Chapter 52 Patience
Pei Yanzhi waved his hand, his tone indifferent: "He is now desperate, and the court is already in dire straits. If he were to turn to me now, it would be his best option."
But if—
Before he finished speaking, he leaned heavily back in his chair, a sound that made Gongsun Li's heart skip a beat: "But if he still has some wicked ideas after we go there, then we can just let him go as the prefect of Kangzhou."
Mei Xun also disagreed. Putting aside what Song Zhaonian was up to, the fact that he was Empress Dowager Song's nephew made people wary.
"I hope my lord will reconsider."
"Please reconsider, my lord."
Inside the spacious tent, people were all trying to persuade the man at the head of the table.
Mei Xun looked at Gongsun Li and asked in a low voice, "Strategist, won't you advise our lord? We are outnumbered and outmatched. What if something goes wrong?"
Gongsun Li looked at her lord, who sat in the main seat with a somber expression and stared at the parchment scroll: "My lord is willing to venture into the tiger's den. Kangzhou is already in your pocket. Now you want me to persuade you? Isn't that like pulling hair out of a tiger's butt? I won't go."
What he didn't say was that his lord was in a good mood today, and since his lord was going, he believed that his lord must have full confidence.
His eyes deepened, and suddenly he thought of someone.
My lord, could it be...?
Before Mei Xun could continue speaking, Pei Yanzhi said directly, "After you've rested, set off immediately."
Then he turned to Lu Changming and said, "Go see if she's packed up and ready to leave."
The question of "her" left everyone momentarily stunned. It wasn't until Lu Changming left that they remembered there was a young woman staying at the inn.
During these days of marching, Ji Shu either stayed in the carriage or walked outside wearing a veil, and no one saw her true face.
At first, the lord did not treat the young woman with any special favors, and everyone thought she was just an ordinary person accompanying the lord, until last night.
Many people saw their lord enter the post station and not only stay there all night, but also call for water.
After leaving the main tent.
Mei Xun leaned closer to Gongsun Li, wearing full armor, and pointed in the direction of the post station, asking, "Strategist, do you know who that person is?"
Gongsun Li squinted at the direction, then turned around and asked, "What? You want to meddle in the affairs of the lord's backyard too?"
Terrified, Mason shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, I was just curious."
"Aren't you curious, strategist, that the lord has had no one but his late wife by his side all these years, and there isn't even a single concubine in the mansion?"
"Now everyone is speculating that the lord is going to take a concubine. If he really does take a concubine, will the lord's harem be filled with new women in a couple of years? Hehe."
"..."
There was a moment of silence, and Gongsun Li just looked at him quietly and said that.
Mason stopped when he sensed something was amiss, and gave a dry laugh.
"I... this general will go and take inventory, hehe, I'll go and take inventory." He staggered backward and left the area.
Gongsun Li looked at the tent behind her with a deep gaze. If that person could help her lord let go of the past, it would be a good thing.
After Ji Shu went downstairs, she did not see Pei Yanzhi, so she had to get into the carriage alone, and the wheels started to move.
At lunchtime, Chunzhi carried a food box onto the carriage and ladled out the steamed buns and chicken soup inside.
"Young lady, this is a chicken that the Marquis specially bought from a farmer, saying it's to nourish your body."
Ji Shu looked at the clear, golden chicken soup in the bowl, with a layer of chicken oil floating on top, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Seeing the young woman put the steamed bun in her mouth but hesitate to touch the chicken soup, he looked inside and suddenly realized, "Young lady, do you find it greasy?"
"The maidservant skimmed off the oil on top."
Ji Shu gently shook her head, about to speak, when she saw the curtain being pulled open from the outside, and Pei Yanzhi bent down and walked in.
Seeing the stunned expressions on the faces of the master and servant, they asked, "What's wrong?"
Chunzhi was the first to react: "No...it's nothing. Would you like to have a meal, my lord?"
Pei Yanzhi nodded slightly, and Chunzhi took the food box and went downstairs. Ji Shu silently continued eating the steamed bun in her hand.
Pei Yanzhi looked around the carriage, nodded in satisfaction, then noticed the untouched chicken soup on the table and frowned slightly: "Don't you like it?"
Ji Shu unconsciously tapped the edge of the steamed bun with her fingertip. "Hmm, too greasy. I've never liked drinking this."
Thinking of her frail body last night, so thin that a gust of wind could blow her over, she was even more emaciated than the night at Furong Pavilion.
He said in a deep voice, "You've lost so much weight these days. The conditions on the march are certainly not as good as at home. If you don't drink, how will you recover?"
Thinking of how he tormented her last night, Ji Shu threw the steamed bun in her hand heavily onto the table.
"Yes, I am unwell. How can you say such a thing without feeling guilty? Who caused this long journey? May I ask if Lord Yan has paid any attention to the situation of me and my maid?"
He took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress the anger in his heart, but his tone was even more indifferent: "I know I have offended Lord Yan with my words before, and even if you want to punish me, I have no objection, but could you please not give me a slap and then a sweet treat?"
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Pei Yanzhi's eyes. He admitted that he had indeed neglected them. He had been traveling during the day and had to deal with official business in the evening, so he had not been able to take care of the two of them, mistress and servant.
He coughed lightly, his tone gentle: "This was indeed my fault, and it won't happen again."
"If you don't want to drink, then you don't have to. I'll have my men hunt some wild game for you and roast it for you."
She couldn't help but recall what she had seen in the cook's quarters that day: the soldier in charge of the ladle was holding a clay pot of lard, and a soldier next to him was asking him to add a couple more spoonfuls, but the man seemed reluctant to add more.
If you specially improve your meals just for yourself, it would make you seem too spoiled.
Ji Shu pursed her lips slightly: "No need. I'm not particular about food anyway. I'll eat whatever you usually eat."
After calming herself down, she turned away from him. Pei Yanzhi got up and sat down next to her, holding her small hand.
He coaxed gently, "We'll arrive in Connecticut tomorrow. We can rest for two nights, and you can eat whatever you want. You can also do some sightseeing and buy whatever you like to relieve your fatigue on the way, okay?"
He mustered almost all the patience he had in his life. Faced with such a delicate young woman, even the most hard-hearted person couldn't bring themselves to say anything harsh or cruel.
In the past few days, he has gradually come to understand that when facing her, he cannot be forceful; he must coax her and cherish her like a precious jewel.
If you adopt a strong tone or unfriendly manner, she becomes as unpredictable as the weather in June, turning hostile and unapproachable.
...
For the next two days, Pei Yanzhi stayed in the carriage. He even moved all the military affairs that needed to be handled to the carriage, only going out when there were important matters to discuss.
Ji Shu simply thought that she had been sitting on horseback for too long and needed to rest.
After finishing his official business, Pei Yanzhi looked up and saw a fair-skinned young woman lifting the carriage curtain, her slender neck slightly protruding as she looked out.
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