Jiaohua

Chapter 1633 Mandarin Duck Bath

Shen Lie had already adjusted the water temperature by the bathtub. After Xia Zhaoyi returned, Shen Lie helped her take off her clothes, did not let her soak in the water, and carried her to sit by the bathtub.

First, I washed her hair, then I showered her, carefully avoiding her arms with each step.

Xia Zhaoyi had never allowed anyone to serve her since she was a child, but she was happy to enjoy Shen Lie's "service". However, she still said, "You must not lift me onto the horse in front of my subordinates today."

Her eyes were sparkling with laughter.

As Shen Lie washed her forearms, he said gently, "The people who saw me carrying you onto the horse have all been silenced. Don't worry, this matter won't get out."

His fingertips touched a scar. He turned her palm over and saw a long, pale pink scar on her palm, which had faded considerably.

"How did you get hurt?" Shen Lie asked softly.

Xia Zhaoyi glanced down and said, "Ouyang Jun was surrounded by the five major families of Beiyuan in Dandan River and sent a message asking for help. At that time, I didn't have enough manpower, so I could only take 500 soldiers to launch a night raid on Mingyue Lake River City, forcing Xuexiang's family and Xia'er's family to turn back. That battle was not easy. We were outnumbered, and during the fierce fighting, a knife was slashed at Feng Ping. Feng Ping went to block the knife, but the man was fierce and immediately dropped the knife, pulled out a dagger and stabbed her. His movements were extremely fast."

Shen Lie broke out in a cold sweat: "You disarmed Bai Jia with your bare hands?"

"...How could that be? If I had really disarmed him with my bare hands, my fingers would have been severed by his palm. I was trying to grab his wrist, but everything happened too fast, and I was cut on the way."

"Is that person dead?"

"Feng Ping cut off his head on the spot."

Shen Lie didn't feel any sense of satisfaction.

Xia Zhaoyi looked at him with a bright smile, raised her palm and said, "Medal."

Shen Lie's dark eyes were extremely deep: "Your achievements are already outstanding, and the mountains and rivers bear witness. Why do you need this scar to add to your record?"

Xia Zhaoyi suddenly asked, "Haven't you been injured all this time?"

"……Have."

Xia Zhaoyi stared at him without blinking, then got up from the bath, her breath sweet as orchids: "Then, I want to check it out too."

The two hadn't seen each other for months, and the brief separation felt like a raging fire, burning Shen Lie's entire body with fervor.

But he was an extremely restrained man, able to suppress all his desires, and first washed away her sweat and dirt from the day.

And he also wanted to see how badly she was hurt.

Which man would want his beloved girl to fight a war outside? But not wanting is one thing; he also respects and even admires her every thought and choice from the bottom of his heart.

Shen Lie remained motionless, watching her approach.

Xia Zhaoyi was agile; as she wrapped her arms around Shen Lie's neck and kissed him, she lightly leaped up.

The water temperature in the bath was comfortable, not too hot in the summer. Their movements caused ripples to spread throughout the bath.

Even when deeply moved, Shen Lie never forgot to protect her wounds.

After a tiring bath and a refreshing break, we went back to bed, chatted for a few minutes, and then had another good time.

Both were young, and their stamina and resilience were astonishing. They kissed passionately, their breaths hot and unrestrained, as if they wanted to disregard everything and release all the deep longing that had been suppressed in their hearts for many months, in this rare moment of pleasure.

Xia Zhaoyi fell into a deep sleep nestled in Shen Lie's arms.

Shen Lie was also tired, but fearing that she would have a headache when she woke up tomorrow, he got up and repeatedly wiped her half-dry hair.

The next day, Shen Lie slept in very late.

Xia Zhaoyi has already left, leaving him a letter saying that she is going to the capital to find Lu Ningjin.

After the army enters the city, chaos will surely ensue. Although there were prior arrangements, she had to check and inspect every detail again as the time approached to ensure that nothing went wrong.

The army will enter the city tonight. These past few days have been filled with turmoil in Yong'an, and few residents have ventured out. After nightfall, the streets will be deserted.

At this time, a silent intrusion can minimize casualties.

In addition to the troops entering the city, Shen Lie had already made arrangements for the troops to be sent to various outskirts of Beijing for both suppression and appeasement.

For the rest of the day, Shen Lie, Liang Jun, Hui Jin, Zhai Jinsheng, and others stayed around the marching table in the main tent.

It wasn't until Ye Zheng came in and said that Young Master Ji had arrived.

Ji "Master Zhi" and Cheng Jieshi came in together.

They left Jiangnan ahead of time, but arrived in Beijing half a month later than Shen Lie.

He first went to Xizhou and Guizhou to collect grain and sugar, and then went to Lingzhou to collect salt.

Because Shen Lie took over Ying Jinliang's territory in Tongdu during the journey, which took some time, they ended up arriving in Beijing one after the other.

As soon as Ji Xia arrived, he hurriedly told him some big news he had just heard on the way: "Tian Lingwen was poisoned to death. It is said that Jin Hongkang did it. Tian Dayao was furious and sent 80,000 more troops. They marched straight from Mouye to Songzhou in one fell swoop."

Zhai Jinsheng said, "Tian Lingwen is..."

Liang Jun said, "Tian Dayao's fourth son."

Zhai Jinsheng said, "Oh, it's that Fourth Young Master."

Tian Dayao has not yet ascended the throne and declared himself emperor. He still calls himself a king, and his sons, except for his eldest son, are all called "Gongzi" (公子).

Hui Jin said, "How can Tian Dayao be sure that it was Jin Hongkang who did it? Besides, he has many sons, including his adopted son Nie Huimo. They are all fighting so fiercely. How could he not suspect that it might be Nie Huimo?"

Liang Jun said with certainty, "Jin Hongkang has been set up. Could it be that Yun Bozhong did it?"

Shen Lie listened to their discussion from the side, but he didn't join in. His gaze remained fixed on Yong'an on the military table.

All twenty-six city gates are depicted on paper. The city of Yong'an is incredibly vast and prosperous. At its peak, the wealth of Yong'an was comparable to that of half the world.

But Shen Lie remained calm, without any ulterior motives.

The country was within reach, his army was pressing in, and it was within his grasp, yet he truly felt it was meaningless.

Having read the books she loved, seen the interesting annotations she wrote, and had many conversations with her, Shen Lie knew that she had changed him.

He liked this change; it felt like he had grown wings, light and carefree, able to float freely through the world.

But it is precisely because of this sense of "meaninglessness" that he is now very boring.

After he takes Yong'an, he will face a game he cannot avoid—he needs to carefully manage the country and stabilize the situation until the trained officials from Hejing are sent over to take over.

Doing it even when you don't want to.

This feels really disappointing.

So, has she always felt this way?

She did not enjoy ruling the country; if offered the throne, she would simply stay far away. This wasn't out of modesty, but because she genuinely despised the so-called imperial scepter.

But if she wants to eliminate Li Qian, she has to lift up her hands and take on the burden of this mess.

She has a responsibility to all people; otherwise, the world will descend into chaos and the people will suffer.

“Zhiyan,” Ji Xiahe said at this moment.

Shen Lie wasn't completely distracted; he raised his dark eyes to look at him, waiting for him to speak.

Ji Xia asked worriedly, "What about Xie Zhonghe and Fang Yinai?"