It was later learned that this was General Wu Duo, a close advisor to King Cheng, who had been ordered to infiltrate the enemy camp to gather intelligence. He had been discovered by Liu Jing but escaped death and returned alive. The soldiers felt that King Cheng treated them like brothers, and that he had even personally gone out of the city to carry them. The soldiers were deeply grateful and felt that it was the greatest honor of their lives to follow King Cheng and fight for him on the battlefield.
At that time, only a few people, such as Du Xiaoxi and Gongzi Zheng, who were familiar with the affair between Wu Yi and Hua Wuduo, could guess some of Wu Yi's feelings at the time.
Wu Yi insisted on carrying her on his back, his smile deepening with each step. He recalled how she had carried him like this three times before, how she had selflessly shielded him. After their parting in the capital, he thought he had lost her, but a year later, she returned. Five days ago, he thought he had lost her again, that he would never find her again, but miraculously, she had returned, back to his side. He had once again regained what he had lost; fate had indeed been kind to him. He would carry her, step by step, back to his side.
Gongzi Zheng, Du Xiaoxi, and a group of soldiers led their horses and followed behind Wu Yi.
Gongzi Zheng stared blankly at Wu Yi's retreating figure, a complex mix of emotions welling up in his chest. A thousand threads of feeling, dense and intricate, mingled with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion) and an indescribable tremor of melancholy. In his eyes, Yi and Wuduo were the most perfectly matched couple in the world; this feeling filled his mind intensely and lingered for a long time.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Most Beautiful Time
When Hua Wuduo woke up, the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a strange woman with large eyes. Then she heard hurried footsteps and repeated cries of "Wake up! Wake up!" There were also sounds of doors opening and closing, someone falling down, and a series of other confusing and strange noises. Finally, she saw a pair of all-too-familiar eyes—Wu Yi's eyes.
She smiled slightly, and then heard Wu Yi say, "Would you like some water?"
She shook her head, and then heard Wu Yi ask, "How are you feeling? What do you want? Does your wound still hurt?"
Seeing his anxiety, she blushed, looked around the room, and saw that no one was there except him. She tried to get up, but she couldn't muster any strength. Wu Yi understood, helped her sit up, and leaned against him, whispering in her ear, "You've been unconscious for more than three days. Tell me what you want."
She hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Go to the toilet..." Having been unconscious for many days, she was weak all over and her voice was very hoarse, but no matter how hoarse her voice was, it couldn't compare to the reaction brought about by the meaning of those two words.
Wu Yi's face immediately turned red. He awkwardly called the maid who had just left in, and when he went out and closed the door, his hands and feet were stiff and his expression was strange.
Hua Wuduo heard the voice of the young master arguing outside the door, "Your Majesty, Wuduo is awake?"
"Um."
"Is she alright?"
Wu Yi coughed and said, "It's nothing."
"Why has Your Majesty come out?" Du Xiaoxi asked rather tactlessly.
Wu Yi glanced at him, but instead of answering Du Xiaoxi's question, he asked, "Where's that wooden sign?"
Du Xiaoxi said, "In Wudu room."
Wu Yi sighed, "Truly exquisite."
Upon hearing this, Du Xiaoxi and Gongzi Zheng looked at each other, completely bewildered.
The day after Hua Wuduo returned.
That night, a fire suddenly broke out in the rear of Liu Jing's army's supplies. Liu Jing was furious when he learned that Wu Qi had sent men to launch a sneak attack from behind and burn his supplies. Because he was still seriously injured, he ordered his men to pursue Wu Qi. At the same time, Wu Yi sent two fierce generals, Gongzi Zheng and Hu Wei, each leading about three thousand soldiers to join Wu Qi in encircling and annihilating Liu Jing.
Liu Jing was defeated and fled wounded. He retreated a hundred miles in a single day until he returned to Dongjun in a sorry state, and the siege of Changping was lifted.
The sun was shining brightly, making people feel lazy, but one person in the courtyard was practicing martial arts, while another person, with nothing to do, sat under a tree fiddling with a small wooden sign, saying, "Why did you write these two words of all?"
As he punched the wall, the man said, “Think about it, I was wearing enemy soldier’s clothes that day. If I had come over rashly, I would have been riddled with arrows from the city wall. I was dizzy and didn’t have the strength to shout out who I was. If I had written my name directly on the wooden board, who would have believed me in that state? So I picked up some dry branches, burned them into charcoal, and wrote those two words as a sign of surrender. Maybe I could have survived.”
He remained noncommittal for a while before saying, "These two words are wonderful."
"What's so special about it?" She had already reached the end of her set of punches.
“It’s wonderful that it’s truly wonderful,” Wu Yi said.
Hua Wuduo didn't understand at all. She withdrew her fist and asked, "I heard you recognized me from afar that day. How did you recognize me?"
Wu Yi held up three fingers and said, "There are three reasons."
Hua Wuduo exclaimed in surprise, "There are so many reasons? Tell me quickly, what are the three points?"
"First, your handwriting. These two characters you wrote are in my handwriting, how could I not recognize them?"
Hua Wuduo was taken aback, then looked closely and realized it really was his handwriting. Back in the academy, she had become quite adept at imitating his handwriting when helping him write the exercises left by the teacher. In recent months, she had occasionally imitated his handwriting as well, but she hadn't expected that these two characters would actually be written in his handwriting. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly smiled and said, "These two characters are indeed wonderful; they actually look like you wrote them."
Wu Yi sighed helplessly and said, "The more I look at it, the more it seems like something I wrote."
Hua Wuduo looked at his expression, covered her mouth and chuckled for a while, then asked, "And what's the second reason?"
"Your back view. You were lying on the horse's back, and I could only see your back. I had a strong feeling that it was probably you."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo turned his head away and said with a hint of smugness, "I didn't expect you to have such feelings for me."
Wu Yi glanced at her and continued, "As for the third point, it's your ten-finger gold rings. When you were holding the reins, you were wearing ten-finger gold rings on your exposed fingers and wrists, which you never took off. They were the same color as the sunset... When I saw this, I was certain it was you."
After Wu Yi finished speaking, he intended to take a sip of water to moisten his throat, but unexpectedly, Hua Wuduo suddenly jumped over and said, "Yi, you're really amazing!" She slapped him on the shoulder, knocking out the mouthful of water he had just drunk. Seemingly enjoying the blows, she slapped his shoulder again, which he quickly dodged. One chased, the other ran, and Hua Wuduo tripped over something, disappearing from sight when she looked up. While searching the courtyard, she saw something emerge from behind the door, a small wooden sign waving, "Surrender, surrender."
She chuckled. It turned out he had darted into the house and was hiding behind the door. She said, "Come out, I won't hit you anymore."
Wu Yi walked out from behind the door with a smile, sat back down at the table, and asked, "Do you still remember the person who saved you?"
Hua Wuduo's eyes flickered, and he said, "No."
Wu Yi looked at her, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes, as if he still had something to ask her. But she had already floated out of the courtyard, leaving only the words, "I have things to do, see you tonight," before disappearing without a trace.
Wu Yi sighed helplessly. He thought to himself, "Who exactly saved her? Why is she deliberately hiding it? He suspected that Liu Xiu saved her, but Liu Xiu was clearly confronting Gongzi Xun in Shangdang at the time, so he couldn't possibly be in Changping. Who saved her? He must know this person, otherwise Wu Duo wouldn't have been so secretive and unwilling to mention it."
Liu Jing's attack on Changping failed, so he retreated to Dongjun. Due to his serious injury, the court was worried that Wu Yi and Wu Qi would join forces to attack Dongjun, so Liu Xiu was transferred to guard Weijun, which was not far from Dongjun, forming a pincer movement with Changping and Shangdang, which were guarded by Wu Yi and Wu Qi.
As autumn approached, the people began to busy themselves with harvesting this year's grain, and Wu Yi also set about stockpiling grain in preparation for war.
Jingzhao and other areas are located in mountainous regions, and their grain production is not as abundant as that of Jiangnan. Despite years of war, Marquis Xijing and Wu Yi have always been concerned about the suffering of the people, ensuring that they do not suffer from cold or hunger due to the continuous warfare, but rather protecting the local population. Currently, Wu Yi is stationed at Changping. Although Changping is unstable, the people west of Changping live in peace and prosperity. Therefore, the people of Jingzhao call Wu Yi's army a bulwark protecting their homes, and all hope that King Cheng will win the battle. This time, Wu Yi defeated Liu Jing again. When the news reached Jingzhao, the people celebrated with gongs and drums as if it were a festival.
Previously, when Liu Jing's army was stationed in Changping, they frequently harassed the people, openly robbing them of their belongings. Not only that, Liu Jing also levied various exorbitant taxes on the people of Changping in the name of the imperial court, causing them immense suffering and frequent hunger. However, since Wu Yi conquered Changping, such incidents have not occurred for a year. This year, the crops are especially bountiful, and every household in Changping lights lamps to celebrate the harvest. A children's rhyme has been sung, the gist of which is: "King Cheng reigns, the people are at peace, the harvest is plentiful, and the world is at peace."
That day, Hua Wuduo had just gotten up when Wu Yi summoned her, saying mysteriously that he had a surprise for her. Hua Wuduo stared at him with a very suspicious look for a long time before saying, "Alright, let's go see what the surprise is."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yi was very displeased with her reaction, but he still happily led her out of the tent.
Originally, Du Xiaoxi and his men wanted to leave the camp with them, but Wu Yi refused. Now it was Du Xiaoxi's turn to stare at Hua Wuduo with a cold, gloomy face, as if Hua Wuduo had seduced his king. Hua Wuduo looked up at the sky, completely ignoring Du Xiaoxi.
Wu Yi and she rode their horses towards a hillside on the outskirts of the city. Further ahead was the edge of a cliff. Wu Yi dismounted and gestured for Hua Wuduo to dismount as well.
He took her hand and led her step by step toward the cliff. The wind was a bit strong by the mountain, blowing their long hair, which unintentionally became tangled together.
An eagle circled low over the mountainside, occasionally letting out a whistle. He led her, a smile playing on his lips, and told her to close her eyes first. She glanced at him, wondering what he was up to, but closed her eyes and let him lead her step by step to the edge of the cliff. Then, at his prompting, she opened her eyes and looked down the mountain as he pointed. She was suddenly stunned, then speechless with amazement at the breathtaking view.
Looking across the mountains, one sees a continuous series of terraced fields, their colors a mix of yellow and green.
The golden wheat ears seemed to converge into an ocean, and as the wind blew, they overlapped layer upon layer, forming undulating waves. What unfolded before my eyes was a naturally beautiful picture, in which occasionally a shepherd boy rode on a cow through the fields, and farmers wearing straw hats were busy at work.
Wu Yi pointed to everything under his feet and said to her, "This is the scene of a bountiful harvest, and this is the empire I have always dreamed of realizing." He paused and said in a deep voice, "One day, I will become the emperor of this world, looking down upon it. I want my people to live in peace and prosperity, with plenty of food and clothing. I want my empire to be a picture of mountains, seas, and rivers."
Hua Wuduo stared blankly at the scene before her, listening to Wu Yi's words, overwhelmed with emotion. When she decided to leave Song Zixing and come to Jingzhao to find Wu Yi, she was still unsure of her own feelings. But in the past six months, she had become certain of the path she would take in the future. Wu Yi had the ambition to govern the world, much like Song Zixing's. If she wanted to stay with Wu Yi, she had to accept this reality and face the path she might take in the future with equanimity. Although she had some worries, even some resistance, she became fearless because he was by her side.
After a while, she heard Wu Yi ask her, "Am I beautiful?"
Hua Wuduo nodded and said, "Beautiful."
Wu Yi said, "When I came here yesterday, I also thought it was very beautiful, but today, seeing it with you, I found it to be even more beautiful than yesterday. Perhaps this is what they mean by sharing happiness rather than enjoying it alone."
Hua Wuduo shook his head and said, "It's not that sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone, it's just that I'm the one who's looking at this world with you!" He nodded firmly as he said this.
Looking at her somewhat smug expression, knowing that she was saying it on purpose, his eyes flickered, and he nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, I only wish to share such a kingdom with you."
He squeezed her hand.
Then, she boasted shamelessly, "With me here, the land is truly picturesque. Haha..."
Her flamboyant laughter was carried away by the wind, but it settled in his eyes and in his heart.
Winter had arrived, and the fighting had temporarily ceased. Wu Yi received an invitation from Wu Qi to meet in Shangdang County. Wu Yi naturally went with Hua Wuduo.
This was the second time in six months that Gongzi Qi had seen Hua Wuduo, and the second time he had seen Hua Wuduo without her mask. Gongzi Qi said with deep emotion, "Wuduo's complexion has been so rosy lately, and she even seems to be gaining weight. She's becoming more and more beautiful. I suddenly have a plan. Perhaps we can take down Prince Che's army without losing a single soldier."
When Liu Xiu, the Prince of Che, was mentioned, Hua Wuduo raised an eyebrow and said, "Anyone who uses a honey trap is a coward."
Gongzi Qi pulled out a fan from somewhere and fanned himself, shaking his head as he said, "Don't forget, Song Zixing used a honey trap to take over Fujian and Guangdong provinces, with nearly 200,000 troops, and now he can sit on the southern lands without restraint. I don't think he's a coward."
Hua Wuduo's gaze sharpened upon hearing this. Over the past six months, she had received several letters, all written to her by Song Zixing. She had only replied to one, which contained just three words: "I'm sorry."
Gongzi Yi took a sip of tea and said, "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and tell me about the honey trap?"
Gongzi Qi shook his head and said, "Let Wuduo stand in front of King Che's 100,000-strong army and do a striptease."
Pfft... Young Master Yi spat out the tea he had just drunk without any politeness.
Hua Wuduo's eyebrows furrowed and her almond-shaped eyes widened. She slapped Gongzi Qi on the back. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Gongzi Qi instantly moved to the entrance of the tent. He coughed, straightened his clothes, and waved his folding fan. Just as he was about to walk out of the tent with an elegant and unrestrained air, he heard Hua Wuduo say behind him, "Yi, have you noticed? Qi is getting uglier and uglier. His skin has become rough and lost its former luster. He looks more and more like a rough country bumpkin. Sigh... Compared to the handsome young man he used to be, he's like heaven and earth. I think when Wen Yu sees him again, she will definitely regret putting him first in her 'Chronicle of Handsome Men of the Country.'"
Gongzi Yi opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. He looked at Gongzi Qi, who was hesitating at the door, sighed, and comforted him gently, "You're becoming more and more like a rough countryman, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Even though Qi has become a bit rustic now, he's still a top-notch man."
Gongzi Qi coughed softly, seemingly unconcerned by their conversation, and strolled out of the tent at a leisurely pace. He appeared calm and composed, but Hua Wuduo and Gongzi Yi, with their sharp ears, heard him quickly walk towards his own tent shortly after leaving the main tent.
Hua Wuduo and Gongzi Yi exchanged a smile and then followed.
In the darkness, the two silently approached Gongzi Qi's tent. One of them quietly lifted the tent flap, and they peered through the gap. Inside, Gongzi Qi was holding a bronze mirror and looking at himself in the candlelight.
As the two returned to their tent, they inadvertently noticed something white darting into the nearby bushes in the darkness and disappearing; it resembled a snake.
Wu Yi's trip to Shangdang was a secret, known only to a few close associates. He brought no more than thirty or forty men with him. The journey between Changping and Shangdang was only about a hundred li, which should have been no problem. However, their group of several dozen men was unexpectedly ambushed along the way. Although they were on guard beforehand, the number of men they brought was far greater than the number of people who ambushed them, so they had no choice but to escape secretly by taking a back path.
Hua Wuduo and Du Xiaoxi escorted Wu Yi along mountain paths to Changping. They thought the enemy wouldn't catch up so quickly, but unexpectedly, after only a short rest, several martial arts masters caught up with them.
During the battle, both Du Xiaoxi and Hua Wuduo were injured. In the critical moment, Du Xiaoxi entrusted Wu Yi to Hua Wuduo, telling them to run first, while he led the others to desperately hold off their pursuers.
Hua Wuduo led Wu Yi into the deep mountains, while Wu Yi created false tracks along the way to confuse the enemy. The mountain path was extremely difficult to traverse, and they had to dismount and walk several times, slowing their pace considerably. A mountain rain then fell, soaking them to the bone and leaving them both in a sorry state, but they dared not stop to rest and continued onward. They encountered a water source along the way, and Hua Wuduo fetched some water. When she returned, she found Wu Yi collapsed beside his horse. Terrified, she helped him up, but he didn't respond to her calls. Just as she was becoming anxious, she suddenly saw a small white snake dart past in the distance. She quickly checked where Wu Yi's hand was pressed and discovered that he had been bitten by a snake, suffering from venom and unconsciousness.
She quickly looked around and found a tree that could barely provide shelter from the rain. She helped him over and sat him down against the tree trunk.
Taking his hand, Hua Wuduo hesitated only for a moment before lowering her head to suck out the snake venom bit by bit. Even though her whole body was trembling and her heart was pounding, she was willing to risk being poisoned.
All she knew was that even if it cost her her life, she couldn't bear to watch Wu Yi die before her eyes. For a moment, she suddenly understood why Liu Xiu had followed her off the cliff.
After sucking out the poisonous blood, she felt dizzy. Remembering that she had once taken a miraculous elixir like the Snowfield Heavenly Pill, she didn't care whether it would work or not. Without hesitation, she cut her wrist, forced herself to endure, and fed him some of her blood. Then she fed him some water before placing him on the horse and continuing on her way.
As evening fell, she found a secluded cave, carried him off the horse, placed him in a relatively clean spot, and then went out to gather some dry grass, firewood, and water. Once everything was settled, it was already dark.
She lit a fire and used her dagger to carefully carve a piece of wood into a wooden bowl. After a while, looking at her finished product, she chuckled. She remembered that the wooden bowl Tang Ye had made for her when he took care of her was more than twice as good as hers. She boiled some water and was about to feed him when she saw him slowly wake up.
He opened his eyes in her arms. Seeing him awake, she smiled, tears welling in her eyes, but her smile was a silly, contented grin.
After waking up, Wu Yi drank a lot of water and regained some energy. Fortunately, the snake venom was not potent, and the venom was sucked out in time, which helped Wu Yi recover.
Currently, the fate of all the guards is unknown, including Du Xiaoxi, who has been by Wu Yi's side for many years. Fortunately, Liu Jing seems to have shaken off and won't be chasing after them for the time being. His physical condition is no longer suitable for continuing the journey, and he needs to rest for the night.
Although he felt weak all over and dizzy, he was unwilling to fall asleep. Whenever he heard the slightest noise, he would open his eyes to look at her. Watching her busy figure going in and out, sometimes boiling water to feed him, sometimes using a small knife to pick out a pair of chopsticks, although he couldn't tell that the chopsticks looked like a pair at all, and could only be barely called two small sticks.
Seeing the slightly teasing smile on his lips, she knew that the chopsticks she had made were a bit rough, so she smiled and said to him, "Although chopsticks should look the same, think about it, just like people, a man and a woman make a pair. This tall and thick one is like you, and this thin and short one is like me..." She had just said this when she realized something was wrong. Without looking at Wu Yi again, she turned her head and said, "I'm going out to find something to eat."
Looking at her slightly flushed ears, he smiled softly and silently. He remembered Wu Qi once telling him, "The word 'love,' even if it's just a thin sheet of paper, isn't easily torn. But if it's you, that sheet is even harder to break." Now, for the two of them to be together was even more difficult. But no matter how difficult it was, they finally came together.