the mountains and rivers."
He leaned over and whispered in her ear: "I'm not used to making promises, but I promise you... I will never let you down in this life!"
The embers of fireworks were still reflected in Yue Mingming's pupils, and every word of the oath was weighty in her ears. The crisp scent of pine snow and sulfur on Zhao Congyun's body mixed together and penetrated into her nose, tampering with the dark memory of gunpowder from last time.
She felt like her heart had been drifting in the world for many years, and tonight it had finally found its home. From now on, she could no longer count the days until her return, and could devote all her energy to loving someone.
"Then do you want to hear my wish?" Yue Mingming held Zhao Congyun's hand, trying hard not to let his voice tremble.
"From now on, I want you and the mountains and rivers to be safe."
Zhao Congyun's pupils trembled slightly, with joy and sadness in his eyes, as well as bottomless desire. Yue Mingming pulled his clothes, slowly leaned over, and gave him a serious kiss on the lips.
Zhao Congyun's breath was choked, and his throat moved slightly. When he reacted, the cold yet slightly sweet person was exactly the person he had fantasized about countless times in his dreams. His palms involuntarily covered Yue Mingming's neck, and his lips went from probing to taking the initiative. All his rationality collapsed at this moment, and he responded to her uncontrollably.
What night is tonight?
Fireworks are falling all over the sky, foreign troops are ready to move, and the life and death of the loyal king is uncertain... Nothing can stop the lovers from kissing under the starry sky.
Whether in games or in reality, everything in the world exists because of love.
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