Meixiang continued dutifully, "I still have to clean up your room."
"No, no, I'm in good spirits today, I can clean up by myself." After saying that, Chu Qiao didn't allow Mei Xiang to say anything else. She went back into the house with the water, closed the door tightly, and then put her ear against the door like a thief, listening carefully to the movements outside.
Chu Qiao finally let out a long sigh of relief after Meixiang and Jingjing left.
Zhuge Yue lay on his side on the bed and said leisurely, "Look at you, you look like a thief."
Chu Qiao glared at him and pulled his arm, "Go back to your room while no one is around."
“No.” Zhuge Yue refused bluntly, “Unless you help me wash my face.”
Chu Qiao's face fell, "Why?"
"I won't go back unless you do it."
“Zhuge Yue, you…”
Chu Qiao gritted her teeth for a long time, and finally walked to the washbasin, poured water, washed her face towel, and then walked in front of him, baring her arms and rolling up her sleeves. She didn't look like she was going to wipe someone's face, but looked like she was going to fight someone.
She squatted in front of him and rubbed it hard on his face. He frowned slightly but said nothing and still had a smiling face. Chu Qiao suddenly felt a little hesitant to do it, so she sighed and became gentler.
The sunlight shone on the two of them through the open window. It seemed as if time had gone back more than ten years, and they seemed to still be in the courtyard of Qingshan Courtyard. She had to get up very early every day, holding a washbasin scented with agarwood, and help him get up, wash his face, get dressed and put on shoes, eat and drink tea.
"See, I put in so much effort, but in the end I still have to go back to my old job." Chu Qiao pouted and said dejectedly.
Zhuge Yue smiled and said, “As the saying goes, the net of heaven is vast and wide, nothing can escape it. You were born to be mine, and you can’t run away.”
Chu Qiao glared at him and cursed, "What a lousy metaphor."
After brushing her teeth and rinsing her mouth, and getting dressed, Chu Qiao pushed Zhuge Yue's arm and walked to the door, "Let's go, let's go!"
Zhuge Yue turned around and glared at her, "You damn woman, we are married for a day and we are bound by love for a hundred days, but you turn against me the next day!"
"Go, go! Go back to your room!"
"Young Master!" A clear and cheerful voice suddenly came, and Chu Qiao was so frightened that she turned around suddenly, only to see Yue Qi standing outside the window with a smile. When he saw her, he smiled and greeted her, "I went to the young master's room this morning and saw that he was not there, so I guessed that he had stayed in the girl's room last night."
Ping An stood behind Yue Qi. There seemed to be many people behind him. It was too far away to know who he was talking to. He could only vaguely hear a joyful voice coming over, "Sister is finally married. I don't need to listen to her nagging anymore."
At this moment, the door creaked open, and Meixiang walked in with Jingjing and the others. When they saw Zhuge Yue, they bowed and politely called him "Fourth Young Master". Then they walked towards Chu Qiao's bed, presumably to pack their things.
Chu Qiao suddenly remembered that the blood on the bed was not something she could see. She was about to stop them, but she saw Jingjing bringing a bowl of soup over and whispering in her ear, "Sister Meixiang specially ordered someone to make this soup to stop bleeding and replenish qi. Sister, drink it quickly."
Chu Qiao's eyes turned black and her cheeks were so red that they seemed to be bleeding.
Zhuge Yue came over, took the medicine bowl, and passed it to Chu Qiao's lips, with a hint of smile on his face, "It's really a good thing, Xing'er, drink it quickly."
That afternoon, the ship docked in Lanling County, replenished the food on board, and continued on its journey. Two days later, we finally arrived in Hu County.
Everyone landed on the shore. Although they were already in Da Xia territory, Yue Qi and the others were obviously more strict in protecting Zhuge Yue. As soon as they arrived at the ferry, there was a guard team of more than 500 people guarding there. All the female relatives accompanying them changed into men's clothes, mixed in with the team and got on the carriage, being extremely secretive and cautious.
Chu Qiao saw that most of the people in Zhuge Yue's guards had tattoos on their faces. She knew that they were the descendants of the criminals who were exiled to Qinghai, so she felt relieved.
When they arrived at Baolin County, three thousand Qinghai navy soldiers in clear armor were standing there. Among them, one thousand were wearing navy blue leather armor. They looked fierce and murderous, with tough and weathered looks in their eyes, and bulging temples. It was obvious that they were all people who had practiced martial arts.
Yue Qi proudly told her that those were his subordinates, the most elite Seventh Division in Qinghai. This is only a small part of them. Most of the teams are still in Cuiwei Pass and Zhenhuang City.
They rested in Baolin County that night and set out back to Zhenhuang the next day. In the evening, they finally saw the towering city.
The earth is vast and desolate, the wasteland is rolling, and the dead grass is blowing in the wind.
It is still the hot summer weather, the hot summer wind, and the hot summer autumn chill. Chu Qiao lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the towering city gate in front of her. The iron-red city wall looked as tragic as blood under the setting sun.
She vaguely recalled the days of their youth when she and Yan Xun lived together in that huge cage. They hated everything here and wished a flood would come and turn all the prosperity into ashes. They put in a lot of effort and fought their way out of the barrier that had imprisoned them for eight years.
But today, she was willing to set foot here again and walk into this suffocating city gate.
Six years ago, she left this place for a man, and six years later, she came back for another man.
The mystery of fate is always surrounded by thousands of twists and turns. When you take a step forward, you don’t know what’s waiting for you ahead. The only thing you can do is to keep going.
There was wind blowing past my ears, making a humming sound.
A hand suddenly came from behind her and held her in his arms.
Zhuge Yue's voice sounded behind his ears, extremely light and soothing, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Chu Qiao smiled slightly. He seemed to always say this. She leaned back into his arms, inhaled his scent deeply, and then slowly closed her eyes.
She held his hand tightly, as if she would never let go.
Today's Zhenhuang City is no longer as prosperous and splendid as it once was. Before it gets dark, there are already very few people walking on the streets. Seeing Zhuge Yue's carriage, everyone gave way. The grand scene of the Lantern Festival in the past, with people rubbing shoulders with each other, was no longer there.
The carriage bypassed Xuanhua Street, turned into Baiwei Road, and headed towards the west of the city. Chu Qiao was slightly stunned and asked, "Aren't you going back to Zhuge Mansion?"
Zhuge Yue smiled, "I am already the military commander of Daxia, so naturally I live in my own Sima Mansion."
Chu Qiao felt relieved upon hearing this and couldn't help but smile.
Zhuge Yue laughed at her and said, “How can you be worthy of the title of King Xiu Li if you show your joy like this?”
"What else can I pretend to be in front of you?"
Chu Qiao said this very naturally, but Zhuge Yue was slightly stunned, then he hugged her and praised her, “Well said.”
There were few people on the street, so the carriage moved faster. After a while, it arrived at Sima Mansion, located by the Biliu Lake in the west of the city.
Chu Qiao had seen this house before. It was a royal villa, built magnificently and solemnly. The carriage did not stop, but went all the way through the gate and into the inner quarters. After the soldiers had left one after another, Chu Qiao followed Zhuge Yue down from the carriage.
Chu Qiao immediately saw Huan'er standing in the distance with red eyes. When she saw her, tears began to fall.
Although it is no longer the same courtyard as before, the people are still the same people as before. Chu Qiao felt a little sad and reached out her hand. Huan'er immediately ran over, lifted her skirt and was about to kowtow to her.
Chu Qiao quickly reached out to help him, but Zhuge Yue held her back and said, “You will be the mistress of this mansion from now on, so it’s only natural for them to kowtow to you.”
As she said this, the maids and servants in the mansion kowtowed to her obediently, saying, "Greetings to the young lady."
Chu Qiao helped Huan'er up. After not seeing her for many years, her appearance had changed a little. She was now pretty and smart. She was now the head maid in Zhuge Yue's house, managing a hundred or eighty maids.
Huan'er wiped her tears and cried, "I knew that Madam would come back sooner or later. I have cleaned up Madam's room and have kept it for you all these years."
Chu Qiao felt a little embarrassed when she kept calling her "Madam". Zhuge Yue, however, remained calm and said, “Free up that room and move her things directly to my room.”
Everyone understood immediately after hearing this. Huan'er quickly directed the maids to carry Chu Qiao's luggage. Meixiang and Jingjing also joined in, and the group of people worked enthusiastically.
"Let's go." Zhuge Yue whispered in her ear, and without further ado he took her hand and walked forward.
Dusk is falling, the night is endless, a crescent moon hangs far in the sky, casting a faint and clear light. The lights on both sides lit up, shining on Zhuge Yue's dark blue cloak. He did not speak, but just walked silently. The wind blew over from both sides, bringing with it the dampness and chill of the lake water, but also some of the freshness of the night. The arrow patterns on his cuffs were dense and would occasionally brush against Chu Qiao's white cloak, making a rustling sound.
There is a very light fragrance that comes over me, not strong, but everywhere. This is a fine kind of herb with a hint of Duruo fragrance.
Zhuge Yue has always been a person who knows how to live life well. Perhaps it is the wealth in his bones and the accumulation of wealth over hundreds of years that makes these aristocratic families different from ordinary nouveau riche. Almost every inch of soil and every plant has a rare nobility.
Pushing open the hollow carved Xihai nanmu door, what comes into view is an elegant bedroom. It is not magnificent, but it is so exquisite and comfortable that even the most picky people have nothing to say. The soft and thick carpet on the floor gives you a light and trance-like feeling when you step on it. The desk, coffee table, antiques, calligraphy and paintings make the whole room very elegant, with a sense of otherworldly simplicity. The eighteen-sided white silk gauze curtains were hooked with the purple gold Bifang divine bird hooks, stretching all the way to the inner room.
"Are you tired?" He stood in front of her, looked down at her, and asked softly.
Chu Qiao shook her head, holding her stomach and said, "I'm just so hungry."
A little maid in red clothes said quickly, "The food will be ready soon. Do you want to go to the dining room now, Master and Madam?"
Zhuge Yue shook his head and said to Chu Qiao, “I have something else to do, so I can’t eat with you.”
Chu Qiao nodded, "Go do what you want first."
"The servants are preparing the horses, please wait a moment." After saying that, he hugged Chu Qiao, and the cloud pattern embroidered on his clothes on his chest lightly touched Chu Qiao's face, which made her feel a little itchy. His voice came through his body, a little muffled, "Xing'er, you are finally here."
Chu Qiao smiled and hugged him as well. She felt an indescribable satisfaction in her heart, which made her limbs lazy and she just didn't want to talk.
The room was filled with the finest spices, making one feel sleepy and wanting to close their eyes and have a good sleep.
"You just wait for me here tonight."
Chu Qiao's cheeks flushed slightly. She raised her head and smiled at Zhuge Yue, "Then you should come back soon."
Zhuge Yue nodded.
At this time, the horses were ready, and Zhuge Yue said, "I will go to the Seventh Prince's place. You should eat first and rest early."
"Yeah." Chu Qiao stood on tiptoe and pecked him lightly on the mouth, her cheeks flushed as she said, "Be careful on the road."
A trace of joy flowed from Zhuge Yue's eyes. He hugged Chu Qiao tightly and turned to walk out the door.