Chapter 10: My Wife 10: Vicious Dogs and Wild Dogs
The journey was arduous, and the attendants saw that the two adults looked extremely tired and were really worried about the physical condition of Lu Huai and Chen Qingyuan.
But the two just smiled and waved their hands. Lu Huai said gently, "It's okay, keep going." He also distributed the snacks that Chunying and Xialu had prepared for him to the servants and the coachman. Everyone was deeply moved.
The journey was long, and the young master had not been in good health since childhood. He was worried that others would not be able to serve him well, so the two sisters insisted on accompanying him to Chongzhou. Lu Huai already felt very guilty for making them stay up all night to pack their luggage for the sudden trip, so how could he be willing to let them suffer again?
So at his insistence, only two clever servants from the Lu Mansion went out together, plus the confidants from Chen Qingyuan's Mansion and the grooms and attendants assigned by the Ministry of Rites. The total number of people in the team did not exceed ten fingers, and the supplies were few, so it could be said that they were traveling in simple clothes.
People lamented that officials are different after all. Some people only think about cheating and enriching themselves, while others only think about serving the people and devoting themselves to their work.
Those high-ranking officials who had brought three large carriages of things and traveled in a huge and luxurious procession just for a stroll outside the capital would probably have covered their faces in shame and anger when they saw the top scholar and the doctor like this.
The Xiongnu were the most populous nation under the Yong vassal state, so welcoming them was a matter of great importance. Because the emperor desired swift arrival, and Lu and Chen were both highly executive men, the carriages and horses jolted from sunrise to sunset, stopping only briefly to replenish food and water. Otherwise, the journey continued without stopping.
Until the afterglow of the setting sun fell on the river surface in the distance, the light and shadow overlapped and glowed, like stars evenly scattered in the waves, and the shimmering water brought the group to the border of Chongzhou.
This matter was of great importance, and the prefect had already waited at the city gate with a group of his subordinate officials. It was cold and late, and being exposed to the cold air was really a difficult training. When they found that they had arrived much earlier than expected, the officials were overjoyed.
In the whistling wind, a dignified, elegant, upright and honest young man first got off the carriage. Judging from his demeanor, one could tell at a glance that he was an experienced official.
Next... the person who took the official's hand and used it to get out of the car made everyone present gasp.
At first glance, you will be amazed at his youth, but at second glance, you will only be attracted by his eyes and eyebrows that are so elegant and beautiful that you can't mistake his gender. What a handsome young man in this world.
The tip of the handsome young man's nose was slightly red, and his jade-like face was excessively pale, as if he was frozen by the cold and dry weather in Chongzhou, which was different from that in the capital.
However, it is quite pitiful and cute.
The official who felt his gaze was too obvious quickly lowered his head. He was an official appointed by the court. Don't let your imagination run wild just because he looks good and forget yourself.
Although I always feel that the young official has a good temper, I dare not think about the consequences if I offend him.
Prefect Gu was a man of great insight, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stand out and take on this job. Chongzhou's location was good, not far from the Xiongnu and the capital, but there were still several other powerful rivals eyeing it.
At this moment, he saw that the two men were tired from the journey. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he asked someone to bring a heater and a cloak. Along the way, he was considerate and did not talk too much with Lu Huai and Chen Qingyuan.
After all, it was Lu Huai's first time to be ordered to go to the local area, and the tension he felt dissipated a lot under the magistrate's silent care.
Led by Prefect Gu and other local officials, Lu Huai and Chen Qingyuan arrived at the guild hall and met with the Hun envoys.
He was a middle-aged man who looked plump and naive, and had no aggressiveness. When the prefect introduced them as high-ranking officials from the capital, he greeted them warmly. Strangely, his manner did not sound flattering, and he grasped the right tone.
He introduced himself as Qiao Qi, but he was the only one in the suite reserved for guests.
Lu Huai was a little confused. Hadn't the Xiongnu sent two people? This envoy was in the guild hall, so where did the second prince go?
Chen Qingyuan was also wary. After all, he was not of the same race, so his heart must be different. If he let the prince run around, it would be bad if he got in touch with someone with ulterior motives and was instigated to do something detrimental to Dayong.
Moreover, I heard that the second prince's mother's family is from the Central Plains and has close ties with Dayong. I'm afraid his motives for coming here are not pure.
He just asked, "Emissary Qiao, may I ask where the second prince is?" when he met Lu Huai's gaze. They both understood that the other was worried about the same thing.
Qiao Qi seemed to know what they were wondering, and before Chen Qingyuan could even ask, he continued with a smile, "Please wait a moment, my lords. The prince is feeding his beloved mount, Snow Cloud Horse, and will be right back."
They are truly a nation on horseback. The brave and warlike Huns regard horses as their life. This statement sounds believable. The stables on both sides are just behind the guild hall, and the prince will come out from there soon. There is nothing to question.
Sure enough, after just two cups of tea, Qiao Qi could clearly tell that it was Wu Heng, the second prince of the Xiongnu, a foreign race, who walked out from the back of the hall compared to his less obvious features.
Wu Heng had a pair of amber eyes, as bright as gemstones yet not diminishing any other insignificant features. With a high nose and deep eyes, his features were as if meticulously chiseled, each stroke of his own, creating an exotic charm. Even in the Central Plains, he would be considered an undeniably handsome man.
Lu Huai was looking at Wu Heng, and Wu Heng was also staring at him.
At first, Wu Heng even thought that the Central Plains official opposite him was an exquisite and beautiful woman. Lu Huai's body, which he thought was so thin that it could be picked up and held in one hand, and her beautiful and soft face warmed by the stove, confused his judgment.
It's not his fault. Compared with the strong and sturdy men of the grassland, this skinny scholar is too fragile.
While gazing at the pure white Epiphyllum, he seemed to hear the sound of his own heart beating vigorously, which was like oil boiling on a raging fire.
Having lived my whole life in the vast, rough and unrestrained wilderness, I have never seen such a fragile and delicate person like a jade sculpture.
It's not like he hadn't seen beauties before. The grasslands were open-minded, and there was no shortage of women who were proactive, ambitious, and strikingly beautiful. But when he saw them, his heart was as still as water, like the Liuxia Hui people of the Central Plains talked about. Even Naning, the most beautiful woman in his tribe, hadn't touched his heart so much.
Was he possessed by some evil spirit? Did this Central Plains person possess the legendary Miao-style witchcraft of the South? But looking at the life-saving wolf fang given by his father hanging on his chest, it didn't seem likely.
Wu Heng thought, maybe he just liked the strong smell of books. At first glance, he could tell that she was a gentle girl accompanied by the fragrance of ink, with red sleeves adding to her fragrance, how graceful.
But reason returned. Since such a beauty was an official sent by the Yong Dynasty to bring him to the capital, she must have countless thoughts and troubles. Moreover, looking at the beautiful Adam's apple exposed by his open collar, this could not be the beautiful woman he imagined.
Well, that's a bit hot to the touch.
Wu Heng felt somewhat disappointed. He had originally thought that after meeting his dream lover here, he would be able to ask the Emperor of the Central Plains to marry her and live a happy life with a wife and children. If he could succeed and ascend to the throne of Chanyu, he would have abducted a concubine from the Han Dynasty, a sure win.
He never thought that the first person who made his heart beat faster would be a man.
Moreover, he had to hide his thoughts from him, so that he wouldn't find out that he was playing a big game...
Thinking of this, he calmly put on his usual disguise and greeted Lu Huai and Chen Qingyuan enthusiastically, looking cheerful and without any gloom.
"He's so pretentious!" 0359 surfaced and tried to make a splash, but he saw Wu Heng's hypocritical look and felt very unhappy.
"After all, if he didn't have some acting skills, how could he have made it all the way to the point where he almost overthrew Dayong?" Lu Huai replied to 0359 in his sea of consciousness while acting.
Seeing Wu Heng reminded 0359 of the golden retriever Lu Huai had raised in the modern world. Back then, it had competed with that stupid dog for favor, and they were always at loggerheads. Now, it seemed the dog was a good guy who wouldn't backstab anyone, but a person as passionate as it might not be the same.
Sweet-mouthed but treacherous, meticulously scheming—that's how the Second Prince was described. Initially, he maintained a good relationship with Lu Huai and the other Central Plains people he'd come into contact with, even gaining a favorable impression. Unexpectedly, the next news he received was about Pei Yu's crossing of the Black Waters to join the war.
"Okay, go and take on the mission!" 0359 looked at Wu Hengfan and called Lu Huai to go back first.
Lu Huai also knew that he lacked experience and was prepared to be troubled or looked down upon. However, the second Hun prince he met was unexpectedly cheerful and easy to get along with.
Wu Heng was handsome, with a sweet mouth, and he was invincible when it came to blending in with people. Furthermore, this foreign prince from a friendly neighbor was of noble status, and his sincerity and approachability made it natural for him to win their favor.
Although Lu Huai and Chen Qingyuan were not the opposite sex who could be attracted by this man's charm, they were in a good mood after being entertained by his words. In addition, since they had come to pick them up and send them to Beijing, they needed to get along well with the guests, so their relationship with Wu Heng became closer and closer.
But the second Xiongnu prince's attitude towards Lord Chen was fine, but why was he so strange towards Lord Lu? His eyes wanted to stick to Lu Huai, but when Lord Lu noticed, he would retract them like a guilty thief.
Normally, he would come to the envoy's place every now and then, as if he was staring at the woman he loved. When he met Lord Lu, he would obey his every word and nod in agreement even if he didn't hear the content of the words clearly.
What they didn't know was that Wu Heng deliberately acted stupid and naive at the beginning so that Lu Huai and the others would let down their guard and think that he was a simple and foolish person who couldn't cause any trouble. In this way, all the secret work could go on more smoothly.
Now, as he was acting, some of his true feelings inevitably surfaced. It was a pity that Lu Huai wasn't a honey trap sent by the emperor to be planted by his side, so that he could have a million ways to make him his own. Sometimes he even became obsessed with how to reasonably capture Lu Huai and bring him back to the Xiongnu.
But in the end, he could not go beyond his great cause... After spending a few days together, Wu Heng also discovered that the beauty was a resourceful and good reasoning person, and that the Central Plains sending him here really played a restraining role.
The danger he faced was now countless times greater than before. Even before the meeting, two of his assassins had been eliminated, a severe shock that made him afraid to act rashly.
He suspected that the man had been watching him all along, and it was only a matter of time before he, Wu Heng, fell into the trap to confirm his guess.
Wu Heng's eyes were filled with dark thoughts. He hoped that Lu Huai would not continue to hinder him and stand against him. If he could be more obedient, then he could maintain his image as the well-behaved Second Prince...
Otherwise, he didn't know what he would do.
As the weather had been bad in the past two days, the prefect led two people to agree with the Xiongnu side to set off in three days. After sending carrier pigeons to convey the message to the capital, they sat in the guild hall to have dinner.
The prefect had just asked someone to serve the food when he heard someone's voice coming from the door of the guild hall and hurriedly called the servant to stop.
"Master Gu, long time no see. I wonder if you still remember me." The man came in holding a folding fan and wearing a flamboyant red dress. The passionate and gorgeous peach blossom eyes on his face were particularly eye-catching.
"It's Master Cheng! Of course I remember. Long time no see!" Prefect Gu recognized the third place winner at a glance and invited him to sit down. "Why did you come so far without telling me? We haven't even had dinner yet. If Master Cheng doesn't mind..."
"Thank you, Brother Gu!" Cheng Ruochen didn't wait for him to finish, but walked into the hall as if he was waiting for him to say this, his eyes searching around as if with a purpose.
Seeing Lu Huai, a smile appeared on her thin lips, and her already bright eyes became even brighter. She walked over very naturally and sat down in the empty seat on his left.
"Brother Lu, I'm glad to meet you here."
God knows how much effort he put into meeting Lu Huai. This mission was originally assigned to a lower-level official in the Ministry of Rites, but when he heard that Lu Huai was in Chongzhou, he quickly accepted the job. And with his family's superb business skills, he rushed here at a lightning speed.
"What a coincidence! Why are you here too? Is there something official?" Although Lu Huai was a little uncomfortable with Cheng Ruochen's overly intimate address, he could accept it.
What's more, it was a blessing to meet an old friend in a foreign land. He was worried about Huaiyuan, and when he saw the enthusiastic Wu Heng, he couldn't help but think of Huaiyuan. Although everyone was very nice to him, the appearance of Tanhualang still made him feel that he was accompanied by an acquaintance.
Cheng Ruochen felt flattered by Lu Huai's closeness today, as if he were in a dream. He thought this trip was really worth it.
But, Lu Huai, you know, once a stray dog has tasted warmth, it will be hard to get rid of it...
Days of worry seemed to have transformed his original love and admiration for Lu Huai, which was mixed with sticky malice, into another kind of paranoia.
Cheng Ruochen did not find any moral flaws in Lu Huai, which made it impossible for him to release his desire for destruction.
He also figured it out, he wanted to get it more than break it.
Lu Huai is truly a gentleman who is both outwardly and inwardly consistent. This is rare and precious. Even if he wants to destroy someone, he plans to wait until he is completely rotten before destroying him. Just like he destroyed those disgusting elders and so-called friends...
But now, he wanted to be killed and let Lu Huai put something with a restraining effect around his neck, so that he could enjoy the warmth as he deserved.
Cheng Ruochen is more like a victim, so touching and even licking and kissing his master's hand with his warm tongue is completely normal...
Wu Heng mentioned that he had brought some specially made dried meat and mare's milk from his hometown, which were his favorite foods. He was grateful for the care the people of Yong Dynasty had shown him recently and wanted to share them with everyone at the banquet.
Cheng Ruochen felt that the atmosphere was not compatible as soon as he saw Wu Heng. He felt even more unhappy when he saw Wu Heng saying that he was grateful for his care, but actually being indifferent to everyone else. However, when it came to Lu Huai, he ran around attentively.
I guess he had been hiding those good things and didn't intend to share them, and now he's pretending to be magnanimous and doing favors just to attract Lu Huai's favor.
That prince is just a barbarian. In the end, he will have to go back to his grassland without any future. Yet he dares to covet Lu Huai.
Cheng Ruochen's eyes were filled with turmoil. He had spent so much effort to catch up with Mingyue, but now a stray dog was coveting her after just a few days of not seeing her?
The author has something to say:
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A chapter with a lot of people! I hope you won’t feel tired reading it.
BT Cheng is here, and the Shura Field is about to start a fight! He is a bad dog who really puts himself in a low position and can do whatever it takes.
But he actually has a very tragic experience. After all, no one is born like this (which will be revealed slowly along with the plot)
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