Miss Yu is indeed an intelligent person. She and Mr. Wu are both students of Mr. Wolong. Mr. Wolong was a rare hermit who was said to be over a hundred years old. He had disciples all over the world, from wealthy and prominent families and royal relatives to peddlers and merchants. The knowledge of this gentleman covered the world, and he did not care about the family background of his disciples. He only taught different knowledge according to the different qualifications of his disciples. Therefore, among his students, there are great scholars with profound knowledge, prime ministers with great ambition, generals who inspect troops on the battlefield, heroic assassins with nimble skills, and even wealthy businessmen...
Mr. Wolong has many disciples, but they are mixed, such as Cheng Wenjing, the 70-year-old Prime Minister of Bian Tang, Yue Shaocong, the traitor of Donglu who betrayed Daxia forty years ago and led the Quanrong into the pass, and Wu Daoya and Zhong Yu, the number one rebel leader of the time and the outstanding young generals of the Datong Guild. There is also one person that Chu Qiao cannot help but remember, and that is Zhuge Yue, the fourth son of the Zhuge clan of Daxia.
Zhao Che is about to lead his troops to attack. Will he come?
Chu Qiao sighed softly and drank the medicine in the bowl.
The battlefield is dangerous and swords are ruthless. No, I hope not.
She took a nap in the afternoon and felt much better when she woke up. After staying in the house for a few days, she wanted to go out and move around. Chu Qiao was wearing a blue cotton dress and a double-breasted jacket embroidered with white magnolias. Her narrow sleeves and tight arms formed a lantern shape, making her figure look even more slender, as if she could be held in one hand. The maid tied her hair up into a bun, leaving it hanging slightly on both sides. She wore a few scarlet necklaces on her head and a light blue jade hairpin in her hair. A string of thin tassels hung lightly, occasionally brushing her white ears.
Chu Qiao seldom wore clothes that were too girly. She looked at herself in the mirror for a long time, feeling a little curious but also a little happy.
After opening the door, the wind was a bit strong. The maids wanted to follow, but Chu Qiao declined and walked out quietly by herself, holding a small sheep-horn lantern.
After all, it was winter in Yanbei. The sight of the snow and fog drifting by was quite sad and beautiful, but it was actually very cold. Fortunately, I was wearing plenty of clothes, including a fox fur coat on the outside to keep out the wind. A shallow crescent moon hung above, the light was bright, and the ground was white. I hadn't been out of the house for many days, and all I smelled was medicine and incense. I felt very dizzy, but now I went out for a walk, and I suddenly felt clear-headed and my illness seemed to have improved a little.
The moonlight is so beautiful, like the candlelight shining through the azure gauze curtain, as light as smoke. The wind blew through the leaves, making a rustling sound. Chu Qiao walked slowly and then stood far away under the window of Yan Xun's study. He seemed to have just returned from the military camp and had not yet gone to bed. The lights were so bright that they cast a long shadow. There were other people in the study, and they seemed to be discussing something, but the wind blew and the sound was too vague for her to hear.
My heart suddenly felt so peaceful, just like when I woke up in the morning and opened the window to find the world white, the sun shining warmly on my face, the sky was blue, and a snow-white eagle was soaring with its wings spread. A cup of tea was placed on the desk, and wisps of hot steam were rising and circling like a winding dragon.
For a long time, she couldn't figure out her feelings for Yan Xun. When she first came here, she used the eyes of a modern person to coldly observe the injustices of this world. Then, she was drawn into it, and thus, she felt sorrow, anger, resentment, favor, gratitude... More and more emotions pulled her into this world, and flesh and blood gradually formed on her, and she could no longer stay out of it. As for Yan Xun, from the initial hatred, to gratitude, to sympathy and compassion, to dependence on each other, as they grew older, the feelings slowly deteriorated, and those unspeakable thoughts inadvertently broke through the soil in the heart and grew fresh green buds. After experiencing frost, bitter winter, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and the slaughter of life and death, the tender green bud finally grew into a towering tree. Occasionally, when I looked up, I saw lush branches and leaves.
She has always been such a silent and stubborn person, always.
The door of the study was opened, and people came out one after another. Ah Jing was sharp-eyed and saw Chu Qiao standing under the plum tree suddenly shouting. Yan Xun heard it and hurriedly ran out of the room. When he saw her, he frowned and said, "Why are you standing there alone? Don't you know that you are sick?"
Chu Qiao smiled and let Yan Xun hold her hand. The man stared at her with an unpleasant expression, took her hand in his palm and clenched it, complaining: "It's so cold, how long have you been here?"
"Just for a moment."
As soon as she entered the room, a warm aroma suddenly hit her face. Chu Qiao sniffed and murmured, "What kind of spice smells so good?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Xun's expression suddenly changed. He quickly pushed Chu Qiao to the door, picked up a pot of tea and poured it into the incense burner. Hissing white steam immediately came out, and he hurriedly opened the window.
Chu Qiao frowned and asked, "Yan Xun, what are you doing?"
Yan Xun clapped his hands and walked out, saying in a deep voice: "We can't stay in this room anymore, let's go."
Having said that, he pulled Chu Qiao into his bedroom.
There was no incense in Yan Xun's bedroom, so it smelled much fresher. Chu Qiao still felt strange. Seeing him take the towel handed over by the maid Lan Xiang to wipe his face, she walked up to him and asked, "Yan Xun, what happened in the study?"
"I ordered half a piece of the newly delivered styrax, which has musk as an ingredient."
"Musk?" Chu Qiao frowned and asked, not knowing much about spices, "What's wrong with musk?"
The maid Lanxiang burst out laughing and said with a smile: "Young lady, women cannot smell musk. If you smell it too much, you can't get pregnant. Of course, Your Highness must be nervous."
After Lanxiang finished speaking, her face turned red, and the other maids all laughed. Yan Xun was not annoyed and pretended not to care, but he watched Chu Qiao's reaction with his eyes slanted.
Chu Qiao was slightly stunned when she heard this. After all, she was a girl. A blush gradually spread across her cheeks, like the stamens of a crabapple flower, making her look particularly pretty. The candlelight shone on the hem of her light blue skirt, which was like flowing water, making it look like a layer of floating, lustrous silk.
There was a faint smile behind my ear, and the man's warm breath was like the continuous sea water, "Ah Chu, it's beautiful tonight."
Chu Qiao raised her eyes, her eyes were filled with joy. The bedroom is huge, with a soft and thick carpet underneath, and layer upon layer of gauze curtains lowered one by one, with golden hooks and tassels, looking very luxurious. The bed is covered with purple embroidery and covered with green gauze on the outside. The brocade quilt is warm, and you can tell how warm it is to lie on it at a glance. Yan Xun stretched out his hand, and the maids came up like clouds to change his clothes. Chu Qiao was slightly stunned when she saw this, and then turned away. Yan Xun smiled softly when he saw this, and Chu Qiao's face became even redder.
Adding her past and present lives together, she was not young anymore and had seen quite a few romantic scenes. She had been with Yan Xun day and night for so many years and had not always been as cautious and polite as a moralist. But today, she was a little at a loss.
The maids left the room with ambiguous looks in their eyes. Layers of gauze curtains separated the space. Yan Xun's warm breath approached from behind, and he said with a hoarse smile, "My Ah Chu has grown up and knows how to be shy."
Her usual eloquence suddenly disappeared without a trace. Yan Xun's hands wrapped around her from behind, crossed in front of her belly, and his lips pressed against her ear, and he sighed softly, "I haven't seen you for a day."
Chu Qiao was a little scared, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond. She said in a daze, "Is the war going to start in the east? How are your preparations going?"
"Alas..." Yan Xun sighed helplessly, "Ah Chu, do you really have to ruin the mood like this? You really don't understand romance."
The fine sand from the night watch flowed down slowly, one strand at a time, without end. The wind outside was blowing quietly, and occasionally some snow fell from the eaves, floating in the air. Yan Xun hugged her quietly, the scent of his body gently surrounding her, like the hem of a skirt flying up in the summer, and his voice was moist and soothing, "Didn't you cough today?"
Chu Qiao shook her head, "It's much better now."
"That's good. Have you taken your medicine on time?"
"It tasted very bitter and unpalatable."
Yan Xun smiled, "Child, how can medicine not be bitter? You didn't pour it out secretly, did you?"
"I swear to God," Chu Qiao held up three fingers, "I even swallowed the dregs of the medicine."
"What's wrong?" Yan Xun raised his eyebrows slightly, "Is the room stuffy?"
"I am worried. There is going to be a war in the east. How can I help you if I am always sick?"
Yan Xun felt warm in his heart, as if warm water was slowly covering him. He caressed Chu Qiao's neck with his lips and whispered softly, "You are doing well. You are helping me."
Yan Xun's pajamas were so thin that one could almost touch the outline of his muscles. Chu Qiao nestled in his arms, tilted her head, and her body gradually warmed up. She whispered, "I hope I can be of some use."
"You have been very useful," Yan Xun said gently, "Over the years, you have followed me wholeheartedly and never thought about yourself. Now that Yanbei has been settled, you should plan for yourself."
"For yourself?" Chu Qiao was a little confused. This was really a new question. In fact, she knew that she was not as strong as she looked. She was used to relying on others, obeying orders, and working hard for a goal. This was the case when she served the country in the past, and it was also the case after she followed Yan Xun. However, what she was worst at was planning for herself. For herself? For yourself? What can I do?
"Yes," Yan Xun said in a low voice, with a hint of smile, "When a girl grows up, she always has to plan for herself, such as finding a good husband, marrying a good man, taking care of her husband and children, and living a happy life..."
Chu Qiao spat at him softly and said, "In this chaotic time, where can we find good men?"
"That's right," Yan Xun said with a smile, "You can know a person's face but not his heart. Without ten or eight years of experience, how can you easily see through a person? If you place your heart in the wrong hands, wouldn't it delay your lifelong happiness?"
Chu Qiao turned around and said with a smile: "Then what do you say we should do?"
"It's no wonder that I have to suffer a little." Yan Xun's eyes were narrow and long, flashing a faint light. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and he smiled like a cunning fox.
Chu Qiao glared at him with her eyes slanted, "You seem to be doing this reluctantly and at a disadvantage!"
"It's not too forced," Yan Xun's voice was like a pool of blue water, rippling softly in the air, "but I suffered a little loss."
Seeing Chu Qiao's expression change, Yan Xun laughed and hugged her, saying, "The nobles all have three wives and four concubines, but I have to keep only one wife for my whole life. Isn't that a disadvantage?"
Chu Qiao snorted and said, "Then go and take a concubine, no one will stop you."
Yan Xun hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear: "I don't have the energy, and I don't want to let you suffer any injustice."
A red candle as thick as a forearm burned high, illuminating the whole room. Chu Qiao felt weak all over, as if her limbs were filled with water. Then she heard Yan Xun say softly, "Ah Chu, marry me."
Her heart warmed and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. This journey had been so difficult. Thinking back to the hunting trip eight years ago, it seemed so long had passed in the blink of an eye.