Chapter 17: Is There a Holiday?
.png)
**Chapter 17: Is There a Holiday?**
Not far in the courtyard, a soldier whispered, "It seems to be the voice from the residence of General Cui..."
"But how could there be a woman in General Cui's residence?"
"Don't speak carelessly!" Chang Kuo scolded, frowning, "You lot are so gossipy; what kind of decorum is this?"
"Yes..."
As a few soldiers obediently lowered their heads, out of the corner of their eyes, they saw their general hastily leaving the corridor, hands clasped behind his back as he approached the wall, pressing his ear against it to listen intently.
The soldiers were puzzled: "What is the general, who forbids us from gossiping, doing now?"
Chang Suining, however, found nothing unusual—being gossipy is not allowed, but eavesdropping is acceptable; the two are not in conflict.
After listening for a while, Chang Kuo's expression turned to disappointment as he muttered to himself, "Why did he leave so soon..."
Cui Jing never pays attention to women; he thought he might overhear something interesting this time.
When he came back to his senses and turned around, he noticed the girl was still standing there. Chang Kuo immediately adopted a serious demeanor and said to his subordinates, "I've checked, and she is not an assassin. You can disperse now."
The soldiers, who had been standing quietly at a distance, exchanged glances.
It seemed the one who needed to "disperse" was only the general himself.
Chang Kuo walked back without changing his expression.
"If there's anything, just have Ah Che send a message..." It was getting late, so after whispering a few reminders to Chang Suining, he urged the soldiers to leave.
Just a short distance away, Chang Suining faintly heard the sound of a woman sobbing.
"Why are you crying so much?" a young man complained. "No one is scolding you... If you, with such impure motives, hide in the general's bedroom, it's common to be stabbed as an assassin. You should be grateful our general doesn't take lives lightly; otherwise, you'd be dead by now."
The young woman paused in her sobs and replied pitifully, "I'm crying because... I returned without accomplishing anything, and I couldn't serve the general. My master will surely reprimand me."
The young man, hearing this, became even more dissatisfied. "But you can't sacrifice our general's reputation just to complete your mission, can you?"
The woman stopped in her tracks, surprised as she looked at him. "What does a man care for reputation? General Cui is still—"
This was too much!
Before she could finish her sentence, the young man silenced her with a glare.
The woman obediently closed her mouth, though the curiosity in her eyes lingered.
"Leave here and don't speak carelessly!" Cui Yuanxiang threatened coldly, trying to maintain a serious demeanor.
Inside, he felt regret and self-loathing—he was too talkative! It was all because of that loquacious Wei Changji. In the past, he had fought with Wei Changji for the sake of not embarrassing their general, and over time, he had developed a knack for conversation, but the downside was that he talked too22 much and couldn't stop once he started! For this reason, he had a bitter rivalry with Wei Changji!
"..." Chang Suining listened to this inexplicable exchange, lost in thought.
When the victorious army returned to the city, it was common for officials from various towns to curry favor by sending beautiful women.
There were indeed cases like General Cui, who directly refused, but it was the first time she had heard of someone sending people back through a trusted aide.
Not only did he not take life lightly, but he also didn't belittle those who were helpless. He treated people like people—this was rare among those aristocratic offspring who looked down on everyone else as inferior.
This showed that he was not inherently warlike and did not lack compassion for others.
Some soldiers, after countless bloody battles, if their resolve was not firm, could lose themselves and gradually become cold, bloodthirsty individuals, ultimately turning into mere killing machines—if the Xuanzhe army fell into the hands of such people, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for the common people.
Fortunately, this Cui Jing did not seem to be such a person, at least not for now.
At first glance, outside the city, she had sensed his murderous aura, but now she felt slightly reassured.
"Young Lord Chang."
A smiling voice rang out, and Chang Suining looked up.
On the path ahead, a handsome young man in a moon-white wide-sleeved robe walked towards her.
In addition to the light fragrance of pine, he also had a faint scent of wine about him.
As if aware she could smell the wine, Wei Shuyi smiled and said, "General Cui is strict with himself; whenever he leads troops outside, he doesn't touch a drop of alcohol. I saw those officials were quite nervous, so I ended up having a few cups."
Chang Suining continued walking and casually remarked, "Indeed, there is such a military rule in the Xuanzhe army."
"Speaking of which, this should be a rule set down long ago by the former crown prince," Wei Shuyi replied, walking alongside her. He then smiled and said, "I haven't yet thanked Miss Chang for saving my life today."
"You don't have to thank me; Minister Wei is skilled in strategy. Even if you do, you should thank that General Cui."
"That guy?" Wei Shuyi shook his head with a smile, "He doesn't care about my thanks; he doesn't like or disdain getting involved in gratitude with others."
Chang Suining replied, "...So it’s free of charge, then?"
Wei Shuyi walked with his hands behind his back and laughed a couple of times, "Miss Chang is truly clever, hitting the nail on the head."
"But you almost lost your life twice today," Chang Suining remarked, not intending to joke with him. As they walked, she asked, "Do you really believe you won’t encounter any danger?"
"Being in the court, even without this blatant danger, there are still hidden arrows... Luckily, I have always had good fortune, managing to turn dangers into blessings," Wei Shuyi said with a smile, glancing at her, "This time is no different."
Good fortune?
Chang Suining didn't believe his words and had no intention of refuting them. She simply stated, "That is your luck, not mine."
Wei Shuyi paused slightly and asked with a smile, "Is Miss Chang blaming me for not informing you in advance?"
"Matters of the court have nothing to do with me; perhaps in your eyes, there was no need to inform a young lady like me."
The girl didn't bear any grievances on her face, nor was she sulking. It seemed she was simply stating her dissatisfaction matter-of-factly: "But since you've involved me, it’s different. I don't like entrusting my life and safety to others without knowing. It's unfair and shouldn't be."
Wei Shuyi was genuinely taken aback this time.
He was usually eloquent, drawing on references and eloquently responding, but at this moment, he found himself speechless.
Because of the words of a little girl.
Wei Shuyi looked at her.
The girl had a slightly dull expression, with a touch of youthful innocence. She didn't look at him at this moment, but her calm gaze seemed to penetrate through all the glitz and glamour, seeing through his inherent arrogance.
But what if he was arrogant?
He was gifted, born extraordinary, adorned with numerous halos. It was natural for him to be somewhat proud and arrogant.
Yet her words were sharp yet plain, straightforward yet reasonable.
Wei Shuyi felt a mix of emotions he couldn't quite define—there was no shame, no anger, just a hint of surprise, a touch of embarrassment, and an inexplicable new feeling of novelty, as if someone had opened a door in the mountains—
After a long moment, he said, "What Miss Chang said is very true. It was my oversight; I won't let it happen again next time."
Chang Suining replied, "There won't be a next time."
Wei Shuyi was momentarily taken aback, then smiled in agreement, "Yes, it should be so."
As Chang Suining continued walking, having said what needed to be said, she moved on to another topic. "Will you be setting off tomorrow?"
"There are many wounded among the guards; they need a day or two to recuperate." Seeing she didn't pursue the matter, Wei Shuyi felt inexplicably relieved, as if he had escaped a disaster—he had never felt this way even when he had made mistakes in front of his parents during his childhood.
It was quite strange yet amusing.
Suppressing the strange smile, Wei Shuyi continued the conversation, "... The Xuanzhe army will also rest outside the city. Perhaps we can set off for the capital together then; it would be nice to look out for each other on the way."
After considering it, he added with a smile, "Cui Jing will surely be displeased with me following along, but for General Chang’s sake, he will give in."
"Do you have any grievances with him?" Chang Suining asked casually.
"Not really anything worth mentioning." Wei Shuyi chatted with her, "We played together for a while when we were young, but he was brought up strictly. General Cui attached great importance to this grandson, training him to be the future head of the Cui family... We commoners had no chance to develop a close relationship with him."
"I remember once, when we were a group of kids playing outside with Cui Jing, all five or six-year-olds are naturally mischievous. I can't recall what we did wrong... I only remember that his grandfather discovered it and punished him. He made him kneel in the courtyard for half a day. Afterward, Cui Jing would no longer play with us."
Chang Suining raised an eyebrow. "Was that how you became friends?"
"Of course not! I was merely sharing a childhood memory!" Wei Shuyi raised his hands in defense, "How could I hold a grudge against a child? I'm just saying that it was always Cui Jing who was used to discipline, and he learned it from a young age. Now, it seems he is unwilling to care for the warmth and coldness of the world."
Comments
Post a Comment