Transmigrator meets Reincarnator

301-350

Chapter 301: The Virgin He Sanlang (1)

Chu Lian was shocked by the sudden shout. She yanked back her hand and stared at the man with wide eyes, but his own eyes still stayed shut.

When she realised that he had only been sleep talking, she patted her chest in relief and calmed down.

That had really scared her.

The beardy's mouth moved again as he mumbled something. However, he spoke too softly and quickly; Chu Lian couldn't catch what he was saying at all.

Chu Lian crept over again, too curious to deny herself. She leaned her ear closer to see if she could catch anything. She wanted to know what he was saying.

Even though she was as close to him as she could get, Chu Lian could only make out a few words.

After a moment, Chu Lian straightened up. Her brows furrowed as she thought about his odd ramblings.

"Hah! You wicked woman! Are you regretting your betrayal now? He turned out to be a bad guy in the end! He even betrayed you! Are you sad? Are you hurt? Let me tell you, the pain I feel is a hundred times more than yours!"

Chu Lian: ......

The corner of her mouth twitched as she looked at the man before her. Had this guy suffered some sort of heartbreak previously?

Just as Chu Lian was thinking about listening to more of his juicy ramblings, the man quieted down and stopped talking.

Shortly after, his temperature began to rise again. Chu Lian had no choice but to continue wiping him down with a cloth to help him lower his temperature.

Finally, Chu Lian leaned against the cave wall and let the beardy use her lap as a pillow. This way, if his condition changed, she could wake up from her sleep and check if he was still burning up.

Near the end of the night, Chu Lian was just too tired. She fell asleep leaning against the wall.

In her dreams, she felt something tighten around her waist. However, she was just way too tired to react. She didn't even have the energy to open her eyes to see what it was.

Trapped in his nightmares, He Sanlang's brows were tightly knitted together. Right as he was being tortured both mentally and physically, in his most troubled time, it felt like his body had suddenly been immersed in some place warm and comfortable.

He caught a hint of a familiar, comforting scent and quickly calmed down. His entire head seemed to be ensconced in that sweet smell, helping to quiet his chaotic thoughts.

The high fever slowly subsided along with them.

At some point, He Sanlang's arms had reached out to wrap around Chu Lian's slender waist. That soft and cosy feeling comforted him in the midst of his deep slumber.

He Sanlang took in deep breaths, subconsciously wanting to keep this sweet smell and feeling to himself.

The hold of his arms tightened along with his thoughts. It wasn't until Chu Lian wriggled a little due to the uncomfortable embrace that the comatose He Sanlang finally awoke.

He opened his eyes slowly. When he noticed what he was hugging in his arms, his entire body stiffened instantly.

The remnants of his terrible dreams replayed in his mind. When he looked up only to see the same face of the woman that haunted his nightmares, He Changdi felt extremely disgusted, as if he had just swallowed a big fat fly.

He quickly let go of Chu Lian's waist and sat up. He even shifted back a few steps to put some distance between them.

Luckily, that wicked woman was sleeping like the dead. His sudden movements hadn't caused her to wake up at all.

He Changdi rubbed his temples. His head was hurting beyond belief.

The moment he had woken up and seen Chu Lian, he had thought that his past and present lives had overlapped.

However, as his mind slowly returned to consciousness, the Chu Lian in his mind slowly started to split apart and turned into two polar opposites.

He Changdi turned to Chu Lian with an unreadable expression. She was still in the same pose as earlier, leaning stiffly against the uneven cave wall with her legs straight. One of her limp hands was holding onto a damp cloth. The small gourd filled with water had been flipped over, leaving a small puddle of water on the ground that was slowly icing over.

With his intellect, it wasn't hard for He Changdi to guess at what Chu Lian had done for him. However, it also threw his heart into even more chaos.

He kept his eyes fixed on the sleeping woman just a few steps away from him. In his mind, two different figures were flashing one after another.

Which one was the real Chu Lian?

Should he trust her again?

Just as He Sanlang was absorbed in his painful thoughts, his sharp ears caught the soft sound of footsteps from outside the cave. He tensed and immediately leaped up, moving over to Chu Lian's side and shaking her awake.

Chu Lian was shaken awake. While she was still in a sleepy daze, she heard the beardy say with a grave expression, "Shh... Someone's coming."

The remaining sleepiness in her mind was instantly pushed away by her fear.

He Sanlang tossed aside his complicated thoughts and subconsciously placed himself in front of Chu Lian, shielding her behind him. He took out a dagger from his waistband. His deep eyes were focused on the cave's entrance like an eagle on the hunt.

They didn't have time to hide now. Someone had clearly discovered their presence in the cave.

He Changdi's sharp brows were locked together. He only hoped that the intruders weren't Tuhuns. He didn't have any weapons at hand and his body wasn't at peak condition. Furthermore, he had a weak woman by his side to protect. He wouldn't be a match for the elite warriors of the Tuhun right now.

Chu Lian's gaze was also fixed on the entrance of the cave, her eyes filled with extreme caution. She felt in one of the purses hung at her waist and took out a bottle of chilli powder. If it really came down to a fight, she was going to fling this powder right in her opponent's face!

Chapter 302: The Virgin He Sanlang (2)

It didn’t take too long for their visitors to arrive. Two strange figures appeared at the cave entrance.

Now that He Sanlang could make out the faces of the newcomers, his tightly wound nerves relaxed completely.

"Brother He!"

"Captain!"

Two shouts full of surprised joy jolted Chu Lian awake.

He Sanlang set down the dagger in his hands and went over to welcome them. The people who had come were Lieutenant Xiao Hongyu and another good soldier under He Changdi's command, Zhao Liang.

It seemed like the signal he had sent out earlier had worked.

Xiao Hongyu, who was younger than He Changdi by just a year, hugged him tightly in happiness. He then pounded He Changdi on the back forcefully. "Brother He, you scared us to death. Are you okay? When Zhao Liang and I found the signal and came looking, we bumped into a Tuhun scout. We've already settled him."

Zhao Liang, standing off to one side, nodded in agreement.

He Sanlang patted both of them on the shoulders. "Good work, you two."

While standing behind He Sanlang, Chu Lian was completely dazed. She stared at Xiao Hongyu first, then Zhao Liang, with her big, innocent eyes. For some reason, the way they addressed the beardy seemed a little strange to her... 'Brother He'?

This beardy's surname was He and he was also a captain... Surely it wasn't just a coincidence!

Chu Lian finally set her gaze on her saviour's tall and muscled back. His bearded face came up in her mind...

She shook her head. No matter how she tried, she just couldn't reconcile He Changdi's handsome good looks to the gruff, bearded face of her saviour.

Chu Lian huffed in relief and reassured herself that it was only a coincidence. There were tens of thousands of men in the northern border troops. It wouldn't be weird for there to be another Captain He, right?

However, despite thinking that, there was a sense of unease in her heart.

As Xiao Hongyu was chatting with He Sanlang, he happened to take a glance behind him. A look of startled envy flitted across his eyes and he gaped like an idiot. Xiao Hongyu immediately blurted out, "Brother He, is this Sister-in-Law?"

He Sanlang hadn't expected Xiao Hongyu to blurt out a question like that. He didn't reply to Xiao Hongyu immediately and simply turned back to cast a calm look at Chu Lian. He wanted to know what kind of expression that wicked woman was going to make.

Chu Lian's almond-shaped eyes widened into huge circles. Her body froze up completely as she looked at the grinning Xiao Hongyu before turning back to the beardy.

Heh! What kind of joke was that?

Chu Lian did her best to recover from her extreme stupefaction. When she didn't hear any response from the beardy after a few seconds, the heart that had just about beat out of her chest settled down again. It must be a misunderstanding after all. Perhaps this beardy had also come to pick up his wife and happened to rescue Chu Lian along the way in a bout of coincidence. That might be why she had been mistaken for his wife.

That's right, that must be it.

Even though Chu Lian knew just how poor that reasoning was in the depths of her heart, she would rather believe that the beardy she had spent two days and nights with wasn't He Changdi. Thinking back to all the silly things she had done, she just wanted to dig a hole in the ground and burrow into it.

Not recognising her own husband... Scolding him as if he were some other man... And even getting a little intimate with him while under the assumption that he was some other man...

Chu Lian couldn't bear to continue thinking along those lines. She just hoped that the heavens would bless her with a bit of luck and help her out, just this once.

He Changdi moved his gaze away from Chu Lian, a corner of his lips raising as he mocked her in his heart.

Even the dense Xiao Hongyu had realised that something wasn't right between the couple. His smile faded away and he quickly bumped He Sanlang with his shoulder. In a low voice, he asked, "Brother He, what happened? Did you make Sister-in-Law unhappy?"

He Sanlang glared at him coldy, warning him to keep his mouth shut.

Xiao Hongyu was naturally a person who didn't like silence. His eyes darted around the cave before he moved closer to He Sanlang and continued his questioning at an even lower volume.

"Brother He, since you spent two nights outside with Sister-in-Law, could it be that Sister-in-Law is angry because you didn't give her enough 'goods'? If that’s the case, you have to explain things properly to her! We don't even have any women in camp to comfort us since the laws in our camp are more strict."

When Xiao Hongyu finished speaking in a boorish tone, he sent a meaningful look in the direction of He Sanlang's third leg.

The people in the camp were all men. When they gathered together to chat at night, it was hard to avoid the topic of women. In the course of time, even the virgin Xiao Hongyu had been infected by their coarse talk.

Furthermore, He Changdi and Chu Lian hadn't even been married for half a year. He Changdi had also left the capital soon after marriage. Since the young couple’s relationship was still new at the time of his departure, they obviously hadn’t had enough quality time together. It was normal to assume they had done the horizontal dance while trapped together for the past couple days.

He Changdi hadn't expected that his younger army comrade would make a joke like this right in front of him. His handsome, bearded face froze up, turning darker and darker.

To Xiao Hongyu, He Changdi roared, "What nonsense are you saying!"

Luckily, He Sanlang's hair hid his flushed ears. Otherwise, if the mischievous Xiao Hongyu caught sight of them, he would definitely get smug and tease him for being shy.

Actually, even though He Sanlang looked calm and wise on the outside, what with his normally cool expression, he was still a virgin- in both this life and the past one.

If Xiao Hongyu ever found out about this fact, he would probably point at He Sanlang and laugh for three days straight. He had such a beautiful wife by his side, yet he hadn't touched her at all. Could he even be considered a man? His tall and vigorous Brother He couldn't possibly be impotent, right?

Chapter 303: The Beardy is He Sanlang (1)

Just as the two men were bickering, the sound of footsteps came from the cave entrance.

When Xiao Hongyu noticed that He Changdi's eyes were turning grave, he quickly hit his own head as if he had just remembered something. "That's right, Brother He, I forgot to tell you! Your family's private soldiers came with us. That should be them arriving now."

Right after he finished speaking, a group of men entered the cave. In the lead was Mo Chenggui.

Once Mo Chenggui caught sight of He Sanlang, he ran up to his young master excitedly. He stood in front of the other private soldiers and bowed to He Changdi. "Third Young Master, this old servant is relieved that you're well."

Perhaps due to the difference in their status, there was no trace of the haughtiness and disdain that Mo Chenggui had shown in front of Chu Lian. These old soldiers who had followed Old Count Jing'an into battle were truly loyal and concerned for the male masters of the He Family.

Standing behind the rest, just a few metres away, Chu Lian was immersed in shock.

Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open while her slightly pink lips were parted. A single sentence resonated in her mind: 'The beardy is He Sanlang!'

How could that be!

Her eyes unconsciously fixed on He Changdi, heart pounding in her chest. Whether it was because of the flurry of emotions she was now experiencing at realising the truth, or the perpetual tension and nervousness in her heart ever since being chased by the Tuhuns, Chu Lian knew one thing.

The moment she remembered all the stupid things she had done in front of He Sanlang while taking him for a stranger, she really just wanted to bury herself.

As her thoughts ran wild in her mind, she couldn't hold back a glare at He Sanlang. That... that fellow had known all along and had actually teased her on purpose, just to watch her make a fool of herself. How... how utterly shameless!

Chu Lian's face flushed red as her chest heaved with every breath. However, she couldn't reveal the truth in front of these people, so she could only bear with the frustration.

He Changdi nodded and replied calmly, "I'm fine, but the war in Liangzhou continues. We have to return quickly."

Xiao Hongyu had also turned serious. He smiled and nodded at Chu Lian before leading the men out of the cave and ordering someone to bring He Changdi a horse.

It was only then that He Sanlang turned to look at Chu Lian and noticed her frustrated expression.

Chu Lian knew that she was the one at fault for being face blind and not recognising him, so she felt too embarrassed to be the one to speak first.

Instead, when she met with his cold gaze, Chu Lian shifted her eyes away guiltily. He Sanlang stood ramrod straight with his hands behind his back. He continued to stare at her until she could feel goosebumps rising on her skin. Finally, he stalked over to her.

"How impressive, my wife. You didn't even manage to recognise your own husband? Then you should open your eyes a little more and take a good look. Otherwise, you might even take a stranger for your husband next time and put a green hat on my head!"

He Sanlang didn't wait for Chu Lian's fiery gaze to turn onto him again.  He swept her up into a princess carry and brought her out of the cave.

Chu Lian was extremely angry, but she couldn't quarrel with her husband in front of so many people. It would be bad for both of their reputations.

Thus, the most she could do was glare at He Sanlang while remaining silent in his embrace.

Of course, He Changdi could feel the grudge and killer intent in Chu Lian's eyes.

He looked down coldly at her and said, "If you like to look at me so much, I'll let you have your fill when we get back to Liangzhou!"

Chu Lian gritted her teeth and began to inwardly complain to herself. Who's trying to look at him? Only that crazy He Sanlang could say something like that with a straight face!

When Xiao Hongyu saw that He Changdi was carrying Chu Lian out of the cave, a mischievous look lit up his eyes. "Brother He, take good care of Sister-in-Law!" He pointed at a handsome horse nearby. It was all black except for its white tail and hooves. Xiao Hongyu explained, "Brother He, we found your horse for you, but it has quite a few wounds on its body. The wounds were probably made by those damned Tuhuns. You can't ride on this horse for now, so you and Sister-in-Law can take my horse instead. I'll ride with Zhao Liang."

He Sanlang looked at his beloved steed and nodded.

Chu Lian turned her gaze curiously towards the handsome black horse. It seemed to be rather intelligent. When it noticed its owner, He Changdi, looking at it, it even whickered at him and blinked its big eyes coquettishly.

When Chu Lian's eyes followed the curve of the horse's smooth back, she noticed that there were some wounds on the horse's rump and back which had already started to scab over. A small suspicion surfaced in her mind. If she didn't guess wrongly, those wounds weren't made by the Tuhuns- instead, they were likely made by He Changdi himself to drive his steed faster when chasing after her mad horse...

Thus, Chu Lian sent an apologetic look to the horse.

He Sanlang personally helped Chu Lian onto Xiao Hongyu's horse before leaping up and sitting behind her. When Zhao Liang saw that the captain was only wearing his armour and that the cloak on the captain's wife was dirtied, he took off his own cloak and passed it to He Sanlang.

He Sanlang gave pause before receiving the cloak. He looked down at the fragile woman before him. He hesitated for a moment, but finally, he wrapped the dark coloured cloak around Chu Lian and made sure she was completely covered.

When Chu Lian began to feel warmth return to her, she looked down and noticed the thick cloak on her body. She was about to speak up and thank him, but He Sanlang spoke first. He lowered his voice and said, "You don't have to thank me. I just don't want you to catch a cold and become a burden for me!"

That one sentence made the gratitude in Chu Lian's heart vanish into thin air.

Chu Lian decided to shut her mouth and stop bothering with that crazy husband of hers!

Chapter 304: The Beardy is He Sanlang (2)

Everyone quickly mounted their horses. It was getting late; if they didn't move quickly, it would be dark by the time they left the forest. There were too many unknowns in the dark, and there had already been one ambush. They couldn't give the Tuhuns another chance to attack them.

Furthermore, He Changdi held a post in the army. This time, he had come out against the wishes of Captain Guo. It had already been two days, so they couldn't delay their return any longer. Even so, when He Sanlang returned to the camp, he would likely have to suffer some punishment.

The men rode their horses hard and none of them had the mood to talk at this time. Chu Lian gripped the saddle of the galloping horse under her tightly as the cold winter winds brushed against her cheeks like knives. Her shaking body had been stabilised at some point by a strong arm wrapped around her waist. As furious as she was with her husband, it would be silly of her to struggle at this time and place.

Thanks to that strong arm holding her steady, Chu Lian's back was pressed against He Sanlang's chest. Even through that cold and hard armour, she could still hear the fast, powerful beat of his heart.

She pressed her lips together as a warm flush overtook her face.

She covered her face with her hands and told herself that the only reason her face was so hot was because of the chaffing cold winds.

When dusk fell, the party finally reached a small town close to Liangzhou City.

The maidservants and retainers who had accompanied Chu Lian here, along with the two guards that Princess Wei had sent, were resting in a residence here and recovering from their injuries.

Zhao Liang dismounted first and went off to report their arrival. The entrance of their courtyard was immediately flung open from the inside as Wenqing and Wenlan came out to welcome her.

He Changdi carried Chu Lian off the horse, but didn't let her down. He carried her straight into the courtyard under the watch of Wenqing and Wenlan. The two maidservants followed after with pale and panicked faces. Manager Qin's face was also full of worry. He looked towards the men who had escorted He Changdi and Chu Lian back. Since he had clearly seen how Mo Chenggui had treated his Third Young Madam, his gaze skipped over the old soldier and landed on Zhao Liang and Xiao Hongyu instead.

He quickly walked over to ask, "Excuse me, sirs. What happened to our Third Young Madam? Has she been injured anywhere?"

Xiao Hongyu saw that he was truly worried, so he reported what he had been told. "I heard Brother He say that she injured her foot. Don't worry, Sister-in-Law's injury isn't too bad. She should be fine after a few days of rest."

When he heard Xiao Hongyu's reply, Manager Qin heaved a sigh of relief. He thought carefully about their current situation. Half of Third Young Madam's party was injured, so they probably wouldn't be able to continue their journey immediately. They would likely have to stay in this small town for a few days.

"Sirs, please come in and rest. I've already ordered the servants to cook a meal for our guests."

Xiao Hongyu and Zhao Liang were indeed hungry. However, when they thought of the military order hanging over their heads, they waved their hands in rejection. "Kind sir, there's no need for that. Once Brother He comes out, we have to hurry back to camp."

Manager Qin almost gaped in shock. "You... You're still rushing back to camp?" He looked up at the darkening sky. "But it's almost night." It was already dangerous enough to rush on the roads in winter. This area was close to the northern border, so the risk was even higher.

Zhao Liang smiled bitterly. "Thanks for your kind offer, sir, but we have to follow our orders."

Seeing how resolute they were, Manager Qin couldn't hold them back. However, he couldn't let their guests continue standing outside either. These men were clearly Third Young Master's comrades and subordinates. He had to treat them well.

Thus, he invited the men into the courtyard to sit for a while and ordered the servants to bring in hot water. He also prepared some food and wrapped it up for the soldiers to bring along.

Manager Qin was very smooth and capable. He did all of the above under Chu Lian's name, so that He Sanlang's comrades would have a good impression of their brave sister-in-law who had come all the way to the northern border.

In the main room of the small courtyard, He Sanlang set Chu Lian down on the bed and turned to leave with a cold expression. Wenqing and Wenlan came over anxiously to ask about Chu Lian's condition.

Chu Lian didn't have the mood to answer the two girls. Instead, she turned towards He Changdi's departing back and quickly called, "Where are you going?"

He Changdi hadn't expected Chu Lian to call out for him. He froze and stopped walking.

Wenqing and Wenlan could see that their masters had something to say to each other. Wenqing shot a look at Wenlan and the two girls quietly stood up, bobbed towards Chu Lian, and retreated. They even closed the room’s door for the couple.

He Changdi shifted sideways so he could look back and see Chu Lian’s small figure sitting on the bed.

He suddenly felt that his throat was as dry as a desert; he couldn't say anything at all and could only cough and use the sound to cover up his guilt and awkwardness.

Chu Lian clenched the hem of her clothes in her hands and seemed to be having trouble speaking as well. However, it hadn't been easy for them to meet again, and they were married after all. If they left this misunderstanding as it was, it wouldn't be good for them. She could also feel that He Sanlang's attitude towards her had improved significantly since their wedding day.

With that thought, she gathered up her courage and blurted out in one go, "He Sanlang, I... I'm in the wrong for not recognising you. I'm apologising to you first."

He Changdi’s eyes that had always been unreadable since his reincarnation began to ripple with emotion. Those beautiful ripples expanded and grew until they reached his heart.

Chapter 305: Military Law (1)

When Chu Lian saw He Sanlang just stand there, she became a little discouraged and down. She began to sulk, and in a low voice, she said, "You can't blame me for that. You're like a totally different person once you grow a beard. Grandmother probably wouldn't even be able to recognise you, let alone me!"

He Sanlang was skilled in martial arts and had excellent physical abilities to boot. His five senses were also stronger than most people, and that included hearing. Even the tiniest mumble from Chu Lian would reach his ears.

He Sanlang chuckled lowly. Chu Lian couldn't tell if his laughter was out of joy or mocking her.

She heard him say, "By saying so, you think you're justified even though you didn't recognise your own husband?"

Chu Lian couldn't help but ridicule him in her head. This crazy bastard had such a sharp tongue. She had already set down her pride to apologise to him first. She could ignore how he hadn't forgiven her, but now he was actually mocking her instead.

The pool of calm that she had managed to recover was almost completely drained by that bastard He Changdi. Chu Lian sucked in a deep breath and let the cold air help her calm down again.

"He Sanlang, must you always pick a fight with me?"

After he suffered a jolt from her words, He Changdi pressed his lips together and sunk into silence.

Chu Lian rolled her eyes. What was going on? The He Changdi in the novel had clearly been a handsome, caring nice guy. How had he turned into such a frustrating tsundere? He was just like a cold piece of rock!

Were the heavens trying to make a fool of her?

Chu Lian didn't want to stay on this topic any longer.

Yet when she remembered how he looked back in the cave, poisoned and running a high fever throughout the night, Chu Lian couldn't set down her worry for him.

Her leg was still injured, so she couldn't stand. She could only tilt her head back and strain her neck as she asked him, "Has the poison been completely cleared out of your system? When I checked your body, I found a wound on the side of your neck. That poison probably came from the arrows of the Tuhun."

He Sanlang's lips moved slightly, but he paused before replying, "It's fine now. It's just a common poison; it won't leave behind any side-effects."

Hearing him explain so, the burden of worry in Chu Lian's heart was finally set loose.

No matter what, He Changdi had gotten poisoned while saving her. If anything happened to him, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

"It's already so late. Why don't you invite your brothers-in-arms to stay back and eat dinner with us?"

He Changdi cast a glance at the woman who was finally acting a little more like a matriarch of the He Family. His heart warmed, but the cold expression on his face didn't budge a single bit.

"No need. My brothers and I will set off for the camp immediately."

"Ah? You're going back right now? It's already dark outside!" In her surprise, Chu Lian blurted out her thoughts directly.

This action stunned both of them for a moment. He Changdi recovered first. In a slightly softer voice, he said, "You want to keep me back?"

Chu Lian looked downwards, her neck flushed.

She quickly said, "Since you're so anxious to go, it must be due to military orders. You should leave earlier then! I'll get Wenlan to pack some food for you to bring on the way back."

When He Changdi heard her reply, he felt a sliver of disappointment. "Take good care of yourself, then. I can't always be around to save you just in time."

On that parting note, He Changdi turned and left without looking back.

Chu Lian raised her fist and shook it at He Sanlang's departing figure. That guy just had to make her mad, even when he was leaving! As expected of a lunatic!

Ooh, she was so mad!

When Wenqing and Wenlan saw that He Changdi had left, they quickly ran back in.

Chu Lian let them look at the wound on her ankle. She thought for a moment before giving them some orders. "Wenqing, go and prepare two sets of inner clothes for Third Young Master. Add some jerky and wine as well. And that pair of thick deerskin leather boots! Ah, right, don't forget to pack those detoxifying creams and medicinal ointments too!"

He Changdi had torn his inner clothes to bandage her wound. Who knew if he still had enough to wear back at camp?

Wenqing and Wenlan noted down all of Chu Lian's instructions and nodded. As they left the room, they exchanged sly, happy smiles.

It seemed like their Third Young Madam was getting along well with their Third Young Master.

Just look at how worried she was. She was practically shoving everything she brought to Third Young Master.

He Changdi entered the sitting room and exchanged some words with Manager Qin before leading Xiao Hongyu and the others away, preparing to set off on an overnight journey back to camp.

He didn't expect Mo Chenggui to lead the family's private soldiers out and mount their steeds along with them, clearly intent on following He Sanlang back.

He Changdi frowned and gripped his reins. He turned to Mo Chenggui and said, "Uncle Mo, stay here with your men and take care of Third Young Madam. You're not to follow me back to camp this time."

Although He Sanlang's tone was calm, there was a hidden trace of unhappiness within. How could Mo Chenggui not detect that?

"Third Young Master, that won't do. This old man has been ordered by the matriarch to help Third Young Master!"

He Changdi looked him right in the eye. Although his young master had just come of age, Mo Chenggui could feel a domineering aura from within their cold depths. He found he was unable to meet his master’s gaze directly. It was as if the old count himself was standing right before him.

"Uncle Mo, helping me take care of Chu Lian is the best way you can help me right now!"

Although Mo Chenggui wasn't very willing, since Third Young Master had already given his orders, he couldn't keep rejecting them.

"Yes, Third Young Master. This old servant will obey your command."

Mo Chenggui waved his hand, ordering the family soldiers to dismount. He Changdi picked up the package that Chu Lian had prepared for him and led his men on the long journey back to camp.

Chapter 306: Military Law (2)

It was only when He Changdi's figure had disappeared into the dark alleyways of the small town that Mo Chenggui brought his men back, a gloomy expression on his face.

By his side was his old comrade, Huang Zhijian. Huang had become one of the He Family's private soldiers after retiring together with him.

The two of them were as close as real brothers.

Huang Zhijian patted his old brother's shoulder. "Old Mo, don't take it to heart. We shouldn't have been so rash as to leave Third Young Madam behind like that. If we hadn't tried to rush ahead of her, this wouldn't have happened."

A bellyful of anger had long been brewing within Mo Chenggui. He had managed to suppress it this whole time, but after the past few days, it was about to spill out from his eyes. He had thought he would be able to dampen it eventually, but after the aggravation of today's events, he could no longer hold it back.

"I just can't understand why the matriarch sent a spoiled young girl like Third Young Madam out to the northern border! Isn't she just making trouble for Third Young Master? Look at her tiny size, what can she do? See, we haven't even reached Liangzhou and she's already caused trouble for Third Young Master! Military orders must be obeyed. Once Third Young Master returns to camp, he'll be punished by military law! And that military law..."

"Old Mo, that's enough, stop right there."

Before Mo Chenggui could vent enough, Huang Zhijian shoved his arm.

"What! I can't even rant now?"

"Old Mo! Third Young Madam's right behind us!" Huang Zhijian had no other choice but to lower his voice and try to remind him of their location.

Mo Chenggui paused and turned around to look. As Old Huang had said, Chu Lian was currently standing under the eaves of the courtyard with the support of Wenlan, frowning while staring at them. Her expression didn't look too good.

Mo Chenggui was still angry, so his tone wasn't very nice as he said to her, "It's already dark. Third Young Madam should go and rest while it's early, otherwise the Tuhuns might capture Third Young Madam again."

Huang Zhijian quickly tugged his old comrade and turned to Chu Lian apologetically. "Third Young Madam, please don't blame Old Mo. This is just how he is."

The two of them were both leaders of House Jing'an's soldiers and old retainers of House Jing'an, so they held a high position within the estate. However, Chu Lian was still one of their masters, so they didn't have the right to speak to her in such a tone.

From the way He Sanlang had rushed to save Chu Lian- running headfirst into danger without concern for his own life- Huang Zhijian could tell that the young couple's relationship was not as bad as what the rumours outside would have them believe.

Third Young Madam was doted on by Matriarch He within the estate. Right now, the estate was still lacking the next male heir. If Third Young Madam got pregnant someday and gave birth to the first male of the next generation, her standing within the estate might even match that of Heir Jing'an's wife. If Old Mo offended Third Young Madam greatly at this time, the ones to suffer in the future would be Old Mo and his family.

Furthermore, Third Young Madam wasn't as weak as she looked. That Guilin Restaurant she opened had become the top restaurant in the capital almost overnight.

If she was really that weak, how could her restaurant have become so popular?

It was just the stubborn Old Mo who refused to see things clearly.

Chu Lian didn't care about what Mo Chenggui had said at all. Her focus had been completely drawn by what Mo Chenggui had said before that.

She couldn't help but ask, "What did you say just now? My husband will be punished by military law?"

Mo Chenggui's rage seemed to have been stoked by Chu Lian's sudden question. "Third Young Master left his camp without permission. Of course he's going to be punished!"

Chu Lian didn't really know much about the army, especially in the ancient Great Wu Dynasty. She was completely stunned by Mo Chenggui's reply. "What... what kind of punishment will he receive?"

Mo Chenggui was practically huffing fire by now, so Huang Zhijian didn't dare to let him speak. He quickly replied first, "Third Young Master has disobeyed orders, so the minimum punishment he'll get will be twenty smacks with the rod. Third Young Madam, you don't have to worry too much. Third Young Master has a strong body and he's all muscle. Those twenty smacks are nothing to him."

After Huang Zhijian finished speaking, he shot a sideways glance at Chu Lian. When he saw that she was still in a daze, he quickly pulled Mo Chenggui away and bade his farewells. "If there's nothing you need us for, Third Young Madam, Old Mo and I will withdraw for now. Please don't worry about the safety of this courtyard, we've already set up watch over the area for the night."

It was long after Mo Chenggui and Huang Zhijian had left that Chu Lian abruptly came back to her senses. She looked at Wenlan and sighed. "Let's return."

Wenlan was both happy yet sorry. "Third Young Madam, Third Young Master treats you so well! In the future, if anyone dares to say that Third Young Master doesn't treat you well, this servant will tell them this story to make them shut up!"

Chu Lian's heart was a mess right now, so none of Wenlan's words made it through to her head. She simply made a half-hearted tug of her lips in reply.

For some reason, when she thought of He Changdi's smooth, muscled back being dotted with rod-shaped bruises, her heart felt extremely pained.

Chu Lian was already tired beyond belief. She should have fallen deep asleep for a good night’s rest.

However, the moment she shut her eyes, Chu Lian had a nightmare about He Changdi being beaten by rods.

In the dream, the perpetually cool-and-collected He Sanlang didn't even make a sound as the rods struck blow after blow to his back. He simply stared at her until the punishment was done. Then, he stood up and showed his bloody back to her, forcing her to look at his once smooth, unmarred skin, now a messy canvas of bruises and blood. Only after she had gotten an eyeful did He Sanlang finally turn his head and meet her gaze, smiling at her with deep affection.

"Look and see, Chu Lian! This is all your fault! You better take responsibility for it!"

Chapter 307: Sima Hui (1)

Chu Lian was so frightened by the weirdness of He Changdi that she subconsciously picked up the teacup by her side and threw it at him. He Changdi fell to the floor with a grunt and Chu Lian anxiously ran over- when she checked his nose, she realised he had stopped breathing...

Chu Lian screamed and sat up in fright.

When Wenqing heard the noises from within the room, she quickly pushed open the doors and entered.

The sight that met her eyes was Chu Lian sitting up in bed, eyes dazed as she panted for breath. Her hands were tightly clenched in the blankets. Wenqing was shocked.

She walked up to the bed and asked with concern, "Third Young Madam, what happened?"

Chu Lian hadn't thought that her movements would wake Wenqing, who had been sleeping in the outer room. When she recalled the scene in her dreams, she waved her hand in embarrassment. "It's nothing, it was just a bad dream."

Wenqing saw that Third Young Madam seemed to have suffered a fright. She touched Chu Lian's forehead and found it was full of sweat, so she brought another pillow over and placed it at the head of the bed before helping Chu Lian to lie against it. Wenqing tried to comfort her. "Third Young Madam, you must have been disturbed by what happened these past two days. Please rest for a while, this servant will bring you a bowl of sweet soup."

Chu Lian nodded. When she thought back to that dream just now, there was still some lingering fear in her heart, so she quickly shifted her thoughts to other things.

In the cold of the winter night, He Changdi led his subordinates as they rushed back to the army camp, situated at the outskirts of Liangzhou City.

Even in the early morning on a cold, blustery winter day, the commander's tent was already lit up with lanterns from within.

The highest commander of the northern border troops, Great General Qian, was seated at the head of the table. Below him were the high-ranking leaders of the border troops, and Captain Guo was amongst them.

The sound of hoofbeats resounded from outside the tent, followed by a chaotic rush of footsteps. The tent flap was lifted by the soldier outside and in the next moment, a bound bearded man was marched in- who else could it be but He Changdi?

Once He Sanlang was inside the tent, Great General Qian started scolding him furiously. "He Sanlang, you've got some guts! Before you've even managed to finish learning the military tactics I've taught you, you've already managed to copy my stubborn temper! Take him out and give him thirty smacks with the rod before you bring him in again for interrogation!"

Xiao Hongyu, who had followed them in, turned pale. He sent a pleading look towards Captain Guo.

Captain Guo subtly shook his head, indicating for him to keep quiet.

How could Xiao Hongyu remain silent in a situation like this? The poison in Brother He's system hadn't been cleared yet. These thirty smacks of the rod were going to push him halfway to death's door! They still had to fight a war ahead, how would Brother He be able to fight in such terrible condition?

"General, please wait. This subordinate has something to report."

Great General Qian sneered and swept He Changdi up and down with a look. His gaze finally ended up on Xiao Hongyu. "Oho, He Sanlang. You're pretty skillful, aren't you? It hasn't been that long since you've joined this camp and you've already made a sworn brother. Which camp are you from? Report your name first! If your report is nonsense, you can share the same punishment as He Sanlang!"

Xiao Hongyu began to sweat. Since he had already decided to speak out, all he could do was grit his teeth and forge on.

He obediently reported his camp, which caused General Qian to cast a meaningful look at Captain Guo. "Little Guo, very well done. These brats are all from your camp!"

Captain Guo could feel his head going numb upon hearing those words. He had the urge to kill those two brats on the spot.

Following that, Xiao Hongyu reported the events of the past few days truthfully: the barbarians and Tuhuns' ambush, as well as how He Sanlang had gotten poisoned. After he finished speaking, he knelt down with his head lowered, obediently waiting for his punishment.

General Qian's expression abruptly changed upon hearing all this. "What did you say? The Tuhun soldiers have invaded the lands of our Great Wu?!"

The Tuhuns couldn't have appeared in that forest for no reason. There must be something driving them to go there.

General Qian's thick brows furrowed together. After thinking for a bit, he waved his hand and ordered He Changdi to be brought in for further questioning.

In the end, with Captain Guo helping them plead for mercy, He Changdi was subjected to only twenty five smacks of the rod, while Xiao Hongyu received ten.

This was also the reward that General Qian was giving He Changdi for his good deed in the face of his crimes. At the same time, the border troops were in desperate need for every able man right now. Otherwise, the strict General Qian wouldn't have let the two of them off so easily. He had even broken his own nephew's leg before, let alone some unrelated brats like He Changdi and the rest.

In the last two days, the Tuhuns had stopped their ambushes and attacks on the city, giving the northern border troops a breather. The injured He Sanlang and Xiao Hongyu were carried into their tent to settle down.

Right as the two of them had just laid down, Captain Guo and Zhang Mai entered the tent.

Captain Guo walked over and stood by the simple wooden bed, looking down at He Changdi from above. "So how was it? Has your wife come to the border?"

He Sanlang was stunned. He hadn't expected Captain Guo to ask a question like this out of the blue. He looked up at his former commanding officer and made a sound of agreement.

Captain Guo burst out into laughter and patted his shoulder forcefully. "You brat. Those twenty plus smacks were well-deserved."

Lying in the bed next to He Sanlang's, Xiao Hongyu couldn't resist interrupting. "Captain, Brother Zhang, I managed to meet Sister-in-Law this time! I didn't expect Sister-in-Law to be such a looker considering our He Sanlang's bearded face! She's like a fresh flower wasted on a piece of cow dung like this. Why couldn’t I be that lucky?"

He Changdi's expression completely darkened after hearing so. Who could have thought that the famed pretty boy He Sanlang would one day be compared to cow dung...

Chapter 308: Sima Hui (2)

As He Changdi's face turned more and more stiff, in order to stop these people in the tent from blurting out any more earth-shattering revelations, he reached out to his side, picking up a package and tossing it to them.

Zhang Mai caught it smoothly and opened it. When he saw the beef jerky he had been longing for day and night within, his eyeballs almost fell out with how wide he opened his eyes.

"You lucky brat! It's not safe out here in the northern border, make sure your family's soldiers protect Sister-in-Law properly." Zhang Mai immediately tore open the oil paper packaging wrapped around the beef jerky.

He Changdi kept a serious expression on his face as he said, "Brother Zhang, you're older than me by a whole generation. It's not really appropriate for you to call her Older Sister-in-Law like Hongyu does!"

After so many years spent in the army, Zhang Mai was already as thick-skinned as he could possibly get. How would He Changdi's mild provocation bother him? He chuckled and said, "He Sanlang, you have a higher ranking position than me now, so it's proper for me to call your wife Older Sister-in-Law."

Captain Guo and Zhang Mai sat down by He Changdi's bedside, munching happily on the goods they had been given.

Xiao Hongyu was rather sharp-eyed. His brows drew together as he suddenly recalled what he had seen while getting carried in on a stretcher.

"Brother Guo, did my eyes deceive me? I seemed to have seen a woman while I was being carried in just now..."

After Xiao Hongyu mentioned that, Captain Guo and Zhang Mai abruptly stopped wolfing down their food and let out similar constipated expressions, as if they had been forced to swallow a few kilograms of flies...

"Oh, her..." Captain Guo scratched his head. He didn't know how to explain this. That female general had just arrived in the camp two days ago. Furthermore, she seemed to be trusted by General Qian.

When Zhang Mai saw that Captain Guo didn't know how to explain, he cut in. "Zixiang, Hongyu, you guys should have heard of the Sima family, right?"

He Changdi, who lived in the capital and socialised in noble society, knew a little more than Xiao Hongyu did.

"The Simas should be... that rich and influential family in Shandong?"

Zhang Mai nodded and continued speaking. "The Simas of Shandong have been around for thousands of years and can be traced back to the Great Xia Dynasty. In the last dynasty, there were plenty of Simas working as court officials. Later on, when this new dynasty was founded, the Simas of Shandong started moving away from politics. Some people say that it's because the Simas lost too many talents during the changing of the dynasties. Others say that it's because the Simas don't want to stand out too much during the early stages of this dynasty, so they're hiding their abilities."

Zhang Mai paused before continuing again. "That female general you saw today, she's called Sima Hui. She's from one of the Sima's branch families. Although you might not recognise her name, you should have heard of Sima Feng at least, right?"

Xiao Hongyu replied first. "Of course I know about Sima Feng! He was one of the border generals of the previous dynasty. Unfortunately, he was betrayed by his most trusted adjutant in the end and died at the feet of the Uyghurs. He passed away filled with hatred."

Zhang Mai nodded in agreement. "That Sima Hui in our camp, she's Sima Feng's legitimate granddaughter."

Xiao Hongyu was so shocked that his jaw had dropped.

"She's actually one of Old General Sima's descendants?!"

"As far as I know, the main branch of the Simas didn't support Sima Feng at all. They even fought with Sima Feng's branch of the family. All of Sima Feng's male descendants entered the army and most of them died on the battlefields. By the time it reached Sima Hui's generation, there were only the old, weak, women and children left. Sima Hui practically grew up in the army. Without caring about her family’s objections, she bravely enlisted in the army. This time, she was the one who brought the Shandong troops over as support."

Xiao Hongyu's cheeks were a little flushed from embarrassment. "So that girl turned out to be so impressive... I've underestimated her."

Although He Changdi's expression was calm, his mind was racing. He hadn't participated in the war against the Tuhuns in his past life, and he hadn't heard of someone like Sima Hui before, either. Had the natural course of events changed, or were there other secrets behind this anomaly?

Captain Guo harrumphed. "Don't judge her for being a woman. She's one of the fiercest generals in our army. She's already led soldiers for five to six years, and she's more experienced than a greenhorn like you. General Qian trusts her ability enough to place her in important positions."

The shape of Zhang Mai's mouth suddenly formed into a slight leer. "Most importantly, General Sima has specially formed a female camp; there are hundreds of female soldiers there!"

Hearing this, Xiao Hongyu's eyes were about to pop out. "What?! Female soldiers? Women can be soldiers too? Don't tell me they're... Hehe..."

Captain Guo gave a resounding smack to the back of Xiao Hongyu's head. "General Sima's female camp was made at the personal order of the Emperor himself! Stop having all these dirty thoughts in your head all the time! If you lose to that group of female soldiers in the battle against the Tuhuns, I'm going to break your legs!"

Xiao Hongyu's shoulders immediately shrunk upon being chastised.

Captain Guo glared at Xiao Hongyu for good measure before turning to He Changdi. "One more thing, General Qian has given orders for you and Hongyu to investigate the area where you met the Tuhuns in the forest. You have to keep this mission a secret- both that its been given to you and that you’re doing it. You can't leave camp too many times, as well."

He Sanlang was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Great General Qian to have entrusted this matter to him. It seemed like the events in the commander's tent earlier had just been a show that the general had put on for outsiders.

Captain Guo and Zhang Mai stayed in He Sanlang's tent for an hour. As they left, they even forcefully snatched away half of the food that Chu Lian had given to He Sanlang.

Xiao Hongyu took pleasure in his loss while lying on the bed next to his. "Hehe, Brother He. Luckily, I was already prepared for that. I've already hidden all the goodies that Sister-in-Law gave me."

Chapter 309: Useless Money (1)

The corner of He Sanlang's mouth twitched and he immediately turned his head. He really didn't want to talk to a glutton like Xiao Yuhong right now.

While Chu Lian was resting and recovering in the little town close to the border, Tang Yan and the rest of the party had managed to catch up.

Although they had been previously robbed by the barbarians, He Changdi had come over with the rescue party just in time, so all of Chu Lian's things were safe.

The moment Tang Yan arrived, he heard about how Chu Lian had been attacked by the elite Tuhun soldiers and was astounded. After reassuring Chu Lian a little, he decided not to separate from her again for the rest of the journey.

Even though not everyone in the party had recovered from their wounds, just in case, they only stayed in the small town for four days. After four days, they set off on their journey again. They still had the winter supplies meant for the northern border troops and had to deliver them as soon as possible.

The closer they got to Liangzhou City, the more desolate their surroundings became. When they finally reached the outskirts of the city, Chu Lian stared at the completely devastated Liangzhou in disbelief.

How could this be called a city? Any town within the lands of the Great Wu would probably be richer than this 'city' a few times over. The city walls were made of mud- when the wind blew, some clods of earth would even get blown off. There were broken walls all over the city and hardly any citizen in sight. One or two would scurry by occasionally, their bodies thin and sallow.

There weren't many brick houses within the city itself. Most of the houses were made of mud and covered with thatch roofs. Even though it was dusk and about time to cook dinner, the number of houses that had smoke drifting up from their kitchens could probably be counted on one hand.

There probably weren't as many citizens living here as there were soldiers in the army stationed outside.

Chu Lian had finally seen for herself why the nobles in the capital considered Liangzhou City a barren land.

This area was probably part of the great grasslands of the future. Although there were plenty of mountains and vast tracts of land, the terrible weather conditions and the long winters weren't suited for farming. If they headed just a little closer to the inner lands of the Great Wu, the farm fields at the boundaries of Liangzhou might be fertile enough to allow for a harvest say, once a year. However, once they went further north, the quality of the earth wasn't enough to support even the smallest bit of life.

When it came to winter, the surface of the ground would be covered in a thick layer of snow. When it came to spring, the snow would melt away into a muddy swamp...

Chu Lian looked up at the city wall made of yellow mud bricks. There were two soldiers standing up there, their bodies curled up into balls. She couldn't even tell what they were wearing, but she could see that they were shivering up there on the city walls.

Chu Lian sighed. Could this fragile wall really stand up to the attacks of the ferocious Tuhuns?

Tang Yan was riding on a horse beside her carriage. When he saw that Chu Lian had lifted the curtain of her carriage, he urged his horse over to her.

"Honoured Lady, are you looking at the yellow mud walls?"

Chu Lian cast a sideways glance at him and nodded.

The corner of Tang Yan's lips tugged upwards and he said rather helplessly, "Liangzhou City is located in the north of our Great Wu's territory. You've also seen it on the way here, Honoured Lady. This area is lacking in resources. The court sends a huge sum each year here to reinforce Liangzhou City's walls, but unfortunately, there hasn't been much effect."

Chu Lian was shocked. "A huge sum? Then how could that wall possibly be in this state? It looks like it will crumble in one hit!"

Chu Lian accidentally blurted out her true thoughts.

Tang Yan didn't mind and simply continued. "Before we talk about where the money the court sends ends up, there are other more important reasons behind this. Once you enter the city, you'll be able to see why without any hints from me."

Chu Lian hadn't expected him to have held back information at the last moment. Was Tang Yan trying to test her?

Chu Lian didn't really mind. She nodded and ordered Manager Qin to lead the carriages into the city. With the Empress Dowager's decree, it was easy enough to enter the city.

Trash littered the streets of Liangzhou. When a breeze blew by, a strange odour drifted up from the ground, giving them the urge to puke. It was clear that no one had come by to clean this place for quite some time.

Chu Lian slightly lifted the curtains of her carriage and peeked outside. When she caught sight of the situation outside, her brows furrowed together. Luckily, it was winter. If this had been the middle of a hot summer, this would have been the perfect breeding ground for diseases and the like.

Tang Yan had already sent someone ahead of them to arrange for a place to rest, so they were headed straight there.

When they reached their destination, Chu Lian looked up at the simple plaque hung above the courtyard entrance: He Estate. She was then informed that this was the residence of the prefect of Liangzhou City.

The residence looked to be about 3500 square metres in area. In any other city of the Great Wu, it would only be some rich country man's humble farm abode, but in Liangzhou City, it was considered one of the best residences around.

Although the houses in the estate were also made of mud, at least the outer layer was made of processed earth and the roofs were made of crude tiles instead of thatch.

When they came to this street, it was clear that the conditions here were slightly better than that of the other areas of this city.

Chu Lian was carried off the carriage by Wenlan. She couldn't put any weight on her leg, and she had another four to five days to go before it was fully healed. Right as she got off the carriage, Chu Lian spotted a half-grown child dressed in furs squatting in the midst of some rubble not too far away. There was a pile of small skins in front of him which looked like sheepskin.

He was currently curled up in the corner of the ruined wall, sneakily glancing their way with his wide eyes, as if trying to guess at the purchasing power of their party.

Chapter 310: Useless Money (2)

The half-grown child seemed to have abandoned his original misgivings and came running over with the pile of sheepskins hugged to his body. It was only when he was a little closer that Chu Lian could clearly discern his dirt-covered features.

Before the child could reach Chu Lian, he was captured by one of the strong private soldiers and pressed to the ground.

Mo Chenggui's expression was as dark as usual. "Third Young Madam, the northern border isn't as safe as the inner walls of the capital. If we meet some Tuhun scouts just like the last time, Third Young Master will blame this Old Mo again."

Wenlan could hear the thorns in Mo Chenggui's words, standing as she was next to Chu Lian. She was about to move in front of Chu Lian to angrily defend her, but Chu Lian tugged her back and sent her a look.

Wenlan suppressed the anger in her chest and retreated.

Chu Lian sent a faint smile towards Mo Chenggui. "Many thanks to Uncle Mo for the reminder. I'll be careful."

Mo Chenggui hadn't expected such a reply from Chu Lian, so he didn't have a retort ready.

The child wasn't struggling and didn't even seem panicked even though he was being pressed to the ground. He took the chance to shout, "Noble sirs, please have mercy! This humble one only wanted to see if noble sirs could buy these sheepskins! This humble one's mother and sister are about to starve to death and there's no food in our house. Our hope for survival lies solely in these sheepskins in this humble one's hands!"

Tang Yan ordered one of the guards to investigate. As expected, they weren't able to find anything on the child's body. He nodded towards Chu Lian.

After seeing how Chu Lian seemed determined to stick her nose in unnecessary business, Mo Chenggui snorted and turned to enter the He Estate first. Out of sight, out of mind.

Chu Lian pointed at one of the rolls of sheepskin. "Bring that over to me and let me have a look."

Manager Qin personally bent over to pick up the sheepskin. He examined it carefully before holding it up respectfully with both hands for Chu Lian.

Chu Lian casually flipped it over and looked at it for a moment. There was nothing special about it, really. The hide was taken from a normal sheep commonly reared by the northern herdsmen and barbarians. There were even some spots on it, and its colour was slightly dark. It looked like it had seen some regular use at home. If not for the fact that their household was in dire straits, they probably wouldn't have taken out their own sheepskins to sell.

Her gaze landed on the child next. His clothes were tattered and torn. Some form of beast fur was wrapped around him haphazardly. His arms were exposed from the elbow down and his two hands were red from the icy cold.

Judging by the child's pitiful appearance, Chu Lian didn't even have to think further to decide that his story was true. She spoke to Wenlan for a bit and Wenlan nodded. She took out a small piece of silver from her own purse and walked over to the child who was still being held down by their family's soldier. She said to him, "Child, our master will buy all of your sheepskins. This is a silver tael for the sheepskins. Next time, don't rush out so recklessly to hold back other nobles. Our master is kind and won't do anything to you, but not everyone is like our master, so take care of yourself!"

The silver ingot was worth at least 500 to 600 copper coins: three or four times that of the market price for the sheepskins in the child's hands. Wenlan placed the silver tael in front of the child and ordered the soldier to release him. She then turned around, preparing to help Chu Lian into the He Estate.

However, just as she turned around, the newly released half-grown child grabbed onto her leg and pleaded, "Big sister, this humble one doesn't want silver. Please, change it into food for this humble one!"

Wenlan suffered a shock and almost kicked the child away out of instinct.

She turned around helplessly and got a guard to help pull the child away. A trace of unhappiness could be seen in the wrinkles between her brows. "You little brat, how could you be so shameless! Do you think that our master offered you too little? This silver tael is enough to buy your sheepskins three or four times over!"

"No, no, this humble one doesn't think it's too little. This humble one begs big sister to give just a few wheat pancakes." After saying so, he turned to Wenlan and kowtowed as if his life depended on it.

Wenlan was completely stunned. She couldn't believe that someone would rather have a few copper coins worth of wheat pancakes rather than a silver tael worth a few hundred of those coins. Was this child silly in the head?

Chu Lian watched the situation before her with furrowed brows. Tang Yan directed a meaningful gaze at her with the shadow of a smile.

Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in Chu Lian's mind.

She turned to Wenlan and said, "Wenlan, get him some food."

Although Wenlan found it strange, she still followed the order.

The half-grown child took the three cold and hard steamed buns that Wenlan passed to him, his face full of unconcealed joy. He quickly stuffed them into his shirt before looking carefully around him. Only then did he kneel down and bow towards Chu Lian before taking off and disappearing around the corner of a small alleyway.

Chu Lian watched the child disappear before ordering the party to get settled into the estate.

Her leg was wounded, so she walked very slowly with the support of Wenqing and Wenlan. Tang Yan was able to catch up in just a few steps.

He smiled and asked, "Do you know the reason now, Honoured Lady?"

Chu Lian smiled bitterly. How could she not? After that little incident with the child, it was impossible not to understand the reason.

She sighed lightly and replied, "What Liangzhou City lacks isn't money. It's material goods."

Tang Yan nodded, "How smart, Honoured Lady."

In Liangzhou City, many of the areas here still used the most basic way of trading: barter. Here, the currency most commonly used wasn't gold nor silver, or even copper coins. Most of the time, the people here used cows, sheep, or other livestock, as well as cloth, food, and salt.

In the eyes of the commoners of Liangzhou City, a silver ingot that could buy them fifty kilograms of white rice in the capital wasn't worth as much as a single piece of hard wheat pancake.

No wonder the walls of Liangzhou City were still so dilapidated despite the funds the Ministry of Revenue sent for renovation year after year.

Even before considering the cuts taken from officials going down the chain of command, the amount of goods the funds could purchase was already pitiful the closer one got to Liangzhou. Not only was there a shortage, but even just looking at the cost of transporting materials to the north, the cost was just too high. Goods? What goods? After all was said and done, the amount of things the funds could buy was close to non-existent.

Here, money was practically useless.

Chapter 311: Eating Breakfast (1)

Chu Lian shook her head. It was very hard to transport large amounts of goods into Liangzhou in the bitter cold of the winter. This also exacerbated Liangzhou City's dire situation.

If not for that, the court wouldn't have been that anxious upon finding out that the Tuhuns were invading the northern border this winter.

It wasn't easy to send supplies to the army at this time of year in the first place. Now the reinforcements were trapped in the Yueqin Mountains. No wonder the Tuhuns had chosen to attack Liangzhou at this time.

Although Chu Lian was worried, she didn't have any good ideas for now.

Since money was useless here at the northern border, the first order of business was most likely to solve the problem of transporting goods.

Tang Yan escorted Chu Lian to her designated courtyard before bringing his men over to their own residence.

The prefect of Liangzhou City had been removed from office in the first half of the year. Later on, the position of prefect had been passed down to Great General Qian. There were very few citizens in Liangzhou and most of them were the troops stationed here. Thus, General Qian had ordered the secretary of the infantry, Sir Wu, to take over the responsibilities of the prefect.

As of now, the troops were all stationed in the camp right outside the city. In these extraordinary circumstances, Sir Wu naturally had to return to the camp. Thus, the original estate of Liangzhou's prefect, the He Estate, had been empty for quite a few months.

General Qian knew perfectly clear what the current state of Liangzhou City's walls was, because the duty of repairing those broken walls would fall upon the northern border troops every year.

That wall wasn’t even strong enough to block a single attack right now. Actually, the real border between the Great Wu and the Tuhuns was a single river called the Sula River. The Sula River was the lifeblood of the northern grass plains. Right now, General Qian was leading the northern border troops in guarding this natural barrier.

Passing the Sula River was the same as opening the doors to Liangzhou. The rest of the plains was just a wide expanse of flat land.

If they passed the river, the Tuhuns would most likely charge right into the Great Wu's territory. One of the first places in their path was the fishing haven, Tianjing Harbour.

It could be seen how important it was to guard the Sula River.

Chu Lian was helped to a seat by the hearth by Wenlan. The hearth had already been lit by the servants in the estate, so it was nice and warm on top of it. Manager Qin stood in front of her and reported all the news he had been able to dig up about the area.

Chu Lian thanked her lucky stars after listening to his report. She considered them lucky for having brought enough supplies here, including their basic household items. Thus, their party didn't need to worry about their daily necessities for a while.

She was here under the Empress Dowager's decree and the scroll was still with her. The supplies were still with her as well. Although there wasn't much, it was better than nothing. It looked like she had to find a chance to visit the camp of the border troops.

However, it was better to discuss it with Tang Yan within the next two days before deciding on any action.

The northern border was bitterly cold. Although the He Estate was already considered one of the best residences around in Liangzhou City, once she left the warm hearth bed, Chu Lian still felt frozen. Even the two siblings trained in martial arts, Li Xing and Li Yue, were wrapped up like huge balls, let alone Chu Lian.

Chu Lian rested her leg for another two days before she could finally put some weight on it and walk slowly. In the morning, Chu Lian sent someone to bring Tang Yan here.

The people of the Great Wu Dynasty put emphasis on etiquette and appearances. Although Tang Yan was from Shandong, where the people weren't as strict on upkeep, after staying in the capital for so long, he had long become accustomed to the styles of the capital.

This morning, upon waking up and finding that he had grown a layer of stubble, he had gotten his manservant to bring him a razor and conscientiously shaved it all away. The guards serving him had also taken this chance to shave their facial hair as well.

Once he stepped out of his house, he felt both refreshed and clean, so he was in a very good mood.

On this trip to the north, due to the urgency of the matter, Chu Lian had only brought her two martial arts-trained maidservants, Wenqing and Wenlan, with her. Even if they counted the female guard Li Yue in their number, there were just four women in the whole party, including Chu Lian. The remaining servants, regardless of whether they did the sweeping, washing, or cooking, were all men.

There were only two door guards in the He Estate, and they were older, wounded soldiers.

Right now, the entire estate was pretty much all male.

Chu Lian had gotten up from bed early in the morning. Tang Yan came early as well. When he saw Wenqing bringing breakfast in, he shamelessly asked Wenqing for his own portion. Chu Lian was a lady after all; Tang Yan wasn't thick-skinned enough to come and scrounge a meal from her every day. On the other hand, if he was invited, that was a perfectly good reason to come over. Thus, Tang Yan had specifically aimed to arrive during breakfast in order to get a mealt.

How could Chu Lian not see through this foodie's line of thought?

She didn't expose him and simply nodded towards Wenqing.

The moment she looked up and noticed the good mood that Tang Yan was in, she was a little surprised, but a moment later, a trace of admiration flashed through her eyes.

Tang Yan was just twenty six this year. He couldn't quite be compared to the top-notch looks of He Sanlang or Prince Jin, but without them around, his appearance could be considered above average.

His nose bridge was especially high and his eyelashes were thick and dark. He must have specially shaved away his stubble today, so he gave off a clean and gentle feel, making him a little more of a feast for the eyes.

Who didn't like beautiful things? Chu Lian looked at Tang Yan with pure, innocent admiration. Her eyes turned to Prince Jin's guards standing not too far behind Tang Yan as well.

Chapter 312: Eating Breakfast (2)

The guards were dressed in flared black robes with grey squirrel fur cloaks. Each of them was tall, and their bodies were brimming with strength thanks to their years of martial arts training. With faces just as clean as Tang Yan’s, the group of men made for a nice spectacle.

Wasn't there a saying that went something like, women put on makeup to show respect to others? These men before her had taken the time to clean up and dress well, and that was a similar form of respect. Chu Lian suddenly felt that the customs of the Great Wu Dynasty weren't too bad.

She praised them unreservedly, "Sir Tang is quite the spectacle today."

Who didn't like praise? Even Tang Yan wasn't exempt from this. On the way here, Tang Yan had already become familiar with Chu Lian. He understood that there was no other meaning to her words and that she was purely praising him for his looks.

He was already in a good mood. The full wash up he had done this morning was the first time he had taken a bath this whole trip. Washing off all the dirt and detritus of a long journey could make anyone feel refreshed. Getting this unexpected praise lifted up his mood by a bit more.

Tang Yan was about to speak up when a cold snort sounded from the entrance. Following that, a low, magnetic voice filled the room, cold enough to form icicles. "What a way with words you have, Lian'er."

Chu Lian stared at the entrance in astonishment. He Changdi stood stiff and tall behind the felt curtain covering the entrance. Behind him was the anxious yet helpless Wenlan.

More than half of his face was covered by his thick facial hair, so she couldn't tell what his expression was like. However, massive waves seemed to be rippling in those narrow eyes of his. Chu Lian felt as if she might be overcome by one of these waves in the blink of an eye.

Chu Lian frowned as she stared at him. His appearance at this time was completely out of her expectations.

There were a few snowflakes on He Sanlang's shoulders, and his tied up hair was a little messy. His tough armour was looking a little worn out and dirty as well. His thick army boots were covered in mud and snow. He Changdi's wretched appearance was a huge contrast when set against the clean and neat appearance of Tang Yan and his group.

Just now, if Wenlan hadn't noticed the huge beard that had become his trademark, she might not have realised that this was her very own master.

Chu Lian stood up and slowly walked in He Sanlang's direction. "Why have you come at this time?"

It was just a normal question, but it sounded like disdain for his presence to He Sanlang's ears. His expression turned even darker.

The corner of his lips tugged downwards. "What? Lian'er doesn't welcome Husband back?"

Chu Lian tilted her head to one side and looked carefully at He Changdi. She could detect that trace of unhappiness in He Sanlang's words. Had this guy gone around the bend again? If she remembered correctly, they hadn't even met these few days. She couldn't have possibly made him mad again, right?

Hadn't they been just fine when he left?

However, Chu Lian was already completely used to He Sanlang's bipolar attitude. This time, her emotions remained unchanged. When she heard his words, she only smiled and didn't reply.

Tang Yan stood up at this time and greeted He Changdi.

Even though there was practically no relation between He Sanlang and Tang Yan and they were acquaintances at most, when He Changdi looked at the bare-faced and neatly dressed Tang Yan, a strange feeling of dissatisfaction rose in his heart.

Tang Yan hadn't interacted much with He Changdi. They had only met once or twice at Prince Jin's estate.

Tang Yan generously explained the reason he had come to find Chu Lian today to He Sanlang.

He Changdi took in a quick breath to calm his emotions and nodded in acknowledgement. He moved to sit down at the table without reserve. At the moment he sat down, he gritted his teeth to bear with the pain in his buttocks.

Chu Lian didn't mind at all. Since the time when she had inadvertently overheard Mo Chenggui's words, she had been absent minded these past few days. Now that she was finally meeting him again, the attention that she had originally placed on Tang Yan and Prince Jin's guards was completely drawn to him. She wanted to ask He Sanlang whether he had been punished or not, but with Tang Yan still around, it wasn't the right time for her to ask. She could only sit at the table together with He Changdi.

At this time, Wenqing came in with breakfast. To her surprise, Third Young Master had come.

After she bobbed in greeting, she placed the food on the table. Today's breakfast was fried spring rolls and shredded chicken with a side of mushroom porridge.

When Tang Yan saw the food, his eyes lit up. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and said, "Honoured Lady, Third Young Master He, I won't stand on ceremony with you then. I'll start first!"

Once he was done speaking, he immediately started wolfing down food.

Chu Lian picked up her own spoon and lowered her head to have a sip of porridge. She was about to ask whether He Changdi had had breakfast yet, but in the next second, the spoon in her hands was stolen by him.

Chu Lian could only watch as that fellow used her own spoon, right before her very eyes, to dig a spoonful of porridge directly from her bowl and unceremoniously stuff it into his mouth.

Chu Lian was absolutely stunned. That... that He Sanlang! That was her breakfast! Wasn't he being overly familiar with her?

She glared at him with wide eyes, completely forgetting how to speak. She could only watch as He Changdi gulped down her breakfast. His movements were even faster than Tang Yan's. When she looked at how the two men eating, she was seriously questioning whether they were really nobles from the capital.

It was Wenqing who reacted first. "Third Young Madam, please wait. This servant will get another bowl for you."

Chu Lian pursed her lips and could only nod.

By the time Chu Lian's new bowl of porridge was served up, the spring rolls on the table had disappeared into thin air...

He Sanlang kept count inwardly. He had eaten one more spring roll than Tang Yan. With that result, his mood became much better. He set down his chopsticks and looked at Tang Yan.

Tang Yan had already sensed He Changdi's disdain towards him by now. Since he had already eaten the gourmet food he had come for, there was no other reason for him to stay. Thus, he bid them goodbye. "Third Young Master He, Honoured Lady, why don't you discuss it between yourselves first? Once you've decided, just send someone to inform this subordinate."

Chapter 313: Too Few Servants (1)

Chu Lian usually didn't eat much, so she quickly set down her bowl and chopsticks. However, He Changdi ate three whole bowls of porridge.

After Tang Yan left, Wenqing ushered out all the other people from the room and even kindly shut the door on her way out, giving the couple some room.

When Chu Lian saw that He Changdi had finally set down his chopsticks, she awkwardly tried to make conversation.

"How's your wounds?" As she said so, Chu Lian's gaze darted towards He Changdi's lower half.

He Sanlang's body froze and immediately realised what Chu Lian was asking. The back of his ears flushed red out of sight underneath his hair, even as his visible expression remained as cold and stiff as ever. When he parted his lips, it took him a moment before he was finally able to spit out, "What do you mean by that? I wasn't wounded at all. The poison from last time has already been flushed out as well. You don't have to worry about me."

After spending a few days together, Chu Lian had already figured out a little of He Changdi's personality. When she heard his reply, the corners of her mouth twitched. This lunatic He Sanlang really preferred suffering to losing face. She had already gotten confirmation from Mo Chenggui that He Sanlang would definitely get smacks of the rod as punishment; there was no need for him to hide it from her.

However, Chu Lian didn't expose He Sanlang's lies. She simply turned around and retrieved a thin white porcelain bottle, placing it in front of He Changdi. "This is some wound salve that I brought from the capital. Grandmother has used it before and says it's even better than the medicines from the palace."

He Changdi could feel the burning in his ears spread down to his neck. He couldn't meet Chu Lian's eyes as he said, somewhat stiff, "My body's just fine, what are giving me medicine for? Are you trying to curse me into getting injured?"

Chu Lian was amazed yet again by He Changdi's special brand of lunacy. She was clearly being nice and giving He Changdi some of the medicine that Great Doctor Miao had specially prepared for her. It was fine if he didn't want it, but he even accused her of cursing him!

Chu Lian's expression turned dark. "If you don't want it, then at least bring it back to camp and give it to one of your brothers there. There’ll surely be need of this kind of ointment in an army camp."

After hearing Chu Lian say so, He Changdi had nothing to retort. He took the bottle of ointment and stuffed it into his shirt. Although his expression remained as cool and calm as ever, a small trace of sweetness suffused throughout his heart.

How could Chu Lian have expected He Sanlang to be such an awkward, outwardly cold yet inwardly passionate man? The guilt she had been carrying all this time finally dissipated after giving him the ointment.

She turned their conversation back to business. "He Sanlang, my trip here was a little hurried, so I didn't have the chance to explain everything to you beforehand. I personally made the trip to the northern border not just because our family is worried about you, but because there's another important task at hand: to search for the missing ingredient to cure Mother's illness."

He Changdi's heart had been thumping a little harder before, thanks to Chu Lian's actions. Now that he had heard the truth of the matter straight from Chu Lian’s mouth, his heart abruptly froze. As good as he was at concealing his emotions, this was a matter concerning his beloved parents. He couldn’t restrain the astonishment and shock he felt. Chu Lian just happened to catch sight of his exposed emotions and inwardly relaxed. So the He Changdi who had always appeared cool and uncaring wasn't actually a heartless person. He also had people he cared about. With those emotions in his eyes, he finally seemed like a living person.

He Sanlang met Chu Lian's gaze straight on- he looked like he was trying to stare into her soul. He didn't dare miss a single trace of emotion in her own pair of eyes, as if he could discern whether Chu Lian was telling the truth just by what he saw.

Although He Changdi had only allowed his emotions to surface for a very short period of time, that was enough to show how uneasy he was. However, he calmed down quickly.

"So what you're saying is that... you've found a doctor who can cure Mother's illness?"

As far as he knew, there was only one doctor who could cure his mother's illness: Great Doctor Miao. Had Prince Jin already found Great Doctor Miao?

He had only told Prince Jin about this matter, no one else. Furthermore, due to the ongoing war in the north, he hadn't received any letters from Prince Jin for some time... The depths of He Sanlang's eyes seemed steeped in darkness as he glanced at Chu Lian in doubt.

Chapter 314: Too Few Servants (2)

Chu Lian felt rather strange being stared at him like that, but she still answered as if nothing was wrong. "Yes, that doctor's surname is Miao. What he needs is the Snow Mountain Mists flower from Mount Ah-Ming. There’s only two months left before the Snow Mountain Mists flower blooms."

He Changdi didn't ask further. He sunk into thought instead.

On their wedding night, he had made sure to test Chu Lian to see if she had reincarnated along with him. Though his tests had proven that she hadn’t, now he was a little unsure.

Prince Jin had written to him about all the things that Chu Lian had done in the capital.

Turning the tables at the Dingyuan Estate, saving Royal Princess Duanjia, winning the competition in the palace, and even having Old Duke Zheng owe her one. Right now, it seemed very possible that she had been the one to find Great Doctor Miao, not Prince Jin...

All these things added together were just too much of a coincidence. He refused to believe that someone could have such luck.

He Changdi's eyes swept over Chu Lian's face in a seemingly casual glance, but behind the front, he was trying to probe the truth out of her.

Her eyes were wide and moist. When her eyes met his, there was a trace of confusion. He Changdi choked as the thoughts in his mind raced about. 

He remembered vividly how the past Chu Lian had looked at him- mocking, full of disdain, contempt... These were clearly the same pair of eyes, but he couldn't see any shadow of the past Chu Lian in them.

He Sanlang was completely confused and disconcerted. He shut his eyes and recovered his calm. No matter what, in this life, Chu Lian had risked her life to come to the northern border. Her mission to find the missing ingredient for his mother's cure was real. This matter... if she really succeeded, he was going to owe Chu Lian a huge favour.

"Right now, the war at the border is more pressing. However, you don't have to worry about it. I'll wait for a suitable time. Even if I don't go there myself, I'll arrange for someone to find that missing ingredient for Mother at Mount Ah-Ming."

Chu Lian nodded in agreement before starting a discussion about when she should visit his camp to hand over the supplies she had brought.

Once the two of them had decided on a time, they both sunk into silence.

Chu Lian felt a little awkward sitting at the table like that, but He Changdi's butt seemed to have taken root on the chair. He didn't mention leaving at all. He even leaned against his chair with his eyes gently shut. However, they opened up to glance at her from time to time.

Chu Lian was so uncomfortable getting looked at like that, that she scrambled for a topic to make small talk with. "Is it okay for you to leave camp like that?"

The meaning behind her words was that, they had already finished discussing business, why wasn't he leaving yet?

"Don't worry, I left under orders for another task. It's still early right now, so I’ll leave after lunch."

Chu Lian hadn't thought He Sanlang would be staying that long. And he was intending to eat here as well? She was slightly taken aback and blurted , "You're staying for lunch?"

He Changdi had originally been leaning back in his chair, eyes shut as he rested. Upon hearing Chu Lian's question, his eyes immediately snapped open and locked onto her. "What? Can't I stay?"

Chu Lian didn't dare to say no, of course. He was her husband after all, and if not in feeling then at least in name. She had no right to object even if he wanted to stay the night with her, let alone have a simple midday meal.

With that conclusion in mind, Chu Lian had no more qualms left to mention. She shook her head and said, "Since you're staying, what would you like to eat for lunch? I'll get Wenqing to prepare whatever you want to eat."

Actually, ever since they had escaped from the mountain forest together, the relations between them had improved significantly. Chu Lian wasn't a calculative person by nature, either. With her straightforward and honest manner, this young pair was starting to look like a sweet couple in love.

He Changdi hadn't expected Chu Lian to ask him what he wanted to eat. A trace of warmth suffused through his heart. However, he was too accustomed to being stubborn at this point and refused to soften his words. In the same cold attitude as he usually had, he said, "Vegetables."

Almost immediately after saying that, He Sanlang regretted it. Actually, he was fine with eating anything. There was a severe lack of resources in the north. The best meal he could get in his camp was just some wheat pancakes dipped in an ordinary sauce- where would vegetables come from? There wasn’t even any out in the wild to scavenge, never mind a market to buy them from. This bitterly cold winter ensured no one saw even a lick of green. Vegetables had been off the table ever since the middle of autumn.

Chapter 315: Too Few Servants (3)

Even in the capital, the only one who got to eat green vegetables in the middle of winter was the imperial family. Those were specially grown in the fields near the imperial-owned hot springs. Even so, the fields were so small that the harvest produced from them was overwhelmingly precious. Only the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager could have any. There were no shares left, not even for the princes and princesses.

Some time ago, one of the noble madams of the capital, Madam Guo, had been feeling unwell, so the imperial palace had sent a few kilograms of green vegetables as a show of favour. Even though those bunches of spinach had already been beginning to wilt, Madam Guo had flaunted the fact within her social circles for quite some time.

He Sanlang was about to change his request when Chu Lian nodded and replied with a resounding, "Okay."

This time, it was He Changdi's turn to lose his calm. "Did you hear what I said correctly?"

Chu Lian found it strange. Her ears were working just fine and were actually pretty sensitive. Of course she heard him right. She and He Sanlang always spoke in Mandarin to each other, and they weren't using any dialects, either. How could she have misunderstood him? Furthermore, she didn't think that wanting to eat vegetables in the winter was an outrageous request. In the modern world, eating fresh, green vegetables at this time of year was pretty normal, wasn't it?

"You said vegetables just now, right? Did I hear wrongly?"

He Changdi was stunned. After a moment, he gulped and said, "You... have some?"

Chu Lian nodded and made a 'mm' sound in agreement. She had known about the lack of resources in the north before coming here, so she had gotten Senior Servants Gui and Zhong to lead a group of maidservants to dry plenty of vegetables. She had brought all sorts of them with her. Dried vegetables were not only easy to keep, they didn't take up much space, either. They were also extremely convenient to prepare. All she had to do was to place them in warm water and wait for them to soften. Although they couldn't compare to fresh vegetables in taste, the amount of nutrients in them was about the same.

Since they were already in the north, she couldn't be too picky about not having fresh ingredients.

When He Sanlang heard Chu Lian's affirmative 'mm', saliva began to pool in his mouth without his control. It couldn't be helped. He hadn't eaten any vegetables in months. Due to the lack of vitamins in his diet, he had even grown a few ulcers in his mouth.

Since the two of them had common topics to talk about, the atmosphere wasn't as awkward.

Chu Lian noted his wretched appearance and made a suggestion. "Since you're only leaving after lunch, why don't I get Wenlan to boil some water so you can take a bath?"

Since the day she had inadvertently overheard Mo Chenggui's words, she had specially gone to look for Huang Zhijian to learn more about what it was like in the army.

She was told that it was common for the soldiers to go without bathing for up to a month in the winter, even the officers. When she looked at He Changdi's appearance, she had brought up this suggestion with purely kind intentions.

However, in He Sanlang's ears, it sounded like something else. The words of praise that Chu Lian had given Tang Yan resounded in his mind.

What, did this wicked woman think he was dirty? He Sanlang gritted his molars and harrumphed in his heart. As dirty as he might be, he was still her husband! She had no other choice!

If Chu Lian were to find out about his twisted line of thought, she would surely start to curse at him.

She was just offering him a bath out of the kindness of her heart. Wasn't he too good at leaping to conclusions?

When He Sanlang thought back to those young, fit guards by Tang Yan's side, the right hand he had placed on the table unconsciously curled into a fist. That Tang Yan! He had abandoned his duties to bring a group of flowery-looking guards over to show off in front of Chu Lian! Hmph, let's see who gets the last laugh when I report this to Prince Jin!

Chu Lian called for Wenlan and instructed her to start boiling some water. He Sanlang didn't say a word, but he abruptly remembered that Chu Lian had only brought two female maidservants to attend to her on this trip. The rest of the people in this courtyard were all men. Thinking back to how that wicked woman liked to admire handsome men, as well as how Tang Yan and his guards had been decked out in their finest, He Changdi immediately felt as if he had swallowed some flies.

Wenlan was about to turn and leave after receiving Chu Lian's instructions, when He Changdi added on another order in a dark tone. "Bring some middle-aged female servants back tomorrow. It looks like there aren't enough servants here."

Chapter 316: Shaving His Beard (1)

Chu Lian felt that He Changdi's mind was just too complicated for her to understand. She had just been asking if he wanted to take a bath, how had the topic switched to buying servants?

She rolled her eyes speechlessly. However, Manager Qin had discussed this matter with her two days ago, too. When she recalled their conversation, Chu Lian nodded. She was going to stay in Liangzhou for an indefinite amount of time. Just having Wenqing and Wenlan by her side wasn't enough.

Thus, Chu Lian didn't think much of it and agreed.

"Have Manager Qin go out with some men to search for some suitable people tomorrow," Chu Lian added.

Perhaps Chu Lian's quick agreement had helped lessen the frustrations in He Changdi's heart. He sat in the room for a while before leaving to take a bath in the wing that Chu Lian had arranged for him.

He Changdi didn't need any attendants for bathing. In his past life, after the He Family had fallen into ruin, he had suffered through all sorts of hardships. Even in this life, while living in the northern border camp, he had gotten used to doing everything himself.

He removed his dirty clothing, revealing his slender yet muscular upper body. His eight-pack abs were well-defined; a striking V-line at his hips pointed downwards to a bulge in the center. Further down were his long and powerful legs...

His long legs carried him into the bathtub in just one stride. The temperature of the water was just right. As his tired body soaked in the warmth of the water, He Sanlang let out a comfortable sigh.

He leaned against the side of the tub, his sturdy arms hanging over the edge. Steam rose in front of his face, softening the normally sharp impact of his gaze.

He Sanlang's thin lips pressed together as his mind brought up the image of Tang Yan and his guards again. For some reason, he was getting upset.

At the time, the smile on that wicked woman's face had been just too dazzling!

The hands that He Changdi had slung over the edge of the bathtub were starting to tense up again.

He suddenly shouted, "Servants! Bring me a razor!"

This was the wing that Chu Lian lived in, and Chu Lian was in the room right next door. Even she heard He Changdi's shout.

She looked up from her book, a little puzzled, before turning to glance at Wenlan, who had just stood up.

Wenlan covered up her smile. "Third Young Madam, this servant will bring the razor to Third Young Master!"

Hearing so, Chu Lian waved her hand.

Wenqing had been in the middle of taking inventory of their things, together with a few other servants. When she noticed a grinning Wenlan walking over to her, she found it strange and asked, "What are you smiling like that for? Did something good happen?"

Wenlan waved the razor in her hands, eyes alight as she said, "Third Young Master wanted this!"

Wenqing was stunned for a moment, but she immediately realised what the razor was for. She couldn't resist remarking, "I saw that Sir Tang and Prince Jin's guards all shaved this morning."

The sisters shared a secret smile before Wenqing pushed Wenlan. "Alright, alright, don't keep Third Young Master waiting. Hurry up and send it to him!"

Wenlan quickly left.

As Chu Lian was staring at the county's annual records and pondering over a particularly tricky part, a razor suddenly appeared in front of her.

Without thinking too much about it, she said, "Wenlan, just send it directly to my husband."

However, how could Wenlan possibly dare to do so? She stayed steadfast at Chu Lian's side and said, "Third Young Madam, it might be better if you send it instead. Third Young Master has never liked having maidservants serve him ever since childhood."

Chu Lian had no choice but to set down the county records in her hands. She thought back to her time in the Jing'an Estate. Actually, she really hadn’t seen a personal maidservant at Songtao Court before, excluding her own. He Sanlang's personal grooming and other trivial chores had always been handled by manservants instead.

Thus, she could only take the razor and head to He Sanlang's room herself.

The side room wasn't very big. At this moment, steam was billowing up from behind the screen. Chu Lian hesitated as she walked up to it. She could feel a mysterious trace of tension in her heart. She gave her cheeks a light pat before walking in.

When she ducked behind the screen, the first thing that Chu Lian saw in the swirling clouds of steam was He Sanlang standing in the bathtub with his back to her, rinsing his body with the warm water in the tub.

His long, black hair was let loose across his back and half of it was drifting in the water like strands of seaweed. His back was muscled, yet his skin was white. The alluring line of his body that led up from the lowest part of his back to his waist was half-hidden amidst the length of his hair.

She almost stopped breathing from the sight; disregarding everything else about him, He Changdi's figure was perfect.

He wasn't so skinny that he looked weak, yet he wasn't overly buff. You could sense a certain aura of solid strength emanating from his body.

His nickname of He Sanlang the Fair wasn't undeserved.

Chapter 317: Shaving His Beard (2)

Chu Lian was so stunned by the scene before her that she forgot to speak. In the next second, He Changdi's bone-piercingly cold voice resounded throughout the small room. "Put down the item and leave!"

He Changdi hadn't even turned around. He was still standing there in the bathtub. Even though there hadn't been any malice in his voice, Chu Lian still felt like someone had just dumped a basin of ice water over her head. She quickly regained her wits.

Frustrated at herself for her loss of composure just now, Chu Lian quickly set down the razor on a table next to the screen and turned around. She hobbled as quickly as she could with one injured foot and left the room.

Perhaps due to the provocation from He Changdi's icy words, she didn't feel any of the pain coming from her injured ankle as she strode away.

It wasn't until He Sanlang had heard those unique hobbling footsteps that he finally realised who had just come in.

He froze up, then slapped the bath water in frustration, scattering water all over the floor.

He Sanlang let his body slide back into the bathtub and leaned against the side as he covered his face with a hand.

He had just been in the middle of deep thought. When he had heard those light footsteps, he had assumed that it must have been some rude servant who had come in without saying anything. His temper had flared up on the spot. Who could have thought that it was Chu Lian, that lame wicked woman!

When had that wicked woman become so reserved? Would she die if she didn't say something when entering the room?

Wenlan heard the sound of footsteps and quickly went to the door to support Chu Lian, but when she arrived, she was met with a pair of puffed up cheeks and an angry expression. Wenlan got a sinking feeling at the sight. Still, she asked, "Third Young Madam, what happened?"

Chu Lian dropped back onto her seat by the hearth and harrumphed. "I've been feeling rather hungry these few days. There aren’t enough snacks to eat, even for just myself. Don't give any of them to your Third Young Master later!"

The sheer amount of spite in Chu Lian’s order was enough evidence for Wenlan to have a good guess of what had happened. It must’ve had something to do with Third Young Master. Wenlan felt a little grudgeful towards He Changdi in her heart.

Third Young Madam was a girl. She had been captured by the Tuhuns and suffered much while lost in the forest. The wound on her leg hadn't even healed properly yet. In this situation, Third Young Master as her husband should be trying to pamper her a little, or at least accommodate for her injury and mental state and be a little nicer! Instead, he had gone and made her angry!

Even though Wenlan was taking Chu Lian's side on this matter, she and Wenqing had served He Sanlang ever since they were children. She still wasn't willing to let her master suffer back at camp.

Thus, she attempted to persuade Chu Lian into rescinding her command. "Third Young Madam, how could you possibly finish all of those snacks by yourself..."

Before Wenlan could finish, she noticed that Chu Lian had redirected her gaze towards her and was now sizing her up.

Wenlan suffered a fright and quickly looked down, not daring to continue.

"Wenlan, if you continue your sentence, you can eat in the main kitchen from now on."

The corner of Wenlan's mouth twitched. She was already used to Chu Lian's higher standards for food, how could she possibly withstand eating normal fare instead? She meekly replied in agreement.

Third Young Master, this servant has tried her best. The rest is up to you!

As compared to fulfilling He Changdi's wants, it was more important to satisfy her own appetite first. Having a good meal to eat was of the highest priority. Wenlan sent a silent apology to He Changdi.

After Chu Lian took a seat, she realised that the wounds on her ankle had started bleeding again due to the force she had exerted while walking away just now. When Wenlan discovered this, she suffered another fright and quickly ran off to find some ointments to wrap up her madam's ankle again.

Chapter 318: Shaving His Beard (3)

He Sanlang didn't continue bathing for much longer. He changed into the new underclothes and cloak that Chu Lian had instructed the servants to prepare. As for his armour, he would put that  on right before leaving for camp.

He Changdi haphazardly dried his hair with a cloth before using a wooden hairpin to tie it up. Then, he carefully removed all the facial hair on his face, returning to his neat and clean appearance from before.

He Sanlang was just twenty years old this year. After staying in the northern border for a few months, he had managed to grow even taller. His features had also become more mature and outstanding. The narrow shape of his eyes, shaded by his long eyelashes, accentuated the deep pools within.

He Sanlang rubbed his clean chin. He felt a little uncomfortable suddenly, as if he had taken off a mask that he had been wearing for a long time. However, he quickly calmed back down and took a moment at the door to straighten out his slightly rumpled clothes. Only then did he push open the door and re-enter.

At the moment He Changdi entered the room, Chu Lian was still drinking her medicine. The medicinal soup was very bitter. When it touched her tongue, her face wrinkled up in distaste. He Changdi watched from the entrance as she drank the whole bowl of medicine down with difficulty.

Although Chu Lian hated drinking these Chinese medicines, she knew they were necessary and never rejected them. However, that didn’t mean she had to like them. She would always eat a few candied dates to wash away their bitter aftertaste.

A glint flashed across He Changdi's eyes. He watched as Chu Lian finished her medicine and then proceeded to begin eating a few preserved fruits from a small dish- all without noticing him. When He Changdi felt that he would continue to go unseen, he coughed twice on purpose.

Thanks to those coughs, He Sanlang successfully drew Chu Lian's attention. He Changdi saw those wide, almond-shaped eyes of hers turn his way, and then, she spoke.

"Has Husband caught a cold? Wenlan, tell the kitchen to prepare a bowl of ginger soup. The more ginger the better."

He Changdi saw that her moist eyes seemed cool without any hint of admiration, unlike the way she had looked at Tang Yan. A trace of disappointment flashed through his eyes. When he heard her order the servants to boil a bowl of ginger soup for him next, He Changdi choked.

His originally cold face contorted as the hands resting by his side twitched. He walked over to Chu Lian's side and sat down heavily.

Frustration bloomed in He Changdi's heart. How could she not know that he didn't like to eat ginger!

She actually told the servants to cook ginger soup for him! That wicked woman must have done it on purpose.

Although He Sanlang was angry inside, he found that he just couldn't muster up any fire when he sat next to Chu Lian like this.

"There's no need for that, I'm perfectly fine!"

Chu Lian didn't even bother looking at him and even turned away, showing her back to him as she leaned on the hearth.

He Changdi's handsome face turned gloomy. The hand he had placed on the table curled up into a fist. He had just bathed and his mouth was dry; in his frustration, he didn't think carefully and picked up a teacup filled with water from the small table at the side. He immediately gulped it down, and in the next moment, his mouth was flooded with a sweet, fragrant flavour.

It was only then that He Sanlang realised this was most likely Chu Lian's teacup. That darned wicked woman. She normally loved drinking honey water.

He Changdi didn't like sweet things. He didn't eat anything that had the slightest bit of sweetness in them. However, at this moment, he actually thought that this sweet honey water was rather delicious. His eyes fell upon Chu Lian's soft, luscious lips without his conscious bidding…

Chapter 319: Shaving His Beard (4)

Chu Lian liked to drink something while reading. Wenqing and Wenlan knew her habits well, so they never served her sencha. They only ever prepared honey water for her.

The hearth was burning in the room so it was a little dry and hot. As Chu Lian stared at the county records, her other hand unconsciously moved for the teacup placed on the side table. However, her hand didn't meet the smooth surface of the cup. Instead, she touched something warm- she jumped in fright and turned to look.

He Sanlang had just set down the teacup, feeling a little unsatisfied. He hadn't moved his hand from the teacup yet when Chu Lian's fair and tender hand had covered his. His pupils constricted, but he didn't draw his hand back and he let her touch it as much as she liked.

When Chu Lian realised that her hand was on He Sanlang's, she gaped in shock and it took her a moment to pull her hand back.

Chu Lian panicked. She rushed to explain, "I-I didn't do that on purpose, I just wanted to drink some water."

He Changdi's head was slightly lowered. From the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of her flushed neck, and his mood mysteriously got a little better.

"I just finished it. Have the maidservants come in to pour another."

Chu Lian opened her mouth, but she ultimately decided against uttering the protest, "It's my cup!" This time, she specially instructed Wenlan to bring two cups of water in.

In the time that the couple waited patiently for Wenlan to send in the cups of water, they didn't speak at all. He Changdi sat on the other side of the hearth bed. He leaned against the headboard and shut his eyes. Chu Lian couldn't tell if he was sleeping or thinking.

She felt awkward, but she could only bear with it and continue reading while curled up at the other side of the hearth.

Chu Lian looked down and forced herself to continue reading the county records. She didn't dare to even look at He Changdi before Welan came back. Thus, she didn't realise that He Sanlang had been carefully observing her with narrowed eyes.

Ever since the two of them had gotten married, they had rarely gotten the chance to be alone together. Wenqing and Wenlan were very happy about this. When Wenlan came in to deliver their drinks, she didn't even dare to stay for more than a second. She set down the teapot and quickly retreated.

Senior Servant Zhong had instructed Wenqing and Wenlan about He Changdi's likes and dislikes, so they knew that he didn't like sweet things. The honey water that they had made for him was very light. Meanwhile, Chu Lian preferred stronger tastes and liked both spicy and sweet things. The colour of the honey water in the cups was different. Chu Lian's was slightly darker while He Changdi's was light.

He Changdi didn't move. He watched as Chu Lian picked up her teacup and sipped a little from its edge. Her soft, pink lips were now glossy from the water and glistened in the light.

He abruptly sat up and looked at the two cups of honey water. He feigned a solemn mask and asked, "Why does the water in these two cups look different? Could they taste different as well? The honey water in your cup looks tastier."

After saying so, before Chu Lian could reply, he took the cup that Chu Lian had just drank from and took a sip from it. When he finished drinking, he picked up his own cup and tasted it before shaking his head.

In the end, he moved Chu Lian's cup to his side. "I'll have this one."

Chu Lian was stunned from his sudden string of actions. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open as she stared at her lunatic husband with a weirded out expression.

He Changdi felt a little uncomfortable being stared at like that by Chu Lian. He knew very well that his actions had been a little strange just now. In order to cover up his actions, he ended up drinking both cups of honey water...

The result of doing so? He Changdi was already full from honey water before it was even time for dinner.

He Changdi only left when it turned to dusk, bringing his two subordinates along with him. Before he left, he called Mo Chenggui, Huang Zhijian, and Manager Qin for a meeting. When Manager Qin came back, he had a suffering expression on his face. Chu Lian tried to ask about what had happened, but he only said that Third Young Master had given him some orders and he couldn't reveal what they were to Third Young Madam.

Chapter 320: Barred from Entering Camp (1)

Chu Lian thought that He Changdi must have given them some sort of secret mission, so she stopped prying into the matter. When Manager Qin exited the parlour, he let out a terrible sigh.

Manager Qin wondered what kind of fit Third Young Master was having. He had ordered them to tell all the men in the estate that they weren't allowed to shave their facial hair, at all, as long as they remained in Liangzhou. Anyone who disobeyed the orders would be thrown out of the party.

Manager Qin was only in his twenties this year. Now that he was working under Chu Lian, he was a main steward that plenty of people would respect. Just as he was thinking about settling down, the young master had given out this mysterious order. What was he going to do? With a face full of stubble, were any ladies going to take a liking to him?

They were the innocent casualties of a series of unfortunate events.

By the time He Changdi managed to rush back to the northern border camp, there was just a sliver of the setting sun left on the horizon. The army cooks would have just started preparing dinner. The camp was at its busiest at this time, as it was around now that the soldiers also changed shifts.

He Changdi pulled at his reins and urged his horse to slow down as they neared the wooden barricade surrounding the camp

The soldiers who had just taken their shifts stood by the entrance. Even though the cold winds had caused the tips of their noses to turn red, the grips they had on their spears hadn't loosened one bit.

He Changdi didn’t find anything wrong with this. He didn’t bother to get off his horse and simply made his way forward as he normally would. However, before he could enter camp, two spears appeared in front of him and blocked his path.

One of the soldiers lifted his chin and tried to make himself look imposing. He raised his voice and shouted, "Who are you and where did you come from? This is an army camp! Any trespassers will be killed!"

He Sanlang's freshly shaven face turned grave, making him look even more cold and stiff. Unfortunately, he didn't manage to scare the soldier blocking his way.

The soldier's eyes turned into narrow slits. This person seemed a little familiar to him. However, beautiful people were difficult to forget, and he couldn’t remember seeing a guy with this level of outstanding looks anywhere in camp. It was suspicious. Not only that, but the Captain had reminded everyone to be on the alert. There had been an increase in Tuhun spies lately; whatif this person was one of them?

He Changdi's sharp eyebrows furrowed together. He reported his identity, "The Right Wing Army's Infantry Captain He Changdi!"

The two soldiers exchanged glances, their eyes full of suspicion. One of the soldiers harrumphed. "Captain He doesn't look like you at all! Stop talking nonsense and hand over your pass!"

He Changdi' expression turned even darker. He had gone out on an investigation under the secret orders of Great General Qian, so he hadn't brought out his pass. How could he bring it out at this time?

The two subordinates behind him were starting to get anxious. They tried to help explain, "Brothers, this is really Captain He. We're not trying to deceive you. If you don't believe us, you can ask for Captain Guo to identify him."

The soldiers were still wary about their identities. One of the soldiers mumbled under his breath, "Do they think we're blind? Isn't Captain He's face covered in a beard? This pretty boy doesn't look the slightest bit like our heroic Captain He!"

Even though they didn't believe the intruders, one of the soldiers still ran off to find someone who could verify their identities.

Although the soldier had only been mumbling, He Sanlang had still heard what he had said. A twitch developed in his eyes and he started to regret shaving away his beard.

Sima Hui stepped out from the commander's tent, two of her female lieutenants by her side. She was being escorted out by the tall and burly Gao Zhangwei.

"General Sima is a hero amongst women. With your help, I'm sure the Tuhun soldiers will no longer be a threat to our border troops." Although Gao Zhangwei was tall, his eyes were narrow and long. His forehead stood out more than average. As he talked, his eyes kept drifting all over the place, landing from time to time on Sima Hui's chest and neck.

Sima Hui was currently dressed in full battle attire. Although her skin wasn't as fair as most noble ladies, she was tall, with long legs and a full bust. Her long hair was tied up into a ponytail with a single red feather, and it dangled behind her back. She carried a heroic spirit in the arch of her brows. Her actions and words weren't coy or reserved and were instead direct and open. She was a very special woman.

Of course, Sima Hui had already noticed Gao Zhangwei's leers. Although she felt contempt towards him, she didn't display it outwardly.

She made a cupped fist salute towards Captain Gao. "Captain Gao, thank you for escorting me this far. My camp isn't too far from here. I'll have to depend on your guidance in the future as well."

"It's no trouble at all. General Sima is a great heroine to us border troops. When the Tuhuns attacked us a few days ago, if not for General Sima's timely arrival, our Left Wing Army would have suffered serious casualties. To demonstrate my appreciation, it would be better for me to escort General Sima all the way."

Sima Hui frowned slightly. This time, she didn't refuse his offer and nodded, turning to leave swiftly.

Gao Zhangwei shot a look at his two subordinates and followed behind Sima Hui.

He glanced sideways at these two subordinates, whose looks could be ranked lower than average, and felt a thread of satisfaction within. Although he didn't look as heroic as Captain Guo nor as scholarly and refined as Zhang Mai, he thought that his looks weren't too bad compared to most of the soldiers in camp- especially when he was dressed in a set of shining armour like he was now, with his hair neatly combed back and his face clean shaven. With his two subordinates acting as his foils, at least he looked better than that beardy He from the Right Wing Army! Sima Hui was just an overaged tomboy; she was already in the bag with looks like his.

Gao Zhangwei's confidence exploded through the roof, as if Sima Hui was already his.

Chapter 321: Barred from Entering Camp (2)

It was dusk, the camp’s most chaotic time. As soldiers bustled about around them, Gao Zhangwei kept trying to start up a conversation with Sima Hui.

Sima Hui's lips were tightly pressed together, though her face remained calm. She would reply to Captain Gao once in a while. Suddenly, there was a hubbub of noise from somewhere in front. A foot soldier ran by, headed in the direction of the Right Wing Army's tents. However, due to his urgency, he tripped in front of Sima Hui and Sima Hui quickly reached out to steady him.

When the foot soldier saw that the person who had helped him was the newly arrived female general, he looked overwhelmed by her favour.

Sima Hui's brows knitted as she asked, "What happened? Why are you in such a rush?"

When the foot soldier saw that the female general was questioning him, he didn't dare to hide any details. "General, some men are trying to barge into the camp at the main entrance. This humble one is going to look for Captain Guo."

Sima Hui was astonished and she urged the soldier onwards. After thinking for a bit, she started striding towards the main entrance of the camp.

Before Gao Zhangwei had the chance to speak, he saw that Sima Hui had already left. He gritted his teeth and quickly rushed to catch up to her.

When they reached the entrance, Sima Hui swept a gaze over the scene before her. A tall man in a black cloak holding a handsome horse in hand was being blocked from entering the camp. He was standing right outside the barricades.

His back was to the camp entrance. From behind, his upright posture brought to mind a tall and straight bamboo tree.

One of the soldiers nearby recognised the female general and called out a greeting. Perhaps drawn by the shouts behind him, He Changdi turned around.

When that handsome face entered Sima Hui's sight, she forgot to breathe for a moment.

Her eyes widened and her mind unconsciously sighed. How could there be such a handsome man on earth?

His facial features seemed to have been carved by angels; there wasn't a single blemish on his whole face.

Gao Zhangwei was also stunned by the man's looks. When he finally recovered his senses, his first reaction was jealousy.

His fists clenched. Where had this man come from? There was absolutely no one like him in the whole entire camp!

All those traits that he had thought were the best parts of himself... had been instantly beaten by this man.

When he noticed that Sima Hui's gaze carried a trace of infatuation as she stared at that man, Gao Zhangwei was quick to anger. "What are all of you standing around for? Don't you know that the first military law is to kill all who trespass into an army camp?!"

He Changdi's gaze landed on Gao Zhangwei and then drifted away just as quickly, as if disgusted by the sight.

Before He Changdi could speak, his subordinate's temper had already flared up. "Captain Gao, don't you dare push us too hard! Our commanding officer is Captain He of the Right Wing Army! Don't make slanderous accusations without proof!"

What! Captain He? That beardy He Changdi?

What a joke! If this man was trying to impersonate He Changdi, he should have covered his whole face with a beard first!

Gao Zhangwei didn't believe them at all. He mocked them instead. "What? A pretty boy like this is trying to impersonate Captain He? If he's Captain He, then I'm the Great General himself!"

"You..."

"Alright, stop fighting. We'll know whether he's Captain He or not once the men from the Right Wing Army arrive," Sima Hui suddenly said.

Her words carried some weight around here, so the men stopped quarrelling. In a moment, the soldier who had run off to the Right Wing Army returned with Captain Guo, Zhang Mai, and Xiao Hongyu in tow.

Captain Guo stared at He Changdi as if he were a ghost. He quickly walked up to him and patted He Changdi's shoulder forcefully. Then he asked, "Are you really Zixiang?"

The corners of He Sanlang's mouth twitched. He lowered his voice and said, "Brother Guo, you have some obscene drawings hidden under your pillow. There was this night when..."

Captain Guo's expression turned stiff. He quickly gripped He Sanlang's shoulder and squeezed. "You brat! Why do you keep acting beyond your years? See, now that you shaved away that beard of yours, no one recognises you!"

Xiao Hongyu ran closer and stood in front of He Sanlang, staring right into his eyes. "Wait, what the heck? It's really Brother He! Why did you shave your beard?!"

Zhang Mai couldn't hold back his laughter as he watched He Changdi's expression getting darker and darker.

"Alright, alright. It was just a misunderstanding. This person really is Captain He. Move along, everybody. It's almost time for dinner." Zhang Mai showed his pass to the soldiers guarding the entrance.

The foot soldier held up the pass with reverence and awe as he returned it with both hands. He even rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he apologised to He Changdi.

He Sanlang waved his hand. The soldier was just doing his job.

As the band of brothers were about to leave, Sima Hui suddenly called out to them. "Excuse me, Captain He!"

He Changdi turned slightly and bowed to Sima Hui. He asked in his usual low tone of voice, "Do you have any orders for me, General Sima?"

Sima Hui's face was flushed, but it wasn't obvious under the fading light of day. However, her slightly rushed words betrayed how nervous she was.

"May I ask if Captain He is the son of the border general at Mingzhou, Great General He?"

He Changdi's brows drew together. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. Although his identity wasn't well known here at the northern border, he didn't intend to hide it. Captain Guo and the rest knew exactly who he was, so there was nothing he couldn't admit to.

"I've long admired Great General He. May I ask if Uncle and Aunt He are doing well? Is the matriarch still sound of health?" Sima Hui turned to He Changdi with eyes full of expectation, face slightly flushed with color.

He Sanlang's expression didn't budge at all, but his tone turned frosty. "General Sima, I haven't returned home in a long time, so I'm not too sure about the situation at home. I have some pressing matters at hand, so please excuse me."

After saying so, He Sanlang turned and left. Sima Hui watched in a daze as He Sanlang's figure slowly disappeared into the falling night, her heart full of unvoiced disappointment.

Chapter 322: Rumours (1)

Gao Zhangwei had been standing next to Sima Hui the entire time, his face hidden in the shadows, causing his expression to look a little contorted. His sinister gaze landed on He Changdi's back. His heart was full of dissatisfaction. That handsome young man had really turned out to be that beardy Captain He!

He Changdi followed Captain Guo and the rest back to camp. The moment they reached their tent, Xiao Hongyu could no longer hold back his curiosity. He stood right in front of He Changdi and stared dead on at He Changdi's face. Then, he chuckled boorishly and said, "Brother He, I finally realised why you like to keep your face covered with that beard."

Off to the side, Zhang Mai picked up a cup of tea and took a sip with an understanding smile.

He Changdi cast a cold glance at Xiao Hongyu. He had zero desire to hear whatever Xiao Hongyu had to say next.

"Ahhhh! Even though our Brother He was so cold to her, that lady was still throwing herself into his arms! Brother He, how did you grow to look like that? Aunt He really knows how to make 'em! Why couldn't my old mom do the same?"

Captain Guo snorted in laughter. "Brat, looking like that, you should be content that your mom even brought you into this world!"

Xiao Hongyu cried out in anguish and continued staring at He Changdi's face.

He Sanlang shot a sideways look at him. "What are you staring at me for?"

"To see if I can grow a face like that."

Zhang Mai smiled. "Brat, it's time to stop daydreaming!"

Xiao Hongyu thumped his chest and stomped his foot. However, after just two seconds, his eyes began to shine like a thief's again. "Hey! Brother Guo, Brother Zhang, did you see just now? General Sima was looking at Brother He differently. Brother He has got some luck with women!"

Captain Guo harrumphed. He gave a friendly reminder, "Zixiang, I heard that your wife has already settled down in Liangzhou City."

He Changdi nodded.

It was only then that Xiao Hongyu realised he had put his foot in his mouth again. He shrunk back and tried to make up for his wrongs with flattery. "Brother He, I saw Sister-in-Law with my own two eyes back then! Sister-in-Law is a hundred times prettier than General Sima! Look at how tomboyish that General Sima looks. How could she compare to even a single strand of Sister-in-Law’s hair? Brother He, don't act rashly!"

Zhang Mai slapped Xiao Hongyu's head. "Brat! What are you saying all that nonsense for? After eating all that food, when are you going to grow some brains?"

Great. Xiao Hongyu thought that it was better if he just kept his head down and stopped talking. He was running out of common ground with these three loyal wife-loving big brothers. If he had time at night, he could just secretly look at some obscene drawings to scratch his itches...

Captain Guo's expression abruptly turned serious as he asked He Changdi, "Zixiang, did you find anything in your investigations today?"

......

Even though it was close to midnight, the lights in Sima Hui's tent were still on.

Under the flickering of candle light, Sima Hui's handsome face looked softer and more like a woman's. She was frowning; her expression didn't look too good. "What did you say? He Sanlang is already married?"

The female adjutant next to her nodded. She was lamenting the fact inwardly as well. He Changdi had been born into a military official family. His father was also a border general that her young miss admired greatly. She had heard that the He Family was upright and that the men would only take concubines if they didn't have any heirs by the time they turned thirty. Her young miss's marriage had been delayed due to Old General Sima's passing. Now she was already twenty, and she happened to be the same age as He Sanlang. If He Sanlang wasn't married, he would indeed be the best candidate for her young miss' hand.

"He Sanlang married before he came and joined the army. The He Family's Third Young Madam is House Ying's Sixth Miss."

"Why did the He Family take a bride from House Ying?" Although Sima Hui hadn't returned to the capital for a long time, she still had some understanding of the complicated relations between the nobles in the capital. If not for Old Duke Ying still holding up House Ying, it would probably have fallen to a third-rate noble house.

Going by common sense, a noble house in imperial favour like the He Family wouldn't choose to marry a bride from House Ying.

Chapter 323: Rumours (2)

The female adjutant explained all the details behind the He Family's situation. Sima Hui shook her head helplessly. Although she had taken a liking to He Changdi, since he had already taken a wife, she wasn't going to break up his marriage. She had her own pride and dignity.

She could only lament that she hadn't met He Changdi earlier.

The female adjutant had been serving Sima Hui since they were children and was her close confidant and handmaid. She had been raised in Old General Sima's estate like an adopted daughter at a young age and had accompanied Sima Hui all this while.

She was extremely loyal to Old General Sima, as well as Sima Hui. When Old General Sima had died in battle, the female adjutant treated Sima Hui as her only remaining master.

She carefully asked, "Miss, do you like He Sanlang?"

Sima Hui was normally a very direct woman. Furthermore, there was nothing she couldn't say in front of a handmaid who had grown up with her like a sister. Thus, she admitted her liking for He Sanlang.

The female adjutant's eyes darted about in thought. Sima Hui had followed Old General Sima to the army ever since she could walk. In Old General Sima's estate, she had been raised like a son. When it came to relationships, she wasn't very reserved, but she had never admitted to liking a man so readily before.

Ever since Old General Sima had passed away, the female adjutant had worried her little heart away for her young miss' marriage.

Now that she heard that Sima Hui had a man she liked, she racked her brains in thought.

"Miss, this servant heard that He Sanlang's wife hasn't gotten pregnant yet."

Sima Hui nodded and replied a little absentmindedly. She was feeling down, so she didn’t think before she said, "They've just gotten married. How would she get pregnant so fast? However, they'll surely have a child sooner or later."

The female adjutant seemed to disagree with Sima Hui's reply.

"Miss, you might not know this, but House Ying's Sixth Miss was only able to marry He Sanlang because of that reputation the ladies of House Ying have. Matriarch He must have been at her wits' end to try a method like that. If this servant's guess is correct, He Sanlang must have come to the northern border just a few days after getting married. He Sanlang probably isn't too happy with that newlywed wife of his..."

Sima Hui's brows furrowed. "Xiaoyan, you're not allowed to gossip about others like that. We've never met any of the He Family before. Those are just wild guesses."

After getting a warning from Sima Hui, the female adjutant, Xiaoyan, immediately pressed her lips together and bowed her head in apology. "It's this servant's fault for making wild guesses about others. This servant will accept any punishment, Miss."

Sima Hui couldn't bear to see her like this, so she took Xiaoyan's hands into hers and reassured her. "Alright, Xiaoyan. I know you're just trying to help me, but I've already missed out on my chance. Unless we get reborn again, it's just not possible between He Sanlang and I. It's getting late, so why don't you return to your tent and rest early? Let Xiaoya take the night shift tonight."

The female adjutant could only agree with her master. She helped Sima Hui prepare for bed before leaving the tent.

Xiaoyan stood in the shadows by the tent for a long while. Her eyes shone with a bright light as she stared up at the dark sky.

My good young miss. You still don't understand. You have to fight for what you want. If you don't fight for it, you'll only end up with the same fate as the old general!

However, as long as she, Xiaoyan, was around, her miss wouldn't need to fight. She would naturally prepare everything for her young miss.

On the fifth day that Chu Lian had settled into the He Estate at Liangzhou City, a second wave of snow started falling.

The snowstorm continued for three days and grew even larger as time passed, covering the whole of Liangzhou City in a blanket of white.

Chapter 324: Rumours (3)

From afar, it looked as if the endless grasslands had melded into one.

Tang Yan and Chu Lian were at a loss of what to do. They heard that it had also started snowing over at Tianjiang Harbour. If the snows continued like this, in just two days, the roads that led to Liangzhou, whether on land or by water, would be completely covered in ice and snow. By then, Liangzhou City would become an isolated city. Without any supplies, the Tuhuns probably didn't even need to fight them; given three months, the northern border troops would simply starve to death without any external interference.

Tang Yan had already sent some men out to Su City to check out the situation. They could no longer use the route traveling through the Yueqin Mountains, either. The snowstorm had already cut off all paths. Neither the supplies nor the reinforcements could pass.

By the last day of November, Chu Lian's injury was already mostly healed over. With the accompaniment of Tang Yan and the rest, she brought a small portion of supplies from the capital over to the northern border camp.

She had already agreed on the time with He Sanlang, so Chu Lian set out early in the morning in her carriage.

Chu Lian wasn't going to the frontlines. She was just going to the camp of the reserve forces, so there wasn't any danger.

When she reached the camp before 11am, it was still snowing. Thanks to the Empress Dowager's decree that Chu Lian had in her hands, it was Great General Qian himself who would receive her.

Since most of the soldiers in camp were all rough men, Great General Qian had specially borrowed a team of female soldiers from Sima Hui to welcome Chu Lian.

The northern border was currently in the middle of an extremely cold winter. As Chu Lian was helped off the carriage by Wenlan, she was completely wrapped up like a round ball.

She wore a large grey squirrel fur coat, the fluffy fur-lined sleeves of which nearly enveloped the entirety of her hands. She was also holding a hand-warmer for additional protection. More than half of her face was covered up by her hood, so that only her wide almond-shaped eyes could be seen. Since her leg had just healed recently, she walked much slower than most people and her awkward gait looked a little amusing.

When Sima Hui's female adjutant, Xiaoyan, finally met with the He Family's Third Young Madam, she had to suppress her snort of laughter.

Her heart was filled with disdain. How clumsy-looking. No wonder the handsome He Sanlang didn't like her.

She heard that this Third Young Madam had even been given the title of Honoured Lady?

Xiaoyan wondered which noble she had begged for that title, all in hopes of giving herself a little more status. The He Family's matriarch had really racked her brains out to help this Sixth Miss.

The female adjutant shot a look at the handmaids nearby, dressed in battle attire like she was. The leader of the handmaids nodded and quickly followed Chu Lian's small party.

When they entered the camp, the first one to welcome them was Captain Guo.

With Tang Yan by her side to introduce her, Chu Lian bobbed slightly in greeting to Captain Guo.

Captain Guo cast a measuring gaze over Chu Lian before chuckling. "Zixiang should have been the one to welcome you today, but he went to the frontlines yesterday, so he's not in camp right now. Thus, the duty of welcoming you has fallen on this old brother's shoulders. I hope you can understand the circumstances, Sir Tang, Sister-in-Law."

Chu Lian shook her head and smiled. "Brother Guo, there's no need to stand on ceremony like this. It's the first time my husband has joined the army, we'll have to rely on Brother Guo's care in the days ahead!"

After saying so, she signalled for Wenlan to offer a blue pouch up to Captain Guo.

"These are just some small snacks, I hope Brother Guo will accept this small token of my gratitude."

Captain Guo had taken a liking to this bright-eyed and generous newly met sister-in-law of his. He took Chu Lian's gift respectfully with both hands and accepted the gift with a smile.

"Sir Tang, Honoured Lady, please rest in these two tents for a moment. I'll go ahead and report your arrival to the general."

Tang Yan bowed to Captain Guo. "Sorry for the trouble, Captain Guo."

Chu Lian was led into the tent on the left by the female soldiers. Since Tang Yan was a man, he was led to the tent on the other side.

Chapter 325: Rumours (4)

Thick furs were laid down on the floor of the tent, and there was a charcoal brazier burning within. It was much warmer in here than outside. Although the decor was rather simple, each of the items were still of high quality.

There was a screen painted with pictures of Chinese plum blossoms and orchids in the center of the tent. Behind was a simple, narrow bed. There were two sets of white clothes placed on the table beside it, as well as a pair of deerskin boots on the carpet nearby.

Although the boots were made of steel and leather, judging by their size, Chu Lian surmised that they were probably worn by a woman.

Chu Lian's expression changed slightly. This was most likely the tent of General Sima, the female general that the book had mentioned only in passing.

She looked around her surroundings curiously. This was the first time she had seen a female general's tent. However, it wasn't much different from normal tents, apart from the slightly higher quality items and warmer decor. While looking at the tent, she thought of He Changdi and wondered what his tent looked like.

Chu Lian decided to ask Captain Guo to take her to He Changdi's tent to have a peek after she was done with official business. For some reason, once she decided on that, there was a secret trace of delight in her heart.

Wenqing and Wenlan weren't as relaxed as Chu Lian was.

They were also looking around the tent like Chu Lian was. Wenqing helped her master out of the large squirrel fur coat and set it down on a wooden chair nearby. She then took the hand warmer from Chu Lian and refilled the charcoal within. While Wenqing was doing all this, she had the strange feeling that the women behind them dressed in battle attire were staring at her master with hostility.

Wenlan couldn't hold back her unease. She carefully poked her older sister in the side and used her eyes to ask Wenqing: why were there so many women in the army camp?

Wenqing shook her head at her and looked pointedly at her hands, instructing her to keep her focus on serving Third Young Madam.

Xiaoyan was standing to the side. Her figure was similar to Sima Hui's, and they were both tall women. However, she was the skinnier of the two. Due to the long years of training in the army, she had an imposing air that most normal women didn't have. As she stood at the side and looked down at the weak woman seated next to her, even though her tone was calm, there was still a hint of contempt and arrogance in her words.

"This subordinate greets Honoured Lady Jinyi on the general's behalf. Honoured Lady must know that our general has already led most of the Right Wing Army to the frontlines yesterday and that Captain He was also amongst them. Thus, this subordinate takes the place of our general to welcome Honoured Lady. This subordinate hopes that Honoured Lady Jinyi doesn't take offence."

After Xiaoyan finished speaking, she took a cup of tea from one of the handmaids next to her and offered it to Chu Lian by placing it on the side table with both hands.

When Wenqing heard this female adjutant's words, her brows furrowed and she turned to her master with worry.

Chu Lian shifted her gaze from her surroundings and looked up at the adjutant who had just spoken. She blinked and smiled before replying courteously, "General Sima is too kind."

Xiaoyan kept her eyes on the face of the He Family's Third Young Madam, which still held the traces of her tender youth. Upon hearing her calm reply, Xiaoyan didn't know how to react. What was she trying to pull here? Couldn't she tell that the expressions of her two maidservants had already turned stormy?

The adjutant lost a little of her composure. She could only do her best to try and smile as she said, "It's fine as long as Honoured Lady doesn't blame this subordinate."

Chu Lian smiled as well and took the refilled hand warmer from Wenqing's hands. She turned to Wenlan and said lightly, "I'm a little thirsty."

Wenlan quickly took out a small copper pot wrapped in cloth from the little bag that she always carried around. She took out a porcelain cup as well and poured out a steaming hot cup of honey water for Chu Lian.

Xiaoyan looked at the actions of the master and servant before her, her eyes filled with disdain. As she had lived in the Sima Estate ever since she was a child, she had grown up around all sorts of luxury items and foods- naturally, she could tell that this honey water wasn’t just any normal honey water. But who cared about the quality? In the end, only poor country bumpkins favored honey water over sencha.

This Honoured Lady Jinyi couldn’t even recognize high quality sencha when it was right under her nose. Xiaoyan couldn't resist remarking, "Honoured Lady might not know this, but this subordinate just offered some Zhengshan tea to Honoured Lady. This tea is what our general usually drinks."

Chapter 326: Rumours (5)

What General Sima normally drinks?

The quality of Zhengshan tea was only slightly lower than that of the imperial tribute teas. The amount of Zhengshan tea produced was even less than that of the North Fujian loose-leaf tea.

Every year, before it was time for the spring harvest of tea, the nobles would fill up all the reservations for Zhengshan tea cakes. It wasn't something that could be bought with money alone.

Back then, Miss Yuan had tried to use some Zhengshan tea stolen from her grandfather to provoke Chu Lian.

Chu Lian looked at the adjutant and almost burst out laughing. Were General Sima's thoughts the same as this adjutant's, or was it just this female adjutant who was stupid?

Chu Lian had thought about declining the tea outright, but instead, she chose a more subtle route and hoped the female adjutant would get the message. Honestly, this kind of ploy was just too clumsy and silly. She had also seen it done before by Miss Yuan.

However, before Chu Lian could speak, Wenlan could no longer hold back her desire to protect her master. "Excuse me, Madam. You might not know this, but our master doesn't like to drink sencha because it tastes weird."

After getting such a reply, the female adjutant's face flushed red and her lips started trembling.

Chu Lian turned to look at Wenlan disapprovingly. Wenlan stopped talking.

The female adjutant's disrespect had been written all over her face. Chu Lian didn't intend on admonishing her own maidservants in front of strangers. She turned back around, keeping her face warm and friendly as she kept her silence.

After some time, the female adjutant finally got over the dissatisfaction in her heart.

She took in a deep breath and forced a smile. "It was this subordinate's fault for not checking about Honoured Lady Chu's likes in advance."

Chu Lian replied with a courteous, "It's fine."

The adjutant Xiaoyan wanted to continue saying something else, but before she could, a soldier announced from outside the tent that Great General Qian had sent an escort for Honoured Lady Jinyi, and they were to head to the commander's tent immediately.

Chu Lian stood up and led her party out of the warm tent.

Xiaoyan sent them off at the entrance. As she stared at Chu Lian's disappearing back, the smile on her face finally faded away and her long face contorted.

The handmaid next to her complained in a low voice, "Hmph, that Honoured Lady Jinyi can't even tell good from bad. She even dislikes sencha! This servant thinks that she probably hasn’t ever had sencha before and just doesn't dare to admit it!"

Xiaoyan's lips curved up in a mocking smile. That was probably the case!

She was just a poor noble from a declining house. How could she possibly compare to their female general?!

The female adjutant Xiaoyan hadn't lied on one point. Sima Hui did drink sencha often. Her favourite was Zhengshan tea. Although she wasn't part of the main branch of the Sima Family, she had Old General Sima's connections. While the current Sima Family had become rather short of male heirs, they still lived in luxury and had much better lives than most of the second-rate noble families in the capital.

Otherwise, the handmaid Xiaoyan, who had been raised like an adopted daughter, wouldn't have become so arrogant.

Xiaoyan sneered. "Make sure you follow the orders I gave you last night."

"Yes, Sister Xiaoyan. This servant will go and make the preparations now."

General Qian personally escorted Chu Lian out of the commander's tent. With the war at hand, he didn't have much time to accompany Tang Yan and Chu Lian's party. He had taken time to meet them personally out of respect for the Empress Dowager's decree and the supplies they had brought.

Due to the relationship between Captain Guo and He Changdi, once Chu Lian left the commander's tent, General Qian handed them over to Captain Guo.

It was already past 1pm by now. Since it was Chu Lian's first time in the army camp and He Sanlang wasn't around, Captain Guo took the initiative to invite Chu Lian, Tang Yan, and the rest to stay for lunch.

Captain Guo smiled and said, "Sister-in-Law, although the meals in our camp are just some simple fare, it might be an interesting experience for you, just once in your life."

Chu Lian didn't reject him. Since she had already come over to the border camp, she wanted to take a good look around; a chance like this didn't come along every day.

Tang Yan's thoughts were along the same line as Chu Lian's. However, the only difference was that he was a man, so it was much more convenient for him to move around in the army camp. In recent years, he had been working for Prince Jin so he hadn't left the capital in quite a few years. He wanted to take this chance to observe how things were structured in the army, as well as their daily training and other general affairs.

Chapter 327: Rumours (6)

Tang Yan wanted to take a look at the training grounds, so he bid farewell to Captain Guo and Chu Lian before leaving with another officer.

Although Chu Lian wanted to to look at the training grounds too, the grounds were likely filled with strong, young men, so it wasn't appropriate for her to watch them. She could only follow Captain Guo to the campgrounds of the Right Wing Army and see exactly what kind of environment He Sanlang lived in.

More than half of the Right Wing Army had gone to the frontlines to act as reinforcements, so there were only little more than half of the men left here. Most of the men remaining had gone to the training grounds, so there were even fewer people milling about. However, it was more convenient for Chu Lian that way.

Captain Guo did have some business at hand and he was the only officer left in the Right Wing Army now, so he had to do everything himself. Once their party reached the camp grounds, a soldier rushed over to report that one of the squad leaders had twisted his leg on the training grounds, and had even started fighting with another squad leader from the Left Wing Army.

Captain Guo's expression turned icy.

When Chu Lian noticed that Captain Guo seemed put on the spot, she said, "Brother Guo, if you have something urgent to settle, please feel free to go ahead. I just need someone else to bring me around."

Captain Guo hesitated for two seconds, but there was nothing else he could do. "Then please sit in Zixiang's tent for a while, Sister-in-Law. Once I've settled my business, I'll come back immediately and accompany Sister-in-Law for the midday meal."

Captain Guo instructed his adjutant to lead Chu Lian over to He Sanlang's tent before he left with the soldier who had given the report.

Wenqing watched as Captain Guo's back disappeared into the distance. For some reason, she felt that the chain of events had been too much of a coincidence.

However, she couldn't say anything with strangers present. Wenqing could only helplessly worry and keep an eye on her carefree master.

Captain Guo's adjutant was a slightly short and plump young man with a squarish face. When he smiled, his eyes would pinch up and become two tiny, upturned smiles of their own. He looked like someone who was very easy to get along with.

This adjutant took the lead and pointed at the right side of the camp. "Honoured Lady, please follow this subordinate this way. Captain He's tent is in the second to last row."

Chu Lian nodded and allowed Wenlan to support her as they walked. Her leg hadn't recovered completely yet, so she was a little slow while walking. The adjutant specially slowed down to accommodate her.

Little flakes of snow were drifting in the sky, so Wenlan put a warm hat on Chu Lian's head. He Sanlang's tent wasn't too far, but due to Chu Lian's snail-like pace, they used more than twice the normal amount of time it might take.

Once they reached the tent that the adjutant had mentioned, it didn't look too different from any of the other tents around- except for the two female soldiers standing in front of the tent!

Chu Lian paused in her steps and her almond-shaped eyes narrowed. The hands she had stuffed into her rabbit fur sleeve clenched unconsciously.

The adjutant's eyes widened in shock. He rubbed the back of his head as he tried to think of an explanation.

In the entire army, no one but General Sima had command of the female soldiers. So, why were General Sima's female soldiers standing in front of Captain He's tent?

In front of the tent, there was a wooden basin filled with water and a few shirts. It clearly announced for all to see what the female soldiers were doing for He Changdi.

As for who could have given orders to the prideful female soldiers... there was only one possible culprit...

When had that He Sanlang gotten such good treatment?

The adjutant was a little jealous. However, when he turned to look at the pretty little Honoured Lady Jinyi next to him, his expression changed. As he thought of the terrible situation that the poor He Sanlang was about to be embroiled in, he felt that he would rather be an old bachelor who washed his own clothes by himself...

Chapter 328: Rumours (7)

As Xiaoyan stood behind Chu Lian obediently, the corner of her mouth curled up.

Wenlan’s eyes widened. She bit her lip as she tried to control her anger.

The atmosphere turned awkward in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, Chu Lian smiled. In a carefree manner, she said, “What are you standing around all dazed for? Let’s go!”

The adjutant quickly added, “Yes, let’s go. It’s cold outside, and it looks like it’s about to start snowing hard. We should return to the tents to warm up.”

As if they hadn’t noticed the party over there at all, the female soldiers in front of the tent continued busying themselves with their chores. While washing the clothes, they even happily chatted amongst each other, occasionally bursting into peals of laughter.

The male adjutant’s rank wasn’t very high. These female soldiers were also General Sima’s subordinates. Even if they bumped into each other on normal days, both the Left Wing and the Right Wing would have to give way to them. He didn’t have any authority to chase those female soldiers away.

Since Honoured Lady Jinyi hadn’t said anything, he couldn't do anything about the female soldiers now, either.

The adjutant glanced at the female soldiers from time to time before looking at Chu Lian. His expression turned more and more pained. He had thought that this would be an easy task; who could have known that something like this would happen?

He had to ask for some extra compensation from Captain He later.

As the party drew closer to the tent, they could hear every word of the female soldiers’ conversation.

Wenqing’s expression turned cold. She was about to go up and reprimand them, but Chu Lian held her back with one raised hand.

"Our general treats Captain He really well!"

"Isn't that so? Captain He risked his life to save our general the last time they were on the frontlines. It’s only right that our general treats him well."

"And I couldn't tell before, but Captain He is so skilled!"

"If you ask me, Captain He and our general are the most perfect match for each other. They were both born in military families. Our general can even assist Captain He in the future."

"But I heard Captain He is already married?"

"Hmph, Captain He's current wife is just some poor noble. How could she compare to our general?"

"That's true. Our general and Captain He are getting along so well. When our general left for the frontlines yesterday, Captain He followed along because he couldn't stop worrying. When the war in the north ends, we might even be able to attend our general's wedding banquet!"

"Stop daydreaming and hurry up. We have to finish washing these clothes or the general will punish us when she returns!"

......

Chu Lian's brows drew together in a slight frown. It was only after she had finished listening to their conversation that she started walking again and continued heading towards the tent.

She sneered in her heart. Who could have thought that her lunatic husband was so attractive to others?

Even General Sima had taken a liking to him.

Chu Lian cast a sideways glance at the female adjutant slowly following behind them.

It wasn't until they had gotten close enough to see the two female soldiers in front of the tent that the female adjutant seemed to finally 'realise' that they were part of her general's troops. She hurriedly rushed forward to reprimand them.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you at training? You know very well what our rules say, so why haven't you admitted your wrongs yet!"

The two female soldiers knelt on the ground and trembled after getting scolded by the female adjutant. "This servant is in the wrong! Sister Xiaoyan, we are willing to bear the penalty."

"Go back to our camp now. It'll be ten smacks of the rod for each of you!" Xiaoyan coldly ordered.

The female soldiers acknowledged the orders while trembling. However, they continued kneeling on the ground and refused to get up.

Xiaoyan's face turned even more grave. "Why are you still here?"

The female soldiers exchanged looks before finally gathering up the courage to speak and said, "This servant has committed a wrong and is willing to receive punishment, but Captain He's clothes haven't been washed clean yet. If General finds out, we'll be punished even more."

Chu Lian blinked as she watched from the side. Had these ladies gotten addicted to acting?

Chapter 329: Rumours (8)

Although Xiaoyan's expression seemed angry on the surface, there was a glint of delight in her eyes. She was clearly happy with the performance that the female soldiers had put on. Just as she was about to finish up the whole act, Chu Lian suddenly spoke up.

"What they said is right. There must always be a start and an end to things. Since you're here to help my husband wash his clothes under the orders of General Sima, then you should finish washing them before you leave!"

Xiaoyan had been expecting Chu Lian to stomp her foot in a tantrum. She hadn't expected Chu Lian to calmly order her subordinates to continue instead.

Xiaoyan parted her mouth to retort, but she realised that she couldn't find a reason to reject that order.

It was like trying to eat a peach: the peach looked fresh, juicy, and fragrant, but in her haste to eat it, she realised that she had bitten off more than she could chew and was about to choke herself.

The two female soldiers were also clearly shocked. They gaped in silence as they lost their composure.

Seeing how the two soldiers hadn't moved, Chu Lian turned to the female adjutant and frowned.

The female adjutant's heart thumped. She could only grit her teeth and order her trusted subordinates to continue washing the clothes. It was only after finishing that they would return to their camp to get punished.

The two female soldiers could only lower their heads and continue washing the clothes. However, their moods were markedly different from earlier.

The hot washing water had already cooled down. They were standing at the entrance of the tent, so cold winds were blowing little flakes of snow at them. When they soaked their hands in the icy water, they ached from the cold. However, even so, they could only grit their teeth and bear with it for now.

Chu Lian entered He Changdi's tent without a second look back at the female soldiers.

The expression of Captain Guo's adjutant hadn't changed during the whole event, staying shocked and dazed. Now that it was over, he scratched the back of his head and beamed with a silly smile. Although Honoured Lady had only said a single line during that whole scene, why did it feel like all his frustrations had been vented for him?

Their Right Wing Army normally also suffered from the bullying of these 'tyrant flowers'.

It wasn't until Chu Lian and her party had entered the tent that the two female soldiers dared to lift their heads up. One of them called out in an aggrieved voice, "Sister Xiaoyan! This water is so cold!"

The female adjutant  gritted her molars and glared at the closed tent flap. She squatted down and reassured them. "Sorry I've gotten you involved in this mess. I'll wash these together with you so we can finish up faster. That way you can return to camp earlier to rest."

The female soldier who had spoken up made a feeble sound of agreement and the three women started washing the clothes together.

The aggrieved female soldier was Xiaoyan's very own little sister. Xiaoyan normally spoiled her, and her little sister had never suffered much at all. Xiaoyan usually kept her well-protected under her wings, so she couldn't bear to see her little sister suffer even the tiniest bit of grievance.

There actually weren't many clothes in the basin- just three pieces in total. They each took one and managed to finish washing them quickly. Even though the washing water was ice cold, it was still bearable for that short moment.

Just as the three of them had finished washing the clothes and were about to pour away the water, the tent flap suddenly opened from the inside and Wenlan tossed a whole bunch of clothes into the wooden basin.

"These are all the dirty clothes that Honoured Lady found in the tent. I'm guessing that you must have missed them earlier. Why don't you just wash them all together?"

After Wenlan finished speaking, she turned around and entered the tent again, leaving behind three dazed women.

One of the female soldiers looked at the small pile of clothes that the wooden basin was struggling to contain. Her lip trembled as she caught sight of a thick and heavy cloak in the basin.

How were they going to wash such a heavy cloak?!

The female soldier was on the verge of tears. "Sister Xiaoyan! Let's not wash these anymore! Let's go back!"

They had been the ones to claim that they were washing the clothes under General Sima's orders in the first place, how could they disobey their 'orders' at this point? Xiaoyan knew that Honoured Lady Jinyi was showing them that she wasn't to be bullied. However, she didn't have anything to counter the Honoured Lady. Helpless, she could only do her best to finish the task that had been so unceremoniously dropped on them.

"Stop talking. Save your strength for washing!"

Chapter 330: Naughty Book (1)

The moment Wenlan let the tent flap fall, she couldn’t resist any longer and let out a snort of laughter. Wenqing glared at her.

Wenlan ran up to Chu Lian and whispered, “Third Young Madam, that felt so good.”

Wenqing was also proud of her master. She knew that her master wasn’t someone who would allow others to bully her. If someone provoked her, Chu Lian would always return an eye for an eye. If she didn’t, then that meant she didn’t care about the insult and would let it slide. Chu Lian was the type of person who kept her frustrations inside her; her expression wouldn’t change even as her annoyance grew. Taking retribution was a way of venting her anger- if there wasn’t any anger, then naturally, there wouldn’t be any reason to vent.

When Chu Lian saw how happy Wenlan was, she replied a little helplessly, “They’re just little girls. Let them go back once they’re done washing everything.”

After hearing Chu Lian’s words, Wenqing and Wenlan calmed down, although their worry still showed on their faces.

Wenqing thought for a bit before saying, “Third Young Madam, don’t think too much of it. Third Young Master isn’t that sort of person. That was just some groundless gossip.”

Chu Lian turned around to smile at Wenqing, her almond-shaped eyes turning into upturned crescents. Under the heat of that stare, Wenqing felt a little awkward. She quickly explained, “Third Young Madam, this servant isn’t trying to speak for Third Young Master…”

“Okay, okay, I’m not blaming you.”

Chu Lian didn’t express any of her thoughts on the relationship between He Changdi and General Sima. In her view, things weren’t certain yet. All they had heard were a few rumours, which couldn’t be considered substantial evidence that there was something going on between the two. Furthermore, even if He Sanlang and General Sima had some sort of dalliance, she could discuss things with He Sanlang and find a way to allow General Sima to take her place.

As long as she remained an Honoured Lady, she could live happily by herself. She would even be free of those troublesome social engagements back in the capital. Wouldn’t that be a win-win situation? She could find a man she liked and settle into a peaceful, happy life.

He Sanlang, who was fighting for his life on the frontlines, had no idea that his wicked wife was thinking about how to get away from him. They hadn’t even consummated their marriage yet and she was already considering divorce...

If He Sanlang ever found out, it was highly possible he’d puke blood.

Wenqing and Wenlan had been serving Chu Lian for a while now, and they understood a little of her personality. They knew that Third Young Madam didn’t want to discuss General Sima’s matters anymore, so they all kept quiet.

A soldier from outside sent in a brazier. Wenqing shifted it closer to keep Chu Lian warm.

He Sanlang’s tent couldn’t be compared to General Sima’s.

The tent wasn’t very big. Inside, there were only two narrow beds with a simple screen dividing the space in two. There were no carpets placed on the floor, either; it was just some black dirt stripped bare of its surface layer of turf.

Snow had been falling for quite a few days here, so the tent entrance was already a muddy mess. Thanks to the low temperatures, the mud had frozen over. The tent felt extremely moist and wasn’t very comfortable.

There wasn’t much inside besides that, other than a small table next to the bed on the left. A few tactic books were stacked in a neat pile on top alongside a basic set of ink, brush, and paper.

There was also a wooden box placed beside both beds, most likely for the soldiers to store their clothes and other items.

Chu Lian knew that He Sanlang wasn’t staying in this tent alone, but was sharing with Xiao Hongyu.

Of these two beds, only one was He Sanlang’s.

Wenqing and Wenlan were also taking in the arrangements. Of the two, Wenlan was the first to speak. Her cheeks puffed up as she said, “That General Sima’s living arrangements are so nice; how is it that our Third Young Master’s are so terrible in comparison?” This tent was cold and dark. Without a charcoal brazier burning, it would be practically inhospitable.

Chapter 331: Naughty Book (2)

Chu Lian smiled without answering. He Changdi’s status was different from Sima Hui’s, after all. He had just entered the army and was a man. Furthermore, Great General Qian was known for being strict with his troops. He Changdi was already pretty lucky to get a two-man tent like this, and in such a short period of time, too. Otherwise, he would have had to squeeze into the barracks.

Chu Lian was right. If not for how she had helped Old Duke Zheng, and had Old Duke Zheng not sent the letter to Great General Qian, He Changdi wouldn’t have been able to rise in the ranks so quickly, nor would he be getting this sort of treatment.

Wenqing pointed at the bed that was further in. “Third Young Madam, that one should be Third Young Master’s bed. Look, there’s the fleece mattress we brought from our estate. Why don’t you sit there?”

Chu Lian walked up to the bed and pulled her hand from her sleeve. She gently touched the slightly flattened, worn mattress before holding her hand up to her nose and taking a sniff. Then, she shook her head and sat on the other bed instead. “This one is Husband’s bed.”

Ah? Wenqing found it strange so she looked at the two beds again. She didn’t understand how Third Young Madam had been able to differentiate them.

The mattress on the other bed was clearly from the Jing’an Estate though?

Without waiting for Wenqing to ask, Chu Lian began to explain. “Look at the boots next to the bed.”

He Changdi was tall and his legs were long. Of course his feet were bigger. Xiao Hongyu was shorter, so his feet tended towards a smaller size.

Furthermore, Chu Lian had been the one to send this pair of boots to He Changdi. She had changed them a little, adding a layer of leather on the inside of the boots. The insides wouldn’t get wet even when it rained. She had also made a small decorative mark on an unassuming corner of the boots that only the maidservants of Songtao Court would recognise.

Fleece bedding and blankets could be given away, but everyone’s shoes were differently sized. He Changdi and Xiao Hongyu’s feet were so different that they couldn’t possibly share their socks and boots.

Wenqing and Wenlan looked down at the very different boots. Both of them understood.

They looked up at Chu Lian with shining eyes. Wenlan couldn’t hold back the smirk tugging up the corners of her lips.

Hmph! Who would dare to cast doubts on Third Young Master and Third Young Madam’s relationship now? Third Young Madam had discerned Third Young Master’s bed at one glance!

Chu Lian had only given them a very simple reason. Actually, she hadn’t used the shoes to determine which of the beds was He Changdi’s.

He Sanlang was rather fussy, even bordering a little on the obsessive-compulsive side. He was also a clean freak, although it wasn’t too serious.

She had discovered this the last time he had taken a shower at Liangzhou’s He Estate.

The first time she saw him enter, He Sanlang had been covered in dirt. His expression had been ugly as well, clearly hating his state of uncleanliness. Later on, he had taken a whole hour to bathe. When Wenqing had gone to clean up the dirty clothes in the bathroom, she had discovered that He Sanlang had actually folded up all the dirty clothes and placed them neatly on the side table next to the bathtub. The soap bar had also been covered back up, and the towel had been folded up right next to the soap box.

The corner of Chu Lian’s mouth twitched as she glanced down at He Changdi’s bed.

Although it was simple, the blankets on it had been neatly made. The pillow was placed right at the head of the bed, and not a single wrinkle could be seen on the blankets. As for the other bed, although it couldn’t be considered messy, it was a whole different story when compared to He Changdi’s.

There was one more point that Chu Lian was too embarrassed to reveal. Although He Changdi was a man, he always carried a clean, nice-smelling scent. Meanwhile, that fleece blanket had stunk of sweat…

If Xiao Hongyu were to find out that he had been slighted by Sister-in-Law in this way, he would have definitely rolled around on the floor like a child, demanding snacks to recover from this mental blow.

Chapter 332: Naughty Book (3)

Chu Lian pressed down on the mattress with her small hands.

The thin mattress was practically stuck to the bed board. She flipped it over to check the padding within and discovered that it was not made of cotton or fur, but dried grass.

Chu Lian's brows gathered together in a frown. Such a thin mattress wouldn't be able to keep the body warm at all. If it was spring or autumn, it might still be alright to make do with this mattress, but in this bone-piercingly cold winter...

She remembered that she had specially ordered the servants to send bedding to He Changdi when she was back at the estate. Her gaze landed on Xiao Hongyu's bed. The thick fleece bedding that should have been He Changdi's had somehow been placed on someone else's bed.

Chu Lian wasn't so silly as to think He Changdi was getting bullied. The short and plump Xiao Hongyu had been amongst the rescue party back then, too.

She wondered if Xiao Hongyu had any sort of internal injury that caused him to be more susceptible to the cold. That seemed like a possible explanation for why He Sanlang had given him his own bedding...

Chu Lian rolled her eyes. That lunatic husband of hers had only ever shown her the cold shoulder, but towards others, he was extremely considerate!

However, that fellow was rather stupid. After giving away all his things, what was he going to use to cover himself? Didn't he know how to buy himself another mattress?

Chu Lian felt a momentary lapse of disappointment towards He Sanlang.

She stood up and wrapped her grey squirrel cloak around her shoulders. The cold air turned her sigh into a white puff of breath. Chu Lian then turned to Wenqing and Wenlan.

"Have someone bring the big rugs and blankets from my carriage here. Bring some needles and thread, too."

Wenlan blinked as she processed the order. In a quick moment, she understood what Chu Lian was going to do, so she hurriedly ran off to fetch the necessary items.

Wenlan was a practised martial artist, so she was pretty fast on her feet. In just fifteen minutes, she had finished bringing everything over.

Chu Lian took off her cloak and moved the blanket on He Changdi's bed aside in order to pull up the thin bed sheet. There was only an evenly distributed layer of dried grass underneath.

Chu Lian was about to move the dried grass away when she noticed a flash of blue. She walked over to it and brushed the grass aside, revealing an indigo purse lying flat on the bed.

Chu Lian pulled out the purse from where it had been stuck in a gap between the layers. When she made to shake off the grass still clinging to it, Wenqing remarked, "Isn't that the purse you use to hold your snacks, Third Young Madam?"

All of Chu Lian's snack purses had been made by the maidservants in Songtao Court, and most of them were plain in colour without much embroidery on them. Wenqing and Wenlan had made quite a few of them too, so they could recognise it with just one glance.

Chu Lian had recognised it as well. The body of the purse bulged out a little, but it wasn't heavy. The jerky and snacks that had originally been inside were already gone. She undid the string and realised that there was a stack of similar purses placed neatly within.

When Chu Lian finished eating all the snacks in a purse, she would normally throw the purse away, just like if they were plastic bags from the modern era. However, He Sanlang had actually kept every single one of them...

A strange and indescribable feeling sparked to life within Chu Lian's heart.

She tied up the purse again and put it back where she found it.

Just as she was about to stand, Chu Lian noticed a book slotted between a gap in the planks of the wooden bed.

In a moment of curiosity, she bent down and fished it out.

It was a very thin book, with a cover made of blue leather. The cover itself was bare, and it looked like there was only twenty or so pages in it at most.

Chu Lian found it strange, so she carefully flipped the book open.

It was only when she looked at the first page that Chu Lian finally found some words: 'Pleasures of the World'.

Chu Lian frowned. That seemed to be the title, but why was it so weird though? There wasn't any author's name written inside, either.

When she flipped to the next page, Chu Lian finally realised why this book didn't have any information listed on the cover.

The page she had flipped to was a crude picture of a half-dressed couple. They were locked in a passionate embrace while lying on a bed next to a half-opened window.

Chu Lian almost puked blood. He... He Sanlang actually read naughty books?! It was such a crudely made one, too...

After she recovered from her shock, Chu Lian continued flipping through the book with a calm expression. It was just twenty or so pages, so she quickly finished her perusing. There wasn't actually much of note inside. The people and scenes were just too cartoonish and unrealistic. Some of them were even contorted into such weird positions that their heads and bodies looked disconnected. Why was He Sanlang hiding a book as lousy as this like it was some kind of treasure?

If she randomly picked out a porn book from the modern era and gave it to He Sanlang, forget about hiding it under the mattress; wouldn't he dig out a secret vault instead?

Her lunatic husband was way too inexperienced.

Chapter 333: Naughty Book (4)

Chu Lian casually tossed the obscene drawings aside and continued cleaning out the dry layers of grass on the bed.

Wenqing and Wenlan wore twin curious expressions as they asked, "Third Young Madam, what kind of book is that?"

Chu Lian cast a sideways glance at the book in question. Rather indifferent, she said, "See for yourselves."

Wenlan was the more active of the pair. Her curiosity was already burning like an unscratchable itch. Third Young Madam had spent quite a bit of time looking through that book! She had even been holding back her laughter as she flipped through the pages. That just made Wenlan even more curious.

Wenlan glanced at her older sister before taking the book in hand. Wenqing also drew closer to her.

However, after flipping through the first two pages, the two girls screamed and the book dropped to the ground.

Chu Lian found their actions weird, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

Wenqing and Wenlan's faces were completely flushed. They stared at Chu Lian with rebuking eyes. "Third Young Madam, those are lewd drawings!"

Chu Lian almost tilted her head in confusion. "I know that."

How are you so calm and indifferent since you know that... Wenqing and Wenlan were speechless.

Chu Lian's lips crooked up. It was just a roughly drawn book of lewd drawings, and they weren’t even that explicit. Young guys and girls wouldn't even give it another glance back in the modern world.

Wenlan picked up the book and quickly put it on the side table next to her as if it was a hot potato. The moment she set it down, she quickly drew her hand back. Her cheeks were glowing red.

Chu Lian wanted to put her face in her hands. Weren't these girls too innocent?

She ordered Wenqing and Wenlan to change He Sanlang's bedding into the more comfortable, thicker set she had brought. She then layered it with a fleece blanket on top. This way, it would be much warmer than before, and indeed she was proven right when she sat on top of the bed again.

After she tested the thickness of the bedding, Chu Lian nodded in satisfaction. She ordered Wenqing and Wenlan to patch up the areas where the seams of the fleece blanket had come apart.

When they were done, Wenlan looked outside and realised that it was almost 11am.

Captain Guo's adjutant came in to report that they would soon be having their midday meal. The soldiers of the Left Wing Army would be returning from the frontlines momentarily, so they would be eating together.

Joy showed on Wenqing and Wenlan's faces. Third Young Master was back!

The three girls washing clothes outside the tent also heard this piece of news. Xiaoyan and the other girls suddenly perked up.

Xiaoyan's eyes darted about in thought before she said, "Let's wash a little slower."

"Ah? Sister Xiaoyan, we're almost done with all these. Why don't we finish up and head back to rest earlier?"

Xiaoyan's expression turned cold as she drew out her reddened hands from the icy cold water. She said fiercely, "Our general is about to return. I want to show her how much we've been bullied by that woman while she wasn't around!"

The other two female soldiers' moods lifted upon hearing that. That's right, their general was back. No one would dare to bully them now!

Thus, the three girls purposely left their hands a little longer in the cold water until they were almost purple. This way, they would look more pitiful later.

Chu Lian didn't care at all about whatever the three girls outside were thinking. Once she heard the report, she simply nodded and had Wenlan go off to boil a kettle of hot water.

He Changdi knew that Chu Lian would come to visit the camp today. Thus, upon receiving the order to return to camp, he quickly led his subordinates and rushed back.

With a whip in her hands, Sima Hui led the army and followed He Changdi. The red tassel on her helmet danced in the icy winds. As she stared at He Changdi's heroic figure, she frowned and asked, "Why is Captain He in such a rush today?"

Although He Changdi was young and had an absolutely stunning face, he normally kept a cold expression. In the army, he was known to be quick and resolute in his actions, as well as very skilled in martial arts- so much so that he had never once lost in the army’s martial arts competitions before. All these details made him out to be a steady and introverted person. Even during that sneak attack by the Tuhuns a month ago, He Changdi had been able to remain calm and decisive. Thus, it was a rare surprise to see him this hurried and flustered.

The military officer accompanying Sima Hui on the way back burst out into laughter.

"That damn brat, he's just rushing back to our camp to meet his wife!" The military officer spoke a little crudely, but there was a hint of affection in his voice. It was clear that he was close to He Sanlang and maybe even held admiration for his steady and experienced junior officer.

Sima Hui was a little stunned for a moment. A bitter feeling passed through her heart, making her unable to speak.

The military officer thought that Sima Hui wasn't in the know, so he kindly explained things to her. "That brat is House Jing'an's third son. He came out here to this godforsaken northern border in a fit of stupidity. If he were my son, I would have broken his legs! But that brat's pretty lucky. He married a good wife. His wife got a decree from the Empress Dowager to come to the northern border with some supplies. The young couple must not have met for quite some time; just look at how rushed that brat is."

Chapter 334: Scram (1)

Sima Hui put on a forced smile as a courteous reply to the military officer.

Xiao Hongyu was following right behind He Changdi. He chuckled and whipped his horse onward to keep up with his superior officer.

After rushing to the frontline as reinforcements, they had managed to defeat the Tuhuns while keeping their losses to less than ten percent of the Right Wing Army. It was considered a major victory, so most of the people on the way back to the camp were in very good moods.

The soldiers who had gotten kills on the battlefield were beaming with joy. Xiao Hongyu had forged forward bravely in battle, so he had also contributed quite a bit to their victory.

The atmosphere amongst the triumphant troops was relaxed. It was likely the best they had felt since the war had started. Thus, they weren't as hasty to get back as they had been on the way to the frontlines. Only He Sanlang's squad was rushing back like their lives depended on it.

"Brother He, is there something urgent going on?"

He Changdi was dressed in a full set of black armour with a grey cloak whipping about in the flurry of snow-speckled winds behind him. Upon hearing Xiao Hongyu's question, He Sanlang turned to glance at him before replying, "Your sister-in-law is coming to the camp today."

What?! Xiao Hongyu's eyes widened in surprise!

"Sister-in-Law is coming today?"

He Sanlang shot a look at him as if he were an idiot.

"Brother He, why didn't you say so earlier?!" Xiao Hongyu fretted and whipped his horse's rump. His mount neighed before sprinting forward like a shooting star.

He Changdi's expression darkened and he urged his own mount on to chase after Xiao Hongyu.

That stupid brat. Chu Lian was his wife! Why was he running back so quickly? Was he already sick of living?

Actually, what Xiao Hongyu was racing after wasn't Chu Lian herself. In his mind, Chu Lian was equivalent to delicious meat and porridge instead.

There was still quite a bit of distance between the frontlines and the border troops' camp.

The two brothers started chatting idly on the way back.

"Brother He, why did Sister-in-Law come to camp?"

"The Empress Dowager's decree," He Changdi replied very succinctly. He was still a man of few words.

Xiao Hongyu was smart enough to understand after a moment of thought, so he nodded.

"Brother He, I really admire Sister-in-Law. My father had to threaten me with a stick to make me go to the northern border and join the army! It's an amazing feat for a young lady like Sister-in-Law to come out to a place like this."

Xiao Hongyu's casual words made He Changdi stiffen up. His originally icy expression dropped a few more degrees.

However, Xiao Hongyu was just too oblivious to realise that his simple words had roused a hive of bees in He Sanlang's heart.

All of a sudden, Xiao Hongyu seemed to have recalled something. The joy that had been on his face completely disappeared, only to be replaced with embarrassment.

Xiao Hongyu hesitated for a moment. Then, he asked, "Brother He, Sister-in-Law won't be going to our tent, right?"

He Changdi frowned as he replied, "Brother Guo should be bringing your sister-in-law over there. What's wrong?"

Upon hearing He Sanlang's answer, Xiao Hongyu cried out in anguish. He then tried to glance secretly at He Sanlang. Unfortunately, when faced with He Sanlang's gloomy stare, he didn't dare to hide anything and confessed exactly what he had done.

"What! Say that one more time!" He Changdi wanted to kick this stupid fellow right off his horse.

"Brother He, just forgive me this once. I didn't do it on purpose! I was just afraid that Brother Guo would come and search our tent! How about I lend you that lewd book later on? Anyway, I hid it really well. Sister-in-Law won't be able to find it at all."

He Changdi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He didn't even want to bother talking to Xiao Hongyu anymore.

Xiao Hongyu followed behind He Sanlang obediently. He knew that he had really done Brother He dirty this time.

However, there was also a shred of dissatisfaction in his heart. Xiao Hongyu felt that he hadn't done anything wrong at all.

All of them were already married, and Brother He's wife had even come thousands of miles to visit him. The two of them were probably going to exchange sweet nothings with each other once they met. He was the only single man in the group; were they going to bar him from looking at some lewd drawings to release all his pent up pressure?

Xiao Hongyu felt that instead of He Sanlang, he was the one who had suffered some grievous harm.

Chapter 335: Scram (2)

As expected, when He Changdi finally led his troops back into camp, a messenger came over to report that Chu Lian was currently in his tent!

He Changdi shot a severe glare at Xiao Hongyu. Xiao Hongyu rubbed his nose awkwardly from behind him.

He decided to run off with the other troops to have their midday meal and leave He Changdi and Chu Lian alone in the tent.

When He Changdi reached his tent, he noticed three female soldiers squatting in front, washing clothes. He Changdi furrowed his brows together.

He barked, "What are all of you doing here?!"

His gaze landed on the wash basin and he realised that the garments inside were his clothes.

Xiaoyan and the others hadn't expected He Changdi to have returned so early. Their faces were full of surprise. However, Xiaoyan was experienced with dealing with unexpected situations after serving Sima Hui for so long, and she managed to quickly recover.

Xiaoyan acted as if she had been wronged and placed her hands, which had turned an ugly purplish red from the cold, on top of the wet clothes in the basin to make them more obvious.

She intentionally made her voice soft and weak to draw their pity. "Captain He, we escorted Honoured Lady here. Our general ordered us to serve Honoured Lady, so we had to follow Honoured Lady's orders when she told us to wash these clothes. Although this subordinate was born a lowly servant, this subordinate is still General Sima's personal handmaid."

Xiaoyan was right. Chu Lian had indeed been the one to order Wenlan to bring these clothes out for them to wash. However, she had purposely phrased her words to imply that it was an unfair order.

As Xiaoyan spoke, she kept sneaking glances at He Changdi's expression.

Unfortunately, she couldn't discern any bit of emotion from He Changdi's cool and handsome face, so she couldn't tell if her ploy was working.

She gritted her teeth and continued. "This subordinate ventures to say that Honoured Lady has taken things too far. Our general has never held any dishonest intentions, yet Honoured Lady has already tried to nip things in the bud. This subordinate has never seen such a thing!"

Xiaoyan kept her back straight and her head high.

She was even a little pleased inside. With this, Captain He should know how unbearable his wife was!

Nothing had even happened yet, and Sima Hui wasn't even a threat to their marriage. However, his wife had already tried to discipline Sima Hui's personal handmaid. He Changdi would surely hate such a petty and jealous wife.

Wenqing and Wenlan had heard everything from within the tent. Their faces were flushed red with anger. Wenlan wanted to run right out of the tent to scold Xiaoyan, but Chu Lian held her back.

Chu Lian shook her head soundlessly. Wenlan stomped her foot in frustration and walked further away from the tent entrance. Out of sight, out of mind. If she couldn't hear any of the conversation outside, her frustration would surely dissipate.

However, Chu Lian stood by the tent flap without moving. There wasn't much of an expression on her face, but her clenched fists hidden by her wide sleeves betrayed her nervousness.

He Changdi was a tall man. Even though Xiaoyan wasn't short, he could still look down upon her.

He swept the three female soldiers with an icy glare. Next, his lips moved and his low, magnetic voice resounded in a frighteningly cold tone. He only had one word to say.

"Scram!"

That short syllable was enough to make Xiaoyan and the others shudder.

Their eyes widened in disbelief. They couldn't believe He Changdi could act like that.

A storm seemed to be brewing in the dark pools that served as He Sanlang's eyes. He focused his gaze on Xiaoyan, who struggled to breathe when faced with eyes as icy as those.

"What? Didn't you hear me? I told you all to scram!"

It was as if a basin of cold water had been dunked over the three female soldiers' heads. Their bodies started trembling.

They ran off helter-skelter after a moment's pause, even stumbling in their efforts to leave as quickly as possible.

The soldier standing on guard nearby was filled to the brim with admiration for his captain. He stood up even straighter, looking just like a sharp spear.

He Sanlang's gaze turned to the wooden basin by his feet next. When he thought of how his clothes had been handled by those female soldiers, his brows drew together in disdain. He then ordered, "Throw out all the clothes in this basin."

Chapter 336: Getting Along in the Tent (1)

Chu Lian had been standing behind the tent flap, not a hint of an expression on her face. When she heard He Changdi’s words, the corners of her lips curled up, and only then did she finally lift up the tent flap to peer outside.

As soon as she did so, Chu Lian was immediately met with the black pools of He Changdi's eyes, causing her to cough awkwardly.

Although her lunatic husband was usually rather disagreeable, it seemed like he was able to see through deception when the time called for it. He hadn't failed her expectations at all.

Chu Lian didn't realise that her eyes had turned bright and sparkly. If she turned these eyes on anyone in the world right now, they would be able to tell that she was in an extremely good mood.

When Chu Lian's smile casted its bright rays upon He Sanlang, it drove away all the gloomy clouds that had been gathering in his heart, just like a miniature sun.

She seemed to exude a natural charisma, attracting his gaze to her without him even realising.

When Chu Lian looked down and noticed that a soldier was about to follow He Changdi's orders and throw away the clothes that Xiaoyan and the other female soldiers had been washing, she frowned and spoke up. "Don't throw those away. Let them dry and give them to any soldiers who need more clothes for winter."

The soldier hadn't expected Chu Lian to give him such an order. Although he had thought that it was a pity to throw away these perfectly good clothes, these were the captain's, so they didn't have any right to do anything else to them. The soldier turned to his superior officer with a questioning look.

He Changdi's brows drew together, and his lips formed a thin line. "Do as Honoured Lady says."

When the soldier heard that, he took away the basin of clothes with a happy smile.

Xiaoyan and the others were standing in a hidden corner some distance away, watching the scene in front of He Changdi's tent. When Xiaoyan saw that the soldier was taking away the wet clothes and giving them to other soldiers in need, her face contorted into an ugly expression.

She wasn't stupid. She knew that He Sanlang had done that out of disdain for them.

However, they weren’t just any soldiers around camp- they were Sima Hui's subordinates. Didn’t this act show He Changdi’s contempt for Sima Hui as well?

An indignant expression covered Xiaoyan's face.

Chu Lian's eyes were their own upturned smiles as she looked up at the travel-worn He Sanlang. He was still wearing his cloak and helmet; it was clear that he had rushed straight over from the battlefield.

"Come in, it's too windy outside."

He Sanlang paused before entering. He seemed to be struggling to keep his usual cold expression. Unbeknownst to him, just as he passed beneath the raised tent flap, the warm air of the tent caused the tips of his ears to turn red.

That cute, pink flush didn't match his cool, handsome face at all.

Inside, He Changdi took a couple glances towards Chu Lian’s ankle. Following that, he took off his cloak, helmet, and scabbard and passed them to the waiting Wenqing and Wenlan.

Although his voice sounded the same and his tone seemed as icy as usual, anyone would be able to tell that there was a shred of concern in his question as he asked, "Has your wound recovered?"

Chu Lian's almond-shaped eyes were smiling as she stared at the tall He Sanlang. She had been feeling a little awkward earlier, but now she was feeling as thick-skinned as could be.

"I can walk now, just not too quickly."

Long legs carried He Changdi over to Chu Lian's side in just three strides. He pushed aside the long hem of his robe and sat down next to Chu Lian.

The originally stiff, hard bed had suddenly turned warm and soft with cushiony bedding. The difference in expectation made He Changdi freeze for a second. An instance of panic flashed across his normally calm and collected face.

However, He Changdi quickly concealed his flustered emotions. His seemingly casual gaze brushed over Chu Lian for a moment, as if checking whether she had detected his moment of abnormality.

His thin lips pressed together as he bent over, preparing to lift up Chu Lian's skirt.

Chapter 337: Getting Along in the Tent (2)

Chu Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He Sanlang seemed to have gotten into a bad habit. Back in the cave, he had also lifted up her skirt without any warning. She was already so used to it that she was no longer surprised by his actions.

However, Wenqing and Wenlan were still in the tent. Showing off such an intimate action with an audience made Chu Lian blush a little.

She drew her legs back with the intention to escape, but before she could, He Changdi caught hold of her calf.

"Don't move," he murmured.

Chu Lian froze on the spot.

Wenqing and Wenlan exchanged glances, sharing their joy. Wenqing was the one who came up with the sensible explanation to prolong this scene. She said, "Third Young Master, Third Young Madam hasn't eaten yet. We servants will go and bring some food back."

Without waiting for permission from their two masters, Wenqing tugged Wenlan behind her and escaped from the tent.

Now that their audience was gone, Chu Lian relaxed.

She looked down and watched as He Changdi's slender fingers rolled up her pants leg before gently removing her sock. Her slender, fair leg was now exposed to his eyes, from her calf all the way to her ankle.

As He Sanlang's warm palms brushed along her calf, he revealed the wound around her ankle.

The rather severe-looking injury had already scabbed over. However, since the skin around it was as white as snow, the dark coloured scab was a little eye-catching.

A glint flashed through He Changdi's eyes as he looked at the wound. His Adam's apple trembled a little as he touched the scab gently. "Does it still hurt?"

Chu Lian was enjoying the warmth of his palms as they massaged her skin. Her almond-shaped eyes began to close in pleasure. She shook her head in reply to his question and said, "It stopped hurting after it scabbed over. It just gets a little itchy at night under the warm blankets."

He Sanlang carefully inspected her wound for a while more. When he realised that her wound was indeed much better after it had scabbed over, he breathed a soft sigh of relief. A weight he hadn't even known he had been carrying seemed to have lifted from his shoulders.

When He Changdi noticed that the leg he held was turning a little cool, he quickly put Chu Lian's sock and shoe back on. His palm lingered on her smooth leg for a moment more, almost as if he couldn't bear to let it go, but he finally stood up.

All the care he had just shown had been carried out by his subconsciousness. He hadn't thought much of it while checking her wound, but now that he was done, the atmosphere was turning a little awkward.

Chu Lian didn't think much of the intimacy at all. She turned to continue staring at He Changdi with her wide eyes. As she blinked, she felt that He Sanlang seemed to be exceptionally handsome today.

Could her lunatic husband possibly have been cured?

He Changdi hadn't expected Chu Lian to stare directly at him without any reserve or shyness. His originally relaxed mood slowly turned tense once again. While his eyes still seemed like dark, icy pools, his neck and the tips of his ears were flushed red, completely out of his control.

Chu Lian noticed his reaction and found it fun, so she simply continued staring.

They were husband and wife anyway, and He Changdi was a good-looking man after all. Since she couldn't consummate their marriage, wasn't she at least allowed to admire her eye candy as much as she wanted?

He Changdi felt trapped by Chu Lian's gaze. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and he was even tempted to begin reprimanding her- this wicked woman shouldn’t be so unreserved about her staring! Such 'loose' behaviour was unbecoming of a noble lady.

As his eyes wandered about the inside of the tent a little absentmindedly, his tense gaze abruptly caught on one little spot.

A familiar blue leather-bound book leaped into He Changdi’s view, causing not only his neck and ears, but even his entire face to turn red in a full-on blush.

That Xiao Hongyu! He was going to take that brat to task!

He Changdi shared a tent with Xiao Hongyu, so he knew that that damn brat liked to read that blue leather book at night while hiding under the lamp, acting like some sneaky thief.

He only had to glance at it once or twice before realising what it was. It was just some lewd drawings. He Changdi wasn't interested, nor had he minded Xiao Hongyu's reading- before this, at least. Now, however, the fact that it was lying in plain sight today didn't bode well for him.

That wicked woman Chu Lian must have discovered it. She might have even opened it! That shameless, wicked woman! She actually looked at those sorts of drawings!

Surely that wicked woman didn't think that this naughty book was his?

Chapter 338: The First Kiss (1)

Although the changes in He Sanlang's expression weren't obvious, Chu Lian had been watching him this entire time; she noticed when the glint in his eyes changed. When she followed He Sanlang's line of sight, the crude naughty book that she had casually thrown onto the side table came into view.

Chu Lian blinked as curiosity welled up inside her.

He Changdi normally seemed like a cool, aloof type of guy. She had never seen him smiling out in the open, even in front of Matriarch He. Would a man as icy and reserved as He Sanlang really read that kind of book?

Of course, Chu Lian didn't intend to judge him. He was a man after all, and it was pretty common for them to watch a few 'movies' here and there. In the modern world, they might even have an entire hard disk's worth of 'movies' featuring their idols!

She was simply curious. Chu Lian was definitely not going to admit that this was one of her stranger interests.

He Changdi's body stiffened slightly. He shifted his gaze away from that blue leather-bound book, and then, he abruptly stood up and walked over to Chu Lian's other side before sitting down again.

With his height and the armour he was wearing, as long as he bent his body forward slightly, he could block Chu Lian's view of the blue book on the table.

Chu Lian gave him a weird look. "Why did you shift to the other side so suddenly?"

He Changdi cast a quick glance over and met Chu Lian's perplexed gaze. It was only then that he pretended to be calm and collected as he replied, "I'm more used to sitting on this side."

Chu Lian muttered to herself, "What a weird habit. Aren't you still sitting on the same bed?"

When He Sanlang saw that Chu Lian hadn't mentioned the little blue book at all, he inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. However, since he was leaning his body a little sideways, his current pose seemed rather strange.

Chu Lian hadn't realised why He Sanlang had moved at first. It was only when she turned her gaze in the direction of the side table that she realised what had happened.

Her first reaction was to immediately start laughing- inside her mind, of course. This lunatic husband of hers was trying to bury his head in the sand and ignore his book?

He Sanlang hadn't even fully relaxed when Chu Lian's uniquely soft tone asked, "So you like looking at lewd drawings?"

He Changdi's cool and handsome face instantly exploded into a furious blush that covered his entire face. His skin was the type that tended towards lighter tones, so the flush of red was extremely obvious.

Chu Lian watched the changes on He Sanlang's face in surprise. She finally understood what the phrase 'ripe as a peach' meant.

He Changdi's deep, serious eyes were now filled with embarrassment.

His lips pressed so tightly together that they formed a thin line, and his face got redder and redder by the second. After a moment of struggle, he managed to spit out a single sentence: "That book's not mine."

Chu Lian was already rolling on the floor with laughter inside her head. It took all of her might to hold onto the last vestiges of her calm facade. She hadn't expected He Changdi to be so cute when embarrassed; how could she have resisted the urge to tease him?

"I found that book under your bed, so who else could it belong to? Who would put a book like that under someone else's bed?"

He just knew that this would happen! It was in this wicked woman's nature to be utterly infuriating!

He had clearly been telling the truth, yet she refused to believe a single word of it.

Frustration built up within He Sanlang's chest. However, there was no way for him to let it out. His current expression was extremely entertaining.

Chu Lian just couldn't resist throwing in another jab. "There aren't any women in most military camps, so it's normal to look at these kinds of books. But there's nothing much to this one."

There were just some normal positions shown in that book. They didn't even change the backgrounds of the drawings; it was too primitive.

Upon hearing Chu Lian's statement, a dangerous glint started shining in He Changdi's eyes.

He finally managed to get a word in edgewise. In a sinister voice, he asked, "So you looked inside?"

Chapter 339: First Kiss (2)

Chu Lian hadn't detected the change in his mood, so she openly admitted her doings. "Mm, I flipped through it."

He Changdi's eyes instantly opened wide. His face was still flushed as he pointed at Chu Lian with a trembling hand, "You... Chu Lian, you loose woman...!"

Ah?

It was Chu Lian's turn to open her eyes wide. Just looking at some lewd drawings was enough to condemn her as a loose woman? They were such lousy drawings, too.

A corner of her lips tugged downwards. Or should she say that this lunatic husband of hers was just too inexperienced?

Chu Lian didn't care about He Sanlang's reprimand at all. She simply rolled her eyes and said, "Isn't your book too low quality?" Even with such poor quality, He Sanlang was still squirreling it away like it was some treasure.

He Changdi almost exploded on the spot. His frustration was stuck in his chest with nowhere to go. That chattering mouth of hers was really annoying as well. His pupils contracted; he finally lost control of his emotions and grabbed her shoulders before sweeping her up in a fierce kiss.

Chu Lian had just been in the middle of enjoying He Sanlang's blushing a second ago. In the next instant, her mind went completely blank.

She could feel the pressure of something soft and slightly cool on her lips. She blinked once, then twice, before she finally came to her senses.

He Sanlang was kissing her by force!

She immediately put her hands on He Changdi's chest and instinctively struggled as she tried to push him away.

However, He Changdi's palms were so strong that they seemed to be made of steel. They held onto her slender shoulders so that she couldn't move.

Chu Lian didn't understand what kind of fit he was having now.

The fires of He Sanlang's rage were still burning brightly. If he were to let go of her mouth and let her continue speaking, who knew what new ways she would find to infuriate him? Thus, he simply kept her mouth occupied.

He still hadn't realised that his heart was beating tremendously fast while he was kissing Chu Lian.

He Changdi was still a virgin after all. He didn't even know how to kiss, let alone act out the scenes shown in that naughty little book. When he realised that Chu Lian was struggling, his only reaction was to press his lips even more forcefully onto hers, as if he could subdue her by doing so. How naive.

Although the mouth that was always filled with words meant to provoke him was annoying, it tasted rather good. He wondered what Chu Lian had just eaten. There was an addictively sweet taste on her soft, supple lips that drew him back time and time again for more.

Chu Lian made muffled sounds of complaint. Their teeth were grinding against each other, so she was feeling very uncomfortable. However, He Sanlang was like a bull locked on his target, he just tried going forward without turning back.

As she cried out in her heart, Chu Lian had no choice but to part her lips slightly so she could catch He Changdi's upper lip between her own, giving herself a chance to breathe.

He Sanlang reacted as if he had just been struck by lightning. His body stiffened as he finally managed to reach enlightenment, almost like it had been sent straight from the heavens.

It was easy for men to grasp what to do in these kinds of situations without any prior experience. Chu Lian's simple action had somehow opened a gateway in his mind; He Changdi managed to gain insight into the art of kissing in the span of a mere instant.

He mounted a counterattack, causing Chu Lian to lose her advantageous position and face a pending defeat.

By the time He Changdi finally let go of her, Chu Lian's lips had already turned red and swollen...

Chu Lian was a little annoyed. She covered her lips and glared fiercely at He Sanlang. "He Changdi! Would it kill you to be gentle?"

It was He Sanlang's first time experiencing something so wonderful. He was still panting for breath as he immersed himself in the recollection of the sweet taste on his lips. Chu Lian's complaint snapped him back to reality and caused his expression to darken, as if his pride as a man had been questioned.

However, he did feel a little guilty, since he hadn't known how to kiss at all to begin with. It was only later on that he had discovered the true technique of kissing, so he held back his retort. After struggling for a moment, he finally managed to reply with a subdued, "I'll be gentler next time..."

Chu Lian rolled her eyes.

She muttered to herself, "There won't be a next time!"

Although it was just a kiss, it felt like she had almost been completely eaten up by him. That feeling was just too scary.

Chapter 340: Having a Meal Together (1)

He Sanlang's senses were quite sharp. Although Chu Lian had spoken in a low mutter, he still managed to catch it with his hearing. His thick brows drew together to express his clear displeasure.

"Chu Lian, what did you say?"

Chu Lian covered her mouth and gave an awkward titter. She leaned her body away from He Sanlang's and quickly replied, "Nothing."

She didn't dare to provoke him any longer. He Sanlang was just too dangerous right now. Chu Lian was smart enough not to bait the tiger in its den.

When He Changdi saw that he had somehow managed to survive this whole turn of events, he breathed a sigh of relief in his mind. He stood up, walked over to the small table and pretended to bump into the table 'accidentally', causing the little blue book to drop into the brazier placed conveniently next to the table. The book was instantly consumed by the flames within.

Chu Lian rolled her eyes. Anyone with eyes could tell that He Sanlang had done that on purpose.

He Changdi turned his body towards hers and stated, "I bumped into it accidentally. Never mind, it's no loss if it burns."

It really was no loss to He Sanlang. He couldn't wait to see it disappear from the face of the earth. Xiao Hongyu was likely the only one who would cry over the loss.

His very last book of obscene drawings had been burned into ashes. He must be destiny's favourite plaything!

While standing outside the tent, Wenqing and Wenlan secretly exchanged glances. After confirming that there weren't abnormal sounds coming from within the tent, they announced their return.

"Third Young Master, Third Young Madam, we servants have brought back your meals."

Chu Lian fixed her disarrayed hair before calling Wenqing and Wenlan in.

Wenqing moved the small table over to where the couple was seated. Wenlan then took out the dishes from within the box they had brought over and placed them on the table. While Wenqing busied herself with setting out chopsticks and bowls, she explained, "Captain Guo sent a message saying that something came up and that he won't be able to accompany Third Young Madam for the meal. This servant is to inform you that Lieutenant Xiao has also gone over to Captain Guo's side."

Chu Lian nodded with a slight upward tilt of her lips. It seemed like the officers of the Right Wing Army were really good at reading the situation. They seemed to be letting her and He Changdi have some private time to themselves!

She stopped her wandering thoughts and turned her gaze to the table instead. When she looked at the simple- almost crude- dishes, Chu Lian couldn’t help but exclaim, "Is this what you eat normally?"

Although He Sanlang's position in the army wasn't very high, he was still an elite captain who commanded a few hundred men. Surely his meals shouldn't be this poor.

He Changdi shot a glance at her and nodded.

What he left unsaid was that these dishes were likely what Captain Guo had specially ordered the cookhouse to send them, considering that Chu Lian was a special guest.

Chu Lian eyed the wheat pancakes before her, which looked as hard as bricks, and some unknown food that was so charred that she couldn't tell what it had originally been. The nicest-looking dish was probably the plate of broiled preserved meat in the center.

Although there was steam rising from the dishes, Chu Lian lost all appetite from the whiff that she got.

When He Changdi saw that her brows had creased together, he wasn't too eager to start the meal either. He asked, "No appetite?"

After thinking for a bit, he understood what had happened. To the soldiers here in the north, the taste of Chu Lian's normal fare would be heavenly or almost inconceivable. How would she be able to swallow these military rations?

Wenqing and Wenlan felt anxious for their young mistress. Even they couldn't muster up any appetite, let alone their Third Young Madam!

After a slight pause, He Sanlang turned to Wenqing and Wenlan. "Go and cook something else for your Third Young Madam."

He turned to Chu Lian, who was sitting opposite him, and gave her a suggestion: "If you're feeling hungry, why don't you have some honey water first?" He knew that Chu Lian had the habit of drinking honey water.

Chu Lian didn't really want to eat the food served here in the northern border camp. However, when she looked at the food on the table, she could tell that they had been given enough for two. The northern border troops were already lacking in supplies, so it wouldn't be good to waste any of it.

She reached out and pointed at the plates.

"Then what about these?"

Chapter 341: Having a Meal Together (2)

He Sanlang looked at the crude porcelain bowl in front of her. He took her bowl and put it in front of himself before replying in his usual magnetic tone, "I'll eat these. Wait for Wenqing and Wenlan to make you something else."

Then, He Changdi took up the bowl of charred mystery food and started gulping it down furiously.

Chu Lian saw that he had put the less perishable wheat pancakes and salted meat to one side and had only put the two bowls of mystery food in front of himself. She could guess at what he was intending to do. He Sanlang was going to finish the two bowls of charred stuff by himself in order not to waste food.

Her chest felt heavy for some reason, and she started to feel pity for He Changdi.

Chu Lian suddenly called out and stopped the maidservants who were about to go out to look for a place to cook.

Wenqing and Wenlan both gave Chu Lian strange looks. "Do you have any other orders, Third Young Madam?"

Chu Lian shook her head. "There's no need to go to the trouble. I'll eat these."

It wasn't as if she was a spoiled princess who couldn't bear the slightest bit of suffering. Since thousands of men in the army were eating these every day and even He Changdi was eating this kind of food, then why couldn't she do the same?

Wenqing and Wenlan's eyes widened. They couldn't believe that their Third Young Madam, who would rather starve than eat something terrible, would actually choose to eat such unappetising food. However, since their master had given the order, they couldn't disobey her. They retreated outside the tent so as to not disturb the young couple.

He Changdi clearly hadn't expected Chu Lian to actually eat this poor fare.

He remained stunned for a second before recovering his sense. Thinking that Chu Lian was only interested in the food because he was gulping it down quickly, he gave her a kind reminder. "Chu Lian, don't look at how quickly I'm eating this. Actually, it doesn't really taste that good. It's like heaven and earth compared to your cooking."

Chu Lian looked at him before pointing at the bowl he had taken from her. "Pass it to me."

He Sanlang had no other choice but to follow her order. He knew that he wouldn't be able to convince her at this point. He thought for a moment before pouring half of the mystery food from her bowl into his own. He then told Wenqing to pour a bowl of warm water for them.

He Sanlang placed the bowl in front of Chu Lian before making a few off-handed remarks, as if he wasn’t concerned at all. However, anyone would be able to sense the care in his words.

"This bean paste doesn't taste very good, and you're probably not used to this kind of taste anyway. Just have a little bit of it. The wheat pancakes are too hard, so tear them up and soak them in the warm water before you eat them. You can have some of the salted meat as well."

Chu Lian nodded and took her bowl from him. She looked at the black substance that she now knew was 'bean paste' and gulped. Following that, she used her spoon to scoop of it up and placed it gingerly into her mouth. Almost immediately, a weird taste overwhelmed her tongue. Chu Lian almost spit it out. In the end, she forced herself to swallow it. After managing that feat, she quickly drank some warm water to wash away the lingering taste in her mouth.

Chu Lian was absolutely shocked at the taste of this strange bean paste. She had no idea how it was made either. The taste of it was almost at the level of Surströmming, one of the worst foods in the world.

As much as Chu Lian had tried to mentally prepare herself, she just couldn't summon the courage to take a second bite out of the small bowl of bean paste in front of her.

The hint of a smile could be seen in the crease of He Sanlang's eyes, a rarity for the normally icy-faced man. He took Chu Lian's bowl back and pushed the bowl of wheat pancakes to Chu Lian. "Eat this instead!"

Then, He Sanlang took out a fine-looking dagger from his waistband and, with practiced movements, cut off a few pieces from the salted meat before putting them in her bowl.

"If it's tasteless to you, then take a bite of salted meat."

Chu Lian nibbled at a wheat pancake and heaved a sigh of relief upon finding that it tasted pretty normal. Although it couldn't be considered delicious, it was like gourmet food compared to the bean paste.

While taking small bites from the pancake, she glanced at He Changdi from time to time. She watched as he expressionlessly finished off the two bowls of bean paste and cut off a small piece of salted meat. He chewed on the salted meat for a while before setting down his chopsticks.

Chapter 342: Getting Angry (1)

Chu Lian had always been picky with her food. Although she managed to force herself to eat at least a little of each dish, she knew she was approaching her limits and sensibly set down her chopsticks after a few bites.

He Sanlang didn't say anything upon noticing her actions. He simply took her leftover wheat pancake and finished it.

Chu Lian blinked and watched as He Changdi ate all of her leftovers with a cold, handsome face. She felt both embarrassed and guilty at the same time.

In order to ease the awkwardness, Chu Lian tried to start up a conversation. "So this is what all the officers in camp eat every day?"

He Changdi finished drinking all the warm water left in the bowl and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief that Wenlan passed over. He then turned to look at the young, weak woman before of him.

The wicked woman's doe-like eyes were shining brightly, like a little creature filled with curiosity.

He Sanlang shifted his gaze away as casually as he could before carefully replying, "Mm, even the great general is no exception."

Chu Lian wailed in her heart at the bleakness of his answer. However, she also found it strange. She knew from history that even the unpaid volunteer forces that were formed to fight against sudden rebellions- like the Hunan Army, for example- weren’t this worse off. With no grains and only bean paste to eat, this was a truly dire situation.

While He Sanlang's position wasn't very high, he was still a captain. Chu Lian had come today with an imperial decree to bring them supplies, so Great General Qian had specially invited her to stay for a meal. They wouldn't normally welcome their guests with such poor fare, what more an Honoured Lady representing the Empress Dowager.

However, the only thing the army kitchen’s staff had sent over were these dishes...

At least there was salted meat and wheat pancakes, but at the same time, there was only salted meat and wheat pancakes. If this was what they were given, what about the lowest ranked soldiers?

Chu Lian's eyes widened into huge circles. She gulped and sped over to He Changdi's side.

When Wenqing and Wenlan noticed their young madam's sudden action, they were momentarily stunned. A red flush overcame their cheeks, and then they were both making a hasty retreat out of the tent.

Absence really did make the heart grow fonder. Third Young Madam hadn't gotten enough alone time with Third Young Master.

When Chu Lian sat down next to He Changdi, she even squeezed closer to him, as if they weren't already close enough.

All He Changdi could smell right now was Chu Lian's uniquely refreshing, sweet scent. His entire body froze as he tried to figure out what Chu Lian was trying to do.

He wanted to push the wicked woman away, but his hands just refused to listen to him.

Her familiar scent drew him back to the memories of that wonderful kiss from before.

The tips of He Sanlang's ears turned red and he gulped unconsciously, causing his Adam's apple to bob.

The depths of his pupils seemed to turn even darker as his eyes darted towards Chu Lian's tender, pink lips. However, Chu Lian's next words made him drop his wayward thoughts completely.

"He Sanlang, tell me honestly, is the border army running out of food?"

He Changdi's body froze like a statue. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed Chu Lian's arm with his large hand. In a deep, chilling tone, he questioned, "How do you know that?!"

Chu Lian hadn't noticed his strange mood yet; she was too occupied by her shock. Her eyes grew wide. So it was true!

"Didn't your manservant Laiyue follow you here to the northern border? How come I haven't seen him these past few days?" Laiyue definitely wasn't in the camp. Otherwise, he should have come out to welcome her in He Changdi's stead by now. However, he wasn't at Liangzhou's He Estate either... Chu Lian's eyes lit up.

"You've sent him out to secure supplies?" Chu Lian's bright, sparkling eyes were filled with certainty as she looked up at He Changdi.

However, the sight that met her eyes was enough to make her tremble in fright.

The look in He Sanlang's eyes was cold. He looked exactly like the day they had first met, as if he wanted to chew her up and spit out her blood. Back on their wedding night, when he had almost strangled her to death...

Chu Lian could feel the hairs on her head stand on end. She subconsciously took a step back, trying to distance herself from the danger before her.

However, He Changdi maintained his tight hold on her upper arm and refused to let her move. His dangerous gaze was locked onto Chu Lian's eyes, as if he was trying to see into her heart and thoughts with his eyes alone!

He asked again, "How. Do. You. Know. That!" His tone was even more sinister than the first time.

He Changdi had been able to make preparations in advance because he had experienced it in his previous life, but how had Chu Lian been able to find out about the lack of supplies?

Chapter 343: Getting Angry (2)

By now, Chu Lian had realised that there was something wrong with He Sanlang. However, she still didn't know how she had triggered him.

She pushed at the hand grasping her arm and pitifully complained, "Can't you loosen up a little? You're hurting me! What do you mean, how do I know that? No need for someone to tell me; anyone with a brain would be able to guess it! If the meal they sent to welcome me as an envoy of the Empress Dowager looks like this, then what could the normal soldiers be eating?"

He Changdi continued his one-sided, fierce staring contest, even as Chu Lian gave him a wounded look. Just as she was about to let loose a furious scolding and start struggling, he finally let go.

In his past life, that wicked woman had cast a shadow over his heart, and a tremendous amount of fear still remained within him. Now that he realised he was somehow starting to care for this wicked woman- that is, if she was truly just this lifetime's Chu Lian- he was both afraid and uncertain. He was so very scared that the Chu Lian in front of him would disappear, only to be replaced by the tormentor of his previous life.

That was why his reaction had been so over the top.

Chu Lian was still in the dark about the reason behind He Changdi's abrupt change. She gingerly rubbed her arm and glared at the silent lunatic next to her, full of complaints.

"It's definitely bruised! He Sanlang, what kind of fit are you having?!"

When He Changdi finally came to his senses, the first emotion that came to his mind was regret. He didn't know how to face Chu Lian, so he bowed his head and let his long, thick eyelashes obscure his eyes. It was only after a long moment that he managed to say, "I didn't do that on purpose."

Chu Lian rolled her eyes and sighed.

She called for Wenqing and Wenlan.

"Help me up."

Wenqing carefully helped Chu Lian to her feet. When she touched Chu Lian's arm, her mistress let out a hiss of pain. Wenqing was startled; she secretly glanced at He Changdi.

Chu Lian straightened out her skirts before turning to the dazed He Sanlang sitting opposite her. "Husband, it's getting late. If I dally any longer, it'll be dark by the time I return to the He Estate."

Without giving He Changdi the chance to answer, she turned around and ordered Wenqing and Wenlan to help her into her cape. She stuffed her hands into her hand warmer before lifting the tent flap and leaving the tent.

Judging by how cold Chu Lian had suddenly become, anyone could tell that there was trouble in paradise.

When He Changdi saw that Chu Lian had left without even glancing back, his expression turned ugly. He resisted the urge to escort her out. The tent flap fell. It was only after it stopped moving that He Changdi raised his arm, preparing to shove over the small table still filled with food.

However, upon seeing the leftover wheat pancakes and salted meat, he had to hold himself back. In the end, without any other way to vent his anger and frustration, he kicked over the brazier on the side.

Bright red coals spilled all over the ground. Luckily, the floor of his tent was just bare dirt, so the coals didn't set fire to anything.

He Sanlang stared at the rolling hot coals on the ground with a dark look in his eyes. He paced around the tent twice in anger before sitting back down on his bed.

The originally hard, damp bedding had turned into a soft and warm one. The fleece blanket laid out on top was even more comfortable than the one he had brought with him from the capital. There were also flowers embroidered on the blanket, so he could tell that it belonged to a woman.

He Sanlang brushed the surface of the bed with his long fingers before checking the insides of his mattress. The mess of dried grass within had disappeared, replaced by a soft woollen blanket.

As the image of that wicked woman gritting her teeth and replacing his bedding for him came to mind, he could no longer sit still. He slammed the bed with his fist in a last show of temper before grabbing his cloak and dashing out of the tent after Chu Lian.

Chapter 344: Lacking Supplies (1)

As He Sanlang exited his tent, he happened to bump into Sima Hui. When Sima Hui noticed He Sanlang, she pulled her horse along and quickly strode over with a smile on her lips. She was about to greet him when He Sanlang simply moved right past her.

Sima Hui's hand hung frozen in the air. An awkward expression appeared on her face.

Sima Hui could only return to the main camp in a gloomy mood, disappointed. After giving her report in the commander's tent, she met her adjutant Xiaoyan and two other female soldiers who had been waiting outside.

Her adjutant's expression wasn't very good. Her hands were red from frostbite and her eyes were both reddened and swollen from tears. When Sima Hui saw the state that Xiaoyan was in, her expression changed immediately. "What happened?"

Xiaoyan simply looked down and bit her lip without speaking, which only emphasised her pitiful appearance.

In the end, the female soldiers behind her were the first to lose their patience. They immediately began to spill their complaints. "General, you have to mete out justice for Sister Xiaoyan and your subordinates."

Sima Hui took a deep breath to control her anger. Then, she ordered, "Follow me back to camp and explain everything there."

The three women obediently agreed and followed behind Sima Hui as they made their way back to their own tent.

When her subordinates finally finished reporting the entire chain of events, Sima Hui looked up at Xiaoyan, who was standing before her. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Xiaoyan, tell me if what they said was true."

The adjutant Xiaoyan didn't know what was going on. Although the general's voice was as gentle as usual, she could feel her heart tightening with apprehension.

She sent a careful glance at Sima Hui before gritting her teeth and nodding. "Miss, everything they said is true. Honoured Lady Jinyi didn't show you a single ounce of respect. She even made trouble for this servant on purpose. She might have something against you because of Captain He."

Her young miss had always protected her; she couldn't even count the number of times she had done so. Xiaoyan believed that this time would be no exception. As long as her young miss wanted to fight for the man, with her around to plot for her young miss, Captain He was practically in the bag already.

Xiaoyan was brimming with self-confidence. However, this time, she might really have overestimated her own value.

Disappointment flashed through Sima Hui's eyes. She briefly hesitated before finally saying, "Xiaoyan, you know what your punishment should be. Go and mete it out yourself. I won't need you to serve by my side any longer; let Xiaoju take your place."

Sima Hui wasn't a stupid person. There was a reason why she had managed to earn the position of general at such a young age.

While Old General Sima had been alive, he had personally taught her everything he knew. Later on, she had also spent almost five years in the army, starting from the lowest rank. Xiaoyan had grown up together with her and had served her as her personal handmaid for all that time. Although she had already gotten used to spoiling Xiaoyan, Sima Hui still stood by her own principles. Xiaoyan had crossed the line and Sima Hui had no mercy for offenders.

Xiaoyan had thought to borrow her general's power to intimidate Chu Lian. She assumed that her long years of service would lessen any consequences. Even if her mistress found out the truth, the worst punishment she would receive would only amount to a light reprimand. Xiaoyan never expected her mistress to dismiss her directly from her personal service. That punishment was even worse than sentencing her to fifty strikes of the rod.

Xiaoyan’s previous calm instantly turned into panic and fear. "Miss, if this servant has done something to displease you, please punish this servant directly! Please don't send this servant away! The old general has already gone; this servant only has one master left!"

This time, Sima Hui remained unmoved by her pleas. With a wave of her hand, her two female guards stuffed Xiaoyan's mouth with cloth and took her away.

As for the two remaining female soldiers, when they saw how Xiaoyan had ended up, they lost all the courage to speak. They knelt down and lowered their heads, trembling with fear. Without any prompting from Sima Hui, they began to beg for mercy as they cried, "General, it was Sister Xiaoyan who ordered us to do everything. It wasn't our idea at all! General, please have mercy on us!"

Sima Hui's handsome face was all cold. Her brows were drawn together and her eyes were filled with fatigue and disappointment.

With another wave of her hand, the two remaining female soldiers were also taken away. To their dismissal, Sima Hui included an additional order. "Take these two to Captain He's tent and let him decide their punishment."

Chapter 345: Lacking Supplies (2)

There was only silence in her warm tent, now. After a few days and nights of fighting, she should have long been sound asleep in bed, but Sima Hui wasn't sleepy at all. She listened to the north wind howling outside her tent with a bitter and helpless feeling in her heart.

Actually, when she had returned to the main tent, Xiaoju had already reported the day's events to her. She just hadn't expected Xiaoyan to have betrayed her expectations so badly.

The corner of Sima Hui's lips tugged downwards bitterly. Xiaoyan had been too naive. Honoured Lady Jinyi had managed to teach them a lesson with nary a change in expression. How could someone like that be taken down by such a weak scheme?

A few moments ago, when she had passed by the hurried Captain He, he had most likely been chasing after that Honoured Lady Jinyi.

She was a little curious about this Honoured Lady Jinyi now.

As Sima Hui immersed herself in her thoughts, Xiaoju brought over some food.

She knew that her young miss was still angry over Xiaoyan, so Xiaoju was even more careful and conscientious in her service. "General, please eat. You haven't eaten anything since you've returned!"

Sima Hui took a deep breath to calm her emotions and nodded.

When she picked up the silver chopsticks on the table, her gaze took in the food displayed before her.

Sima Hui was momentarily stunned. She asked, "Why isn't there any rice today?"

Although Sima Hui's ancestors were from Shandong, her likings were more akin to her mother's, who had come from the southern parts of the country where there were many lakes and rivers. She loved rice. When she had the luxury to, she would rarely eat things made of flour as her main dish.

It was usually Xiaoju who took care of her clothing and food in the main camp. She usually had rice or porridge for all three meals of the day. However, there wasn't a single grain of rice in any of the dishes before her. What was going on?

Xiaoju sunk into silence, but after a moment, she said, "General, we've used up all the rice we brought with us."

Sima Hui paused in thought for a short while, but ultimately, she didn't say anything. She picked up a wheat pancake and bit into it. In the end, she had to pair it with water before she managed to swallow the tough pancake.

She looked again at the other dishes. There was a small saucer of some sort of black sauce and half a plate of salted meat. She set down the wheat pancake in her hands and asked, "Is this what all the officers in camp eat every day?"

With Xiaoyan's example before her, Xiaoju didn't dare to hide anything from her general.

"Yes, this is what this servant was given by the cooks in camp. Even the great general himself eats food like this. The dried meat and sauce were specially given to you because of General Qian's orders."

Sima Hui's brows furrowed. Her gut told her that something wasn't right.

"Other than those under my command, what do the normal soldiers eat?"

"For the soldiers who aren't deployed at the frontlines, they get two bowls of bean porridge and one wheat pancake each day. The soldiers at the frontlines get three meals a day and each meal consists of one wheat pancake and a bowl of bean porridge."

Upon getting this answer, Sima Hui's eyes widened in shock. "When did the border troops start eating bean porridge?!"

Xiaoju was much more reliable than Xiaoyan. She had a conscientious personality, so she normally scouted for more news in camp.

"They started eating bean porridge even before we arrived. However, that had only been for one meal a day back then. There was also some rice porridge in the morning and night. However, since the end of last month, the camp has completely stopped eating rice. The quartermaster said that they're saving the grains to pass the winter."

Sima Hui wasn't that naive. Her expression was full of worry. She stood up and walked over the tent entrance. The moment she lifted the flap, a bone-piercingly cold wind came barrelling in from outside, complete with ice and snow. It was enough to make anyone shiver.

Saving supplies? Who would start saving supplies in winter? Their men would freeze to death if they tried to cut back in this cold weather.

She was afraid that their supplies had most likely run dry...

Chapter 346: He Sanlang Doesn’t Know How to Placate His Wife (1)

Not long after Chu Lian's carriage had left the camp, He Changdi came chasing after her on a horse with two of his subordinates in tow.

There was a brazier burning within the carriage, but it was still cold and breezy. In the northern border, it was so cold that spit would turn into ice the moment it hit the ground. The fleece rug and blankets that had originally been placed inside the carriage had been used to replace He Changdi's bedding, so all that was left were bare wooden boards. Chu Lian wasn't used to the cold and hard interior yet.

Wenqing heard the sound of hurried hoofbeats outside the carriage, so she lifted the curtain to peek outside. Her face lit up with happiness at the sight, and she immediately turned to Chu Lian. Wenqing began to adjust the large fur cloak on her mistress as she said, "Third Young Madam, Third Young Master has come to send you off."

Chu Lian was still angry at that lunatic husband of hers and had no desire to see him at this point. All she did was harrumph.

Wenqing started getting anxious when she saw Third Young Madam's reaction. However, there was nothing she could do.

Chu Lian was intent on stewing in her anger inside the carriage. Meanwhile, He Sanlang had never been a man who was good at placating his wife; considering how his previous life went, reincarnating did little to help matters. The thought of shamelessly begging his wife for forgiveness had never even crossed his mind. Thus, he kept his face cold and continued following Chu Lian's carriage on his horse, escorting her silently all the way back to the He Estate in Liangzhou City.

When they arrived, He Sanlang dismounted from his horse and stood by the carriage. It wasn't until he finally saw Chu Lian being helped down from the carriage by Wenlan that his deep, dark gaze finally lit up with some life. He Sanlang moved forward with the intention to help her, but when that only caused him to be on the receiving end of his wife’s fierce glare, he pulled his hand back.

As he was right now, He Sanlang looked like a poor dog who had been abandoned by his master...

After Chu Lian glared at him, she walked straight into the He Estate without Wenqing and Wenlan's support, treating He Changdi as if he was thin air.

He Sanlang stood silently by the entrance of the estate as the cold winter winds blew past.

The two subordinates who had followed after him lowered their heads with scared looks on their faces, afraid that their captain would turn around to take his anger out on them instead.

Damn it, which brat had told them that there would be good food to eat if they accompanied the captain to the He Estate!? They were going to kill him when they got back to camp!

He Changdi continued staring in the direction that Chu Lian had left in, his thin lips pressed tightly together. His hands curled into fists at his side. The small trace of warmth in his eyes disappeared and his expression turned cold and dark.

Just like this, he stood by the entrance of the estate without entering or leaving, as if the howling icy winds would be able to calm the swirling emotions in his heart.

After fifteen minutes, Chu Lian could no longer sit still. She wasn't the kind of girl to play cold wars anyway. She had only given the cold shoulder to He Changdi because that fool deserved it!

When Wenqing noticed that Third Young Madam seemed a little distracted, she quickly took the chance to ask, "Third Young Madam, we haven't heard any sound of hoofbeats. It's still snowing outside, wouldn't it be unbearable to stand out there in the cold? Third Young Master might be sent back out to the frontlines to fight our enemies, too..."

Before Wenqing could finish speaking, Chu Lian had already interrupted her.

"Go out and give him some stuff!"

Seeing that Third Young Madam had finally given in, Wenqing's face brightened up with joy. She quickly called Wenlan to follow her out to prepare a package. Just as they were about to leave, Chu Lian quickly added on, "Don't tell him that it was my order! I'm still angry here! And I haven't forgiven him! It's just... for the sake of his efforts on the frontlines."

Wenqing resisted the urge to smile and respectfully agreed.

As Wenqing rushed towards the estate entrance with a package in hand, she spotted Manager Qin standing to one side awkwardly. When Manager Qin noticed her arrival, he reacted as if he had seen his saviour.

"Is Young Master still standing at the entrance?" Wenqing asked in a whisper.

Manager Qin nodded with a troubled expression. "Miss Wenqing, please try to convince Third Young Master to return. Those two soldiers standing behind Third Young Master look like they're about to freeze."

Wenqing told him to return to the estate first, while she hurried towards the entrance.

Chapter 347: He Sanlang Doesn’t Know How to Placate His Wife (2)

He Changdi had been standing at the entrance with his hands behind his back for quite some time by now. When he caught sight of Wenqing from the corner of his eyes, the hopes that he had been secretly harbouring in his heart were dashed.

By the time Wenqing finished bobbing in greeting to her young master, all that greeted her in return was her young master's icy voice. "What have you come here for?"

Wenqing was afraid that Third Young Master would mistake her intentions, so she quickly explained, "Third Young Master, this servant has come under Third Young Madam's orders."

He Sanlang's stiff expression relaxed a little upon hearing this. He shifted awkwardly on the spot before giving his best shot at feigning a casual reply. "What did she say?"

Although Wenqing wanted to laugh, how could she possibly dare to do so?

She presented the package to He Changdi with both hands and said, "Third Young Master, Third Young Madam asks for you to return to camp quickly. These are some things that she had this servant prepare for you. Third Young Madam was afraid that you wouldn't have enough clothes to wear since you gave away your clothes today, so she had these two sets of new clothes prepared."

As He Changdi took the package from Wenqing, his expression grew a little warmer. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he couldn't resist asking, "Is your young madam still angry with me?"

When Wenqing heard her master actually asking something like this, she took the chance to say, "Third Young Master, this servant has been serving by Third Young Madam's side for some time now, so this servant understands Third Young Madam's personality a little. Third Young Madam has always been friendly and easygoing, even with us lowly servants. She always meets everyone with a smile on her face. This servant has seen how much Third Young Madam has suffered on the way here to the northern border, so this servant hopes that Third Young Master might try to understand Third Young Madam's plight."

Wenqing's words made the regret in He Sanlang's heart grow even deeper. He pressed his lips together without speaking for a long moment. Then, he finally said, "Go back and take good care of your young madam. Although her ankle is almost healed, she can't be careless with it."

Even though He Changdi's voice was still the same, his tone had become much warmer and gentler. Wenqing knew that her persuasion had worked. Now with a lighter heart, she agreed and said, "Please don't worry, Third Young Master. This servant will take good care of Third Young Madam."

He Sanlang hooked his arm through the handle of the package and slung it onto his back. He mounted his horse and led his subordinates away from the He Estate back to camp.

If Chu Lian were to find out how Wenqing had explained the situation to He Sanlang, she would have surely awarded her maidservant with a huge eyeroll.

To be honest, on the whole journey here to the north, she really hadn't suffered much at all, excluding that sneak attack by the barbarians and Tuhuns. Her preparations had been thorough enough, and Tang Yan was a capable man. They hadn't lacked for anything on the way here. Although they had travelled as fast as they could, it couldn't be compared to the harsh pace the army reinforcements had to travel at.

She even had the free time to order Wenqing and Wenlan to cook something appetising each time they stopped for a break. All she had done on the journey here was eat and look at the pretty scenery. It was much better than some budget backpacking trips back in the modern world.

After urging his horse on with his whip, He Changdi finally managed to return to the main camp before the sun set.

Once he reached his tent, he saw that a bunch of his good friends were all waiting for him within.

Zhang Mai was met with He Changdi's terrible expression the moment he entered the tent. The corner of Zhang Mai’s lips curled at the sight and he tsked. "Ay, we single bastards just don't get the same level of treatment as these happily married fools."

He slapped Xiao Hongyu's shoulder as the poor lad was still searching around He Changdi's bed. "Alright, that's enough. What are you still searching for? Those lewd drawings of yours are probably ash in the brazier by now."

Xiao Hongyu immediately let out an anguished wail and collapsed onto He Changdi's soft bed. "Brother He, Sister-in-Law couldn't have possibly found that book, right?!"

He Sanlang had completely lost all of his dignity as a man in front of Chu Lian today. When Xiao Hongyu fearlessly reminded him of the incident, he sneered sinisterly.

Chapter 348: Green Jade Thumb Ring (1)

Xiao Hongyu immediately ducked behind Zhang Mai after hearing such a sinister sound from He Changdi.

The wooden chair by the side table was taken up by Captain Guo. The tent was furnished very simply and there weren't any extra chairs around, so He Changdi could only stand to one side once he joined the group.

Captain Guo smiled and gave a meaningful look at the fleece blanket embroidered with flowers, which clearly didn't belong to a man, laid out on He Changdi's bed. He then patted the neatly folded bedding on the side table and shook his head. "Previously, I was worried about Zixiang's health, having to sleep on such a cold bed all the time, so I requested for a new set of bedding from the great general. It looks like it's not needed anymore."

After saying so, he tossed the bedding to Xiao Hongyu. "How lucky for you, brat!"

Xiao Hongyu chuckled but he didn't accept the bedding. He turned and pushed it into Zhang Mai's arms. "Brother Zhang has some old injuries, we can't let him suffer the cold. I'm still young, so the fleece blanket that Brother He gave me will be enough for me to pass this winter."

The sun didn't shine much out here in the north, and temperatures were extremely low. Although Captain Guo and Zhang Mai were only in their thirties and they looked healthy and strong in their armour, the many years of army life had already left unseen marks on their bodies.

When it was cloudy, rainy, or cold, especially in this winter season, their old injuries would flare up.

The court hadn't been able to send supplies to them, so they were severely lacking in not only food, but warm cotton-padded blankets and clothes to survive the winter. Great General Qian had not only personally met Chu Lian out of respect for the Empress Dowager, but also because the supplies that Chu Lian had brought over were just what they needed.

Even now, many of the foot soldiers didn't have cotton-padded blankets or clothes. Most of them were using dried grass to make do. This was also why Captain Guo had to go to Great General Qian personally just to request for a set of bedding.

If this were any other camp, they might still be able to ask the citizens nearby to donate some supplies. However, there weren't many people in the north they could ask for supplies from. Liangzhou was practically a shell of a city, with only their troops left to defend it. Thus, the situation was looking quite bad.

In the end, the bedding that Captain Guo had brought over ended up with Zhang Mai.

Captain Guo shot a glance at the package that He Changdi was carrying and smiled. "Seeing how lovey-dovey you and your wife are is making me miss my own. I wonder how she and the kids are doing in the capital."

All the land and water routes had been blocked by the snow. Letters hadn't been able to pass through for quite some time. Even officers like Captain Guo and the rest hadn't been able to receive anything from home since a month or two ago.

Captain Guo's words made the originally lively atmosphere in the tent dim down to a dead silence.

He Sanlang's thoughts were also drawn out. He thought of his grandmother back in the capital, as well as his sickly bedridden mother.

In the end, Captain Guo realised that the air didn't seem right and tried to lighten the atmosphere again. "Alright, alright. What are you all thinking about? Our fifty thousand brothers-in-arms here in the north all share the same fate now. If all our brothers start becoming as gloomy as you guys, then how are we going to fight off the Tuhuns?"

Xiao Hongyu rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "And who was the one who mentioned that topic in the first place..."

"Xiao Hongyu! I see that you're just bent on looking for trouble! Hmph, don’t make me unleash my temper on you!" Captain Guo stood up and acted as if he was going to give Xiao Hongyu two black eyes.

After playing around for a bit, the sad atmosphere from before completely dissipated.

Chapter 349: Green Jade Thumb Ring (2)

He Changdi suddenly spoke up. "Brother Guo, the Tuhun army hasn't been attacking in full force for the past few days."

This seemed like a good thing on the surface, almost like the Tuhuns had been scared off by them. While he had been battling on the frontlines during the past few days, He Changdi could clearly feel that the Tuhuns were no longer fighting as furiously. They only sent out small waves of soldiers to mount surprise attacks or harass them, as if they were trying to play for time.

Captain Guo and the rest frowned.

Captain Guo rapped the surface of the side table with his knuckles as he mused, "Zixiang, what do you think they're trying to do?"

Although He Changdi's features were handsome, his current expression was somber and grave. "They're trying to drag out the war. I'm afraid they already know about our lack of supplies."

Captain Guo gave a huge start.

Their supply routes were completely blocked, and none of the essential supplies they needed could be sent in. Once the enemies realised the border troops' situation, they would become sitting ducks here, with only death awaiting them.

By then, the Tuhuns wouldn't need to use a single soldier or arrow to capture all fifty thousand border troops without resistance.

After all, not everyone would be able to keep thinking of serving the country when faced with extreme hunger.

Captain Guo abruptly stood up. He paced the tent with his hands behind his back in an impulsive mood.

In a flash, he looked up and swept his gaze across the entire tent. "Continue chatting. I'm going to look for the great general. Remember to watch what you say!"

Actually, Captain Guo wasn't worried about any loose lips within this group. They were sworn brothers, after all. However, he had to give reminders when he could.

Captain Guo took his cloak and rushed over to the entrance of the tent. He suddenly turned back and told He Changdi, "Zixiang, General Sima sent over two soldiers for you to punish at night. Take a look at the tent next to this."

After saying so, he lifted the tent flap and left in a flurry of wind.

Since the atmosphere had turned so grave suddenly, the brothers no longer had any desire to chat. Zhang Mai bid them goodnight and took the bedding back to his own tent.

He Changdi called one of the soldiers on duty outside and questioned him about what had happened for a moment. Following that, he ordered someone to send the two female soldiers back. He didn't want to think about what was going on with Sima Hui at this point, nor did he want to have any association with her at all.

When he returned to camp, Xiao Hongyu came over with a face expecting some gossip. "Brother He, how was it? How did you deal with those two female soldiers? I peeked a bit earlier and one of them is quite pretty."

He Sanlang sent a cool glance towards him. "I sent them back."

"What! Brother He, you let such a tasty morsel slip through your fingers!"

"Did you have something in mind?"

Xiao Hongyu rubbed the back of his round head sheepishly. "Brother He, you have a wife, but I haven't married one yet!"

He Changdi snorted. "If you want them, go ask General Sima for them yourself."

Xiao Hongyu stiffened up. "What, you want me to beg that tomboy for them? Forget it, it's better for me to be single!"

"Good that you realise that!"

Xiao Hongyu was instantly beaten into the dust by those words. He collapsed in his bed lifelessly.

It was only now that He Changdi finally had the time to open up the package that Wenqing had given him.

Xiao Hongyu secretly watched as He Sanlang opened up the package, prepared to snatch away anything tasty within.

Unfortunately, he was left with disappointment. It was just some ordinary clothes within and an exquisite-looking wooden box.

Xiao Hongyu rarely saw such fine-looking fragrant rosewood boxes, so driven by his curiosity, he came over to see. "Brother He, open it! I want to see what's inside!"

He Changdi lifted up the wooden box and examined it. The fragrant rosewood box was decorated with fine details. Its surface had been painted over in black and some auspicious patterns to draw luck for a prosperous career were carved onto it. If the box already looked this exquisite, then what about its contents?

He Sanlang was a little fazed. His deep gaze was fixed on the wooden box as if he were trying to see through it.

He had seen this in his past life before. It was something that he was very familiar with.

He already knew what was inside without opening it.

A green Hetian jade thumb ring. The one that Xiao Bojian had carried on his thumb, a perfect match with the one that Chu Lian had frequently worn.

But now, it had landed in his hands!

Chapter 350: Perfect Match (1)

Although He Sanlang wasn't surprised, he still felt ambivalent.

Xiao Hongyu, on the other hand, didn't have heavy thoughts brewing in his head like He Changdi. Instead, his curiosity was like a million cat claws scratching at the walls of his heart. He couldn't sit still any longer and tried to urge He Changdi on. "Brother He, what are you in a daze for? Quick, open it and see what's inside."

With such a nice box, surely it wouldn't turn out to be jewellery? He really couldn't think of an accessory that a man would wear.

For He Changdi, it was impossible to think with such a noisy guy right next to him. Thus, he abandoned his train of thought and turned his focus to the box. It couldn’t be opened straightforwardly. He Changdi located the hidden mechanism and pressed down, releasing the lock. The exquisitely fragrant rosewood box popped open with a clack.

Nestled within the dark red silk-lined box was a dark green piece of jade in the shape of a thumb ring. Its vibrant colour and glossy surface were a testament to its quality; it even seemed to glow in the light.

Although Xiao Hongyu didn't understand the finer points of jade quality, he could tell with one glance that something of this colour and texture was definitely high-quality. Furthermore, as a military man, Xiao Hongyu could immediately tell what the item was.

"A thumb ring!"

The lowest ranked foot soldiers of the Great Wu Dynasty were given bows and arrows. Thus, thumb rings were something that almost every soldier would use.

Some of the standard thumb rings would have grooves to help with holding the bow string. The most common type of thumb rings were made of elk horn and were rather cheap in the Great Wu Dynasty.

Xiao Hongyu was a little jealous upon seeing He Changdi's gift. The thumb ring he was wearing now was only made of elk horn; he certainly didn’t own any made out of jade. How nice it was to have a wife!

"Brother He, quick, put it on and see if it fits!"

He Changdi stared at the green jade thumb ring for a moment, but instead of putting it on, he closed the lid and didn’t say a word.

Xiao Hongyu immediately grew anxious. "Brother He, aren't you going to try it on?" When that didn’t work, Xiao Hongyu smiled and then began to cajol, "Brother He, if you're not going to use it, then why don't you lend it to me? The one I'm using is just made of elk horn. It's not really good and it usually rubs against my skin. See, I'm getting a blister on my thumb from it!"

He Changdi gripped the wooden box in his hands and cast a cool look at the shameless Xiao Hongyu. "Who said I'm not going to wear it?"

After saying so, he took out the green Hetian jade thumb ring and put it onto his right thumb.

Although He Sanlang regularly practised martial arts, resulting in some calluses on his hands, his fingers were long and slender. His hand was so slim that his finger bones could be counted from the back of his hand. When he pushed the dark green Hetian jade ring onto his thumb, it made his whole hand seem even more elegant and good-looking. It looked even better than when Xiao Bojian had worn it.

When Xiao Hongyu saw that the thumb ring was now on He Changdi's hand, he shook his head in pity and lamented, "Sister-in-Law really has a good eye for things."

He had no choice but to admit that this Hetian jade ring was perfect for He Changdi, as if it had been tailor made for him.

Even He Changdi himself lost track of his surroundings and stared at the ring for two entire seconds.

After Xiao Hongyu turned and crawled back into his own bed, He Changdi threw another wooden box at him. "You can use this from now on."

Xiao Hongyu's expression turned to joy after he opened the box. Inside it was the white jade thumb ring that He Changdi had been using. He hugged the wooden box and broke out into a wide, foolish smile. "Brother He, at least you have some conscience left in you!"

The Hetian jade ring was warm to the touch, a constant reminder of that wicked woman's existence.

A little uncomfortable, He Changdi rubbed at the thumb ring.

Finally, he set his gaze on the other items in the package. Xiao Hongyu was playing with the white jade ring that He Changdi had given him, so he was being very quiet.

There wasn't much else in the package. Just some sets of clothes that he usually wore. It was just enough to replace the two sets that he had ordered to be thrown away today. They were all inner clothing meant to be under armour.

One of them was grey and the other was indigo.

He Sanlang stroked the cloth with his slender fingers. He suddenly paused and looked closely at the indigo set of clothes.