“Zhi Wang!”
People outside heard the commotion and rushed in, seeing Yun Zhi lying on the ground, pressing his profusely bleeding wrist, while Yun Yan stood blankly by the window, murmuring, “Qing Qing, you ultimately belong to someone else…”
Gu Qingtong thought she was going to die, but a shadow flashed and she was swept away. When she saw it was Yu Rong, she was immediately embraced by Jiang Shangheng.
Jiang Shangheng held her without many words, quickly crossing several alleys and mounting a horse towards a small grove in the north, with Yu Rong and Yu Shi following behind.
Sitting on the horse, Gu Qingtong’s heart was still racing, her throat uncomfortable from being choked, but she gradually calmed down.
“Qing Qing, thank goodness you’re okay,” Jiang Shangheng held her waist tightly, the horse galloping like wind, his voice slightly trembling but each word falling into her ear.
Gu Qingtong leaned back and hugged him, her body close to his chest, sighing softly: “Shangheng, I’m fine.” Her eyes welled up – she had been tense for days and finally escaped their hands. Moreover, Jiang Shangheng was safe, right here before her.
“Gu Qingtong began to worry, but since Jiang Shangheng had a map and was launching a surprise attack on an unprepared Yanshan City, he should be fine. She looked at the sunlight streaming through the window, “What time is it now?”
“The third quarter of the Chen hour.”
“Hmm.”
“Sister, your… ” Yu Rong finally asked awkwardly, pointing to her shoulder and chest.
Gu Qingtong realized the blanket had slipped and she didn’t know how to explain to this young girl. After a moment of silence, she said, “Rong’er, bring me some water. I want to wash, it feels sticky and uncomfortable.”
“Yes.” Yu Rong, seeing she wasn’t willing to explain, pouted slightly and left.
After washing up, Gu Qingtong had some light porridge and let Yu Rong continue the acupuncture, and she also drank the medicine brewed by Yu Guang.
Gu Qingtong smiled softly, talked to him for a while, and asked him to watch from the city walls, promising to inform him first if they won. Yu Guang, now with a task and having shared his frustrations, happily went to follow her instructions.
Yu Rong massaged her foot and performed acupuncture twice. The swelling had gone down, but she still needed two days of rest to fully recover.”
Outside, the war drums thundered, continuing for about a tea’s time before suddenly erupting with shouts and sounds of battle from outside the city.
Thousands of horses neighed, the battlefield’s brutal scene feeling as if it was happening right beside her.
Gu Qingtong couldn’t see, but she could still sense the chaos.
After noon, the sounds gradually subsided. Just as Gu Qingtong was thinking of going out to see what happened, Xia Xi General suddenly roared, startling her. Then soldiers’ voices rose, and she realized the Yuanchao Kingdom had won!
Soon, Yu Guang ran back: “Sister, we won! We won!”
“I know!” Gu Qingtong, hearing everyone’s joyful voices, couldn’t help but have tears in her eyes.
Yu Guang danced around, continuing to share what he saw: “Sister, you don’t know how impressive the general was! Especially when the enemy heard that their Yanshan City was broken by the Cavalry General’s thousand elite soldiers – they completely collapsed! Xia Xi General barely exerted any effort and wiped them out! They even captured the Ruling King, and a county king named Yun Yan who foolishly tried to rescue him was captured by their main general, Yun Shan. Yun Shan led several thousand to retreat, but Deputy General Xie Yan led several thousand and took down Lan Ka City, forcing Yun Shan to bypass it and flee.
Edited Article:
“What about the Ruling King?”
“The general has him locked up, waiting for the Cavalry General to decide his fate. But after this defeat, with Yanshan City taken, Cloud Qi Kingdom will definitely have to cede land and seek peace!”
Gu Qingtong listened to Yu Guang’s excited account, seeing him no longer frustrated about not being on the battlefield, she smiled with squinted eyes.
“And that Ruling King, the one who captured you, sister, will be properly dealt with by the Cavalry General and made to be a true Ruling King!”
Gu Qingtong heard this and burst into laughter.
On the third afternoon, Cloud Qi Kingdom sent an envoy to negotiate. General Xia Xi and Jiang Shangheng, full of confidence, agreed to peace with the condition of ceding three cities. When Cloud Qi Kingdom wanted the Ruling King back, Jiang Shangheng “raised the price” and demanded an additional city with 100,000 inhabitants.
At this point, Gu Qingtong learned that the Cloud Qi Imperial Court had been completely undermined, with all power held by the Power King.
No wonder the Ruling King was so arrogant, worth an entire city of 100,000 people. Though she had suffered his abuse, if it meant expanding Yuanchao Kingdom’s territory, she would just curse him a few times and let it go.
“Qing Qing! Qing Qing!”
After the negotiations, Jiang Shangheng, now clean and neat, came to find her.
Gu Qingtong’s foot had healed, and hearing his call, she ran out from her room.
Jiang Shangheng saw her running towards him, took three steps in two, and swept her up, spinning her around.
Gu Qingtong was dizzy from the spinning but felt joyful, laughing softly.
Jiang Shangheng, stimulated by her gentle laughter, felt his whole body tingle. He pressed her against the railing and kissed her unabashedly. Gu Qingtong wasn’t afraid of being seen, her tongue intertwining with his.
They embraced, kissing each other greedily and hungrily.
Finally, she clung to his waist, breathing seductively to avoid collapsing, while he stared intently into her eyes. She had incredibly beautiful eyes, so beautiful and alluring, full of laughter that almost made him lose his soul.
After a long gaze, Gu Qingtong remembered something and asked him to carry her back to the room. From beside the bed, she retrieved a large envelope and handed it to him.
Jiang Shangheng looked surprised; the envelope was blank, but he still smiled and accepted it.
Since the Zhen Yuan Marquis hadn’t told her to look, she stepped back and carefully observed Jiang Shangheng’s expression.
However, gradually, the joy on Jiang Shangheng’s face faded, his brow furrowing. Finally, he pulled out a red paper package from the middle of a stack of letters. After opening the red package, he trembled with anger.
Gu Qingtong hurried forward and grabbed his arm: “Shangheng, what’s wrong?”
“Qingqing, what did my father and stepmother say to you before you left?” Jiang Shangheng did not answer her question, but instead asked her loudly.
Gu Qingtong thought for a moment and told the truth.
Jiang Shangheng was about to speak when suddenly someone burst through the door: “Young Master!”
“What is it?” Jiang Shangheng saw him, his heart on high alert, but still managed to ask calmly.
“The two sons of the Rui Prince hidden in the mansion were discovered by Minister Yan and Minister Shen. The princess could not protect her nephews and committed suicide by throwing herself against a wall. The Zhen Yuan Marquis and Lady Lin have been imprisoned by the Emperor, and the marquis’s mansion has been searched!”
“What?” Gu Qingtong was shocked. Before leaving, she had indeed felt something was off with Princess Zhuang Qiang.
Moreover, Jiang Shangheng was far away fighting at the border, and the news only reached him after victory. The Zhen Yuan Marquis had also instructed her to give him the letter after victory, apparently having planned this long ago.
