Chapter 84 Chapter 84 "Wait until I come back."
Facing that mischievous and jealous face, Shangguan Xu couldn't help but curl his face and laugh, but his long and strong fingers landed on her cheek and turned her back effortlessly.
Zhou Jingzhi raised his eyebrows: "Hmm?"
He was asking the same question he had asked her earlier.
Shangguan Xu's face was gently pinched by him, and the soft skin on her cheek was slightly lifted. She raised her eyebrows helplessly and said, "How can I make it up to him? It happened when we were young. Our two families were close friends back then, so we had to have some form of address. He's older than me, and he didn't have a courtesy name at that time. I can't just call him by his name, right?"
"Also, since you're willing to bring up something from such a long time ago and ask me for compensation, can I also settle the score with you and ask you for some compensation?"
Zhou Jingzhi: "Oh?"
Shangguan Xu grabbed his hand, pulled it into her bosom and pressed it lightly. She looked down for a few breaths, then raised her eyes with a smile, her eyes rippling like spring water.
She said, "After you came back, you first misunderstood me, then concealed your identity from me. I'm afraid you had other thoughts during this time. Have you ever considered teaching me a lesson?"
Zhou Jingzhi instantly lowered his eyes and coughed.
Shangguan Xu continued to laugh, "Look, these things happened much more recently than the one you mentioned. How are you going to compensate me?"
"I..." Zhou Jingzhi hesitated and said awkwardly, "Don't you already know the reasons behind these things..."
Shangguan Xu was calm and composed. "Just because I know doesn't mean I'll just let it go. Besides, weren't you the one who started this in the first place?" She laughed at him. "What? Now that it's your fault, you're going to deny it?"
Zhou Jingzhi was stunned for a moment, then finally smiled and said, "It's not that I'm refusing to pay. It's my fault." He looked up at her, "Then have you thought about what you want me to pay back?"
His soft, star-like gaze fell into hers.
She raised her head, sighed easily, and put her arms around his neck again, with a soft and clear light in her eyes: "Give it back to me, and you will be safe and sound for the rest of your life, and stay with me forever."
He smiled and said "OK".
He slowly moved his hand from top to bottom, across her back and lifted her up, their eyes locked, the distance between them always so close.
However, when she sat up, he also calmed down and talked about what happened in Wanhe Tower. "Huo Ganbi is selfish. Even if he chooses to be neutral between us and Su Shi, as long as he controls the Shen Ce Army, he will sooner or later try to use the military power to expand his power. Such a person must not be left alone."
I remember that back at Wanhe Tower, Zhou Jingzhi had said to Huo Gan, "General Jie should also know that if you really want to gain a firm foothold in the army, relying solely on your current commanding position is far from enough. You must establish yourself through military merit and gain prestige."
Zhou Jingzhi continued as he refilled Huo Gan's tea, "However, the world is peaceful now, with no internal banditry and no external enemies, so achieving military merit is difficult."
Huo Gan frowned, as if realizing something: "But what do you mean by mentioning Ping and Ying states?"
Zhou Jingzhi looked up at the gurgling sound of tea pouring, his lips curled up. "My subordinate just mentioned military merit, so naturally the two states mentioned are related to that military merit." He went straight to the point, "According to spies, there are signs of unrest in Ping and Ying states. Thousands of rabble-rousers are plotting rebellion. The Empress Dowager is considering where to send troops to suppress them."
Huo Gan clenched his fists and said, "How come I didn't know about such a big thing?"
Zhou Jingzhi said, "News of this matter has just been sent to the capital. The letter came from one of Her Majesty's subordinates, not from the imperial court. Also, because the rebels hadn't started the uprising yet, there was no express report of 800 miles. It's not that the general didn't know about this, but only a handful of people in the entire capital knew about it."
"Then why are you telling me now?"
"Because this is the reason why I invited you to a gathering today, and it also reflects the sincerity shown by Your Majesty."
Zhou Jingzhi said calmly, "General Jie is right. Human hearts are unpredictable, and we must be on guard against them. So it's normal for General Jie to worry that he'll become a thorn in the eyes of his superiors once he becomes powerful. The Empress has also taken this into consideration. So, to reassure you, she wants to give you military merits that will last a long time and bring you honor."
"And by then, as long as you have established yourself through military merit, you won't have to worry about being abandoned. Even if someone wants to take action against you, they'll have to ask the officers and soldiers for their consent, General Jie. Don't you agree?"
The aroma of tea wafted upwards, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the faint sound of guests coming and going downstairs coming in. Two people sat opposite each other in the attic, each with their own thoughts.
——
There was a rustling sound of fabric as Shangguan Xu lowered his legs from the beauty bed, then stood up and walked a few steps to the side.
"So he agreed?"
Zhou Jingzhi then stood up and walked over to her. He took her hand, played with her sleeve, and said, "He should have agreed, but I think he agreed to both. He wants the military merit of suppressing the rebellion, and he also wants the power of the three envoys. He doesn't know who will be the winner between us and the Su family, so he doesn't want to offend either side and wants to benefit from both sides."
Shangguan Xu murmured, "That's fine."
Zhou Jingzhi quietly raised his eyes to look at her, and saw that she was serious in thought, with tenderness in her eyes, like stars in the water, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curl up.
"why are you laughing?"
Shangguan Xu noticed his little action and asked in some confusion.
Zhou Jingzhi didn't hide the smile at the corners of his eyes and lips: "Nothing, I just feel comfortable looking at you like this."
Hearing him say this, Shangguan Xu glanced at him with a smile and a look of anger: "I was talking to you about serious matters, why are you thinking about other things?"
He blinked lightly, his smile still lingering: "Don't worry, I'm listening."
After saying this, he couldn't help but lower his eyes and smile. However, when he raised his eyes again, his gaze fell on the unrolled scroll hanging high in front of him.
But in an instant, Shangguan Xu noticed where his gaze was. She paled slightly and said quickly, "I haven't been to the side room for a while, so I haven't asked anyone to clean it up. I'll go take it down right away."
"No need." He grabbed her wrist, his eyes lingering on the scroll for a few moments before looking at the person beside him. Although his expression was somewhat dejected, his voice remained gentle as he said, "Just leave it there."
"Can……"
"Wasn't that originally painted for me when I was still in the palace? Why did you take it down when I came back?"
He smiled at her and said sincerely, "Just stay. You see, I have to leave something behind now, right? Otherwise, how will I remember what I used to look like?"
He raised an eyebrow at her and she couldn't help but smile.
"Do you think you're good-looking? Are you impressed by your looks?"
"Am I not good-looking?"
Shangguan Xu raised his eyebrows for a long moment, then nodded slowly as he spoke, "When I'm free someday, I'll definitely ask Xun Ziyang to tell me what you were doing all day and night in the mountains during those years, and why you became so slick after returning."
Zhou Jingzhi also raised his eyebrows: "Why ask him? I'm already standing here, just ask me directly."
"Will you tell me?"
"Of course, without reservation. And...if you insist on looking for the reason, it's not like I haven't told you."
"When did you tell me that?"
Zhou Jingzhi looked at her with a helpless yet meaningful look and said, "I told you, I learned it from you."
Shangguan Xu instantly recalled it and couldn't help but laugh at him: "I wasn't like this before. I don't admit it."
Zhou Jingzhi nodded and said "hmm" readily: "Of course you can deny it, I will admit it anyway."
Shangguan Xu couldn't stand it any longer, so she started to tickle his waist. He let her do it but pretended to resist, and backed away repeatedly in a noisy manner.
Until he retreated to the square table.
With a "bang", her back hit the edge of the table, his upper body suddenly leaned back, and she moved forward and bumped into his chest.
He held her wrists in front of him and said before she could ask any more questions, "I'm fine. I didn't get hurt." He turned around and looked at the table behind him. He saw the wooden box still lying on the side. "The red rope in the box can be taken away."
His tone was sour, because he felt a little uncomfortable when he thought about the bracelet being worn by someone else.
It wasn't because he felt that the feelings she had poured into this over the years had been contaminated by someone else, but because the feelings that should have belonged to him were thrown away by him with his own hands, and a bit of someone else's atmosphere was mixed in with it.
But this bracelet was woven by her own hands. She gave it to him with the best wishes and put it on him with her own hands.
He was really in pain.
"I was just about to ask you what your plan was, but it turns out you've already thought of it."
He heard the girl's gentle voice in his arms, and he turned his head and looked down.
Shangguan Xu looked up at him and smiled, "But what you said is exactly what I agree with."
She stood up straight under his surprised gaze, walked over to the wooden box and held it in front of him: "Open it and take a look."
Zhou Jingzhi was still a little confused, but he listened obediently, took the box and opened it.
There is a brand new red rope inside!
The color and style are exactly the same as the previous one, but if you look closely, the details are more refined.
He looked at her.
She smiled and took the box from his hand, put it on the table, and took out the red rope from it.
She simply supported his hand gently, and he cooperated by holding his hand in the air and letting her do whatever she wanted.
As she tied it for him, she said, "It's been a while since I've done this kind of craft, but at least I'm not rusty at all."
"The previous red string should have been forgotten, and this one will be like that one." She raised her eyes, her glittering eyes like stars, and met his gaze, which was both relaxed and warm. She said word by word, "I pray that you will be safe."
"I wish you a safe journey this time."
After the red rope on her hand was tied, he immediately hugged her in his arms and rested his chin on her shoulder.
He closed his eyes, but his tone was extremely firm: "Wait for me to come back."
This time, I will definitely come back.
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