DDT - Chapter 57
Chapter 57: General × Little Emperor (12)
More than half a month had passed since the last major battle between the two armies. Since then, General Huyan of the Northern Kingdom had led his forces in several surprise attacks on the camps of Great Chang's Zhenbei Army and the surrounding cities, attempting to run them ragged. However, man proposes, God disposes. With the Heavenly Dao as an insane cheat code, Chi Junluo had long since grasped the movements of the enemy general by peeking at the world line and had made all the necessary arrangements in advance.
As a result, the Northern Kingdom's operations failed time and time again, leading General Huyan to suspect there was a spy in his army. After torturing several soldiers and still coming up with nothing, General Huyan finally began to take the young General Chi Luo of Great Chang seriously. It turned out that General Chi Luo was not just a brute with martial prowess, but also possessed a sharp mind.
If Chi Junluo could have read General Huyan's thoughts, she probably would have been speechless: You're really overthinking this…
During these recent clashes, Chi Junluo had brought the young emperor, Yi Han, to face the enemy on the front lines. Chi Junluo firmly believed that true growth was forged in the crucible of bloody, real-world combat. And the young Lincang certainly did not disappoint her. The little emperor, Yi Han, was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, his martial arts skills becoming more refined with each battle.
This point left Chi Junluo quite satisfied.
Over the past half-month, Yi Han had truly witnessed the power of the great General Chi Luo—not just her martial strength, but also her strategic genius. General Chi Luo always seemed to anticipate the enemy's thoughts and formulate corresponding countermeasures. Though it was the Northern Kingdom's army launching the surprise attacks, it was Great Chang's Zhenbei Army that, conversely, gained the upper hand more often than not.
Every time he thought of this, Yi Han was filled with immense admiration. To have such a person in Great Chang, to have her serve Great Chang, and even more so, to have her serve him—it was truly a gift from the heavens.
During this time, the young emperor Yi Han could feel his own martial skills improving, which made him walk and ride with a great deal of newfound confidence. Therefore, he felt it was necessary to bring up a matter that had been weighing on his mind with the Zhenbei General, Chi Luo, his "Cousin Chi."
At that moment, the two had just left the training grounds, covered in dust and drenched in sweat. They rode their horses back to Feng City along a familiar path and arrived at the familiar Feng City Inn, which had become their long-term base of operations. Every time they finished a hard day of training, they would return to the Feng City Inn, book two of the best rooms, and the waiter would have water and bath tubs prepared. Then, the two would enter their rooms, bolt the doors, and begin to bathe.
Guests in the best rooms who didn't require servants to attend their baths were a rare sight. They were two grown men, yet they shut their doors so tightly that not even a fly could get in. Years ago, when General Chi Luo first arrived at the border and came to the Feng City Inn to bathe alone, the waiters and the innkeeper found it quite peculiar. They remarked that this young master from a noble general's family was different and certainly knew how to enjoy life. They never expected this routine to continue for so many years. Everyone had long since grown used to it. Now that the general's cousin had arrived and followed the same practice, the innkeeper and waiters simply assumed that all young masters from great families were this particular and thought nothing more of it.
After they finished bathing and changing, they both shed their armor and put on the clothes of young masters. Yi Han wore a water-blue robe, his dark hair draped over his shoulders. Chi Junluo was dressed in a luxurious black robe, her long black hair tied up high with a green ribbon. The two left their rooms. When Chi Junluo saw the young emperor about to walk out with his hair unbound, a dark glint flashed in her eyes. An unknown emotion suddenly surged from the bottom of her heart, and a voice seemed to clamor within her, screaming, Lock him in the room, don't let anyone else see!
Chi Junluo froze, dumbfounded, and asked the Heavenly Dao in her sea of consciousness if it had just been shouting again.
The Heavenly Dao refused to take the blame. It rolled two enormous white eyes at Chi Junluo and told her to get the hell out of its sea of consciousness.
In that brief moment of distraction, Chi Junluo came back to her senses. She saw the young emperor before her, with his handsome, refined features and dark, glistening eyes. His dark hair was still slightly damp, and a droplet of water fell, wetting a patch of his water-blue robe. It was truly…
Truly too alluring!
For some reason, this sentence suddenly floated into Chi Junluo's mind.
She suddenly took a step forward, gently took Yi Han's left hand, and pulled the youth, who was slightly shorter than her, back into the room. With a "thump," she shut the door and bolted it from the inside.
Yi Han: ???
Chi Junluo settled him onto a round stool by the table, reached for the bath towel hanging on a nearby rack, and began to dry the moisture from the young emperor's hair. "Lincang, why are you so careless with your health? Going out with damp hair can easily lead to a cold, and you might get headaches." Standing behind Yi Han, Chi Junluo gently wiped away the moisture, using her right hand for the towel and her left to occasionally separate the tangled strands of his hair.
"Mm," Yi Han replied in a muffled voice.
Her fingers occasionally brushed against Yi Han's scalp, creating a strange, indescribable sensation. Even though Yi Han had grown accustomed to General Chi's private gentleness over the past several days, at this moment, he still felt a warmth in both his body and his heart.
Soon, Chi Junluo put down the towel. Most of the moisture in Yi Han's hair had been wiped away. Chi Junluo took out a black ribbon and, with practiced ease, tied up the young emperor's hair.
With his hair tied up, the young emperor finally lost that strange, captivating allure he had when it was down. Although Chi Junluo didn't know why the word "alluring" had flashed through her mind, she instinctively didn't want anyone other than herself to see that side of the young emperor.
At that time, Chi Junluo still didn't know that it was her damnable possessiveness acting up.
Now, the young emperor had once again transformed into a graceful, jade-like young master.
Seeing this as a rare opportunity, Yi Han decided to tell the great general what was on his mind.
"Cousin Chi, do you happen to remember Zhang Family Village, from when we first arrived months ago?" Yi Han didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.
"Zhang Family Village?" Chi Junluo repeated, then immediately recalled it. "Of course I remember."
"Why did you suddenly think of Zhang Family Village, Lincang?" Chi Junluo asked.
"Winter is coming. I can't bear to see the people of Great Chang oppressed by mountain bandits, living without hope," Yi Han stated plainly, revealing his concern.
Chi Junluo, however, fell into deep thought.
Collusion between officials and bandits was not a simple matter that could be resolved just by wiping out some mountain bandits. Whether they could even succeed was another question entirely.
Any major move by the Zhenbei Army would be known throughout Great Chang. At that point, the young emperor's presence could easily be exposed. After all, without an order from above, the Zhenbei Army could not move freely within the country. Its duty was to guard the border.
However, the moment Chi Junluo raised her eyes, she saw the hopeful light shining in the young emperor's gaze, and in an instant, her heart softened again.
She, Chi Junluo, could handle the complications involved. The young emperor's wish was a noble one, and she had to help him achieve it. She couldn't bear to see a look of disappointment on the young emperor's handsome face.
In short, she would deal with problems as they arose.
"It is good that you think this way, Lincang. After all, a ruler who loves his people is an enlightened ruler. If the common folk knew, they would surely be deeply grateful." In the end, Chi Junluo affirmed Yi Han's idea.
Yi Han didn't care about any damn gratitude from the people. He was only concerned with one thing. "Cousin Chi, when do we set out?"
Looking at the somewhat impatient Yi Han, a smile she herself didn't notice touched Chi Junluo's eyes. "There's no rush. First, come with me to Mingxiang Tower. We can have dinner there."
Although he didn't know what Mingxiang Tower was, the young emperor was starving after a full day of training. Hearing the word "dinner," he naturally had no objections.
The two walked out of the room side-by-side, not noticing the gossiping looks and hushed whispers of the innkeeper and waiters.
Chi Junluo led Yi Han through the winding streets of the city, arriving at the legendary Mingxiang Tower with practiced ease.
Mingxiang Tower was a luxurious-looking, three-story building. Four or five flamboyantly dressed women stood at the entrance, greeting guests. When they saw two handsome young masters approaching, they swarmed forward.
"Are you two young masters here for a meal at Mingxiang Tower?" the lead woman asked with a "demure" smile, covering her mouth.
"Indeed." A rare smile appeared on Chi Junluo's face. Although the smile was a bit stiff, it displeased Yi Han.
The moment Yi Han saw the women at the door, he had a bad feeling. So Mingxiang Tower was a brothel!
Even if he'd never seen a pig run, he'd eaten pork before. He had naturally heard of places like brothels and knew what the women in them were for.
Instantly, Yi Han's face turned cold.
The welcoming women were quite adept at reading expressions. Seeing the blue-robed young master's face stiffen, they understood that this was another young man who had been tricked into coming here by a companion.
Chi Junluo was busy exchanging pleasantries with the greeter and didn't notice Yi Han's expression. The woman led Chi Junluo inside, and Yi Han had no choice but to follow with a dark look on his face.
The woman led them into a private room.
The table in the room was large. Yi Han sat opposite Chi Junluo with a sullen face, listening as she rattled off a long list of dishes with the familiarity of a regular. It was clear she was a frequent customer of Mingxiang Tower. What else would a grown man like General Chi be doing in a brothel???
Yi Han didn't even need to guess, and his expression grew even darker.
After ordering, Chi Junluo turned her head and saw the young emperor's foul mood: ???
"Lincang, the food at Mingxiang Tower is the best in Feng City. You'll see in a moment," Chi Junluo said, trying to placate the young emperor, who had started sulking for some unknown reason.
Hearing Chi Junluo say this, Yi Han's expression softened slightly.
Perhaps, the great General Chi wasn't what he thought???
Yi Han felt a bit agitated. This sudden feeling of wanting to possess General Chi for himself made him feel lost and disoriented.
He had never felt this way about anyone before. This uncertainty made him feel as if he was losing control of his own heart, and a strange sense of panic washed over him.
Suppressing this feeling, Yi Han waited for the food with a wooden expression. He felt like he was about to be full from anger alone.
A sumptuous meal was quickly served, and the two began to eat ravenously. They had both been hungry for a long time, and the dishes at Mingxiang Tower perfectly satisfied their appetites.
As dinner was nearing its end, the door to the private room suddenly opened. A woman, clearly more graceful and alluring than the others, wearing a pure white veil, swayed into the room. Then, she sat right down on the great General Chi's lap.
Yi Han: ?!!
He watched, his eyes wide, as the woman leaned in close, whispering something in General Chi's ear from behind her veil.
In an instant, Yi Han's body went rigid. His right hand clenched his chopsticks tightly, his gaze menacing as he watched the scene unfold. Seeing that General Chi didn't even push her away and instead started chatting with this woman who looked like a top courtesan, his eyes seemed to fill with frost.
The woman opposite them seemed to understand something. She glanced at the young emperor, then said something to Chi Junluo. Chi Junluo nodded, turned her head, and said to Yi Han, "Lincang, would you like a girl to serve you?"
She had assumed Yi Han was displeased because, as a man, he was being ignored by the women. She never expected him to slam his chopsticks on the table, rise with a cold expression, and storm out of the room.
Chi Junluo was left stunned: ???
Comments
Post a Comment