Chapter 2 Reunited After Crossing a Thousand Mountains (Part Two) General, please have some self-respect! How…
Chu Huaili sat upright behind his desk, his fingertips tapping idly on the preliminary military report about Lu Qingyuan's "collusion with the enemy." The candlelight cast interlaced shadows on his sharply defined face, reflecting the cold indifference in his deep eyes—the true ruthlessness of someone in a position of power.
Ye Yixiang knelt on the futon below, her back ramrod straight, like a green bamboo that refuses to bend in the wind and snow. She had tidied up her hair, which Zhao Kui had messed up, but a few strands of black hair were still wet and clung to her fair neck, adding a touch of fragile stubbornness.
"Madam was frightened just now," Chu Huaili said, his voice devoid of emotion, as if it were merely a routine greeting. "It was my fault for failing to discipline my subordinates."
"General, you flatter me." Ye Yixiang lowered her eyes, her voice calm and even. "It is normal to encounter some unruly individuals when commanding so many soldiers. I must thank you for your timely rescue." She emphasized the word "timely" very softly, with a hint of probing that was barely perceptible.
Chu Huaili paused slightly as he tapped the table, then looked up at her: "Madam doesn't seem particularly surprised by Zhao Canjun's actions?"
Ye Yixiang met his gaze, his eyes as cold as the eternal night in the north, unfathomable. "Now that things have come to this, whether it was an accident or not is irrelevant. But General," she changed the subject, "seems to be more concerned about her late husband's affairs."
Chu Huaili didn't respond to her question, but instead changed the subject: "Before Commandant Lu died for his country, was there anything unusual about him? Or did he entrust anything to you for safekeeping?"
Ye Yixiang sneered inwardly. They had come, after all. But her face betrayed a perfectly measured sorrow and bewilderment: “My late husband died a martyr for his country, his body wrapped in a horse's hide—that was the last news. As for the unusual events… the war was intense, and he only told me to take care of myself, nothing more. What are you referring to, General?”
Her answer was flawless, and her expression was sincere, as if she were a widow immersed in grief.
Chu Huaili stared at her silently, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, as if trying to find the slightest flaw in her face. The air inside the tent was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring.
After a long silence, he suddenly said, "It seems that Madam Lu's luggage was scattered in Military Advisor Zhao's tent just now. Would you like me to send someone to help sort and count it? In case any important items are lost."
Ye Yixiang knew he was about to conduct a blatant search. Her hand tightened slightly in her sleeve, but she calmly said, "Thank you for your trouble, General. It's just some personal belongings and my late husband's relics, nothing important. If you're worried, you're welcome to look." She even bent down slightly and placed the simple bundle she was carrying on the ground.
Her frankness, however, caused a faint hint of doubt to flash in Chu Huaili's eyes. He gave a signal to his personal guards, and immediately someone stepped forward, carefully picked up the bundle, and opened it on another table.
During the movement, a small package carefully wrapped in old cotton cloth slipped off the edge of the bundle and fell onto the felt blanket without attracting attention.
The guards showed the contents of the bundle one by one: a few clean changes of clothes, a little money, a set of slightly worn silver needles, a few yellowed medical books, and the pear wood medicine box that she always held in her arms.
Chu Huaili's gaze lingered on the silver needles and medical books for a moment before finally settling on the medicine box.
"This is?"
"The medicine box contains several herbs and my late husband's memorial tablet." Ye Yixiang's voice lowered, filled with obvious grief. "My deceased husband's remains are hard to find, so I only feel at ease when I have his memorial tablet with me... General, do you also want to check it?"
Chu Huaili looked at her eyes, which had instantly reddened, and her fingertips, which were trembling slightly. He remained silent for a moment, then finally waved his hand and said, "No need. I've disturbed you, elder sister-in-law." He unconsciously changed his form of address and gestured to his guards to put the things away again.
Nothing was gained.
He showed no outward sign, but his suspicions ran even deeper. Either she was truly unaware, or... she was hiding it too well.
“The border is harsh, and the conditions in the camp are simple. I can only ask my elder sister-in-law to make do for now.” Chu Huaili’s tone was indifferent and detached. “Someone, take Madam Lu to the woodshed in the back to rest.” He deliberately omitted the title “elder sister-in-law” and replaced it with the more distant “Madam Lu”.
Ye Yixiang sneered inwardly; this was house arrest. She rose calmly and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your accommodations, General."
She followed her personal guards out of the main tent. A cold wind blew, and she subconsciously tightened her clothes. Her fingertips accidentally touched her empty chest, and her heart skipped a beat.
What happened to the jade pendant she kept close to her body, the one that symbolized her love with Lu Qingyuan?!
That's it! It must have slipped out of his loosened clothes when he was dealing with Zhao Kui or when his bag was searched! Although the jade pendant wasn't top-grade, it was a gift from Lu Qingyuan himself, and the back was engraved with the initials of their names! If Chu Huaili found it, he might use it to his advantage!
She dared not think further; a cold sweat instantly broke out on her back. She had to find it!
The woodshed was cold and damp, containing only a thin mattress. After the guards locked the door and left, Ye Yixiang immediately and carefully searched her entire body and belongings, confirming that the jade pendant was indeed missing. The most likely explanation was that she had left it in the main tent!
She was extremely anxious. Once the footsteps of the patrolmen outside had faded into the distance, she carefully loosened a seemingly rotten wooden plank behind the woodshed and managed to squeeze out, her slender frame barely giving way. Fortunately, Chu Huaili did not consider her, a "weak woman," a major threat, and the guards were not particularly tight.
Taking advantage of the darkness and the shadows of the tent, she held her breath and silently approached the conspicuous main tent once again.
The tent was brightly lit, yet eerily quiet. The guards were changing shifts, and this brief gap gave her an opportunity! She gritted her teeth, slipped to the side of the tent flap, and her trembling fingertips lifted a thin slit.
However, the sight that came into view made her freeze in place, as if her blood had frozen at that moment.
In the center of the tent, there was a huge wooden barrel, steaming and carrying the scent of herbs.
Chu Huaili stood with his back to the tent flap, his upper garments completely removed, revealing a sleek and powerful back. Water droplets rolled down his bronze skin, but the most striking feature was the menacing old scar that ran diagonally from his shoulder blade to his waist, like a lurking dragon coiled on his broad back, silently recounting past life-or-death battles.
He was picking up a cloth, wetting it with hot water, but his movements seemed somewhat hesitant because of the scars on his back.
Ye Yixiang's mind went blank, caught in a dilemma. Just then, Chu Huaili's cold voice rang out unexpectedly, carrying a hint of weariness and mockery: "Have you seen enough?"
Her heart stopped beating.
He had already spotted her!
"If you haven't seen enough, come closer!" He was immersed in the misty steam, tilting his head slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice extremely low, like a hot, wet hook.
Now that things had come to this, backing down would only make her look more guilty. She took a deep breath, calmed her wildly beating heart, and walked in as calmly as possible, her gaze lowered, avoiding looking at anything inappropriate.
"General." Her voice was hoarse.
Chu Huaili didn't turn around, but casually tossed the cloth behind him, his tone indifferent as if he were giving a perfectly ordinary instruction, yet it carried an undeniable command:
"wipe."
Ye Yixiang suddenly looked up, staring incredulously at his broad back and the scar, frozen in place.
"Are you deaf?" His voice deepened, and a sense of oppression instantly spread.
"General, please show some respect." Her voice was extremely low, filled with anger at being humiliated. "You should at least call me elder sister-in-law." She tried to use this title to draw a line between them, reminding him and herself.
Chu Huaili chuckled softly, the sound particularly clear and grating in the steamy air, filled with undisguised sarcasm: "Eldest sister-in-law?"
He dragged out the last syllable, as if he were slowly grinding the two words between his teeth.
"Your husband's remains have not yet been found, yet you humbly fawn over others. In the dead of night, under the heavy dew, you venture alone into a man's bathing tent..."
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the torn hem of her skirt and her tightly clasped fingers, his sneer growing louder, "So impatient, yet you dare to mention 'self-respect'?"
"A woman who has colluded with the enemy, a criminal under the law, yet she dares to presume that I should call her 'elder sister-in-law'?"
His words, like poisoned ice picks, pierced Ye Yixiang's heart. She abruptly looked up, her eyes as dark as ink, all her timidity and panic burned away by this rage: "Whether my husband is a criminal is still undecided! General, as the border guard, how can you make such a judgment and utter such hurtful words without any evidence?!"
"Oh?" Chu Huaili suddenly turned around, the sound of splashing water filling the air. Water droplets rolled down his muscular chest and collarbone. In the steamy heat, his face was somewhat blurred, but his eyes, sharp as cold stars, were fixed on her. "The deliberate seduction in Zhao Kui's tent, is that still up for debate?"
Ye Yixiang's fingers tightened suddenly; if she had held a cloth, it would probably have been torn to shreds. She forced herself to calm down, meeting his scrutinizing gaze, and said in a soft yet clear voice, word by word:
"If I truly intended to seduce General Zhao, I should be enjoying wealth and luxury in his tent right now, instead of appearing beside this cold bathtub of yours, General, and humiliating myself!"
She paused, then continued, her tone carrying a tainted arrogance: "General, your heart is rather narrow. Saving lives is seen by you as using your beauty to please others. I stitched up Zhao Kui's wounds only because he was a life, a soldier guarding the border, and it had nothing to do with romance!"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com