Chapter 164: Han Xing and Miss Yan
When Han Xing brought Miss Yan back to the military camp, the entire army was shocked. They never expected Miss Yan to chase all the way from Yandi to the Northern Frontier!
Even Gu Changxiao admired her. He recalled the day before he left, when she stormed into the border city, silver whip in hand, demanding to know what he had done to the Prince.
Miss Yan absolutely refused to believe the talk of a real and fake Li King. She stated with certainty, “I knew long ago that you vixen were up to no good!
You failed to seduce the Prince, so you spun this monstrous lie! Hand over the Prince immediately!”
Gu Changxiao was already accustomed to her calling him a ‘vixen,’ and he didn’t want to deny that he had indeed harbored improper intentions towards Daoist Ji in the past.
That affection had even become a demon in his heart. On the night of their parting, he had wanted to confess his feelings to Daoist Ji countless times, and had simply watched him sleep all night.
Because Hei Hu and Han Xing wouldn’t help her find the Prince, she whipped Han Xing, “Have dogs eaten your conscience? The Prince treated you like brothers!
How did this vixen bewitch you? What benefits did she give you for you to betray the Prince like this?”
She then cursed Hei Hu, “You heartless wretch, I will never marry Baozhu to you!”
She even made Hei Hu cry, and at the same time, he made a resolution: “I cannot marry Baozhu. Miss Yan, in the future, you must find a good man for Baozhu.
She said her mother was often beaten by her father, and her father even sold her into servitude. She is very afraid of men who hit women. You must inquire thoroughly and find a man with a good temper for Baozhu.”
To prove he didn’t hit women, he didn’t move even when Miss Yan whipped and kicked him. It was Hao Duojin who came to his defense:
“Miss Yan, if you don’t believe us, you can go back and ask Lord Yan. Daoist Ji has truly left and is no longer in the border city!”
Yan Shierniang was almost frantic, trying to storm into the military camp and attack Gu Changxiao, nearly drawing Eunuch Zhou out.
Han Xing had no choice but to forcefully stop her and carry her to Yan Shiyilang, “Hurry and take your sister away from the border city. Daoist Ji has truly left!”
This was their last meeting. Han Xing clearly remembered that after Yan Shiyi stuffed Miss Yan into the carriage, she was still cursing inside it.
They thought that after the Li King led them northward, the truth about the real and fake Li King would spread, and Miss Yan would naturally learn the truth. Even if she were to look for Daoist Ji, she would go southward.
They never expected this girl, whether you call her stubborn or single-minded, to be so convinced that Daoist Ji was imprisoned by the real Li King that she chased all the way here.
At this moment, she was beaten black and blue by those bandits, yet she earned the respect of all the soldiers in the Black Feather Camp.
Our Daoist Ji, there is still a woman in this world who loves you so deeply. For you, she didn’t hesitate to chase a thousand miles through the ice and snow.
“Have the military doctor come to treat her and give her the best medicine,” Gu Changxiao commanded in a deep voice.
Han Xing grunted, but a difficulty arose. There were no women in the troop, and there was no sign of habitation nearby.
How could he bandage Miss Yan’s external wounds?
Should he ask the military doctor? Or Eunuch Zhou, the only one in the entire camp who was neither male nor female?
But he thought about how the military doctor treated patients like livestock when bandaging them, with immense force. As for Eunuch Zhou, if he touched Miss Yan, she would probably kill him upon waking!
Han Xing hesitated for only a moment before making a decision. He would bandage Miss Yan himself. If she was angry upon waking, she could hit or curse him.
This matter must be kept secret, known only to two people, so as not to harm Miss Yan’s reputation.
The military doctor soon arrived, bringing oral medicine, wound-healing ointment for external injuries, and a box of gauze.
He didn’t ask any questions, implicitly assuming Han Xing would do the bandaging, and threw the supplies down, saying, “Change the dressing every three days. Fortunately, it’s cold, so the wound won’t get infected.”
Han Xing looked at the wounds on Miss Yan’s face and quickly asked, “Will this leave a scar?”
The military doctor shook his head, “It’s a graze; the wound isn’t deep, so it won’t leave a scar.”
After he left, Han Xing quickly closed the tent, had Hei Hu guard the entrance, and carefully bandaged Miss Yan’s wounds.
Fortunately, the bandits only wanted to toy with her and not take her life. The wounds were not deep. The two cuts on her collarbone and abdomen were the most severe, but they didn’t require her to remove her underwear.
Han Xing’s face was red the entire time, forcing himself to remain calm. He couldn’t let his mind wander; she was the Yan family’s eldest daughter, and he was not worthy of harboring such fantasies.
He couldn’t help but recall the last time the Prince, no, Daoist Ji, told him why he was so insecure. He said he would become a Great General in the future and should bravely pursue the person he liked.
Han Xing gave a self-deprecating smile. He knew he would never find another person as confident as Daoist Ji in this world. For ordinary people like them, the gap between social classes was like a chasm.
Miss Yan, who was as bright as a summer flower, as fiery as autumn fire, as sincere as the bright moon, a noble eldest daughter of a prestigious family, he was content to silently protect her just this once.
Yan Shierniang slept for a full day and night before waking up. Upon waking, she had a high fever. The military doctor frowned, “A fever is troublesome. If it’s not managed well, it could lead to lasting illness.”
Gu Changxiao found a new reason to continue halting the march for rest. He was waiting for a letter from Cheng Yu.
Eunuch Zhou had previously grumbled about every halt, fearing Gu Changxiao wouldn’t reach the Northern Frontier before the Left Wise King’s wedding. But now, he wished for a halt and rest more than anyone.
Because the journey was simply too arduous!
When he heard that the Yan family’s eldest daughter had chased the Li King all the way here, he turned pale with shock. He had to find a way to inform Prince Yu. The rumors were true!
The Yan family’s eldest daughter was indeed deeply in love with the Li King! With the Yan family’s assistance, the Li King would surely establish a firm foothold in Yandi, making him difficult to deal with.
He wanted to see this Yan family’s eldest daughter, preferably to send her back. However, when he reached the tent entrance, Hei Hu grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the snow.
“What do you think you’re doing? Is Miss Yan someone you can spy on?”
Eunuch Zhou was furious, “Who was spying on her? You audacious soldier, how dare you be disrespectful to this supervisor!
Where is the Li King? Is this how he commands his troops?”
Gu Changxiao appeared with a stern face, “How I command my troops is not for Eunuch Zhou to comment on! Get out!”
Eunuch Zhou’s face turned red. He wanted to curse further, but seeing the Black Feather Camp soldiers glaring at him, he was forcibly dragged away by two young eunuchs.
How glorious it was when the three of them received their orders and left the capital! The Empress had even met them specially, and Prince Yu had escorted them to the palace gate to give them instructions.
They had also acted arrogantly in the border city. The Li King’s backbone had indeed been broken by that palace coup, as he had accepted the edict without any resistance.
Unexpectedly, after setting off and leaving Great Xia to enter the Northern Frontier, the situation changed. First, Eunuch Zhou discovered that the forces of Prince Yu, who were supposed to be following them secretly, had not appeared.
When he became anxious and tried to inquire discreetly, he heard the Li King ordering an attack on bandits, stating that a group of horse bandits had been following them all along.
Then Eunuch Zhou saw the young general named Han Xing, who looked very refined and amiable, holding the head of the so-called horse bandit and casually dropping it at his feet without changing his expression.
It was as if he had killed a sheep or a pig, not a person.
That was precisely the contact person sent by Prince Yu!
Were the Li King’s soldiers all this ruthless?
From then on, Eunuch Zhou became completely obedient. Now he had degenerated to the point where even a Captain like the Big Black Guy could curse him as he pleased.
One old and two young eunuchs hugged each other and wept, not knowing if they would ever return to Chang’an alive.
The young eunuch whispered, “Your Excellency, we should be more obedient from now on and not provoke the Li King. Let’s wait until we reach the Northern Frontier Royal Court for everything. Prince Yu said he has other people there to meet us.”
Eunuch Zhou could only nod in resentment and curse in a low voice, “That night, I should have shot the Li King with a cold arrow! Letting him live to reach the border city has indeed become a disaster.”
The two young eunuchs quickly covered his mouth, “Your Excellency, please don’t say such things. The outside is full of the Li King’s informants, and we are isolated and helpless.”
Eunuch Zhou dared not inquire further about the Yan family’s eldest daughter. He, the Supervisor of the Army, had become a complete joke.
Meanwhile, Han Xing guarded Miss Yan all night, worried she might develop a high fever, and frequently wiped her forehead and neck with a warm towel.
He even fed Miss Yan the precious medicinal pills left by Daoist Ji. There weren’t many of those pills; the entire camp shared them, with each brother receiving only a few, all kept like life-saving elixirs.
Miss Yan’s cheeks were flushed from the fever, but her hands and feet were ice cold. Han Xing directly took off his armor, unbuttoned his padded coat, and placed her feet on his abdomen to warm them.
In this era, a young lady’s feet, except for her husband’s, must never be seen by an outsider.
Han Xing secretly vowed that he must keep this matter buried and never let anyone know, including Miss Yan.
Unknowingly, Han Xing, exhausted from days of travel, fell asleep leaning against a pile of luggage at the foot of the bed.
Fortunately, by dawn, Miss Yan’s fever had broken.
She groggily opened her eyes and saw someone sitting at the foot of her bed, her feet held in their embrace.
Yan Shierniang was greatly startled and tried to kick the person off the bed, only then realizing it was Han Xing.
And she wasn’t sleeping on a bed, but on a bed of animal hide. This was a military tent, with a kettle, towel, and medicine bowl nearby. In a corner, a small charcoal brazier emitted faint red light.
Yan Shierniang quickly deduced that she had been brought back to the Li King’s military camp by Han Xing.
She immediately became joyful, thinking she would see the Prince soon! She wondered where that vixen had hidden the Prince?
At that moment, Han Xing stirred. Miss Yan’s heart filled with shame and urgency, and she quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
But she withdrew her feet. She truly didn’t know how to face Han Xing right now.
Even though she knew he was treating her, the marks of the bandages on her body, and the way he had held her feet to warm them with his body just now,
all made her feel incredibly shy. Despite her grand pursuit of the Li King, wishing the whole world knew that she, Yan Shierniang, deeply loved the Li King,
she had never had such intimate contact with a man. She had only been held by the Prince twice, and each time she recalled it, her heart would race.
Suddenly, she remembered that Han Xing seemed to have held her more times. Last night, when he saved her, they were pressed tightly together.
Yan Shierniang’s face turned red again…
Han Xing carefully wrapped her feet in animal hide and felt their temperature. Good, it was normal now.
However, upon seeing her complexion, he panicked, “Has the fever returned? The military doctor clearly said it would be fine if the fever broke before dawn.”
He quickly warmed his hands inside the animal hide before gently touching her forehead. He couldn’t quite tell.
He said softly to the ‘sleeping’ Miss Yan, “Miss Yan, please forgive me.”
Afterward, he gave a self-deprecating smile, “She will never know that I took such personal care of her.”
As if revealing his heart while she slept, or perhaps speaking to himself, he said softly:
“I truly admire Miss Yan. To love someone so passionately and fearlessly.”
“I truly envy Daoist Ji.”
“You must have suffered greatly on this journey.”
As he spoke, he supported himself on the animal hide mat and gently touched Miss Yan’s forehead with his own, feeling her temperature.
Then he saw crystal tears welling up in the corner of Miss Yan’s eyes. Under the beating of the bandits, in the ice and snow, surrounded by wolves, Yan Shierniang had not cried.
She even felt it was a challenge from heaven, and only by overcoming these could she rescue the Prince.
But at this moment, a single comforting word from Han Xing made her tears flow uncontrollably. At the same time, a deep sense of dread surged through her heart. What would have happened to her if Han Xing hadn’t come last night?
Seeing that single crystal tear, Han Xing instantly understood that she was awake.
But when had she woken up? He became even more flustered than Miss Yan and quickly said, “Don’t misunderstand, I was just treating your wounds.”
In his haste, he made a mistake and didn’t get up to leave.
As Miss Yan opened her eyes, their gazes met. They were inches apart, foreheads touching, noses almost brushing…
After a moment of stunned silence, Han Xing instantly jumped back as if caught doing something wrong.
Instead, Miss Yan was surprisingly calm. She tried to sit up but found herself weak all over. However, she didn’t feel pain, and her voice was hoarse as she asked, “What medicine did you give me?”
Han Xing quickly calmed himself and said softly, “It’s a spiritual medicine left by Daoist Ji.”
“Here, drink some water.”
He half-supported Miss Yan and fed her grape sugar water, which was also left by Daoist Ji, and he had received his share.
After drinking the water, Yan Shierniang said with barely suppressed anger, “Thank you for saving me!”
But her eyes glared at him, and her lips were pursed, her anger evident.
Han Xing became flustered again, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about bandaging you. It will absolutely not harm your reputation.”
Miss Yan said angrily, “You think I’m angry about that? I’ve been chasing the Prince for so long, what reputation do I have left?”
“I’m angry with you for calling the Prince ‘Daoist Ji’! How did that vixen bewitch you all?
Wake up, Han Xing! You are the Prince’s most trusted person. Let’s join forces to rescue the Prince from the vixen.
Then we can ask my Eldest Brother for help, and we can definitely drive that vixen away and avenge the Prince!”
Gu Changxiao’s cough was heard from the doorway. I was kindly bringing some food, and you’re calling me a vixen with every other word.
In the past, Gu Changxiao quite disliked Miss Yan, or rather, he disliked everyone from the Yan family.
Yan Jiu was adept at pretending to be noble in front of Daoist Ji, but his intentions were clear to Gu Changxiao: he wanted to recruit Daoist Ji to his side.
Yan Shierniang had confessed her love to Daoist Ji multiple times, but Daoist Ji had told her he was impotent, yet she still didn’t give up.
This pair of siblings from the Yan family were trying to snatch Daoist Ji, both openly and secretly. As for Yan Shiyi, he ate at the children’s table.
But this time, seeing Yan Shierniang chase Daoist Ji alone for a thousand miles, Gu Changxiao admired her sincere heart.
If Daoist Ji knew that there was still someone in this world who loved him so deeply, he would probably be very touched!
Unfortunately, you are destined to be disappointed, because Daoist Ji is truly not here, and I, this vixen, am indeed the real Li King.
