On the day Li Huaiyu finished her confinement period, Jiang Xuanjin personally helped her change clothes, held her in his arms to feed her, and then lay down with her for a nap.
Huaiyu turned her head and said, “You’re so gentle today. Even when I tease you, you don’t avoid me.”
Jiang Xuanjin’s brow twitched as if he wanted to scold her, but after thinking for a moment, he calmed down and asked, “Is there anything you want?”
She snuggled closer, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Huaiyu laughed, “There’s a lot I want. You’d need to have Chengxu bring a few stacks of paper to write it all down… But for now, I want to hear you tell a story.”
Touching his face, Huaiyu added, “A story about cute little animals.”
Jiang Xuanjin: “…”
His wife’s requests grew stranger by the day, and he couldn’t fathom what was going on in her mind.
Gently patting her back, Jiang Xuanjin awkwardly began, “Once upon a time, there was a very cute little animal, um… a rabbit spirit. The rabbit spirit wanted to grow carrots for herself but couldn’t find fertile soil. So she asked the rabbit spirit living next door, ‘Where can I find soil to grow good carrots?'”
Huaiyu was slightly surprised. She thought he wouldn’t be able to tell a story, but he was doing quite well.
Moreover, with his eyes half-closed and a gentle, charming face, he looked like someone she wanted to build a golden house for.
His long fingers brushed her cheek, sending tingling sensations through her. The person in front of her continued earnestly, “The neighbor told the rabbit spirit that on the other side of the mountain, there was a field with all kinds of wild vegetables. The soil where the wild vegetables grew most abundantly was the best for growing carrots.”
“So the rabbit crossed mountains and rivers to dig up the soil.”
The soothing voice, wrapped in warm breath, lulled Huaiyu into a yawn, and drowsiness swept over her.
The person beside her gently patted her, his tone growing softer, “But when the carrots grew, the rabbit spirit found that her carrots weren’t as big as her neighbor’s. She was puzzled and asked the neighbor, ‘I worked as hard as you did, so why aren’t my carrots as good as yours?'”
“The neighbor said, ‘Do you see the dwarf gourds growing on the other side of the mountain?’ The rabbit spirit nodded.”
“The neighbor said, ‘I dug the soil from under the dwarf gourds, and that’s how I grew the best carrots.'”
“Why?” The rabbit spirit didn’t understand.
Jiang Xuanjin slightly smiled, looking at the person in front of him. She had already fallen asleep, her nose twitching slightly, just like a cute little rabbit.
Holding this little rabbit close, he gently kissed her ear and slowly revealed the story’s ending: “Because I love you.”
The story was made up, but the last sentence was true.
The person in his arms slept soundly, trusting him completely, without any defenses. Jiang Xuanjin quietly watched her, his eyes filled with satisfaction and joy.
He had always thought the romantic words of poets were too frivolous and illusory, but being with her, he found that some lines were quite fitting.
“Meeting you, my feelings deepened, regretting not meeting you sooner. Among thousands and thousands of people, none compare to you.”
…
Chengxu stood outside the door with a battle report, not daring to disturb them.
The border was in crisis, with a large influx of refugees into various fiefdoms. The area east of the capital was already in chaos. The Western Liang army, with fifty thousand troops, was only sixty miles from the capital. Zhu Wu and others led the resistance, but without a commander, the army’s morale was unstable, leading to many problems.
The master had already heard the news and knew what he had to do. So today, he took out the armor he had hidden for a long time and polished it several times.
This armor was used in the early years of the Daxing dynasty during the battle to support the king. It had been hidden for nine years, and over time, in Northern Wei, apart from Liu Yunlie, no one remembered that Ziyang Jun was skilled in martial arts and military strategy.
Without looking at the battle report in his hand, the master also needed to say goodbye to his wife. But… Chengxu knew it was difficult to bring it up, as the master feared nothing more than his wife’s sadness.
So… let him spend one more day with her, and find a suitable opportunity to tell her.
When Huaiyu woke up, Jiang Xuanjin was sitting by the bed, asking her, “Do you want to go out for a walk?”
Her eyes lit up at his words, and she jumped out of bed, stepping on his shoes with her bare feet, and cheerfully said, “Let’s go! I’m almost suffocated from being cooped up. I can finally go out!”
Pinching her waist, he lifted her back onto the bed, helped her put on an outer robe, and bent down to fetch her silk socks and embroidered shoes.
No matter how thick-skinned she was, having him put on her shoes made Huaiyu blush. She grabbed his wrist and whispered, “I’ll do it myself.”
Jiang Xuanjin glanced at her, raising an eyebrow in surprise, “Shy?”
“…No, I just feel like if you do this, I’ll be struck by lightning.”
Laughing softly, Jiang Xuanjin pinched her ankle, dodged her hand, and stubbornly put her shoes on. Then he stood up, looking down at her, “I’m much taller than you.”
Huaiyu squinted, “So what? Do you look down on short people?”
“No.” He pulled her up, “If lightning strikes, I’ll shield you.”
Li Huaiyu: “…”
Qingsi stood at the door, watching the two masters come out, and glanced lightly.
Usually, Ziyang Jun would be red-eared and annoyed, but today, for some reason, her Highness’s face was flushed red.
Ziyang Jun was still dressed in a cyan robe embroidered with flying cranes, and the princess wore a matching cyan robe, though her skirt was adorned with proudly blooming peonies. The two walked out hand in hand, as if they didn’t see the people standing outside, heading straight for the mansion’s gate.
Yufeng muttered expressionlessly, “The clothes are enough; there’s no need for them to hold hands.”
“What do you think?” Yufeng asked Chengxu, seeking some camaraderie in their shared plight.
However, Chengxu, with a stern face, said, “I won’t say anything. Cleaning the stables last time was enough.”
Yufeng: “…” He turned his head guiltily and fell silent.
Like someone who hadn’t been to the human world in eight hundred years, Li Huaiyu found everything fascinating along the way. She wanted candied hawthorn, a kite, and sugar paintings, and Jiang Xuanjin indulged her.
However, his face was too conspicuous without any cover, and they were soon surrounded by townspeople, unable to move.
Huaiyu, bouncing happily ahead, turned back to find him gone.
“This young man is so handsome. May I ask if you have a family?” An old woman asked happily, pointing to the other side, “My daughter is over there. Would you like to meet her?”
“Young man, take this.” A young girl shyly handed him a sachet and quickly retreated.
Some were bolder, even trying to grab his sleeve.
Li Huaiyu’s face turned green. She put her hands on her hips and stormed back, pushing through the crowd to shield him behind her, angrily saying, “What do you think you’re doing in broad daylight?”
Jiang Xuanjin stood behind her, watching her fierce demeanor, a glint in his eyes, and a slight smile on his lips.
He could have walked out on his own or scared them away with a cold look, but… shamelessly, he enjoyed seeing her stand in front of him, protecting him. It was even cuter than the rabbit spirit who could grow carrots.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him away, Jiang Xuanjin pressed his lips together, looking innocently at her.
“You should have called me. What if I hadn’t turned back to look for you?” she scolded.
“You would have turned back,” he said, “because I’m priceless.”
At this, Huaiyu’s mouth twitched.
When she embroidered a robe for him, he promised her a treasure in exchange. But when she finished and asked for the treasure, he naturally placed his hand in hers.
“For you,” he said, “priceless.”
Coming to her senses, Huaiyu sighed, “Of all things to learn, why did you have to learn my shamelessness?”
Jiang Xuanjin thought seriously and then said, “Learn what’s powerful.”
It made sense, and she couldn’t refute it. Huaiyu bared her teeth and bit his wrist.
He didn’t dodge, only said, “If you want to eat meat, there’s a restaurant ahead.”
Huaiyu looked up, “Hey, it’s Lu Ji.”
Letting go, she pulled him along, running towards it.
The main city of Pingling was preserved, and with the influx of refugees, the shops Lu Jingxing had bought at low prices became prosperous, earning him a fortune. So he renovated all the Lu Ji restaurants in the frontline city.
However, Lu Jingxing’s face didn’t look good at all.
“You finally came!” He looked helpless, “Your Highness, save me!”
Jiang Xuanjin sneered, pulling him by the wrist towards Huaiyu, indifferently asking, “What’s wrong with Shopkeeper Lu?”
Glaring at him, Lu Jingxing retracted his hand, opened a repaired jade-bone fan with a “swish,” and glanced upstairs, “There’s a rogue in the shop. I can’t handle it, and the authorities won’t intervene. I can only ask Your Highness to make a decision.”
A rogue? Huaiyu was excited, “Is there a rogue in the frontline city?”
Lu Jingxing thought for a moment, “An outsider who took root here.”
No wonder. Huaiyu rolled up her sleeves, puffed out her chest, and said, “Leave it to me. I’ll beat them up before sending them to the authorities!”
With that, she marched upstairs with great vigor.
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t move, raising an eyebrow slightly, counting to ten in his mind.
Sure enough, when he reached ten, Li Huaiyu came down sheepishly.
“What?” Lu Jingxing glared, “Even you can’t handle it?”
Scratching her chin, Huaiyu said, “It’s not about handling it. I can’t handle it. Who did you provoke? Why did you put Murong Qi, that troublemaker, up there?”
Lu Jingxing felt wronged, “I was just running my business. How did I provoke her? She came into my shop without a word and had been drinking for three days, occupying the entire second floor. I can’t do business!”
Huaiyu said, “With your skills, it shouldn’t be hard to throw her out, right?”
Lu Jingxing turned green, “Throw out the Hundred Flowers Lord of Eastern Jin? You lend me some courage!”
“What to do then?” Huaiyu was also helpless, turning to Jiang Xuanjin, “Do you have a solution?”
“Yes.” Jiang Xuanjin nodded.
Lu Jingxing’s eyes lit up, and he immediately bowed, “Please, Your Highness, enlighten me!”
“Simple.” Jiang Xuanjin kindly said, “Murong Qi is stubborn. Persuading her with kind words won’t work. Go up and spar with her. If she loses, she won’t have the face to stay here.”
Lu Jingxing was delighted but also worried, “She won’t use her power to oppress, will she?”
“No,” Jiang Xuanjin said, “The Hundred Flowers Lord always honors her bets.”
Huaiyu listened, feeling something was off. Would Murong Qi honor her bets? Why did she always lose and refuse to admit it when they fought before, gritting her teeth and plotting revenge?
“Alright, we won’t delay Shopkeeper Lu’s efforts to rid the people of harm.” Jiang Xuanjin wrapped an arm around her and led her out, “Farewell.”
Huaiyu snapped back, instinctively following to bid farewell, but couldn’t help muttering, “Will there be any trouble?”
Jiang Xuanjin glanced sideways, displeased, “Worried about him?”
“No, no, no!” Realizing the mistake, Huaiyu quickly hugged his arm with a smile, “Why would I worry about him? I’d rather spend more time hugging you.”
Jiang Xuanjin snorted softly and turned his head away.
The two strolled to the outskirts, the setting sun casting a warm glow. Li Huaiyu chatted happily with Jiang Xuanjin, chattering non-stop. But when they sat on a large rock, she suddenly fell silent, gazing at the sunset.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled, turning to look at her.
Huaiyu smiled, hugging her knees, and softly said, “When you leave this time, will it be months before I see you again?”
Jiang Xuanjin was slightly shocked, frowning, “You…”
He was still pondering how to bring it up, but she already knew.
Her almond eyes reflected the light, and Huaiyu smiled, tilting her head to look at him, “I’m not stupid.”
His throat tightened, and Jiang Xuanjin held her hand tightly.
In his plan, today was a day to pamper her, to indulge her in everything, to make up for what he would owe her later.
But she knew everything, cooperating with him, making him laugh, and going wild with him. It seemed like she was the one pampering him.
Gently stroking the back of her hand, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“What’s there to be sorry for?” Huaiyu laughed, “You’ve already done very, very well.”
A long time ago, she asked him: If you could only choose between me and the people, who would you choose?
He answered without hesitation: The people.
But now, she saw with her own eyes, in the tense situation, he did everything to stabilize the situation, freeing up so much time to be with her, to be with her during childbirth, to stay with her through her confinement.
He didn’t easily abandon her for the people. Among the countless people, she weighed equally in his heart.
Just thinking about it made her smile from ear to ear.
“During the battle to support the king, I witnessed your prowess.” Her eyes dreamy, Huaiyu said, “At that time, Ziyang Jun was decisive and fierce. You probably don’t know how handsome you looked on horseback.”
Jiang Xuanjin was taken aback.
When Emperor Xiao passed away and the feudal lords rebelled, he rode into the palace, suppressing the rebels. When he broke open the gates of Feiyun Palace, Princess Danyang was kneeling on the soft couch, protecting her younger brother.
He couldn’t remember her expression at that time, but looking at her now, Jiang Xuanjin said, “So back then, you already had ill intentions towards me.”
Li Huaiyu laughed heartily, rubbing his hand against her face, looking earnestly into his eyes.
“So this time, Your Highness must return safely and let me see that prowess again.”