You have feelings for me
So she organized her thoughts and embellished the story as she told Xie Zhuo, for example, that although Black Tiger Stronghold had stolen the grain, they hadn't killed her guards and weren't the heartless people rumored to be...
For example, when she heard that the government had brought in strong troops to suppress the bandits, she wanted to try to persuade the bandits to give up their resistance and stop robbing people. Instead, they could stay and work at her winery and return the grain they had previously stolen.
Fu Zhi Qiao's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke. To be honest, she herself felt that her reason was not very convincing!
After listening, Xie Zhuo felt that she was too naive, naive to the point of being ignorant.
But would a woman who could silence a man in public, a woman who single-handedly supported the Taibai Wine Shop, really be so naive?
Xie Zhuo was somewhat incredulous: "You're so kind!"
Fu Zhiqiao blushed; these words sounded sarcastic.
"What do you mean by being sarcastic?" She was not kind; the Black Tiger Stronghold bandit suppression was orchestrated by her.
"Every man for himself" is a proverb. Destroying Black Tiger Stronghold can be said to kill multiple birds with one stone. It can restore peace to the people, make the bandits abandon evil and do good, and also meet our own needs for manpower. This plan is simply perfect!
Xie Zhuo was incredibly astute; he grasped the truth from her few words: "You want to recruit the Black Tiger Stronghold to work for you?"
Fu Zhiqiao's gaze was firm: "Why not? If they can be used by me, they will stop killing and robbing, which will bring peace to the people of Qingzhou and be more conducive to the stable development of Qingzhou City, thus promoting the economy of Great Wei!"
She countered Xie Zhuo's question: "Have you ever considered that it would be better to have these people do something useful to atone for their sins than to simply kill them?"
She spouts a whole bunch of fallacies, and her claim of wanting to retrieve the grain is just an excuse; it seems her real goal is to subdue the bandits.
Xie Zhuo disagreed: "Those bandits are crude and brutal by nature. Only by wiping them out can the surrounding people feel at ease!"
"If we wipe out this group of bandits, won't there be another one?" Fu Zhiqiao asked rhetorically.
Seeing that Xie Zhuo did not speak, she added, "Eliminating them can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."
After hearing her words, Xie Zhuo was stunned for a while, then looked thoughtful and said, "Even so, it won't be easy for you to win them over."
"Isn't there a bandit suppression army?"
Xie Zhuo stared at her intently for a long time before his thin lips moved slightly: "So that's what you were planning."
It would be a lie to say I wasn't shocked. Was it because he hadn't been in contact with women for so long?
Are women these days becoming so daring?
Xie Zhuo was born in the Prince Duan's Mansion. At the age of twelve, he became a student of the retired Grand Tutor in order to pursue his studies. He followed the Grand Tutor from the capital to Qingzhou. After completing his studies, he was arranged by his grandfather to serve in the army, where he had very limited contact with women.
In addition, his noble status meant that the women he knew all grew up under the protection of their families, some quiet and elegant, others dignified and poised, and their every word and action was modeled after the ideal ladies of noble families.
He had never seen a woman as vibrant as Fu Zhi Qiao.
They will insist on their own opinions and argue with others to the end; they will lend a helping hand to the weak on the street; they can brew delicious Taibai wine; they will reveal their ambition...
Xie Zhuo couldn't help but look down at her. Even though she was dressed in men's clothing and her appearance was very ordinary, even ugly, her eyes could not lie.
The woman standing quietly before him gradually matched the image he remembered of her in the teahouse; boldness, intelligence, wit, and composure were her true nature!
She was audacious and reckless; she was truly unlike any ordinary woman.
Fu Zhiqiao secretly glanced at Xie Zhuo. His eyes were deep and unreadable, and his sharp gaze carried a hint of oppression.
Fu Zhiqiao quickly looked away. She didn't know that Xie Zhuo was also present when she was arguing with the scholar in the teahouse. At that moment, she was only amazed by Xie Zhuo's keen insight.
Having said everything she needed to say, Fu Zhi Qiao finally realized why she had told him so much. She wanted to use the power of the elite cavalry to achieve her goals, but Xie Zhuo was Luo Zhenhai's deputy general, and the two were not on the same page.
For some reason, her vigilance dropped considerably whenever she encountered Xie Zhuo.
"What does my audacity have to do with General Xie?" Fu Zhi Qiao's eyes darted away, not daring to look Xie Zhuo in the eye. After speaking, she called Wen Jiang and Wen Shan to continue up the mountain.
Look at this man, he changed his address from Xie Zhuo to General Xie just because he was unhappy.
Fu Zhi Qiao initially called him Young Master Xie, then called him Brother Xie after they got to know each other better, and occasionally called him by his name directly. Now, however, she calls him General Xie directly, which is even more distant than calling him Young Master Xie.
For some reason, Xie Zhuo felt irritated, as if such an unfamiliar title as General Xie should not have come out of her mouth.
"If you need more manpower, you can come to me. What's the use of hiring a bunch of bandits?" Xie Zhuo hurriedly tried to stop her when he saw her turn to leave, his voice unconsciously carrying a hint of coaxing.
He regretted it as soon as he said it.
Fu Zhi Qiao was also taken aback, not expecting Xie Zhuo to say such a thing.
She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she found that Xie Zhuo's attitude towards her was quite unusual. Based on their previous interactions, Xie Zhuo was usually cold to others, but he always seemed to indulge her when he was with her.
The two remained silent.
Looking at his red ear tips, Fu Zhi Qiao was stunned for a moment, and then slowly realized why he was so concerned about her.
Could it be...
Fu Zhiqiao smiled and reached out to hold Xie Zhuo's fingertips.
Xie Zhuo's body immediately stiffened. Even though she was holding her fingertips, her heart was trembling.
At first, Fu Zhi Qiao only pinched one of Xie Zhuo's fingers, and then slowly, she gently stroked up Xie Zhuo's fingertip, teasing his palm and the back of his hand with her fingers, touching him from between his fingers to his fingertips, and finally holding his ten fingers together.
His hands were a little warmer than hers.
Fu Zhi Qiao asked softly, "Why should I look for you?"
Xie Zhuo's feelings were complicated at this moment. Her gaze fell on the two hands clasped together. Her fingers were as white and tender as scallions, and the touch of her fingertips brought a tingling sensation.
He always hated being touched by others, but Xie Zhuo didn't find her hands repulsive.
He pursed his lips, but still didn't say anything.
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't mind. Her gaze swept over him again and again, her eyes fixed on him like autumn water.
The man before them wore golden chainmail with a beast-face belt around his waist. He was tall and straight, with striking, sword-like eyebrows and sharp black eyes. He was as handsome as if he had been meticulously sculpted. The iron-leaf armor he wore exuded a cold and austere aura, which made his face look even more ascetic.
It's rare to find a man who looks like this!
Xie Zhuo could clearly see his own reflection in her eyes. He wanted to avoid her burning gaze, but he didn't want to let go of her hand.
At this moment, all his senses were focused on her hand, which was clasped in his. He held her soft, delicate hand in his palm, and the feeling of palpitations returned. Xie Zhuo dared not look her in the eye.
Seeing his shifty, evasive gaze, Fu Zhi Qiao smiled, her eyes crinkling, and the words she uttered seemed to have hooks in them.
"You...you don't mean you're interested in me, do you?"
Although it was a question, the tone was very confident.
Xie Zhuo's ears turned red, and his face turned red instantly as well.
He tried to appear indifferent, but his usually serious and handsome face was now filled with barely concealed panic. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Fu Zhi Qiao did not expect such an effect. Xie Zhuo had the appearance of a dashing young man, but his reaction was so immature.
That was so much fun!
Little did Fu Zhiqiao know that Xie Zhuo had dreamed of her several times since their last parting at the lantern festival, to the point that he had to change his underwear every morning during that period.
Fu Zhi Qiao tilted her head slightly, bringing the two even closer together. She looked completely innocent and asked, "So you don't like it?"
There's no one who doesn't like it!
Xie Zhuo instinctively wanted to retort, but after looking up and seeing Fu Zhi Qiao's smiling face, he shut his mouth.
No matter how mature Xie Zhuo was, he was only seventeen or eighteen years old. In terms of boldness and thick skin, he was far inferior to Fu Zhiqiao. He tried to calm his heartbeat and coughed, covering his mouth with his hand.
This fluttering feeling was unfamiliar to Xie Zhuo; it was the first time in his life he had felt this way about a woman.
There's no point in pressing for answers, so Fu Zhi Qiao stopped there. She's always been very open about her feelings, and even though Xie Zhuo hadn't said he liked her, her reaction told her that he definitely had feelings for her.
Well, now she has confidence.
When Wen Jiang and Wen Shan saw their daughter take the initiative to hold the man's hand, the scene was like a bolt from the blue, leaving them speechless for a long time.
The two men exchanged a glance, both wearing expressions of disbelief. Did the young lady already have a man she admired? Did the lady know about this?
Seeing that the two had finished speaking and were walking towards them, Wen Jiang looked nervous and cautiously asked, "Miss, who is this?"
Fu Zhi Qiao looked up at Xie Zhuo with a smile, "Xie Zhuo, just call him Young Master Xie."
The two quickly bowed and greeted Xie Zhuo.
Wenshan looked at the armor on his body and swallowed hard. When did her daughter get in touch with the elite cavalry?
Wen Jiang hesitated, but luckily there weren't many people around. If others saw the two men holding hands tightly, who knows how many rumors would spread. The brothers knew that Fu Zhi Qiao was a woman disguised as a man, but others didn't!
For example, the two archers next to Xie Zhuo were so surprised that their jaws almost dropped.
Are we seeing things? We're not seeing things, are we? General Xie, the most stern-faced general in their elite cavalry, is actually holding hands with a man, and a man whose appearance is... well, let's just say it's not exactly handsome.
Could it be that General Xie has... a penchant for homosexuality?
The two men stared in alarm at the two people not far away. What should they do? General Xie's most important secret had been exposed by these two!
Will they be able to see tomorrow's sun?
A chill ran through them, and they shivered involuntarily. They exchanged a glance and understood the message in each other's eyes: they would protect this secret with their lives, and they only hoped that General Xie would not kill them to silence them!
The May sun was already quite scorching, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling her face. Fu Zhi Qiao reached out to wipe the sweat from her face, but accidentally rubbed her beard crooked.
When Wenshan saw this, he winked at her, but perhaps their understanding wasn't quite there yet, and Fu Zhiqiao didn't grasp what he meant.
"What's wrong?"
Wenshan felt a little dizzy and lightheaded: "Miss, uh... um... the beard..."
The atmosphere was slightly awkward.
Fu Zhiqiao belatedly looked at Xie Zhuo, whose eyes were clearly gleaming with amusement.
Fu Zhi Qiao suddenly realized that she was dressed as an accountant! And she even had a beard stuck to her face!
Was she flirting with Xie Zhuo with this very appearance just now?
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