Chapter 265

At the South Great Camp of Shang Jing, the sounds of drilling troops came in waves.

The troops stationed at the South Great Camp were under Zhao Lang's command; after the spring examinations, they would set out for the Western Rong Borderlands.

At that moment, a blue-curtained carriage stopped at the West Side Gate of the South Great Camp; the carriage curtains were lifted, and Jinzhi stepped down in a cyan-green dress, graceful and elegant.

She carried a food box containing the pastries Zhao Lang loved, made by Lady Zhao, and had Jinzhi deliver them personally.

Lady Zhao's son would be leaving Shang Jing in a few days, and now the drilling at the South Great Camp had reached a critical point.

Zhao Lang had not returned for several days, so Lady Zhao sent her daughter-in-law to check on him.

Jinzhi also worried about Zhao Lang; behind her carriage followed an ox-cart sent by the Zhao family, carrying a pot of freshly boiled meat soup.

It was packed in a large wooden tub, together with some warming herbs.

The Zhao family treated the Zhao army with exceptional generosity, never taking soldiers' blood; whatever rewards the Imperial Court bestowed were distributed according to merit, and Zhao Lang never kept them for himself.

The herbs and soup Jinzhi had brought were all distributed, and she alone carried the food box into Zhao Lang's tent.

Unexpectedly, besides Zhao Lang, there were other deputy generals and a few of his personal guard leaders in the tent, discussing something unknown.

Jinzhi blinked in surprise, then hurriedly retreated with the food box.

How could Zhao Lang possibly conduct affairs now?

Those around him saw that their chief commander's mind was elsewhere, and they tactfully withdrew.

They stepped out of the tent, curiously gazing at the chief commander's newly wed mute wife, marveling at how she had softened that rough-and-tumble man into pliable tenderness.

Jinzhi felt uneasy under the stares of these coarse men, who were usually Zhao Lang's close brothers, his left and right arms; now they looked at her boldly, treating her as their elder sister-in-law.

Yet because of Jinzhi's identity and strange background, they also harbored a hint of contempt, lacking the respect due to an elder sister-in-law.

Jinzhi could not withstand their scrutiny; her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked somewhat embarrassed.

Soon after, Zhao Lang emerged, smiling as he looked at the woman he had long yearned for.

He had spent his life in the army, never knowing the tenderness of romantic love.

Now that he had embraced worldly desires, he found himself unable to resist, but with the South Great Camp's recent drills and the Imperial Court watching closely, he could not easily return home.

Although they had been apart only a few days, to Zhao Lang it felt like a century.

He took the food box from Jinzhi, brought her into the tent, drove out the guards inside, and ordered that no one approach.

Jinzhi kept her mother-in-law's instructions in mind, quickly opened the food box, and placed the pastries out.

She had kept them covered earlier, and they still retained some warmth.

Jinzhi gestured to Zhao Lang, urging him to eat while hot, but he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"I'm hungry!"

Jinzhi blinked, looked up at him blankly, then offered the pastry to his lips, clearly intending to feed him.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Lang pulled her tightly into his embrace and lowered his head to kiss her.

Jinzhi jumped in shock, the snack in her hand tumbling to the ground; just as she was about to gesture something, Zhao Lang seized her slender waist and deepened the kiss.

Only now did Jinzhi understand what Zhao Lang meant by "I'm hungry."

He wasn't after a snack; he wanted to eat…

The guards outside, stationed far from the tent as Zhao Lang had ordered, still heard the faint, ambiguous sounds drifting from within.

The looks on their faces were laden with meaning; before long, the Zhao army might be welcoming a little general.

Our general is quite shameless—does this count as indecent exposure in broad daylight?

And he did this inside the tent—can the general really not restrain himself?

After a long while, the sun had already slanted westward.

Inside the tent, Zhao Lang repeatedly kissed Jinzhi's sweat-dampened temples, feeling utmost pity, yet seeing she was truly angry, he felt a bit regretful, thinking he shouldn't have bullied her so.

He kept apologizing, helped her dress, and was about to say something with a smile, but Jinzhi punched him hard in the chest.

That punch only made Zhao Lang's heart burst with joy; he tightly grasped her hand, placed it over his own heart, and whispered with a smile: "Jinzhi, only you can fit in my heart—no one else."

"Live well with me; as your husband, I will earn you the title of lady in the frontier and bring it back. Wait for me—you must wait for me."

Hearing Zhao Lang's hoarse, deep voice, all the resentment and shyness pent up in Jinzhi's heart instantly turned to mist.

She drew a deep breath; this man had stumbled into her life like a ruin, and like a fire he gradually melted her icy heart into a pool of spring water.

She had decided in her heart that he was the one.

Seeing Jinzhi no longer resent him, Zhao Lang pulled her into his arms and whispered with a smile: "You haven't seen what a military camp looks like, have you?"

"I'll take you to see!"

Jinzhi froze; she hadn't wanted to stay and disturb Zhao Lang, but he was like the sun in the sky—passionate and fervent.

Zhao Lang took her hand and led her out of the tent.

This camp, built against the mountains, was grand and imposing.

Drilling soldiers, rows of tents, the fiery red sunset on the horizon…

Zhao Lang laughed heartily, showing Jinzhi everything; this was his world, and he wanted to bring this woman into it as well.

As evening approached, Zhao Lang saw that Jinzhi was tired too, and prepared to take her back to the camp.

Anyway, it was getting late; Zhao Lang decided to let Jinzhi stay in his tent tonight, and tomorrow he would personally escort his woman back.

But just as they turned onto the camp ground and headed toward the main tent, they heard several young, clear voices teasing about something.

Zhao Lang always conducted himself openly; this was the first time he had eavesdropped, solely because these people were talking about his wife, Jinzhi.

"Today the young mistress came to look for the general—did you see her?"

"It's that little mute who once threw things at the general's head on the street—you've all seen her, right?"

"Yeah, our general is such a handsome, stalwart man—how could he end up marrying a woman like her?"

"Aside from her being mute, her looks are really…"

Clack!

The flagpole behind them was suddenly kicked and snapped, instantly shattering into pieces.

A few people rose together, panic‑stricken, and looked toward Zhao Lang and Jinzhi standing behind them.

The few people's faces instantly tightened a bit, and they forced a nervous laugh.

"General? You... haven't slept yet?"

Zhao Lang's face turned ashen, his gaze fixed on the few fellows he was usually close with, and he spoke haltingly, "You..."

He pulled Jinzhi to his side and coldly stared at the comrades standing opposite, his brothers who had shared life and death.