Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang

Volume 3, Chapter 68

The tails of dreams were hard to catch; Chu Beijie was unable to sleep.

But Changxiao was buried in his arms, long fallen asleep obediently. His soft little body but rather heavy breathed evenly as he stuck his hot little face against Chu Beijie’s shoulder.

“Can I really put him down?” Chu Beijie had maintained the same position for a long time. He lowered his voice as much as he could, worrying as he asked.

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t it wake him up?”

“No. He’s already deep in sleep.”

Chu Beijie studied the son in his arms and frowned, “I reckon he’ll wake up.”

Pingting was both amused and angry. She walked over and skilfully took their son from his arms, wrapping him in a blanket. Chu Beijie took just one step towards the blanket. He lowered his head, studying every detail carefully, his eyes flashing in the candlelight, never leaving his son.

“Be lighter.” Chu Beijie nervously watched, “Be careful not to wake him or he’ll cry.”

Pingting laughed for a long time. She straightened up and looked at Chu Beijie, unable to straighten her mouth, breaking into a soft chuckle. “They all say fathers are strict while mothers are gentle, but it’s the opposite.”

Chu Beijie knew he was being too nervous. He grabbed her slender body, pulling her closer to him. He clenched his teeth, “Who’s the one hurting the other now?” He didn’t wait for an explanation before nibbling lightly on Pingting’s delicate earlobe.

“Ow…” Pingting gently yelped, her ear stinging a little, bringing with it a warm and damp feeling.

It seemed that after Chu Beijie nibbled, his tongue immediately followed. Pingting instantly flushed bright red and reached out a hand to push his chest. She shyly said, “What is Duke doing?”

“I am thinking how I can fight without soldiers.” Chu Beijie chuckled softly, spraying hot air into Pingting’s ear. “Does duchess give up?”

“Using teeth to bite people isn’t elegant…”

There was no way his metal-like broad shoulders could be so easily pushed away by Pingting. After having enough of dawdling, he grabbed onto Pingting, quietly heading outside. The two people went outside the tent where the bright stars in the sky suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Chu Beijie sighed, “This kind of atmosphere needs qin sound to go with it.” He turned and looked at Pingting.

Pingting said, “Where can you find a qin in such wilderness?”

Chu Beijie laughed without a reply. His deep eyes watched her, her blush spreading ear to ear. Under his gaze perhaps no one could remain calm under, Pingting began to smile instead. She shifted her position in Chu Beijie’s grasp, leading him past the quiet barracks and finding a quiet forest to sit down.

“Since there’s no qin, why don’t Duke allow Pingting to sing a song?”

“What song?” asked Chu Beijie.

Pingting revealed a grin, “A song of rebellion to apologise to Duke?”

“Oh?” Chu Beijie quietly thought for a moment. He softened his voice, “Why does Pingting need to apologise to me?”

For some reason, Pingting was actually startled by this question. She lowered her thick eyelashes, thinking for a long time. She slowly replied, “Probably because of Pingting’s guilt due to her stubbornness that caused so many hardships to Duke.”

Her head was lowered and Chu Beijie felt a wave of pity. He held her in his arms, murmuring, “As long as you and Changxiao are both by my side, countless hardships will be nothing to me.”

This wasn’t exactly the first time he’d held Pingting like this since their reunion. But the this moment’s feeling was much more soothing the days before. The scene where Chu Beijie held Changxiao in his arms had already been engraved into her heart.

She couldn’t help tightly hold onto Chu Beijie, letting her head be muffled in his broad chest. In a low voice, she asked, “Does Duke regret meeting Pingting?”

Chu Beijie didn’t answer. He just reached out to softly lift her chin, planting a warm kiss on her beautiful red lips.

The stars twinkled while oblique shadows were pulled out from the forest behind, guarding this deeply affectionate couple.

“Allow me to sing you a song tonight.” Chu Beijie finally loosened his grip around Pingting and faintly smiled, pondering carefully. He then actually began to sing.

“If spring love only, autumn nostalgia serves; if autumn nostalgia only, bitter parting serves; never betray…”

His voice was deep and rich, seeped with many emotions. Each word jumped out of his throat like jade beads, brightening the forest.

“Never betray…”

His clear voice rang in the night, the silent forests, wind, and darkness, applauding in their own way.

No qin.

But Chu Beijie’s deep voice didn’t need to be accompanied by qin.

He put his heart into singing, particularly the words “Never Betray”. His words seemed to dance back the Jing-An Ducal Residence, the confrontation at the Battle of Kanbu, and the other numerous times they stumbled together on the way. All of their pain and memories flipped out, following the wind.

The injuries lifted, going back to where they came from.

The sound wandered through the forest, just how it embedded itself in every memory. Pingting listened, captivated. Tears began to fall from her eyes, falling straight onto the stretch of grass and causing a momentary flower-like splash, when the singing stopped.

The forest was very quiet, letting Pingting listen to every long breath of Chu Beijie. Perhaps, every heartbeat too.

Pingting lifted her sleeves, quietly wiping the corners of her eyes without changing her expression. “What does Duke understand?”

Chu Beijie dotingly enveloped her in his embrace. He whispered, “I understand that you have never changed your mind despite the hundreds and thousands of twists.”

“Never changed my mind despite the hundreds and thousands of twists…” Pingting contemplated the words.

“Clever Bai Pingting, stupid Bai Pingting, kind Bai Pingting, and the evil Bai Pingting, are all the Bai Pingting I love.” Chu Beijie breathed out before asking his own question, “Why would I regret it?”

Pingting’s eyes held tears in them. She looked up slowly, watching the clear light in his eyes, firm with decision.

The shattering sound came out from nowhere, gradually becoming smoke that hid in the clouds, only leaving its faint echo in the heart.

Let all sorrow and buried hatred vanish like smoke into the clouds.

The pain that even alcohol could not drown the two’s desires no longer mattered.

When she was pregnant, she cried while spilling the mixture all over the cold ground, just like the despair that overpowered her world.

Behind her, he had chased thousands of miles with his soldiers, filling the sky with the fire of murder.

They once sworn to the moon to overcome everything. They had to overcome so many incidents in the past, so many tests.

Her gaze shifted towards the sky. She suddenly exclaimed with joy, “The moon’s out.”

“Where?”

Her slender fingers that were almost as thin as spring onion leapt towards the sky. “Over there, can Duke see it?”

Chu Beijie didn’t turn his head, just stared at her, as if wanting to drown her in those inky depths. After a few moments, his handsome face revealed a faint smile, “I see, it’s over there.”

He lowered his head, softly kissing those trembling eyelashes.

The two spent the whole night saying nothing but nonsense, yet neither felt a trace of weariness. At early morning, the sky slowly brightened, its rays spreading bit by bit through the forest, lifting the fog. They then finally returned to the tent, seeing that Changxiao had already woken a while ago. He didn’t cry nor make trouble but examined the tassels on the edge of the blanket as he couldn’t pull them off.

“You’re already being naughty right after opening your eyes.” Pingting went to hug him up, but Changxiao was still far too interested in those tassels, his tiny hand refusing to let go so that a corner of the blanket was lifted with him.

Chu Beijie only boasted, “Good boy, he shares my toughness.”

Changxiao turned to see him coming closer and yelped with excitement. He didn’t care about the tassels anymore so he released his hold, causing the blanket to fall onto the ground. Changxiao only bothered to reach out to Chu Beijie with his two little hands.

Chu Beijie was even more delighted. “Look, he really likes me.” His hand reached out to hug Changxiao.

Pingting laughed “What like? He’s only interested in your Divine Spirit sword.”

As expected, once Changxiao entered Chu Beijie’s arms, he wholeheartedly tries to get the hilt at Chu Beijie’s waist. The Divine Spirit sword wasn’t light. He was small and in Chu Beijie’s arms, so there was no way he could grope for the belt no matter how he twisted. He yelled in dissatisfaction, “Knife-knife!”

“Good son. If you like it, Father will give it to you.”

“Are there fathers like you? He’s still young; such an obvious weapon is not a good choice to give.”

The family of three were having their fun, when Moran lifted the flap and entered. His voice was quite refreshed as he reported, “The few people that Duke recently sent private letters ago have already arrived.”

“They should be coming over the next few days.” Chu Beijie then asked, “How many have arrived?”

“More than twenty.”

“Eight or nine was expected as this time, but to reach that many by letter is already amazing.” Chu Beijie held on the endlessly wriggling Changxiao, saying to Pingting, “Let’s go see them together. These were all my former subordinates and retired for all sorts of reasons. Every one of them has a forte of their own.”

Pingting said, “It’s said that all people with skills are living in seclusion now. To be summoned by Duke’s letter at the final moment must mean that they are all very talented.” She took over Changxiao, putting him on the ground. She then patted his round head, “Be good, Changxiao. Go find Ze Qing to play.”

Changxiao was happy as he skipped away from the tent.

Chu Beijie was a little worried though. “How will he know where Ze Qing is? This place is a mess.”

“Yangfeng’s tent is right next door. Don’t worry, he’ll definitely find it.”

The remaining three had even more important matters to attend to. They couldn’t always think about the children. They immediately went to see the latest arrivals. They really were the talent amongst soldiers. Some of them were very good at setting up devices in the mountains and forests while others specialised in ambush or assassination.

When Chu Beijie led these soldiers, he highly valued these people. The summoned not only hate those who specialised in fighting on the frontlines but also those who specialised in healing cuts from swords.

“Although genius Doctor Huo’s medical skills are excellent, he tends to noble families so his treatment is detailed and thorough. There are lots of casualties in war so time is urgent, and the most important thing is speed. When it comes to speed, only the doctors who specialise in military treatment is the best.”

Under Chu Beijie’s introductions, Pingting met each one of them before hurried into the military conference.

Once entering the tent, they realised all of the generals had arrived, appearing to be waiting for them.

Chu Beijie was full of joy, having held his son in the morning and Pingting at hand. His face was like the spring breeze. He smiled quite refreshingly when entering, “Bei Mo’s new soldiers arrived yesterday. On Dong Lin’s side, my former subordinates have arrived this morning. With just another two or three days of preparation, we can follow our previously thought up strategy and sneak into Yun Chang, taking the initiative. What do you all think?” The others’ expressions weren’t as good as Chu Beijie, causing the smile on his face to freeze. “What’s wrong?”

There was a moment of silence in the tent before Ruohan said, “Please look at this latest report, Duke.” He took out the report and handed it to Chu Beijie.

One of the rules in the army said stated a report with urgent content must to be written with vermillion for the receiving generals to be able to immediately glance and understand the important message.

Chu Beijie took and opened it. The first line that jumped into his sight was a line written in vermillion—The Royal House of Gui Le was killed by He Xia…”

Pingting was standing beside Chu Beijie. Her thick eyelashes jumped, and her expression immediately changed when glimpsing the line of vermillion words.

The entire Royal House of Gui Le?

That didn’t mean just He Su but also the Queen and their underaged son.

The one who held the sword was He Xia, the descendant of the House of Jing-An, the House of Jing-An that loyally protected the Gui Le Royal House for centuries.

It was her Master…

The words in the army report began to quiver. Pingting could barely breathe. She suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulder as Chu Beijie steadied her.

Everyone there knew Gui Le was still her home country. Even though the King of Gui Le wasn’t kind to her, they still grew up together, so her sorrow couldn’t be helped.

Chu Beijie helped her to a chair, wanting her to sit down. He softly asked, “Are you okay?”

The Queen of Dong Lin walked over, “This place is too stuffy with all the hurt. I’ll accompany you with a walk outside and see where Changxiao has gone.”

Pingting calmed down, looking at her surroundings in the tent. She saw everyone’s face had a faint trace of concern, but this made her calm down instead. She slowly said, “I’m fine; sitting is good. The military affairs are urgent, so you mustn’t delay.”

Chu Beijie answered before continuing to read the rest of the report. The rest was quite eloquent; more than a hundred words to describe the detailed information the spies found. He then placed the report on the table, lightly asking, “What do Generals think?”

Luoshang spoke everyone’s biggest concern. “Gui Le has already fallen. Le Zhen has been completely annihilated by Fei Zhaoxing. Now, the final power of the four countries that could possibly oppose He Xia has been eradicated.”

“Next, He Xia would put full strength into attacking us.” Ruohan’s voice was heavy.

It was impossible not to feel heavy.

Once the Gui Le army was defeated, the four countries had already fallen into He Xia’s hands.

Against the He Xia who obtained the strength of all four countries, this mere little Ting Army could pretty much be described as wasteful effort.

The generals in the tent were all lead commanders of their armies. They were able to face enemies alone, skilled in analysing the opposing situation. They didn’t actually want to agree, but no matter how they analysed the situation, ninety to eighty percent of everything was favourable towards He Xia.

Their enemy was just too strong.

Chu Beijie’s fingers tapped on the table while he quietly listened.

A little while later, all had been said. The crowd stopped, and silence instantly filled the room except for an messy rhythmed tapping sound on the table.

Tap, tap, tap, tap…

Everyone stared at Chu Beijie’s figure which looked as steady as a rock. It seemed that nothing in the world could make that broad back bend. They silently waited. The more the silence increased, the sense of steadiness increased too. Coupled with a never to be defeated attitude, there was a hidden rhythm that spread inside the tent.

The generals couldn’t help close their mouths tightly. They knew Chu Beijie was thinking.

Tap.

The tapping sound against the table suddenly stopped.

For some reason, everyone’s thumping heart also managed to relax.

Chu Beijie turned. The group guessed he was about to say something about his plan and waited in anticipation. They didn’t expect him to have his gaze fixed on Pingting. He asked, “Will He Xia immediately leave Gui Le and put full effort into eradicating us?”

This question was beyond everyone’s expectations.

Suddenly all gazes swivelled towards the sitting Pingting.

Pingting quietly sat for a few moments, a little colour had returned to her face. She gracefully stood up, glancing at the opened army report on the table, the vermillion words jumping right out. It felt like her heart had been pricked by a thin needle. She slightly frowned, whispering, “No.”

This was different to everyone else’s guess.

There was a seriousness to cheer tone, and no one doubted that she was saying nonsense. After everyone had exchanged gazes, the Queen of Dong Lin opened her mouth to ask, “How does Pingting know?”

A rough hand reached out, tightly holding Pingting’s hand. Pingting raised her head, giving Chu Beijie a profound look. She turned towards the Queen of Dong Lin, “Does Queen know why He Xia is using such unscrupulous methods obtain the world?”

“For power and fame.”

Pingting tightly pursed her lips, revealing a wry smile. “For the House of Jing-An.”

The House of Jing-An.

Their Residence of Jing-An could please others, from their songs all night to their cold breezes.

The ponds had been quiet, greeting the wind. The bright but not extravagant Residence of Jing-An had gone up in flames overnight.

“Now that the Gui Le army has been annihilated, there will never be anyone else with the power to threaten He Xia’s authority.” Pingting continued, “Now that he single-handedly ruined the four countries, what else does he wish for? The House of Jing-An will once again raise He Xia’s lofty ambitions so he will definitely try to quickly raise the House of Jing-An to an unimaginable height of glory.”

“Miss means…He Xia will leave Gui Le and rebuild the House of Jing-An?” Moran frowned as he thought. “But the Marquess’ personality wouldn’t do something so time-consuming when he knows that he is still in threat from the Duke.”

Chu Beijie revealed a pleased smile, “Moran, listen properly. Did Pingting not say the four words, ‘unimaginable height of glory’?”

“I understand!” The light of understanding lit up in Luoshang’s mind. He began to yelp, “He Xia wants to immediately ascend the throne! He wants to establish a new country and become King so the House of Jing-An can be raised to the unimaginable height of glory.”

Ruohan also thumped against the armrest, exclaiming, “Once hierarchies are set, He Xia would officially control the world, making the rebellious parties of peasants much weaker.”

“And then he’ll put that brain of his to use, making gentle policies that will calm everyone down…”

“And finally, he would take his time and get rid of us.”

“It’ll be even easier to get rid of us by then.”

Although they started off thinking the situation was urgent, this line of thinking hadn’t changed anything at all. No matter how they looked at it, it seemed that they were trapped like a turtle in an urn.

Everyone’s expressions darkened once more.

Moran thought for a moment. He then looked at Chu Beijie. “So, please Duke, decided what to do next.”

Chu Beijie smiled slightly. Pingting saw he was about to speak. She shook her head, “No more testing me. The main advisor is Duke.”

Chu Beijie was afraid she was upset over the army report and wanted to tease her a bit so she could more or less forget it. But after hearing her words, he couldn’t make her take the glory again so he lowered his voice, “duchess wants to see her husband make the instructions? I’ll obey that then.” His gaze shifted, scanning each of the audience in the tent.

Everyone knew he was about to decide on the plan. They paid closer attention, holding their breaths to listen quietly.

“The Gui Le army fell too quickly, leaving us very little time. No need to do intense preparation any more, Moran and I will lead one thousand of the best soldiers to sneak into Yun Chang, capturing Qierou.”

Luoshang accompanied Chu Beijie for many years and naturally thought he would be amongst the ones to sneak into Qierou, but he hadn’t heard his name. His expression suddenly changed. He almost jumped right out of his chair, “Duke, I…”

“Don’t worry, you have another task.”

Luoshang managed to settle and sat back down.

“It isn’t easy to establish a new country, so He Xia will definitely find a feng shui consultant to carefully choose an auspicious day, so the event will be peacefully accepted by all. He will pick an auspicious day, so we will help him create some unluckiness to lower his morale.” Chu Beijie then picked, “Ruohan, Luoshang, Hua Can, and twenty or so veterans who arrived today were all my former subordinates, each skilled in their own way. Take a few of them each, as well as a few capable soldiers from the various regiments, forming little squads that will each enter different places.

Ruohan managed to understand better than most, asking, “You want us to create unlucky incidents everywhere, to create panic amongst the peasants, right?”

Chu Beijie nodded, asking, “These are all the skill of lying, different from the battlefield. Since there are Yun Chang soldiers everywhere nowadays, be careful, Ruohan. Hiding your traces is the most important; don’t let others find you. It’s up to you in how you would create the unlucky incidents, but can you do it?”

Ruohan hadn’t replied yet when a voice cut through.

“Mud oozing blood, swallows dropping dead for no reason, statues crying…that kind of thing right?”

Chu Beijie’s glaze flickered, realising that it was Hua Can. He smiled at him, “I hadn’t expected General Hua to be such an expert. Correct, things like that.”

“These things aren’t difficult to do at all.” Hua Can frowned, “But even if we use a lot of effort to unsettle the peasants, these things are irrelevant to He Xia with his hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It just isn’t practical.”

Of course playing around as havoc-causing ghosts wasn’t as stimulating as going to Qierou. Luoshang was also grouching over it too. But hearing the discontent Hua Can had towards Chu Beijie, Luoshang immediately retorted, “How does General Hua know that it isn’t practical at all? You ought to know when attacking the enemy, attacking the heart is most important…”

Chu Beijie raised a hand, preventing Luoshang from continuing to speak. He turned to Hua Can, “You’ll understand what use it is in the future.” He didn’t expand further on the question, just continued to assign everyone, “The rest of the people will stay in the main camp with Sister-in-Law in charge. You are to hide deep in the mountains, patiently waiting for news.” He turned to the Queen of Dong Lin, showing a sign of submission. He lowered his voice, “I’ll leave the rest to you, Sister-in-Law. If the enemy does get closer, make sure to hide. Don’t try to forcefully take them on.”

Ever since the Queen of Dong Lin took charge of Dong Lin’s royal authority, she encountered several dangerous moments, so many that she wasn’t the woman who only knew how to hide deep in the Royal Residence long ago. She didn’t decline after listening to Chu Beijie’s words. She slowly nodded, “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t try to be brave and solve everything the steadiest way possible. I’ll look after this place, waiting for all of you to return.”

“Then I can be rest assured.”

Chu Beijie had managed to lay out a three-way plan in just a few direct addresses. It seemed the current strategy was set. Everyone there were people who fought in wars and were quite tired of this place, so they were dying to do something soon. Moran stood up, saying, “As we’re going to Qierou, I’ll go make some preparations. As for the people to take, I will go pick one thousand five hundred elite soldiers, and Duke can pick one thousand from them. Does that sound good?”

Chu Beijie said, “No need for that much work. I believe in your taste. You can pick all of the people that come with us. Order them to immediately put on some lightweight clothes and prepare to hit the road.”

Luoshang also stood up. He stretched, loosening his tense muscles as he said, “Our side will split into three squads, but we will still need to carefully discuss about which countries to infiltrate and what action to take. General Ruohan, General Huacan, come, let us find a place to discuss.”

The generals quickly left. The Queen of Dong Lin then stood too, “With the Duke of Zhen-Bei’s instructions to look after the camp, I will now go inspect it.” She took two steps, suddenly stopping. She turned to ask Pingting, “About that child Zuiju, I remember she got into an incident in Yun Chang, correct?”

Pingting hadn’t been ready for her sudden question about Zuiju. Her heart stung a little as she softly replied, “The Songsen Mountains on the border of Yun Chang and Bei Mo…”

“Hm…” The Queen of Dong Lin nodded. She then wondered aloud, “About the Duke of Zhen-Bei’s trip to Qierou, see if you can bring along genius Doctor Huo. He keeps on wanting to go to Yun Chang, but since I was worried about him, I used my illness as an excuse several times to discourage him. But looking at him, he will go sooner or later. I’m a bit more reassured if he’s with you.”

Chu Beijie and Pingting exchanged a look.

This trip of Chu Beijie to Qierou was an infiltration in enemy territory. It was really much more dangerous than Huo Yunan trying to find Zuiju alone. There was no way Pingting could let him get hurt as he was Zuiju’s Teacher.

Pingting said, “Zuiju’s body isn’t actually in Yun Chang. While I was living in seclusion, I buried her inside Bei Mo territory.”

“You mustn’t let him see Zuiju’s body. He won’t take it, being an old man.” The Queen of Dong Lin sighed, “Sigh, you’re still young so you won’t understand. Old people aren’t able to take such a shock. If he sees a grave, it’ll be disastrous. I just want you to take him around a bit and let the past fade for him a bit.” As she said these words, she couldn’t help think of her dead sons. The corners of her eyes began to redden, but she held it, refusing to cry.

Chu Beijie couldn’t refuse after that. He answered, “Rest assured, Sister-in-Law. If genius Doctor Huo is coming, then I will properly look after him on the way.

He then sent the Queen off. After returning to the tent, he realised Pingting was still standing in the same place. Even though he’d seen fresh blood dripping and was a general who killed numerous enemies, he was terribly afraid of seeing his own woman upset.

Pingting returned to his side after two years. Chu Beijie always felt like she was a glass doll that could shatter at any time, and as long as her face showed depression, he just wouldn’t stop worrying. He softly made his way beside Pingting, softening his voice, “What are you thinking? Why don’t you go find Changxiao?”

Pingting knew he was afraid she was upset about Zuiju. She raised her head to look at him, revealing a shallow smile. “The arrangements Duke made today were all based on He Xia immediately ascending to the throne after establishing a new country. What if Pingting was wrong and He Xia didn’t focus all his power on establishing a new country but immediately send troops to Dong Lin to attack us instead, causing disaster?”

“How can Pingting guess wrong? You know He Xia the best.”

Pingting softly sighed in relief.

Chu Beijie asked, “What’s wrong? Pingting isn’t confident enough about herself? But I completely believe you.”

“I thought I knew him best too. If I didn’t get one hundred percent correct about what he was going to do, I would get at least seventy or eighty percent.” Pingting’s gaze drifted, stopping on that army report. She sighed, “But I had never guessed he would kill not only He Su but He Su’s Queen and underaged son. There isn’t much I can say, even though Prince He Su grew up with us too. Hatred had been created by the House of Jing-An’s destruction after all. But the Prince is only a few years old. When he was born, we were all invited to celebrate with alcohol. Master had given him a jade bracelet, using gold thread to hang it around his neck…”

Chu Beijie didn’t wait for her to finish, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her eyelid over and over again, murmuring, “Don’t say any more, you’ll get really upset if you do. If you’re upset, I’m upset too. Do you not want me to sleep, even though I’m going to depart for Qierou soon?”

Pingting’s cheeks flushed red from his kisses. She squirmed away, “I won’t be able to sleep either with all your annoyances every day. Hm, if we’re both going, should we bring Changxiao?”

Chu Beijie seemed to be dazed for a moment. “You’re going too?”

“I’m not?”

Chu Beijie said, “It’s too dangerous; don’t come.” His eyebrows furrowed, his handsome features revealing quite a lot more gloom.

Pingting wasn’t scared of his expression at all, leaning against his shoulders instead. She asked, “Duke doesn’t want to let Pingting stay by his side?”

These words gently moved Chu Beijie. Quite a lot of people tried to suck up to him like this, but it just seemed that he was utterly defenceless against this one Pingting. His eyebrows knotted, his voice no longer as loud as before, “Of course not.”

“Does Duke not worry that if he leaves Pingting here, his wife will be gone when he returns? The world is so vast, Pingting really wants to bring along Changxiao to travel to every place at least once.”

Chu Beijie grabbed onto her, his hands digging into her armpit. “Outrageous, how dare you threaten me again. It actually became a habit too.”

Pingting chortled, ducking beneath Chu Beijie’s hands, trying to escape. “I don’t dare, don’t dare to. If Duke wants Pingting to stay, Pingting will just obey.”

Chu Beijie hadn’t expected she would be so open. He pulled her towards him, carefully tidying the tousled hair on her forehead. “I’m going to go so let’s go see Changxiao.”

“He’s definitely playing with Ze Qing.”

The two went to see Changxiao. As expected, beside Yangfeng, he was happily playing with Ze Qing. Seeing Chu Beijie, both came forward to pull the Divine Spirit sword from his waist. Thinking how he was going to leave his son, he held up Changxiao, kissing and pinching him. After a long time, he reluctantly settled his wriggling son down who wanted to go play. There was no way Changxiao knew his father’s thoughts, and once he was on the ground, he giggled and ran off to play with Ze Qing again.

After an hour, Moran finished preparing everything. He came forwards to report, “The men have been chosen, just waiting for Duke’s command.”

Chu Beijie nodded, considering his options for a few moments. He said to Moran, “Pick a young good horse too, for Pingting.”

Moran answered, immediately going off to arrange it.

Pingting waited until Moran left before smiling as she looked at Chu Beijie. “Hadn’t you already subdued your enemy already? You subdued me into agreeing not to go already, so why go choose a horse? You really were afraid of me taking Changxiao away.”

Chu Beijie was so annoyed he clenched his teeth. He grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms. “You’re not to go anywhere. I’ll lock you up myself.”

He had been teased by her to the pits of desperation in the past two years. He thought again and again, deciding to take Pingting with him in the end. Although it was a bit dangerous, he would at least be able to protect her if anything happened.

He crazily searched for her in the Songsen Mountains, breaching four of Yun Chang’s checkpoints one after the other. That would be called torture.

“What about Changxiao?”

Chu Beijie bitterly endured and almost lost himself to his father’s heart. A while passed before he clenched his teeth, “For now, leave him to Yangfeng. As long as I keep a close eye on the mother, I won’t have to fear about losing my son.”

Although Pingting wasn’t willing to leave Changxiao to Yangfeng, she was assured. She nodded in agreement, stretched out, and promptly fell into Chu Beijie’s arms, not moving at all.

Chu Beijie hadn’t been able to do anything about her from the start, but when he looked down, seeing this precious treasure so gently elegant, he thought taking Pingting along was a good thing. He lowered his head to study her black hair and was just about to pull down a hairpin, having a few moments of that gentleness, when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He forced himself to abruptly stop his hand.

Someone lifted the flap and entered, Moran again. He reported to Chu Beijie, “Miss Bai’s horse has been chosen.”

Pingting had already opened her eyes before Moran entered. She struggled out of Chu Beijie’s arms, quickly fixing up her appearance at one side.

“To avoid the Yun Chang army noticing anything strange, it’s best to move at night. Pass along this Order, cook dinner early tonight and set off after eating.”

In the gatherings of dust, an inconspicious-looking team set off from the forest.

They went through the mountains, heading straight towards Qierou.

The modest little town of Yun Chang quietly stood in its place. It seemed to have no clue that the change of the world was just beginning.

When the first hooves sounds of Chu Beijie’s and his beloved wife’s sounded the expedition, everything had been decided—in the glorious opening Chapter of the Ting courts, the name Qierou would forever be remembered.