Chapter 257 Mandarin Ducks
Meng Xingyuan had thought that he would be leading five thousand strong and capable soldiers, and that his frail and aging body might be ridiculed and looked down upon by the elite troops. However, upon seeing these "elite soldiers," he realized that he was not so badly capable of being their general.
After all, there were quite a few people among them who looked older than him, and the younger ones were either disabled or so weak that they looked like they could be blown away by the wind.
The weapons were all axes and spears; there weren't even swords or knives.
Meng Xingyuan recalled what Eunuch Chu had said about bandits being a rabble, and realized that this term was more fitting to describe the "elite troops" he had led.
The emperor really went to great lengths to assemble such an army.
The soldiers were all dejected and their morale was completely gone.
Meng Xingyuan gave a wry smile, mustered his spirits, and managed to say a few polite words before leading this group of like-minded people on their journey to Guandu Prefecture.
...
Hu Xiangjun has been away from the camp for three days.
They traveled during the day and found a suitable place to camp at night.
Because there were many infantrymen in the military camp, the cavalry was not fast, and Meng Lingge, Qiu Lan, and Lu Shui were able to keep up and never fell behind.
However, the girl's skin was delicate, and the long ride on horseback had chafed her thighs until they were red and chafed, and her face had also become a bit tanned.
That day, the troops temporarily set up camp in a place called Dong'an Village. After inspecting the defenses of the camp, Wen Zhiming returned to the tent he shared with Meng Lingge.
After lifting the tent flap, I saw a curtain hanging in the corner of the tent, and a hazy figure sitting behind the curtain, with a graceful and indistinct posture.
Wen Zhiming's eyes were as dark as ink. He coughed, covering his mouth. The figure behind the curtain was startled and staggered backward. Wen Zhiming quickly stepped forward and caught the person in his arms.
Meeting Meng Lingge's flustered and shy gaze, he chuckled softly, "What wrong have you done, my wife, that you're so frightened?"
"I thought it was some clumsy guard... Please put me down quickly." Meng Lingge explained as she pulled down her skirt.
Her inner thighs were badly chafed, and every step she took was excruciatingly painful.
Lu Shui prepared the medicine and, taking advantage of Wen Zhiming's absence, quickly hid behind the curtain to apply it.
Suddenly hearing a cough, she hurriedly tried to get up, but lost her balance and fell into Wen Zhiming's arms. Her skirt rode up, revealing her two fair legs and the shocking abrasions on the inside of her thighs to Wen Zhiming.
"Don't move." Afraid that she would aggravate her wound, Wen Zhiming simply picked her up and sat her down, picked up the medicine bottle that had fallen on the ground, and personally applied the medicine to her wound.
"Why didn't you wait for me to come back before applying the medicine? Your injury is so bad. Let's rest for a day tomorrow and leave the day after tomorrow."
He had noticed that Meng Lingge's gait was not as brisk as usual, and he knew that his wife's leg injury must have worsened, but he never expected it to be this serious.
"It's okay, you'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Meng Lingge blushed deeply. The location of the injury was too private, and she neither wanted Qiu Lanlushui to help nor felt comfortable letting Wen Zhiming apply the medicine.
The army was already moving very slowly to match the speed of the infantry, and if they rested too easily, it was unknown when they would reach the capital.
She was fine before Wen Zhiming mentioned the plan, but after it was confirmed that she was going to the capital, she was eager to go home and see her parents, brothers and sisters as soon as possible, and wanted them to be safe and sound.
Wen Zhiming said with a hint of helplessness, "My wife doesn't need to put on such a strong front in front of me."
Meng Lingge looked at Wen Zhiming and said, "It's not that I'm being stubborn, it's just that I'm a little worried about my family, so I don't want to delay my trip any further."
Her eyebrows have been twitching lately, and she's always worried that something bad is going to happen.
"Then tomorrow you will ride with me on one horse, and I will hold you in my arms." Wen Zhiming gently applied the medicine evenly, his breathing becoming a little heavier.
After applying the medicine, he immediately pulled down Meng Lingge's long skirt and looked away.
Meng Lingge wrapped her arms around Wen Zhiming's neck.
Her voice was unusually soft and gentle.
"No. What kind of decorum is it for a commander-in-chief to be carrying a woman while marching? He can carry her at night, but not during the day..."
“My wife has gone astray…” Wen Zhiming said in a low voice, “Once your leg heals, I’ll see how I punish you.”
He stood up, picked up Meng Lingge, and gently placed her on the bed, still not daring to look at her.
He gritted his teeth and turned to leave, but Meng Lingge grabbed his hand.
Meng Lingge had a face like a peach blossom and eyes like autumn water.
"Don't take a cold shower tonight."
Since leaving the camp to continue the journey, her legs had been bruised. Every night before sleeping with her, Wen Zhiming needed to take a cold shower to resist touching her.
Although it's only early autumn and not long enough to catch a cold, doing this every day is still harmful to your health.
For Wen Zhiming, Meng Lingge was irresistibly attractive even without doing anything, let alone now that she was half-undressed and had taken the initiative to invite him. How could he possibly resist?
Suppressing the urge to pounce, Wen Zhiming's eyes darted away, "But your legs will hurt."
That's what he said, but he didn't take another step.
Meng Lingge reached out and pulled him onto the bed. She moved to the edge of the bed herself and slowly put one leg off the bed.
Her face flushed crimson, she said, "That's it."
Wen Zhiming instantly understood, his eyes shining brightly, yet his movements were extremely gentle.
The two were very close, their eyes meeting. Meng Lingge felt her face burning with embarrassment, so she pointed to the candlelight.
Although Wen Zhiming liked Meng Lingge's coquettish manner, he still cooperated by extinguishing the candle flame with a palm strike so as not to embarrass her.
The room suddenly darkened, but the enchanting atmosphere continued to heat up.
Moonlight filtered through the tent, casting a soft glow that perfectly masked their shyness, added a touch of mystery, and intoxicated the lovers.
...
One hour later.
Wen Zhiming stood up. Meng Lingge was about to put her legs on the bed when Wen Zhiming stopped her. "Don't move. Wait for me."
He went out and soon brought warm water to wash Meng Lingge's wounds. He then brought medicine and reapplied it to her wounds.
Meng Lingge lay there obediently, enjoying Wen Zhiming's service. Fortunately, he didn't light any more candles, so she felt less ashamed and more at ease.
After Wen Zhiming finished tidying up, he carried Meng Lingge to the inside of the bed, while he slept on the outside.
Feeling sorry for Meng Lingge's leg pain, he stopped holding her and instead turned his body to the inside of the bed, keeping his eyes fixed on her.
The two had been fooling around for a long time, and Meng Lingge quickly became sleepy. However, she found it somewhat amusing to be looked at by those eyes and couldn't help but say something.
"Why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing staring at me like that?"
Wen Zhiming said earnestly, "I'll sleep after you fall asleep."
Meng Lingge had no choice but to pretend she didn't see him. Just as she was about to get a good night's sleep, she heard three soft sounds coming from the top of the tent.
The three sounds are very regular, with the same interval and the same volume.
"I'll be right back."
As soon as Wen Zhiming finished speaking, he leaped up, turned around, and disappeared behind the tent curtain.
When he returned, he had a red letter in his hand.
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