Chapter 9 Earrings If you wear earrings, you will definitely look very beautiful...
This sounded like a polite inquiry, but before anyone could respond, her hand reached out and pulled the person up.
The two of them lay side by side on the tiles of the eaves, with a bright full moon hanging high above, casting silver light.
"What sin have I committed to be sent here? I'm surrounded by fighting and killing every day. I'm covered in the smell of blood, and I can't wash it off."
"I am willing to eat meat all my life in exchange for world peace."
…
Zhao Huaixu just listened silently and accompanied her without words. Fang Yilan chattered to herself for a while, and gradually felt embarrassed to be the only one complaining, so she thought about bringing up a common topic.
"Speaking of which, we are both miserable people with the same fate." Fang Yilan sighed softly, his eyes a little empty. "Your family is broken and everyone is dead. Now I am the only one left in this mansion."
"If the general doesn't mind, you can treat me as a family member in the future." Zhao Huaixu's voice sounded in his ear again, adding a bit of warmth to the silent night.
Fang Yilan raised herself slightly and looked at the person beside her in the moonlight. She suddenly smiled and poked his chest, feeling it was hard.
As if she couldn't see clearly, she leaned down again, moved closer, stared straight into his bright starry eyes, and said with a smile: "You, you must have bad intentions. I won't be fooled easily."
Zhao Huaixu thought to himself that no one had ever been so close to him and still be alive.
Their eyes met, like two invisible threads intertwining and entwining with each other, and no one had the intention of looking away first.
In the end, it was Zhao Huaixu who was defeated first. His expression, which was always impeccable, cracked slightly. He seemed a little flustered and hastily looked away.
Fang Yilan was planning to get up and leave when she raised her arm and her fingertips accidentally touched his earlobe.
Feeling the warmth, she couldn't help but murmur in confusion, "Eh? Why are your ears so hot? Are you shy?"
Muttering to herself, she didn't stop moving her hands. She pinched the ear bone without hesitation, rubbed it gently a few times, and then moved down along the outline of the ear, all the way to the earlobe.
"So soft." She seemed to have discovered something new and interesting, her fingertips lingering on it. "It would be a shame not to poke a hole in it."
After saying this, he shifted his gaze to the right, landing on the face of the person beneath him. An image instantly emerged in his mind, and he blurted out, "I've always thought that you would look incredibly beautiful if you wore earrings."
"I almost forgot."
She reached out to her collar, fumbled around for a while, and took out a pair of glass earrings with emerald tails.
She shook the little gadget in her hand and said, "I was embarrassed to give it to you in front of them before, because I was afraid you would think it looked like a woman's ornament. But, when I give something, I always consider whether it is suitable. This is for you."
The emerald earrings sparkled in the moonlight.
Zhao Huaixu's expression froze, and there was an indescribable complexity in the depths of his eyes.
The next second, the corners of his mouth lifted up and a chuckle escaped him.
Zhao Huaixu took Fang Yilan's hand, his movements gentle yet irresistible, and led her all the way to his ear. His warm hands wrapped around hers, and with a slight push forward, the needle tip instantly pierced the flesh, and a drop of bright red blood oozed out.
"General, do you like it?" Zhao Huaixu tilted his head back, his tone so soft as if he was talking in a dream. His originally gentle face, against the backdrop of blood and green, inexplicably gave off a sense of charm.
Fang Yilan was so frightened by this sudden action that most of the drunkenness dissipated. She widened her eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you doing? Doesn't it hurt?"
Zhao Huaixu propped up his upper body, and his collar loosened a little as he moved. He took advantage of the situation and moved a little closer to Fang Yilan. His warm breath brushed against the side of her face, and he whispered softly, "As long as the general likes it, Huaixu is willing to do anything." His voice was low and seductive.
Fang Yilan didn't buy it and refused to give in at all. The two of them kept their distance so that their skin would touch if they took another step forward.
He questioned, "Well, tell me first, what is your purpose in approaching the Marquis' Mansion?"
Zhao Huaixu sighed, what a clueless guy.
"Huai Xu has absolutely no bad intentions."
Seeing his perfunctory response, Fang Yilan no longer forced him. She leaned back and lay down, folding her hands behind her head. She looked at the night sky and muttered to herself, "It's better not to say anything. There are so many people in this world who care about my life anyway. You are not a big deal. I will live one day at a time."
She blinked and looked at the starry sky above, then suddenly turned sideways with her back to Zhao Huaixu, her spine bent, and her back was full of loneliness.
"Maybe when I really die one day, I can go home." Before she finished speaking, fatigue came over her and she slowly closed her eyes. Her body relaxed and she fell asleep quietly without any guard.
She didn't notice at all that the usually harmless face behind her was now as ferocious as a ghost, with malice in his eyes, as if he wanted to eat her alive.
When the time comes, I will definitely give her a decent death.
*
In the dim light of dawn, Fang Yilan's brows furrowed as the sun's rays unreasonably pierced her eyes. Her consciousness was hazy, and her head felt as if it were weighed down by a thousand-pound stone. The slightest movement brought on dizziness.
Fang Yilan raised her arm to cover her eyes, and rubbed her temples with the other hand. She realized belatedly that she had slept on the eaves all night, but she didn't feel cold last night.
Only then did he realize that the white cloak covering him looked very familiar.
"Oh no, General!" A figure rushed into the yard in a hurry, and ran towards the bedroom without stopping.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he looked up, he saw his general's head sticking out from the eaves. The words he was about to report were instantly choked in his throat.
"General? Why are you sleeping on that eaves?" Zhuang Gu was stunned.
"Well, don't worry about me for now. You are in a hurry. What happened?" Fang Yilan rolled down from the eaves and stood up neatly.
"Yes! The military rations transported to Ningqiu were robbed by the bandits on Qishan Mountain on the way!" After being asked this question, Zhuang Guying finally remembered the important matter, and his words were full of anxiety.
"Bandits?"
Zhuang Gu then hurriedly explained that since Ningqiu had just been successfully captured, for garrison purposes, Brigadier General Wang allocated a team of troops to be stationed in Ningqiu.
As a result, the food reserves that had just been provided to the people were no longer enough, and supplies had to be transported from Kangrao. The transporter, thinking that the two places were adjacent to each other, chose a shortcut for convenience, but he encountered bandits and all the supplies were stolen.
There has been a long-standing grudge between Ruining and Xiling, and the war has lasted for many years. The border area has always been turbulent.
In this situation, some people who knew a little about martial arts began to have other ideas. They formed gangs and factions, and waited for the opportunity to occupy the mountain and become the king. Gradually, they formed a force that could not be underestimated.
On weekdays, they relied on robbing the escort vehicles traveling on the official roads, and naturally they would not let go of the supplies transported by the government. After the looting, they would escape into the mountains.
The mountainous terrain was complex, and the government's repeated attempts to encircle and suppress the rebels were not only ineffective, but also resulted in wasted manpower and delayed delivery of supplies. Over time, the government was at its wit's end and could only abandon the matter.
Speaking of Huan Ying, the bandit leader of Qishan, he is also a well-known figure in this area.
He was originally a centurion in Suizhou. After the city gate was breached by Xiling, he could not bear to see the people suffering from the war, so he simply took the villagers who were willing to follow him to the mountains and became a bandit.
In the past, they had always targeted Xiling's supplies, but this time, they broke with their usual pattern and targeted Ruining. Not only did they rob a total of 500 dan of grain, but they also killed several of the militiamen who were escorting them.
After hearing the news, several generals hurried to the Marquis's residence to discuss the matter.
"The bandit leader is an old subordinate of Rui Ning. We might as well try to persuade him to surrender. Maybe we can solve the problem without bloodshed." Lieutenant General Lin was the first to speak up and make a suggestion.
Another general echoed this, saying, "They've never touched Ruining's goods before, but this time they've suddenly changed their minds. There might be some misunderstanding. Sending troops rashly wouldn't be wise."
Lieutenant General Wang strongly objected: "They killed our soldiers. They are real criminals and have openly trampled on the dignity of Ruining. Even if we recruit them, I'm afraid the soldiers under us will not be convinced. In my opinion, the right thing to do is to gather the troops and rush up the mountain to wipe out these bandits."
Fang Yilan listened quietly to everyone expressing their opinions, tapping the table rhythmically with her fingers.
After thinking for a moment, she said calmly, "First, send someone to deliver a letter up the mountain to test their attitude, and then make a decision."
A few days later, Zhuang Gu trotted into the tent, his face beaming with joy. He held up a piece of paper and shouted at the top of his voice, "General, there's a reply from the mountain."
Fang Yilan unfolded the letter. Huan Ying's words were sincere and earnest. The gist of it was that as long as Ruining could properly resettle the people on Qishan Mountain and let everyone live a stable life, he would be willing to lead his troops down the mountain to surrender. He hoped that both sides would meet to discuss the matter.
If we can really pacify this force, it will undoubtedly be the best outcome at the moment.
As the generals were pondering this, Lieutenant General Lin stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "General, I have had several interactions with Huan Ying of Qishan in the past, and we are quite familiar with each other. Why not send me on this negotiation?"
"Are you sure that what they said in the letter is true?" Fang Yilan had never been involved in this kind of recruitment before, and couldn't help but express his doubts.
Lieutenant General Lin carefully examined the letter, and after checking it repeatedly, he nodded confidently: "General, don't worry. I recognize the handwriting on this letter. It is indeed Huan Ying's handwriting."
Fang Yilan nodded: "Then Lieutenant General Lao Lin will make the trip."
At dawn the next day, before the morning mist had dissipated, Lieutenant General Lin led a small team of elite guards up the mountain.
Fang Yilan was still worried. After thinking it over again and again, she decided to lead the troops herself and garrison at the foot of Qishan Mountain.
If Huan Ying really intended to surrender, he should have immediately come down the mountain and surrendered when the news of the recovery of Ningqiu came.
Yet, not only did this man show no sign of surrender, he actually robbed Ruining's military rations. How could a centurion not understand the consequences of robbing military rations? Yet he still acted brazenly, a truly baffling prospect.
However, from Lieutenant General Lin's firm attitude towards Huan Ying, we can also infer that this person should be of good character.
At this moment, all we can do is wait for good news.
But after a long time, no news came back. The mountain was dead silent, but there was no sound of swords clashing.
Suddenly, a soldier covered in dust and dirt came tumbling down the mountain. Before he could even stand, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "General... General, something's wrong."
The vague uneasiness in Fang Yilan's heart finally came true.
The author has something to say:
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You should go to a regular hospital to get your ears pierced. Don’t follow Yu You’s example, which is unhygienic!
Yu You:? And me
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