Chapter 140 Guan Shao stated that, regarding this matter…
Guan Shao stated that impartiality must be maintained in this matter.
They gave Xie Pei a chance to redeem himself, and then immediately gave that same opportunity to He Dayong.
This made even the simple-minded General Wei burst into laughter.
Giving He Dayong a chance to redeem himself is worse than not giving him one at all. Everyone knows that He Dayong got into the Jizhou Army through connections. Back then, the Jizhou Army wasn't even called the Jizhou Army. Before Ningjiang fell, they fought a few battles with the Southern Barbarians, but they weren't large-scale. Even so, He Dayong had no presence in those battles. Nobody knows how the Xu family managed to promote him to captain.
He probably planned to rise through the ranks step by step, but then Ningjiang fell, the commander died, and Guan Shao took charge of the situation in person. He Dayong's planned career was thus cut short.
As luck would have it, Xie Pei suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and his promotion speed was as fast as a rocket, which naturally aroused the envy of others.
Despite their envy, Xie Pei's military achievements were undeniable, except for a very few who disagreed, including He Dayong.
This guy was someone who could rise to the rank of captain without any battle merits, so how could he possibly be convinced by Xie Pei, a commoner who was just a greenhorn?
Now look what happened; his underhanded tactics failed, and now he has a guillotine hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.
For Xie Pei, redeeming himself through meritorious service was naturally a piece of cake, but for He Dayong, that good-for-nothing, it was a difficult task.
General Wei stroked his beard, a rare mischievous glint in his eye. He said to his personal guards, "Prepare my horse. I have some free time today. I'll go see Commandant He. After all, he's a colleague." This time it's Commandant He, but next time it might be different. He might fail to achieve merit and be demoted, slinking back to the capital in disgrace.
"General, I heard that General Xie was also injured. Should we..."
"I'm not going." If he moved closer to Xie Pei at this moment, people would think he was just there to watch the excitement. He wanted to befriend Xie Pei, so naturally he didn't want to cause any misunderstandings.
...
The rumors in the military circulated for several more days.
However, it didn't have much of an impact on Zhu Mingyue.
Everyone in Xie Pei's camp, from the lowest-ranking soldiers to the highest-ranking officers, was aware of this situation but kept quiet about it.
March arrived in the blink of an eye, and after a cold snap, the weather warmed up.
For Zhong Kai, the changes brought by spring were not very noticeable, but Xie Pei's face clearly showed signs of spring.
The soldiers in the camp all noticed that after this incident, General Xie not only showed no negative emotions, but was in a good mood every day. Zhong Kai felt this most clearly.
In his words, it was as if several flowers had suddenly bloomed on the ancient iron tree. Although they were still pale, at least they had some color and looked more vibrant.
"General, this is the amount of grain consumed last month." Zhong Kai carefully observed Xie Pei.
Xie Pei paused, holding the pen, without looking up: "Put it down."
"Yes." Zhong Kai withdrew.
As he was leaving, he ran into Sun Kan. Instead of rushing inside, Sun Kan grabbed him and asked, "General, how are you feeling today?"
Zhong Kai thought back for a moment, realizing he hadn't seen her face clearly, but still replied, "It should be alright."
Sun Kan was relieved, let go of his arm, and walked straight inside.
They went in and didn't come out until noon.
Zhu Mingyue cooked the meal, and even after reheating it once, they still hadn't finished chatting.
He was hungry, so he ate first, and just as he finished eating, Sun Kan came out.
"Young Master Zhu!" Sun Kan greeted him.
Zhu Mingyue, still a little embarrassed as she hadn't wiped the grease from her lips, invited him, "Come over for a casual meal?"
The food in the military camp was all cooked in large pots, and if you missed it, you wouldn't get to eat it. Sun Kan was often so busy that he forgot to eat, and afterwards he was too lazy to cook for himself, so he just went hungry.
This is unavoidable in the army. Before Zhu Mingyue arrived, even Xie Pei would go hungry every few days.
Since it was past mealtime, Sun Kan didn't stand on ceremony and naturally took a bite of the food that was readily available.
Zhu Mingyue served him a bowl of rice and then had a guard deliver a portion of the food to Xie Pei.
Sun Kan picked up a spare rib and ate it with relish.
He spat out a bone from his mouth. "Young Master Zhu, I just heard the general say that you two are getting married?"
Zhu Mingyue paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's right."
Sun Kan praised, "Young Master Zhu and the General are a perfect match, a match made in heaven."
Zhu Mingyue smiled, pursing her lips.
"I really didn't expect that you, Young Master Zhu, and the General were personally arranged by the General himself."
"Huh?" Zhu Mingyue was completely confused and immediately felt puzzled.
Sun Kan swallowed his food. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Zhu Mingyue quickly shook her head.
After Sun Kan finished his meal, Zhu Mingyue went to find Xie Pei.
"What's going on? Why are there rumors circulating that we were arranged by the General?"
Xie Pei put down his pen and pulled him to sit on his lap. "Isn't this better?"
With the General himself acting as matchmaker, who would dare to gossip about Xie Pei and Zhu Mingyue after this?
After all, having objections to the relationship between Xie Pei and Zhu Mingyue is tantamount to disobeying the Grand General.
"But wouldn't this have a bad influence on General Guan?"
Xie Pei gently massaged his waist, saying, "He released the information himself; otherwise, no one would dare to spread it."
Zhu Mingyue recalled what the man had said when he went to see Guan Shao alone:
I will repay the debt of gratitude I owe him, wherever I can...
Zhu Mingyue lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment: "Could this be General Guan repaying a favor I did?"
Xie Pei: "Possibly."
Zhu Mingyue winked and wrapped her arms around his neck: "Then what about General Xie? How will General Xie repay my favor?"
Xie Pei was amused by his playful appearance and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "I'm giving myself to you."
Zhu Mingyue muttered, "They only give us worthless things."
Xie Pei was both amused and exasperated, pulling him closer to her chest. "Am I worthless?"
Zhu Mingyue gave a soft "hmm".
Xie Pei gritted his teeth: "Just tell me if you want it or not?"
Zhu Mingyue deliberately remained silent.
This was outrageous! Xie Pei's eyes changed: "You want to call off the engagement?"
Zhu Mingyue: ...
That look was all too familiar. Whenever Xie Pei gave that accusing look, it meant his backside was about to get a beating that night.
To save his buttocks from harm, he stopped being stubborn: "Yes, yes! I won't back out of the engagement!"
This time, Xie Pei remained silent, his gaze unchanged as he stared at him.
Zhu Mingyue knew she had gone too far; Xie Pei was a serious guy who couldn't take being teased.
He tilted his head back and nuzzled Xie Pei's lips, "When are we getting married? Where are we getting married?" He said he wanted to get married, but he hadn't prepared anything yet!
Xie Pei's eyes finally changed: "How about we get married when we return to Ganzhou?"
Zhu Mingyue nodded obediently, "Okay."
He can change his household registration at that time. Speaking of which, he is still using Xie Hong's wife's name.
"How about we wait a few more days?"
Zhu Mingyue wasn't in a hurry, but seeing Xie Pei's expectant look, she buried her head in Xie Pei's chest, and a sweet feeling washed over her.
Xie Pei's "wait some time" might be seen as mere perfunctory delay by others, but Zhu Mingyue could tell that Xie Pei was genuinely waiting.
Not only Xie Pei, but gradually, the atmosphere in the army also changed slightly.
Zhu Mingyue didn't know what this so-called waiting was all about. Xie Pei didn't want to tell him, so he didn't ask; he figured he wouldn't have to wait too long anyway.
But he also realized that this waiting was probably the same thing Xie Pei had said when he wanted to buy land last time.
Zhu Mingyue felt inexplicably nervous, yet couldn't suppress her anticipation.
In late March, Jizhou was full of spring.
Peach and apricot blossoms are blooming in the city and suburbs. Zhu Mingyue has changed out of her heavy clothes and occasionally takes a ride around the streets to enjoy the scenery, which always lifts her spirits.
The trees in Jizhou were in full bloom, but few people appreciated them. Children would climb the trees, break off a couple of branches, and then throw them on the ground.
Zhu Mingyue loves flowers. When she sees a flower in good condition, she will pick it up and bring it back to her tent. If she takes good care of it, it can bloom for several days.
"Young Master Zhu, you've gone to the city again?"
Sun Kan rushed over and, seeing him holding a branch of flowers, asked him...
Zhu Mingyue nodded. "Has General Xie returned?"
Zhong Kai smiled and said, "No, the general is so busy he's practically running around. He should still be at the main camp right now."
"Does Young Master Zhu perhaps have business with the General?"
Zhu Mingyue shook her head and smiled, "It's nothing, just asking."
He and Xie Pei had barely met during the day these days; only late at night would Xie Pei quietly slip into his tent and hold him as they slept.
Zhu Mingyue was still half asleep and couldn't speak. When she woke up in the morning, Xie Pei had already left.
Sun Kan was also busy, so he only chatted briefly before hurrying away.
Zhu Mingyue placed the flowers in the vase, arranging them as she pleased, then lowered her head to smell them, a faint smile playing on her lips.
At night, an oil lamp was left in the tent, its light flickering. Zhu Mingyue, buried in the quilt, breathed softly and slept soundly.
Xie Pei moved very gently, removing an outer garment and extinguishing the oil lamp.
As soon as he lay down on the couch, Zhu Mingyue instinctively snuggled up to him and put one hand on his waist.
Xie Pei kissed his cheek and pulled him into his arms.
In the darkness, Xie Pei stared at the sleeping face of the person in his arms, his eyes burning brightly, showing no signs of sleepiness.
After staring at her for a long time, Xie Pei sighed softly and, as usual, gently removed Zhu Mingyue's hand from her waist.
As she got up to get out of bed, her clothes were tugged at.
He turned around and saw Zhu Mingyue's round eyes, which glowed faintly in the darkness, like a cat's.
"Did I wake you up?" Xie Pei was a little annoyed. She bent down to tuck him in and coaxed him softly, "Sweetie, it's still early, go back to sleep!"
Zhu Mingyue was still sleepy and had a blank expression. He didn't respond when Xie Pei spoke to him, but he held tightly to the corner of Xie Pei's clothes and refused to let go.
After a while, the confusion in his eyes faded, and he slowly spoke, his voice soft and a little hoarse: "Xie Pei, where are you going?"
Xie Pei touched his face, "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."
Zhu Mingyue started to get serious: "How long is 'soon'?"
"Soon means very soon. You'll see me as soon as you wake up after a good night's sleep," Xie Pei explained patiently.
"Okay." Zhu Mingyue obediently responded, finally letting go of Xie Pei's hand, rolling over to where Xie Pei had just lain down, and burrowing deeper into the blankets.
Zhu Mingyue was actually still sleepy. She was suddenly woken up late at night for some reason. Xie Pei guessed that it was probably because it was still early and she hadn't completely fallen asleep yet, so she was woken up by the noise.
Fearing he would wake the person on the bed again, Xie Pei simply left the tent without even putting on his clothes.
Sun Kan, Zhong Hui, Yuan Fei, and others gathered outside the tent, specifically outside Xie Pei's tent.
As a result, he witnessed Xie Pei walking out of Zhu Mingyue's tent with his outer garment loose and his belt hanging down his waist, and he even held his breath.
Zhong opened his mouth wide, but a mouthful of air got in, and he started coughing violently.
Xie Pei walked over and neatly fastened his belt, frowning at Zhong Hui with disdain: "Keep your mouth shut."
Upon receiving the order, Zhong Hui covered his mouth with both hands, his face turning red from holding it in.
Sun Kan seemed to have been quite shocked, but he only gave himself a few seconds to silently process the scene before him.
Then, calmly, he said, "General, the troops are ready. Shall we depart?"
The last trace of warmth on Xie Pei's face vanished, his expression returning to its usual coldness. He said in a deep voice, "Let's go!"
Several thousand soldiers vanished from the camp without a sound, like ghosts passing through.
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