SGSHE121

Cui Leyou felt a surge of anger rise within her.

She finally believed, completely and utterly, what her cousin Cui Tong had said!

The way Jing Heguang looked at that man, and the smile playing on his lips, spoke volumes about the man’s importance in Jing Heguang’s heart.

When a new romance is burning hot, what do the bonds of childhood friendship matter? Though Cui Leyou hadn’t experienced much herself, her modern upbringing had given her plenty of insight. She was well aware of the formidable power of ‘pillow talk’.

As for what Xing Ming had actually said, Cui Leyou hadn’t taken in a single word.

All she knew was that she, the childhood sweetheart, had been cast aside and ignored by Jing Heguang.

Her heart growing cold, Cui Leyou lowered her eyes, looking dejected and lost in thought. “I understand now,” she said. “I wish you and brother Heguang a lifetime of happiness and…an early…”

Seeming to realize her mistake, she stopped abruptly, casting a regretful glance at Xing Ming.

He was a man, he couldn’t bear children.

After pausing to let the moment sink in, Cui Leyou wiped away her tears. “I’ve learned what I came to find out. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”

Straightening her back, she prepared to depart with graceful composure. She had no intention of making an undignified exit.

But before she could take more than half a step, Jing Heguang wrapped his arm around Xing Ming’s waist and said anxiously, “Don’t listen to her fart!”

Xing Ming, who had been slightly angry just moments before, was left speechless…

Jing Heguang had actually used the word ‘fart’ to describe a young woman?

It was so crude, yet…so endearing.

That woman wasn’t just spouting nonsense, she was talking absolute rubbish.

Xing Ming knew exactly what was going on: the woman was trying to drive a wedge between him and Jing Heguang.

One shouldn’t pay the slightest heed to the words of someone with malicious intent.

If he were to pick a fight with Jing Heguang over this woman’s words, he would be playing right into her hands.

With that, Xing Ming raised his hand and deliberately covered Jing Heguang’s nose and mouth, smiling gently as he said, “I wouldn’t want the stench to offend you.”

Cui Leyou was dumbfounded.

No wonder Cui Tong had said Jing Heguang had changed, the fellow seemed like a completely different person.

In the past, would the Jing Heguang she knew ever have let a word as vulgar as ‘fart’ pass his lips in her presence?

Cui Tong was stunned for a moment, but once the realization hit, he was furious.

He glared at the pair, Jing Heguang and Xing Ming. “You two are in cahoots! A match made in heaven, truly!”

Chun Fen let out an exaggerated gasp and clamped both hands tightly over his nose, asking Li Xia, “Li Xia, do you smell that stench? It’s absolutely reeking, I’ve never smelled anything so foul.”

Li Xia didn’t quite grasp the situation, his little mind hadn’t caught up yet.

But his brother Chun Fen was so clever, he had to keep up.

Li Xia followed suit, covering his nose and mouth while widening his eyes. “It stinks!”

Cui Leyou trembled with rage.

Those damned brats!

Cui Tong made a move to step forward and thrash the children.

But uncle Yu blocked his path, standing before Chun Fen and Li Xia with a stern, cold expression, clearly a man not to be trifled with.

Cui Leyou cast a look of disappointment at Jing Heguang, then tugged at Cui Tong, saying plaintively, “Cousin, let’s go! I shouldn’t have come here in the first place. I’ve only brought humiliation upon myself.”

Cui Tong’s heart ached at her words. He turned to see cousin Leyou’s face filled with sorrow.

Cui Leyou felt a pang of sorrow but forced a smile: “I should have known, things change, and so do people’s hearts.”

Cui Tong murmured, “Things change, people change…”

He suddenly glared at Jing Heguang: “People’s hearts do change easily!”

Jing Heguang: …

Jing Heguang turned to his soldiers and ordered, “Since Lord Cui and Lady Cui do not appreciate the fact that my brothers risked their lives to break through the city gates, let us show them the way out.”

The soldiers had long known that Cui Tong had been detained by Generals Zhao and Jing, and they already suspected him of wrongdoing.

Hearing those words from inside the tent only fueled their anger.

Already incensed, they didn’t hesitate once Jing Heguang gave the word. Cui Leyou and Cui Tong were unceremoniously ‘escorted’ out by the furious soldiers.

Cui Tong shielded Cui Leyou, nearly stumbling as they were shoved out of the tent.

Straightening his disheveled robes, Cui Tong fumed, “Brutes! A bunch of brutes!”

Cui Leyou’s face had gone pale.

She was sharper than Cui Tong and realized that Jing Heguang’s words had put them at a disadvantage.

She tugged at Cui Tong’s sleeve: “Cousin, you must be careful, they might try to ruin your reputation!”

***

While the Cui siblings conferred amongst themselves…

Inside Jing Heguang’s tent…

He crouched down, hugged Chun Fen and Li Xia, and praised them: “You two are truly quick-witted!”

Chun Fen grinned: “That woman was awful too.” To think she’d try to snatch their troupe leader’s man, not a chance!

Li Xia nodded: “She’s bad.”

Xing Ming sat to one side, facing uncle Yu.

On the table between them sat refreshments and tea.

Xing Ming poured a cup of tea, and uncle Yu instinctively glanced at it.

The bitter tea they used to drink was dark in color and incredibly bitter, no one but Xing Ming ever drank it.

However, the tea this time was pale in color, a light, translucent amber, and gave off a delightful aroma.

Uncle Yu smiled as he looked at the tea, then lifted the cup to take a sip.

Once he finished the tea, uncle Yu prepared to take Chun Fen and Li Xia to get some rest.

Jing Heguang had a tent arranged and led them over to it.

With uncle Yu and the two youngsters gone, only Xing Ming and Jing Heguang remained in the room.

Jing Heguang glanced around, then sat down beside Xing Ming. Disregarding his own heroic and formidable appearance, he put on a look of endearing docility.

Xing Ming swept a glance over him, stroked his cheek, and smiled. “I know. You don’t like her.”

Jing Heguang’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! I’m glad you understand.”

He explained, “At first, I felt guilty about not stepping in to save her sooner, it seemed to betray the friendship between our families. While I had no cause for shame regarding my public duty, I felt I had let down our personal bond. Yet, by leading the troops to breach the city, I did manage to rescue her earlier than otherwise possible. And yet, just like Cui Tong, she only cared that she hadn’t been saved sooner. She gave no thought to the soldiers or the common people.”

As Jing Heguang explained himself earnestly, Xing Ming’s thoughts were drifting elsewhere.

He realized that while Jing Heguang was composed when the situation demanded it, he could also be, occasionally, quite childish.

That Cui Leyou was clearly a pampered young lady who needed constant coddling and care. Given Jing Heguang’s temperament, he was hardly the type to fancy someone like that.

Not to mention, Jing Heguang liked him, Xing Ming, so much!

As Jing Heguang spoke, Xing Ming gazed at him, idly playing with his hand.

After a few words of explanation, Jing Heguang realized Xing Ming wasn’t angry. However, under that steady gaze, his throat began to go dry.

He had been on his best behavior throughout the military campaign.

In other words, it had been a long time since he’d had a taste of ‘meat’.

Jing Heguang curled a finger and gave Xing Ming’s palm a playful tickle.

Xing Ming, feeling a ticklish sensation, pulled his hand back and swatted Jing Heguang. “Don’t even think about it until your injuries heal.”

Jing Heguang wrapped his arms tightly around Xing Ming’s waist and said cleverly, “We don’t have to use our arms, you know!”

Xing Ming: ???

***

Wucheng was captured that very day, and the initial aftermath was settled over the next two days.

Such speed meant the methods used were somewhat rough and ready. All captured nobles were bound.

The most heinous among them were beheaded to appease the public’s anger, while the rest were locked away in the massive, pitch-black dungeons built by the Jin.

Former citizens of Wu who had been enslaved regained their freedom, and ordinary commoners finally breathed a sigh of relief, no longer fearing for their heads.

Once the urgent business was concluded, Jing Heguang bought back the opera house, and the troupe members gathered there once more.

With the opera house surrounded by soldiers, locals who inquired about the situation were left utterly stunned.

“Didn’t the word go around earlier that the troupe leader had run off with his new bodyguard?”

“What about it?”

“That bodyguard was none other than our General Jing of Wu! He played the biggest role in breaching the city!”

“He was the one who captured King Li too!”

“I used to laugh at troupe leader Xing for his poor judgment, turns out I was the blind one!”

“Doesn’t that mean the opera house has latched onto a powerful backer? They’re incredibly lucky.”

“General Jing isn’t backing the opera house, he’s backing troupe leader Xing!”

While the neighbors buzzed with gossip, Cui Leyou and Cui Tong were busy in the city, soothing the populace and handling civilian affairs.

The city’s assets and housing were limited. While some people had owned property sixteen years ago, the intervening decade had brought massive changes to ownership and holdings, and these trivial yet complex matters required meticulous handling.

Cui Tong proved quite capable at this work and had been busy with it ever since. As for Cui Leyou, she spent some of her funds to establish a temporary shelter for the elderly and the young, caring for those who had no one else to look after them.

Having previously run similar shelters in the capital, she found this new undertaking somewhat taxing, yet she managed to handle it.

Moreover, these efforts significantly enhanced her reputation.

Moved by the expressions of gratitude and the pitiful state of the elderly and children, Cui Leyou visited the care home daily.

However, one day, after simply drinking some water handed to her by an old woman, she felt a sudden pain in her eyes.

Within a mere quarter of an hour, she had lost her sight completely.

As soon as the incident occurred, her attendants summoned Cui Tong.

Cui Tong set about finding a physician while simultaneously ordering an investigation into the culprit.

He could not trust the physicians from Jin country, yet after years of development, almost all available doctors were Jin nationals. Left with no other options, he turned to the military, requesting that a few army physicians examine her.

Outside the army medic tent…

Xing Ming held a cup of goji berry tea, sipping it as he listened to the conversation.

Cui Tong had asked General Zhao to make the request, but the veteran army physicians were reluctant.

“What does Lord Cui want with us? We treat soldiers’ battle wounds, we’ve been working to the point of exhaustion these past few days.”

“We don’t treat eye conditions, we really don’t.”

“Lord Cui would surely look down on our meager skills.”

Hearing the veteran physicians spouting nonsense, General Zhao looked at Cui Tong in a bind, signaling him with his eyes to offer an apology.

Word of the Cui siblings’ actions had already spread through the ranks via disgruntled soldiers. While Cui Leyou and Cui Tong enjoyed a sterling reputation among the common people, the soldiers, who risked their lives daily, held a far less favorable view of them.

Some even considered Cui Leyou a grandstander who cared only about cultivating a good image.

Before coming here, General Zhao, out of respect for the crown prince, had frankly explained the prevailing sentiment in the army to Cui Tong.

Seeing the physician’s reluctance, General Zhao now hinted that Cui Tong should apologize.

These army physicians had saved countless lives, they were highly valued and not easily replaced.

Cui Tong didn’t have the clout to force General Zhao to issue orders to those few.

Xing Ming listened with a smile, taking another sip of water.

Just as Cui Tong was about to swallow his pride and apologize for the sake of Little Sister Le You, he caught sight of the smile on Xing Ming’s face.

He gritted his teeth, and in a flash, a thought struck him.

“Was it you who administered the poison?!”

T/N: I really want Heguang to smack this Cui guy (￣ε(#￣)☆╰╮o(￣皿￣///)