L'hibiscus comme peinture - Chapitre 27
Upon hearing Ao Jun's reaction, Yelü Ying laughed again, took a step back, and said confidently, "One day, you will betray Ouyang Jinxuan for my sake. You will beg me to let you follow me."
Before Ao Jun could speak, Yelü Ying vanished from the tent, leaving only the echo of his voice in the silent room: "Mo Jun, you are mine. Remember that, you are mine..."
The phrase "You are mine...you are mine..." kept echoing in Ao Jun's mind, refusing to leave.
"Sick. What's yours? This is ridiculous..." Ao Jun muttered to himself. Even someone as emotionally inept as Ao Jun would feel a ripple in his heart upon hearing his words. However, Ao Jun attributed it to being annoyed by his nonsensical words, and simply pulled the covers over his head to go to sleep. And to be honest, he was really sleepy!
The sun had risen high in the sky, its warm rays streaming into the tent and onto the face of a man sleeping like a log.
Mo Yueying looked at her handsome and intelligent brother Mo Jun with a sweet expression. Even when he was sleeping, he looked so beautiful. She really wanted to look at him like this forever (No way! So wicked, he wants to make her sleep forever!). But she had to fulfill her 'duty'.
"Brother, you overslept again. Get up quickly, the Prince wants to see you." Yueying called out as she pulled back Aojun's blanket.
Ao Jun mumbled sleepily, "Ying'er, let me sleep a little longer, just a little while. I won't sleep until almost dawn, I'm so sleepy!" She closed her eyes and fell asleep again. She had chatted with Jin Xuan for most of the night last night, and was already incredibly tired. Then that Yelü Ying came and bothered her, lingering for a long time and saying things that made her very uncomfortable, so she didn't fall asleep until almost dawn.
Seeing that Ao Jun really wanted to sleep, Yue Ying thought she should let her sleep! But, no! The prince seemed to be looking for her brother very urgently, and she couldn't delay him, otherwise her brother would blame her.
"Brother, the Prince has sent people to find you twice already. It seems something has happened. Get up quickly!" Helpless, Yueying shook Aojun while shouting loudly.
"Your Highness? What is it, Your Highness?" Ao Jun only snapped out of her daze when she heard that Jin Xuan wanted to see her, and opened her eyes to ask. However, she still showed no sign of getting up.
"I don't know, but it seems like something happened."
"Oh! What is it?" Ao Jun said to himself as he slowly propped himself up.
"A challenge from the Cangliao Kingdom." A gentle voice answered Ao Jun's question.
Ao Jun and Yue Ying looked up and saw Wei Ziqi standing at the tent entrance with a smile. In the sunlight, he looked like an angel.
Ao Jun smiled and said, "Zi Qi, you've arrived. What tricks has Cang Liao Kingdom pulled this time?"
Hearing Ao Jun's nonchalant tone, Wei Ziqi frowned: "This time they're serious. Cangliao Kingdom has sent a challenge, stating that Your Highness must personally lead the battle, because Yelü Ying will also personally take to the field."
"Oh? And now, Your Highness..." Ao Jun asked calmly. Ever since Yelü Ying arrived last night, she knew something would happen in the next few days, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. What kind of scheme does he have this time?
"His Highness and all the generals have already gathered in the main tent for a meeting, and they're just waiting for you. His Highness sent me to fetch you." Wei Ziqi was clearly not as 'optimistic' as Ao Jun; his brows were constantly furrowed, indicating that the situation was quite serious!
"Ahem... Ziqi, wait a moment, I'll be right there," Ao Jun said a little embarrassed. It seemed that Jinxuan and the others had been waiting for her for a long time. Ying'er had just said that Jinxuan had sent someone to call her twice, and now even Ziqi had come. Even if she was sleepy, she couldn't bear to sleep any longer.
"But brother, you haven't eaten yet?" Yueying quickly reminded Aojun when she saw that he hadn't eaten and was about to go over.
"It's okay, I'll eat when I get back." Turning to Wei Ziqi, she said, "Okay, let's go!"
Ao Jun walked out side by side with Wei Ziqi. She had a premonition that Yelü Ying would definitely use a ruthless move this time.
The Strategist and the Princess: Battlefield Chapter Twenty-Eight - A Meeting of Minds
"Your Highness, you mustn't!" Just as they reached the tent entrance, Zhao Zhiyang's booming voice rang out, indicating just how lively things were inside.
Another equally gruff voice rang out: "Your Highness, there must be a conspiracy here. Think it over!"
Faced with everyone's objections, Jinxuan changed his serious expression, raised his head and smiled, saying, "The strategist has arrived!"
The lively tent fell silent for a moment. Everyone paused for a moment before respectfully addressing Ao Jun as "Strategist."
Ao Jun nodded slightly and walked straight in, sitting in the seat closest to Jin Xuan. Before she could speak, Zhao Zhiyang said urgently to her, "Strategist, please persuade the Prince! Last time our army dealt a heavy blow to Cang Liao Kingdom. Yelü Ying must have some kind of conspiracy to make the Prince personally lead the troops this time. The Prince is the backbone of the army and cannot be risked!"
"None of the generals support the prince going into battle?" Ao Jun asked knowingly.
"Yes," all the generals, including Wei Ziqi, replied.
"Then, Your Highness, are you really determined to go to war?" Ao Jun turned to ask Jin Xuan.
"Yes, I have decided. I will accept Yelü Ying's challenge," Jin Xuan replied with a smile. He knew she would understand, and she would support him. Sure enough…
“In that case, Mo Jun agrees to Your Highness’s participation in the battle.” Ao Jun smiled knowingly at Jin Xuan.
Jinxuan smiled back. He hadn't misjudged her; she truly understood him.
"What? Strategist, you agree to the Prince going to war?" Zhao Zhiyang asked with wide eyes in disbelief, clearly unwilling to believe that Ao Jun would support Jin Xuan's participation in the war. He thought she would persuade the Prince like they did, after all, with the strategist's wisdom, she would surely know that Yelü Ying must have set some kind of trap for them. But unexpectedly, the strategist agreed to the Prince's participation in the war without asking any questions.
“Hmm.” Ao Jun didn’t say anything, just nodded slightly. She knew their worries, but Jin Xuan insisted on going into battle despite knowing the danger, which showed that this was a battle they couldn’t avoid. It was a battle they had to fight, and even if they were to lose, they had to go into battle. Perhaps taking the initiative to fight would give them a chance of winning.
“But, my lord… strategist, Yelü Ying not only personally led the troops this time, but also mobilized the entire army. It seems he intends to fight a decisive battle. With Yelü Ying’s talent, he must have made thorough preparations to mobilize such a large force. Our army is still unaware of what tricks the enemy is up to. So…” Wei Ziqi said with a worried expression.
"Ziqi, do you believe in the Prince?" Ao Jun asked with a slight smile.
"I believe you," Wei Ziqi nodded without hesitation. The prince was the person he admired most in his life.
Ao Jun then looked at the other generals, and as soon as they received Ao Jun's questioning gaze, they all nodded without hesitation and said, "We do not believe in Your Highness."
Having received a satisfactory answer, Ao Jun smiled and glanced at Jin Xuan, who was also smiling at her, before addressing the crowd: "Since that's the case, and since His Highness has decided to go to war, shouldn't all the generals trust that His Highness has his own plan?"
"This..." Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. The strategist was right! But...
"Your Highness, Strategist, Ziqi believes Your Highness is right. Ziqi only requests to fight alongside Your Highness." Ziqi was the first to step forward. Since the two people he trusted most had decided to go to war, what was there for him to hesitate about? Moreover, Your Highness's abilities were already unparalleled in the world, and now with Prime Minister Jun's assistance, he would be even more formidable.
"Even if you don't agree to send troops, please still go to war." Seeing that Ziqi had said so, Zhao Zhiyang no longer hesitated and, not wanting to be left behind, volunteered to go to war.
"Not yet."
"Not yet."
...
Seeing that everyone had gone from opposing to being so passionately requesting to fight together, Jin Xuan put away his smile, reverted to his dignified Prince Jin, and stood up with a serious expression, saying, "Very well, since all the generals are so united, then let's fight this battle together and make Yelü Ying regret invading the Longxuan Dynasty."
"Yes." Everyone stood up with serious expressions and clasped their hands in greeting. Finally, a real decisive battle was about to begin.