Zheng Dinglian rode his warhorse and engaged in a thrilling battle with the enemy leader. The two sides were evenly matched, and during the fight, almost no one dared to approach them.
Seeing that the fierce battle had lasted for half an hour without a clear victor, Zheng Dinglian resolutely and deliberately revealed a slight opening. As expected, the enemy leader fell for the trap and seized the opportunity to stab Zheng Dinglian in the chest. Zheng Dinglian, however, used the opportunity to counterattack, thrusting his sword tip straight at his opponent's waist.
The enemy leader stared incredulously at Zheng Dinglian's chest, where a gleaming gold gleamed beneath the ripped armor.
Zheng Dinglian drew his sword, and blood gushed out like a fountain as the enemy leader fell unwillingly. Taking advantage of the moment, he swung his sword and beheaded the enemy, raising the head high above his head and shouting to the battlefield: "The leader of the Northern Di has fallen by my sword! Why don't you surrender now!"
Upon hearing that their leader had been killed, the soldiers of Beidi were thrown into disarray, abandoning their weapons and fleeing in panic.
The Western Wei warriors pressed their advantage, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
The battle did not end until dawn.
Looking at the corpses and blood scattered all over the ground, Zheng Dinglian instructed Mo Lin: "Properly collect the remains of our fallen brothers, cremate them, and send them back to their homeland. As for the corpses of those Northern Di traitors, burn them all and scatter the ashes."
Mo Lin was horrified when he saw the huge wound on Zheng Dinglian's chest: "Your Highness, you're injured?"
Zheng Dinglian ripped open his collar: "It's nothing. My wife gave me a piece of gold-threaded soft armor, and I didn't expect it to come in so handy."
Mo Lin was dumbfounded: "Golden silk soft armor?! Madam's generosity is too much!"
Zheng Dinglian gently patted the clothes and said calmly, "Women are so meticulous and worried about my safety. They insisted that I wear them, but I feel a little uncomfortable wearing them."
Mo Lin frowned and pursed his lips.
Your Highness, if you hadn't sounded so boastful, I might have actually believed you.
Zheng Dinglian glanced at him sideways: "What? Jealous? If you're jealous, have your partner make one for you too."
Mo Lin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and chuckled dryly, "My meager resources are hardly enough to forge such a precious item. However, I must say, this soft armor is truly miraculous; otherwise, the young master would surely have met his end today."
Zheng Dinglian snorted coldly: "I deliberately exposed a flaw to make that thief careless. Otherwise, if the battle continued, the casualties of our soldiers would only be greater."
The longer the battle dragged on, the heavier the casualties would be. The fighting strength of the Northern Di army far surpassed that of the Western Wei soldiers, and the Western Wei was only able to resist them by virtue of its numerical advantage. As time went on, the situation became increasingly unfavorable for the Western Wei.
That's why he chose this strategy.
Mo Lin advised, "Your Highness is taking too much risks. If it weren't for the golden silk armor protecting you..."
Zheng Dinglian said dismissively, "It's just a knife wound. Getting injured on the battlefield is commonplace."
Mo Lin couldn't help but advise, "Your Highness, you must not take such risks again. Although killing the enemy is important, your own safety is even more crucial. If anything happens to you, the morale of the army will definitely waver."
Zheng Dinglian glanced at him sideways: "Since when have you become so nagging? Go and deal with the battlefield." Helpless, Mo Lin had no choice but to retreat dejectedly.
Zheng Dinglian gazed intently at the devastated battlefield, his fingers gently tracing the worn soft armor beneath him, a faint smile involuntarily playing on his lips.
His mind drifted to images of her at the Prince Duan's residence, wondering if she had tamed the spoiled servants. And what of his unreasonable mother and unruly, willful younger sister…
At this thought, Zheng Dinglian suddenly felt a pang of guilt. The complexities of the Duan Prince's mansion were far too heavy for an eighteen-year-old girl. What would she do if she couldn't cope?
At this moment, Gu Qinlan, whom he was thinking of, was fast asleep, completely unaware that a man thousands of miles away was silently longing for her.
The next morning, Xiaoman rushed over to report: "Madam, the eldest young lady wrote another letter last night and had her personal maid, Dahan, secretly send it out of the mansion. I followed Dahan and found that she went to the official post station, presumably to send a letter to the young master."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly and praised, "You are indeed meticulous in your work. Fuyu, give this girl ten large coins as a reward."
Xiaoman's eyes curved into crescent shapes as she said happily, "Thank you for your generous gift, Madam."
Fuyu took out ten large coins and handed them to Xiaoman. Xiaoman thanked Gu Qinlan again and then happily left.
"Miss, that person must have written to the prince to complain again."
Gu Qinlan said casually, "She suffered such a great injustice yesterday, it would be strange if she didn't complain."
Gu Qinlan was surprised that Zheng Huiyi did not seek help from Princess Duan. It seemed that she had already harbored resentment towards Princess Duan, to the point that she would even choose to stay away when seeking help.
When it comes to Zheng Huiyi, Gu Qinlan only has one word to describe her: troublesome. Although she's not exactly wicked, she's been pampered since childhood, lacks critical thinking, and acts rashly without considering the consequences. However, this girl is actually very loyal and devoted.
In her past life, the Duan Prince's Mansion faced a major crisis, with the entire household imprisoned. Zheng Huiyi's already troubled in-laws demanded that she sever all ties with the Duan Prince's Mansion, or face divorce. It was this headstrong girl who resolutely chose divorce, determined to stand with the Duan Prince's Mansion through thick and thin.
It was this incident that made Gu Qinlan look at this girl in a new light.
But this does not mean that she will be lenient towards Zheng Huiyi because of the affection from her past life.
Now, she shares a room with Zheng Huiyi, and she must subdue Zheng Huiyi.
After all, she would never allow herself to be bullied by anyone in this lifetime.
Hongye asked, "Miss, should I go and intercept that letter?"
After all, yesterday's incident caused quite a stir. Although Zheng Huiyi was troublesome, she was still related to the Crown Prince by blood. Gu Qinlan had made her suffer so much yesterday, and the Crown Prince might harbor resentment towards Gu Qinlan because of it.
Gu Qinlan waved her hand: "No need."
She had no expectations for this marriage to begin with, so if Zheng Dinglian became dissatisfied with her because of it, or even proposed to divorce her, it would not be a loss for her.
That's perfect, she no longer needs to get entangled in the trivial matters of the Prince Duan's mansion.
Hongye knew that her young lady had made up her mind, so she said no more.
Just then, a maid came to report that Zheng Huaiyu had come to pay his respects to Gu Qinlan.
The maids inside the room were all surprised.
It should be noted that their daughter had been married into the Prince Duan's mansion for more than half a month, but apart from Zheng Fengyun, who lived in this courtyard, the other two young masters in the mansion had never paid their respects.
This sudden change was like the sun rising in the west. Only Gu Qinlan, Fuyu, and Hongye understood that Zheng Huaiyu had been forcibly brought here by Granny Zhang.
As expected, the moment Zheng Huaiyu stepped across the threshold, her face was filled with reluctance.
However, she still bowed to Gu Qinlan with utmost care: "Your daughter Huaiyu respectfully greets Mother."
Zheng Huaiyu's performance in this greeting ceremony was passable, but her movements were stiff and her expression was bitter, falling short of the required standard.
With a serious expression and a firm tone, Granny Zhang said, "Miss, there is something inappropriate about this etiquette. Please perform the etiquette again."
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