103. Northern Expedition
◎We will win the battle!◎
Chapter 103
When Jiang Qiuye opened his eyes, he saw the lotus root powder curtain above him. The wind rushed in from outside, blowing the gauze to sway slowly.
"Ye'er, you're awake."
Ji Ci's low voice and the scent of bergamot stimulated her five senses. She hesitated for a long time, and the scene before she fainted emerged in her mind, and her heart ached.
Her eyes moved to Ji Ci's worried face, and she suddenly threw off the quilt, leaned over to hug him, hooked her arms around his neck, and burst into tears.
He sighed slightly, held her shoulders with one hand, patted her back gently with the other hand, and said, "Okay, Ye'er, don't cry, Jiang Xiahua is fine."
The crying stopped abruptly, she let go of her hands and looked at him blankly, she couldn't help but hiccup, her face was messy with hair.
She was a little bit incredulous and said, "Ah, what?"
"Yes, you heard right." Ji Ci reluctantly brushed the hair away from her cheek and repeated, "Your sister, Jiang Xiahua, is fine now and lives in a side room in the courtyard. The imperial physician checked her and said that the dagger didn't hit her vital parts and the wound wasn't deep. She just lost a lot of blood and needs to stay in bed to recuperate. She's still in a coma, but the imperial physician said she's not in danger and will wake up soon."
She stood there in a daze, pursed her lips, and looked at Ji Ci awkwardly, "Oh."
After a moment, he finally burst out laughing, wiped his messy face, and murmured, "That's good."
"Silly girl." He poked her forehead, "If something happens to you, what will you do as your husband?"
He had hurriedly led his men into the woods, only to find her collapsed, bloodied and ghostly. It nearly gave him a heart attack, scaring him to death on the spot. Later, the imperial physician announced she had only minor injuries, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. For a brief moment, he felt like he was reborn.
Looking at her appearance, he raised his eyebrows. Although he tried hard to restrain himself, he still curled up the corners of his lips. He put his fists on her, holding back his laughter in pain, and his whole body was shaking like a sieve.
Jiang Qiuye looked at him blankly, not understanding what he was laughing at, and poked him.
He finally managed to control himself, and when he looked at her again he couldn't help laughing. It was so painful for him to hold it back, and seeing her so simple and innocent, he raised his head and pouted at the bronze mirror beside the dressing table.
Jiang Qiuye had a bad feeling in her heart, so she immediately threw off the quilt and got out of bed. She walked to the bronze mirror and was shocked by what she saw inside.
The woman in the bronze mirror saw her face, once powdered, now patchy with white, black, and red. Her lipstick had smudged, her eyelids were black, and the hibiscus flower on her forehead had become a blush. Her hair was a mess, like a chicken coop.
She was frightened by this appearance and screamed "Ah!" She immediately raised her sleeves to cover her face and wanted to find a piece of land to bury herself.
Seeing her reaction, Ji Ci finally grinned and laughed while sitting on the bed, then fell down with some abdominal pain.
Jiang Qiuye was furious. She walked back to the bed and pushed him hard, still covering herself with the sleeve of her other hand. She was furious: "You are so good, Ji Ci! You helped me wipe my body and change my clothes, but you didn't even wipe my face!"
"I, I, I haven't, haven't had time yet." He covered his stomach, laughing and frowning in pain.
"I really see through you!" Jiang Qiuye stepped forward, slapped his butt hard, and then rode on his waist again.
Ji Ci felt as if he had lost face, and was spanked by a woman. He pretended to be angry and said, "How dare you!"
Seeing the smile in his eyes, Jiang Qiuye knew that he was just an awkward man and was not really angry at all. She angrily said to him, "I see through you, Ji Ci, just admit it! You just want to take advantage of me, otherwise why would you just change my clothes but not clean my face!"
He put his hand under his head, grinned, showing his white teeth, and said: "Madam, you really wronged your husband. But..."
"But what?"
"But the lady's appearance is quite unique."
His eyes darkened as he looked at his little wife who looked like a ghost from the underworld. Exciting images popped up in his mind again, and he turned around and pressed her under him.
Before she could react, she heard him say in a frivolous voice, "Is this the White Impermanence? Or the Black Impermanence? Are you here to take my soul away today?"
She was stunned. She hadn't expected Ji Ci to be so harsh. He could still say such things to her when she looked so frightened. And in broad daylight! He was being lewd in broad daylight!
She just knew it!
Ji Jianxi, who was previously rumored to be averse to women, actually had a little beast living in his heart.
She smiled like a flower, blinked her eyes, and said coquettishly: "I am not Bai Wuchang, nor am I Hei Wuchang, I am Yama. Want to live? Serve me well first."
Looking at the light in her eyes, he sealed it with a kiss, carefully kissing her face, from her lips, then moving to her earlobe, biting it lightly, causing the person under him to let out a soft cry.
The two of them played and laughed in their tent all day, until dusk fell, when they called for water, washed up, and never left bed again. A long time later, they had food brought to the bedroom. They had been so exhausted the previous few days that they suddenly rested and didn't even want to leave the house.
…
When Jiang Xiahua woke up, she couldn't believe that she was still alive. She touched the wound on her chest and raised her arms to cover her eyes.
I don't know how long she had been unconscious. Now it was daytime, the room was bright, and the bed was soft. It had been a long time since I felt this comfortable.
She was startled when she heard the silver bell-like laughter coming from outside the house. She covered her wound and tried to sit up. She put on the shoes prepared for her by the bed, walked to the window frame and looked outside.
The sun is shining brightly today. As summer approaches, the weather is gradually getting hot and humid. There is a locust tree in the small courtyard outside the house, and many different flowers are planted around it.
She saw Ji Ci sitting on a stone bench, reading a book intently. Jiang Qiuye was holding a white cat in his arms. Seeing that Ji Ci was reading and ignoring her, she stepped forward, took the book away, and threw the white cat into Ji Ci's arms.
The two of them talked about something, and Ji Ci immediately frowned and shook his head, but Jiang Qiuye pulled up his sleeve and shook it, and he nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Jiang Qiuye immediately ran to the side, picked a bunch of different flowers, walked back to him, and put the flowers in his hair one by one. Ji Ci looked disgusted, and after doing everything, she began to laugh loudly. Although Ji Ci's face was expressionless, there was obvious doting in his eyes.
Jiang Xiahua stood there in a daze. It seemed to be the first time since she could remember that she saw her sister laughing so heartily.
At this moment, two words that had never appeared around her, "happiness", gradually emerged in her mind.
She lowered her eyes, sat back on the bed with mixed feelings, and was in a daze for a long time.
It was not until the noise outside had disappeared for a long time that the door of the side room was pushed open. She looked up and saw Jiang Qiuye walking in with the flowers she had just picked in her hand.
Jiang Qiuye was overjoyed to see Jiang Xiahua wake up. He immediately rushed forward, put the flowers on the table, and hugged her in his arms.
With a choked sob, he said, "That's great, Xia Hua, you're awake."
Jiang Xiahua didn't say anything, nor did she hug him back. After a long while, she slowly asked, "Why?"
"Why?" Jiang Qiuye let her go and looked at her, waiting for her to speak.
"Sister... why can you smile so happily? I have never seen it before." Jiang Xiahua twisted her fingers together, feeling a strong sense of loss in her heart.
"Xia Hua." Jiang Qiuye retracted the smile on her face. She had wanted to talk to her sister for a long time.
Seeing her looking at him, Jiang Qiuye spoke in a gentle voice with a serious expression, "Xia Hua, we have a bad fate. We have no memory of our mother since childhood, and our father is a gambler. Later, we were sold to Feiyan Pavilion, where we experience life and death every day. Xia Hua, in the past, have you ever felt happy for a moment?"
"Yes!" Jiang Xiahua was a little excited. "As long as I see my sister, I feel happy! My sister is the person I love most in this world!"
Jiang Qiuye pondered for a long time and said, "But Xiahua, I have never been happy for a single day."
Seeing the brokenness in Jiang Xiahua's eyes, although he couldn't bear it, he still said, "Xiahua, I used to think that life was just like what we experience, struggling desperately every day just to survive. In the small world of Feiyan Pavilion, besides completing missions, it was training. Until one day, I suddenly saw the vastness of the world and realized that the place we live in is too small."
"At first, I just wanted to get out of that little world and experience what the outside world was like. After arriving in Shengjing, I was happy most of the time. I knew what a real home, real support, and real love were."
"Xia Hua, I admit that I love Ji Ci very much, but how can I not love you? We are sisters, and we have been through life and death together." She reached out and held Jiang Xia Hua's hand tightly, "Xia Hua, I will not stop you from doing anything in the future. Whether it is suicide or killing Ji Ci. But first, give yourself and us a chance to experience the happiness I mentioned before making a decision, okay?"
After thinking for a while, she immediately added: "But let me be frank. If you really kill Ji Ci, I will definitely go with him! I will also hide him so that you will never find our bodies!"
"Sister!" Jiang Xiahua shook her head in disbelief.
Jiang Qiuye pursed her lips. If she really wanted to kill Ji Ci, she would definitely stop him. But when talking to a madman, one still had to use his behavioral logic.
"Xiahua, so, are you willing to give us, and yourself, this opportunity?"
Jiang Xiahua avoided her sight and thought for a long time. The scene she saw through the window just now flashed through her mind again. Finally, she looked back into Jiang Qiuye's eyes and nodded.
…
Jiang Xiahua has always been in poor health. In addition to Jiang Qiuye preparing medicinal food for her every day, Ji Ci also asked someone to take care of her body.
I thought that after years of experimentation, I might never be able to recover from my illness. Unexpectedly, Pei Zhi proposed using Gu to nourish the body, saying that if I could go to a valley in the southernmost part of the country and combine it with his Gu technique, there would be a 70% chance of recovery.
Jiang Qiuye was pleasantly surprised to hear this, but also uneasy. After all, he had been deeply harmed by the poison in the past, so he was skeptical about using it to treat illnesses.
Jiang Xiahua didn't think too much about it and took the initiative to propose going to the southern valley. Seeing her resolute look, Jiang Qiuye knew that although she still couldn't understand what happened between him and Ji Ci, she was at least willing to take the initiative for him and find hope again.
It's okay this way, things will get better slowly, it just takes time.
After sending Jiang Xiahua away, Fei Zhi also went with her to the south. Later, she accidentally heard that perhaps it was because Yan Wu had killed the mother Gu that day, that the mother Gu died, and along with its child Gu, all dissipated, and Jin Hong was also freed from the Gu.
His luck was considered good, but he quietly left the Orange Garden and disappeared in Shengjing, and no one knew where he went.
Not long after Jiang Xiahua left, the war in the north became increasingly tense.
I heard that the Li army recruited a military advisor from nowhere and used him effectively, making it increasingly difficult for Zhou Chenghu's forces to attack the city. Now, several armies are deadlocked and engaged in a war of attrition. If this continues, it will inevitably harm the Great Jin.
To this end, Ji Ci took the initiative to volunteer and decided to personally lead the troops to the Northern Expedition, with Tang Taifu and other regents to manage the government. At the same time, he appointed several military generals to accompany Ji Ci to fight against the Li bandits.
After hearing the news, Jiang Qiuye refused to give in and pretended to cry for a long time. He used all kinds of means, whether it was acting like a spoiled child or getting angry, but he still decided to fight in person.
That night, after showering, he returned to his room and saw his wife, sulking, sitting cross-legged on the bed with her back to him. He shook his head helplessly and moved forward, trying to pull her into his arms. But she suddenly stiffened like a log, and he couldn't pull her in. Finally, he had no choice but to sit forward and hold her in his arms.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "Ye'er, the war is getting intense right now. Fortunately, it's summer now, and the supply of food and supplies is continuous. But if it drags on, into autumn and winter, this war of attrition will damage the lifeblood of our Great Jin."
"In the past, during times of war, every winter, the front lines were filled with civilians suffering from famine and warfare. I experienced that in my youth. Although the suffering caused by war is unavoidable, as the regent of the Great Jin Dynasty, Prince Qi, I personally went to the battlefield to boost morale and try to capture the five cities of Liang Province before winter, speeding up the Northern Expedition and alleviating the disaster. This is my husband's duty and what he hopes for."
After he finished speaking, he kissed her forehead again and said, "My husband will go to war tomorrow. Are you going to be angry with me too?"
Jiang Qiuye relaxed after hearing this. She turned around and sat face to face with him, her eyes red and her voice trembling, "Husband, Ye'er just... just can't bear to leave you. The Northern Expedition is a major war, and you'll be gone for years, and we don't know when you'll return. Plus, the battlefield is dangerous. If something happens to you, what will you do?"
Ji Ci sighed, rubbed the corners of her eyes, and said, "When we get there, I'll write to you as soon as I'm free, okay? Besides, didn't I also fight for many years before? Now that I have you and our family, I will be even more careful."
He then fished out his personal seal from his waist, placed it in her hand, and said, "I will leave Tianqu here to protect you, as well as all the secret guards, palace soldiers, and a unit of my army in Shengjing. They will all be at your disposal. This way, no matter what happens, you can protect yourself."
Jiang Qiuye looked down at the private seal and gripped it tightly, his heart inevitably moved. "Tian Qu is a martial arts expert, let him stay by your side. No matter what I say, he was once a killer of the level of a Heavenly Ghost, how could he not protect himself?"
"Be good, be obedient. Do you want to send your husband to the battlefield and still worry about your safety in Shengjing?"
Jiang Qiuye could only nod in agreement after hearing what he said. He knew that once he made up his mind, he would not change it. In such a major matter, it was impossible to stop him from the beginning.
She just wanted to be a little naughty with him and let him coax her.
"Husband, then you must promise Ye'er that you will definitely come back safely."
"Okay, I promise you, I swear, I will come back safely."
He reached out and embraced her, kissing her gently, feeling equally reluctant to let her go.
The night was still long, yet seemed too short. Outside the mandarin duck tent, the occasional chirping of cicadas could be heard.
The next day, at the beginning of the morning hour, before daybreak, Ji Ci rose. Although Jiang Qiuye was sleepy, she managed to get up and see him off to battle. Outside, horns could be heard from the city. She personally put on his armor, buttoned it, and covered him with a dark red cape.
This was the first time she had seen him in armor. If he was usually a handsome man, now he was a man of steel. She looked at his handsome face, wanting to remember it forever.
He pulled her in for a deep kiss, reluctant to separate until Tian Qu knocked on the door and said, "Your Majesty, the military recruitment is complete."
After hearing the sound, he let her go reluctantly, took the helmet and sword on the table, looked at her for the last time, and then turned and walked out.
Jiang Qiuye couldn't see the battle off at the city gate, so he went to the city wall.
The wind blew strong from the high wall, blowing up her long black hair and the lotus-pink silk skirt draped behind her. She looked at the bright torches below. As the horn blew, the soldiers shouted in unison: "Victory! Victory! Victory!"
This grand scene aroused a surge of passion in her heart.
Tianqu and Mingyue followed behind Jiang Qiuye.
Seeing the worry that could not be concealed on her face, Tian Qu stepped forward to comfort her, "Don't worry too much, Princess. The prince is a master of military strategy and has always won every battle. He will surely return victorious soon!"
"Um."
Jiang Qiuye forced a curl of her lips, her eyes fixed on the dark red figure that was difficult to see in the distance, suppressing the tears that were about to overflow. Suddenly, as if she had a sense in her heart, although she couldn't see clearly, it seemed that Ji Ci turned around and looked at the city wall.
Jiang Qiuye immediately raised her hand and waved vigorously, suppressing the heartache and bidding farewell to her brother Jian Xi with a smile on her face.
Three hundred thousand soldiers marched on the expedition, and even when no one was left in sight, she remained standing on the city wall, gazing at the northern horizon. The wind blew fiercely, and Tian Qu and Ming Yue quietly accompanied her until the sun set and the afterglow cast its rays.
She suddenly whispered softly, "We will win the battle!"
The author has something to say:
The Northern Expedition is finally here, and the countdown to the end has begun
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