Love Lock

Chapter 265 Taking a Sneeze with My Beloved Concubine
Tuomugou Ridge Fort.

Inside the council chamber, Zhao Zun ordered Pingchuan via walkie-talkie to inspect the mutton for poison before distributing it to the people.

After all, it's winter now, and meat is easier to store and transport. Three thousand six hundred sheep are enough for the people of Cangzhou to have a good meal.

After giving the order, Zhao Zun looked up and surveyed the crowd, his tone one of relief.

"It turned out to be a false alarm. Since the Turks know how to be grateful, then trade after the spring harvest is feasible. But what if they take the grain and then have other intentions..."

He took Han Lei's hand in his palm and patted the back of her hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry, girl." His voice suddenly turned cold, like a knife being drawn from its sheath, "Then I will lead my troops to flatten the grasslands and ensure that the Turks will never be able to rise again!"

Han Lei looked at Zhao Zun's sharply defined profile and said softly, "Now that I know it was a misunderstanding, I'm relieved. It was Tang Xiaotong, the manager of Jinxiufang, who first arranged the trade with the Turks."

Han Lei paused, a shrewd glint in her eyes, "How about we send him to Yinshan to oversee the construction of the trade market, and also establish a foreign trade association to specifically handle trade between the two countries?"

"Brilliant!" Charcoal Head slapped his thigh, making his armor rattle. "That brat is a master at business! I heard he once traded three cartloads of coarse cloth for ten fine horses, which infuriated that merchant!"

Xiao Zhengfei nodded repeatedly: "Although Tang Xiaotong is young, he is reliable in his work. What's even more commendable is..." He gave Han Lei a meaningful look, "...he is extremely loyal to the Princess."

The King of Jingzhou, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked in confusion, "Who is this young boy Tang? How could he have brought about such a great event?"

Zhao Zun picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and smiled slightly: "Tang Xiaotong is an orphan who lives with the maid. She has quite a talent for business."

As he spoke, he looked at Han Lei, his cold and stern eyes softening unconsciously. "Tang Xiaotong's parents died at the hands of the Turks, so he wholeheartedly hopes for peace between the two countries. It was he who traveled all the way from the capital to Cangzhou and was the first to propose to me that we establish trade between our two countries."

"Incredible!" King Jingzhou exclaimed, bowing deeply to Han Lei. "I thought Miss Han was already an extraordinary woman, but I never expected that even a lowly shopkeeper under my command would have such a magnanimous heart! My trip to Cangzhou has truly been worthwhile, and I have really broadened my horizons. No wonder the people of Cangzhou admire and love you two so much."

As the King of Jingzhou spoke, his gaze shifted between Zhao Zun and Han Lei, and he suddenly smiled mischievously, "You two are truly a match made in heaven!"

"Pfft! Cough cough cough!" Zhao Zun spat out a mouthful of tea, but his ears turned red.

Zhao Zun was pleased with these words, but Han Lei turned her head away in embarrassment, her blushing cheeks resembling peach blossoms in March, illuminated by the firelight.

The wind and snow outside the window gradually subsided, and a ray of morning light pierced through the clouds, shining on the piled-up white snow, like a ray of hope bringing hope to the world...

Ten days later, in the capital.

The midday sun hung high overhead, a bright red hue, warm yet dazzling.

Under the glaring sunlight, the remnants of the imperial army dragged their heavy steps into the north gate.

When they set out, a mighty army of 100,000 men was in full swing, but when they returned, less than half of them remained. The soldiers dragged their weary bodies, their spirits were low, and their eyes were lifeless.

The line stretched for miles, sparse and disorganized, like a dying snake writhing in agony.

Lu Heming sat astride his warhorse, listening to the scraping sound of armor behind him. He tried to straighten his back, but he couldn't hide the bloodshot in his eyes and the messy stubble on his chin.

The iron hooves of the warhorse pounded on the bluestone pavement with a hollow sound, each step feeling like it was pounding on his heart.

"Look! It's the imperial army!" an old man carrying a vegetable basket shouted first, and the whole street was in an uproar.

Shop assistants poked their heads out, many heads peeked out from the second-floor windows, and even the children playing at the alley entrance gathered around.

The soldiers at the very front of the column were barely able to maintain their formation, but those behind them had already completely collapsed.

Some people used broken guns as canes, some had blood-soaked strips of cloth wrapped around their heads, and many more just moved their legs mechanically, their eyes empty as if their souls had been taken away.

Their armor was covered in mud, their flags were so tattered that the patterns were unrecognizable, and one military flag was even reduced to half a flagpole, with charred marks on the broken end.

"This...has this been a defeat?" Manager Wang of the silk shop had just stepped to the door and glanced at the scene when he gasped in shock, and the abacus in his hand clattered to the ground.

Aunt Liu, who was selling steamed buns next to him, suddenly covered her mouth: "Good heavens, my son is in the Third Battalion..."

Before she could finish speaking, she collapsed onto the threshold.

The murmurs among the people grew louder, and Lu Heming's hand gripping the reins bulged with veins, his nails digging deep into his palms.

He raised his hand to cover his ears, trying not to hear the annoying chatter, but the chatter was like countless bees buzzing in his ears.

"Didn't you say you were going to suppress the rebels in Cangzhou? Why are you back looking like this?" A shrill voice came from the second floor of the teahouse.

Someone immediately chimed in, "Could it be that they ran into bandits on the way? Haha!" The laughter cut through Lu Heming's ears like a knife.

A lame soldier in the ranks suddenly stumbled and fell, his pack came undone, and half a moldy flatbread rolled out.

A fat man in a silk robe sneered from the crowd: "Oh! How come even the imperial soldiers can't get a meal?"

His companion added sarcastically, "They were probably in such a hurry to escape that they even threw away their rations, weren't they?"

Lu Heming abruptly reined in his horse, the iron armor emitting a screeching sound.

He really wanted to jump off his horse and beat those people up. What did they know, all they did was offer sarcastic remarks?
Seeing his angry expression, the guard behind him hurriedly whispered, "General, don't pay them any mind, the bigger picture is more important..."

Before he could finish speaking, a boy of about half a size suddenly rushed out from around the street corner, holding a wooden knife he had carved himself and blocking the middle of the road.

"My dad says the imperial army is invincible!" The child looked up, his eyes sparkling with admiration. "Did you drive all the bad guys away?"

Children speak without thinking, but the air on the entire street instantly froze.

Lu Heming combed his messy hair with his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't utter a sound.

He saw the pale face of the woman behind the child, the soldiers' heads bowed in shame, and in the shadows under the eaves of a roadside tavern, several young men who looked like scholars were writing something on paper with a cold smile.

"Cangzhou...Cangzhou..." A hoarse howl suddenly came from the end of the procession.

A soldier who had lost his helmet frantically tore at his hair, shouting, "It's all on fire! The walls will eat people!"

Two fellow soldiers rushed forward and tried to hold him down, but he shook them off.

The soldier collapsed in front of a roadside stall and vomited. As he waved his hands haphazardly, he revealed a still-bleeding wound on his arm.

The crowd parted abruptly, taking half a step back. Old Man Li, who sold incense and candles, trembled and said, "What a tragedy! The imperial army is so utterly useless."

"Bullshit!" Lu Heming finally roared, startling his warhorse, which reared up on its hind legs.

With a sharp clang, he drew his sword and pointed it at the sky, but the blade was spotless, without a trace of blood. "The imperial army..."

He stopped abruptly at this point.

He saw several eunuchs in purple robes standing under the city gate archway. The one in the lead was looking this way with a half-smile, and whispering something to his companion.

Lu Heming slowly lowered his sword, which reflected a blinding white light in the warm sun. "Continue forward," he ordered, suppressing his anger, but he heard his own voice drift like a ghost.

The procession began to inching forward again, and a child behind them asked in confusion, "Mom, why is that general crying?"

Lu Heming wiped his face and realized that his hands were wet, but he couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears.

More and more people gathered on both sides of the street, and the crowd surged like a tide, with a cacophony of voices discussing the matter.

A strange restlessness filled the air, a mixture of mockery of the defeated army and a hidden, indescribable excitement.

"Tsk tsk, look at these soldiers!" A fat merchant in a silk mandarin jacket waved a folding fan, spitting as he spoke. "They were so imposing when they set off, but now they don't even dare to lift their heads!"

The tall, thin man next to him lowered his voice and said, "I heard the imperial court sent 100,000 troops, but I'm afraid less than 50,000 have returned so far."

As he spoke, he nudged his companion with his elbow, “Look at that general riding the black horse, his helmet is gone, and even his armor is cracked. Those who know him say they went to war, but those who don’t might think they were robbed by bandits.”

The old man selling steamed buns on the street corner sighed, wiping his hands with his apron: "What a tragedy... they're all children raised by their parents..."

"Old man, you're wrong!" A young man with a pockmarked face suddenly raised his voice. "If you ask me, the King of Cangzhou was forced into a corner! If the court gave him a way out, who would want to rebel? Who with hair would want to be bald?"

"Exactly! When the King of Cangzhou and his son were defending against foreign enemies, what was the imperial court doing? The court only engaged in suspicion and slander behind their backs. Now, however, they want to turn around and attack Cangzhou?"

Another man chimed in, raising his voice by two octaves, as if afraid others wouldn't hear him.

"Shh!" A woman watching the commotion turned pale with fright. "Are you out of your minds? Saying things like that in the street could get out and get your heads chopped off!"

The pockmarked youth became even more excited, stepping on a nearby stone block: "What are you afraid of? Look at their pathetic state! The imperial court can't even conquer Cangzhou, how can they possibly control what the common people say?"

He pointed at the retreating army and said, "Look at these soldiers, they can't even hold their swords properly!"

These words caused a stir among those around them. Several thugs joined in the jeering, and one of them even threw a rotten vegetable leaf into the group.

A vegetable leaf hit a young soldier's shoulder armor. The soldier shuddered and instinctively turned to run away, but was caught by his comrade beside him.

The soldier shouted in panic, "Retreat! Retreat! He's fallen... another one has fallen."

His panicked and terrified appearance was as if he had just experienced a journey through hell.

As Lieutenant General Lu Heming listened to these discussions from his horse, he felt his face burning with embarrassment.

He instinctively raised his hand to cover half his face, and a personal guard spurred his horse forward and whispered, "General, do you think we should..."

The meaning of the personal guards was clear: they wanted to use force to suppress the common people who hadn't seen anything with their own eyes but were just spouting nonsense.

“No need,” Lu Heming interrupted through gritted teeth. “Take the brothers back to camp.” He yanked the reins sharply. “I have to go see the Emperor first. Giddy up!”

After saying this, without waiting for his personal guards' reply, he spurred his horse and rode off towards the palace as if fleeing.

What Lu Heming didn't see was that just as he rode away, the pockmarked young man who had been speaking while stepping on the stone block quietly disappeared into the crowd and walked in the opposite direction.

The group of thugs who had just looked like hooligans exchanged glances and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, quietly disappeared into the crowd.

After about half an incense stick's time, the group met at the entrance of the alley.

The pockmarked youth wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve, and all the pockmarks disappeared. This revealed a dark, shrewd face; it was none other than Da Jiu, who was standing beside Han Lei.

Da Jiu chuckled, "You all saw it, didn't you? I never expected the Prince and Princess to defeat the imperial army like this. It was truly exhilarating!"

“That’s right,” a man chimed in. “Let’s go tell Uncle Liu.”

The group exchanged smiles and entered a guesthouse in the alleyway...

The clatter of hooves came to an abrupt halt before the majestic palace. The vermilion palace walls gleamed crimson in the setting sun, and the wind chimes on the eaves of the palace gates jingled in the cold wind.

Lu Heming suddenly felt short of breath, as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing on his chest.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. If an army of 100,000 were to be defeated, that would be one thing, but that's not the case at all!

Almost half of the soldiers ran away with that scoundrel Zhao Zun. How is he going to explain this to His Majesty?

He glanced into the deep passageway inside the palace gate, then dismounted and paced back and forth outside the gate, his armor rustling softly with each step.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and realized that his hand was trembling slightly, so he quickly pressed it down with his other hand.

"Please inform Your Majesty that Lu Heming, the deputy general of General Su Ce, requests an audience with Your Majesty. He has urgent military intelligence to report," he said to the guard at the gate, his voice hoarse and unlike his own.

After the guard checked the token he handed over, he turned and went inside to report.

Emperor Jing had just finished lunch and was preparing to take a nap with his beloved concubine.

The afternoon sun shone through the carved window lattices into the Ganlu Hall, making the wisps of incense smoke inside appear like flowing golden threads.

Emperor Jing leaned back on the dragon bed, his fingers twirling a strand of Consort Yun's hair, the faint scent of roses emanating from her body lingering around his nose.

"Your Majesty..." Consort Yun's eyes sparkled, her lips parted slightly, and her slender fingers gently traced Emperor Jing's chest, "How was the court proceedings today?"

Emperor Jing sighed softly and pulled the beauty into his arms: "The situation in Cangzhou is unclear, and the court officials each have their own agendas, I..."

Before he finished speaking, his lips were already pressed against Consort Yun's snow-white neck, causing the beauty in his arms to tremble slightly.

Just as Emperor Jing's hand slid toward Consort Yun's sash, a series of hurried yet restrained footsteps suddenly came from outside the palace.

The high-pitched voice of the chief eunuch, Li Zhongxin, cautiously rang out from outside the door: "Your Majesty, Lu Heming, the deputy general of General Su Ce, requests an audience. He says he has urgent military intelligence to report."

"Su Ce?"

Emperor Jing was in a daze. The recent political turmoil had left his thoughts somewhat confused, and he couldn't recall this person for a moment.

But the words "urgent military situation" were like a bucket of cold water poured over him. He sat up abruptly, all interest in taking a nap vanishing instantly.

Consort Yun tactfully stepped aside and quickly straightened her slightly disheveled clothes.

Emperor Jing's voice suddenly turned cold and stern, a stark contrast to his previous tenderness and affection.

He looked up at the door and blurted out two words.

"Quick! Quickly announce!"

Thank you Qingling and Xinghe for the generous donations! *kiss* I'm going to take a nap with you two. Love you both.