Chapter 23: The Storm is Coming
Zhao Zhanqi had asked for a secret meeting with Li Jianyu, but he hadn’t mentioned coming alone in the letter. Naturally, Li Jianyu wasn’t foolish enough to walk into a lion’s den by himself.
Bringing Lu Ai and his shadow guards, Li Jianyu headed for the city outskirts.
Besides being surrounded by forests and mountains outside the city, Luoye City also had many high mountains and hills within its walls. When Li Jianyu arrived halfway up Jile Mountain, Zhao Zhanqi had already been waiting for a long time in the Jile Temple on the mountainside. Jile Temple had a hundred-year history, but its incense was not prosperous, and its location was quite hidden.
A young monk outside the door led Li Jianyu to the backyard.
“This Prince is very pleased that the City Lord could come.” Zhao Zhanqi sat by a stone table, sipping wine lightly. Xue Ni stood quietly behind him. And unexpectedly, another middle-aged man was sitting beside Zhao Zhanqi. The man was tall and thin, his eyes revealing a ruthless and clever glint.
“What is it that Your Highness must discuss here?”
After Li Jianyu sat down, Xue Ni poured him wine.
“Naturally, it is an important matter.” Zhao Zhanqi smiled, raised his wine cup, and said, “I sincerely invite the City Lord to join our great cause.”
Is he here to recruit an ally?
“Our?”
“This Prince and this gentleman, Mister Yi, an advisor from the Great Xi.”
Li Jianyu frowned slightly. Yi Miaosuan of the Great Xi, Feng Juheng’s military advisor.
Li Jianyu pondered for a moment and said, “Is Your Highness not worried that I will not only refuse to cooperate with your plan but also expose tonight’s conversation and Mister Yi to His Majesty?”
Lu Ai stood behind Li Jianyu, his hand lightly resting on the hilt of his sword.
“General Lu, no need to be nervous.” Noticing Lu Ai’s movement, Zhao Zhanqi smiled. “Whether the City Lord agrees or not, this Prince guarantees that I will absolutely not harm the City Lord.”
“Your Highness is very confident.” Li Jianyu frowned slightly.
“Yes, this Prince knows that the City Lord will definitely agree. This Prince guesses that the City Lord does not want to side with anyone in this battle. The City Lord only wants to protect Luoye City and his own people. It is precisely because of this that the City Lord has no choice.”
Li Jianyu crossed his arms and looked at Zhao Zhanqi.
“This Prince will definitely win this battle,” Zhao Zhanqi said with conviction. “Therefore, if you want to protect Luoye City, the City Lord must help me. If you stand with Zhao Linxu’s camp, Luoye will perish along with Zhao Linxu. And if the City Lord conspires with me for a great cause, the benefits will naturally be numerous. Luoye City is just one city. Does the City Lord not want more?”
Li Jianyu said with a blank expression, “Such arrogance. Has Your Highness been carried away by your victories on the border?”
“He’s not lying to you.” Yi Miaosuan smiled and took a pill from his robes. “If you take this Nine Cauldrons Pill, I will tell you a secret. A secret as to why His Highness will surely win.”
“City Lord! Don’t listen to him!” Lu Ai’s voice rose.
The Nine Cauldrons Pill contained a secret art of the Great Xi’s sorcerers. If a person took it and revealed the secret, they would bleed from all seven orifices and die.
“If the City Lord does not reveal the secret, why should you fear the Nine Cauldrons Pill?”
Li Jianyu waved his hand at Lu Ai, signaling him to calm down.
In his past life, Li Jianyu had been one of the founders of a company. He had no fear of these messy situations.
“I would like to hear His Highness’s plan…”
XXXXXX
The Meng family was not a major power in the city, but they had at least a hundred-year foundation and a solid financial standing, so Old Madam Meng’s birthday banquet was grand and lively.
Meng Qingshu served as an advisor by Li Jianyu’s side, managing Luoye City for him. The Meng family elders were very pleased, feeling that their child was learned and capable. So, when Meng Qingshu returned home, he was pulled aside… for matchmaking.
Recently, Chen Zhishu and Meng Qingshu had been together a lot, first for official business, and then they had naturally just started spending time with each other. Even when there was no official business, Meng Qingshu often went to the military camp to find Chen Zhishu. Like today, Chen Zhishu had accompanied Meng Qingshu back to the Meng family for the birthday banquet, and neither of them felt anything was amiss.
At this moment, at the banquet, Chen Zhishu was sitting beside Meng Qingshu, who was being pulled by a group of relatives and interrogated about what kind of girl he liked, whether he knew any good families…
“Isn’t that General Chen?”
The guests in the main hall were toasting each other, a bustling and chaotic scene. Therefore, Chen Zhishu’s appearance didn’t attract too much attention. It was only because Meng Qingshu’s uncle had a nephew serving in the army that he recognized Chen Zhishu.
“General Chen?”
“General Chen Zhishu! His Majesty’s most trusted Valiant Cavalry General!”
After Meng Qingshu’s uncle shouted this, the nearby guests all gathered around.
“Oh my! Why is General Chen here!”
Chen Zhishu said, “I came with Qingshu.”
The head of the Meng family, Meng Qingshu’s father, understood the commotion and immediately came forward to toast Chen Zhishu.
“With General Chen’s grand arrival, the Meng manor is truly honored.” Then he lightly scolded Meng Qingshu, “Why didn’t you say anything when General Chen arrived? You’ve been negligent to our distinguished guest. Have you no manners?”
Only then did Meng Qingshu realize, and he could only lower his head and apologize obediently.
“It’s not Qingshu’s fault,” Chen Zhishu said with a frown. “It’s my fault.”
After that, Chen Zhishu became the center of attention in the hall, being pulled to ask all sorts of questions. At first, they were serious, like whether fighting was hard, if things were peaceful lately. Then came the gossip: had the Emperor found that mysterious fox spirit? Did the City Lord have a chance of becoming the Empress…
And in the end…
“Hey, I heard that General Chen is not yet married, right!”
“I think a brave man like General Chen wouldn’t like a delicate girl. He must prefer a more fierce and strong man!”
“Nonsense! I think that someone like General Chen, who has been on the battlefield for years, naturally needs a gentle and considerate girl to take care of him!”
Chen Zhishu found the commoners truly amazing.
Why could they turn any topic to marriage?
Unable to resist everyone’s pestering, the great general’s ears turned red. “I like… someone who is smart and capable.”
“Specifically?”
“A gentle temperament, not one to argue much. A little timid, but very cute, making one unable to resist wanting to protect them…” The more Chen Zhishu spoke, the redder his face became.
“Oh my! From the looks of it, General Chen has someone he admires!”
The eyes of the people are sharp.
On the other side, amidst the noise, Meng Qingshu vaguely heard the conversation between Chen Zhishu and his aunts and uncles, and his mood sank.
So Chen Zhishu had someone he liked…
Meng Qingshu felt that he had no reason to be sad, but…
So, for the rest of the time, Meng Qingshu didn’t look at Chen Zhishu. Several times, Chen Zhishu tried to talk to him, but before he could even speak, the person would dodge and walk away.
Chen Zhishu was extremely frustrated.
What was wrong?
After the banquet ended, the guests gradually dispersed. Because Meng Qingshu was ignoring him, Chen Zhishu really couldn’t just go back. He felt as if his heart was being scratched, and he was a little anxious, so he simply stayed the night.
The Meng manor was naturally very welcoming, but the housekeeper was very troubled. The inner courtyard was for the female family members and was inconvenient, and the rooms in the other courtyards were all occupied. Because the Meng family had many branches, and the highest-ranking elder in the family was having her birthday, relatives had come in droves, and the rooms were already full. Not a single one could be spared.
While the housekeeper was still trying to find a solution, Chen Zhishu said that he could share a room with Meng Qingshu. Hearing this, the old housekeeper was overjoyed and went to add a quilt to Meng Qingshu’s room.
So, at night, when Meng Qingshu returned to his room, he saw Chen Zhishu sitting cross-legged on his bed with a righteous expression.
…???
“General Chen? You… didn’t go back?”
“It’s too late. The night road is dangerous,” said Chen “Valiant Cavalry General” Zhishu.
Meng Qingshu immediately said, “Then you can sleep on the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
…Wait.
Meng Qingshu paused for a moment. “General Chen is highly skilled in martial arts. Why would you worry about the time?”
However, it was too late. Chen Zhishu had already politely declined Meng Qingshu’s kind offer of the bed and had laid down on the quilt on the floor. And he was feeling very pleased with himself. Meng Qingshu was willing to talk to him. Was he not angry anymore?
In the end, Meng Qingshu couldn’t win against Chen Zhishu. He could only suppress the pounding in his heart and get into bed with a red face.
“General Chen… the floor is cold. You should still sleep on the bed.”
Letting the great General Chen Zhishu sleep on the floor, Meng Qingshu felt very sorry.
Chen Zhishu looked up at Meng Qingshu’s small frame and smiled. “If you sleep on the floor, my heart will ache.”
Meng Qingshu was stunned and immediately buried his face in the quilt.
W-what are you saying!
Seeing Meng Qingshu’s flushed face, Chen Zhishu felt a ripple in his heart. He stammered, “W-we can also share a bed, if you’re willing…”
Meng Qingshu was plastered to the bed like a dead fish, not moving or speaking.
“…C-can we?”
“…”
After a long time, a faint “mm” like the buzzing of a mosquito came from under the quilt. If it weren’t for Chen Zhishu’s profound internal energy, he might not have heard it.
As if he had been granted a pardon, Chen Zhishu got into bed lightly and carefully, and lay down beside Meng Qingshu.
Looking at Meng Qingshu, who was almost pressed against him, Chen Zhishu felt his heart beat a little fast, so fast that he couldn’t think properly. His body moved faster than his mind, and he reached out and pulled Meng Qingshu into his arms.
Meng Qingshu’s body was stiff as he let Chen Zhishu hold him. Chen Zhishu had practiced martial arts for years, and his body was very strong. Meng Qingshu could feel that the arm around him had beautifully lined muscles, full of strength.
Meng Qingshu felt his face was about to burn up.
“Qingshu… you’re not angry anymore?”
“Ah?”
“It’s nothing…”
Chen Zhishu tightened his embrace slightly.
Soft, and with an unprecedented warmth, Chen Zhishu took a deep, satisfied breath. His nose was filled with the fresh scent of incense from the person in his arms.
“Let’s sleep.”
XXXXXX
“City Lord, are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
On the way down the mountain, Lu Ai couldn’t help but frequently look back at Li Jianyu.
Li Jianyu was riding behind Lu Ai. He shook his head. “That Nine Cauldrons Pill is not a poison.”
Lu Ai’s brows were furrowed so tightly they could crush a mosquito.
At this moment, only the two of them were on the mountain path. Zhao Zhanqi and Yi Miaosuan had taken different roads down the mountain to avoid suspicion.
“City Lord…”
Just as Lu Ai was about to say something, he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps from a distance. The heavy footsteps were neat and uniform, as if soldiers in thick armor were slowly approaching.
Thump, thump—thump, thump—
A sea of firelight suddenly appeared in the distance, like a swarm of fireflies.
The next moment, Lu Ai immediately drew his sword and spurred his horse to the front of Li Jianyu, his eyes full of vigilance as he stared at the place where the firelight had appeared.
Li Jianyu squinted slightly.
What appeared before them was a small army. Everyone was holding a torch, completely surrounding the road ahead of Li Jianyu.
Zhao Linxu was riding at the very front of the army, his eyes unreadable.
“What an accident,” Zhao Linxu said with a smile. “We didn’t manage to stop Zhao Zhanqi, but we stopped Beauty instead.”
“You can’t stop the Prince.”
Zhao Linxu raised an eyebrow slightly.
That’s right, how could he have forgotten? Li Jianyu was very familiar with the secret paths in the mountains.
“That’s a real pity.”
