novelcrest Chapter 57 Try it out on horseback
Chapter 57 Try it out on horseback
Just as they were about to enter the alley, Li Fude's voice came from outside the door, "Your Majesty, an urgent dispatch from the western border, eight hundred li away!"
He whispered, "Your Majesty, it's an urgent report from a scout of the Xuanjia Army!"
Li Yuanke took a deep breath, overwhelmed with joy. Although he expected the result to be good, he couldn't rest easy until the good news arrived.
Seeing his expression, Shen Shixi breathed a sigh of relief.
She grabbed Li Yuanke, "Brother Yuanke~, come play, come on!"
Li Yuanke hissed and pinched her as well. "You fearless bastard! Since Xi'er has so kindly invited me, I can't very well refuse her!"
When Shen Shixi saw that he was serious, she jumped down and ran away, but was held tightly in Li Yuanke's arms.
She quickly begged for forgiveness, "I was wrong, Your Majesty! State affairs are of utmost importance. The scouts who sent the message must be very anxious. Please go quickly!"
Li Yuanke wasn't that incompetent. He released her, saying, "I'll settle accounts with you later. Come with me to Qingyan Palace!"
The two of them went over after they finished washing up.
The scout who arrived was Wen Zhaojie, a man with long arms and legs, who was skilled at scaling walls and rooftops.
When Li Yuanke and his companion arrived, he had already drunk a bowl of water and finished a bowl of rice, and had caught his breath.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! May Consort Zhao be well!"
"Rise. Tell me about Tianfei Pass!"
"Yes!" Wen Zhaojie's voice still held a hint of joy. "After the hot air balloon sent by the Emperor arrived, that very night, with a perfect southeast wind, General Ling ordered a total of one hundred of us to ride in the hot air balloon to the cliffs on both sides of Tianfei Pass and use the rocks there to launch an attack on the Xiling garrison."
Because of the high terrain, a single stone could cause half of the city wall to collapse, and Tianfei Pass was taken with almost no effort. Xiling suffered heavy casualties, while our army suffered almost none.
Li Yuanke was overjoyed. "I said that those hot air balloons should be burned on the spot, leaving not a single piece of cloth behind."
"We have obeyed His Majesty's decree and burned everything, leaving nothing behind!" Wen Zhaojie said. "The heir of the Duke of Wei has been apprehended and is awaiting His Majesty's order to escort him back to the capital!"
In this counterattack on Tianfei Pass, Li Yuanke did not give the Duke of Wei's mansion a chance to redeem itself through meritorious service.
"No rush. The situation at Tianfei Pass hasn't been discovered yet, has it?"
"The feigned attack still failed, without revealing anything!"
"good!"
[Who is this scoundrel plotting against now? He's got eight hundred schemes in his head, like a sieve! He's more clever than Bi Gan, and eight times more handsome than Wei Jie! Looking at his profile from this angle, it's drool-worthy! A sage ruler with handsome features, like a graceful willow in spring—Nuwa is so biased!]
Li Yuanke glanced at her and saw her resting her chin on her hand, gazing at him in a daze. He couldn't help but feel smug.
After listening to the details of the process, Li Yuanke asked many more questions before dismissing the servants. He then put his arm around Shen Shixi and said, "Xi'er has made a great contribution. What reward do you want?"
Shen Shixi remained unmoved, rolling her eyes at him. "Don't try to fool me! This is an area where I can earn merit? You probably just don't like me and want those idle censors to impeach me to death?"
Li Yuanke laughed loudly, "Is that necessary? Spreading the word is enough!"
Shen Shixi pounced on him and tickled him, but Li Yuanke grabbed her hands and said earnestly, "I want to reward you!"
Shen Shixi said, "If you really want to reward me, then come with me to ride a donkey."
"Don't you want any other reward?"
"I have no interest in the affairs of the previous dynasty. I also do not wish to be your subject. You need not treat me with your usual system of rewards and punishments. I will ask you directly for whatever I want. You may give it to me if you wish, or it is fine if you do not."
[You bastard, you'll learn sooner or later that what's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine!]
Li Yuanke suppressed a laugh, touched her nose with his, and said affectionately, "Okay!"
The two went to the horse ranch. Shen Shixi saw a gray donkey calmly grazing among a group of tall, handsome horses, and quickly ran over, lifting her skirt. "Rose, I missed you so much!"
The donkey trotted towards her, like an old friend reunited after a long separation.
"Rose?" Li Yuanke was shocked when he heard the name.
Bai Ping explained, "The master's donkey is named Rose. The master says that rose is a very romantic and beautiful flower."
Shen Shixi's donkey was a large, braying donkey from Northwest China, but even that couldn't compare to a tall, magnificent horse. The sight of Shen Shixi and Li Yuanke riding side by side on their steeds across the training ground was rather cringe-worthy.
Bai Ping stamped her foot, "Her mistress is really something! She insists on riding a donkey, and if she's going to ride it, she has to do it with the Emperor! Look at all those Imperial Guards, they're secretly laughing at her!"
Li Fude was actually suppressing a laugh, but his self-control was much better than that of the straightforward soldiers.
"Miss Ping, there's no need to be angry. As long as the Emperor is pleased, that's all that matters."
Li Yuanke was genuinely pleased and laughed for a while before lifting Shen Shixi onto his horse. "Let that beast be by himself for a bit, I'll take you for a ride!"
It felt so good to run against the wind. With his arm around her waist, Shen Shixi's body swayed with the horse's movements, and a sudden idea popped into her head.
【Oh dear, why didn't I think of that? I could try it out on horseback with Li Yuanke. But that bastard is exceptionally gifted; what if he accidentally hurts me? That would be a bit dangerous!】
Li Yuanke froze, looked down at her with a meaningful gaze, and tightened his grip on her waist.
[What's going on? Why did he suddenly...raise the flag? Could it be that he's thinking the same thing as me? Tsk tsk tsk, Li Yuanke, I knew you weren't a good person, you're thinking the same thing as me!]
Li Yuanke: ...
I've never seen someone curse themselves while cursing others.
He lowered his head and whispered in Shen Shixi's ear, "I didn't spend Qixi Festival with you. When I have time, I'll take you out, we'll ride on horseback... Hmm? Do you want to?"
Wow, he really thinks the same way I do. Hmm, this guy is someone I can date!
"No way! It's so embarrassing! Your Majesty is so wicked; you can come up with all sorts of wicked ideas!"
Li Yuanke could no longer contain himself. "Don't move! If you move again, I'll deal with you right now!"
But there are too many people here.
That night, Shen Shixi stayed at Qingyan Palace. The two of them simulated fighting on horseback and were extremely excited, fighting until very late.
The Prince of Yidu lived in the Lion Garden, a garden bestowed upon him by the late emperor in his later years.
In the middle of the night, the Prince of Yidu secretly went out to meet a person dressed in a black cloak.
"Tianfei Pass has fallen, and you in the court have not been able to do anything. I am truly disappointed!" said the man in the black cloak.
"You make it sound so easy. How much effort did the Prince of Jin actually put in?" the Prince of Yidu said. "Tianfei Pass has fallen, but the Xiling army hasn't actually laid siege to the city. Half the court is on his side, and the Pei family hasn't made a statement yet. What am I supposed to do?"
The man in the black cloak said, "So, Uncle Wang is planning to give up? Does Uncle Wang really think he'll let you go after that stone?"
At this point, the Prince of Yidu became enraged, grabbing the man in the black cloak by the neck. "I had no idea that my nephew had even schemed against me! Do you think that just because of this, I'm obligated to join forces with you?"
"What Uncle Wang thinks is none of my business! I am determined to take revenge! The day after tomorrow, during the autumn hunt, he plans to lead a group to hunt the black fox; that will be a good opportunity!"
"Do you think he's stupid enough to let someone deliver this kind of information beforehand? And not make any preparations? It might be a trap!"
"Whether it's a trap or not, my nephew can tell for himself. We can also see if he'll bring Shen Shi along!" said the man in the black cloak.
"If he didn't bring Shen Shi with him, then it must be a scam. If he did, we can take action now. Uncle Wang, it's too late to back out now!"
"It seems my nephew is quite capable, even having connections within the Imperial Court! I've heard he sent some gifts to Tianfei Pass. If you're going to make a move, now is indeed the best time. Have your men keep a close watch, and spread the word as soon as possible—this is a matter of life and death!"