Chapter 68 The Drumbeats of Yuanba Yuyang
Fifteen minutes later, Jing Ye tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door.
He went to Chu Ying's room and saw that the light was on, so he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Before he even knocked, Chu Ying opened the door and asked, "What is it?" Then she asked, "Where's the young lady? Have you finished talking?"
Jing Ye scratched his head: "She's asleep." He gritted his teeth again, "Miss Chu, could you do me a favor? Go to Grand Commandant Yuan's residence and ask for another half-day off for me. The Grand Commandant lives at—"
“I know, it’s near my house,” Chu Ying interrupted.
"That's great." Jing Ye's eyes brightened, but he couldn't bring himself to smile, and there was no smile on his face.
Chu Ying left.
Jing Ye returned to the room and sat on the edge of the bed, keeping watch over Wang Yuying without making a sound.
She was unconscious for about half an hour, and woke up before 1 AM, but her eyelids couldn't stay open, and she kept opening and closing her eyes.
"Yingniang, haven't you had a good night's sleep in a long time?" Jingye asked softly.
Wang Yuying felt a pang of sadness.
Jingye said in an even gentler voice, "I hit you in a moment of anger, but you should sleep some more. You can punish me after you've had enough sleep."
The bitterness in Wang Yuying's heart instantly turned into warmth, and she suddenly realized that his words sounded just like her mother comforting her.
She relaxed, closed her heavy eyelids with relief, and silently moved closer to Jingye.
Jingye didn't understand and remained motionless in the same spot.
Wang Yuying reached out and tugged at the corner of his clothes. Jing Ye paused for a moment, then understood and took off his clothes again.
Seeing this, Wang Yuying rolled over to the inside, and he tiptoed to the outside to lie down. She then silently rolled half a circle back to his side, curling up and snuggling into his arms.
Jing Ye rarely saw Wang Yuying take the initiative to show weakness, or rather, to need him like this. He was both happy and worried. He stretched out his left arm to embrace her, like a warm nest welcoming a small animal, or a seashell opening its arms to a pearl.
He also remembered that she liked to rest her head on someone's arm, by placing her right arm under her head.
Wang Yuying closed her eyes and didn't speak, but she could sense everything. She bent her knees and curled herself up even smaller. Jing Ye also bent his legs and wrapped them around her from above and below.
He pulled the blanket up high, tying it tightly around both of their necks, so that not a single breath of air could get into the bed.
Under the tight blankets, only two heads were visible, pressed together. She nestled in his arms, both of them hunched over, quietly forming a circle.
Because it had become a habit, even in deep sleep, Wang Yuying would still wake up at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).
She propped herself up, and Jingye woke up and sat up as well.
He wanted to persuade her to take a break, but he knew she wouldn't agree, so he just said, "You sleep a little longer, I'll go get you some water."
He got out of bed as he spoke.
Wang Yuying, who was standing nearby, certainly wouldn't go back to sleep, but she squinted at Jing Ye, then slowly lay back down, murmuring before closing her eyes, "I'm sorry."
The sound was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but Jingye heard it and froze.
After a moment, he turned back to her and smiled, "When I come back with water, don't rush to get up. Lie down and I'll help you get dressed."
He carried the copper basin out the door.
After carefully collecting the water, Wang Yuying's breathing became even, and she truly fell back asleep. At that moment, Jingye felt incredibly at ease and tender. He first placed the copper basin full of hot water back on the shelf, then dressed and put socks on her. Wang Yuying was half-awake, occasionally lifting her legs to cooperate. If she didn't lift them, Jingye would lift her with one hand and use the other to put on her clothes. His movements became gentler and gentler, and his heart softened even more.
After wiping her face and rinsing her mouth, Jingye said softly, "Don't go to the dressing table, just stay here. I'll bring everything over so you can comb your hair."
Wang Yuying nodded. Jing Ye brought her a hairpin, climbed back onto the couch, and bent his legs to support her as he gently combed her hair. He remembered serving her in the same way at Yuqing Temple, but the feeling was completely different then.
As she inserted the jade hairpin into her hair, Jingye asked with a smile, "What would you like to eat for breakfast?"
Wang Yuying lowered her eyes, unable to taste anything these past few days. If it were Chu Ying and the others in front of her, she would try her best to drink the mushroom soup and show off her good appetite, but facing Jing Ye, she stammered, "It's fine, I actually have no appetite."
A wave of discomfort washed over Jing Ye, and he wrapped his arms around Wang Yuying from behind. She leaned against him and reached for his hand, asking, "Last night...did I hurt you?"
Besides calluses, Jingye also had a gash on her hand, a wound she had sustained in battle. She felt a pang of guilt, realizing that she had also caused the injury herself.
"Of course not, I'm made of iron!" Jing Ye smiled with relief. "As long as you don't get hurt, that's all that matters."
Hearing this, she felt even more guilty. She couldn't even bring herself to hurt Zheng Yangzhi, but she chose to vent her anger on Jing Ye, who was the best to her, because she knew he would forgive her. How... truly despicable she was: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have treated you like that."
"You don't need to apologize to me, just like you don't need to thank me." Jing Ye was glad that he had finally been smart enough to understand what had happened last night without her having to explain in detail.
He's a man, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't upset or jealous, but he never sought a solo photo, so he hoped she could let it go.
To be honest, after figuring out the reason for her mania, he actually felt a slight urge to seek happiness only from her, not from anyone else. He felt this was also a kind of trust and exclusive intimacy. He remembered the pain from last night, but from that pain also sprouted an addictive pleasure—so using him, using him to vent, was okay.
Just like how he loved the way the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms last night, no matter who was the vine and who was the tree, they were intertwined, drawing nourishment from each other, and protecting and supporting one another.
“Actually, I’ve had my moments of impulsiveness before,” Jingye advised her. “When those pomegranate pendants were being made, His Majesty was there, and he made some changes. I didn’t tell you, but when you said you liked His Majesty’s stroke of genius, I couldn’t help but hurt you.”
Wang Yuying remained silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and said calmly, "That was a long time ago."
She was indeed annoyed with Jing Ye at the time, and she remembered kicking him, but she doesn't care about it at all now.
"I won't do it again," Wang Yuying said, leaning on his shoulder.
Jing Ye lowered his head and rubbed his chin against her shoulder: "Actually, I'm more sorry to you. For example, when His Majesty saw us at Yuqing Temple, I chickened out and didn't stand up for you immediately."
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was the worst man in the world.
After a moment, Wang Yuying turned her head and asked, "Shall we have some cheese porridge together?" She looked at him and smiled, "I want to have some cheese porridge."
Jingye nodded vigorously, and soon returned with two bowls of hot milk porridge, the rice grains soft and the milk sweet.
She noticed that some hawthorn berries and raisins were sprinkled on top of the porridge to whet her appetite—he was becoming more and more thoughtful.
Wang Yuying walked to the table, and Jing Ye also brought the porridge to the table. He picked up a bowl, scooped a spoonful, and tried to feed her. Wang Yuying shook her head and took the bowl and spoon away: "I can do it myself, you eat too."
Jing Ye sat down next to her, habitually holding the bowl with his mouth open, and poured a large mouthful of porridge into his mouth from the rim of the bowl. Only then did he realize that it was impolite, and his face panicked. He then used a spoon to scoop up a small spoonful and swallowed it slowly.
But because of his heavy drinking, a trace of porridge appeared on the corner of his lips. He didn't notice it himself, but Wang Yuying saw it and took out her handkerchief to wipe it for him. Jing Ye quickly grabbed her hand.
Wang Yuying moved Jing Ye's hand away and insisted on wiping: "The Doctrine of the Mean says, 'Following one's nature is called the Way.' You can drink as you please, and there's no need to pretend in front of me."
She can accept him at his most authentic and natural self.
Jing Ye insisted on using a spoon: "I have to correct myself; an official in the court must be refined."
Wang Yuying lowered his eyes, and one can imagine how many disdainful looks and ostracism he suffered from his colleagues because he did not know the rules and etiquette.
He used to share with her frequently about the military camps and court affairs in the suburbs of Beijing, but he never mentioned or complained about them.
While Wang Yuying remained silent, Jing Ye was also pondering—he would try his best to adapt and change, to make up for his background, and to be a good match for Yingniang.
"Aren't you on duty today?"
"I took half a day off." Jing Ye ate slower than usual, but still finished before Wang Yuying. After scraping the last few grains of rice from the bottom of his bowl, he spread his legs, put his hands on his knees, and quietly watched her.
"What's wrong?" Wang Yuying asked.
Jing Ye made a chop gesture at his own neck: "You promised me this morning that you'd stab me back."
"Then close your eyes."
He obediently closed his eyes, not peeking. Wang Yuying leaned down and gently kissed his left cheek, the touch brief.
Jingye opened his eyes and looked at her with a raised corner of his lips.
On that day, Wang Yuying was on duty as usual. When she entered the Ministry of War, she glanced at the warm pavilion. It was brightly lit inside, and the outline of the emperor could be vaguely seen. She quickly looked away.
As they continued toward the council hall, a eunuch at the entrance of the warm pavilion caught up with them: "Your Excellency, His Majesty has decreed that Your Excellency has been granted permission to train the troops. If there are no other duties, Your Excellency may supervise the training of the city's troops."
Wang Yuying nodded. Whenever she had a spare moment from official duties, she would go to the drill ground to supervise the troops, arranging them in formation with hammers hanging, advancing at the sound of the drum and retreating at the sound of the gong. However, there were not many soldiers in the city, and the main army guarding the capital was stationed in a large camp on the outskirts of the capital. Xu Heng did not agree to allow her to leave the city.
On the 23rd of the lunar month, the Little New Year arrives. Once the candy melon is stuck in the ground, the colleagues who are unaware of the Di people's unusual activities start to get a little distracted. There is less official business and more family matters to attend to. After the curfew is lifted, people are buying New Year's goods in the market from morning till night. The whole city is filled with joy and looking forward to the New Year.
On New Year's Eve, Chu Ying went home, Jing Ye was on duty, and only Wang Yuying, Juan Xue, and Shuang Tian ate New Year's Eve dinner. Each of them cooked several dishes from their hometown, making it a perfect meal. They couldn't pick up the fish, but they could eat the meatballs. Just as Wang Yuying reached for the meatballs on the plate with her chopsticks, listening to the firecrackers outside, there were several urgent knocks on the door.
Juanxue opened the door, and because all the lights in the mansion were on, Wang Yuying could see the junior officer from the outskirts of the capital standing at the door from inside the hall.
The chopsticks holding the meatball paused in mid-air as he panted, "Last night at midnight, the Northern Barbarians launched an invasion, and the tribute convoy also suddenly attacked. Ambushers gathered from all sides and launched a rapid attack on the camps and official roads of the northern frontier. Wherever they went, those who resisted were slaughtered."
Another firecracker went off outside, and the meatball in Wang Yuying's chopsticks rolled off. She put down her uneaten New Year's Eve dinner, ran to fetch her Akhal-Teke horse, and leaped onto it, shouting, "Giddy up!"
He rushed out of his house and sped toward the Forbidden City.
*
Chongwen Lane, Zheng Mansion.
The lights were as bright as day, and new peach blossoms were pasted on both sides of the vermilion gate, with the character "福" (fortune) shining under the glass lamps.
A festive red carpet stretched from the entrance shop to the ancestral hall. Zheng Yangzhi, as the eldest son of the clan, was leading all the male members of the clan in performing a sacrificial ceremony of three animals, kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times, to comfort the ancestors and pray for the prosperity of the clan.
The underfloor heating in the flower hall was extremely warm. Various delicacies, such as glass goose, crab-stuffed oranges, and braised jade, were laid out on the table, waiting for the sacrificial ceremony to conclude before the feast began. The children stared intently at the lucky money ingots in the baskets. Sure enough, as soon as the ceremony was over, the eldest son's attendants ordered them to line up according to age, kowtow before the eldest son, and receive their rewards.
Many of the clan's children were still young, and only half of the gold ingots had been distributed when a servant rushed to the inner courtyard gate in a panic, still holding a carrier pigeon in his hand. Immediately, a long-time attendant went over and whispered something to Zheng Yangzhi, who then hurriedly whispered in Zheng Yangzhi's ear. Zheng Yangzhi's expression changed instantly, and he got up and went inside like a gust of wind, leaving the long-time attendant to continue distributing the gold ingots.
He rarely changed his expression, which was observed by the Zheng couple. Lady Shangguan looked at her husband, while the Zheng couple pressed down on his wife's hand, saying, "I'll go and see. It's probably a political matter. You don't need to worry about it."
Zheng Guolao blocked Zheng Yangzhi's way at the entrance of the warehouse.
He glanced behind his son and saw his attendant carrying a square-topped box inlaid with purple sandalwood and jade. His brow furrowed – how many years had this treasure box been locked in the storeroom? Inside was an ancestral soft armor, woven from gold thread and thousand-year-old vines, impervious to swords and spears. There might only be one of its kind in the entire world, and no one but the head of the family could use it.
"Where are you taking this?" Zheng Guolao, who had been holding his hands behind his back, brought them to the front.
"To be honest, I need to go to the palace." Zheng Yangzhi took a step forward, seemingly intending to bypass his father.
Zheng Guolao frowned and stared intently. Zheng Yangzhi moved closer and told him in a deep voice, "At midnight yesterday, the Northern Di invaded our borders in full force."
Zheng Guolao frowned even more deeply, but after a moment he urged, "Go quickly!"
His son did the right thing. With a great enemy at hand, the nation should take precedence, personal grudges should be put aside, and everyone should unite against the common enemy.
Regardless of who wears this armor.
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