Mi primer marido después de la transmigración

Capítulo 89

After the travel list was finalized, Zinuo approached Shen Haoyu and earnestly insisted on going with him. Initially, Shen Haoyu disagreed, occasionally glancing at me. Knowing Zinuo's feelings, I joined him in persuading him, and the deal became that both Zinuo and I would go. How could I let Zinuo go alone if he wanted to follow Shen Haoyu? Having learned from my previous experience, I would never stay home alone again. Rather than living in constant fear at home, I'd rather face the dangers together with them.

Shen Haoyu finally agreed, but his words were full of worry and helplessness, as well as a faint joy.

In the morning mist of March 15th, on the north gate tower of the holy city, Emperor Youjing personally escorted 200,000 iron troops out of the city, with the people of the city lining the streets to see them off. Hidden among the heavy iron cavalry, looking at the forest of armor and spears all around, and listening to the unified roar of thousands of soldiers, I felt a surge of heroic spirit in my chest, and couldn't help but want to try my hand at it.

Looking at Zinuo beside me, her little face was serious, but her eyes were still filled with excitement. If we were going there to fight the Tartars and defend our country, if we could also fight on the battlefield and laugh triumphantly at the border... instead of constantly being wary of plots from the court, I think the scene at this moment would be even more inspiring.

The column moved slowly, only picking up speed upon reaching the outskirts of the city. On the very day the imperial edict was issued, a vanguard of 50,000 had already set off for the border; we now only had 50,000 cavalry, with 100,000 infantry following behind. The horses' hooves kicked up clouds of dust, blurring our vision…

Recalling the day before yesterday, Yin Yan begged Shen Haoyu to dress as a man and travel with her, just like me, but Shen Haoyu calmly refused, leaving Yin Yan with a disappointed look in her eyes.

I recall yesterday when Shen Tingxuan visited the Prince Qing's residence and softly asked me by the Misty Moon Bay, "Huai'en, are you really going?"

I recalled the letter Alu had given me: "For whom?"

...

How could I not go? Zinuo, Song Zhixuan, and Lin Zhao are all there.

If they were gone, I would be even more alone in this world.

Riding closely behind Shen Haoyu, he glanced around and saw that everyone was there. So what if there was a dangerous place ahead?

A rider waited quietly by the roadside. Upon seeing us, he rode up, revealing himself to be Shen Zexuan in his silver armor—I hadn't recognized him at all. Shen Zexuan glanced at me indifferently, then walked to Shen Haoyu's side and smiled, "Yu, let's go together." He then rode alongside Shen Haoyu, while I lagged slightly behind, creating some distance between us. Seeing me retreat, Zi Nuo silently moved to my side as well.

At noon, the group rested in a grove of trees, ate some dry rations, drank some water, and then continued on their way. In the woods, Shen Zexuan tried to speak to me several times, but Zinuo and Song Zhixuan stayed with me, so he just looked at them and then chatted casually with Shen Haoyu, who responded indifferently.

That night, the army pitched tents and cooked over a fire in the open. Shen Zexuan took off his armor and stepped out of his tent, wearing the familiar red clothes. His tent was to Shen Haoyu's right, while our group tent was to Shen Haoyu's left. A screen partitioned off a small space for me, but I was still with Zinuo, Song Zhixuan, and Lin Zhao. I was quite satisfied with this arrangement. It must have been Shen Haoyu's order.

Sitting by the campfire outside the tent, this kind of life was new and exciting for me. Compared to the journey back from Pingcheng, this time I was with a real army. Watching the hot soup simmering on the campfire and listening to the soldiers' heroic songs was truly exhilarating.

The soup was a wild vegetable and dried meat soup. Originally, the army camp cooks had prepared food for Shen Haoyu, but Shen Haoyu only glanced at it and let it cool aside. Then he took out dried meat from his bag and asked Lin Zhao to find some wild vegetables in the forest, saying that they would cook for themselves.

I don't know if Shen Haoyu is simply not used to the food in the military camp, or if he's worried there's something wrong with it. If it's the former, he'll gradually get used to it over time; if it's the latter, it'll be troublesome. How much food can we bring ourselves? We can't just keep watching others eat. I hope he's just not used to the food, and not just being passively defensive.

"It smells so good." Shen Zexuan sat down next to me. Shen Haoyu took Zinuo and the others hunting, saying that if they had a good catch, they could have a barbecue that night. I couldn't tell if this was a military expedition or a leisurely outing, but it's good to find some joy in hardship; there's still a long way to go.

I carefully lifted the lid with a damp cloth, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. I secretly swallowed: "Your Highness, are you perhaps interested in these wild vegetables?"

Shen Zexuan picked up a spoon and reached into the pot without any politeness, but I slapped it away: "The young prince has not returned yet. This is his dinner. If Your Highness is full, don't come here to snatch it."

Shen Zexuan put down his spoon, turned his head to look at me, and said, "What do you mean by 'this love has become a memory'? Didn't you promise me and give me a chance?"

"Everything was fine until now, why did you rush off to Pingcheng, and why did you follow him to the Northwest? Was it for him?"

I shook my head, not wanting to explain. But were there really things he didn't know?

"I told you, I won't let you escape from me." Shen Zexuan suddenly reached out and grabbed my shoulders, his beautiful lips pressed tightly together, as if trying to show me his determination.

I raised my hand to brush away his hand from my shoulder and said calmly, "Your Highness, please be mindful of the occasion and your status."

Shen Zexuan then smiled and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Who in the world doesn't know that the Third Prince is fond of men?" As he spoke, he glanced at the attire of my palace retainers with a flirtatious look.

I shook my head and smiled wryly, ignoring him and focusing on cooking my wild vegetable and dried meat soup. When I added water for the third time, Shen Haoyu and the others finally returned, each carrying several pheasants and rabbits. I greeted them with a smile.

Seeing Shen Zexuan sitting by the fire, Shen Haoyu's face flashed with displeasure. He then handed the prey in his hand to Song Zhixuan and sat down next to Shen Zexuan: "Third brother, you're in high spirits. How about we have some fun tonight?"

Shen Zexuan nodded with a smile, looking very pleased. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I pulled Song Zhixuan aside and called to Zinuo and Lin Zhao: "Let's go to the stream and clean these things up, so we can have soup and meat when we get back."

"It would be even better if we could drink alcohol," Lin Zhao said with some regret, as drinking alcohol was not allowed in the army.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 74

Chapter word count: 3967 Update time: 09-08-21 10:20

Because of the battle ahead, the army marched at a relatively fast pace, reaching Ningzhou City in less than ten days. It was no more than 500 li away from Bozhou, where the battle was currently taking place. If they had not rested, they could have arrived in a day and a night. However, General Du ordered his troops to rest in Ningzhou, while he himself led 50,000 cavalrymen to Bozhou ahead of them.

Although it was springtime, it was still quite cold in this northern region, especially at night when the temperature difference between day and night was significant. The Ningzhou city garrison, along with Shen Zexuan and Shen Tingxuan, ascended the city tower. Looking northwest towards Bozhou, I could see nothing but the continuous mountain ranges. I could only feel the strong, biting wind that seemed to threaten to blow me off the tower.

We stayed at the city garrison commander's residence, which was considered the best accommodation in this northern region. Because of the large number of people accompanying us, Zinuo and I shared a room. After dinner, Shen Haoyu accompanied Shen Zexuan to discuss matters, since there were still 100,000 troops stationed here. With nothing else to do, I took Zinuo and strolled through the streets of Ningzhou.

Ningzhou City is the second largest city in the Northwest. The Mi River, originating from the Gula Mountains within Xuan Ying territory, flows through the west of the city, southwards, then turns southwest at Tanzhou, flowing into the towering mountains bordering Xuan Ying and Jinque. Its final destination is unknown; some say many rivers within Jinque are its continuations, but this cannot be verified, as the mountainous origins of those rivers are too complex to be clearly determined. Regardless of its final destination, it is indeed the longest and most winding river on the Kunpeng Continent. Therefore, Ningzhou City boasts highly developed land and water transportation, bustling with merchants and travelers, truly deserving its title as the second largest city.

The night had lost its daytime clamor. Although a battle was raging less than 500 li ahead, it seemed to have little impact on Ningzhou City. It was said that since the founding of the Youjing Dynasty, the furthest the Xuan Ying army had ever marched was this—reaching Bozhou. If it weren't for General Chen's support, the Xuan Ying cavalry wouldn't have been able to cross Jinyan Pass. Even if they had crossed Jinyan Pass now, Yuqiu Pass between Ningzhou and Bozhou was still a formidable obstacle. Moreover, with so many reinforcements arriving, the people of Ningzhou City were truly at ease, placing complete trust in their soldiers.

Zi Nuo and I each ordered a bowl of beef noodles on the street. They were piping hot, and we added some fried chili peppers. I ate them with tears streaming down my face, but they also warmed my heart.

"You two young men are new to Ningzhou, right? If it were daytime, you should go and have a bowl of mutton offal soup at Yang Laowu's place. It'll be even more satisfying. But you can't drink it like that when it gets warmer," the noodle stall owner said enthusiastically, seeing me sniffling.

As I ate, I mumbled, "Boss, you're not also surnamed Yang, are you?" Such enthusiastic promotion must mean we're family. If I've eaten your noodles, I'll definitely want to drink your soup too.

The boss chuckled, displaying the typical straightforwardness of a northerner: "This old man's surname isn't Yang, it's Fan, and everyone calls me 'Fan Tou'er'."

While kneading the dough, he kept saying, "In Ningzhou, if you want a fancy meal, go to Wuxianlou. As for street food, the ones in Dushui Lane are pretty good; they're all time-honored brands." He went on and on about a whole bunch of shop names, which I secretly wrote down, hoping to try them all someday. Back in Xi'an, I ate my way through the Muslim Quarter.

After paying for the noodles, Zinuo and I headed back. We realized there wasn't much to see that night; I suppose in ancient times, only brothels were lively. Back at the city magistrate's mansion, I kept sniffling; my nose was probably red, otherwise Zinuo wouldn't have kept glaring at me, while I could only look at him with teary eyes.

"Why don't you eat chili peppers? They're so good for warming you up, they're really satisfying," I asked Zinuo, puzzled.

Zinuo glared at me again: "After seeing how you look, who would dare to eat? Go back and look in the mirror." Why would I need a mirror? I know exactly what I look like. But, you little brat, are you disliking your sister?

I glared back fiercely.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw Shen Haoyu and Shen Zexuan walking side by side. Seeing them like this, I felt really awkward.

"Where did you go? I've been looking for you for ages and can't find you." Shen Haoyu asked abruptly, his tone slightly displeased.

Knowing that it was wrong to leave my post without permission, I frankly admitted, "I went to take a look around the streets." I also ate a bowl of noodles while I was there.