Good place
He placed the folded handkerchief on the table and gently pushed it towards her with two fingers. "But why are you dressed so ugly?"
She noticed the handkerchief pushed towards her on the table, unsure of his intentions. She didn't touch it, nor dared to ask further, and continued, "I'm just afraid that if I'm dressed too beautifully, the women in the village will fall for me, and even more afraid of overshadowing the general... that's why I did this..."
"Hahaha." He laughed, whether from being amused, angry, or amused by the absurd words.
Was he afraid that a woman would steal his limelight? He was handsome, the most handsome young master in the capital, and he wanted to see how she would rob him of his glory.
"Wipe your face clean. I want to see how you'll steal my thunder." He smiled faintly, propping his slightly tilted head up with one hand, and stared straight at her.
"...This..." She felt uncomfortable being stared at, and after a struggle within herself, she picked up the handkerchief, her gaze constantly darting away to hide her guilty conscience.
She rubbed her eyebrows slowly and deliberately, then gently wiped away the dark circles under her eyes, not daring to use any force.
"What are you dawdling about?" He could see her reluctance.
She realized she'd been hit where it hurt. She adjusted her expression, pursed her lips, and said sadly, "I... I was thinking... what if the general, upon finding out I'm a woman, sends me back..."
He raised an eyebrow: "You want to stay by my side?"
“…Hmm…” She pursed her lips, looking aggrieved, and nodded nervously.
"Why?"
“…I…I…I want to stay by your side…” she stammered out.
"But I don't need you."
She looked at him with feigned disappointment, then sighed with a hint of sadness, "Well...well...sigh. I've been nagging..." She turned her face away coyly, as if trying to hide her tears.
He seemed to be somewhat swayed by her emotions. After thinking for a while, his resolve to keep her wavered: "You can stay, but what useful value can you offer me?"
"?" She paused for a moment, then immediately realized what she meant.
Her disappointment turned into a happy smile, and she stared at him in disbelief, exclaiming, "Really!"
"Um."
“I can take the general sightseeing, I can help the general with affairs, um... whatever the general asks me to do, I will do.”
“What you said, my people can do. So how do you demonstrate your worth? What makes me… want to keep you—one reason?” He raised an eyebrow, his expression gentle, and crossed his arms as he looked at her happily.
How could she answer? What was she supposed to say? She was at a loss for words. Anyway, she had already achieved her goal, so it didn't really matter whether she stayed or not.
Her smile faded, replaced by a look of regret. "...It seems so...that was because I was nagging..."
He was silent for a moment. What was he hoping for? He hoped she would say, "I'm special, I can make you happy..."
He relaxed his brow, waved his hand reluctantly, and said, "Fine, considering that your persuasion is beneficial to me, I'll allow you to stay by my side."
Her eyes lit up as she looked at him again, and she said happily, "Thank you, General!"
"Hmm." His dark eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her, scrutinizing her.
"Have you cleaned it up?"
"Mm." She nodded.
He was somewhat skeptical, knowing that what she said was seven parts truth and three parts falsehood, but he still couldn't help but take a closer look.
Although the dark circles were wiped away, the thick eyebrows were erased, and the lips were moist, the oval face was still dark, and the features could still be considered beautiful.
"You really look like this?" He thought her features should be those of a pretty woman, but her appearance and demeanor always gave off a rather bland feeling.
"Absolutely genuine." She nodded.
He refused to believe it and stood up. He leaned down slightly and reached out to pinch her face. His fingers pinched her cheek, and he rubbed her soft face a few times.
She was caught off guard by his sudden pinch, and the burning pain snapped her back to reality. She cried out, "Ah! General... pinch me gently... it hurts!"
He gazed at her face, then released her hand, glancing down to check his fingertips for any trace of rouge powder. He gradually relaxed, then glanced at the handkerchief in her hand; it was stained with black and brown.
"Okay." He felt relieved and sat back down in his original seat.
She touched the spot where she had been pinched, angry but unable to speak out.
"It's late, you should go back and rest." He glanced at the night sky, then got up to go back inside.
"good."
The next day, the morning sun streamed through the window, illuminating every corner of the room, and the leaves fluttered in the breeze as if dancing.
After the mealtime, Zhi Qiu was summoned to the main room. She had changed into a darker, plain dress, and her hairstyle had changed from a bun to a full ponytail, with her bangs parted in a 4:6 ratio. She seemed to have gained some intelligence.
The room was brightly lit.
"We're breaking through the camp today, are you going?" He looked down at the military treatise in one hand and took a sip of herbal tea with the other.
Zhi Qiu's knees were still a little sore. After thinking for a while, she stood up and said, "I don't really want to go... I feel like I can't face them."
All she knew was that, given the bandit leader's personality, he would surely accuse her of treason if she went. If she was lucky, she might escape unscathed and watch over the villagers; if she was unlucky, she might get stabbed a few times.
His attitude towards her remained cold, but seemed slightly better than before: "Then you shouldn't go." His gaze never left her. "According to what you said before, there are indeed some corrupt officials causing the people to suffer."
"General, you are truly wise, you hate evil and are just and incorruptible. Tao Kingdom is truly blessed to have you." She praised with a bright smile.
"Quick-witted." He glanced at her and commented with a stern face.
"General, are you going?"
"I'm not going."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"Deal with officials, submit truthful reports, appease the people, and inspect their livelihoods." He summarized the matter into four simple words.
She nodded: "Oh, okay."
"...What are the general's plans for today?" she asked.
"None available."
"Does the general have any places he'd like to visit today?" She got down to business, after all, there wasn't enough time for her to waste; the mission was more important!
"I'm busy."
...Her face remained expressionless, as if she already knew the answer.
She then began to earnestly persuade him: "Oh dear, General, you've put so much thought and effort into devising strategies to break through the stronghold these past few days. Why not relax and unwind here in Zhuxun Prefecture? Besides, you can also go and investigate, which will allow you to relax a bit."
"..." He was distracted, but it wasn't very obvious.
"I've been playing here for several years. Doesn't the general really want to go out and have some fun?"
He was about to refuse, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to speak. He inexplicably felt a mysterious force pressing down on him, a force both enigmatic and forceful. He didn't know why he was wavering; the only option in his mind was to agree. He felt strange but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
He looked up from the book and glanced at her.
"Fine." I don't know if it came from the bottom of my heart or was forced by some force.
After Peng Feizhe finished tidying himself up, the two of them went out without any apparent reason.
She hadn't expected him to agree, especially since it was still so early. Where could they go? She was at a loss.
The two strolled around for a while. There were few shops open on the street, and they were sometimes quiet and sometimes having a brief conversation.
"Where exactly are you taking me?" He and she walked among the sparse crowd. He glanced at the seemingly endless street and looked annoyed.
"This...aren't you going out to relax...?"
"You mean relaxing by wandering around?" He stopped, frowning, clearly unhappy.
She swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She lowered her voice, switching it to a male tone.
She turned to the man and said, "Uh... Brother, that's not what I meant. It's just that we haven't arrived yet. Don't be impatient, we'll be there soon."
He looked at her questioningly, sighed heavily, and reluctantly took a step forward: "Lead the way!"
She quickly followed, "Okay."
But in a little while...
The two stood beneath a luxurious building. A plaque hung above the vermilion gate, bearing the three characters "Lingyao Fang." The gate was closed, but the sounds of many young girls laughing and joking drifted out from inside.
"This is what you called a good place?" He turned to look at her.
"Yes, big brother." She couldn't help but smile at the thought of him being surrounded when they went inside.
He was 80% skeptical of her words. Could that coquettish voice really be the one she described as... a particularly delicious inn?
"Brother, the food here is delicious. You'll never forget it once you've been here. Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?"
He hesitated, glancing at the door and then at her. Should he really believe her?
"Are you two going to go in or not? You're just standing here blocking the way." A tall man gave the two of them an unfriendly look.
“Where is this place?” he asked.
"Lingyaofang, can't you read?" The man was clearly annoyed, finding the two of them an eyesore.
He frowned, somewhat displeased with his attitude, but still said politely, "That's not what I meant... I want to know what this business does..."
To his surprise, the man laughed and looked them up and down.
Seeing the situation, Zhi Qiu could only frantically pray in her heart that he wouldn't say anything reckless, staring at the man with a heavy expression.
"Haha, you're from out of town, no wonder." He pointed to the signboard. "In outside terms, this is called a brothel, understand? A place specifically for ***."
It's unclear which word particularly struck him, but it made Peng Feizhe's face darken, and he seemed to explode with rage. Extremely dangerous!
I shouldn't have trusted this guy!
He glanced at her from behind; all the emotion on her face had vanished, leaving only pleading.
Regardless of what might happen between the two, the man felt they were in his way and shoved them aside. His target was the door; he pushed it open, and from inside wafted a fragrant scent and a clear, crisp voice: "Master Gu is here!"
The door closed, and his face darkened.
She swallowed hard, her heart pounding.
He glanced up at the signboard, crossed his arms, and a dangerous smile curled at the corner of his lips. His face darkened with a half-smile: "Heh, a brothel? You! You really know how to pick a place." He emphasized the word "you," as if he wanted to tear her apart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
