Your heartbeat
...When they parted, both of them were slightly out of breath.
But Xiao Chengyan still held her, his breath warm and moist against her ear.
He said, “Jinghong, the future is fraught with difficulties, and I am overwhelmed with other matters. I only hope that you will calm down and trust me. If you continue to let those pointless jealous words disturb my mind... every time you say them, I will have to punish you personally until you learn to be quiet. Do you understand?”
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinghong suddenly grabbed Xiao Chengyan's shoulders, turned around, and trapped him within arm's reach. Looking at Xiao Chengyan, the red mole at the end of his eyebrow was prominent.
"The affairs at the front are pressing, and since Your Highness has no time for anything else, please focus on the important matters. As for our relationship... we can discuss it after the situation in the southwest is resolved."
She paused, leaving a meaningful look in her eyes: "At that time, it remains to be seen who will 'punish' whom, and how they will be punished."
Her earnest yet defiant expression was rather amusing.
A smile appeared on Xiao Chengyan's lips as he reached out and pulled Gu Jinghong into his arms.
Gu Jinghong smelled the familiar scent of spikenard on him and suddenly seemed to remember something: "Xiao Chengyan, what you just said... that Xie Yan is untrustworthy... was it a trap?"
Xiao Chengyan felt the person in his arms struggle slightly, but he showed no intention of letting go.
He buried his head even closer to Gu Jinghong's neck: "Don't move. I don't want to do anything to you right now, but if you move again... then things might get complicated."
Gu Jinghong: "..."
Shameless.
...
The next day, morning
Only a few dark red embers remained of the campfire, struggling to emit its last bit of warmth.
The early summer morning mist hangs over the pond, carrying a slight chill.
Gu Jinghong's nose was red from the cold, but her body felt a warm, enveloping sensation.
The first thing she felt was the solid chest pressed tightly against her back, radiating warmth continuously.
Then she felt a heavy arm around her waist, encircling her tightly. She could even feel the subtle breaths from the other person's steady breathing brushing against her temples.
Gu Jinghong suddenly opened her eyes.
The two of them were somewhat...lost in their passion last night.
Therefore, she didn't even need to think to know how ambiguous their current posture was.
Just as she was contemplating whether to break free immediately or play dead, the body pressed tightly against her behind her moved slightly.
Xiao Chengyan seemed to have been disturbed from his sleep by the unusually warm and soft touch in his arms.
He unconsciously tightened his arms around her, a hint of satisfaction in his expression, then unconsciously nuzzled the top of her head with his chin, making a muffled nasal sound.
Then, he slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the person in his arms.
"Thump thump—thump thump—"
My heart is racing.
But only for a moment, he suddenly couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, sighed, and hugged the person in his arms even tighter.
Gu Jinghong spoke softly, "Your Highness, please stop pretending. Your heart is pounding..."
It was precisely at this extremely awkward, deathly silent moment—
"Your Highness, so you're here. It's dawn, time to..." Changfeng's loud voice pierced through the thin mist, coming closer from afar.
He parted the drooping willow branches by the pond and strode over.
Then, as if his steps were nailed to the ground, he abruptly stopped halfway through his journey.
Changfeng could hardly believe his eyes—
All they saw was their prince holding Miss Gu, who had asked them to "keep their distance," tightly in his arms with an attitude of absolute protection and possession!
The prince's arm was still wrapped around Miss Gu's slender waist possessively. Miss Gu... Miss Gu was almost embedded in the prince's arms!
Changfeng's mind went blank for a moment.
—Is this Miss Gu's "keeping her distance"?!
—So the prince doesn't dislike women, but rather has a… preference for romantic encounters under the open sky?!
—Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Not only did he discover the prince's "secret hobby," he also disturbed the prince's "refined interest"! Will he be silenced? Will he be banished to sweep the stables for the rest of his life?!
Suddenly, Changfeng had an idea. He turned and walked in another direction, still calling out, "Your Highness! Your Highness...where are you?!"
By the pond, only two people remained, stiff as fossils.
Gu Jinghong: "..."
Xiao Chengyan: "..."
Gu Jinghong hurriedly gathered up her disheveled cloak.
Xiao Chengyan also quickly sat up, and seeing Gu Jinghong's flustered appearance, a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.
"It doesn't matter, Changfeng is not an outsider."
Gu Jinghong: "...!!!"
...
Ten days later, in the southwest camp
The wind from the southwestern border region carried coarse sand and damp chill, blowing across the rolling camps.
The commander's flag fluttered in the wind, and the air was filled with a unique aroma of rust, leather, sweat, and distant, faint gunpowder smoke.
Gu Jinghong's tent stood alone on an open space to the side and behind the commander's tent. The view was indeed wide, with a glimpse of the distant mountains and part of the camp layout, but it also meant that it was more directly exposed to the wind and sand.
This arrangement was Gu Jinghong's idea. After all, she came to the southwest to investigate the Hawks, and it would be inconvenient for her to live too close to Xiao Chengyan.
Secondly, Xiao Chengyan is the commander of the entire Southwest Army. Now that he is here, he should try to avoid getting involved in personal relationships. Staying away from him will allow him to concentrate on his work.
The furnishings inside Gu Jinghong's tent were extremely simple. Apart from a camp bed, a low table piled with maps and ancient books, and a rattan box for storing tools, there was nothing else.
She leaned over the desk, her slender fingers sliding and calculating on a map that detailed the terrain of "Laoyatan," occasionally picking up her pen to write a few elegant yet sharp characters.
...
The atmosphere inside the command tent was tense and oppressive.
A huge sand table occupies the central position, with mountains, rivers, passes, and cities clearly visible.
Xiao Chengyan wore a light black armor, without a helmet, and his black hair was tied up, which made his face look cold and austere like jade.
He stood with his hands behind his back in the main position on the sand table, his figure as upright as a pine tree, and an invisible pressure spread out heavily, enveloping the entire military tent.
A deputy general was pointing at the sand table and introducing the situation of the war in the southwest to Xiao Chengyan.
He had barely started when Xiao Chengyan stopped him with a gesture.
"No need for further explanation." He pointed to three locations on the sand table. "Starting immediately, triple the number of sentries at these three locations, working in shifts day and night. Keep a close watch on them!"
All three locations were near "Flying Eagle Gorge," and the generals vaguely felt that the matter of that underground river seemed to be more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
"Furthermore, how is the fortification progressing?"
The generals exchanged bewildered glances—their orders were to find a way to clear the blockage before the prince arrived, but not to act rashly. Now, while they hadn't acted rashly, they hadn't yet found a way to clear the blockage!
Just when everyone thought the prince's face was so dark it could drip water, the tent flap was lifted again, and Gu Jinghong walked in.
Without looking to the side, she walked straight to the corner reserved next to the sand table.
It was along this short stretch of road that the generals, whose attention was originally focused on the sand table, were involuntarily drawn to this pure and elegant moon-white light.
In the heart of this military camp where women are almost nonexistent, Gu Jinghong's presence alone is enough to draw attention, not to mention that her appearance and temperament far surpass those of ordinary girls.
Or rather, at the moment Gu Jinghong appeared, the generals finally understood why such a frail little girl could become the leader of this armory battalion.
The lieutenants exchanged glances.
"Now you know why the Prince deployed so many troops outside the tent of the commander of the armory, right?"
"Yes, it's unbelievable that even after all these years of brilliance, Your Highness still couldn't resist the allure of a beautiful woman."
"The prince has quite the stamina, traveling with such a beautiful young lady!"
The last few people nodded to each other secretly—the prince must have "come to his senses."
Xiao Chengyan looked up at everyone's expressions, and his face darkened even more.
The generals felt a chill run down their spines and quickly regained their composure, turning their attention back to Xiao Chengyan.
Xiao Chengyan began to analyze the current situation with several generals, and the deputy general discussed the latest progress and difficulties encountered in dredging the "Laoyatan" waterway.
Deputy General Zhang Meng was giving a report, his tone anxious.
“Your Highness, there is a crucial rock layer in the old riverbed that is harder than expected. Blasting is not very effective, and the narrow passage that has been cleared is at risk of being washed away by the backflow.”
After listening, Xiao Chengyan pondered for a moment and said, "Increase the gunpowder by 30%, detonate it twice, with a half-incense stick's time interval between each explosion. Divide the cleanup team into three groups, working in shifts day and night, to reinforce the supporting wooden stakes. It must be cleared in three days."
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!"
This was the first time Gu Jinghong had seen Xiao Chengyan commanding in the general's camp, and he was quite different from the Xiao Chengyan she had seen before.
He has extremely handsome features; he is perfect from every angle.
He still had a scholarly air about him, but he exuded a cool and aloof aura.
Now that he's in the camp, his cool and resolute demeanor has been somewhat suppressed by his strong and solemn presence, and he exudes an unyielding authority that leaves no room for argument.
Lost in thought for a moment, he heard Xiao Chengyan say, "Regarding the selection of materials and reinforcement methods for the supporting wooden stakes..."
Gu Jinghong said, "Your Highness, the 'mortise and tenon joint piles' require ironwood or oak, which are extremely tough. I have already drawn up the blueprints, which will be presented by Commander Feng later. The key is the interlocking angle of the underwater mortise and tenon joints and the depth of the wooden wedges. If this method is used, experienced craftsmen need to control it on-site."
After a brief silence, the generals looked at each other in bewilderment.
One of the deputy generals, Zhang Meng, was quite unconvinced: "Being the head of the ordnance battalion is not easy; we still need to find experienced craftsmen."
Another deputy general, Wang Yang, reached out and tugged at his sleeve, winking at him as he said, "I suppose Your Highness has a plan in mind. I wonder which experienced craftsman you will send?"
Lieutenant Zhang Meng flung his hand away, clasped his fists in defiance, and his eyes were somewhat red.
He stared blankly at Xiao Chengyan: "With military matters at hand, this humble general does not believe that Your Highness would delay military affairs because of personal feelings."
Xiao Chengyan showed no anger on his face, but instead encouraged him: "Tell me more about it."
Wang Yang felt increasingly uneasy and reached out to grab his hand.
Zhang Meng shoved Wang Yang's hand away: "With military matters at hand, Your Highness should not listen to a young girl. She may be pretty and perhaps even a bit clever, which is why she has won Your Highness's favor. But Your Highness, the dredging of the river is related to the transportation of provisions. Tens of thousands of soldiers are waiting on the other side of the mountain. How can we treat this lightly?"
Xiao Chengyan spoke expressionlessly: "Deputy General Zhang, I have said before that the most important thing in military campaigns is to obey my orders. Your actions today deserve forty strokes of the military rod."
"But Your Highness..."
Changfeng hurriedly said, "Guards, drag him away and give him forty strokes of the cane!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com