His large, warm hands held Ruan Qing'an's fingers tightly. She shrank back onto the soft couch, unable to resist pressing against Ji Wuyu's chest.
"Wait, Your Highness, your armor is very tight."
"...Fine, I won't bully you anymore."
Ji Wuyu sighed. He had been recruiting soldiers and commanding troops, and his brows and eyes revealed a hint of fatigue. He was not made of iron, and he only relaxed after seeing Ruan Qing'an.
He wrapped one arm around Ruan Qing'an's waist and, before she could react, pulled her into his embrace.
Ji Wuyu never took off this gleaming armor. As the commander-in-chief, he had encountered many assassination attempts and sudden enemy attacks, requiring him to react quickly. As a result, Ji Wuyu had to be cautious even when he was sleeping.
Ruan Qing'an sat on his lap, raising her hand to pat Ji Wuyu's back soothingly, while he lowered his head, closed his eyes, and rested on her shoulder for a short nap; he was really too tired.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
"good……"
Ji Wuyu answered in a low, hoarse voice.
As if drawing strength, Ji Wuyu opened his eyes after a moment. His long, deep eyes were free from fatigue, leaving only coldness and malice. Only when facing Ruan Qing'an did he show a touch of tenderness. He held the petite Ruan Qing'an in his arms as if she were a toy.
Ruan Qing'an tugged at Ji Wuyu's hair and asked, "Your Highness, what's going on with Ah Xiu? What are you plotting now?"
"In Qing'an's eyes, all I know is how to scheme against people?"
Ji Wuyu raised an eyebrow, meeting Ruan Qing'an's smiling eyes, those leaden gray eyes conveying only one meaning—
They're all bad people, why are they pretending?
Ji Wuyu remained silent for a moment before saying, "You must have received the letter. Actually, the incident happened three months ago. After I finished attacking the border of Daqing, I returned with my army, but we were ambushed by Daqing after entering Daliang territory. It was quite unexpected."
“I fled and came to a deserted valley, where there was only Ah Xiu. She treated my injuries, and I took her back to the military camp.”
037: [The male lead cheated on me! Damn it, let's kill him!]
Ruan Qingan ignored 037 and instead asked, "What about Ah Xiu that you found unusual, Your Highness?"
“The people who ambushed me are strange, and… that area should be inhabited, but there’s only Ah Xiu there, as if they were deliberately trying to make me run into her.”
Ji Wuyu narrowed his eyes: "So, naturally I will play along and keep them here. So far there has been nothing unusual, but we will have to see more details. However, I suspect they are from the Liang side."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an nodded slightly. It was pretty much as she had expected. With a love value of 70, Ji Wuyu, the male lead, hadn't lost his mind when facing the female lead, A Xiu.
Ah Xiu was nothing more than a pawn, so Ruan Qing'an turned to business: "By the way, I've come here on business as well. Your Highness, it's about time to stop. Don't continue fighting. If you really defeat Daqing, Your Highness will be the one to die next."
As the saying goes, "When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away."
Without the threat of Daqing, Ji Wuyu, the commander-in-chief with a million troops, became the first target for Daliang to eliminate.
Ji Wuyu pondered for a moment: "It seems that the capital is also getting restless. It's time to go back. I'm afraid Father Emperor won't give any substantial reward."
"A reward?"
Ruan Qing'an scoffed: "He probably wants to send poisoned wine."
Ji Wuyu shook his head and chuckled, "That's true. Father has always been like this. The Yongle Marquis's family conquered most of the country, but now it's on the verge of collapse. It's always been like this."
After resting on Ruan Qing'an's shoulder for a while, Ji Wuyu stood up and said, "Let's sign a ceasefire agreement in Daqing. I'll go and handle this first, and we'll gather our men in the main tent tomorrow to discuss it."
After saying that, Ji Wuyu left in a hurry. He had been spinning like a top all year round, basically never stopping.
...
The next morning, Nguyen Thanh An, wrapped in a fox fur coat, stepped out of his tent.
The military camp environment was poor, the border was harsh, and the weather was freezing cold, which made her health deteriorate. Even with the warmth of a charcoal fire, it still ravaged Ruan Qing'an's already unhealthy body.
She coughed softly, her handkerchief stained with blood.
037: [Ancestor, you'd better go back as soon as possible.]
"It will be soon. Ji Wuyu will be returning to the capital soon. As for Daqing, there's no need to worry. They've been beaten and are easily dealt with."
Ruan Qing'an swallowed the metallic taste in her throat, her face pale and sickly. She walked towards the main tent and saw Ah Xiu walking towards her as well.
Ah Xiu left in a hurry last night, but because Ji Wuyu's tone wasn't very good before he left, she naturally assumed that he had scolded Ruan Qing'an, so she went forward to him understandingly.
"Miss Ruan, His Highness didn't scold you yesterday, did he?"
"No."
Ruan Qingan was in severe chest pain and simply replied coldly.
But this attitude clearly made Ah Xiu mistakenly think that she had been scolded and was in a bad mood. For a moment, Ah Xiu spoke with a condescending pity: "It's okay, Miss Ruan. His Highness is usually very gentle. I will plead for you."
037: ...
Nguyen Thanh An: ...
Ruan Qing'an didn't want to talk and walked past Ah Xiu. Ah Xiu coughed every few steps, her mood had plummeted.
As Ah Xiu watched Ruan Qing'an walk towards the main tent, she followed him, chattering incessantly, "Miss Ruan, outsiders are not allowed to enter the main tent at will, so don't do anything reckless."
Long San, who was guarding the main tent, immediately bowed upon seeing Ruan Qing'an: "Miss, I am the one who delivered the message to you."
"You've had a tough time in the army these past few days."
"That's not true. This was also arranged by the Marquis."
In front of the main tent, Ruan Qing'an and Long San exchanged a few pleasantries, when they heard Ji Wuyu's voice from inside.
"Long San, let him in."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Long San immediately turned to the side and respectfully invited Ruan Qing'an into the tent. A Xiu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but widen her eyes. She subconsciously wanted to follow, but Long San stopped her.
Long San kept his eyes straight ahead: "You can't go in, Miss A-Xiu."
"But--"
Ah Xiu couldn't understand. Ji Wuyu had said that someone had been allowed in, so shouldn't it have been her? Why was it Ruan Qing'an?!
Just then, Ruan Qing'an lifted one side of the main tent, his leaden gray eyes looking at A Xiu, his bright red lips smiling: "Then come in, Miss A Xiu, I'll give you a chance."
“Miss Ruan, His Highness will also allow me to enter.”
Ah Xiu didn't want to admit that she was actually brought in by Ruan Qing'an, so she forced herself to say it, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
As they entered the main tent, Ah Xiu's emotions were about to completely break down. There were many military officers and generals inside. Ji Wuyu sat in the head seat, while Ruan Qing'an sat beside him.
As for myself, I was standing at the very back?!
Ah Xiu was trembling with anger, but she couldn't lash out for the moment. She could only secretly look at Ruan Qing'an with jealous and resentful eyes.
This woman must have brought her in here to show off her status, right?
How could His Highness possibly accept someone who is useless and relies on his status!
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