Jiaohua

Chapter 1642 Sleeping in Together

Xia Zhaoyi doesn't consider herself seductive; she can't learn how to be seductive, and she never will.

She used to care about her appearance and wanted to keep her skin looking good, so she would put on and apply things to her face.

Gradually, she became too busy and had no time, so she simply gave up.

Later, she didn't care anymore. So what if she got tanned? She was a great general in the army, and even if her appearance was ruined, she would still be a great general.

Now, Shen Lie's increasingly skillful techniques brought her immense pleasure. He took care of her every feeling and thoroughly understood every inch of her body. As the waves of pleasure surged, a thought suddenly popped into Xia Zhaoyi's mind: perhaps Shen Lie wasn't just trying to make her happy; to him, she might truly be "alluring."

After a long night of intense fighting, when she woke up, Xia Zhaoyi was still leaning against Shen Lie's chest.

Shen Lie held her tightly as they slept soundly.

She finished all her work yesterday, and has nothing to do today or tomorrow. But perhaps because she is used to a busy life, she feels a little uncomfortable when she suddenly finds herself with some leisure.

She forced herself not to think about those government decrees, closed her eyes, and snuggled into Shen Lie's arms.

When Shen Lie woke up and saw that she was still there, the corners of his lips curled up. He cupped her face in one hand and gently stroked her cheek with his fingers: "Ali."

Xia Zhaoyi asked, "Your hand is sore from being used as a pillow for so long?"

She had asked him the same question back in Beiyuan, and Shen Lie's answer remained the same: "Not sour."

"Oh, I was just saying I'd give you a massage."

“…Sour!” Shen Lie immediately changed his tune, “Very sour.”

Fearing she might stop using it, Shen Lie quickly added, "Use it more often, and you'll get used to it."

Xia Zhaoyi chuckled, rolled over in his arms, and lay down to massage him.

Shen Lie looked at the graceful curves of her waist and back, and with his other hand, he gently massaged her as well.

Having practiced martial arts for many years, she has a slender waist without an ounce of excess fat, and is both supple and strong, yet so small that it can be grasped in one hand.

The two began to chat casually, not about military affairs, politics, or "those people."

We chatted about everyday life, where to find good food, and the origins of the antiques we bought last night.

As the conversation went on, it eventually circled back to "those people".

Because of Zhili and his master, they had been following "those people".

In a few days, Xia Zhaoyi will head south to find Yun Bozhong, and she plans to visit Zhuzhou along the way.

If she really decided to go to Zhuzhou, she wanted to bring Zeng Yuanzhi along.

Shen Lie frowned: "...Ali, can we postpone our trip to Zhuzhou?"

Xia Zhaoyi turned to look at him: "Why?"

"Because I want to go with you. When I'm not busy, I'll go with you."

Unfortunately, he couldn't leave at the moment. He needed to check on the Li family's iron cavalry and the Guan Ning army, as well as the latest news, to confirm that Li Xiao was indeed there.

Li Xiao is a real troublemaker.

Back then, he wished for chaos to engulf the world. He sabotaged Li Qian on one side and made underhanded moves on the other. With the disaster of Chongtiantai, he completely pushed Li Qian into the hell of national ruin.

But soon, the young man discovered that all his self-righteous schemes were meaningless.

Even if Li Qian causes chaos, it won't be their Jian'an Prince's Mansion's turn to rise to the top; they won't have the slightest chance.

His troops, provisions, and immense wealth were pitifully small compared to the vastness of the world; they amounted to nothing. Moreover, the world was fragmented and beyond his ability to repair.

He couldn't even deal with nearby forces like Tian Dayao and Yun Bozhong.

After Li Qian was completely gone, Li Xiao, who was struggling to survive, realized how important it was to share the same surname. So he took all his troops and went to find other descendants of the Li family to join him.

Seeing that Xia Zhaoyi did not speak, Shen Lie said in a low voice, "If you had thousands of troops by your side, I would not be afraid of you wherever you go. But this time when you go to Zhuzhou, you don't have many people with you."

Xia Zhaoyi rested her head on his arm, looked into his eyes and said, "What do you think about placing Zeng Yuanzhi in your army?"

"Why did you have this idea?" "I sense that he is cowardly and lazy. He has been hiding in Zhuzhou, which must mean that Zhuzhou is in danger. Why not put him in your army and let him go to the vanguard camp?"

"..."

Shen Lie felt it was a bit sarcastic.

After a pause, Shen Lie said, "He's driven by self-interest, but are you going to push him into the most dangerous place?"

"Well, it's not that I'm particularly good to him or trying to toughen him up, but he still has things he hasn't said, so I'll just send him to your barracks and teach him a lesson. I really don't want to invest too much effort in them, and I rarely have the time to bother with them."

Shen Lie understood this.

It was always "those people" who were harassing her, popping out from some corner every now and then to disgust her.

This also includes Shen An.

Thinking back to how she had gone to the Thousand Autumns Palace despite her serious illness for his sake, only to be completely embroiled in these sordid and chaotic affairs, Shen Lie couldn't help but hug her tightly: "One day, I will definitely settle accounts with these people."

The two chatted for a long time, and before they knew it, it was getting dark outside.

Shen Lie's large, flat hand covered Xia Zhaoyi's ribs.

Xia Zhaoyi smiled and said, "I'm not hungry."

Shen Lie laughed, "How come you always know what I'm going to say and say it before I do?"

"Because we have a tacit understanding."

Shen Lie was very happy.

She has such foresight and insight into everyone, but she insists that she has a tacit understanding with him.

Xia Zhaoyi asked, "Would you like something to eat?"

“I’m a bit lazy,” Shen Lie hugged her. “I don’t really want to get up, and after eating, I have to rinse my mouth, which is a hassle.”

Three nights ago, he went to the Six Ministries to find her, wanting to sleep with her, but she kicked him out.

Shen Lie then said that he would stick with her forever after he came back.

That wasn't just talk; his body and soul both wanted to do it, he wanted to stay by her side forever.

Xia Zhaoyi nodded close to him: "Me too, I don't want to get up again, otherwise my sleep schedule will be messed up."

"Then let's..."

Xia Zhaoyi's smile instantly brightened like the morning sun: "Then let's continue sleeping."

So, during this stolen day of leisure, the two of them didn't go anywhere to play.

The commanders of the Xia family army and the Yan army spent the whole day lazing around in bed.

Two days later, the people from Hejing finally arrived in the capital.

Xia Zhaoyi led them to meet with Wang Yitai and Song Zhiyi, and then took them to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu has been readjusting to life in the capital these past few days, and with the entire military intelligence of Yong'an in his hands, he is extremely busy.

After Xia Zhaoyi finished the handover and made all the arrangements, she was finally ready to head south.

Shen Lie left the capital three days later than her. He first took her to Fenghe County, then, after much pleading, continued to escort her for half a day, then another mile, then two miles, then three miles...

Finally, they almost took her to the border between Ningzhou and Tangzhou before Xia Zhaoyi drove her away.

Before parting, surrounded by their subordinates, the two men did not forget the proper decorum and decorum.

Shen Lie tried his best to restrain himself, and only after Xia Zhaoyi led her troops away did he express all the intense reluctance in his heart in his eyes, gazing at her back with deep affection.

Since they met, they have rarely been able to spend time together. Now that they have parted, it is unknown when they will see each other again.

Fortunately, she always left gracefully and lightly, rarely looking back. Otherwise, if their eyes were now locked, Shen Lie feared he would lose control and spur his horse to chase after her, making it impossible for her to leave.

"Ah Li, have a safe journey," Shen Lie said very softly.