Bai Yin did not receive the answer he wanted!
Ji Yinshu also did not receive a definitive answer!
She had to wait.
Wait for Third Master to return.
Three days later.
Third Master returned from Mu Zha’er with his troops.
At the same time, he brought back news.
Everyone gathered inside the command tent, waiting for him to make the announcement.
They were all very tense.
Third Master rapped on the table: “Through these negotiations, Mu Zha’er has agreed to send troops, and has already dispatched forces to intercept Yue Dan’s reinforcements. He has agreed to reach terms with those tribes serving as auxiliary forces, to annihilate Yue Dan in one fell swoop.”
Annihilate Yue Dan in one fell swoop!
For everyone, this was truly tremendous good news.
The soldiers’ morale soared.
They had long wanted to deal with those bastards from Yue Dan.
“Thump thump thump…”
Everyone excitedly pounded the table.
The sound was deafening.
Third Master’s sharp and solemn gaze swept over everyone present one by one.
Then he raised both hands and clenched his fists.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Waiting for him to issue orders!
Third Master said with a serious expression: “Although we will intercept those Yue Dan reinforcements at that time, we still cannot let our guard down. After all, that bunch of Yue Dan people have been fighting in the western regions for so many years. They are cruel by nature, having killed so many people. They are born for warfare. We absolutely cannot underestimate them. Moreover, I’ve heard that their leader Hu Hehao is an extremely ruthless person who also likes to employ underhanded tactics. To prevent them from using trickery, and to ensure we can annihilate Yue Dan in one stroke, we must make thorough preparations. Understood?”
“Understood!”
Third Master nodded, then turned to command Saihe, saying, “Saihe, immediately assemble our troops and join forces with Mu Zha’er’s army.”
Saihe accepted the order: “Understood.”
His hands had been itching for action for a long time.
This time, he must twist off that bastard Batu’s head.
Then crack open his skull and eat his brains spoonful by spoonful to vent his hatred.
Third Master called out again, “Wu Lihan.”
“Present!” Wu Lihan stood up, awaiting instructions.
“You handle matters reliably, so I’ve always been at ease with you. Therefore, you will take a squad and go monitor Yue Dan first. Station yourselves outside their military camp. If they make any moves, report immediately.”
“Yes.”
Then he gave various other instructions one by one.
Everyone accepted their orders!
Third Master, seeing everyone’s morale running so high, stood up and said: “Good, pass my order—tonight we drink until we drop, tomorrow we depart.”
“Thump thump thump…”
Another round of table-pounding.
The entire command tent seemed about to be overturned.
Ji Yinshu knew Third Master had returned and originally wanted to take that portrait and the two wooden plaques to ask him about them, but with the deployment imminent, going to ask now seemed inappropriate.
So she held back for the time being.
That evening, a massive bonfire was lit on the open grassland.
Many more flames flickered all around!
Shining with golden brilliance in the quiet darkness of the prairie night.
Everyone was as passionate and intense as the sparks from that bonfire.
Low tables arranged in a circle were filled with people.
Fine wine and delicacies were presented one by one.
Cattle and sheep had been slaughtered, their fresh blood drained.
The entire air was filled with the scent of fresh beef and mutton and the aroma of wine.
But as a precaution, many soldiers still stood guard around the perimeter.
Third Master raised a large bowl filled with wine and toasted everyone: “In this battle against Yue Dan, we must achieve victory!”
“Victory!”
Everyone’s momentum was overwhelming.
Then Third Master picked up another bowl of wine and turned toward Jingrong: “Young Master Jing, this cup is for you.”
He drank it down in one gulp!
Jingrong raised his bowl and extended it forward, drinking as well.
Beside them, Muruo was leaning half his body against the table, holding a wine jar in one hand, drinking directly from it.
He said to Jingrong: “When we capture Hu Hehao alive, his head will be yours.”
But—
Jingrong had reservations: “The outcome is undecided, anything is possible.”
“Oh? What do you mean by that?”
“Hu Hehao was able to annex so many tribes across the western grasslands in just a few short years. Clearly he is no simple matter. This battle, even if we win, will require tremendous effort.”
“You can set your mind at ease about that. The Hou Liao people aren’t pushovers. They may not fight lightly, but once they do, those Yue Dan people will be like meat on a chopping board, ready to be slaughtered at will.”
“Let’s hope so.”
The two clinked bowls and drank.
Ji Yinshu sat together with Tang Si and Qin Xi.
Tang Si looked at the wine before her, the craving in her belly suddenly becoming unbearable.
From pregnancy until now, she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol.
She swallowed and was about to pick up the bowl in front of her when Ji Yinshu stopped her.
“You can’t drink.”
She looked at her pitifully: “Yinshu, just a tiny bit.”
“No. If you won’t think of yourself, you must think of the child.”
Helplessly, she could only withdraw her hand.
After a while, she leaned close to Ji Yinshu, glanced toward her father with her eyes, and asked: “When do you plan to ask my father about that portrait and the wooden plaques?”
She certainly wanted to!
But in the current situation, how could she ask?
“I’ll wait for the right opportunity.”
“Oh.” Tang Si could only take a sip of water.
Ji Yinshu felt inexplicably nervous inside, that kind of tension that comes when the truth is about to be revealed.
Her hands were tightly clasped together.
Nearby, Qin Xi was also extremely nervous. She had already waited two days, and Lang Bo still hadn’t given her an answer.
She raised her lovely eyes to look toward Lang Bo in the distance, drinking in large gulps.
Cautiously apprehensive.
These past two days, she had been guessing at various possibilities.
Would he be willing to be with her?
Or not?
If he refused, would she really not care?
Just as she lowered her gaze, Lang Bo looked in her direction.
Muruo’s words still echoed in his mind.
Qin Xi was both his heart’s affliction and his heart’s remedy.
“Alas…” He let out a sigh.
Shi Ziran happened to hear it and followed his gaze, landing on Qin Xi.
He teased: “What’s this all about? So our hero Lang Bo is pining for a beauty!”
“You…” Lang Bo glared at him.
This provoked Shi Ziran to laugh unrestrained: “What are you nervous about? You’ve already admitted it yourself, yet you’re still putting on an act in front of me!”
“You don’t understand!”
“I’ll understand if you tell me.” Shi Ziran leaned closer to him, “These past two days you’ve been constantly distracted. Did something happen between you and your Miss Qin?”
“Alas!”
“Why are you sighing? Tell me!” He nudged his arm.
Lang Bo remained silent for a long time before finally saying: “That day… Miss Qin opened her heart to me and asked if I would be willing to be with her?”
Oh my goodness!
This was earth-shattering news!
Shi Ziran’s face lit up with gossip.
“You rascal, how impressive, to make a young lady speak first to you. Tell me, aren’t you ashamed as a grown man? But… what did you say? Did you agree?”
“No.”
“You didn’t agree?”
“Not exactly.” Lang Bo looked troubled.
Shi Ziran was dying of impatience: “Just say it!”
Lang Bo glanced at Qin Xi in the distance and said: “She didn’t make me answer her right away. She said she’d give me time to think it over carefully, but I truly don’t know—if I’m with her, I can’t continue following the Prince. But… I also don’t want to let her down, so I went to find Young Master Mu, hoping he could give me some advice.”
“What did Young Master Mu say?”
“He said the heart’s affliction requires the heart’s remedy, and also said that if I stayed with the Prince, I’d be carrying chamber pots and playing nursemaid.”
Just as those words left his mouth—
“Pfft!” Shi Ziran burst out laughing.