Chapter 80 Princess's Bloodstained Clothes: "How much power could Xiao Zhuyue possibly have to bleed Xiao Xiaoyuan like this?"
It wasn't cold anymore; the scalding heat from her ear and that spot burned Yao Ruyi for half the night. The red marks on her body hadn't faded even after two days. It was fortunate that Xiao Guo had behaved himself these past two days, otherwise Yao Ruyi would have been too embarrassed to rush into battle.
These past two days, Mushroom has been sulking every now and then, which softens Gu Huizhou's heart. After all, it was his own fault, so what else can he do?
Early in the morning, Yao Ruyi lay on the bed reading a storybook. The northern area was getting colder day by day, and these past few days had been much colder than the previous two days. Thirteen had just led people to welcome the winter clothes sent from the capital, and it was said that a small portion of them were sent by the Siyun Chamber of Commerce.
Many soldiers shouted loudly, "As expected of Miss Han!" Han Jiqing felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this.
"General Han! General Han!"
Even from inside the command tent, Yao Ruyi could hear the soldiers in the camp calling out Han Jiqing's name repeatedly. Judging from their tone, it didn't seem like the Xiao Kingdom was at war. Yao Ruyi was curious, but he was lying on the bed and felt quite comfortable, too lazy to move.
"General Han! Where is General Han?"
"Keep your voice down! His Majesty is currently plotting with General Han and Deputy General Jiang how to crush those bastards from Xiao Kingdom. He doesn't have time to deal with these trivial matters!" a soldier shouted loudly.
Who has the loudest voice?
Yao Ruyi found it amusing; if he were another soldier, he would have definitely confronted him.
"Okay, I'll go take a look over there."
Yao Ruyi stopped listening. He had brought these storybooks from the capital and read them countless times. He could almost recite the stories by heart. Lying down was really comfortable. Listening to the lively conversation outside the tent, Yao Ruyi felt a little drowsy.
In his dream, he saw Gu Huizhou standing with his back to him at the entrance of the general's tent, his posture resembling that of someone unbuckling his belt, his voice a half-smile, "Greetings, Lord Nineteen. I have come to serve you as you retire for the night."
Yao Ruyi couldn't help but smile at his appearance. The man was only wearing a red outer robe, the belt loose, revealing nothing. The robe slid down and hung loosely on his arm. His voice was low and deep, "My lord, what are you looking at?"
Yao Ruyi felt a heat in his nose and was startled. He immediately reached out to touch it, only to find it soft and warm. He opened his eyes instantly, and the handsome face magnified in front of him made Yao Ruyi panic. The next moment, his lips were captured and gently sucked.
"Gu—Gu Huizhou..."
After a long while, he was finally released. Gu Huizhou was wearing a moon-white brocade robe today, which was quite unusual. He sat on the edge of the bed and raised an eyebrow. "When I came in just now, I saw the Nineteenth Lord smiling. What were you dreaming about?"
"nothing."
"nothing?"
"It's nothing." She said this but couldn't help blushing. Yao Ruyi turned away from Gu Huizhou, but his question kept bringing back the scene in her dream, making her blush even more.
"Alright, if the master says it's nothing, then it's nothing." Gu Huizhou snorted and stepped forward to hug her. Yao Ruyi had been quite depressed these past few days because of Xiao Zhuyue's matter, but today she could finally put that person out of her mind.
Gu Huizhou's tongue swept over the root, and he thought to himself that when he caught the person in the future, he would have to tear him to pieces to vent his hatred.
"Have you finished talking?" Yao Ruyi racked his brains to come up with a topic to ask. These past few days, they had been discussing tactics and strategies, but he hadn't gotten involved at all. He had gone to see them once before and almost fell asleep sitting on the wooden chair.
It's better to listen to Wang Qianshan tell stories.
"Yes, we're done talking."
"That just happened, the people outside were looking for General Han." Yao Ruyi finally remembered this, and he couldn't contain his excitement, asking, "Is it something?"
"There is something I need to say." Gu Huizhou suddenly put on airs. "But as the ruler of a country, it would be beneath my dignity to answer whatever you ask."
What nonsense are you spouting now?
Yao Ruyi kept a straight face.
"In that case, if Your Excellency kisses me, I will have received my reward."
Yao Ruyi watched as the smile in Gu Huizhou's eyes deepened. He chuckled, then leaned forward to hug Gu Huizhou's neck, affectionately planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Your Majesty, is there anything I can help you with?"
Is this even considered a kiss? Gu Huizhou felt a tickle in his heart, but he shook his head. "My lord, you haven't even learned to kiss me properly after all this time. Do you think I'm so easily fooled?"
Yao Ruyi glared at him. He had just been smiling and had his arm around the emperor's neck, but now he sat up straight and said indignantly, "Why doesn't that count?"
He saw in a storybook that the fox and the prince had done something like that once, so why couldn't he imitate it?
It was clearly Gu Huizhou who went too far. "Fine."
Even when angry, she would only put on a stern face. Gu Huizhou's heart softened more and more. He leaned forward and, imitating Yao Ruyi's earlier gesture, reached out and hung his arms around her neck. He slightly bent his waist and looked up, his eyes sparkling with a smile. "Come, let me teach you."
This appearance was exactly the same as in her dream. Mushroom instantly forgot that she was angry and watched helplessly as Gu Huizhou came closer, the air in her mouth being taken away again.
The two kissed for an unknown amount of time. When they heard the cheers outside the tent, Yao Ruyi was about to speak when she heard someone say, "Today is Han Jiqing's birthday. Han Siwen sent a cotton coat and a birthday gift to Han Jiqing."
Yao Ruyi was taken aback. So that's why the soldiers were so happy?
"They also sent chicken, duck, fish, and meat, so of course I'm happy."
"So there is food." He was happy to have food.
"Should we send something too?" Yao Ruyi asked.
"What should I give him?" Gu Huizhou whispered in his ear. "You just saved his life, what else do I need to give him?"
Yao Ruyi asked, "Did you tell him?"
Gu Huizhou nodded. "Yes, I really don't have the ability to make someone whose chest has been nearly pierced recover in the blink of an eye." He looked tenderly at the person in his arms. "He asked, so I told him."
She smoothed the strands of hair that were obscuring her eyes, and asked tentatively, "Then... he didn't ask anything else?"
How could an ordinary person treat him like an ordinary person after knowing he was a mushroom, just like Gu Huizhou? They probably thought he was a monster.
"What do you want to ask?"
"They say I'm a monster or something."
"A monster?" Gu Huizhou smiled. "Just a stupid, poisonous mushroom." If he were like this mushroom, the whole world would be his, and he wouldn't even know where to hide if someone tried to kiss him.
"What do you mean 'that's enough'? I'm toxic."
"Yes, it's poisonous, I know."
Yao Ruyi hummed anxiously, "So did you say it or not?"
"Of course I told him. I told Han Jiqing that the nineteen ministers beside me are the closed-door disciples of the divine physician in the sacred mountain, and their medical skills are far superior to mine."
So why didn't they say he was a spirit in human form?
Yao Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief, but then he remembered that Gu Huizhou had scared him again, and he instantly became furious. He got up with a grim expression, put on his shoes, and kicked Gu Huizhou's leg without any mercy.
He's a liar.
"Hiss—" The emperor gasped, his hands behind his back as he watched the man storm out in a huff. The curtain swayed violently as it was pulled open, and after a long while, he chuckled softly.
Outside the tent.
The open space had become lively early on. Everyone had just finished lunch, and the soldiers who were training had stopped practicing and were crowding together to join in the fun and make a fuss. Han Jiqing was so annoyed by the noise that he picked up a jar of wine from the cart and shouted, "Today I'm in charge! This cart of wine is for everyone to share!"
"Good—" As soon as Han Jiqing finished speaking, someone immediately cheered, "Thank you, General Han!"
"Thank you, General Han!"
"General Han!"
Han Jiqing looked over at the sound, and the soldiers blushed with excitement when they saw him looking at them. Normally, they would never have the chance to speak to the general. They were so nervous that they didn't know what to say, and they stammered, "General Han!"
Han Jiqing smiled and waved.
The young soldiers became even more agitated, prompting an older soldier behind them to punch one of them, laughing and cursing, "Is that all the grit you've got?"
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter, and the soldiers, their faces flushed, chuckled, "Happy birthday, General!"
Han Jiqing smiled and bowed to the group from a distance, saying, "Thank you."
"General, happy birthday!"
Happy Birthday!
They were a bunch of rough men, few of whom were good at talking. One of them took the lead and said a word of congratulations, and everyone followed suit. For a while, it was so noisy and chaotic that it was impossible to hear what they were saying.
"Brothers!" Han Jiqing shouted helplessly, "Listen to what I have to say!"
"yes!"
"yes!"
The loud voice reached everyone's ears before gradually quieting down. Han Jiqing looked at the dozens of carts of chicken, duck, fish and meat that had been delivered, and he knew what to expect. "Let's not keep all the food that my elder sister sent. Let's put it all in the pot and feed it to the dog today. Let's have a good meal!"
"real!"
"We get meat! Thank you, General!"
"General Han, thank you very much!"
...
Gu Huizhou lifted the curtain and saw a noisy scene. Except for the soldiers on duty, almost everyone had heard the news and had smiles on their faces.
Yao Ruyi knew someone was coming when he heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't want to speak first. If Gu Huizhou didn't speak either, then he wouldn't speak either.
"Master Nineteen."
Secretly pleased, but feigning indifference, Yao Ruyi asked coldly, "What is it?"
With a light laugh, Gu Huizhou put his arm around Yao Ruyi's shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Mogu tried to dodge but Gu Huizhou stopped her. "I already knew that Han Siwen had sent a lot of food, so I specially asked for two chickens. I was thinking of roasting the two chickens for our Nineteenth Lord to eat."
roast chicken?
A surge of joy welled up inside Yao Ruyi, who shamelessly swallowed hard. The sound was so loud that both of them heard it; he could even feel Gu Huizhou chuckling softly on top of him, and he couldn't help but curse himself inwardly.
Why eat chicken when you're always eating mushrooms? You're so unambitious!
But he dared not say it out loud. Since the 19th Party Congress gave him a way out, he nodded and said, "That's fine, I'll go and try it."
"Yes, sir, please have a good taste."
The military camp was noisy all afternoon; many people were drunk and would grab someone and start chatting.
But some people didn't drink. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they went up to the city wall to relieve the soldiers on duty who hadn't eaten meat. Laughter could be heard everywhere.
Inside Han Jiqing's tent, several people sat around the table, having eaten and drunk quite a bit of meat and wine. The drunken general no longer cared about hierarchy and was only concerned with his own enjoyment.
"Come on! Let's drink!" As he drank glass after glass, Han Jiqing's words became increasingly strange.
Seeing this, Jiang Shuang stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, General. Those greenhorns outside are behaving themselves. I've just finished eating and drinking, so I'll go out and keep an eye on them!"
Gu Huizhou waved his hand, and Jiang Shuang turned and left with a smile.
Han Jiqing seemed oblivious to Jiang Shuang's departure, not even sparing him a glance. He filled his left-hand wine cup with wine and downed it in one gulp. "Your Majesty! I am delighted today!"
The burly general chuckled. Gu Huizhou nodded and casually removed a chicken leg from Yao Ruyi's bowl, saying, "Stop looking, you eat yours."
Yao Ruyi stared blankly, "Aww."
He had already eaten a lot, but he could still eat more, so he picked up the chicken leg from the bowl and started gnawing on it.
Han Jiqing was drunk, his voice slurred, "In previous years, I was happiest on my birthday, and this was also the happiest day of the year for the Han family." He then downed another cup of wine. Yao Ruyi was stunned. He subconsciously looked at Gu Huizhou, but the man shook his head and did not stop him.
If I keep drinking like this, I'll be sleeping until next year.
Yao Ruyi was somewhat impressed, but quickly lowered her head and went back to eating her meat.
“On my sixth birthday, my mother gave birth to Ji Wen. That year, something terrible almost happened. Doctors from all over the capital flocked to our house, and even the imperial physician came. My mother almost didn’t wake up.” He chuckled. “But thankfully, she was saved.”
“From then on, every September 12th became the liveliest time in our Han family. Father would give bonuses to the servants, and my eldest sister would prepare birthday gifts for us. Birthday gifts…” His voice trailed off, he choked back tears and hiccuped, “Hiccup—”
"But this year, I'm all alone."
A stillness settled over Yao Ruyi, who had been standing still. Was today also Han Jiwen's birthday?
"Splash—" Han Jiqing spilled the glass of wine he had just poured on the ground, his sobs growing louder and louder, "I haven't been able to drink with you many times, and this wine isn't good enough. When we return to the capital after the victory, I'll buy you even better wine!"
Gu Huizhou followed suit, pouring a glass of wine onto the ground without saying another word.
Han Jiqing drank cup after cup until he was completely out of it. He kept calling out Han Jiwen's name, tears streaming down his face. He wondered when he would be able to celebrate another birthday with a smile on his face.
"Brother, I couldn't save you, I'm so sorry—"
After having the soldiers tidy up the tent and watching as Han Jiqing was settled in bed, Gu Huizhou led his men out.
Han Jiqing's words were heartbreaking, but they were the truth. Yao Ruyi felt terrible; if he had been there, he might have been able to save the person.
Gu Huizhou could tell what he was thinking at a glance. "This is none of your business. If the Nineteenth Prince were truly so powerful, my tens of thousands of soldiers wouldn't have had to perish here."
Yao Ruyi muttered, "Oh."
But he still couldn't be happy. He had originally thought he could give Han Jiqing a proper birthday celebration, but he hadn't expected...
"Your Majesty, don't you know?"
"I know."
"Knowing this, why are you still letting people celebrate their birthdays?"
With a soft hum, the two walked through the camp. Many soldiers were still gathered together drinking. They were in a good mood today, and Gu Huizhou didn't investigate further. As long as the patrols were still on duty, that was enough.
"On Han Jiwen's first birthday after his death, Han Siwen sent a birthday gift for both of them. It's appropriate."
Running away is not the solution; you have to cry countless times before you gradually calm down.
Even if he was an invincible general on the battlefield, he had no other choice when faced with life and death. "He is a general, so there is no need for the Nineteenth Prince to worry about him."
"Oh." Mushroom seemed to understand but not quite. On the day Gu Huizhou faked his death, he couldn't think of anything else. The whole day of fighting had left him numb, and he didn't know what to do.
The moment I stop, I think of Gu Huizhou.
Suddenly sniffing, Yao Ruyi tightened her grip on Gu Huizhou's hand, causing the man to chuckle. "When has the Nineteenth Prince ever been so proactive? Did I say something? I'll go back and memorize it several times so I can tell you about it all the time."
"Gu Huizhou!" Yao Ruyi was displeased. His original intention to spend some quality time with the person vanished instantly, and he quickly walked a few steps to leave the person behind.
"May your wishes come true."
The emperor rarely addressed him by his full name like that, so Mushroom slowed his pace. "What is it?"
"You haven't told me yet what just happened—" Before he could finish speaking, Yao Ruyi turned and left in a huff. He actually stopped to ask; he was incredibly stupid.
The two returned to the commander's tent one after the other. Just as Gu Huizhou was about to hold the person and coax them to sleep, Thirteen's voice rang out from outside the tent, "Your Majesty, a message from Xiao Kingdom."
His brow twitched, and his voice was deep, "Come in."
Yao Ruyi smelled a strong stench of blood before the man entered, and she understood as soon as Thirteen entered. He was carrying a blood-soaked garment. Thirteen said, "The Crown Prince of Xiao Kingdom sent a soldier to deliver a blood-soaked garment belonging to the Princess of Xiao Kingdom, saying it is a birthday gift for General Han."
"I threw it away."
Throw it away?
Gu Huizhou acted as if he hadn't seen it, saying, "How much ability does Xiao Zhuyue have to bleed Xiao Xiaoyuan to death?"
"At most, he could only steal a set of clothes, and who knows if the embroiderer made them overnight. What's the point of sending them here?"
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