Chapter 1323: Borrowing Grain? I'll Give You Someone (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
"It's you again?"
Gongyang Yongye never expected to see Gongxi Chou here.
Gong Xichou, who was in the middle of the night, hesitated for a moment: "...Shouldn't I be the one to ask that first? What are you up to by sneaking up on me like that?"
I almost thought they were enemies.
Gongyang Yongye spat in annoyance, and as he put away his weapon, he kindly reminded Gongxi Chou: "What do you mean by sneaky? If we're really serious, you and I are in the same boat now."
Half a year ago, Gongyang Yongye would never have imagined that such words would come out of his mouth; it was simply too outrageous.
However, there is no limit to how outrageous things can get.
"...Such a small number of people, escorting grain to Qu Kingdom?" Gongyang Yongye glanced at the small temporary camp in disbelief. Judging from the simple layout of the carts and horses, there were only two or three hundred people. How much grain could such a small number of people transport? Most importantly, where was the grain? He hadn't even seen the grain convoy pass through the border.
Gong Xiqiu said disdainfully, "Times have changed, old man."
Who would fight a war and then suffer the hardship of using a large number of people to transport supplies directly?
What's faster than freshly planted crops?
Gongyang Yongye: "Get out!"
Luo Sha, who had stepped forward to check on him with concern, said, "You get out too!"
These days, young people are becoming more and more annoying.
Innocent Luo Sha: "..."
Lin Feng only stayed in Yuanfu County for half a day. By the time Miao Ne received the news, they had already replenished their rations and left. Before Miao Ne could even regret missing the opportunity to meet, Gongyang Yongye also announced that he needed to leave for a while. She asked nervously, "Your Excellency is leaving?"
Gongyang Yongye knew what she was nervous about.
It's nothing more than the fear that they might never return.
Out of respect for Xiang Zhao, he unusually offered to explain: "I'm going out to visit a few old acquaintances and reconnect with our old friendships. I'll return once it's done. During my absence, you and I should be cautious. Your safety is paramount. Wait for my return."
Before the conflict in Yuanfu County escalated to the point of assassinating the new prefect, Gongyang Yongye could take some time to check on his old friends. It was better to say hello now than to try and persuade them after the war started. However, he needed to speak with Miao Ne about some unpleasant things first.
"If we can't save it, we have to live, no matter what."
Even if only Miao Ne survives, he will kill her when he returns.
Miao Ne understood the implied meaning, and a chill ran down her spine. She almost lost her smile: "Rest assured, my lord."
Until he left, that invisible pressure receded like a receding tide.
"The 'Martial Arts Warriors' are really a bunch of brutes."
In youth, one is passionate and impulsive; in old age, one's original aspirations remain unchanged.
She complained in a low voice, and was even more curious about the relationship between her new junior sister Xiang Zhao and Gongyang Yongye—the two of them seemed strangely eccentric. If they were to be said to have a romantic relationship, their social distance was normal, but if they were to be said to be an elder and a junior, they didn't seem like it.
Gongyang Yongye, that old bastard, has an inexplicable interest in Xiang Zhao.
In short, these two look rather strange.
This question had been weighing on my mind for a long time.
The longer Miao Ne spent with Xiang Zhao, the more he couldn't hold back. His main concern was that Xiang Zhao might suffer, and he subtly hinted that if Xiang Zhao felt threatened, he could seek help from his master's sect. Putting everything else aside, Luan Shi was quite protective of his own people in this regard and wouldn't allow them to be taken advantage of. Gongyang Yongye was a nineteenth-rank Marquis within the Passes, and Luan Shi was a confidant of the emperor, a key minister of Kang State, and the head of the Six Ministries.
His political weight was far greater than that of Gongyang Yongye.
Unexpectedly, Xiang Zhao's words were astonishing.
"He's the one who will have my children in the future."
Miao Ne, who was sitting on the rooftop enjoying the moon and drinking, was so startled by these words that she almost tumbled off the eaves, coughing like thunder: "Cough cough cough—come on, what are you saying? He, he actually has improper intentions towards you? This, this old scoundrel—"
Miao Ne then heard about giving birth.
He immediately stood up straight in shock: "How old are you? How old is he?"
No matter how long a martial artist can live, his age is still a factor. How can someone so old still want to harm a beautiful young girl?
What an insolent old man!
Miao Ne asked, "Does Master Luan know?"
Xiang Zhao said, "Master Luan knows."
"You...you know? How could he not protect you?"
“Because it wasn’t me who gave birth to him, it was him, and—” Xiang Zhao gestured for her to come closer to correct her misconception.
Miao Ne: "???"
Miao Ne: "!!!"
Her worldview, built up over the past twenty years, was nearly shattered. She said awkwardly, "I see, then it's not a complete loss. But if this happens, if you fall for someone else in the future, you'll have to deal with him..."
Xiang Zhao wasn't worried about this. She took a sip of strong liquor, her eyes still clear: "He mentioned this when we made the agreement, and he also said he wouldn't interfere with my choices. Whether I choose to marry someone or focus solely on court affairs, it's fine with me..."
Gongyang Yongye was surprisingly open-minded in this regard.
No, it can't be called enlightened either.
He simply assumed that the strong should have privileges. Although Xiang Zhao was not as strong as him, she was still above ordinary people and had the privilege of enjoying all the resources provided by those in lower positions.
Miao Ne felt relieved upon hearing this: "That makes sense."
Perhaps it was because he had drunk too much, but Xiang Zhao, who was usually taciturn, became unusually talkative: "However, I don't plan to get married."
Miao Ne couldn't understand how Xiang Zhao, at such a young age, could have seen through the vanities of the world.
Why?
Could it be that he suffered heartbreak in the past?
Xiang Zhao: "Because it's unfair, it's unfair to the other children... I've also imagined what life would be like after I get married, having children like everyone else. Would my children be jealous of the eldest son/daughter?"
She can offer support on an equal footing, but what about the man's side?
Putting aside Gongyang Yongye's other conditions, just in terms of cultivation, strength, and social resources, how many men in this world can compare?
The child shares her blood, yet their starting point is drastically different. Perhaps it's better to remain in the dark forever; when will they find out? Xiang Zhao doesn't want to face such torment; it's better if it never happened in the first place. If she wants a child, she can coax Gongyang Yongye into having more.
Miao Ne was taken aback: "So?"
Xiang Zhao said, "Having fun is one thing, but we won't talk about anything else."
Seeing the fleeting surprise and disapproval on Miao Ne's face, Xiang Zhao laughed heartily while holding the wine jar. He leaned closer to Miao Ne, his strong smell of alcohol hitting her face: "I thought Senior Sister was also someone who enjoyed life to the fullest, but I didn't expect to misunderstand."
Miao Ne: "..."
Xiang Zhao put one hand on her shoulder: "Senior sister, was this an accident? I didn't expect junior sister to be so obedient and docile as I imagined?"
Her hand was grabbed before it could even touch Miao Ne.
Xiang Zhao looked up and saw a young man standing against the moonlight.
She vaguely felt the other person looked familiar, as if she'd seen them somewhere before. Tapping her heavy head, she groggily recalled someone with the same face who had been loitering near the government office these past few days. She pulled her hand back and squinted, "Who are you?"
Miao Ne's alcohol tolerance is much better than Xiang Zhao's.
How did you get here?
Should Cui Xiong not have been in charge of the entire Cui clan's relocation?
“Don’t listen to her instigation.” Cui Xiong’s attention was still on the conversation between Xiang Zhao and the other man. He paused suspiciously, as if he had made up his mind, and gritted his teeth, “However, there is some truth to what she said. If we are planning for future generations, we cannot be rash. Between an ordinary man and a man who can provide power, the latter is naturally more conducive to the prosperity of offspring.”
Miao Ne rubbed her temples: "You're overthinking it."
Cui Xiong followed her and jumped off the roof: "I can give birth too."
Gongyang Yongye can do it, and so can I.
Miao Ne almost laughed out of anger: "I'm a drinker, yet I'm not as good at getting drunk as you, a sober person?"
"After you got me drunk, I never sobered up."
"When did I get you drunk?"
"Isn't Ximin the one who owns that pot of wine?"
Left on the rooftop, Xiang Zhao listened to the two voices fade into the distance, the cold night wind blowing against her neck: "I didn't feel nauseous after drinking several jars of wine, but I was disgusted by this man's shameless words. But who is this guy? He looks respectable."
He just doesn't seem to be thinking straight.
I'll talk to my senior sister about it tomorrow...
Xiang Zhao finished off the remaining jars of strong liquor by himself, without even using his qi to expel the alcohol, and simply spent the night drunk on the rooftop. When he woke up, he found himself lying in a familiar room, and as soon as he got up, a servant came in to bring him a hangover soup. Upon tasting it, he found the flavor unusual.
This is not your average hangover cure.
"Has the Lord returned?"
She thought Gongyang Yongye would be gone for one or two months.
It's only been half a month, could it be that the campaign has gone wrong?
Indeed, things didn't go smoothly. When Xiang Zhao saw someone with an unpleasant expression at the government office, he comforted him, saying, "Even old friends have their own stances. How could they change their allegiance just because of a few words of persuasion from you?"
"What nonsense?" Gongyang Yongye shook his head and sighed. "I'm just lamenting the decline of morality and the loss of traditional values. The world is getting more and more incomprehensible. When I go to find them, as is my usual practice, I always have a friendly spar first."
"Did you win or lose?"
Judging from his expression, he must have lost.
Xiang Zhao frowned at this assessment.
The Central Continent is vast and its rich cultural heritage naturally fosters extraordinary talents, but those who can't even defeat Gongyang Yongye would also pose a significant threat to the Kang Kingdom. Just as Xiang Zhao hesitated about whether to reveal the news, he heard Gongyang Yongye say with a gloomy expression, "How could I, an old man, lose to these few pieces of trash? I neither lost nor won; winning would disgust me."
"Winning... disgusts you?"
What does this mean?
Simply put, Gongyang Yongye could win, but he didn't dare to.
because--
He took a sip of cold tea with resentment, his eyebrows twitching as if recalling something disgusting: "If I dare to beat them, they'll immediately take off their trousers and stuff them into my hands, saying it's the rule of the martial arts world... In all my years, I've never heard of such a disgusting rule. To be humiliated like this after winning, is there any justice left?"
Xiang Zhao: "...Huh?"
What kind of strange rule is this?
Gongyang Yongye continued, "I later inquired and found out that the loser does indeed have to give a pair of trousers to the winner, but they are all brand new trousers. These old bastards deliberately disgusted me, actually, actually—never mind, it's too disgusting to say."
Xiang Zhao silently complained, "Lord Junhou has already said that."
What kind of mental state would make someone immediately take off their trousers?
Just imagining that scene made her cringe.
Gongyang Yongye, still seething with anger, drank another pot of cold water, his rage still burning fiercely: "People's hearts are no longer what they used to be!"
Having lived this long, I've never seen anything so surreal.
Xiang Zhao: "...Indeed."
Isn't the central region supposed to value etiquette and manners? "The trousers are handed to the winner"... how does that have anything to do with those four words?
It sounds even more savage and absurd than the wild northwest.
Lin Feng and his group shared the same sentiment.
To ensure a smooth passage through the border, Lin Feng and his group disguised themselves as a merchant caravan. For a caravan engaged in short-distance trade, two or three hundred people wasn't a small number, but for a cross-border trade caravan, this number was merely appetizers for bandits along the way. They were scouted by several groups along the way, and even alerted a warlord force that controlled a mountain stronghold. The outcome was predictable: they were utterly defeated!
This was barely enough to warm up Gong Xichou and the other two.
"So you're trying to take advantage of us? Tsk tsk, you've got some nerve. Did you borrow a few bear's hearts and leopard's galls from the King of Hell?" Gong Xichou raised his hand and placed it on the other person's crown, preparing to eliminate any future trouble.
The aura of death spread from the top of his head to his entire body.
The man knelt and begged for mercy, hoping to exchange his trousers for his life. From now on, he would be Gongxi Chou's vassal, serving him faithfully and at his beck and call! Lin Feng was calmly thinking about how to destroy the evidence when he heard this and almost couldn't hold back: "Huh?"
Gong Xiqiu subconsciously lowered his gaze.
The other person awkwardly squeezed their thighs together.
He endured the humiliation and said, "I swear by my martial courage!"
Gong Xichou countered, "Why is it a calf-nose trouser?"
“A calf-nose trousers can replace a head…”
Gong Xichou: "..."
This word sounds strangely familiar.
He belatedly realized that this custom did indeed exist in the Central Continent. He glanced disdainfully at his defeated opponent, then at their ragtag group, and finally sought Lin Feng's opinion with a look. The latter was the leader of this group: "To kill or to spare?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "Keep it; it can do some work."
After entering the Qu Kingdom, the farm work was quite heavy.
These young and middle-aged men should be able to handle ordinary physical labor.
Gong Xichou suppressed his murderous intent: "Fine."
When they arrived in Qu Kingdom, the group had expanded from two or three hundred to over a thousand. Apart from the original men who were dressed decently and were clearly regular soldiers, the others wore patched clothes and looked quite destitute; one might mistake them for refugees fleeing famine.
The envoy from the Kingdom of Qu who came to meet them suddenly felt dizzy and then went black.
Grabbing the scout, he asked, "Only people?"
The scout replied, "Yes."
"No food?"
"Yes, no supplies or provisions."
"Oh no, could they have been intercepted?" The envoy's heart skipped a beat, but he couldn't worry about anything else. He reported the news to His Majesty Zhai Le while sending people to settle the thousand-odd men. If Kang Kingdom hadn't lied, the grain transport force would have been at least twenty thousand strong. Now, with only a thousand or so remnants remaining, they must have encountered a fierce battle.
It's easy to imagine how furious Zhai Le was!
Yu Hai remained calm. He knew Zhai Le was anxious, but told him not to rush into it: "Doesn't Your Majesty find this matter rather strange? The people from Kang State arrived far too quickly. From the time we borrowed grain to their agreement, and now the grain transport team has arrived, how long has it been?"
It was transported by land, not by air.
Zhai Le also realized: "Gui Long means... this group wasn't sent by Kangguo? But by some other force in disguise?"
"Let's see what kind of schemes and tricks they have up their sleeves."
They'll definitely cause trouble if they sneak in.
As a result, the next three days were peaceful.
The anticipated conspiracy failed to materialize. Yu Hai deliberately arranged for them to stay in a location conducive to sabotage and even sent someone to "inadvertently" leak classified information, but they still didn't take the bait. Left with no other option, Zhai Le decided to personally intervene and test the enemy's next move.
The more you look at it—
Ah, the leading female ruler has a very kind face.
"Kang Guolin Feng greets King Zhai."
A name popped into Zhai Le's mind.
He stared at the other person in astonishment: "Lin...Lingde?"
∑(っ°Д°;)っ
What a blunder! Yesterday, I was looking at the bottom right corner of my computer screen and misread the line. I almost actually thought it was 25 years in just over ten days. Luckily, there are still forty days left (it really feels like I've gained 31 days, *chin in hand*).
(End of this chapter)
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