HMAM CH 42 Debts
The army outside the city was pressing down on the city, the shouts of killing loud and thunderous.
In the courtyard, just after the drizzle, Li Tingqiu knelt on one knee on the wet bluestone and said, “This subject will take my leave."
Jing Ye leaned over and put his hand on his cold shoulder armor.
Li Tingqiu paused, raised his head, and said to Jing Ye: "Be careful and don't be tempted to continue fighting."
He gestured to him to rise, and Li Tingqiu stood up.
Jing Ye was wearing a long cloak, the crimson edged hood contrasted with his pale skin, and a few strands of forehead hair fell between his eyebrows.
Li Tingqiu's eyes deepened, and he couldn't help but walk forward a few steps: "Your Majesty..." But the several military officers behind him hurriedly stopped him and said, "General Li, it will be too late if we don't leave now."
Li Tingqiu had no choice but to step out of the courtyard and mount his horse, heading all the way to the east city gate.
Jing Ye stood there, watching the accompanying military officers bow and leave.
The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, but the shouts of killing could be heard from the west in the distance.
Jing Ye stood quietly. After a while, raindrops fell from the sky, and it started to rain again. Ye Mao took an umbrella and hurried out of the eaves, covering Jing Ye's head.
"The rain is going to be heavy. Your Majesty, please go back inside."
After hearing this, Jing Ye turned around and went back to his room. But just after entering the door, he felt like the world was spinning and he stumbled. If it weren't for Ye Mao's support, he would have fallen to the ground.
Ye Mao hurriedly helped him onto the bed, covered him with a quult, and ordered the maids to stoke the fire.
Jing Ye leaned on the pillow and watched him hurrying back and forth, and gradually fell asleep.
Before one knew it, it was evening, and the sound of birds chirping outside the window had become more tired.
A tame pigeon flapped its wings and rested on the window sill as usual.
Ye Mao, who was ordering dinner, saw it and hurriedly signaled the maid to step back, and went over to take the paper scroll from the pigeon's foot.
"Your Majesty, news has arrived from the capital."
Jing Ye was tired and half asleep when he heard the voice: "Read it out loud."
Ye Mao unfolded it and took a look, and his heart sank.
Jing Ye turned his head and said, "Why are you not reading it out loud?"
Ye Mao's throat tightened and said: "The Xu family has rebelled..."
Jing Ye opened his eyes.
"Eighty thousand imperial troops have been sent to quell the rebellion first." Ye Mao read, "Going northwest quickly."
To the northwest, outside Yingzhou City, there was a canyon. The terrain was dangerous and rarely traveled. But at this moment, tens of thousands of troops were passing through in several groups.
At noon, the army rested beside the stream in the valley and lit a fire to cook.
Feng Ling tied the horse to a tree trunk by the creek and washed his face with water. The clear water reflected his fatigued look.
“My lord." The soldier who followed him brought the lunch and said with a smile, "It is just made and it's still hot. It's much better than the cold dry food from the past few days. Please try it."
"Thank you." Feng Ling took it and took a bite. In the past, the palace banquet was full of delicacies, but now it seemed that it was not comparable to this hot meal.
The soldier squatted on the side, and Feng Ling asked him, “Did you eat?"
The soldier nodded quickly: “Yes, it was tasty."
Feng Ling smiled and said, "Why are you always looking at me?"
The soldier said: "I joined the army when I was fourteen years old. I have been in the army for two years but I have never seen a civil official like you go onto the battlefield. My mother said that noble people like you should sit at home, drink tea and write, and should not come here rolling in the mud.”
Feng Ling couldn't help but laugh: "Your mother is wrong. An official serves the country and is loyal to the emperor..." When he spoke the word "emperor", he was paused for a moment and then finished self-deprecatingly, "...forget it, a scholar is the most useless."
The soldier was clever. Seeing that he had a gentle temperament and was not as arrogant as ordinary officials, he asked him many questions. Just as he was chatting enthusiastically, he heard footsteps behind him and turned around to look. It was General Yang Ziran. He was so frightened that he quickly saluted, and then ran away with his head down.
Yang Ziran saw that he was running away in panic, and wondered: "How come he could so happily chat with you, but when he sees me, he is like a mouse avoiding a cat."
Feng Ling smiled: "You scared many people during military training, not just this one."
Yang Ziran shook his head, sat with him by the stream, and said, "Aren't you asking for trouble by giving up on your noble scholarly duties and following me on a thousand-mile march?"
Feng Ling said: "A man cultivates himself, manages his family and governs the country, what difference is there between the scholarly arts and martial arts?"
Yang Ziran snorted coldly: "What cultivating the self and managing the family? I want to ask you, what's wrong with my sister Ying'er? You don't want to marry her, and you come here to avoid the marriage. I'm not exaggerating, Ying'er is both talented and beautiful, and has a good personality, learned in astronomy and knowledgeable in geography..."
Feng Ling felt a headache when he heard this endless praise from the other for his sister. He stood up quickly and said, "General Situ asked me to draw a map. I'm going ahead first."
"Don't run away. Let's make it clear first who you like..."
Feng Ling was blocked by him and was helpless to avoid him, so he said: “Ten days."
Yang Ziran: "...?"
On the second day, they left the canyon and walked a hundred miles to the gate of Yingzhou City. Feng Ling dismounted and carried his luggage. The soldier from yesterday came over to help him lead the horse. He smiled and said: “My lord, what is it you are holding in your right hand? You haven't let go of it this whole way."
Feng Ling said: "Painting."
The soldier said: "Wouldn't it be better to keep the painting at home? It is difficult to carry and easy to damage."
Feng Ling held the painting tightly and said, "I can't bear to part with it."
The two people just walked to the city gate, when they heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. When they turned around, they saw a big red flag with a curved blade and a bright moon embroidered on it. The soldier let out an "aiyo" and said, “They are actually invited here."
Feng Ling couldn't help but be surprised when he saw that the cavalrymen in this cavalry team were dressed differently and had upright postures and quick movements but did not look like ordinary soldiers. The soldier explained: "These are the Pingyue Tenth Cavalry. They are from Pingyue City, not our official army."
Pingyue Tenth Cavalry.
Although Feng Ling was a scholar, he had heard of this name. It was said that wherever Pingyue's cavalry went, there was never defeat.
While he was thinking this, he heard the soldier yelling “My lord, be careful!". Before he could react, he was swept to the side of the road by the wind from the whip.
Feng Ling rolled in the dust, looking extremely disheveled, coughed and got up, only to see a white horse in front of him, with a young man in red sitting on it, holding a long whip, with a fierce and wild expression.
Feng Ling glanced at him, lowered his head and suddenly felt that his right hand was empty and the painting was gone.
"Are you looking for this?"
Feng Ling was looking around him for the painting when the young man raised his hand and the scroll unfolded from top to bottom.
The person in the painting was none other than Jing Ye. The afternoon sun was shining, and the young man with warm eyes was lying on the couch and taking a nap.
Feng Ling stepped forward and said, "This is mine..."
"Once it's in my hands, it belongs to me." The young man put away the painting and sneered, "I haven't asked you yet, why is my person in your painting?"
Southwest, Bixue Pass.
Seventeen days later, the Xirong army learned that their rear camp was attacked and retreated in a hurry. Of the three thousand elites Li Tingqiu took with him, less than eight hundred returned. Although the rest all survived, they were all injured.
Li Tingqiu was seriously injured and had not awakened even now.
Jing Ye and General He were sitting in the hall.
General He took a sip of wine and said, "When you go onto the battlefield, it is always a matter of life or death."
Ye Mao came in and bowed: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician has left."
Upon hearing this, Jing Ye stood up and walked out.
General He stood up and saluted. Watching him walk out quickly, he sighed and said, "Paying debts and owing debts. It is all karmic debt, ai."
When Jing Ye entered the room, Li Tingqiu was still sleeping. The servants were packing up the blood-stained towels and the water basin. When they saw Jing Ye coming in, they all bowed to the ground and left quietly.
Jing Ye walked a few steps over and sat on the small stool beside the bed.
Li Tingqiu lay there unconscious, his eyes closed, his lips pale and dry, his upper body wrapped with cloth, and blood oozing in some places.
Jing Ye looked at him for a while and said, "Just for that silk ball?"
The room was silent.
After a long time, Jing Ye sighed slightly, stood up and turned to leave. Suddenly he heard murmuring: "Xia..."
Jing Ye turned around and looked at him. His lips were slightly open, as if he was full of words to say to the person in his sleep.
But in the end there was only silence.
"Xia?" Jing Ye muttered, looked back at him, and finally walked out.
The door closed with a creak.
The person on the bed moved his fingertips slightly and opened his eyes.