DDT - Chapter 58
Chapter 58: General × Little Emperor (13)
A flash of surprise crossed the eyes of the woman in the white veil. She then looked at the innocent General Chi of Great Chang with great interest before letting out an almost inaudible sigh. Slowly, she stood up and moved off the general's lap.
Seeing that General Chi was still staring dumbfounded at the doorway, seemingly oblivious to the situation, the woman in the white veil parted her red lips. "The beauty has already left. Aren't you going to chase after her, General?"
Chi Junluo was still in a state of disbelief. Hearing the veiled woman call the little emperor, Yi Han, a "beauty," she didn't react for a moment. She had no idea why the little emperor's mood had soured so suddenly. She had kindly noticed he was lonely and wanted to find a girl to keep him company. Why would a grown man get angry over something like that?
After a few moments of stunned silence, Chi Junluo finally realized she should immediately go after him. The little emperor wasn't familiar with Feng City, after all. If he got lost and ran into danger, it would be a disaster.
Having gotten the information she wanted from the veiled woman, Chi Junluo took a stack of silver notes from her robes, handed them to the woman, and hurried out the door.
The veiled woman stared, somewhat dazed, at Chi Junluo's departing figure and sighed softly. "Ah Luo, so this is the type you like?"
The woman clutched the silver notes tightly, then carefully tucked them into her robes before leaving the private room with a slightly dejected air.
Chi Junluo rushed downstairs to the stables, swiftly bought a horse, mounted it, and rode off. Just as she exited the alley, she saw the little emperor standing at the entrance with a resentful look on his face. Upon seeing Chi Junluo, Yi Han turned his head away unhappily, pretending he hadn't seen a thing.
Chi Junluo had no choice but to slow down and ride around to face the little emperor, Yi Han. "Lincang?"
Chi Junluo called out tentatively. "Hmph," Yi Han replied, his face sour.
"Lincang, why did you run off and leave me all alone?" Chi Junluo didn't even realize her own words carried a hint of grievance.
"Oh, I saw you were having such a pleasant chat with that woman. I didn't want to disturb you from getting down to business." Yi Han deliberately emphasized the last few words.
Chi Junluo's face was a picture of utter confusion. "What business? Qingcheng and I were just exchanging information."
Yi Han turned his head back. Seeing General Chi Luo on the horse looking so clueless and foolish, he suddenly wondered if he had been overthinking things.
"What information were you exchanging?" Yi Han's expression softened slightly as he continued to question her.
"This isn't the place to talk. Lincang, come back to the camp with me first, and I'll explain everything in detail." Chi Junluo glanced around and noticed a few passersby staring at them curiously. She extended a hand to Lincang, gesturing for him to get on the horse so they could talk back at the camp.
Yi Han also realized this wasn't a good place to talk and reluctantly mounted Chi Junluo's horse. "Why am I always the one sitting in front?" Yi Han muttered, shifting unhappily in front of Chi Junluo.
"Hm? What did you say, Lincang?" Chi Junluo had vaguely heard the word "front" and asked curiously.
"Nothing." Yi Han sat up straight. This time, he didn't want to lean against the general again; it just felt strange.
However, Chi Junluo flicked the reins, and as the horse began to trot, the bouncing motion made Yi Han sway. Thinking Yi Han was still sulking over nothing, Chi Junluo freed one hand to steady him, afraid he might accidentally fall off.
Once they were outside Feng City, Chi Junluo mischievously nudged the horse's belly. The animal suddenly accelerated. Inertia threw Yi Han backward into Chi Junluo's arms. Chi Junluo securely held the wobbly little emperor and galloped toward the camp, silently marveling at this body's impressive protective power.
Yi Han's face darkened. The horse was moving too fast, and the wind rushing past blurred his vision. But he had to admit, the embrace behind him was indeed quite warm.
The little emperor, Yi Han, gave up struggling and obediently settled into General Chi's arms, feeling her unique warmth. He always felt that the general treated him differently—not with the kind of respect a subject has for their emperor, but more like…
Little did he know, General Chi was just taking the opportunity to collect the Power of the Heavenly Dao.
While Yi Han was enjoying the moment with his eyes half-closed, General Chi had already ridden into the military camp and stopped before her tent.
"Lincang, we're here." Seeing that the little emperor wasn't getting off the horse, Chi Junluo was puzzled and had to give him a reminder.
Yi Han snapped back to his senses, silently cursing himself for being so embarrassing. He quickly dismounted and slipped into the tent in a flash.
Chi Junluo shook her head helplessly and dismounted as well. A soldier waiting nearby immediately led the horse to the stables.
Ignoring the gossipy and bored glances from the surrounding soldiers, Chi Junluo lifted the tent flap and walked inside.
Inside the general's tent, Yi Han was already sitting calmly at the table. He had poured himself some tea and was slowly sipping it.
Chi Junluo sat in her own seat, poured herself some tea, and then spoke. "Lincang, why were you so angry today?"
Yi Han took a sip of tea and said with dissatisfaction, "General Chi, as a great general of the kingdom, how can you engage in debauchery in a brothel in broad daylight?"
After speaking, Yi Han set his teacup down on the table. "And you even tried to drag me into it!"
Chi Junluo's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead. So that's what the little emperor had meant by "getting down to business"!
"Lincang, you've misunderstood. I was just asking Qingcheng about the bandit forces on Zhangbei Mountain. I had no other intentions. I even spent a large sum of silver for that information!" Chi Junluo immediately defended herself.
"She was sitting on your lap," the little emperor said with a stern face, refusing to let it go.
"That's just a habit of Miss Qingcheng's. She was like that before, too. Nothing improper happened." Chi Junluo felt that the little emperor's focus was a bit strange.
"Heh, so it wasn't the first time," Yi Han said, displeased.
Chi Junluo: ???
"Your Majesty is wise! This humble subject and Miss Qingcheng truly have nothing going on. We are innocent!" Although she didn't understand why the little emperor was so fixated on this, a strong survival instinct compelled her to raise her hand and swear an oath.
Only then did Yi Han reluctantly believe Chi Junluo's words. "Then, Cousin Chi, tell me about the origins of those bandits."
Seeing the little emperor finally stop obsessing over her relationship with Qingcheng, Chi Junluo breathed a sigh of relief. She still didn't understand why he cared so much about it. Could it be…
"General Chi?" Yi Han saw that the person before him had actually zoned out! Damn it! And she claimed there was nothing going on with Qingcheng. She was probably thinking about that girl again right now!
"Oh! Ahem," Chi Junluo gave a dry cough to cover her lapse, forcing herself to ignore the trace of awkwardness in the air. "Miss Qingcheng's network in the martial underworld extends through all the major brothels. She knows a great deal. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her an omniscient scholar…"
See, the moment she opens her mouth, she's praising Miss Qingcheng. And she still claims there's nothing between them. The little emperor Yi Han's face darkened.
"…The bandits on Zhangbei Mountain are indeed not ordinary bandits. To be precise, they are official bandits." Unaware of what the little emperor was thinking, Chi Junluo spilled everything she knew to the curious Yi Han.
Zhangbei Mountain had indeed been home to ordinary bandits in the past. But a few years ago, when Emperor Yi Han ordered a nationwide crackdown on bandits, the Fourth Prince had secretly let them off the hook. He turned Zhangbei Mountain into one of his bases and vigorously developed his private army. As a result, the mountain was now full of bandit-soldiers.
"So, does this mean we can't touch Zhangbei Mountain?" The little emperor Yi Han was unwilling to accept this. He never imagined that an order he had given years ago would plunge more common people into such deep suffering. Nor did he expect that the Fourth Prince would collude with bandits just to amass a private army!
"Damn that Fourth Brother!" Yi Han couldn't help but curse. "He truly has audacious gall! To think he started plotting so early!"
"There aren't too many bandits on Zhangbei Mountain; they can still be eliminated," Chi Junluo changed the subject. "However, if the Zhenbei Army moves out to destroy them, it will inevitably attract the Fourth Prince's attention and suspicion."
"Before the coup, the forces from Zhangbei Mountain and the Fourth Prince's other territories had already moved toward the Imperial City. Therefore, taking down the remnants on Zhangbei Mountain won't be difficult." Chi Junluo's words gave the little emperor great hope. "Qingcheng also informed me of the situation in the Imperial City. The major powers there are currently in conflict, all with one goal: the throne. The Fourth Prince is still maneuvering against several factions. Even if Zhangbei Mountain is wiped out, the movement of the Zhenbei Army won't prompt him to act immediately. During this time, the Zhenbei Army can fully prepare."
"General Chi, you mean…?" Yi Han stared intently into Chi Junluo's eyes.
"Tomorrow, we'll prepare and set out! The sooner we eliminate the bandits, the better," Chi Junluo decided firmly.
"Excellent!" Yi Han raised his teacup in a toast to Chi Junluo.
Chi Junluo also raised her teacup, and the two drank their tea happily.
Night fell, blanketing the sky in darkness. After many days of arduous travel, the fugitive former general of the Northern Kingdom, Wumu Bai, finally snuck into the chaotic Imperial City of Great Chang. After several days of searching and making inquiries, he finally learned that the Fourth Prince of Great Chang, to whom he wished to pledge allegiance, was now brazenly living in Longmian Hall within the Great Chang Imperial Palace.
"That bastard is really living comfortably!" the down-and-out Wumu Bai cursed under his breath. Under the cover of darkness, he slipped over to a side gate of the Imperial Palace.
The entire Imperial Palace was now the Fourth Prince's domain. Although he couldn't ascend the throne just yet without the Imperial Jade Seal, many ministers had slowly begun to side with the intelligent Fourth Prince.
"Who goes there?! Do you have a death wish, trespassing in the Imperial Palace in the middle of the night!" a palace guard shouted.
"Tell your Fourth Prince that Wumu Bai requests an audience!" Wumu Bai was disheveled, but the fact that he dared to announce his name caught the guards' attention.
"Wait here." A soldier hurried off toward Longmian Hall.
A short while later, the soldier ran back, his tone much more respectful this time. "His Majesty invites you! Please follow me, sir."
Longmian Hall.
"What did you say?!" the Fourth Prince exclaimed in shock.
"Your Majesty, every word I've said is true. On the Zhenbei General's horse, there was indeed a fair-faced youth." Wumu Bai emphasized the word "youth."
The Fourth Prince's eyes turned sinister. So, little emperor Yi Han, you actually managed to run to the Northwest Border to seek help from the Zhenbei Army. I underestimated you!
The Fourth Prince had no doubt that the youth was Yi Han, because all the timelines matched up perfectly. He never believed in such coincidences.
He didn't believe in coincidences.
The next day.
The Zhenbei Army was assembled and ready to depart.
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