novelcrest Chapter 199 The Long and Arduous Pass Is Truly as Solid as Iron
Chapter 199 The Long and Arduous Pass Is Truly as Solid as Iron
The emperor couldn't understand her gaze, sensing something was amiss, and asked Shen Shixi, "What's wrong with her?"
Shen Shixi didn't understand, nor did she care to understand. She pushed him, "Go take a shower quickly, you're filthy, covered in dust."
The emperor himself found it unpleasant and left.
Outside the tent, Chao Yu said, "Your Highness, the eldest son requests an audience."
"My older brother?" Shen Shixi asked.
"yes!"
The emperor was bathing here, so Shen Shixi said through the screen, "Your Majesty, I'm going to see my elder brother and I'll be right back."
"See you in my royal tent."
Shen Shixi went out and saw her brother at the door. He was darker and thinner, and his eyes were sharper, but there was still a soft light in them.
When I saw her, she grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth that were particularly eye-catching.
Shen Shixi couldn't help but chuckle. Her brother had already bowed, saying, "This humble general greets Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort!"
"Alright, get up. We're family, no need for all this formalities."
Not far away, a short general was looking this way with a very intense gaze. Shen Shixi looked over and saw that he was very handsome and dressed in military uniform, but it was hard to tell whether he was male or female. He saluted her from a distance.
Shen Shixi nodded, and the general bowed his head and stepped back.
"That's Liang Jinyue, one of my comrades. He said he wanted to see what you look like, so I told him to stand there and you'd see when you come out."
"Jin Yue? Her surname is Liang? Is her father Liang Jingfang, the Right Martial General of Jiannan Circuit?" Shen Shixi asked.
"Yes, my sister also knows about Brother Jin Yue's father?" Shen Shijin said with a smile.
"Yes, I heard from others when I passed through Jiannan Road before that her father favored his concubine over his wife, which caused a very ugly situation. In order to protect her mother, she joined the army. That year, she was only fourteen years old."
Several years have passed, and now he is a junior general of the fifth rank. That's really impressive!
Shen Shijin was unaware of this and scratched his head, "How could this happen?"
Shen Shixi asked, "Are you and General Liang on good terms?"
"Yes, we're like brothers. When I first arrived, I didn't know anything, and he helped me a lot," Shen Shijin said.
Hearing his elder brother mention "brotherly affection," Shen Shixi chuckled. "The road ahead is long and arduous, but we must start anew. It seems you have a good impression of this young general. Treat him well and thank him for his care and camaraderie."
"Yes, I've remembered everything. I'll treat him well!"
Shen Shixi laughed; the two of them were referring to different "she/he".
"Who are you two talking about?" the emperor asked as he stepped in.
Shen Shijin bowed and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
"Rise!" After the emperor took his seat, Shen Shixi said, "Speaking of General Liang Jinyue, the son of General Liang Jingfang, the Right Martial Marquis of Jiannan Circuit, my elder brother said that General Liang takes good care of him, so I told him to treat him well."
Li Yuanke had no interest in General Liang and said, "I asked Lin Junji, and he said that you have performed very well this year and have made many military achievements. I am very pleased."
Shen Shijin initially served under Zhou Weiming, the military governor of Beiting. When Lin Junji's side started fighting with Beisha, he wanted to make merit as soon as possible, so he applied for a transfer with Liang Jinyue.
Shen Shijin was immediately moved to tears, and knelt down on one knee, saying, "This humble general is willing to serve you to the death!"
My eldest brother is a complete idiot; he was totally fooled by Li Yuanke. What a blockhead! He's been with General Liang for almost a year and still hasn't realized she's a beautiful young woman! Sigh, the future eldest grandson of the Shen family is certainly a cause for concern regarding his intelligence!
Li Yuanke was also extremely shocked, but he didn't care about matters concerning his children. He asked, "How are things going between Beiting and Beisha these days?"
He wasn't asking about the battle situation.
Shen Shijin considered carefully and said, "We have clashed twice, but both were small-scale skirmishes. There is one thing, I saw a woman from Beisha enter and leave the governor's mansion twice. Judging from her clothes and appearance, she should not be an ordinary woman. It seems that she even stayed overnight in the mansion once."
Li Yuanke then summoned Song Yan and ordered him to investigate.
After Shen Shijin left, Li Yuanke asked, "Why is Xi'er so interested in that young General Liang?"
Shen Shixi nestled in his arms. The two hadn't been very affectionate on the way here, so this was a rare opportunity.
She said lazily, "Oh, Your Majesty, why don't you summon the person for us to see?"
"Xi'er wants to see?"
Shen Shixi stood up. "Come on, I'll take you to see. Let's see if you can figure anything out."
After the two left the imperial tent, Li Fude learned that Shen Shijin had gone to find Liang Jinyue as soon as he came out, and the two were talking in a secluded place.
"Brother Jin Yue, have you seen my sister?"
"Yes, the Imperial Noble Consort is truly stunningly beautiful and possesses an unparalleled grace! From what I see, Her Highness is dignified and gentle, unlike the mischievous person you described." Liang Jinyue's curiosity was piqued after hearing Shen Shijin talk so much about her sister.
In addition, rumors have been circulating in the army that the sniper crossbow was the Empress's creation, which made her even more eager to see it for herself.
Shen Shijin laughed, "Then you haven't dealt with her. She's the kind of person who dislikes formalities the most. Just now, when I mentioned you, brother, to her, she said, 'The road ahead is long and arduous, but we must start anew.' My little sister has never liked studying. But I think those two lines of poetry she used to describe your name are really good."
"The road ahead is long and arduous, but we will start anew!" Liang Jinyue pondered these two lines of poetry, tears welling in his eyes. He knelt towards the imperial tent, "This humble general, Liang Jinyue, swears to serve Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort to the death! In this world, only Her Highness understands this humble general!"
She once had an older brother who was killed by Aunt Bai.
Father wanted to divorce Mother in order to make room for Concubine Bai.
Fortunately, her mother was pregnant with her at that time. In order to save the lives of both mother and daughter, her mother had no choice but to lie and say that she was a boy.
When she was fourteen, Aunt Bai heard from somewhere that she was a girl and wanted to verify her identity. She had no choice but to abandon her studies and join the army to shut Aunt Bai up.
She made meritorious contributions in the army, and it just so happened that her half-brother was an incompetent person, which allowed her mother to maintain her position.
But who knows how difficult it is for a young woman to live in this military camp?
Shen Shijin, unaware of all this, quickly helped her up. Seeing her tears, he reached out to wipe them away. "Alright, you're a man too. Why do you cry so easily? It makes you a laughingstock!"
As soon as Shen Shixi and Li Yuanke arrived, they saw their elder brother taking advantage of another girl. The two of them quickly turned around and walked in another direction.
"Has His Majesty figured something out?" Shen Shixi asked.
If one hadn't noticed, it would have been impossible to tell. But now that he knew she was a girl, Li Yuanke noticed the flaws everywhere. "You mean, this young General Liang is a woman?"
[Heh, Li Yuanke truly lives up to his reputation as a scoundrel with numerous wives and concubines; he saw through it at a glance. The harem is indeed a great crucible, forging this scoundrel into a pair of discerning eyes!]
Li Yuange stopped in his tracks, looked at her, and asked, "What are you thinking about, Xi'er? Didn't you notice?"
So, how did you figure that out?
Shen Shixi had no idea that his mind was full of troubles. "Oh dear! Your Majesty is wise!"
Li Yuanke sneered and continued walking forward.
The setting sun was like blood, its afterglow dazzling.
The two sat back to back on a large rock by the Wuding River, and Shen Shixi told him about Liang Jinyue.
She picked up pebbles and skipped them across the water. "I admire girls like that the most. It seems like she and my older brother have a good relationship. It's just a pity that my older brother is blind and can't tell that she's a girl."
If both parties are in love, Your Majesty, please don't be stingy; I will certainly request that Your Majesty issue a decree to grant us marriage.
Her elder brother was born out of wedlock, and she was afraid that other girls would look down on him.
Li Yuanke said, "Dream on! Let's see what benefits you'll offer me!"
Shen Shixi laughed heartily, turned around, and climbed onto Li Yuanke's back. "Li Yuanke, how can you be so funny? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine. Tell me, what do you want me to give you?"