amaotonovel Chapter 338 Leaving
Chapter 338 Leaving
She thought for a moment and whispered in their ears, "You can..."
Who wouldn't blush after hearing this? But these things shouldn't be talked about too often, so let's change the subject and get back to business.
"Your Highness, I cannot leave Rongyang for too long. I will set off back tomorrow."
"Not only do you have to go back, but things here have come to an end. I've already sent a letter back to the capital, and we should also set off for the capital. Since you need to discuss a date with Qi Zexuan, I'll allow you to stay here a few more days. But don't forget, you are a general of the Wu Dynasty."
“Zexuan and I have already discussed it. If I leave, he will definitely come with me and return all the rights here.”
"I guess Qi Zeyun will still leave him a contingent of imperial guards. After all, on the surface, she is fighting against this younger brother, but they are siblings from the same mother, so she certainly won't leave him with nothing."
“Then I’ll go to the palace later and explain to Qi Zeyun that I will return to the Wu Dynasty with you, Chu Ling, tomorrow.”
"Has Your Highness taken care of the matters concerning the signing of the treaty?"
"It's all taken care of, but with this major reshuffle of power in Xiaorong, I'm worried about what Beirong might do. It's not just about Chu Qiu's matter; we have to detour through Qiyang, and it's also about Beirong's border defense."
"I think it's alright with my mother around, but I heard that the Second Prince has been demoted to Beiyang, which is the closest city to Beirong. Although it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, I think that with the Second Prince's personality, it will be difficult for him to win over the border soldiers."
"Since she's been demoted to such an important city, I wonder what the Empress is thinking. Given Wu Chengye's personality, I'm afraid... sigh!"
"However, I heard that His Highness the Second Prince is still in the capital and will probably wait until after the New Year to leave."
"I thought I was going to be exiled immediately. Come to think of it, she even ambushed me halfway there; her influence is still considerable." [Hopefully she won't cause any trouble.]
"Then it's settled. I'll go to the palace first. Once Chu Qiu and the others return, tell them to pack their things. We'll set off for Qiyang first thing tomorrow morning."
Chu Yu clasped her hands in greeting and accepted the order. She changed back into her heavy clothes and went into the palace. The people in the palace didn't recognize her, but they recognized her waist tag. She could go in to see Qi Zeyun without any hindrance.
Qi Zeyun was currently reviewing memorials and already had a headache, but hearing that Wu Ziyan was requesting an audience made his headache even worse.
"Let her in."
The door opened, and she entered the hall, bowing slowly with utmost respect. Qi Zeyun was somewhat unaccustomed to her being so formal: "What brings you here today?"
"Are our documents and terms almost finalized? They should have passed the court's review by now, so we should set off back to the Wu Dynasty."
"That's about right, but Chu Yu and Qi Zexuan just got married, and you're leaving already?"
"Of course, although we are family, we are not family. I believe Your Majesty, we both understand that."
"Yes, I understand, but I have a tricky problem now."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"Beirong knows about the internal strife in Xiaorong and is likely stirring up trouble on the border. At that time..."
"Your Majesty need not worry. We are all in this together, whether we prosper or suffer. After all, there is Beiyang in between us."
"Then I will see you off at Chenshi tomorrow. It will be good to let the people of Xiaorong know that our dynasty is on good terms with the Wu dynasty."
"Does it really have to be such a big fuss?"
"To reassure the people, as an ally, you should at least do your part in this regard, right?"
Wu Ziyan smiled. Indeed, with a powerful nation as an ally, the people of Xiao Rong would naturally feel more at ease. As for the spies hiding in the main city, it would be good for them to report the situation to their masters.
Then they started calculating on their fingers, wondering what time it was. Couldn't they just use a 24-hour system? Why did they have to come up with a twelve-hour system?
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the post station. Wu Ziyan got off the carriage. A table of people were sitting there, with only one empty seat left, as if they were waiting for her.
She walked over and sat down in the middle: "We'll be leaving at seven tomorrow morning. Everyone should get some rest tonight. I see the sky is getting lower and lower and the temperature is getting colder. It might even snow if we head towards Wuchao."
"Then I'll have to go back to the palace to return those talismans to my sister."
"I'll accompany you."
Wu Ziyan stood to the side, speaking sarcastically: "Oh, oh, oh, you want me to accompany you? How long is the journey? Are you afraid your beautiful skin will never return?"
"She's willing to be with me? Humph!"
"Everyone, make sure you don't forget anything you need to take, and buy whatever you need to buy. Oh, and just tell them to put it on Prince Xuan's account or Qi Zeyun's account. We're already leaving, so why not take advantage of this opportunity?"
The crowd didn't understand what "fleecing" meant, but Wu Ziyan smiled without saying a word. It couldn't possibly mean that they were getting a bargain.
"Just buy whatever you want, but please don't spend my money, I'm really too poor."
When she said this, no one was surprised; it seemed quite reasonable, since sometimes these men even had to pay out of their own pockets.
Chu Yu frowned. These were words that should be spoken in front of men, revealing her shortcomings completely. At this moment, she looked at her younger brother with great heartache. Had he injured his eyes while fighting on the border? How could he have fallen for such a tasteless person as her?
night
There was no lottery to decide who would accompany her, because she slept with Chu Ling. This was all to get along well with her future sister, since she had never met their mother before. The purpose of this trip to Qiyang was to confirm her relationship with Chu Qiu and ask in advance so that she could be prepared.
"Your Highness, do you insist on sharing a room with me?"
"Yes, Sister Chu Ling, come and go to sleep!"
Ever since Chu Ling learned to ride horses and shoot arrows, she had always slept alone in a tent, never sharing a bed with anyone. But now she saw Wu Ziyan lying on her bed, even with his clothes off.
She sat upright on the edge of the bed, her eyes fixed on a candle without looking around. Wu Ziyan tugged at her hand, and she quickly pulled it back.
"Your Highness, I actually... am attracted to men."
"So what? Does that mean I can't sleep with a woman? Go ahead and sleep, I still have something to ask you."
"Your Highness, may I ask?"
"Can't we just lie down together and chat like sisters?"
"How can you address His Highness as 'sister'? What kind of decorum is that?"
In my memory, Chu Yu wasn't like this. It's because she was with her older sister at the time and they didn't talk much alone. So she's such a rigid person?
"Then I'll order you to lie down next to me, is that alright?"
She lay down to the side without even taking off her outer clothes, and even with her sword still on. Confirmed, she is indeed Chu Qiu's family, and she's a slow starter.
"I'll ask, you answer."
"Your Highness, please speak."
"What kind of person is your mother? What kind of person does she like? In other words, would she like me?"
"Mother...she should respect His Highness!"
Wu Ziyan's fake smile instantly appeared on her face. She should respect her because of her status, but she was still very dissatisfied. That should be the gist of it.
"What does she like?"
"Kill the enemy!"
Doesn't she have any other hobbies? Like drinking, eating meat, or having a hobby involving gold and silver—that would be easy. But she just happens to love killing enemies… No wonder she's called a great general.
"Does he know about my affair with Chu Qiu?"
Chu Ling pondered for a while. She remembered mentioning it briefly when she came back, but she didn't expect them to develop this kind of relationship. As the second sister, she couldn't say anything. It seemed that Chu Qiu really liked her.
There was no reply for a long time, it seemed that it had never been mentioned, which made things difficult. It was also her fault for not writing here often.
However, given her position of power, it was impossible for her to write letters to the border, as that would arouse suspicion in many people. Furthermore, the accusations of forming cliques and engaging in factionalism would be firmly attached to her.
After calming down for a while, she sighed deeply. Chu Yu was lying next to her with her eyes wide open, showing no signs of sleepiness.
"Go to sleep."
"If Your Highness is afraid, I will stand guard."
"Then I'll still call you General Chu Ling from now on. I order you to sleep next to me, and remove your outer garment and put down your sword. Are you OK?"
"Yes!"
Unexpectedly, trying to extract some information only resulted in frustration. It seems her mind is completely empty. But perhaps it's for the best, as the only goal is to protect the country.
After thinking for a moment, he patted her shoulder approvingly, and she moved to the side, leaving a space as wide as a mighty river in the middle. Wu Ziyan dared not cross the boundary.
The first night, she slept very soundly, even keeping her arms and legs straight, as if she were standing at attention in bed.
She was so exhausted from sleeping that she was careful even when turning over in bed, afraid that Chu Ling beside her might blurt out, "What is it, Your Highness?"
For the first time in the morning, I didn't stay in bed. I jumped straight out of bed, looked at the sky outside, and it was still getting light. Their so-called Chenshi (7-9 AM) time should be approaching soon, since it's winter and the nights are getting longer.
She looked around and found it empty. Chu Ling was already dressed and sitting on a stool, waiting for her to get up.
"Your Highness, you've risen. I'll go out and check on the troops first."
"okay."
After washing up, she would go to Yue'er to comb her hair, but Fang Yuerong would usually do it for her instead.
After all, today is a big day to make a name for myself, so I can't just rush through it. I need to put on exquisite makeup, wear luxurious clothes, and ride a tall horse.
The onlookers were all kneeling, after all, their new emperor was personally seeing them off, and even the court assembly was canceled.
The ministers followed Qi Zeyun all the way to the city gate. The common people whispered among themselves, "These are the envoys from the Wu Dynasty. Could the one walking in front be the leader?"
"Yes, he's neither tall nor handsome."
“What do you know? They have the mind of those in power.”
"Yes, yes, what do we common folk know? Stop looking around, quickly lower your heads and see them off, I still have business to do later."
Wu Ziyan knew she wasn't tall enough while sitting on her horse, but she was confident enough that she even wanted to reach out to them and say, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone!"
As he saw her off at the city gate, Wu Ziyan turned back to Qi Zeyun and said, "No need to see me off any further, please go back."
"Your Majesty, I'm leaving now. I'll return in a few days."
Once the procession had gone some distance, Qi Zeyun returned home. Wu Ziyan thought to himself that he was finally going home and no longer needed to show off on this tall horse. He ran to the carriage and sat down not far from the door.
Chu Yu and Qi Zexuan rode off together, looking quite dashing.
Wu Ziyan had a spacious car all by herself. She wanted to ask Chu Yu to come up and ask her a few questions, but she was currently deeply in love and didn't want to disturb her.
Thinking of Chu Ling, she realized that she hadn't gotten any useful information from those three questions, so she had no choice but to ask the person in charge, hoping he might give her some useful answers.
"Call Chu Qiu here for me."
Chu Qiu was sitting in the carriage at this moment, listening to Changsun Boyou and Fang Yuerong chatting casually about Xiao Rong's appearance and manners. Yue'er put her hands in her pockets and said, "When I get back, I can brag to the shopkeepers that I've been abroad."
Chu Qiu kept glancing out the car window. He also wanted to ride a horse. He felt a bit superfluous in the car, his only purpose being to chime in with a few words when they got excited.
Just then, someone caught up from behind the car: "Slow down, slow down, stop the car. His Highness wants Young Master Chu Qiu to go to the car in the back."
Chu Qiuman wanted to find an excuse to leave, but when he heard someone calling him from behind, he didn't hear clearly who was calling him, so he stopped the carriage and got off.
The people in the carriage exchanged glances. They had clearly heard that His Highness had called him, but they didn't know why he had been summoned to the carriage alone. However, since it was a private matter, they didn't ask any further questions.
Before Chu Qiu could even take a few breaths of fresh air, Wu Ziyan's carriage pulled up beside him: "I'm calling you, get on."
Chu Qiu's eyes seemed to say that he had just escaped one danger only to fall into another, but he still stepped onto the carriage, where at least it was spacious and he could relax a little.
Jian Du casually leaned to one side, his hands on his knees, staring at her. The two looked at each other, and Wu Ziyan was just thinking about how to start the conversation. After a moment's thought, she asked the same questions: "What does your mother like?"
"do not know."
Perhaps he truly didn't know, because she didn't know what his mother liked either, but she still persisted and patiently guided him: "For example, she might particularly love silk from a certain place, or jewelry and gemstones."
"If that's the case, there's also the way he looked at his spoils; he seemed quite happy."
"No one else has ever given her gifts or anything?"
"My mother said that most of the people who give gifts have ulterior motives, either for our status or to sow discord."
As expected of the old General Situ, he analyzed these advantages and disadvantages very thoroughly. What is she still beating around the bush for?
He grabbed Chu Qiu's hand directly, saying that it might be better to be direct: "I mean, what should I bring to your mother this time to please her? After all, you haven't mentioned me in your letters, so she probably doesn't know that our relationship has progressed this far, right?"
“My mother really didn’t know, because things happened so fast, one after another, that she didn’t have time to write a letter.”
"I've never met you before. Can you tell me what kind of person your mother is?"
"She was very strict, but she also doted on us four children. She taught us to be strong, but she also taught us to accept weakness."
Such a vague description sounded to Wu Ziyan as if it said nothing at all. Well, these three really didn't know much about their mother, or perhaps they couldn't reveal it because they were marching on the border.