Yueji was startled and tried to push him away, crying out, "Let go of me! You're bullying me!"
But she was no match for Jin Lang's strength. He gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips and said with a smile, "I never bully women, except for you." After saying that, he deepened the kiss, leaving her unable to struggle.
A blush crept onto Yueji's snow-white cheeks. She suddenly remembered Lou Zhao's wounded body and how they had escaped together on a horse. She remembered how she had cut her wrist to transfer blood to him, and how he had smiled and asked her: "Ah Zhao, would you like to come with me?"
Her eyes were a little wet, so she pulled her hand away and wiped them haphazardly.
Jin Lang frowned and released her. "Are you so unwilling?"
Tsukihime turned her head away, "I'm not willing."
Jin Lang shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "I look like a sinner right now."
Yueji nodded solemnly and said, "You dare to be disrespectful to me, you are a sinner. There is a saying in your Li Kingdom: 'To harass a respectable woman is shameless.'"
Jin Lang laughed loudly: "Where did you learn to be 'shameless'?"
The two men each led a horse, walking side by side on the snowy sand, like old friends who had known each other for a long time, chatting and taking in the beautiful snow-capped mountain scenery in the distance.
"Hiss—" A long arrow pierced the silence.
Yueji, quick-witted, saw a hail of arrows coming from behind Jinlang. She grabbed him and exclaimed, "Be careful!"
Before she could dodge, she groaned as an arrow struck her shoulder and arm.
Jin Lang drew his sword, using it to block the arrows while protecting her as she retreated into the woods.
The attackers were a well-trained group of assassins, ordered to kill Jin Lang. When Si Tai heard the assassins' report that Yue Ji kept saying her husband was in Xue, he immediately flew into a rage in the main hall and shouted, "Ignore her! My Xue Kingdom has never had such a disgraceful princess!"
With Yueji wounded, Jinlang was all alone in another fierce battle.
The arrow seemed to be poisoned; Yueji gradually lost her sight, and a chill swept over her. She only heard the clanging of weapons beside her, and was pulled close to Jinlang's chest, hearing him say in a deep voice in her ear, "Hold on for me."
She frowned and whispered, "I'm cold."
Jin Lang hugged her tighter. "Open your eyes."
She tried to stay awake, and the sounds around her gradually faded away.
After an unknown amount of time, someone wrapped her tightly in clothes and asked in a deep voice, "Are you still cold?"
Yueji raised her eyelids and saw that Jin Lang was shirtless, his clothes wrapped around her. Behind them were still the continuous snow-capped mountains, and there was a deep knife wound on his chest, from which bright red blood seeped out.
She forced a smile and replied, "Shameless."
Jin Lang's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he said with a wry smile, "Trust me, I will definitely take you back before dark."
When Yueji woke up again, Jinlang was sitting by her bedside with his back to her, loosening his robes to apply medicine.
He pulled his robe down to his waist, revealing his broad arms and lean waist, which were covered with scars of all sizes. One scar ran from his left shoulder to his waist, seemingly from many years ago, leaving only a faint mark, now covered by new flesh.
Tsukihime was a little curious and gently touched it with her fingertips.
Jin Lang turned around, his voice gentle: "Awake?"
Yueji asked, "How did you get so many injuries?"
Jin Lang glanced down at the scar on her cheek and said calmly, "The same one as yours." He smiled slightly and said, "At the time, I didn't expect it to be a woman, much less a spoiled princess. Tsk, you were sent to marry me because you were disfigured, weren't you?"
Yueji snorted, "Who said I wanted to marry you? If I hadn't been trapped here by you, I would have returned to the palace eight hundred years ago."
Jin Lang looked at her and said slowly, "I have led troops for five years, and I always put my life and death aside when I kill the enemy. I would rather die for my country than die on the spot. But yesterday, when you were in danger, I tried my best to get out unscathed."
Yueji felt embarrassed by his affectionate gaze and lowered her head, twisting the blankets incessantly.
Jin Lang said again, "Ah Zhao, I want to be with you."
He chuckled: "I remembered you after the Battle of Xishanbu. It was fate that brought us together; you were sent to marry me. You have my mark on your face. There is no one in this world more suitable for us."
Tsukihime's heart stirred slightly, and she remained silent for a long time.
She didn't know what to say, perhaps still harboring hope in her heart that the young man in white on horseback and in blue robes could only be hidden in the afterglow of the setting sun.
At this moment, a man stood outside Tsukihime's tent.
He held a medicine bottle in his hand, remained silent for a while, and then handed it to someone else: "This medicine may be able to counteract Miss A Zhao's poison. Give it to the general later."
Rumors spread throughout the camp that Miss A Zhao had risked her life to save General Jin, and such loyalty was truly moving.
Yueji was poisoned by cold and was bedridden.
Every time the curtains were lifted, she hoped it would be Lou Zhao, but he never came.
Yueji thought: If he truly loves her, what does it matter if he is a princess?
In early spring, the war broke out with the sound of a bugle call.
In any war, there will always be casualties. As the commander-in-chief, Jin Lang would naturally be wounded every time he returned.
He sat on the edge of the couch applying medicine to his right shoulder, where someone had slashed and torn off a piece of flesh.
Yueji said, "Jinlang, I want to go back to Xue. Can you let me go?"
Cold sweat beaded on Jin Lang's forehead, his brows furrowed, the wound torn and mangled. He snorted coldly, "No."
Seeing that he was struggling to apply the medicine himself, Yueji went over and took the medicine bottle to help him.
She dipped her fingertips in the ointment, feeling its cool sensation, and carefully applied it to the wound. Then she gently wrapped it with gauze and tentatively asked, "What will it take for you to let me go?"
Suddenly, someone grabbed her waist. Jin Lang leaned down and pinned her beneath him, saying in a deep voice, "No matter what, it won't work."
His lips traced the faint lines on her cheek and moved downwards, finally landing on her lips.
She tried to push him away, but couldn't.
Their lips intertwined, he held her lips in his mouth, pecking and sucking, tossing and turning until she stopped kicking.
The oil lamp on the table was blown out, and the room was filled with the cool scent of ointment.
Jin Lang reached out and pulled open her sash, running it down her neck.
Tsukihime bit her lip, a subtle, tingling sensation spreading from his lips and tongue to every inch of her skin. This wondrous feeling was completely beyond her control, slowly engulfing her.
Her hands were at a loss for what to do, so she could only grip the corner of the mattress tightly.
Her clothes slipped down to her waist. Jin Lang propped himself up on his elbows on the edge of the couch, quietly observing her. Her emerald eyes were brimming with desire. His hand gently caressed her shoulder, tracing her curves and igniting a fire within him.
Yueji murmured softly, looking at him with her eyes slightly narrowed.
He whispered in her ear, "Do you want me?"
She bit her lip, remained silent, and shook her head.
Jin Lang, unperturbed, leaned down and kissed her lips, one hand covering her chest, the other unknowingly removing their clothes. He took her bewildered hands and wrapped them around his neck, their skin touching. His lips and tongue gently kissed her neck, then her shoulder, and finally her chest. As if the ointment was taking effect, Yue Ji felt a burning sensation all over her body, making her unable to open her eyes. She felt weak and powerless, and could only cling to him tightly, repeatedly stroking the wounds on his chest.
As he stepped forward, Tsukihime sobbed, "You bullied me, you...you shameless person."
...
He watched her drift off to sleep, kissed her shoulder, and whispered, "Let's get married."
In March, flowers bloom in abundance, while the city is shrouded in smoke and dust.
Wearing a phoenix crown and holding a wine cup, Yue Ji walked up to Lou Zhao and said with a smile, "Military Advisor Lou, you saved my life before. I haven't had a chance to properly thank you. I'll toast you."
Lou Zhao paused in his cup, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. "You're too kind, Ah..." He stopped talking and changed his address: "General's wife."
The war between the two states of Li and Xue remained deadlocked, and the border clashes continued for nearly a year.
Yueji had no relatives and could only stay in the tent with them. She was nearly ten months pregnant at this time, and her body was becoming increasingly weak due to the cold poison.
A protracted war is undoubtedly time-consuming and exhausting, and the supply of food and provisions is gradually running out.
Jin Lang and Lou Zhao discussed the matter for three days and three nights by lamplight, planning to attack Wenlai from Yanmen County.
Yanmen County is situated in a rather treacherous location, surrounded by mountains on three sides. It is less than ten days' journey from Wenlai. There are no Xue troops stationed in the county, only a few thousand civilians. If Yanmen County can be captured, it will cut off Wenlai's eastern supply lines. Wenlai is bordered by the sea to the west, and there are no other large counties within a hundred miles.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Jin Lang planned to first lead a surprise attack on Yanmen County at night, while Lou Zhao would then lead the main force to garrison the area.
As dawn broke, Jin Lang rubbed his temples and said, "Let's go back and rest for half a day. We'll make our move on the fifteenth of this month, the night of the full moon."
Lou Zhao took his leave.
Jin Lang called him back: "This matter needs to be kept secret. Don't tell A Zhao yet."
The battle of Yanmen Commandery is bound to bring bloodshed to the Eastern Lands, ranging from a small commandery to the entire Xue Kingdom.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the night of the Lantern Festival.
Jin Lang led his troops in a night raid on Yanmen County.
When he parted from Yue Ji, he promised her, "In less than three months, I will definitely take you back to the Central Plains. Then we will raise a son and have a beautiful woman in our arms. My life will be so fulfilling."
Yueji tried hard not to think about what the three-month summons meant—whether it was that he was confident of conquering the Eastern Lands in three months, or that Dali would withdraw its troops in three months. Thinking too much about it made her feel deeply guilty. Now that her belly was big, she couldn't roll around on the bed like she used to.
She knew that Jin Lang would risk his life to protect her, but he would not retreat or surrender for her sake.