Shuan
He got tired of picking and choosing. "Miss Pang, are you afraid there's a thief in your house? Why are you wearing all the gifts that others gave you?"
She scratched the back of her head and chuckled, "I originally wanted to go see..." She stopped talking, she originally wanted to go see Qin Mohe today, but she was forced to change her plans.
She quickly added, "General, then... is it possible not to give it to me?"
He shook his head, making it clear that he couldn't refuse.
"If you don't give it to me, Miss Pang, don't leave my courtyard today." He sounded rather unreasonable.
"General, forcing women is not your style!"
Peng Xuan'an slipped, and after listening, he smiled bitterly and rubbed his forehead, "Nonsense, your mouth is full of nonsensical words!"
She thought for a moment; going back would only result in punishment, so staying here shouldn't cause any major problems. She opened her round, almond-shaped eyes and tentatively asked, "General, does this include room and board?"
"??!" He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He had only meant to tease her, but he hadn't expected her to actually want to stay here.
He chuckled and teased, "Miss Pang, are you planning to stay here?"
He glanced at her beautiful hair again, reached out and pinched a lock of it, rubbing it in his hand a few times. "Miss Pang, how about giving me a lock of your hair, and I'll let you go?" He then looked directly into her eyes. "How about it?"
"It's not impossible." She didn't care. Being forgiven and able to leave was better than nothing, so she was willing.
In a short while, a lock of her beautiful hair appeared in his hand, tied together with a red rope. In the blink of an eye, the courtyard was empty again, and a cool breeze whistled by, carrying the faint fragrance of the purse into his nostrils.
Having been forgiven, Pang Linqiu happily returned to the manor, but in the end, she was forced to copy the family rules four times, which made her unhappy, so she went back to her room to copy them as punishment.
Before we knew it, it was the autumnal equinox in September. The remaining leaves on the branches rustled as golden, orange, and ochre leaves jostled and drifted down. Some landed near the tree roots, while others were swept away by the wind, creating a thin layer of warmth on the open ground.
The palace was enveloped in autumn colors, inside the imperial study.
Peng Xuan'an, dressed in a dark blue official robe, bowed and reported his itinerary, "Your Majesty, the war between Li Kingdom and Tao Kingdom has lasted for three years. I humbly request Your Majesty to allow me to go and settle this matter."
The emperor, seated comfortably in his large chair, was pleased. "It's rare for you to be so thoughtful, my dear minister. I grant your request." Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Xiangde also wishes to accompany you. What are your thoughts on this?"
Xiangde is the courtesy name of Qin Mohe.
"Your Highness has no opinion, but Your Highness should pay more attention to the people's livelihood rather than going to the battlefield with me. After all, Your Highness will be the new king of Taojin Kingdom in the future."
"Father, I feel I need more experience, otherwise I won't know how to deal with national wars in the future." A soft young voice entered the room with the sound of footsteps.
The young man was handsome and gentle, with a refined and elegant demeanor that exuded nobility. His peach blossom eyes looked at the two of them with a smile.
He stood shoulder to shoulder with Peng Xuan'an, bowing respectfully. "Father, do not listen to him. Only through more experience can I govern this land well!"
"Hahaha." The emperor smiled kindly and nodded in tacit approval. "The two of you may go together."
Peng Xuan'an lowered his eyes, worry welling up within them. He said, "Your Highness, please don't be foolish. The battlefield is no place for jokes. You bear a heavy responsibility..."
"Alright, alright, Xiangde, go if you want to." The Emperor interrupted him.
“But this…” he hesitated.
Qin Xiangde put his hand on his shoulder and teased, "Father Emperor said I should go, so why does the Major General have such a big problem with me?"
"Your Highness is worried about your safety," he said, his face showing concern.
"Major General, you and I studied under the same master and are of equal strength. Why are you so worried? If you can do it, why can't I?" He felt that Peng Xuan'an was questioning his strength.
Peng Xuan'an looked at him helplessly, "Your Highness..."
The two looked at each other, one helpless and the other cheerful.
The emperor watched the two finish their contest and smiled happily. "No need for further words. Let's set off in three days." He waved his hand, signaling them to leave. It was settled.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave!"
"Your subject takes his leave!"
The two left the imperial study at the same time and walked side by side along the wide palace corridor. They also refrained from using honorifics when addressing each other.
He put his arm around his shoulder. "Hey, Xuan'an, you really don't want me to go?"
"If you go and get hurt or killed, what will happen to the Tao Jin Kingdom?"
"Are you so worried about things that haven't even happened yet? My father has many children, so there's no need to worry about the future emperor."
"..." Peng Xuan'an didn't want to speak. The affairs of the royal family in the palace were not under his jurisdiction, and he was too lazy to understand so much.
With a gossipy look on his face, he brought up another matter: "Xuan'an, Xuan'an, it's been two months, and you still haven't gone out with your sweetheart?"
Peng Xuan'an didn't tell him that Zhi Qiu was actually Pang Linqiu, and Qin Xiangde thought that was why he got divorced, completely unaware of the story behind it.
"She's dead," he said casually.
He was surprised, then sighed, "Alas, what a pity."
He glanced at Lin Qiu's sweetheart and felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't understand where he had gone wrong.
"I've heard that the fourth young lady of the Pang family likes you very much. Have you... thought about taking her as a concubine?" His Adam's apple bobbed, his mind in turmoil.
“Her?” He pondered for a moment. “I’ve never had that thought. After all, I’ve known her for four or five years. That girl from the Pang family is quite interesting. She often says things that make people happy. I only regard her as my younger sister.”
"Is that so?" Having received a fairly satisfactory answer, he calmed down.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The bleak autumn wind swept through the army, and the banners fluttered in the wind. The animal patterns on the black banners were tinged with dark red by the setting sun. Thousands of banners were linked together, like a surging dark cloud. The soldiers were lined up in neat square formations. The crisp sound of clashing armor mixed with the occasional snorting of warhorses echoed across the open field, but there was not a sound of commotion.
Beneath the city walls, a scene of farewell unfolded.
Crown Princess, Xie Shu'an, courtesy name Biyu.
She stared at Qin Xiangde with eyes full of reluctance, the couple holding hands tightly. "Husband, please take good care of yourself. I hope you will return soon."
"Yes, my beloved..."
...Peng Xuan'an is eating dog food.
He crossed his arms and watched the two of them being so affectionate, feeling uneasy, and his breathing became more and more frequent.
He squinted and glanced into the city. Suddenly, a carriage appeared, and he frowned in confusion. During military operations, carriages were not allowed on the streets, and this carriage seemed to be heading out of the city—this was absolutely forbidden.
The carriage stopped at the city gate, the curtain was lifted, and a young girl dressed in a tight-fitting outfit stepped out. Seeing Qin Xiangde, she quickened her pace and happily ran towards him.
That person was Pang Linqiu. She suddenly joined in the farewell between the couple, looking at Qin Xiangde with admiration in her eyes.
"Brother Mohe, I heard that you..." Before she could finish speaking, she was pulled to the other side by an unseen force. It was Peng Xuan'an who was causing the trouble. He grabbed her hand and walked a short distance behind her.
“Miss Pang, the couple hasn’t finished talking yet, don’t interrupt.” He said with a strong sense of righteousness.
"..." Pang Linqiu could only stand quietly with him, watching the two continue their sweet talk.
Peng Xuan'an glanced at her, "Miss Pang, don't you have anything to say... to say goodbye?" His face was slightly red, and his earlobes were tinged with crimson. He was too embarrassed to ask.
"...He's my ex-husband, what's there to say?" she said bluntly.
She came today to join them on their expedition, so why should she go too? Her father found out that Qin Xiangde was going to lead an expedition to attack the Li Kingdom, so she quickly tried to please Pang's father by saying she wanted to see him off.
Unexpectedly! Absolutely unexpected! Her father said, "Why are you saying goodbye? You're coming too."
She was completely stunned, frozen in place, not understanding why she had to go too! Her father said again, "The Emperor says you should go, so go. Why ask so many questions?"
It turned out that after that conversation, Qin Xiangde noticed Xuan An's sorrowful expression and knew that he had lost his beloved. He couldn't bear to see his good brother so tormented by love, so he thought of bringing the two of them back together to nurture their relationship. He then turned to his father and asked him to let her go with him.
...He wanted to be a good friend who could help his brother get over his heartbreak!
Unfortunately, neither of them knew anything. He thought she had come to see them off, and she thought they already knew.
"So, Miss Pang came all this way just for His Highness the Crown Prince?" He looked displeased, feeling that she had come for him, and was somewhat jealous.
"Even if I didn't come for him, I still had to come." She sounded as if she were dead, her voice full of despair.
"Why did you come?" he asked again.
"No reason." She spread her hands, looking dejected.
After the couple in front of her finished embracing, Pang Linqiu stepped forward and hugged the Crown Princess, rubbing her beautiful face against hers.
She said coquettishly, "Shu'an! Shu'an! Why didn't you say goodbye to me?"
Shu An chuckled and affectionately stroked her little head. "Zhi Chun, have you rubbed against me enough?"
The two were good friends, but... something unexpected happened. She told Shu An that she wanted to pursue Mo He, but unexpectedly, Shu An was pursued by Mo He instead.
I considered you a good friend, but you got together with the person I liked! This blow was so great that she became withdrawn for a while. Moreover, Shu An didn't really like Mo He, and Mo He went straight to ask his father, the emperor, for a marriage decree...
Their friendship was strained for a time because of this incident, until Shu'an said, "Zhichun, you will become the Crown Prince's concubine! I promise I will have no complaints! We will still be good friends!"
Their relationship improved again, but unexpectedly, neither Shu An's subtle attempts to influence Mo He's mind nor Zhi Chun's open pursuit of him could sway his decision not to take a concubine. She encouraged Zhi Chun to spend more time with him, believing there would still be a chance, and now that chance had arrived?
But I didn't expect Peng Xuan'an to be there too. Won't he be even more of a hindrance?
Shu An whispered in her ear, "Zhi Chun, you must seize this opportunity!"
"Mmm! Okay!" She hugged her waist tightly, inhaling her body fragrance.
Peng Xuan'an stood at a distance, watching with a sour expression. He looked at them with a dark face, then turned around, mounted his warhorse, and didn't want to see them again and get annoyed.
The farewell words are over; now it's time to set off.
Peng Xuan'an faced the assembled troops and shouted in a powerful voice, "Let's set off!"
The dark army began to march forward. He tried to lead the way through the army, but was stopped by Qin Xiangde behind him.
"Xuan'an, wait a moment."
He turned to look at him. "Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
"Aren't you planning to bring Lin Qiu along?"
He was taken aback, frowning as if unsure of his ears. He pulled on the reins and rushed to him. "What did you say?"
Pang Linqiu quickly grabbed his sleeve, "Brother Mohe, I'll ride with you! I don't want to..."
"Aren't you going to bring Linqiu with you?" he repeated to Xuan'an on horseback.
He raised an eyebrow in skepticism, "Her? She's going too?"
“She came with us on the expedition, but I am a married man and cannot ride with her.”
Peng Xuan'an looked down at Pang Linqiu, a slight smile playing on her lips, and asked in a softer voice, "Miss Pang, can you ride a horse?"
Pang Linqiu slapped her forehead and sighed deeply. She really didn't want to ride a horse with her ex-husband, but she didn't know how to ride a horse! And she couldn't travel by carriage!
She still wanted to salvage the situation, saying, "Brother Mohe... Shu An doesn't mind if I'm with..."
“I mind,” he answered quickly.
“I don’t mind, Miss Pang,” Peng Xuan’an continued.
She was the one who cared even more!
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