"Your Highness... please..." Qi Mengmeng's soft voice faintly came from her tightly curled-up body.
Hearing this, Xia Chuli glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The unhealed wound on his back throbbed with pain due to the intense movement just now.
Qi Mengmeng was extremely frightened. She buried her head between her knees and didn't dare to look at Xia Chuli at all. So she didn't see the complex emotions flashing in Xia Chuli's eyes. She only heard his somewhat muffled voice: "What are you afraid of?"
Xia Chuli's voice seemed to have changed a bit. The bone-chilling and overbearing coldness had dissipated, replaced by a bit of youthful gentleness. "Are you really that afraid of me?"
Qi Mengmeng was stunned. She could sense the change in Xia Chuli's attitude. She slightly raised her head and secretly sized up the young man standing against the light in front of her.
"You can sleep here tonight." Xia Chuli seemed a bit irritated. Because of the backlight, Qi Mengmeng couldn't see his expression clearly, but she could obviously feel that Xia Chuli had calmed down. And Xia Chuli also seemed reluctant to stay here for another moment. He casually lifted the quilt and covered Qi Mengmeng's head, then left with a "Go to sleep early" and stepped out of the room.
Inside the room, Qi Mengmeng began to sob softly again. But the door was mercilessly closed by Xia Chuli, completely sealing her in the palace hall that still faintly retained a trace of madness.
Xia Chuli strolled into the courtyard and stood there under the moonlight for a while. He wasn't wearing an outer robe, and soon his whole body was chilled by the breath of early spring. He exhaled lightly and stared blankly at the white mist he exhaled.
It was different now. He had already made a decision, hadn't he?
Since he wanted to get Shen Qingfeng, he couldn't just drive Qi Mengmeng crazy and abandon her like in the previous life. After all, this woman was still a bit useful.
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard some faint footsteps at the courtyard gate.
Xia Chuli looked up and saw a flash of someone's robe at the gate. He frowned slightly and stepped forward. As soon as he passed through the courtyard gate, he saw a man in light armor standing uneasily by the wall. It seemed that he was trying to figure out how to enter the courtyard, but was suddenly startled by Xia Chuli's appearance.
Xia Chuli recognized this man. He was the contact person given to him by Liu Mei, named Xie Yun. It seemed that Liu Mei had some hold over him, which was why she had placed him under Li Yanqing's command and given him the position of deputy general of the Military Division Flag.
After a moment of panic, Xie Yun quickly bowed to Xia Chuli and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please forgive my rudeness. It was Shopkeeper Liu who sent me here."
Xia Chuli looked at him and said directly, "I naturally know. Come here."
Xia Chuli led him to the side hall and then closed the door. Xia Chuli stood with his hands behind his back in front of the desk and said in a deep voice, "You came to see me. Is there something from Liu Mei?"
"This..." Xie Yun scratched his head and organized his words. "It wasn't Shopkeeper Liu. Yesterday, there was a drinking session in the Military Division Flag camp, and General Li also came. Then he said some nonsense after getting drunk. Since Shopkeeper Liu once said that I should report any matters of the Military Division Flag to Your Highness, I've come here."
Xia Chuli nodded and said indifferently, "Oh, what nonsense did he say?"
Xie Yun said, "Yesterday, General Li got drunk and started causing a ruckus in the Military Division Flag camp. He said that Your Highness deserved to be beaten. He also said that His Highness the King of Cheng was wise, and that Your Highness... you..." Xie Yun pursed his lips and hesitated.
Xia Chuli sneered and said, "What did he say about me? You can just say it. I pardon you from guilt."
Xie Yun licked his lips and stammered, "General Li said... he said that you are a useless person and can't inherit the throne. The only one who can be the true Son of Heaven is... is His Highness the King of Cheng."
As an informant, although Xie Yun knew that Li Yanqing had a close relationship with the Qi family, he didn't know the specific details. This was probably the first time he had seen Li Yanqing act so arrogantly, so he quickly came to report to Xia Chuli.
It was understandable. Li Yanqing had always been idle in the court. Now that the border war was imminent, as one of Qi Shuhuan's many advisors, he originally wouldn't have received much attention from Qi Shuhuan. But unexpectedly, because of the approaching war, he had gained Qi Shuhuan's attention, and Qi Shuhuan even planned to marry his son to him. Li Yanqing suddenly became a guest of honor in the Qi family and might even become a son-in-law of the Qi family. It was probably because of this that Li Yanqing had suddenly become so arrogant.
Come to think of it, Li Yanqing was also an impatient person. Qi Shuhuan had just started to reuse him, and Qi Siyu hadn't even married him yet, but he was already so arrogant. It seemed that he wasn't a very smart person.
Xia Chuli snorted coldly and asked, "Really? What else did he say?"
Xie Yun was sweating profusely and complained silently in his heart: What else did he say? Hadn't Li Yanqing said enough already?
"No... nothing else... But General Li said all these words directly to the soldiers of the Military Division Flag. Will this make more people disobey Your Highness the Crown Prince..."
"Disobey me?" Xia Chuli suddenly laughed. "Xie Yun, look within this vast Bian Palace. Who obeys me? Even my wife can be casually dismissed by a ceremony official. And you, if you didn't have a handle in Liu Mei's hands, would you obey me?"
Xie Yun was startled. He had become an informant under Liu Mei's recruitment because he couldn't get along with the King of Cheng due to his wavering stance. Xia Chuli's words were like a slap in the face, scaring him so much that he quickly knelt down and kowtowed to show his loyalty.
"However, since you know to inform me when something happens, it seems that you are still a bit useful." Xia Chuli looked at the man kneeling in front of him and snorted coldly from his nose. "Follow me, and I won't let you suffer."
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Xie Yun quickly began to kowtow.
Xia Chuli gave him a cold glance and said, "As for Li Yanqing... it doesn't matter. I've long known what's on his mind, and I never intended to spare him lightly. Tonight, seeing that you're quite sensible, I'll ask you. Do you want to be the general of the Military Division Flag?"
Lu Yan was going to set out on a military expedition the next day. Different from the past, he wasn't taking any soldiers with him this time. Although the situation was extremely complicated, at least Lu Yan could be spared the trouble of assembling troops. He publicly claimed that he was studying military affairs in the Dingbei Marquis Mansion, but actually, he had abducted Shen Qingfeng and thrown him into the room. Then he hugged him and nestled in the bed.
Shen Qingfeng slapped Lu Yan hard on the chest and scolded him angrily. He covered his aching waist and was about to get up, but Lu Yan quickly stopped him. He rolled over and pressed Shen Qingfeng back onto the bed. He licked his lips and said, "One more time?"
Shen Qingfeng punched Lu Yan in the chest. "How dare you!"
Lu Yan didn't care. He had tasted the sweetness yesterday, and today he still felt unsatisfied. So he pressed down and kissed the tip of Shen Qingfeng's nipple. He murmured vaguely, "I'll be away for a month for this expedition. I have to satisfy you well, don't I?"
Shen Qingfeng's face turned red, and he wanted to struggle. But Lu Yan's body pressed down on him. His hot lips kissed all the way from Shen Qingfeng's chest to his lower abdomen. Shen Qingfeng trembled all over. Just as he was about to refuse, he felt Lu Yan's hand reach down again. Immediately, his head went blank, and he kicked out without thinking. Lu Yan was so scared that he jumped up suddenly. He stepped back a few steps, covering his crotch and scolding, "Qingfeng, don't you even look where you're kicking? If you kick me useless, see how you'll cry!"
"Get out of here!" Shen Qingfeng shouted angrily with a red face. "If you're useless, I'll find someone else!"
"Shen, Qing, Feng!" Lu Yan pounced on him, and the two of them rolled around playfully.
Lu Yan grabbed Shen Qingfeng's waist and tickled him, making Shen Qingfeng laugh uncontrollably. He arched back and forth in Lu Yan's arms, shouting for mercy. Lu Yan pressed his hand and said hoarsely, "Stop moving. Look, it's up again."
Shen Qingfeng was stunned and coughed lightly. "No more. It's already three times. I can't take it."
Lu Yan looked at him innocently and pretended to be on the verge of tears. "You're a man after all. This is too cruel to me. What if I get sick from holding it in?"
Shen Qingfeng scoffed. "I didn't see you holding it in just now. Now control yourself. Relaxing and tightening alternately is good for your physical and mental health."
Seeing that he couldn't argue with Shen Qingfeng, Lu Yan started to act shamelessly again. He grabbed Shen Qingfeng's hand and pulled it down, while constantly saying, "No, I'll get sick. Mr. Ruwei is so selfless. Please do me a favor."
Shen Qingfeng was so annoyed by him that he had no choice but to help him out with a red face. Then the two of them put on their clothes and leaned against each other on the bed, whispering to each other.
Just as they were chatting idly, Lu Yan somehow took out a jade pendant and placed it in Shen Qingfeng's hand.
Shen Qingfeng looked at the exquisitely shaped jade pendant in his hand. It was crystal clear. When he shook it, there was even a warm green liquid faintly sloshing inside, looking extremely colorful.
"What is this?" Shen Qingfeng asked.
"Water jade." Lu Yan kissed the top of Shen Qingfeng's head. "It was left to me by my mother."
"Your mother—?" Shen Qingfeng was stunned. He remembered that Lu Yan's mother had passed away a long time ago.
Lu Yan nodded. "Yes. This is the only thing my mother left me. My father said that this water jade is very spiritual. It was the token of love he gave to my mother back then."
Shen Qingfeng's heart trembled violently, and his throat tightened. He held the water jade and looked up at Lu Yan, murmuring, "Lu Yan... I..."
Lu Yan also lowered his head and looked deeply into his eyes. He made a solemn promise of a lifetime. "Qingfeng, hold this jade and wait for me in Lige. Wait for me to come back from the war and marry you."
Shen Qingfeng felt his nose sour and his eyes moist. He tightly held Lu Yan's hand with the hand that was holding the jade and said in a trembling voice, "A Yan, how long do you think this war will last?"
Lu Yan stroked Shen Qingfeng's cheek and smiled. "We have to fight the Donghu and guard against the Xirong. It will take at least half a year. Why, you're already missing me before I even leave?"
Shen Qingfeng's eyes were filled with hot tears. He smiled and lay on Lu Yan's chest, his body trembling with joy. Tears of happiness fell drop by drop on Lu Yan's chest.
Lu Yan's chest was so warm and broad, completely enveloping Shen Qingfeng with full of love. He gently smelled the scent on Lu Yan's body and whispered, "Fool..."
Lu Yan sighed, rubbed Shen Qingfeng's head, and wiped his tears. He said helplessly, "Why are you scolding me as a fool again..."
Shen Qingfeng gently shook his head.
"I can't wait that long." Shen Qingfeng said. He raised his head, leaned over, and kissed Lu Yan lightly on the lips. "Fool, aren't you going to lead troops to force the emperor to abdicate for Xia Chuli in a month?"
Lu Yan was stunned.
"I don't want to wait until the war is over. Will you marry me after you force the emperor to abdicate?" Shen Qingfeng smiled. "Then I'll go with you."