Your Majesty, We’re Counting on You to Ruin the Country! 56

Chapter 56: Old Acquaintance

The Mid-Autumn Festival, by the same logic as the New Year’s Eve vigil, had the saying that the later you stay up, the longer you live. Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi had a tacit understanding, and neither of them mentioned going to rest first. They stayed up all night until sunrise.

The sunrise at the watchtower was also extremely beautiful. The first light of dawn was a blaze of golden light. The fish-belly white turned into red clouds, and finally, the entire sky was a brilliant expanse. And after returning, nearing noon, they had to start packing. The next day, they would leave Fengzhou and head for Youzhou. Feng Qi was made to rest in the tent by Wen Ning’an, while he himself was so busy his feet didn’t touch the ground. Supplies such as grain and weapons, Wen Ning’an had always been accustomed to personally checking and counting.

On this campaign, the Immortal Nanbai and Zhou Wuxin would also follow, in case anything happened to Feng Qi. Besides the carriages for the civil officials, physicians, and medicine, Wen Ning’an had also specially prepared two comfortable carriages. One was for Qin Zhaohuang and Ah Bai, and the other was for Feng Qi. Feng Qi had originally insisted on riding a horse with Wen Ning’an, but he wouldn’t agree, insisting that Feng Qi rest well.

“Wooo—wooo—wooo—”

The sound of the horn echoed through the clouds, clearly audible even in the surrounding towns. The common people all stopped to pray for the departing soldiers. May the God of War bless them, and may every brave warrior who shed his blood for the country return home.

The hundred-thousand-strong army slowly left the heart of the desert, Fengzhou. The clatter of the horses’ hooves was incessant, kicking up clouds of yellow sand. Wen Ning’an rode at the front. Although he hadn’t slept well before departure due to being busy, at this moment, his eyes were bright and spirited, showing no signs of fatigue. The Cold Spring Sword at his waist and the silver armor on his body complemented each other, glinting in the sun. He truly had the majestic air of a god of war.

It was said that the border city of Youzhou was on the border between the desert and the green forest, with both mountains and sand, rich and fertile. Wen Ning’an thought to himself, This battle will not only be in the desert, but also on land and in a siege. Although the Left Army and Li Huaisheng’s branch of the Li family’s army were not very experienced in land warfare, there was still the imperial army and the Northeast Army, which would soon join them. And with Gao Lan leading the garrison to defend Fengzhou in the rear, and the Southwest Army in Youzhou to keep them in check, they would have no worries.

Wen Ning’an narrowed his eyes slightly.

This battle will be won!

The sun gradually rose higher, and the sky gradually brightened… And in the dim bedroom, Yu Qianshou had not yet woken up.

Yu Qianshou had a dream.

“Ah Shu!”

The dream was blurry and rushed, but one could still make out a small courtyard with a small bridge and flowing water, flowers and bushes. A nine-year-old child was pulling at his sleeve, calling his nickname affectionately in a pleasant voice. At that time, he himself was only sixteen.

“Ah Shu, give it to me!” Although the child was still young, his small nose was high and straight, his peach-blossom eyes were bright and sparkling, and his delicate features had not yet fully developed, but it was not difficult to imagine from his outline what a peerless beauty he would be when he grew up. It was just a pity that he was skinny and his face was a little sallow, showing that he had not been getting enough nutrition for a long time.

Chen Shu reached out and picked up the child. Although his face was expressionless, his movements were very gentle.

“Give it to me, give it to me. You promised me.” The child, Qin Zhaohuang, clung to Chen Shu, acting spoiled.

Chen Shu shook his head and took out a jade pendant from his robes, giving it to him.

“A gift for you.”

The jade pendant was a uniform dark green, with the character “Huang” carved in the middle. Qin Zhaohuang held the jade pendant in his hand, smiling brightly.

The bright smile gradually blurred, and the scene suddenly changed. Before him was a dilapidated wooden door that seemed about to fall apart. Chen Shu held a sword in his hand and looked at the door warily, while Qin Zhaohuang hid behind him.

The sound of neat footsteps and the heavy, dull clanking of armor came from outside the door.

“Ah Shu, don’t leave me…” Qin Zhaohuang’s height was only up to Chen Shu’s waist at this time. He held his belt tightly with both hands, his eyes full of tears.

“I don’t want to go… I don’t want to go to that heaven, Fengtian Temple…”

“Thud—”

The wooden door was kicked open, and the officials rushed in.

“Kill—”

Yu Qianshou’s eyes flew open.

…

…

Yu Qianshou leaned against the bed, panting slightly, his back soaked in a cold sweat.

It had been many years since he had had this dream… Perhaps it was because too many things had happened tonight. Yu Qianshou subconsciously looked at his own palm. His left hand only had four fingers. There was a gap where the little finger should have been, tightly wrapped in blood-stained white gauze.

This was considered a light punishment. Yu Qianshou shook his head.

Lying back on the bed, he felt a sharp pain that was hard to calm in his finger. But the strange emotion in his heart was even more annoying than the pain in his hand.

When he had separated from Qin Zhaohuang, he was only ten, so he naturally couldn’t have had any romantic feelings for him. It was not a lover’s like, but the care of a relative. Although they were not lovers, he had once been more important than his own life. He thought it was no longer so, but perhaps that was not the case?

That person had said he was his light in the past. Little did he know that he was the same to him.

But after meeting again after so many years, something seemed to have changed. Qin Zhaohuang was no longer the naive and innocent child of the past, but… Yu Qianshou rubbed his temples. He was becoming more and more difficult to deal with and entangling. With that face that he had never thought so disarming before, the past friendship, and that indescribable personality…

Yu Qianshou thought of the farce on the Star Gazing Tower before. Qin Zhaohuang’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes were like autumn water, and his body was covered in a thin gauze…

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Yu Qianshou thought to himself that he couldn’t be so intimate with him next time. Otherwise, sooner or later…

The grand army planned to stop briefly in Shashui City. Shashui was a little-known small town in the desert, with a small lake and scattered forests, barely considered an oasis. It was uninhabited, only occasionally visited by passing caravans or nomads.

Before they even got close to Shashui City, Wen Ning’an saw a row of horses and heavy baggage carts stopped by the town in the distance. He thought to himself, Looking at this, with so many heavy baggage carts and carriages full of goods, we must have run into a caravan or a transport escort.

Wen Ning’an turned to his adjutant. “Have everyone stop. We’ll rest here.”

After the signal to stop was passed down, all the horses came to a halt. The soldiers followed their formations and slowly entered the city to find a shady place to rest or to replenish their water and food.

After entering the city, Wen Ning’an indeed saw a cluster of tents not far away, scattered on the ground like large and small mushrooms. Outside the tents, many people wearing headscarves were walking around with water bags.

It was a caravan, as expected, but the people were unexpected…

“General Wen!” A tall man with strong and upright features waved at Wen Ning’an from the crowd.

Wen Ning’an was a little surprised to meet an acquaintance here. He then waved back and smiled, “Mr. Wang.”

Wang Zhengyi called over An Su, who was not far from him, and the two of them walked over to greet Wen Ning’an. Seeing An Su’s slightly bulging abdomen, Wen Ning’an smiled. “Congratulations. How long has it been?”

Hearing this, Wang Zhengyi and An Su smiled shyly. After a while, An Su said in a small voice, “Five months.”

Wen Ning’an nodded sincerely. “Congratulations indeed. You are going to be fathers.”

Wang Zhengyi saw a luxurious and spacious carriage in the army, with a dragon-carved red lacquer, and asked curiously, “Is His Majesty leading the army in person?”

“Yes, but His Majesty is not feeling well, so he has been resting inside.” Wen Ning’an thought to himself, Feng Qi must be asleep in the carriage. His spirit has been getting worse and worse recently, perhaps because he is forcibly enduring it…

Keenly catching the fleeting worry in Wen Ning’an’s eyes, An Su immediately said, “We found a strange medicine when we were trading before. What was it called…”

Wang Zhengyi continued, “It’s called Hongqing Dan. It’s said that this pill is several times stronger than Mafeisan. Su’er, don’t be silly. His Majesty is just not feeling well, just sick. How could he need Hongqing Dan?”

[Translator’s Notes: Mafeisan : A legendary anesthetic powder said to have been invented by the famous physician Hua Tuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty. It’s often mentioned in historical and wuxia fiction.]

An Su was stunned and lowered his head. “Big Brother Wang is right. I was being presumptuous!”

Wang Zhengyi said to Wen Ning’an, “Su’er just wanted to offer all the good things he had to the general and His Majesty. And this pill is hard to come by in the world, so in his excitement, he spoke without thinking about its effects. He had no intention of offending. I hope General Wen can forgive him.”

Wang Zhengyi felt that An Su’s words had offended His Majesty, but Wen Ning’an’s heart ached. Little did he know that An Su was not speaking rashly or cursing, but that Feng Qi really needed this medicine… Although it only treated the symptoms and not the root cause, Hongqing Dan could at least relieve Feng Qi’s pain and discomfort.

Hongqing Dan was a world-renowned strange medicine, known to everyone in Bei Miao. In the anecdotes of ancient books, it was recorded that a person had accidentally taken this medicine and, after being stabbed a hundred times, felt nothing and even died with a smile. There was naturally some exaggeration in this, but it was enough to see the effect of this medicine.

Wen Ning’an sorted out his thoughts and said after some consideration, “This medicine… I need it.”

An Su and Wang Zhengyi were both startled.

Could it be very serious? The Son of Heaven is seriously ill. Wouldn’t Bei Miao…

“I’m the one who needs it!”

The Wang couple turned their heads and saw a stunningly beautiful man in red behind them.

Qin Zhaohuang walked among the three of them. “Ning’an is getting it for me. I’ve had a chronic illness since I was young, and it acts up sometimes. I really need this strange medicine. Are you willing to give it to me?”

Wang Zhengyi smiled. “If it’s a friend of General Wen’s, then we have nothing to say. Anyway, we don’t need it.”

Wen Ning’an secretly gave Qin Zhaohuang a grateful look, then confirmed, “Can you really just take such a rare and precious item from the caravan? Won’t the others be dissatisfied? If it’s not convenient, I can pay for it.”

“It’s alright,” Wang Zhengyi said. “This caravan belongs to me and Su’er, so those rare items are naturally mine.”

Wen Ning’an thought to himself, Wang Zhengyi and An Su are really capable. In just a few months, they already owned a caravan and were living a smooth and comfortable life. It was as the villagers had said, Wang Zhengyi was a born businessman, starting from scratch and becoming rich all through his own calculations.

Qin Zhaohuang went with An Su to get the medicine, while Wang Zhengyi turned to Wen Ning’an and asked, “I have long heard that Wen the God of War’s martial arts are high and mighty, like thunder in my ears. May I have the honor of sparring with you?”

Wen Ning’an smiled sincerely. “Of course.”

The heavens have a cycle. Good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil. He believed it today. In the past, he and Feng Qi had extended a helping hand to the Wang couple, and now they had come to repay the favor. With Hongqing Dan, Feng Qi could finally be free from the torment of the evil technique, buying them more time to find a cure.