At first, Song Shuhao was on the verge of tears because of Ling Xiao's excitement, but Ling Xiao's crying was so earth-shattering that she couldn't help but laugh out loud. Hearing her laugh, Ling Xiao let go of Song Shuhao, wiping away his tears and lightly hitting her to show his displeasure.
After calming down and ignoring Zhang Yu, Ling Xiao took Song Shuhao's hand, took her pulse, and checked her for injuries. Only after confirming that she was alright and unharmed did Ling Xiao truly breathe a sigh of relief.
"No injuries, no poisoning...that puts my mind at ease. If you feel unwell, be sure to tell me immediately." After giving these instructions repeatedly, Ling Xiao left the tent with a smile.
Song Shuhao wanted to ask her to check Zhang Yu's injuries again, but Zhang Yu stopped her, so she had no choice but to comply. Apart from Ling Xiao, no one else bothered them. Song Shuhao helped Zhang Yu remove his armor, noticing cracks in his arm guards. She then rolled up Zhang Yu's sleeve to examine his arms.
She fell from the city wall, and Zhang Yu barely managed to catch her with his bare hands. Song Shuhao thought that the fact that she didn't break any bones was partly due to the arm guards providing cushioning, and partly pure luck. But she still suffered some injuries; both of Zhang Yu's arms were covered in large red marks, and several places were bleeding.
Seeing the heartache in Song Shuhao's eyes, Zhang Yu, who didn't even notice the minor injury, felt a warm glow in his heart. It was enough that she was by his side; from now on, he could focus his gaze on her and see no one else… Zhang Yu thought silently, then opened his arms and embraced Song Shuhao.
At this moment, Zhang Yu didn't want to do anything or say anything; he just wanted to hold her quietly. Even just holding her like this brought him immense joy. It was a joy that no one and nothing but Song Shuhao could compare to or give him.
Even though Zhang Yu didn't speak or make any other movements, Song Shuhao could feel the joy surging within him, a joy mixed with relief. She felt the same way, relieved that even though he didn't know if he could catch her, Zhang Yu had still given it his all.
If he hadn't done that, how would she be right now?
Fortunately, there are no "what ifs".
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She had been held by Zhang Yu for an unknown amount of time. Although she didn't feel tired of it, she had a feeling that if this continued, Zhang Yu might hold her until dawn. Song Shuhao had to gently remind him that she was feeling a little uncomfortable. Zhang Yu immediately let go of her.
At this point, Zhang Yu finally noticed her bright red wedding dress again and found it extremely offensive. Seeing Zhang Yu start to take off her clothes, although Song Shuhao didn't like what she was wearing either, she stopped him and asked him for clean clothes and hot water to wash herself.
"I can help you, we can do it together," Zhang Yu said shamelessly. Song Shuhao glanced at him, and he smiled as he went out to give orders, having some food prepared, worried that Song Shuhao might go hungry. Even though it seemed she hadn't been mistreated these past few days.
In the end, Zhang Yu didn't succeed. After cleaning herself up, Song Shuhao finally felt completely at ease. She was truly back, safely back by Zhang Yu's side. The experiences of the past few days and nights were enough for her to remember for a lifetime, and she would never experience such an ordeal again.
After changing into clean clothes, Zhang Yu, who had been kicked out, carefully washed himself elsewhere. Song Shuhao got some ointment and gently applied it to the cuts on Zhang Yu's arms. It was clear that Zhang Yu was very tired; even without asking or guessing, one could imagine his worry, yet he seemed to be at the forefront of everything.
After recovering from the tender moments, Song Shuhao began to check his body for any new wounds. Zhang Yu didn't resist, letting her explore his body as she pleased, but he leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Are you hungry? I had some food prepared; eat something so you'll have the strength later..."
She discovered that Zhang Yu had several wounds on his body, some of which were quite deep, yet he acted as if it didn't matter and said some inappropriate things. Song Shuhao was both angry and touched, so she decided to retaliate. She turned to Zhang Yu, fiercely grabbed his lips, and bit him.
Zhang Yu just smiled. Seeing that she was so distressed that she cried, he couldn't bear it and quickly comforted her in a low voice, saying that he was fine and it didn't matter. He kissed away the tear stains on Song Shuhao's face one by one.
But it didn't work; instead, it made her cry even harder. Zhang Yu could only hold her, letting Song Shuhao lean against him, and gently massage her shoulders, hoping to calm her down.
Each of those wounds seemed to tell her how desperate and reckless Zhang Yu had been in order to find her as quickly as possible. The thought of it made Song Shuhao want to cry. She forgot that when she jumped from the city wall, she was prepared to give up her life...
After venting her emotions, Song Shuhao discarded all the fear, anxiety, and helplessness she had buried in her heart. Having composed herself, she still buried her face in Zhang Yu's arms, simply because… she felt incredibly ashamed to cry in front of him every time.
Zhang Yu, however, was quite "heartless" at this moment, holding Song Shuhao with a smile on his face the whole time. Seeing that she had clearly stopped crying but still refused to lift her head, and upon closer inspection, noticed that her face was flushed, Zhang Yu smiled deeply, kissed her exposed ear, and whispered, "Shuhao, drink some water."
He casually grabbed the teapot from the small couch beside him, poured a cup of warm water, and handed it to her. Song Shuhao slowly left Zhang Yu's embrace, took the teacup, and sipped the water slowly. Zhang Yu's gaze seemed glued to her, as if he couldn't bear to look away for even a moment, and Song Shuhao couldn't help but blush again.
Neither of them had any appetite, and in the end, they ate nothing. They lay down to rest, embracing each other, and still no one disturbed them. Zhang Yu simply held Song Shuhao, without any other thoughts; he felt at peace just like that. The two of them huddled together, talking softly.
Zhang Yu apologized to Song Shuhao, saying he hadn't protected her well and that she had suffered. Song Shuhao shook her head, saying no, that he hadn't done anything wrong, that she had returned safely, that she hadn't suffered any grievances, and that she had worried him.
The two of them wanted to take turns pointing out each other's faults, snuggling together to comfort and soothe each other. Even without doing anything intimate, they seemed to care for each other more than ever before.
As she spoke softly, listening to Zhang Yu's heartbeat and feeling his unwavering embrace, Song Shuhao gradually grew sleepy, and drowsiness washed over her.
In her dazed state, she heard Zhang Yu ask if she knew he would catch her, which was why she jumped off the city wall without hesitation.
Song Shuhao snuggled against him, a smile playing on her lips, and said, "Yes, I believe His Majesty." She spoke such a lie without batting an eye, as if it were second nature.
Feeling Zhang Yu place a kiss on her lips, she smiled again. Finding a more comfortable position, Song Shuhao could no longer resist the drowsiness, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep in Zhang Yu's arms.
Author's Note: I'm finally back! ~\(≧▽≦)/~
Tomorrow I'll write about returning to the capital, hehehe, it'll be sweet all the way through.
Please shower me with flowers =3=
Chapter 93 Returning to Court
Ji Heng voluntarily handed over Zhao Jian and Xie Lanyan, and even their corpses. Although he didn't explicitly say so, it was clear he hoped to resolve the conflict peacefully. Zhang Yu's acceptance of the corpses of Zhao Jian and Xie Lanyan was tantamount to agreeing to this.
For Zhang Yu, things have progressed to this point. In his campaign against Dayuan, Zhao Jian and Xie Lanyan have both died, and Ji Heng has given up his original ambitions to attack Daqi. Apart from that, he has also achieved several other objectives he had anticipated. He will just have to wait until he returns to the capital to slowly implement the follow-up matters.
Currently, Daqi holds several cities in Dayuan, and Ji Heng wants to take them back—since he is taking the initiative to show goodwill, it means he does not want to continue the war, so naturally he must exchange them for something of equal value. This also means that he only needs to wait for Ji Heng to deliver the benefits.
If two countries go to war, the common people will naturally suffer the most. Now that his goal has been achieved and Daqi has gained benefits, withdrawing troops is not difficult. Whether it happens quickly or slowly depends on Ji Heng's attitude. As for the follow-up matters, Zhang Yu does not need to personally intervene; it is sufficient to leave it to the envoys to negotiate.
Having not slept soundly for a long time, Zhang Yu woke up in a very good mood after a rare good night's sleep. Looking down at the person still sleeping sweetly in his arms, the corners of Zhang Yu's mouth turned up. At this moment, he was reluctant to let go of Song Shuhao and instead tightened his arms around her even more.
He didn't rush to get up, but simply watched Ah Hao sleep peacefully, occasionally reaching out to touch her face, brushing her eyelashes with his fingers, or lightly kissing her lips or forehead. Seeing her brows slightly furrowed in her sleep, her face showing a bewildered expression, he found it both amusing and adorable.
Song Shuhao woke up to Zhang Yu's constant harassment. When she opened her eyes, she met his smiling eyes. She smiled, closed her eyes, and buried her face in his chest again, saying helplessly, "Your Majesty has woken up..." After leaving Zhang Yu's embrace, she realized that it was actually quite late, but she had been sleeping too soundly.
In the blink of an eye, it felt like the events of last night were a long time ago, and Ahao stopped thinking about them. Although she longed for Zhang Yu's embrace, she felt she shouldn't stay in bed any longer. Ahao tried to sit up, but Zhang Yu hooked his arm around her waist. Zhang Yu's other arm went around Ahao's back and pressed her closer to him.
The two became even more intimate in an instant, and Zhang Yu even maliciously nudged her lower body with his penis at this moment. Even through the fabric, she could feel his hardness. Ignoring Zhang Yu's hint, Ahao simply poked him with her finger and said, "Your Majesty, it's time to get up."
Zhang Yu looked at her innocently and calmly replied, "I'm already up..." Ahao was taken aback. Zhang Yu nudged her with something, and Ahao laughed in anger, not wanting to pay attention to his shamelessness and scumbag attitude.
She got up quickly and angrily, not lingering in Zhang Yu's arms. Just as Ahao was about to put on her shoes and get out of bed, Zhang Yu dragged her back without a second thought, and then swiftly pinned her down.
Hearing Ah Hao mutter "rogue" and seeing her pretend to be angry and turn her face away, Zhang Yu couldn't help but chuckle and leaned over to kiss the tip of her nose.
"No rush, let's do what we need to do first."
Zhang Yu coaxed her softly, but couldn't suppress his affection for Ahao. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her neck again and again, trying his best to win back her "favor" with his actions.
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