Chapter 25
Chen He noticed that Wang Ding's expression changed, but he didn't think much about it.
"Thank you for your protection, sir." Chen He said.
"I just heard that the man is called General Gongzi. Is he the General Wang from the Wang Family Army?" Chen He lowered his eyes, with a hint of tentativeness in his eyes.
Wang Ding didn't realize that Chen He was testing him, and he felt a little lonely when he heard her distant address.
Yeah, she didn't know him.
"Miss, you should have heard that person's call, right?" Chen He understood with a rhetorical question.
Wang Ding first met Chen He when he was nineteen years old.
When Wang Ding went to Hengyuan Temple to burn incense, he met Chen He. At that time, it seemed that she followed the Chen family to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha.
Wang Ding noticed Chen He because of the coldness and indifference in her eyes. Wang Ding had seen many lively people, but he had never seen such a decadent person.
Later, he went out for a drink with Young Master Zhao and ran into Chen He again. Wang Ding recognized Chen He quickly because he had seen her at Hengyuan Temple.
Chen He was holding a jug of wine, her cheeks slightly flushed. Wang Ding noticed her soft, watery complexion, her eyebrows slightly raised, her eyes smiling, and her eyes suddenly sparkling, much more so than at the temple. From a few steps away, Wang Ding could see Chen He's expression clearly. The woman's expression was a bit like those of the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls he had met before: delicate, lively, and full of energy.
Finally, Wang Ding saw her being taken away by a woman.
Afterwards, Wang Ding checked Chen He's identity and learned that she was a niece of the merchant Chen family. Her parents had both passed away and she was now living with her uncle.
The third time Wang Ding met him was at Li Zheng's birthday banquet. Prince Zheng had invited dancers and musicians from Qingyuefang to his birthday. Among them, Wang Ding spotted Chen He. Even though she was veiled, Wang Ding could tell one of the musicians was her.
Chen He played "Wish to Return with You," a piece Wang Ding had heard before. The original tune was resoundingly solemn, but Chen He's rendition, while maintaining the same style, offered a touch of melancholy upon closer listening. The person playing this piece had, in fact, added their own personal touches.
Wang Ding was suspicious of Chen He's infiltration into Prince Zheng's birthday banquet, but later discovered that she liked Prince Zheng. Wang Ding felt uncomfortable and a little sad.
Later, Yuanxia and Zhouchu were at war. The emperor appointed Wang Ding to lead the Wang army to fight against the enemy. After a year of fighting, the two sides reached a stalemate. With Zhao State watching closely, the two countries agreed to a ceasefire.
Before Wang Ding left, he heard the news that Prince Zheng was going to take Chen He as his concubine. At that time, Wang Ding didn't know whether he felt more regret or sadness.
After all, it was the first time he liked a woman.
"How did it become like this?!" Before Wang Ding put on the veil for Chen He, he noticed the abnormalities in Chen He's legs and feet, and the injuries on Chen He's face, and asked worriedly.
During his time back in the capital, Wang Ding discovered that Chen He had not married Li Zheng, and that she had been sold to Qingcheng Pavilion to pay off the Chen family's debts after the family ran into trouble. He also heard that Li Zheng's fiancée had been behind the scenes, and Wang Ding felt a certain resentment towards him, believing that Li Zheng had betrayed Chen He.
When Chen He heard Wang Ding's worried words, he didn't think much about it and replied, "I'm fine, it's just..." Chen He paused and glanced at his legs casually.
Before Chen He could finish speaking, Wang Ding squatted down and pinched the injured part of Chen He. Chen He groaned in pain.
Although the beauty is in a dishevel, she is still beautiful.
The night breeze was gentle, and the lights on the roadside were shining. Wang Ding saw Chen He biting her lower lip with tears in her eyes, looking pitiful.
The long-lost heartbeat from a few years ago was awakened again.
"I'll take you to the clinic first." Wang Ding grabbed Chen He's wrist and wanted to help her walk.
"General Wang, there might still be those people at the clinic."
Chen He would undoubtedly have been injured if she had jumped from the second floor, so she would definitely need medical attention. The madam would have sent people to guard various medical clinics. As for why Qingcheng Pavilion went to such great lengths to capture her, Li Zheng's unmarried princess had a lot of influence in the matter.
After hearing this, Wang Ding thought about it, then took Chen He to the restaurant and asked the waiter to call a doctor.
"Don't let these legs touch water. Be careful when bathing. This one is for wiping your face, and the other one is for cleaning the wounds on your legs..."
Chen He sat in a chair, listening to the doctor's nagging instructions, looking at the night outside, and thinking about what his master had told him.
The story of Chen He marrying Li Zheng was fake, and the purpose was to cause trouble in the Du family and delay the wedding.
Ever since Li Zheng rescued Chen He from human traffickers at the age of five, she knew her life depended on him. Li Zheng sent people to teach her many things, but not martial arts. When Chen He asked why, Li Zheng explained that some missions required people without martial arts skills.
When Li Zheng took Chen He to the capital under the pretext of the Chen family, he killed the original Chen He and replaced him.
Chen He had been in love with Li Zheng for many years. When she learned that Li Zheng wanted to take her as a concubine, she asked him to cause dissatisfaction in the Du family in order to delay her engagement with the Du family.
Although it was fake, Chen He hoped it was true, because then she would be one step closer to him in name only.
The Du family's daughter was known for her fierceness. Seeing that Li Zheng was about to bring Chen He back to the mansion, she hated Chen He and started to pester him. Li Zheng got the result and took advantage of the situation, delaying the wedding for a few years.
This made the Du family's daughter resent Chen He and she fanned the flames and sent Chen He to Qingcheng Pavilion. However, Li Zheng seemed to be unaware of this and ignored the matter.
During the days Chen He stayed in Qingcheng Pavilion, she wondered if Li Zheng had given up on her, but Li Zheng was the master, and he had the final say in her life. However, Chen He wanted to preserve her chastity.
But today, Li Zheng sent someone to tell her to escape on her own tonight. If she could meet Wang Ding, she should go back with him and make other arrangements later.
Chen He pondered for a moment. She didn't know the significance of Li Zheng's actions, and why he had met Wang Ding. Chen He was puzzled, but she still did as she was told.
After the doctor left, Chen He knelt down in front of Wang Ding.
"Thank you for saving my life, General. Now I have nowhere else to go. I am willing to serve you like a slave."
"What's wrong with you? Don't you want your legs anymore?!" Wang Ding looked at Chen He who was kneeling down, quickly pulled her up, and said angrily.
"General, I have no way to repay your kindness today. If I can serve you as a servant, it will be considered as a repayment for your kindness."
Chen He acted as if he was going to get up if you don't agree. Wang Ding held his forehead and said helplessly, "Get up. Your leg injury is more important. I agree."
Wang Ding looked at Chen He's stubborn face, which was somewhat similar to the one in the temple, but also somewhat different.
——
Chen He was brought back to Wang Ding's mansion and assigned to the study. Her daily chores were to clean the study, and sometimes she would just help Wang Ding grind ink.
Because of the ceasefire with Zhou and Chu and the promise of marriage between the two countries, Yuanxia is currently stable and Wang Ding stayed in the capital.
Chen He stayed in the palace for three months, but his master had not yet made any arrangements for him, so he just worked as a servant in the palace obediently.
Ever since bringing Chen He back home, Wang Ding would run to the study whenever he had nothing to do. Everyone in the mansion knew that General Wang treated the woman he brought back very differently.
When word of this reached Li Zheng, he sighed, "As expected, a hero is often tempted by a beautiful woman. My move was just right." The gloomy voice was like a cold midnight breeze, chilling one to the bone. Li Zheng glanced at the note in his hand, then crumpled it up and tossed it into the lake.
At the birthday banquet, Li Zheng noticed the way Wang Ding looked at Chen He. He sent someone to investigate and found out that this person had also investigated Chen He. Fortunately, he had dealt with the original Chen He.
On New Year's Day, Chen He met the person sent by Li Zheng. The person handed Chen He a packet of medicine powder and told Chen He to give it to Wang Ding to eat.
Chen He reached out his hand hesitantly, and finally took it.
"This is Crane Wind Powder, a highly poisonous substance. The master has commanded that he must die."
"Yes." After Chen He finished speaking, she didn't even realize that she was reluctant to leave Wang Ding.
Chen He's hands trembled slightly. She wasn't sure if the panic she felt was from nervousness or fear, perhaps a combination of both. She struggled with the thought of killing Wang Ding, as he had treated her so well. For the first time, he had made her feel cared for and cherished.
Chen He had lived her life according to Li Zheng's orders. She learned instruments, dance, and many other things, all in preparation for becoming a qualified "weapon." When she was with Li Zheng, Chen He felt like she was in the dark, only able to glimpse a glimmer of light from him. But in the palace, Chen He experienced the warmth and kindness that Wang Ding brought her.
Wang Ding would buy Chen He lots of pastries, pay attention to her moods, respond to her words earnestly, and share many interesting stories with her. These things might seem ordinary to others, but for Chen He, they were something she had never experienced before. She felt emotions beyond heartache and loneliness: sincerity and cherishment. Before this, she had never eaten pastries given to her by others, never had anyone paid attention to her words, and never had anyone shared anecdotes with her.
In Chen He's previous world, there was only Li Zheng and loneliness.
Chen He was wavering. When he heard footsteps outside, he panicked and stuffed the powder in his hand into his belt to hide it.
Wang Ding came back today to tell Chen He that he wanted to marry her.
During these days, when Wang Ding was getting along with Chen He, he would unconsciously want to know more about her, and would fantasize about living with her. What's more, he even fantasized about having a child with her.
"Ah He, I want to marry you." This sentence caught Chen He off guard.
Wang Ding pondered this for a long time. Lately, whenever this thought occurred to him, he'd been avoiding Chen He, fearing it was an impulsive thought.
These days, Wang Ding finally figured it out: since it was her, why hesitate?
Wang Ding gave Chen He a day to think.
Somehow, Li Zheng got wind of Wang Ding's plan to marry Chen He, and he made Chen He change her plan and marry Wang Ding. After all, it's easier to trust someone who's right beside you.
Chen He was shocked when she heard the news. She was just a pawn of his.
Li Zheng wanted Wang Ding to die, but it would be too easy for him to die immediately. He had been planning to destroy Wang Ding's Wang Family Army for a long time.
Wang Ding was shocked and delighted when Chen He agreed to marry him. Chen He, watching Wang Ding happily embrace her, felt a pang of guilt. Wang Ding's decision to marry her was something she hadn't expected. But so what? She was only his temporary wife. One day, she would leave, and he...would probably die, right?
Thinking of this, Chen He gently hugged Wang Ding with both hands.
——
In the months after Chen He and Wang got engaged, Chen He had been waiting for news from Li Zheng. When he heard that Li Zheng was an envoy sent to Zhou and Chu to participate in the drafting of a friendly treaty between the two countries, Chen He suddenly relaxed a lot.
After marrying Wang Ding, the way they get along has not changed much.
A month after the marriage, Wang Ding was sent to suppress bandits. He was almost covered in wounds, especially his right arm, which was cut by a knife. He was unconscious and carried to the general's mansion.
Upon hearing this, Chen He's expression remained calm, unremarkable. However, her steps were hurried, making it difficult for the maidservant to follow. As Chen He walked, a sense of fear flooded her mind, causing visions to flicker before her eyes. They were all images of Wang Ding. There was the gaze as he handed her the plum blossom cake, the affectionate look in his eyes during their wedding, and the look of disappointment when she turned coldly towards him...
Fortunately, everything is fine.
Chen He has been taking good care of Wang Ding these days, as a way of repaying him before she leaves.
After Wang Ding woke up, he nursed for half a month and his wounds were almost healed. However, he did not tell Chen He that his right hand could move and continued to enjoy Chen He's feeding service. It was not until the truth was exposed that Chen He discovered that Wang Ding had lied that he became angry.
"General, your injury has healed, why did you lie to me?" Chen He said calmly.
Even though his hand was healed, he still asked her to feed him and give him medicine, deliberately tormenting her.
Wang Ding saw Chen He staring at him angrily. He seemed to have never seen her angry before, but he felt that he was getting closer and closer to her. Wang Ding looked at Chen He and said with a smile, "Come here, I'll tell you."
When Chen He heard this, he didn't want to go over, but when he saw the tenderness in Wang Ding's eyes, Chen He unconsciously took a step forward and went over.
Wang Ding stared at Chen He, then took a step in front of Chen He, lowered his head and kissed Chen He's forehead devoutly.
For a moment, Chen He was stunned.
"Why would I lie to you? This is the answer." After Wang Eng got engaged, he answered Chen He's question with a sincere and burning look in his eyes.
A bee was buzzing outside the house, and the house suddenly became silent.
Chen He no longer cared about the answer at this point. He glared at Wang Ding angrily and almost ran out of the room.
——
These days, because of that kiss, Chen He has been avoiding Wang Ding. Chen He spends almost the entire day locked in his room, not knowing what to do except writing and drawing.
"Madam, you have been writing and drawing like this for a long time. Why don't you go out for a walk?" The maid saw Chen He pick up the pen and write something, as if to vent.
Outside the door, Wang Ding looked at the closed door in front of him, holding a hairpin with a lonely look on his face.
He was turned away again.
The maidservant next to them saw the two of them acting like this for the first time and thought they were having a minor argument, so she tried to persuade them, "Madam, won't you go out and see the general?"
"No." The angry words reached Wang Ding's ears, but made him smile.
Well, we still have to take it slow.
——
On June 18, Li Zheng came back and asked her to steal the defense map.
Chen He had been searching for the whereabouts of the defense map these days, and she would occasionally approach Wang Ding to ask him questions, which made Wang Ding notice her abnormal behavior.
Coincidentally, Wang Ding was summoned to the palace by the Emperor, leaving his keys behind, giving Chen He an opportunity. Although Chen He felt it was too much of a coincidence, she still spent an entire afternoon anxiously searching for the defense map, and she finally found it. But, things had gone a little too smoothly, Chen He thought.
Chen He originally planned to escape after finding the defense map, but things did not go as she wished.
When Chen He walked into the yard, he ran into Wang Ding. He looked at Chen He silently, as if he had known everything for a long time, his eyes full of sadness and disbelief.
"So, you're Li Zheng's man." He should have understood long ago. No wonder she suddenly cared about where he went. He thought she was starting to care about him, but he was overthinking it.
Some time ago, Wang Ding received news that Chen He was a secret guard trained by Li Zheng. At the time, he was skeptical. But the day before yesterday, Wang Ding learned that Li Zheng wanted Yuanxia's defense map as a condition for Zhou Chu's help in seizing power in Yuanxia. Wang Ding wanted to use this to test whether Chen He was Li Zheng's ally.
Wang Ding stared at the defense map in Chen He's hand, his angry eyes piercing Chen He's heart, causing Chen He to take a few steps back and clench the thing in his hand awkwardly.
"Are you marrying me because of Li Zheng? For this defense map?" Wang Ding looked at Chen He holding the defense map tightly, and he understood what was going on, his face livid.
"Yes." One word was enough to make Wang Ding fall into the abyss.
Chen He had never considered marrying Wang Ding. They were not of the same ilk, destined to have no intersection. They shouldn't have known each other, shouldn't have known each other. If they had, she wouldn't have felt so sorry.
Chen He raised his eyes and looked at Wang Ding coldly. He felt cruel in his heart and while Wang Ding was not paying attention, he drew his sword and pointed it at him.
"You want to kill me?" Wang Ding looked at the sword in Chen He's hand, his voice becoming hoarse. He then sneered, "Chen He, you are quite heartless."
Chen He was slightly stunned after hearing this.
Many years ago, she had said the same thing to Li Zheng, but she never imagined that one day these words would apply to her.
The two men drew their swords and crossbows, and the stalemate lasted for a long time.
Night gradually fell. The dusk cast a shadow over the two people's silhouettes. They met each other's eyes, one cold and distant, the other sad and angry.
Chen He knew she had to leave this place no matter what. She didn't know how Wang Ding would deal with her, whether to imprison her or stab her to death. But no matter what, she wanted to survive, and leaving was the best option.
"If you dare to kill me with a sword, I will let you go." Wang Ding looked at Chen He with a defensive face and a sword pointed at him. He wanted to know whether Chen He would kill him for Li Zheng.
When Chen He heard Wang Ding's words, he looked up at him in astonishment.
Is Wang Ding crazy?!
She had no martial arts skills and only a sword in her hand. In fact, if Wang Ding took action, she would definitely die. This made Chen He doubt the truthfulness of Wang Ding's words. She was worried that there was a trick, so she hesitated to move her hands.
Wang Ding watched Chen He ponder the possibility of his words, and his heart sank. He got the answer he didn't want.
Chen He took advantage of Wang Ding's distraction and stabbed him in the right abdomen.
"I'm sorry, General Wang." Chen He stabbed Wang Ding with her sword, and then her mind frantically told her to draw her sword quickly and not stab him. So she didn't use too much force.
Because her hands were shaking so badly, she threw the sword to the ground.
"Are you really leaving?" Wang Ding covered his wound, hunched his back, and stared at Chen He with red eyes as he resolutely left.
"Yes." Chen He closed his eyes and threw the thing in his hand to the ground as if he had accepted his fate.
She regretted why she didn't poison him earlier. Maybe she wouldn't marry him, and she wouldn't end up like this. She wouldn't feel sad and helpless, and these emotions wouldn't be magnified.
Wang Ding watched Chen He throw down the defense map, and suddenly he was also confused about her.
"If you don't stop the bleeding, you will die." Chen He looked at Wang Ding covering his wound. In the dim light that had not yet faded, he saw that the blood from Wang Ding's wound was all over his hands and waist, and he said this subconsciously.
When Wang Ding heard this, he laughed out loud for the first time in his life, which gave people a sense of misery and chill.
"But, this is you who stabbed it..."
Haha, how ridiculous...
Chen He felt a little pain in his heart when he saw Wang Ding like this. He then touched his chest with his hand to cover up the sudden pain in his heart.
For a moment, Chen He thought back to the time when Li Zheng rescued her as a child. Her only wish back then was for someone to feed her, someone to take her away so she wouldn't starve or get kicked. She'd always longed for more warmth, forgetting how lucky she was to have met Li Zheng and Wang Ding.
Things didn't go her way, so she chose her first kindness and her first wish—to live. Chen He walked out step by step, her steps steady yet eager.
With this sword, he was dead.
Wang Ding looked at Chen He's receding back, his eyes already moist.
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