Chapter 271 Apology
Meng Lingge tried hard to control her emotions, but noticed the guards' expressions out of the corner of her eye. She quickly said seriously, "We agreed last time that if you don't apologize, don't expect me to talk to you again."
With his beloved in his arms, Wen Zhiming gently stroked Meng Lingge's hand. He noticed that her fingers were not as delicate and fair as before, and guessed that she must have been busy recently, doing other errands while traveling. He felt both heartache and guilt.
His gaze toward Meng Lingge grew increasingly affectionate, and he naturally responded without hesitation.
"I was wrong. I thought I would never yell at you again."
His apology was exceptionally sincere and earnest. His voice was also quite loud, loud enough for everyone present to hear.
The guards were all surprised. They had never seen a high-ranking official apologize to a woman in front of outsiders. The King of Northern Frontier was of even higher status than an official. He was usually stern and decisive in front of them. How could he so obediently apologize when the strategist asked him to?
And there was no embarrassment or awkwardness at all; it seemed perfectly normal.
Meng Lingge was just saying it casually, trying to save face.
Who knew this man was serious and didn't feel ashamed at all. Under the watchful eyes of the guards, Meng Lingge felt extremely embarrassed and secretly pinched Wen Zhiming, urging him to leave quickly.
Wen Zhiming smiled obediently, put his arm around Meng Lingge, and rode away.
Several of the guards had witnessed Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge arguing last time. Seeing the two leave, they quickly gathered together, exchanging knowing glances.
"How about that? You all lost, didn't you? You all said the prince would come to see the strategist in a day or two, and the longest you guessed was five days. But look what happened, the prince actually waited for more than ten days. Hurry up and pay up, I'm the only one who won the bet."
The others reluctantly took out their money, while protesting indignantly.
"Even if Your Highness is very patient, you still have to bow your head first. You saw it just now, there are so many people here, but Your Highness acted as if he couldn't see them. He only had eyes for the strategist."
"That's right, you're really lucky, you actually guessed right. The prince clearly cares a lot about the strategist, why did he have to hold back for so long, causing us to lose money."
“We only lost a little money, but the prince is completely trapped. He apologized in public before the wedding. He will definitely be henpecked after the wedding and led by the nose by the strategist.”
"That's not necessarily true. The prince will definitely marry a girl from a prominent family in the future. The strategist is good, but she's just a merchant's daughter after all..."
An older guard quickly interrupted.
"Do you all have a death wish, daring to discuss the prince's marriage? Get back to work now, or you'll be punished."
The guards then scattered in all directions.
Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge had already walked some distance, unaware of the guards' discussions behind them. The two had not seen each other for more than ten days, and their longing for each other was intense. They embraced each other, feeling each other's presence, and paid no attention to the sidelong glances from the soldiers along the way.
The two rode slowly, a gentle breeze ruffling their long hair and robes. Meng Lingge's black hair brushed against Wen Zhiming's face, and the man pulled her closer, lowering his head to whisper, "Why don't you ask me how things went?"
Meng Lingge said, "It must have been done, otherwise why would you be laughing?"
Meng Lingge is grateful to Wen Zhiming for taking such a big risk to save Meng Xingyuan, regardless of whether he succeeds or not. But if the operation fails and Meng Lingge loses her loved one, Wen Zhiming cannot remain so calm.
Wen Zhiming smiled faintly.
“I originally intended to bring my father-in-law to see you, but he is old and frail and cannot travel day and night. So I had my guards take him on another route, and we should be able to meet in about two or three days. However, news of my father-in-law’s tragic death has already reached the capital. I was worried that things would be exposed, so I did not send anyone to the Meng family. My mother-in-law and the Meng family will inevitably be heartbroken when they hear the tragic news.”
"The Emperor is very suspicious. If we send someone and it is discovered, it will be a disaster. It doesn't matter if my mother and younger siblings are heartbroken, their lives are the most important thing."
Meng Lingge agreed with this point. Her mother could never keep secrets, and Qingyu was too young. If they found out, and Qingyu behaved abnormally, it would backfire.
The two had arrived at Wen Zhiming's tent. He jumped off his horse first, then carried Meng Lingge down and into the tent.
The guard who was impersonating Wen Zhiming was sitting at the table. When he saw someone enter, he was about to reprimand them when he saw that the person was the King of Northern Frontier. He immediately bowed his head respectfully.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Wen Zhiming nodded. "Go out."
The guard removed his mask and left with a sigh of relief.
For more than ten days, he had to be cautious and careful, fearing that he would be exposed. Now that the King of Northern Frontier has returned, he can finally be free.
Because it was a temporary tent set up for rest, there was nothing inside except for beds, tables and chairs. This was a special privilege reserved for princes and generals; other soldiers rested on the ground.
Wen Zhiming placed Meng Lingge on the bed, and the two locked eyes for a moment, unable to look away from each other.
Seeing Wen Zhiming's tired face, sunken eyes, and bright eyes, Meng Lingge knew that he had exhausted himself on the journey and was nearing his limit.
But because he was so excited to see her, he was still able to barely hold on.
She stood up, pressed Wen Zhiming onto the bed, and said in an unquestionable manner.
"You get some rest. I'll go find General Cao and ask him to let the camp rest for half a day before setting off again tomorrow."
Wen Zhiming pulled her into his arms.
"No need, let me talk to you for a while, sit for a bit, then we can travel as usual this afternoon and rest at night."
He had only rested for three or four hours each day for the past few days, and was indeed very tired, but he had already traveled such a long distance, so what difference would half a day make?
After all, he had just been thinking about speeding up so that Meng Lingge could stand openly with him.
Meng Lingge got up without saying a word, went over and pulled off Wen Zhiming's boots and outer garment, covered him with a blanket, and said before Wen Zhiming could speak, "Listen to me this time, you must rest well before you continue your journey. If you collapse from exhaustion and something bad happens, you will really regret it."
Wen Zhiming raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Wife, I'm not that delicate."
He had expected a fierce battle when he went to Guandu Prefecture to rescue people, but the bandits there turned out to be acquaintances, so he avoided a fight and only killed a good-for-nothing without much effort.
My complexion isn't good right now; it's just that I'm exhausted from traveling all night. I'm not so weak that I need to rest immediately.
Meng Lingge insisted, "You're covered in sweat. Lie down properly. I'll get some water to wash you up and then stay with you. You need to rest well today before we set off again."
Wen Zhiming's helpless expression instantly brightened, and his smile became captivating.
"My wife is washing me up? And she's staying by my side while I rest?"
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