Then follow your heart.
"Today is the ninth day of the month, an auspicious day for marriage, Miss. I think this marriage is ordained by heaven! Why don't you try to be a little happier today? Perhaps this marriage isn't as bad as you think."
Shen Zhiqing sat in front of the bronze mirror, while her maid Qiu'e was doing her hair and makeup.
"Today is also the day of the funeral of Marquis Jianbei."
After finishing the floral design, Shen Zhiqing put down what he was holding and said calmly. Qiu'e realized she had spoken out of turn, quickly shut her mouth, and looked cautiously at Shen Zhiqing.
Fortunately, Shen Zhiqing didn't seem to be blaming her, so she spoke up again: "What if the two families clash? A wedding meeting a funeral might ruin the good fortune."
Shen Zhiqing glanced at her, her tone still calm: "If the Marquis had not died in battle, he would surely be my father's honored guest today. I have been confined to my residence these past few days and have been unable to go to the Marquis's residence to offer my condolences, which I already feel guilty about. If we are fortunate enough to run into him today, I will have the servants stop the sedan chair, which can be considered as us respectfully seeing the Marquis off."
"But Miss, isn't this against etiquette? If we miss the auspicious time, it will disrupt the feng shui and we might be haunted by some unclean spirits..."
Qiu'e became more and more frightened as she spoke.
Shen Zhiqing just smiled helplessly and continued, "Regardless of whether ghosts and gods really exist in this world, even if they do, we are sending off General Tang. With his heroic spirit here, we will only be safer."
Qiu'e rolled her eyes, then nodded and said, "Miss is right. The Marquis was the guardian deity of our Luo City when he was alive, and he will surely continue to protect us after his death. But..."
Qiu'e suddenly choked up, as if something had touched a nerve, and continued with a sob in her voice, "It's just that God is too cruel."
Yes, heaven never shows them mercy.
Shen Zhiqing took the red silk from the side and draped it over her head. For the rest of her life, she might only be able to be Ye Shenshi.
When the auspicious time arrives, the curtains are lifted and the sedan chair is lifted, the sound of gongs and drums rises, laughter and joy fill the air.
She was the only one who was sad.
The sedan chair swayed and traveled a long distance before the footsteps in front slowly came to a stop. Qiu'e whispered to Shen Zhiqing through the curtain, "Miss... you really did bump into someone."
Tang Qi, wearing a mourning cloth on his head, looked down at the approaching bridal sedan chair ten meters away. Tang Yan was beside him, holding the remaining paper money in her hand.
Today... is the ninth day of the month. Yes, today is their wedding day.
"Xiao Qi".
Qin Jianzhi pulled him out of his daze: "Stop here."
Tang Qi nodded, but saw that the people on the other side had moved faster and moved aside first. The two sides looked at each other from a distance, and the noisy gongs and suonas were now silent, bidding farewell to the heroes who left here and never returned.
Tang Qi smiled knowingly, his lips slightly parted, and scattered the paper money in his hand high into the air. They continued walking forward. It didn't matter; hatred couldn't stop someone from still loving his father.
"Tang Qi".
As he passed the bridal sedan chair, Shen Zhiqing called out to stop him. She lifted the curtain, bowed slightly, and said to him, "Take care."
"Thank you," he chuckled lightly. "You won the bet."
Shen Zhiqing paused as she lowered the curtain.
He took a half step back and bowed to her with utmost solemnity: "Your path will not end here. You can try to trust Ye Qian; he will definitely, absolutely will not stop you."
"Shen Zhiqing, I'm waiting for your ten thousand granaries in Luocheng."
All Shen Zhiqing could see was red. She couldn't actually see anything, but Tang Qi's words were so solemn that she felt as if she could really grasp that flickering, faint hope.
"good."
Tang Qi continued forward, scattering paper flowers. At this moment, all things in heaven and earth fell silent, and all he could see were coffins being covered by sand bit by bit.
In truth, nothing in the world has changed; it's just that the world has lost a person named Tang Mian.
He traveled far and wide, from the southern border to Luoyang, his father had traveled far and wide, and Jingzhou was not his final destination.
But it doesn't matter, Tang Qi believes that Qingfeng Wanli's father will eventually find his way home.
He scattered the last of his paper flowers into the air, letting the wind carry away the memories of humanity, for time cannot be held back.
The last bit of soil was compacted, and the only gap in Tang Qi's heart was filled. His breathing became heavy and muffled.
The sound of horses' hooves sent sand flying at his feet. Tang Qi looked up and saw Lin Jiacuo riding towards him from afar. He frowned, a sense of unease rising in his heart. Sure enough, the next moment, Lin Jiacuo stopped abruptly in front of him and said urgently, "Zhong Le, there is an urgent matter in the camp. Come back with me quickly!"
Tang Qi was stunned. He turned around and met Qin Jianzhi's gaze. The latter simply nodded slightly at him, and then the two figures rode away into the distance.
"What happened?"
"Qingyan City...has fallen."
Tang Qi paused, her hand gripping the reins, and said incredulously, "Continue."
"Battle report from the front: Qingyan has fallen. The Emperor has ordered you to lead troops eastward to help recapture Qingyan."
Lin Gyatso quickly summarized the matter.
Who are the garrison commanders of Qingyan?
“Obo, General E has died in battle.” Lin Jiacuo continued, “The one who captured the city was the Southern Continent Army. General Wu Shunyi has led the Jinbei Army and they are currently locked in a stalemate. The Emperor has ordered you to immediately lead the Wolf Strategy Army on an eastern expedition to assist Jinbei in capturing Qingyan.”
He looked at Tang Qi from horseback: "Zhong Le, the general has just passed away and you are still in mourning. The Emperor has summoned you to return to service immediately, which is probably..."
"Who led the troops in Nanzhou?"
Tang Qi interrupted Lin Jiacuo abruptly.
"It's Gui Luo."
"Gui Luo?" Tang Qi was slightly taken aback. This name had only appeared frequently in Tang Qi's ears in the last two years. He had never actually fought against Gui Luo, but he knew that he had the title of "General of the Killing God" in the Shuo Dynasty's military camp.
This man was a cunning strategist. Before leading his troops into battle, he would always cover his face with a mask of blue faces and fangs. No one had ever seen his true face, nor did anyone know his name. Fighting against him was like being haunted by a blue demon, with no chance of survival. That is why he had the codename "Ghost-Faced Asura."
What puzzled Tang Qi was that Nanzhou rarely sent Gui Luo to fight. But whenever he did, he was victorious in every battle, which was precisely what made Gui Luo so terrifying.
However, Tang Qi never believed in any god-like general. On the battlefield, there are only men, not gods.
They rode at breakneck speed and finally returned to the military camp. The imperial edict was placed in the main tent of the army. Tang Qi went straight in, took it in his hand and read it. Finally, he said to Lin Jiacuo, "Prepare the troops."
"Zhong Le, how about..."
Knowing what he wanted to say, Tang Qi decisively shook his head: "The emperor has appointed me, there is no way I can escape. It doesn't matter, I have long wanted to meet this 'god of death'."
But before that...
"Gyatso, you lead three thousand troops on the eastern expedition first, and I will follow shortly."
Lin Gyatso looked at him suspiciously: "What do you want to do?"
Tang Qi just tilted his head and said with a mischievous smile, "Don't worry, I'm just going to clean up the mess."
Without wasting a moment, he left the military camp and immediately rode towards Jingzhou. Lin Jiacuo naturally agreed to his request, selected three thousand soldiers, and ordered everyone to pack their bags, bid farewell to their families, and join the army within half a day.
He himself, feeling utterly helpless, tried his best to shake off Lin Zhengye, who was sticking to him like a leech: "Brother, do you need a doctor in your camp? I learned a lot of skills from my parents."
“No shortage, no shortage, stop thinking about it. Although Zhong Le asked me to take you to the barracks a few times, the selection for the Wolf Army this year has not yet started, and you have not officially joined the army. You are not part of this march, so give up on that idea. Tsk, move aside, don't block my way of packing my things.”
"I'll take care of it, brother, I'll clean it up!" Lin Zhengye grabbed the clothes from Lin Jiacuo's hands and continued, "Brother Qi tested my skills and said that with my current agility, I'll definitely be selected for the Wolf Strategy Army. So I'll join the Wolf Strategy Army in the next few months. It doesn't matter whether I join sooner or later, right? Besides, I know you're going to march to Qingyan. The yellow sand there is very heavy, the wind is like a knife cutting people, and there are often poisonous creatures there. Brother, it will definitely be beneficial for you to take me with you."
How did you know we were going to Qingyan?
Lin Zhengye continued, "The Marquis has just been buried. At this time, the only place that His Majesty can reinstate Qi Ge and lead troops into battle is Qingyan City, which has just fallen. Moreover, I heard that the general who is the god of death is leading the troops again this time!"
At this point, Lin Zhengye's eyes lit up: "Brother, I heard that Gui Luo is about the same age as me. Sure enough, powerful people don't care about age. When I join the army, I'll make sure Da Shuo has another young general."
Seeing the hopeful look on his face, Lin Jiacuo chuckled and said, "Then wouldn't you be our Great Shuo's God of Slaughter General?"
Lin Zhengye pouted and said smugly, "I'm not going to be a killing god general, that's too murderous. I'll just be an ever-victorious general."
Lin Jiacuo laughed out loud, shook his head and took the clothes back from his hand: "Alright, the future ever-victorious general of Da Shuo, your current task is to stay here and wait for the next batch of Wolf Strategy Army selections. We'll consider other things after you officially join the army."
Hearing this, Lin Zhengye immediately slumped down and sighed, "Brother! Can't you really bring one more person? I'm practically a member of the Wolf Strategy Army, so bringing me along is definitely a good deal. I promise I won't hold you back. Even if you're worried that I don't have enough combat experience to go to the battlefield, I know medicine! I can treat the wounded. Anyway, I'll be on the battlefield sooner or later. Let's treat this as a training opportunity. Isn't that enough?"
Lin Zhengye was so anxious he wanted to circle around Lin Jiacuo eight hundred times, but Lin Jiacuo just kept tidying up, completely ignoring his shouts, and said calmly, "No means no. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, why do you have to do it this time?"
"This eastern expedition must have a different meaning for the Wolf Army, right?"
Lin Gyatso remained unusually silent.
"The southern expedition was a great defeat, and many soldiers of the Wolf Army died. The Emperor actually... harbors resentment towards the Marquis, right? And there's the matter of Zhang Dong. Rumors about the Wolf Army have already started to circulate. Both Brother Qi and the Wolf Army need this victory."
Lin Zhengye's tone gradually became serious: "Brother, you are also under a lot of pressure. Haven't you noticed? You haven't relaxed your brow once during these days of acting as commander-in-chief. I know there may be many more problems in the army that I don't know about. Just like you said, there are many opportunities to go to war with the army, but I just hope that I can be there during this most difficult time."
Lin Jiacuo stared at him silently for a long time before chuckling and punching him: "You brat, don't worry unnecessarily. It's a good thing your brother Qi isn't here right now, otherwise if he heard this, he would laugh his teeth out."
He put his hand on Lin Zhengye's shoulder and said seriously, "I know what you mean, but things aren't as serious as you think. Don't worry too much. There are rules in the military. It's impossible for an extra person to suddenly appear. I'm about to lead the troops out. I won't say any more to you. When I come back next time, I'll personally watch you join the Wolf Strategy Army."
"Leaving now? I don't see Brother Qi in the group?"
"He'll be a day or two slower."
Lin Zhengye's eyes lit up again: "Brother Qi isn't in the army right now?"
“Yes.” Lin Jiacuo found it strange, wondering why Lin Zhengye was unusually happy about this news. Before he could speak, Lin Zhengye said loudly, “I know, brother! I’ll stay at home and wait for you to return from the Eastern Expedition.”
Seeing him suddenly become so obedient, Lin Jiacuo still had some doubts, but in the end he didn't say anything more, gave him a few more instructions, and then mounted his horse.
His gaze was fixed intently on the front, where a vast army was marching eastward, and the expedition had begun.
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