Pei Ying cast a sideways glance, her tone as flat and detached as if she were handling official business. "Of course it is necessary. Although Mingji has now arrived at the camp, your position in the hearts of the military officers is irreplaceable, General. If any mishap were to befall you, what would we do? So, for the sake of safety, I will be sleeping on the other couch for the time being."
Huo Tingshan frowned deeply upon hearing her last sentence.
For the time being?
Did she actually intend to continue sleeping in separate beds from now on?
"Madam, my wounds have already been bandaged by Feng Wencheng. You know of his medical skills, they are second to none. I am perfectly fine now, so there is no need for you to go to such lengths," Huo Tingshan said, walking over to Pei Ying's small couch.
Pei Ying let out a cold scoff. "Your wounds were festering, yet you claim to be perfectly fine?"
When Feng Yuzhu first treated his wounds, she had been unconscious from a high fever and did not see the extent of his injuries. But later, she happened to run into Feng Yuzhu. Coupled with Huo Mingji asking about his father's condition, the medical officer had answered with absolute honesty.
And so, Pei Ying found out.
This man had not only suffered several blade wounds, but after dragging himself out of the water, he had acted with complete reckless abandon. He had likely only given his wounds the most rudimentary treatment, at best finding some wild mountain herbs to apply in a hasty, careless manner.
As a result, by the time Feng Yuzhu treated him, his wounds were already emitting a foul odor.
Pei Ying gave a soft hmph. "Had you delayed for a few more days, General, you might have attracted a flock of little birds chasing after you for worms to eat."
Huo Tingshan was rendered speechless.
"Why are you standing here? Go back over there and sleep by yourself." Pei Ying began to shoo him away. Seeing that he did not move, she lay down on her own and pulled her small quilt up over herself. "I am going to sleep, and you should hurry up and get some rest too."
While marching on a campaign, even the main tent was not particularly spacious. The two soft couches were placed quite close to each other, separated by a distance of only about three of Huo Tingshan's long strides.
Huo Tingshan stared at Pei Ying for a long while. Seeing that she truly intended to ignore him, he had no choice but to sluggishly turn around and head back. However, once he lay down on his soft couch, he found himself completely devoid of sleep.
For the past few nights, he had been burdened with military missions and forced by circumstances. Now that everything was resolved and husband and wife were finally reunited, what sense did it make to sleep on separate beds?
In the darkness, he spoke in a low voice, "Madam, are you asleep?"
Pei Ying replied in a flat, indifferent tone, "I am asleep."
Huo Tingshan's mouth twitched. He lay alone on the couch. She had slept on this very couch not long ago, and he could still detect her faint, delicate fragrance. When he closed his eyes, the subtle scent lingered at his nose, making it feel as though she were right beside him.
But when he reached out to pull her into his arms, he grasped nothing but empty air.
The space beside him was completely empty; he was the only one on the couch.
Huo Tingshan tossed and turned a couple of times but still could not fall asleep. He finally just said, "Madam, I find it hard to sleep alone on this solitary pillow."
A voice drifted over from a short distance away. "Before we were married, you slept alone as well. Are you telling me you suffered from sleepless nights every single day back then?"
Huo Tingshan fell silent again.
How was it that her temper seemed to be showing signs of only growing worse?
"Madam, your high fever has only just broken. Please calm your anger, lest you ruin your health," Huo Tingshan sighed. "I am the commander-in-chief. The lives of tens of thousands of Youzhou soldiers rest in my hands. They are not only the sons of Youzhou, but also the sons, husbands, and fathers of others. They are the pillars of countless families. If I can minimize massive casualties by paying only a small personal price, why would I not gladly do so?"
Such golden opportunities are fleeting. When the news of his supposed death in battle first broke, the Yanzhou allied forces must have been incredibly smug, perhaps even dreaming of a grand victory.
There was absolutely no better time for a night raid than that very moment.
Listening to his first few sentences, Pei Ying initially thought he had realized his mistakes. But upon hearing the rest of his explanation, she was appalled to find that he felt absolutely no remorse.
She already had a ball of pent-up anger suffocating her chest, and now, fueled by his words, that little ball of fire surged higher and higher. Reason told Pei Ying that what he said was not wrong; it truly had been a rare opportunity.
But sometimes, reason is just reason, and emotions are emotions...
"They are the husbands and fathers of others, but are you not a husband and a father too?" Pei Ying's anger completely ignited.
There were no antibiotics in this ancient era. It was purely thanks to Huo Tingshan's exceptionally robust physique and his basic knowledge of pharmacology that he managed to hold on until he returned to camp. Furthermore, after he fell into the river, the number of soldiers who managed to reunite with him must have been incredibly small. Although Huo Tingshan had never specified exactly how many men he had gathered, Pei Ying guessed that the number could not possibly have exceeded fifty.
To dare to launch a night raid with such a meager handful of men, the chances of a fatal mishap were simply too immense.
"Huo Tingshan, did you ever stop to think about what would have happened if you had failed? Not only would you have perished, but the entire Youzhou army would have suffered a devastating blow. Do you really think the death toll then would have been any lower than in a regular battle?" Pei Ying mocked.
Hearing his silence, Pei Ying hugged her quilt and buried her head underneath it. "Forget it, no matter how much I say, you will never listen. Anyway, once you die, I will simply remarry. I will marry someone down in the south and never set foot in Youzhou again for the rest of my life, just to spare myself the heartbreak..."
Before she could even finish her sentence, the quilt covering her head was violently yanked away. A dark shadow loomed over her, completely enveloping Pei Ying beneath it.
The window flap on the side of the tent had not been completely lowered, allowing a faint trace of moonlight to spill inside. By those pale silver rays, she saw his eyes, they were faintly bloodshot, burning with an absolute, furious rage.
"Remarry? Who exactly do you want to marry?!"
Pei Ying tried to tug the quilt back but could not budge it. Instead, he pinned her wrists down. "I will marry whoever catches my eye! Anyway, by then you will have already gone to meet the King of Hell and moved on to your next reincarnation. It will be none of your business. And not only will I remarry, but I will also take the betrothal gifts you gave me and bring them into my new marriage. I will spend every last coin of your money on another man!"
Huo Tingshan felt so infuriated by her that his blood boiled to the point of exploding. That mouth of hers was truly making him utterly miserable right now.
Since it made him miserable, she needed to be silenced.
A rather forceful, punishing kiss descended upon her lips. Pei Ying had already anticipated this the moment he pinned her wrists. After being pressed down and kissed fiercely for a moment, she seized an opening and bit him hard.
A faint metallic taste of blood spread between them, but the man she bit did not so much as utter a grunt. He merely tightened his punishing grip around her wrists.
The temperature inside the tent seemed to soar higher and higher. Even though the window flap was slightly lifted, the crisp autumn chill from outside could not penetrate the space at all. Instead, the tent was entirely consumed by a lingering, deeply passionate heat.
The delicate silk strings of her undergarment were wrapped around the man's distinct, long fingers. With a deliberate tug of his hand, the strings were undone.
Slipping inside like a swimming fish, he brazenly explored her lush, soft curves. He caressed and mapped her out with an almost desperate adoration, before shifting downwards with a lingering trace of possessive anger.
Trapped on the couch, the woman's hair was slightly disheveled, her cheeks flushed a deep, intoxicating red. She tried to struggle against his hold on her wrists, but still could not break free. An electrifying sensation burned its way down from her chest like a wildfire, sweeping past her waist, crossing over her hips, and trailing inward.
A soft brocade quilt had been laid over the couch to serve as a mattress. At this moment, that very quilt was being pushed and wrinkled by a pair of fair, delicate feet.
"Remarry? Your husband is going to live to be a hundred and ten. Who exactly are you planning to remarry?"
The feet pressing into the brocade quilt tensed, causing faint blue veins to pop up against her pale skin. Her perfectly rounded toes curled tightly, trembling ever so slightly.
"Any... anyway, once you die, I am going to remarry. You refused to let me be a widow before, and I refuse to be a widow for you later."
The veins on Huo Tingshan's forehead throbbed violently once again. "It seems that this is entirely my fault. I have clearly been neglecting you far too much these past few days, Madam."
No one spoke anymore. There were only two heavy, intertwined breaths, and a faint, almost imperceptible sound of moisture.
The snow-white feet rubbing against the soft quilt trembled violently. The originally curled toes stretched to their limits before spreading out like a blooming kitten's paw, then weakly retracting a little.
Huo Tingshan withdrew his hand, casually wiped it on the brocade quilt, and looked at it by the faint light.
It was excessively red, glistening with moisture, looking both pitiful and adorable.
Pei Ying was still thinking of a countermeasure when suddenly, she felt a strange sensation there. Hot breath sprinkled around the area, followed by a soft touch.
Pei Ying shuddered involuntarily and looked up in sudden astonishment, just in time to see Huo Tingshan raising his head. Meeting her eyes, the man actually asked if she was comfortable.
How could she answer such a shameless question?
Pei Ying looked away. Sensing that he wanted to squeeze onto her bed, she immediately frowned: "Huo Tingshan, go back to your side to sleep."
"Is Madam turning hostile and refusing to acknowledge me?" The man raised an eyebrow.
"Who is turning hostile? I never intended to give you a good look in the first place. Huo Tingshan, you are always like this. You never listen seriously to what I say. It's true this time, and it was true before. You always do as you please, completely disregarding how others feel..."
Towards the end, Huo Tingshan heard a crying tone in her voice.
He was instantly alarmed, recalling the tears she shed that night. The tears had dripped onto his hand like sparks flying from an iron furnace, burning so fiercely that they seemed to sear off a piece of his flesh.
Huo Tingshan was thrown into turmoil. The aura of dominance he had just exuded deflated completely, leaking out like a punctured balloon.
He no longer dared to get onto Pei Ying's bed. He merely squatted beside it, holding her hand, using his thumb to rub the spot he had just gripped, trying to make the faint redness fade away faster.
Pei Ying withdrew her hand, refusing to let him hold it.
This time, Huo Tingshan didn't dare to force it and could only let go: "Madam, don't cry. It's not that I don't listen to what you say. I will sleep over there tonight."
"Is that all?" Pei Ying asked in a muffled voice.
She was lying on her side with her back to him. Huo Tingshan could not see her expression, but hearing her tone, he felt as if she had already secretly cried her pillowcase wet. He could only say in a low voice: "I promise that things like what happened before will never happen again. In the future, if there are important matters, I will definitely be extremely cautious and will discuss them properly with you. What do you say, Madam?"
After these words fell, she had little reaction, making Huo Tingshan feel somewhat nervous.
"Madam..." he called out again.
She finally responded, "Mhm, then don't forget it."
Huo Tingshan felt as if he had received a grand pardon. This time, he didn't do anything else and obediently returned to his own bed.
The man did not know that the person he thought had cried her pillow wet had not shed a single tear; even the rims of her eyes were not red.
Pei Ying remained on her side, facing away from him. Hearing the movements behind her, she knew he had gone back. She extended a finger and gently scratched her cheek, deep in thought.
She seemed to have found a way to subdue Huo Tingshan.
*
The recent situation was quite favorable. After Governor Yuan of Yanzhou and the Young Prince of Jiang were killed, the Yanzhou allied forces fell into a state of leaderlessness, becoming a disorganized mess.
The Youzhou and Yuzhou armies took advantage of the momentum. With a two-pronged approach of sailing on the river and marching on land, they easily routed the opposing Yan-Xu allied forces, which claimed to be two hundred thousand strong.
Such a situation truly gave Huo Mingji a hearty and satisfying feeling.
However, despite such an excellent situation, Huo Mingji found his father remaining indifferent and seemingly not very pleased.
He observed carefully for a while and finally confirmed that his guess was not wrong.
No matter how many of the Yanzhou forces were defeated, or whether they captured Hedong Slope or any other place, his father always maintained a faint expression, showing little joy.
During the meal, Huo Mingji quickly glanced at his mother. Her expression was as usual, but she rarely communicated with the man beside her. When the other party served her food, she merely glanced at it and did not curve her lips into a smile as she used to.
The young man suddenly realized.
His father and mother had quarreled, or rather, it seemed his father had unilaterally angered his mother.
How rare...
After the meal, Huo Mingji found Meng Ling'er and beat around the bush with his sister, mainly asking about what had happened between their parents before he arrived at the army camp.
Meng Ling'er had also noticed the unusual atmosphere between their parents recently. Now that her eldest brother asked, she told him everything she knew. Finally, the young girl voiced her guess: "Eldest Brother, I think Mother must be dissatisfied with Father risking his life, and that's why she is angry with him."
She did not have a husband yet, but she already had someone she liked. Putting herself in that perspective, she thought she would also be very angry.
Huo Mingji turned his thumb ring, and after a moment, he suddenly smiled. The young man was dressed in a black robe, his dark hair tied up high. His skin was slightly fairer than that of an ordinary military general. As the sunlight shone on him, his golden crown reflected a faint light, truly embodying the image of a gentleman as flawless as jade.
Looking at her eldest brother's smile, Meng Ling'er inexplicably sensed something else.
Her eldest brother seemed very happy to see this happen.
Meng Ling'er: "Eldest Brother?"
Huo Mingji reined in his smile a bit, leaving only a slight curve at the corners of his mouth. "Father was very aggressive in his early years. While this style of warfare is indeed brave and can utterly crush the enemy, the costs and risks are often quite high. Now that our Youzhou is powerful and controls multiple provinces, and our pockets are not as empty as before, I believe we can slow down our pace a bit and walk more steadily."
Hearing this, Meng Ling'er also smiled a little: "To say something unfilial, I really hope Mother stays angry for a few more days."
The brother and sister looked at each other and smiled.
Still inside his tent, Huo Tingshan suddenly sneezed.
*
Luoyang City, the Governor's Manor.
Shi Xiangsong was tasting tea with a group of friends in the back garden of his home. The autumn air was crisp and refreshing. Such weather couldn't be more pleasant and comfortable. Brewing a pot of tea and inviting friends over to chat about everything under the sun, wasn't it delightful?
Those who associated with Governor Shi were officials in Luoyang. The youngest among them was over forty, all at an age where they had both elderly parents to care for and young children to raise. There were truly too many topics to discuss.
"...Your esteemed son is indeed promising; he can even take over your position now."
"It's still early, still early. He got married last year, and his wife is about to give birth soon. He hasn't been able to spare any time lately."
The topic naturally shifted to Governor Shi's eldest son. Everyone first praised him generously, and then someone tentatively said: "I heard that Governor Huo of Youzhou died in battle. Now there is a great opportunity in Luoyang. Such an opportunity must not be missed, for it will not come again. Virtuous Brother Shi, if you wish to rest, by all means, take a break, but wouldn't it be a pity not to let the children use this chance to practice their skills?"
The originally harmonious and joyous tea gathering fell silent.
They had all received the news of Huo Tingshan's death in battle. To say they weren't thrilled would be a complete lie.
However, this matter was no small thing and could not be accomplished by one person's strength alone. They needed to cooperate, they needed to plan carefully, and more importantly, they needed someone with prestige to step forward and take the lead.
And this "someone with prestige" had to be Shi Xiangsong, who had been an official in Luoyang City for over twenty years.
As gazes turned toward him one after another, Governor Shi waved his hand: "Forget it, what's the point of tossing about? In troubled times, seeking stability is the true path."
Some nodded in agreement, some looked deeply distressed, and some secretly exchanged glances with their close confidants.
"Brother Shi, I think this matter could actually..."
"Master, an urgent dispatch has arrived." At this moment, a servant hurried into the garden, holding a letter sealed with wax in his hand.
"Who is it from?" Shi Xiangsong asked in surprise.
The servant replied, "From the east."
Shi Xiangsong's brow twitched. He quickly took the letter and tore it open. As soon as his eyes fell upon the words written on it, a tremendous sense of relief exploded from his chest, hitting him with such force that he felt dizzy for a moment and could not even sit steady.
"Brother Shi!" The people beside him were greatly alarmed and hastily supported him. "What happened?"
Prefect Shi's hand holding the letter paper trembled uncontrollably. "Huo... Huo Tingshan is not dead. The news of his death in battle was fake."
His words shocked everyone present, sending the crowd into an uproar.
The man who had just suggested letting the children practice their skills turned deathly pale and muttered, "This is bad. We almost ruined everything."
Liao Pingwei, the Postal Officer Liao, was once one of them. His status was second only to Shi Xiangsong. How glorious he was back then, getting whatever he wanted. But as a result of choosing the wrong side, not to mention Liao Pingwei himself, the entire Liao family vanished from Luoyang.
Fortunately, fortunately, Brother Shi had repeatedly refused them before.
After dealing a crushing defeat to the allied forces of Yanzhou and Xuzhou, the Youzhou and Yuzhou armies continued their march eastward.
Yuzhou bordered Xuzhou to the east and Yanzhou to the north. To completely swallow the territories of Yanzhou and Xuzhou, they naturally had to strike into the enemy's base camp, implant their own forces there, and purge the local powers from top to bottom.
Yuan Xiu and the Young Prince of Jiang jointly occupied three provinces. The overall outcome of the battle that started at Wangchang Dam was already settled.
Since victory was in sight, some things needed to be made clear.
A massive parchment map was spread out. Huo Tingshan stood in front of the map and said to Lei Chengshuang beside him, "Yanzhou is yours, while Qingzhou and Xuzhou belong to me. What do you think, my in-law?"
Lei Chengshuang looked at the map, lost in thought.
Both Yanzhou and Xuzhou bordered his Yuzhou. When choosing a territory, one naturally chose an adjacent one. Firstly, it was convenient for management; secondly, if something happened next door, rescue operations would be swift.
Yanzhou had abundant water resources, flat terrain, and fertile soil. This place was highly suitable for agricultural development and could become a granary.
The surrounding areas of Xuzhou belonged to the Huang-Huai hilly region. Geographically speaking, it consisted of lower-elevation hills with a relatively open field of vision.
But an open field of vision also meant that defense would be more difficult.
Furthermore, Xuzhou's geographical location was quite ingenious. It bordered the Yellow Sea to the east, Jianghuai to the south, and the Central Plains to the west. Its transportation network extended in all directions, and amidst this exceptionally convenient transportation, Yuzhou nurtured abundant resources.
Lei Chengshuang wanted Xuzhou.
Yanzhou was situated above Yuzhou, and its area was not as vast as Xuzhou's. The two connected provinces looked as if Yuzhou was wearing a small hat on its head.
If Xuzhou was given to Huo Tingshan, given his current territories, Sizhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou would be connected to one another, practically surrounding the two lands of Yuzhou and Yanzhou in an inverted U shape.
It just felt incredibly uncomfortable.
It was like a meaty bone dangling right at the mouth of a wolf; if the other party wanted to, they could come and take a bite at any time.
Lei Chengshuang put on a smile. "In-law, although this Yanzhou is not bad, I..."
"Good, since you think it's not bad, then it's settled." Huo Tingshan laughed heartily and even patted Lei Chengshuang forcefully on the shoulder.
The latter's eyes widened, as if he hadn't expected him to be such a scoundrel. After a moment, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "No, I meant to say..."
"Yanzhou is quite good, with plenty of food. Don't even think about the others," Huo Tingshan said with a beaming smile.
Lei Chengshuang was speechless.
He said to himself, sure enough, this fellow didn't give him a choice.
Cursing inwardly but having to force a smile on his face, Lei Chengshuang felt very helpless. He had lost the initiative, nor did he have any justifiable reason on the surface, so he could only obey the arrangement.
This winter, Pei Ying spent her time between the two places of Xuzhou and Qingzhou. Huo Tingshan took her running between the two locations, visiting the provincial governor's mansions of Qingzhou and Xuzhou one after another.
Every time he arrived at a place, he would occupy someone else's mansion and then order a thorough search, sorting and collecting all kinds of treasures they didn't have time to take away, along with the treasures presented by the locals, and depositing them into the pockets of the Youzhou army.
Pei Ying also noticed that Huo Tingshan ordered his men to scrape together a batch of gold. It seemed he also sought out an artisan with superb craftsmanship, though she didn't know what he wanted to forge.
It was probably a gift for socializing and presenting to others, Pei Ying thought idly.
This winter, they stayed in Xuzhou for a longer time.
Xuzhou was located by the Huai River and belonged to the north. In winter, heavy snow fluttered down. After Pei Ying went out once or twice to admire the snow, she was unwilling to go out anymore, no matter how Huo Tingshan called her.
It was freezing outside; it was much more comfortable to nestle in the room.
This winter was very busy, and time passed quickly amidst the busyness. It seemed like only a blink of an eye before spring returned to the earth and a hundred flowers vied to bloom.
And in the early spring of the new year, an urgent dispatch from the west was swiftly delivered to the former Prince of Jiang's mansion.
"General, an urgent report from Jingzhou." A guard presented the secret dispatch.
Huo Tingshan unfolded it, read it, and sneered. "This Ji Xianbai does have some skills to have actually taken down Jingzhou."
While they were marching east, the imperial army wasn't idle either, concentrating their firepower to crusade against Jingzhou.
Yizhou had already returned to the imperial court, Yongzhou was inherently the imperial court's territory, and Jiaozhou in the south implemented a system of loose control, with the local clans already submitting to the imperial court.
Jingzhou was attacked from all directions except the east. And with no reinforcements willing to save it, it naturally fell.
The first person to proclaim himself emperor, Cong Liuqi, was now history.
"Have Ke Quanshui and the others come over," Huo Tingshan ordered.
The guard received the order and soon returned to report again, but this time it wasn't about military affairs. "General, Artisan Tao said that the set of gold jewelry has been crafted."
The cold aura around Huo Tingshan dissipated significantly. He smiled and said, "Very well. Reward him heavily."
