Prince Consort

Chapter 50
Something must have gone wrong, and the answer was on the note in her hand.

"Zhi'er, it's getting late, let's go back." Pei Jiu smiled brightly at Bai Zhi, his eyes flickering.Bai Zhi stared at him who was smiling, her heart was pounding, her face flushed like a girl's first love.Bai Zhi lowered her head and nodded shyly.

The one she loves is Pei Jiu, maybe that's right... Regarding the man named "Mutusu" on the note, she never felt anything at all, and even hated him a little.How can such a clear emotion cause confusion in memory?But this note, with such familiar handwriting, can't be wrong.

Bai Zhi felt dizzy and didn't let herself think about it anymore. No matter what went wrong, she was right if she followed her heart.

Bai Zhi went back with Pei Jiu, when the two arrived at the station, they saw a soldier looking outside the door.Bai Zhi felt strange, the soldier seemed to be looking forward to returning home, so the "returning" he was looking forward to meant referring to her and Pei Jiu?
When the two approached, the soldier rushed over and cupped his hands to Pei Jiu: "Pioneer, there is an urgent order from the border guards. The Mobei army burned our army's food and grass. General Mu went to Tongcheng to buy food and grass first, and sent me here to wait for the vanguard." , Let the vanguard quickly go to the border for support."

Pei Jiu frowned, nodded and said, "Get ready to go!"

"Yes." The soldier entered the room with his hands folded.

Bai Zhi felt that this was a matter of great urgency, but seeing that Pei Jiu didn't feel panicked at all, she felt a little unreasonable.Pei Jiu turned to Bai Zhi and said, "You go in and tidy up, too."

Bai Zhi worried: "You are marching and fighting, is it appropriate for me to go? Or should I not go?"

Pei Jiu pulled Bai Zhi's hand: "March and war are protracted battles, are you really willing to let your newlyweds go alone?"

Bai Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You really don't look like a pioneer, you don't take the country as the most important thing, but the relationship between your son and daughter has grown."

"Aren't you the same? You don't look like a bride thinking about you, but you are looking forward to parting with your husband." Pei Jiu looked very wronged, like a wronged little daughter-in-law.Seeing him like this, Bai Zhi couldn't help covering her mouth and snickering: "I think you can wear this military uniform for me."

"I can't wait." Pei Jiu took Bai Zhi's hand and shook it two or three times, with a hint of coquettishness.Bai Zhi's smile was like a flower, but her heart seemed to be in a knot, a little unsmooth.Is the person she loves someone who loves beauty but not country?But in her mind, there is a shadow, he has a pair of far-sighted eyes, pursed lips, deep and firm.How can a person with that kind of momentum be a person who loves his sons and daughters?
At Pei Jiu's insistence, Bai Zhi shamelessly went to the border with the army.This is not the first time for Bai Zhi to come to the border defense. Although the previous time was at the border between Nanzhao and the Guanghui Dynasty, and now it is at the border between Mobei and the Guanghui Dynasty, but the soldiers are heavily guarded and surrounded by deserts.

They drove a carriage for seven days and came to the frontier camp, only to find that the tents had been burned down, and the soldiers were all ashamed and demoralized, just like defeated soldiers, sitting on the ground with their heads drooped, sucking the sand from the desert.

Pei Jiu frowned: "This battle is really difficult."

Bai Zhi asked: "Why?"

"Mobei was defeated by Nanzhao seven years ago, and the crown prince was sent as a hostage. The king of Mobei was ashamed and seized the army for seven years. Nanzhao was afraid of Mobei's revenge, so he took advantage of the fact that the prince who was the hostage was still stupid. Forced marriage. However, it was only half a year of peace, and the prince of Mobei and the princess of Nanzhao suddenly reconciled. The situation between the two countries began to become tense. However, both sides chose to stand still and turn the sign to us."

The choice of the glorious dynasty by the two countries is actually a resounding slap in the face for this dying country and a wake-up call for the country.Emperor Kangshun can be regarded as a big fool, greedy for beauty, ignoring the government, and the harem was overshadowed by Concubine Hui.The forces in the DPRK and China are divided into two, and they fight openly and secretly. Even if the country is in danger, they must scramble to make contributions.Bai Zhi, a person outside the court, can tell that the country is failing. Floods and droughts, the imperial court can't allocate money to relieve the disaster; the military power is far from that of Nanzhao Mobei. If it continues like this, it will be annexed by Nanzhao Mobei sooner or later.Nanzhao Mobei chose to attack Emperor Kangshun when he was critically ill, and his intention was self-evident, to deal a fatal blow to the Guanghui Dynasty.

And this battle is the key to the country's death and immortality.

Bai Zhi looked at Pei Jiu sadly. She thought Pei Jiu would be more worried than her, but it was not.He just looked at the listless soldiers in front of him expressionlessly, without any emotion, as if he was looking at a picture scroll that didn't belong to him, and he didn't feel emotional about it.

She still has the feeling of worrying about the country and the people, why, as the vanguard of the Imperial Forest Army of the Glorious Dynasty, does she not have such emotions at all?Bai Zhi didn't seem to recognize Pei Jiu anymore.Is this the Pei Jiu she knew?

After all, Pei Jiu is capable.The first thing he did when he came to the barracks was to rectify the demoralized soldiers, let them go to the only oasis to take a bath, killed twenty horses to feed them, and called the remaining soldiers at night, lit a bonfire, told their current situation.

Bai Zhi saw that every soldier showed the same concern for the country and the people as she did, they lowered their heads and listened to Pei Jiu say, "I know very well that this confrontation is weak, it's like sending to death! But as a member of the vanguard, you should have a deep understanding of what our team is for: to open the way for the backup, create better conditions for them, and go straight to the center. The battle will start in three days. Fight with the spirit of death and life." Pei Jiu didn't encourage, and sat down after speaking without saying a word.The atmosphere was extremely quiet, and the air seemed to freeze, only the sound of crackling wood was heard.

After a while, someone applauded somewhere, and then someone else applauded, and finally the applause was like thunder, and the few remaining soldiers shouted loudly: "Kill!" The voice was loud and inspiring.Bai Zhi sat next to Pei Jiu, her eyes were moist, and when she looked at Pei Jiu again, there was a flash of relief in his eyes.

After all, he loves Jiangshan, doesn't he?

That night, the soldiers fell asleep on the yellow sand on the spot.Bai Zhi was sent to the carriage by Pei Jiu to sleep.Bai Zhi blushed and asked, "Ah Jiu, let's sleep together."

Pei Jiu smiled and said, "Okay."

Bai Zhi rested on Pei Jiu's lap as she did when she was on her way.Pei Jiu lowered her head and stared at Bai Zhi with burning eyes.Bai Zhi didn't feel sleepy at all, but when she saw Pei Jiu's eyes, she felt even more shy, and asked softly, "Ah Jiu, what's so interesting about me?"

"Zhi'er is so beautiful."

"Stop teasing me." Bai Zhi gave him a reproachful look, "Speak seriously."

The smile on Pei Jiu's face suddenly disappeared: "Did you understand what I said to the soldiers just now?"

Bai Zhi was stunned, her eyes dimmed: "Understood. But I believe, I believe Ah Jiu will not leave me to die."

Seeing that Bai Zhi was about to cry, Pei Jiu laughed even more happily: "I, Pei Jiu, am not patriotic and will not sacrifice my life for the country. If I can't beat him, I will pretend to be dead and be rescued by the princess of Mobei, and then I will become a son-in-law." , when the time comes, I will pick you up and let you be the little one."

What he said was extremely indecent, Bai Zhi grabbed his arm and bit her mouth: "You take me over, with my beauty, maybe I will be chosen by the crown prince to be the crown prince's concubine." She was angry. As he spoke, he pouted pettishly.

Seeing Bai Zhi's appearance, Pei Jiu became happier the more she looked at her, and hugged her with a smile: "Zhi'er, I love you."

"I love you too." Bai Zhi hugged him back, a sweet smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

Both of them seemed to be joking, but their tone was more serious than ever...

Three days later, Mu Tusu didn't have time to rush over, and went to fight as the vanguard of the "dead warriors".The camp that was not counted as a camp suddenly became deserted, with only three or four soldiers guarding it.Bai Zhi stood at the door, looking at the endless earth-yellow desert, with mixed feelings in her heart.

As a member of the Glorious Dynasty, she should support her husband to fight, but as a wife who loves her husband, she cannot be so generous.She didn't know what the road ahead was like, she could do nothing but pray to God that he was safe.

Mu Tusu came here that night. He brought more than a dozen carts of grain and grass. He didn't ask Pei Jiu's whereabouts, just like Pei Jiu, he organized the barracks.Bai Zhi was like a theatergoer, standing aside and watching him direct the soldiers to work.He has a gentle side face that doesn't match his identity, and there is imperceptible hardness in his handsomeness.His eyes are firm and powerful, as if he is trying to accomplish something, not loose or ostentatious.He seemed to be the Pei Jiu in her memory, every movement, every expression.Bai Zhi thought of that piece of paper again, the paper with her and Mu Tusu's names written on it.

Mutusu turned around and looked at her, his eyes suddenly softened, but it was only for a moment, then he ignored her and turned to direct other soldiers.He straightened his body, but felt too lonely.Bai Zhi was startled, a little lost in thought.

The barracks have been reorganized, and with the tents, there is no need to sleep in the open at night.Bai Zhi was led outside a tent by the soldiers, who respectfully said to Bai Zhi: "Madam, this is the tent prepared by the general for you, you can rest."

Bai Zhi nodded to him with a smile, then got into the tent with a short body.At first glance, it looks like a very crude settlement, with beds piled up in straw and covered with cotton sheets.A table made of simple wood, with lit candles on it, flickering flickering candles, it can be seen that the wind is relatively strong tonight.

Bai Zhi felt that the dim light seemed to have a hypnotic effect, and suddenly felt tired.She, who has always been careless, walked to the bed, turned on the bed and fell asleep.

Bai Zhi didn't know how long she had been asleep, she was woken up by the noise.Before she recovered her senses and opened her eyes, she heard shouts from outside: "It's on fire, put out the fire!"

A puff of thick smoke lingered in front of Bai Zhi's eyes, she sat up suddenly, and the tent that was still in good condition suddenly burst into flames, Bai Zhi was startled, took a puff of thick smoke, and made her cough repeatedly.She tightly covered her mouth and nose, lifted the quilt and wanted to go out, but the support of the tent suddenly fell down, and she retracted to the side of the bed again...

Just when Bai Zhi was at a loss, in the surrounding thick smoke, a black shadow rushed towards her, before she had time to distinguish whether it was an enemy or a friend, the black shadow slashed at her, and she immediately fell unconscious ...

A mellow smell of wine entered Bai Zhi's nose. She frowned and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a white military tent. Her sensitive nose smelled that the wine was kumiss.The Guanghui Dynasty did not drink kumiss, only the residents of Mobei in the north drank this kind of wine.Bai Zhi was startled, then sat up abruptly, and found that there was a man sitting directly in front of her, he was wearing a white fox fur cloak, the cloak was a hood, even in the tent, he was still wearing a hat.The brim of the hat was covered by white fox fur, so he couldn't see his face clearly, but there were still a pair of unfathomable dark blue phoenix eyes watching her with a smile, and his thin lips did not smile at all.This person... Bai Zhi feels very dangerous, and the person who smiles and keeps his mouth shut is the scariest.

"who are you?"

"The prince of Mobei." The man answered her very sincerely.

Bai Zhi was taken aback, her last memory was obviously in the camp of the Guanghui Dynasty, an inexplicable fire broke out, and then she was attacked by unknown people and fainted, and she woke up in the camp of Mobei?From this point of view, the unknown person is from Mobei?Was that fire also caused by a surprise attack from Mobei?Bai Zhi felt resentment in her heart, and looked at Prince Mobei in front of her very unfriendlyly.

Mobei Taigong Yeyan ignored her unfriendliness, and said to himself: "Do you think this battle is necessary? With the current situation of the Guanghui Dynasty, it will undoubtedly lose."

"Why do you say this to me? Go to Mutusu and tell me, I'm just a woman."

"I wanted to talk to Mu Tusu... Unfortunately, I don't have a chance." Gong Yeyan pinched his forehead and took a sip of the kumiss on the table.He drank very elegantly, which was very different from the Mobei people that Bai Zhi knew.

Most of Mobei is desert, with a vast land and few people, and the environment is extremely harsh. Unlike the Guanghui Dynasty, it has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant.Most of them live by animal husbandry, and their capital is in the extreme north, where there is only a short summer and a long winter in a year.During the long winter, it has never stopped snowing, so it is called "Snow Capital".There are two people of different races in Mobei, one with yellow skin, black eyes and black hair, and one with white skin, blue eyes and blond hair.Their class system is more cruel than the Glorious Dynasty, the nobles enjoy the supreme power, and the slaves are worse than pigs and dogs.And white skin, blue eyes, and blond hair are a symbol of a slave who cannot turn over...

But although the prince in front of him has black hair, even if his eyes are not blue, it can be seen at a glance that they are not pure black.Prince Mobei actually has the characteristics of a slave?

Bai Zhi looked at Gong Yeyan in fear, Gong Yeyan was extremely disgusted with her appearance, and threw a glass of kumiss at her.Bai Zhi wanted to dodge, but her feet were so heavy that she couldn't move at all. She fell to the ground in embarrassment. The cup containing the kumiss fell on the ground, and the porcelain splashed and scratched her face.Bai Zhi doesn't care about these things, what she cares about is her feet.Her feet were imprisoned by chains, and she couldn't move at all. If there were more chains on her body, she would be a typical Mobei slave!Bai Zhi was extremely angry, and looked at him bitterly: "What are you doing?"

"Prevent you from running away. You women like to run away the most, don't you?" Gong Yeyan leisurely poured another glass of kumiss and drank it expressionlessly.Bai Zhi stared at him and asked: "What's your purpose in arresting me? You didn't want to rob me, but you can come here for me! If you want to kill or cut me up, it's up to you. Don't put on a show here, it's really disgusting."

The posture of pouring wine at the palace night banquet obviously paused, his eyes were a little absent-minded, and he said with a smile: "It turns out that women who are loved and hated by men are all like this."

Bai Zhi didn't understand what he said, and didn't want to understand, she shouted: "Give it a good time."

"What's the hurry?" Gong Yeyan said, "The plan has just begun, you just need to be your hostage obediently."

"Hostage?" Bai Zhi turned pale with shock, "Do you want to use me to lure Ah Jiu? What do you want to do to Ah Jiu?"

"Ah Jiu?"

"It's Pei Xianfeng!"

"Oh, Ah Jiu..." Gong Yeyan narrowed his eyes slightly, "It's not him."

Not Ah Jiu?Bai Zhi frowned, who is it if it's not Ah Jiu?her father?Her father is in Beijing.her mother?No use value.her cousin?She didn't believe that she had the ability to put her cousin in danger.Bai Zhi looked at Gong Yeyan's deadly behavior again, obviously she couldn't ask anything from his mouth.Bai Zhi was anxious, who is it?

Gong Yeyan drank two jugs of wine, her face was flushed, and her cold face suddenly softened a lot.Maybe his body was hot from drinking, so he untied the white fox cloak.Only then did Bai Zhi fully see his face.A soldier came in from outside the door and knelt down to him: "Your Highness, everything is ready."

"Really?" Gong Yeyan got up from the chair.When he walked past her, she saw a beautiful face, not the beauty of Mu Tusu, but a kind of charm that does not belong to men.If she only looked at him, Bai Zhi would not think that he was a man.

Gong Yeyan noticed that Bai Zhi had looked at him a few more times, and said coldly to the guard: "Slap her a few times."

"Yes." Bai Zhi was slapped several times in the blindfolded state.Gong Yeyan said: "Next time you stare at me, it's not as simple as a few slaps. My eagle loves to eat people's eyeballs." Gong Yeyan sneered.

It was only then that Bai Zhi discovered that the soldiers had been looking at the ground since they entered the door, and they did not dare to look directly at the palace banquet.Bai Zhi cursed secretly in her heart, this Prince Mobei is simply a sick man with twisted psychology.

Gong Yeyan was about to leave the tent, so he put on his hat again.When he left, Bai Zhi said: "I can't perish, just watch."

"Of course." With a smile on the corner of Gong Yeyan's mouth, he was very sure of Bai Zhi's "proudness".His answer like this made Bai Zhi greatly astonished.Didn't he want to destroy her country? Why boost the morale of the enemy and destroy his prestige, so sure that the glorious dynasty will not perish?It couldn't be that he felt that the Glorious Dynasty had a chance to stand up, but that the purpose of this invasion was not to destroy them?

Bai Zhi tried to take the opportunity to escape many times, but the chain was too heavy, she couldn't move, so she had to be a lamb at the slaughter.In the dead of night, the cold air was very heavy, Bai Zhi was wrapped in a quilt and listened to the howling cold wind outside the tent.No need to look, she also knows that the sand is dancing wildly outside, and it is freezing cold.The palace night banquet treated her kindly, and even burned charcoal for her to drive away the cold air in the tent, so as not to freeze her whole body.

(End of this chapter)