Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Lin Zhen, willing to marry Ji Sui. ...
The next day, the faint morning light filtered in through the gaps in the curtains.
Lin Zhen slowly woke up, her fingertips subconsciously reaching to her side, but found nothing. She suddenly sat up.
Under the window, Ji Sui was holding a powerful crossbow and aiming at the flying birds outside the window. Hearing the noise, he quickly put down the crossbow and walked towards the bed.
"Awake?" His large hand gently caressed the side of Lin Zhen's face. He looked at the wound on her forehead and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Lin Zhen touched his forehead and found that someone had applied medicine and bandaged it. "My wound is fine. It doesn't hurt."
Ji Wei lifted her chin and looked into his eyes. The dawn light seemed to cast a soft and warm halo on him. His usually sharp dark eyes were now filled with a rare warmth. If she had not caught a glimpse of the powerful crossbow arrows gleaming coldly under the window, she would have almost fallen into such tenderness and tenderness.
As expected, he opened his thin lips and said, "Lin Zhen, from now on, you will never be hurt again, and no one can hurt you anymore."
Before Lin Zhen could respond, a noise came from the outer hall. Ji Sui kissed her forehead gently, "Wait for me to come back."
*
Ji Sui stood on the highest attic in the palace, listening to Shi Zhu's report.
"The people of Xuanfu have always obeyed the emperor's orders and are extremely loyal. They feared the emperor was being held hostage in the palace, so they didn't dare to storm it. Instead, they sent people through abandoned palace walls and dog holes to try to spy on the emperor's condition. They were executed on the spot by their subordinates."
Ji Sui nodded and said, "Throw all their heads out and serve as a warning. Strengthen the patrols at each palace gate for the next two days. The Mobei Army may enter the city at any time."
Shizhu nodded in agreement.
*
When Ji Sui returned to the inner hall, Lin Zhen was standing under the window, staring at the crossbow arrow in a daze.
He put down the food box in his hand, walked over, and asked, "This was placed in the outer hall by the Dog Emperor. It seems to be a tribute from the Northern Ju Kingdom. It is very powerful. Do you want to try it?"
As he spoke, he skillfully strung the bowstring and loaded the arrows. His slender fingers flexed the crossbow trigger as he handed the fully strung crossbow to her. "Press the hanging knife to fire. The Northern Ju Kingdom is renowned for its ingenious weapons. Don't underestimate this crossbow; it can penetrate light armor within fifty steps."
Lin Zhen took the crossbow arrow, his fingertips touched the cold crossbow shaft, and gently put it down: "Let's try again another day."
Ji Sui smiled and said, "Okay."
After the two of them had breakfast, it was still early, and Ji Sui felt that the attic they had just visited was still quite cool, so he took Lin Zhen up there after dinner.
Looking out from the railing, the morning light casts a hazy golden hue on the red walls and black tiles of the palace.
A cool breeze blew, lifting half of his long hair. His dark tights outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Without his armor, Ji Sui looked less solemn and more relaxed, as if he was confident of victory, as if the vast country was in his palm.
He suddenly turned his head, and his dark eyes happened to meet Lin Zhen's eyes. The corners of his eyes raised slightly, and he smiled, took her hand, and placed it on his lips.
The kiss was cool in the early morning, yet it burned her fingertips so much that they trembled.
He placed his thin lips on her fingertips and said, "When the Yizhou troops enter the city, it will be the day when the new emperor ascends the throne. At that time, I will give you the most grand ceremony to crown you queen."
"From now on, you and I will stand at the pinnacle of power and share the world."
Lin Zhen looked at the light flickering in his eyes, which were filled with desperate desire and paranoid attachment.
The wind lifted her sleeves and tangled them with his hem.
Lin Zhen was silent for a moment, then said, "Even if I don't become your queen, I will still marry you."
The cool breeze made her voice a little soft. He put his hand down helplessly, suspecting that he had heard it wrongly. "...What?"
Lin Zhen met his astonished gaze, and held his hand in return, interlocking their fingers. Their palms were so close that they could even feel each other's violently beating pulses that seemed to be about to burst through the flesh.
She said word by word: "Lin Zhen, I am willing to marry Ji Sui."
As the sun rose higher, the summer heat rose with it, and the two people's clasped hands became as hot and sticky as the air between them.
He had never expected her to respond. At this moment, he was like a dying traveler in the desert who suddenly saw an oasis. The moment the sweet spring water flowed into his throat, even his internal organs trembled.
As if he was afraid that everything in front of him was an illusion that would disappear at any time, he uncontrollably held Lin Zhen's hand, tightening it tighter and tighter until she frowned, and then he hurriedly let go.
His charming peach blossom eyes were stained with a faint red, and his voice was restrained and a little hoarse: "Lin Zhen..."
He whispered her name, suddenly picked her up in the air, and spun her around in a circle.
"How shameful!" Lin Zhen's hands clung tightly to his neck, and after she cursed him, he was willing to put her down carefully.
She straightened her clothes under his eager gaze, pursed her lips, and was about to say something when she heard hurried footsteps on the stairs.
Lin Zhen took a half step back and turned around.
Shi Zhu appeared in the attic, sweat on his forehead, "Reporting to the General, the Emperor has woken up."
*
After days of sweltering heat, it finally started to drizzle.
Ji Sui patrolled the palace walls as usual, Shi Zhu holding an umbrella behind him. "General, today is already the third day, and there's no sign of the Mobei Army." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Is Miss Lin's news... accurate?"
Ji Sui's face was filled with worry. He said in a cold voice, "Just strengthen the patrols." He paused and said, "Spread the news that the Yizhou troops will enter the capital ahead of time."
"Xuanfu has been gathering nearby troops recently. Doesn't this give them ample time to respond and take precautions?"
"Just do it."
*
After returning from the attic that day, Lin Zhen never saw the emperor again. The troops from Yizhou had not arrived yet. She thought Ji Rui would not really kill the emperor, but she was still a little uneasy.
"Why isn't the emperor in the Hall of Eternal Life?" Lin Zhen asked.
"His head is only temporarily residing on his neck, why would he live in the Palace of Eternal Life?" Ji Bai carried her to the couch, but did not leave. He just looked at her quietly.
Lin Zhen touched the wound on his forehead uncomfortably, "Is it scary?"
From the time she was injured until now, Lin Zhen has never looked in the mirror. It’s not that she doesn’t care about her appearance, but she really doesn’t have the energy to care.
She was quite uncomfortable with him staring at her like this, and her ears and cheeks felt hot. She lowered her eyes and wanted to turn away.
Ji Rui stretched out his big hand and touched the side of her face in time, forcing her to look at him directly.
"It's beautiful. Let me take another look."
Lin Zhen's face turned even redder. She couldn't resist such a naked and hot gaze. She brushed his hand away and turned her back to him: "But I'm sleepy. I need to sleep."
Ji Sui smiled and said, "I heard that the ceremony of crowning the queen is very tedious and tiring. You really should have a good rest and recuperate."
The smile on Lin Zhen's lips gradually faded, and after a while, the lights went out.
In the middle of the night, Lin Zhen vaguely heard a rustling sound in the outer hall. She opened her eyes hazily and found Ji Sui sitting leisurely in front of her bed.
The noise outside was getting louder and louder. Lin Zhen stood up and wanted to get off the bed, but he held her in his arms and whispered in her ear: "Wait, there will be a good show to watch."
About a quarter of an hour later, the noisy sounds died down, and Shizhu's voice could be heard from outside the hall. In the silent night, it seemed empty and melodious, and even her breathing was clearly audible: "Reporting to the general, the rebels have been eliminated."
Ji Bai showed a satisfied smile on his face, stood up and walked out of the hall, and Lin Zhen followed him in confusion.
Before he even walked out, Lin Zhen had already smelled a strong smell of blood. When he reached the corridor, he saw several corpses lying all over the ground.
"As expected, Xuanfu is personally managed by the emperor. It is truly amazing." Ji Sui glanced coldly at the man in black on the ground and sighed.
The emperor had been making careful plans for many years, and even Xuanfu was unaware that the Mobei Army would come to provide assistance. When they learned that reinforcements from Ji Bai were about to arrive, they had no choice but to fight to the death and go straight into the Changsheng Palace, intending to assassinate Ji Bai and rescue the emperor.
To catch a thief, you must first catch the leader. If you can capture Ji Sui first, then the mere three thousand people will not be a threat.
Ji Sui deliberately released the news because he wanted to get involved and force Xuanfu to use his final killing move. Even though he had been prepared, they still killed him in front of the palace gate.
Fortunately, there was no danger. Ji Sui turned around and held Lin Zhen's hand, and still had the heart to joke: "You and I are not married yet, but we almost fulfilled the promise of growing old together first."
“…That’s fine.”
"Um?"
Lin Zhen looked up at him and replied with a faint smile: "I'm a little tired, let's go back."
Everyone thought that after this cleanup, they could have a good rest for a few days, but they didn't expect that only half an hour later, before dawn, the sound of thunder-like drums broke through the air outside the palace gate.
"Master, Master! The Mobei Army is at the gates of the city!"
*
"The soldier guarding the palace gate sent a message in, saying that the commander of the Mobei Army and his military advisor requested to enter the palace to negotiate with the general." Shi Zhu hurriedly reported while following Ji Bai's steps towards the palace wall.
Ji Sui paused, turned around and sneered, "Peace talks? What qualifications do they have to negotiate with this general?"
The army was approaching the city, and the area beneath the palace walls was already a dark mass. Ji Sui remained calm and composed. "Go and tie up the emperor. I want to see who dares to attack the city under the charge of 'regicide'."
"I'll do it right away!" Shi Zhu clasped his fists in acceptance. Before he could retreat, he heard Ji Sui, who had already climbed onto the palace wall, suddenly raise his hand and shout, "Wait!"
A pure white figure stood among the waves of black armor on the vast army, as pure and dazzling as snow-covered winter plum blossoms. What caught Ji Sui's eye even more was the wheelchair he was sitting on.
Shi Zhu followed his gaze and said, "General, that is the military advisor of the Mobei Army."
"Telescope." Ji Bai's expression suddenly turned cold, and Shi Zhu's heart trembled. He hurriedly took it out from his arms and handed it over.
Qi Yushi's thin figure came into Ji Sui's sight. He pinched the finger bones of the telescope so hard that he trembled.
After a long time, he slowly put down the telescope, took back the crossbow he brought out from the Changsheng Palace from Shizhu, and suddenly raised his hand to aim the crossbow at the white figure in the wheelchair.
"No, General!"
The two armies haven't even engaged in battle yet, so how could they execute the military advisor first? Shi Zhu looked at the anger surging in Ji Sui's eyes, not understanding where this anger came from, and just held his hand tightly.
"Get lost."
Ji Sui's voice seemed to be icy, and Shi Zhu had to let go.
At the moment when the arrow was about to leave the string, Ji Sui suddenly changed direction. The crossbow arrow just grazed the side of Qi Yu's face and penetrated deeply into the stone brick behind him.
His slender fingertips slowly stroked the crossbow shaft, and he suddenly changed his mind, "Pass on this general's order, agree to the peace talks, and let them in."
Ji Sui's attitude changed so suddenly that it wasn't until his figure disappeared over the palace wall that Shi Zhu finally awoke from a dream and bowed, saying, "Yes..."
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