?

  Just as he galloped away, hundreds of whistles sounded at the same time. From not far away, a large group of horses rushed over in a dense manner. The guards all mounted their horses and clashed with the pursuing Turks for a while before hastily catching up to Prince Langling.

  When Zhang Gui's consciousness slightly cleared, it was already dark outside.

  She opened her eyes and gazed at the vast starry sky, slowly turning her head around.

  She found herself lying on a tiger skin, with a pile of flames burning beside her. Not far away, she could hear the sound of men's laughter.

  Knitting her brows, Zhang Qi tried to sit up.

  As soon as he moved, a tall and majestic figure emerged from the darkness. He took a swift step forward, placed the medicine bowl on the ground, squatted down, carefully lifted Zhang Qi, and held her in his arms. Lowering his head, he asked in a hoarse voice, "How are you?" As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to place it on her forehead.

  Feeling that his forehead was no longer so hot, he let out a sigh of relief. As soon as he loosened his hand, he met Zhang Jie's gaze, which was like autumn water rippling gently. Due to her still being in a state of injury, this gaze had lost some of its coldness and gained a hint of bewilderment and confusion. She stared at him with a dazed expression, as if she didn't dare believe that the person she saw was really him. It was also as if she wanted to reach out her hand to touch his face, but hesitated and wavered, not daring to do so.

  Such eyes made him look up, and Langling Wang was stunned.

  He quickly lowered his head, picked up the medicine bowl from one side of the ground, scooped up a spoonful of medicine and handed it to Zhang Qi's lips, saying in a low voice: "Come on, drink it."

  Zhang Qi stared blankly and slowly swallowed the spoonful of medicine.

  Like this, he fed her spoonful by spoonful, and Zhang Qi swallowed mouthful by mouthful.

  Neither of them said anything.

  Zhang Qi had been staring at him in a daze, and suddenly she muttered: "How many days has it been?"

  She asked inexplicably, but he understood. With his eyes cast down, he replied in a low voice: "One day." He explained: "Last night the Turks suddenly broke into the city, Wuwei City was broken, it's only been one day."

  Only one day?

  Zhang Yi turned her head and looked towards Wuwei City. The flames were still soaring into the sky. So, she had only been trapped for half a day before he rescued her.

  She thought, after a long, long time...

  Slowly turning his head, Zhang Qi looked at him.

  His eyes were filled with bloodshot, and his cheeks were thin to the bone. She looked around and saw that they were on a hillside, where over a hundred men were scattered about, sitting idly. Some of them still had roasted meat in their mouths, while others lay on the ground, snoring loudly.

  Half a day later, he arrived at Wuwei City, it must have been very hard for him.

  Zhang Qi opened her big eyes and slowly turned her head to the side.

  He felt that her expression was not right, he put down the medicine bowl and said in a low voice: "Not feeling well again?" He reached out to touch her forehead, but didn't feel anything. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against her forehead.

  As his lips drew near, Zhang Qi trembled.

  His voice was slightly panicked, "Let's go find a doctor!"

  He was about to pick her up, but Zhang Qi grabbed his sleeve. She said in a low voice, "I'm fine," seeing that he didn't believe her, she smiled and said, "Really, I'm fine, I'm much better."

  The King of Lanling obviously still didn't believe her, he solemnly turned her face towards the firelight and examined it again, even pressing his hand on the bandaged wound a few times. He said softly: "This is golden cicada medicine, I prepared it for myself, and the herbs were temporarily found in the forest." He whispered: "Your body isn't as strong as your husband's, don't try to hold on, if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, tell me immediately."

  Zhang Qi nodded in agreement.

  She asked softly: "Chang Gong, how did you know something happened in Wuwei City?"

  She heard him softly calling her name. The man holding her hands stiffened for a moment, and after a while, he replied in a low voice: "After I left, I always felt that something was not right, so I came back to kill again, and set up camp three hundred miles away from here. Just in time to see the defeat of the Turks and Yuwen Hu's pursuit."

  Zhang Qi nodded again.

  She was still limp all over, weakly leaning in his arms, Zhang Qi murmured and asked: "Did Yuwen Yang escape?"

  Divider line

  When she mentioned Yuwen Yong, the man behind her stiffened again, and after a while, he said in a low voice: "Yuwen Yong is a clever person, he went north, I estimate that he has already joined forces with Yuwen Hu's army." Only by joining forces can he come back to kill, can wipe out the shame of the past, and let the proud Yuwen Yong not leave such a heavy stain in his life. Even if, in this war, he didn't have any chance to intervene.

  At this point, Langling Wang's low voice came, "He abandoned you and escaped, don't you hate him?"

  So concerned about him, no blame or resentment at all?

  Zhang Qi closed her eyes, and after a while, her low, hoarse and powerless voice came through, "I only hated you..." She wouldn't resent others, didn't want to resent them, and wasn't qualified to resent them. In Zhang Qi's view, she and Yuwen Yong were just ordinary cooperative partners. She thought that for people like them who had extreme anxiety in their hearts and were always calculating the pros and cons of gains and losses, being husband and wife was far less secure than being friends.

  And so, in Zhang Gui's view, at the moment of life and death, Yuwen Yong abandoning her was the most normal thing to do.

  Only five words, but they made his breathing suddenly stop.

  After a while, she heard him say in a low voice: "Sorry." He said quietly: "In the past, I was foolish."

  Zhang Qi did not answer.

  He lowered his head.

  The firelight shone on her face, making her small face flush red. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she breathed softly, actually asleep. He reached out to press her forehead, still a bit hot.

  If the injury is severe and the fever does not subside, there will be a threat to life.

  Thinking of this, his Adam's apple rolled down. He carefully stretched out his hand, changed her posture in his arms, and leaned against the tree trunk to ponder.

  The city of Wuwei originally had doctors, but those doctors were either killed or escaped in the chaos. After searching for half a day, not one was found.

  Because the Turks have broken through Wuwei City, this area is full of war and chaos, even looking for a doctor, there's nowhere to go.

  If it weren't for the best styptic powder that he habitually carried in his saddle bag, she wouldn't have made it this time.

  As he pondered, he pulled her closer again.

  It was obviously the summer wind, blowing on people's skin, yet it felt piercingly cold. Every time he felt her teeth chattering in her sleep, he would hold her tighter. But with his movement, she would struggle a bit, and helplessly, he would quickly loosen his grip again.

  In deep thought. The bright moon in the sky gradually inclines westward.

  The sound of footsteps approached.

  A guard sat down beside the King of Lanling and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, our people will not arrive until tomorrow night at the earliest. Zhang Ji is afraid that she can only see the military doctor then."

  The King of Lanling nodded slightly.

  Seeing him just lowering his head, intently looking at the woman in his arms, that guard sighed: "That Yuwen Yong is really heartless. His own beloved concubine, he can abandon her just like that. Alas, these emperors are truly different from our way of thinking."

  The King of Lanling nodded again, lowered his head, and tried to kiss Zhang Gui's forehead with his lips before slowly responding: "All the civil and military officials are fleeing in disarray. No one remembers a woman, it's normal."

  At this moment, Zhang Qi in his arms moved slightly.

  The King of Lanling lowered his head and looked down.

  Close your eyes. Little Zhang Qi's face was bright red as she suddenly whispered: "Chang Gong..."

  "Alright."

  "I hate you!"

  The guard stared blankly for a moment, then clicked his tongue and said, "Good grief, she's still scolding people in her sleep. Women are really hard to serve!"

  Just as he said that, he looked up and saw the cold face of Lanling King. The guard was so frightened that he spat out his tongue and quickly retreated.

  As soon as the guard left, Langling Wang pressed his lips to Zhang Qi's forehead. He stuck to her, his breath blending with hers, and after a long time, he whispered: "As long as you get better, Ah Qi, as long as you get better..."

  At this time, the guard slipped back again.

  He quietly walked up to Lang Ling Wang's side and whispered: "Your Highness, do you want to continue the lesson tonight?"

  He was a guard who loved gossip and had sharp eyes. As the youngest son of a large family, he grew up in a big clan with many uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, merchants, and officials. After joining the army, he unintentionally overheard him chatting with someone, saying "Throughout history, high-ranking officials who have experienced several dynasties without losing their prestige are all people who understand the world and are knowledgeable about human feelings." After that, King Lanling called him to his side and asked him to give a one-hour lecture every day.

  The King of Lanling glared at him and growled: "Get out!"

  The guard smiled and quickly slipped away. He hid behind a tree not far away, continuing to watch Lanzhi Wang and Zhang Qi with great interest.

  It was unclear how much time had passed when Zhang Qi woke up again.

  It's still dark outside.

  She lifted her head and stared blankly at the sky in the dark night, which seemed exceptionally high and distant. Then she turned her head to look at the man below her.

  The King of Lanling has fallen asleep.

  He placed her against his chest, with his head tilted to the side. Her face was pressed against the rough tree bark, and she slept soundly. In the night wind, he breathed softly, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes.

  Looking at him, Zhang Qi suddenly became teary-eyed.

  Not wanting to disturb him, Zhang Qi remained still.

  Softly leaning against his chest, listening to his strong and powerful heartbeat, Zhang Qi's long-suppressed hatred surged up again. It made her want to bite him or kick him, or take a knife and kill them both!

  It's actually a very strange idea, when he abandoned her, she didn't hate him this much, and even when everyone else abandoned her, she hadn't hated them this much either. Now that he has saved her, she hates him even more bitterly.

  Just as Zhang Qi couldn't help but get teary-eyed, two hushed voices came from a corner nearby, "That Fang fellow really did submit a memorial to the Duke of Zhen Guo."

  "If I were to say it, I'd rather just kill that person with one knife. But the Prince of Pian is generous and not only doesn't blame him, but also treats him as before."

  The two were talking enthusiastically when suddenly another older and hoarse voice came over, "Shut up! Let me sleep!"

  *

  The two of them quieted down, and before long, a snoring sound started. At this time, Zhang Gui heard the older man sigh and mutter: "This time the Duke returned to the country, there is definitely no merit, it's possible that he will even provoke the Emperor's anger!"

  The elder sighed again at this point, "Fortunately, the Duke is a member of the royal family."

  ###￥

  After being a leftover woman for many years, I have always been thinking in my heart, why did I end up alone. Is it because I was too picky? Or is it that I never found the one that belongs to me?

  Until now, I finally understand that there has never been perfection in this world. You yourself are not perfect, whether from the inside or outside, you are covered in scars and weaknesses everywhere, how can you ask that man to be as perfect as a screw specially carved by God for you, perfectly fitting every button of yours?

  By the way, I'd like to add that if any of you want to be a DINK (Double Income, No Kids), it's better to have a child. Speaking of which, I used to be quite resistant to having children. It wasn't until after I had my child that I felt for the first time in my life that I could finally rely on someone... This is quite interesting - that little, soft, and drooling creature who can only stare at you with big eyes can actually give you a sense of belonging, a sense of dependence. It's as if from then on, you're no longer lonely, and it feels like for the rest of your life, there will be someone who truly belongs to you, won't betray or hurt you, and whom you can rely on and look forward to.

  Of course, no one knows what he will be like when he grows up. But the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment at this moment is something that cannot be exchanged for more money or freedom, nor can it be given by a husband.

  Finally, I'm still asking for pink tickets, don't pretend you didn't see it, everyone!