lcionline Chapter 568 It’s a matter of course
Chapter 568 It’s a matter of course
Liu Ye and his men were prepared to intercept Abatai, standing ready for battle, waiting only for the main force's fleet to arrive before setting sail. Liang Xiaoming, however, still had a lingering concern. After arranging things at the military camp, he quietly returned the next day at noon to a small courtyard in Dengzhou City—where Li Xiangjun was temporarily staying.
After entering the quiet courtyard, Liang Xiaoming tiptoed, afraid of making a sound and waking Li Xiangjun—through the past few months of getting along, he knew that Li Xiangjun had the habit of taking a nap.
Upon reaching the inner courtyard, an old woman saw him and was about to call out "Master" when Liang Xiaoming stopped her. After arriving in Dengzhou, he intended to stay there for a while to escape Liu Ru, so he furnished a courtyard and hired an old woman to serve Li Xiangjun, giving the impression of a young couple living together. His only regret was that, to this day, his relationship with Li Xiangjun remained purely platonic.
In truth, although Li Xiangjun hadn't completely overcome her inner turmoil and hadn't entirely forgotten Hou Fangyu, with whom she had sworn eternal love, she had resigned herself to her fate after that near-death experience at the Meixiang Tower. Furthermore, Liang Xiaoming's exceptional care and attention after she arrived in Shandong deeply moved her, and she was mentally prepared to dedicate herself to him. Women, after all, eventually reach this point, especially someone from a brothel; meeting a good man like Liang Xiaoming was considered fortunate.
To be honest, Liang Xiaoming was also quite frustrated. It wasn't that he'd watched too many melodramatic prime-time dramas and had some kind of fastidiousness, insisting that Li Xiangjun love him to death and belong solely to him. Hou Fangyu was younger than him, and by the standards of this era, he was also more talented. Most importantly, Hou Fangyu was much more attractive, a true heartthrob, incomparable to him, a boring, nerdy engineering student. Women are emotional creatures, and it was normal for her to be unable to move on from this relationship for a while. However, while he understood, whenever he saw Li Xiangjun secretly taking out the peach blossom fan painted by Yang Longyou and turning it over and over, even shedding tears alone, Liang Xiaoming felt a tightness in his chest. They say out of sight, out of mind, and if he couldn't see this scene, it would be fine, but seeing it so often created a shadow. Every time he planned to seduce Li Xiangjun, he would involuntarily think of it, and immediately give up.
Upon entering the inner room, he found Li Xiangjun indeed lying on the bed taking a nap, her lotus-root-like arms exposed, her eyelashes fluttering gently, as if she were dreaming.
Liang Xiaoming sat gently on the edge of the bed, watching Li Xiangjun's sleeping posture and admiring her exquisite figure. A sense of satisfaction welled up within him. Retreating from the bloody battlefield to be with the woman he loved felt blissful. Perhaps this was what Liu Ye meant by "wielding power while awake, and resting on a beauty's lap while drunk"? Of course, if Li Xiangjun could completely let go of Hou Fangyu, that would be perfect.
He looked around but didn't find the peach blossom fan painted with blood. He breathed a sigh of relief, looked down at Li Xiangjun's delicate face, and couldn't help but gently stroke her cheek.
Li Xiangjun was a light sleeper and woke up suddenly. When she opened her eyes and saw him, her eyes were full of surprise and joy. She sat up and hugged him.
"My lord, you've finally returned safely. I've been so worried about you these past few days..."
A sudden feeling of happiness filled Liang Xiaoming's heart. He was stunned for a moment, and asked incredulously, "Are you really worried about me?"
Li Xiangjun nestled in his arms and softly replied, "Yes, I was very worried about you, my lord, worried that you would be harmed by the Tartars. But it's good that you're back. Anyone who can kill the Tartars is a hero, at least in my heart, my lord is a great hero! The people in the city all say that Dengzhou City was spared from the Tartars' clutches entirely because my lord led his men to hold off the Tartars at the military camp outside the city..."
Liang Xiaoming was overjoyed. This battle was truly worthwhile, and his image in Li Xiangjun's eyes was immediately elevated. He happily reached out and hugged her tightly, his face beaming with joy.
Li Xiangjun had something else she didn't say to Liang Xiaoming. When news of the Tartar siege of the military camp arrived, Li Xiangjun was gripped by panic. The thought of losing Liang Xiaoming's protection in this chaotic situation, a helpless and vulnerable woman, meant she would either be violated or die. She lived in constant fear. Having enjoyed Liang Xiaoming's care and protection for months, the sudden realization that she might lose everything, even her dignity and life, made her realize how important he was. The sense of security he provided was something the timid and cowardly Hou Fangyu could never offer.
After a brief separation, the two felt a completely different connection upon reuniting. They embraced tightly, hormones surging, their breathing becoming heavy. Even the usually reserved Liang Xiaoming, feeling the woman's burning body and his racing heart, knew what to do. His mouth dry, he undressed himself and then began to undress Li Xiangjun. She readily complied, and after they were both completely naked, everything fell into place naturally.
The old woman outside came to the door, intending to call the master and his concubine to dinner, but she heard heavy breathing and faint moans coming from inside, and she froze. When Li Xiangjun let out a cry mixed with pain, the old woman came to her senses and quickly tiptoed out, lest she ruin the master's good time and lose this well-paid job.
Qingzhou. A long line of people, kicking up clouds of dust, marched from east to west.
On his journey back north, Abatai was constantly depressed. Since joining his father's rebellion, he had fought his way from Shanhaiguan to Guihua City, from Liaodong to Korea, defeating both Ligdan Khan and the King of Korea. Yet, in the small city of Dengzhou, he had met with a crushing defeat. The thought of losing two elite Niru and several thousand Han soldiers made his heart bleed. Then, after joining forces in Shunyi, he would have to endure Ajige's mockery, and upon returning to Shengjing, he might face the punishment of having his title stripped and his salary reduced. Just thinking about it made him anxious.
Little did he know that these were not the most troubling things for him; as the Han people would say, the real show was yet to come.
Starting from the evening of the second day after leaving Dengzhou, things along the way started to seem a bit off.
As was customary, the Later Jin army always resupplyed on the spot during their marches—that's a polite way of putting it; in reality, they were like locusts swarming across the land, looting as they went—so the logistical burden was relatively light. However, their journey there was very smooth, but on the return trip, they found nothing but emptiness—the villages along the way were practically ghost towns. Not only had the people all gone into hiding, but they had also taken away all their grain. The wheat in the fields had been harvested, and the rice bins were so clean that rats could run through them.
If it's like this in one village, it's possible that the villagers fled at the mere sight of the approaching army. But if it's like this in two or three villages, even a fool would know there's something wrong.