Chapter 143

It was the eighth day of the ninth month in the year 775. The strong winds blew across the Nanqiu Plains in Chengzhou. The countless blades of wilted grass fluttered with the wind, appearing like a golden ocean. Over the horizon, only an old, wilted tree was visible. The tallest peak in Chengzhou, Heqi Peak, was a blurry line in the distance. It was like an elephant that was asleep, covered by the fog.

Li Ce was wearing a yellow cloak. Imperial guards followed behind him. His expression was unusually stern. He sat on his horse’s back, his hair slightly messed up by the wind and sweeping across his face, causing some itching sensations. The man swept aside his hair impatiently, pointed at the guards behind him and said, “The few of you, go. Go there and help me block the wind.”

Lu Yunxi frowned and replied, “Your Highness, Yan Bei’s troops are in front watching us.”

“So what?” Li Ce raised his eyebrows and said lazily, “What does that have to do with me asking you to go there?”

Tie You had not fully recovered from his injuries. Although his shoulder was still bandaged, it did not affect his personality or thinking. He rolled his eyes impatiently and retorted, “Your Highness, Prince Yan is in front. Be careful.”

Lu Yunxi continued, “We snuck here with so few people. When they eat us up, they won’t even get a mouthful each.”

“It’s strange. What are you guys trying to say? I just told you to stand at the side, to not let the wind damage my skin. What does that have to do with Prince Yan?”

Sun Di sneered, killing the atmosphere, “You don’t want us to disturb your love confession, right?”

“Ah? What? All of you actually thought this way? Do I look like one that does not look at the big picture?”

The few of them stared at Li Ce, the look in their eyes saying only one thing: Yes.

“Your Highness, Miss Chu is here,” one imperial guard reached out his hand and said.

Li Ce turned around and ordered, “Go! If not, I’ll dock half a year’s wages from all of you.” As he finished his sentence, all the shadows disappeared from his sight. Chu Qiao galloped over on her horse and stopped it with the reins. Suspiciously, she said, “Where have they gone? They are in such a rush.”

“They ate something bad. They are searching for a lavatory.”

Chu Qiao laughed and said, “Li Ce, thank you.”

Li Ce raised his eyebrows. His eyes, which looked like a fox, gleamed. “For what?”

“Thank you for the help you have given me all this while. Thank you for not taking advantage of the situation. Thank you for remaining neutral at this time and not attacking Yan Bei.”

Li Ce stuck out his finger, shook it, and said, “Zhao Chun’er’s problem is not yours. I did not intend to marry her. Although she’s beautiful and has a good figure, she has a rash temper, no brains, and a tendency to be overcome by jealousy. If I marry her, there won’t be peace among my concubines. As for the war with Yan Bei, you don’t need to worry about that. There are no benefits for the Tang Empire. Even without you, I won’t be so stupid as to strike out on Xia’s behalf. Haha, I’m one that advocates the idea of peace too. The blood on the battlefield will dirty my outfit.”

Chu Qiao laughed. Not mincing her words, she replied, “Alright then. We don’t owe each other anything. Next time, on the battlefield, you don’t need to show any mercy.”

“That’s not right,” the man’s expression changed. Shaking his finger, he continued, “You lived at my place for such a long time. You ate my food, wore my clothes, and freeloaded of me in so many ways. You chased away two of my prospective brides and caused disharmony between my concubines and myself. The financial damages are countless. It includes economic damage, compensation for emotional trauma, compensation for marital disharmony and loss of family. We have to settle these scores one by one. We are both adults. I see that your conscience is clear, and that you will not deny any of these scores. In the future, I will send someone to Yan Bei with the bill. Hmm, you guys are not rich either. How about this? In the next five years, if you see my ensign on the battlefield, your forces need to retreat. Yan Xun is so fierce. I don’t dare to clash with him. What if he bites me?”

With a thud, Chu Qiao landed a punch on Li Ce’s shoulder. The man shouted, “Ah! Qiaoqiao, can you change your method of expressing your affection?”

Chu Qiao smiled warmly. She knew that with Li Ce’s words, Tang would not submit to Xia’s pressure and attack Yan Bei within the next five years. Five years later, Yan Bei would be sufficiently powerful to withstand the attacks of Xia.

She felt a sourish feeling at her nose. Her voice was muffled, but she still managed a laugh and said, “Alright. Why don’t you prepare a bill and see how much I owe you?”

“Sigh…” Li Ce sighed and looked down slightly, his eyebrows raised. He looked at her quietly and said, “The things I said earlier on was trivial. The main thing is, you leave an indelible impression on me. Yet, you can’t stay by my side so that I can see you often. I still have a long future ahead. How can I use money to judge how much I will miss you?”

A gust of wind blew past the both of them, sweeping up large amounts of wilted grass. The man’s sleeve fluttered in the air. The look on his face showed a tinge of depression and loneliness. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, as if he was mocking himself.

Chu Qiao froze, the look in her eyes turning cold. She wanted to say something but was unable to.

“Haha!” Li Ce pointed at Chu Qiao with one arm, covering his stomach with the other arm. He laughed to the point where he almost fell off his horse. “Look at your expression, Qiaoqiao. Do you think I’ve been bewitched like that fellow, Zhuge Yue?”

Chu Qiao, having been made a fool of by him, thrust out her fist to beat him up. Li Ce dodged her attack with agility, exclaiming proudly, “If I let you have your way every time, would I still have any face?”

“Scoundrel!”

Li Ce laughed and continued, “Don’t be too cocky. Yan Xun is an unlucky fellow to be associated with you since young. Maybe he feels that there are no other women in the world except for you. As for Zhuge Yue, he is even more silly. I think that he has grown sick of all the beautiful women in the world. I think he regards you as a treasure, seeing a frail one pop up. Do you think I would be at their level?”

Chu Qiao raged and hollered, “Still want to say something?”

“No, no, Qiaoqiao, let me ask you something. It’s important, you have to answer me honestly.” Li Ce’s expression changed faster than a book having its pages flipped.

Seeing that he suddenly appeared serious, Chu Qiao replied, “Go ahead. As long as it does not involve Yan Bei’s military secrets, I will answer you.”

“You said that for yourself.”

“I said it, go ahead and ask.”

“That, that, I want to ask…” Li Ce looked around mysteriously and frowned, continuing, “I want to ask…”

“What do you want to ask?” Seeing that he looked over, Chu Qiao started to wonder to herself. Li Ce did not behave like this before. What was he going to ask about? Did he want to ask about Yan Bei’s military plans? Or their next actions?

“I want to ask…” Li Ce smiled and bellowed, “I want to ask if Yan Xun is still a virgin!”

“Li Ce! You’re asking for your own death!”

“It’s alright if you don’t want to say! Do you need to fall out with me?”

“Looks like you’re asking for a beating today!”

“Ah! Qiaoqiao, calm down, I don’t have any bad intentions! Ah! Sun Di! Tie You! Help me! Help me!”

An ear-splitting cry of agony sounded out. The most valuable voice of Tang echoed around the plains. Alas, none of his subordinates helped him. Led by Sun Di, a group of elite guards crouched by a slope, engaged in illegal dealings intensely.

“Place your bets, I bet ten taels that Your Highness will not retaliate.”

A young man, aged about 20, said, “Your Highness is not like this. It’s shameful to be beaten up by a woman. I bet ten taels that Your Highness will retaliate.”

Everyone stared at him in pity. Lu Yunxi asked, “Are you new? You’re not from the capital?”

“Yes,” the young soldier said with loyalty written all over his face, showing that he was a patriotic soldier. “I am from the North Camp. I’m the section commander of the seventh section in the fifth platoon belonging to the 30th battalion. As I did not participate in the rebellion, reporting the matter to the higher-ups instead, I was groomed by Your Highness. I look forward to all of your guidance.”

“No problem, since we’re all wearing the same uniforms, we will be brothers in future,” Tie You said jovially. “In order to support you, I will bet on Your Highness not daring to retaliate. If you win, you will win more.”

“That’s right, the expenditure in the capital is high. Brother, we will support you.”

The soldiers gathered their silver and gave it to Sun Di, implying the following: we are gifting our money to you. Lad, put in your best efforts for this united team!

The winds were strong; the landscape appeared golden. Li Ce’s and Chu Qiao’s cloaks fluttered in the air.

“Alright then. I will not send you any further. Bon voyage.”

Chu Qiao nodded and replied, “Take care too. I think that this matter is not that simple. Do take extra precautions.”

“Don’t worry, if anyone dares to offend me, I’ll kill their families and snatch away their wives.”

Chu Qiao laughed and replied, “You don’t have any decent words.”

Li Ce rubbed his bruised lips and laughed, “There are too many troubles in life. If we are decent all the time, won’t it be too boring? Qiaoqiao, let me advise you too. There’s no need to be too stubborn about some things. It’s okay to just drift along and close one eye. You must learn to adapt and console yourself. You’re so tired because you shoulder all the burdens. You must remember that you are a woman. There are a lot of more important things in the world, other than your beliefs.”