Ch. 209 Military Law
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.
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!"
Ch. 210 Sima Hui
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...
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.