The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Chapters 1- 203)

Chapter 159 : Conferred Marriage

[3] 擦屁股 (ca pi gu) – lit. wipe one's bottom.

And yet, hunting was not the problem. It was because once 'caught', the eyes of the ladies who looked at them were so disappointed that this became the nightmare of every Mt. Jianan disciple – it was truly too damaging to their self-respect.

In reality, among their band of disciples, there was no lack of handsome young men. However, Xiao Shao was highly accomplished despite his youth, and possessed a natural grace and detached air which lent him a unique charm. This, when compared with the other youngsters, caused him to stand out like a crane among crows. When all the youngsters were pursuing beautiful girls, only Xiao Shao remained motionless, a picture of exceptional refinement. In their private discussions, the other disciples gossiped that in future Xiao Shao was destined to become a monk in a Shaolin Temple.

So who knew that Mo Cong would drop such a bombshell today, giving Xia Qing a rude shock. There was also an indescribable feeling in his heart; perhaps it was because he had never imagined that the person who was almost god-like to him would finally step off his pedestal. And even hit a wall. Even though this baby-face youth(XQ) was pure-hearted, he could not help feeling the tiniest bit of schadenfreude. It was indeed true that the heavens were fair – what goes around, comes around.

"Yes, you saw her yourself today." When Mo Cong saw Xia Qing's expression, he knew exactly what he was thinking. With a mischievous smile, he said, "It was the person who escaped calamity because of your help in performing an autopsy, Hong'an Junzhu. You saw her, the one who was being framed."

"It was her!" Xia Qing was dumbstruck. He thought of that young lady in Golden Throne Hall, whose prison garb did not diminish her gracious bearing. She possessed a natural beauty and charm, and it was only her unperturbed expression that caused him to feel slightly fearful. Xia Qing pondered briefly before saying, in all seriousness, "So, Third Brother likes the beautiful and charming type. I understand now. I'll write to Fourth Brother by and by and tell him about it."

Mo Cong rolled his eyes. The fact that Xiao Shao liked a girl was truly going to be known by everyone now, and he wondered what Teacher Ba Qi's expression would be when he found out. He looked at Xiao Shao and his previously bantering manner vanished. Gravely, he said, "After the marriage has been conferred, you'll be leading an attack against Tian Jin at the border?"

"Yes." Xiao Shao lowered his eyes as he said, "At that time, you will be in charge of handling matters in the capital so you must be careful."

"Xuan Li will definitely be manipulating events from behind the scenes." Mo Cong muttered, "Even if you make arrangements, he has an advantage in the capital. How will you divide your 300,000 Jinyi guards?"

"A hundred thousand will come with me as the main force. A hundred thousand will carry on as usual, and the final hundred thousand will stay in the capital." Xiao Shao continued, "Xirong is restless, and I fear that they will attack from both the front and the rear to box us in. Xuan Li is definitely on the move, and he will seize this opportunity to take action." He paused, then said, "You are in the capital, help me to protect her." 'Her' naturally referred to Jiang Ruan. Mo Cong was not entirely sure what he was feeling at the moment, so he simply replied, "I know. You have to be careful, too."

"Xirong, South Xinjiang, Tian Jin, as well as the traitors within the imperial court... This time, we won't be able to catch all of them in the same net, and there will be more incidents in future. I have already written to recall Qi Si; the two of you will stay in the capital. After I leave, there will probably be a flurry of activity in the imperial court, and you must render what assistance you can. Leaving Xuan Li alone is for the purpose of 'fishing', but if he really goes berserk, just kill him." A faint sliver of cruelty showed itself in Xiao Shao's face momentarily as he said, "If anything bad happens, I will take responsibility."