Chapter 224: It's Not What You Think!

Speaking of the escort procession.

Early that morning, Shen Yuxi had still found it strange.

Why had the grand welcoming army, which had earlier looked set to linger here for several more days, suddenly started packing up in a frantic rush?

And the Dongxun reinforcements, who should have been heading to support Da Yin, had actually turned back halfway?!

Strange — truly too strange.

But the jolting horse carriage left her no room to think.

Shen Yuxi gripped the carriage window frame hard to steady herself, her head spinning, her face growing more and more uneasy.

What on earth was going on?

Judging by the look of things, it didn't seem like they were here to welcome a bride — more like they were fleeing for their lives?

She shouted toward the window.

"Someone!"

"Someone, come!"

"Is anyone there?!"

Her throat was nearly hoarse from shouting before someone finally came over.

A Dongxun soldier, in halting Da Yin official speech, said curtly.

"What is it?"

Now that someone had finally come, Shen Yuxi hurried to ask.

"Why the sudden rush to travel? And wasn't the Dongxun army coming to support our Da Yin? Why have they come back?"

Hearing this, the Dongxun soldier gave a mocking laugh.

"You Ke's army has defected to the Cheng Family Army. General Muyuan is currently a guest at the Cheng Family Army Camp — is there any longer any need to support your Da Yin?!"

"What?!"

Shen Yuxi shot to her feet, cracked her head against the carriage roof, and sat back down in pain.

"Hiss—!"

She murmured in disbelief.

"How could this be?"

The Dongxun soldier gave a cold snort.

"I'm warning you — sit tight and don't cause us trouble!"

"Or we won't be polite with you!"

Shen Yuxi didn't hear a word of that. She was lost in her unease, and didn't even notice when the soldier left.

She hugged her arms and shrank into a corner of the carriage.

"What do I do? If Da Yin is gone, then what am I, this marriage-alliance princess?"

No!

She had come for the marriage alliance — she would soon be Dongxun's Empress!

Right!

She was Dongxun's Empress!

Even if Da Yin fell and she couldn't be Empress, being a Consort would be just as good.

Besides, she was Cheng Chengxuan's half-sister by the same father!

If the Cheng Family Army won, at the very least he could be enfeoffed as a King/Prince.

He might even become Emperor outright.

By that reckoning, she would still be a princess of a nation.

"Exactly. That's how it is."

Shen Yuxi comforted herself with such thoughts.

……

At the Cheng Family Army's encampment.

An Luo looked around but saw no sign of Cheng Chengxuan.

Even Cheng Xin and Cheng Yao and the others were nowhere to be found.

"Is Miss An looking for Cheng Chengxuan?"

Hearing the voice, An Luo turned, and gave a slight curtsy toward the newcomer — an ancient-style greeting.

"Greetings to Lady Da."

Meng Shi smiled and helped her up.

"No need for that. Our Cheng Family doesn't stand on so many tedious, complicated formalities."

"Cheng Chengxuan and the others went off to handle some matters. They should be back by nightfall."

An Luo nodded at her words.

Meng Shi suggested, "If Miss An finds herself bored, why not come sit in my Tent for a while?"

An Luo smiled and agreed.

"Then I'll be intruding on Lady Da."

"Not at all, not at all."

The two of them walked toward the Tent, one ahead of the other.

Second Madam Wang Shi was inside as well.

The table was piled with clothes and sewing supplies; the two of them seemed to be mending garments.

Meng Shi tidied up briefly and gave her an apologetic smile.

"It's a bit messy. I hope Miss An doesn't mind."

Wang Shi rose and poured her a cup of water.

"Please, Miss An, sit anywhere."

Then she sat back down and picked up her needle and thread again.

An Luo held the cup of water, taking occasional absent sips as she watched their movements.

"Let me help too."

The two were a little surprised.

"Miss An knows needlework as well?"

"Uh…"

An Luo gave an awkward smile.

That was something she truly didn't know.

Although her family hadn't been well off when she was young, all she could do was thread a needle and sew on a button or two.

Sewing she could manage, but the finished product looked like a centipede.

"Why don't the two of you teach me?"

Qiuluo had once quietly told her that Cheng Chengxuan had been terribly envious of the boots Elder Sister Tian Qin had personally made for Cheng Sitao.

If others had them, her man had to have them too!

Meng Shi and Wang Shi exchanged a smile.

"Of course."

……

In the middle of the night, An Luo, who had been sleeping soundly, heard a noise outside the Tent. She mumbled something, turned over, buried her head in the thin blanket, and went back to sleep.

"Go find some Jinchuang Medicine. The Young General is wounded."

"Let's keep our voices down. Don't startle the Old Madam and the two Madams."

Hearing this, An Luo flung off the blanket and opened her eyes.

Cheng Chengxuan was injured?!

She hurried out of bed, changed her clothes, and headed toward Cheng Chengxuan's Tent.

"Cheng Chengxuan! I heard you're hurt. How is it? Is the wound serious—"

Serious?

Seeing the scene before her, An Luo, who had rushed in frantic with worry, quickly covered her eyes and turned around.

Her face was burning hot.

With both hands covering her eyes, the image she had just seen kept flashing through her mind.

He had clearly just finished bathing; his upper garment was still open, his firm chest half-bared, droplets of water slowly trickling downward, and further down there was also…

An Luo felt her face was hot enough to fry an egg on.

Was it six? Or eight?

She hadn't seen clearly…

Her hands gradually slid down from her eyes to her cheeks, and she coughed heavily twice to cover her embarrassment.

"Ahem!"

"Um, once you're done bathing, hurry and put your clothes on so you don't catch cold."

After the earlier fluster, Cheng Chengxuan's mood had by now calmed considerably.

He gathered his upper garment slightly, was about to tie his sash, thought about it, and left it untied after all.

"I'm waiting for Cheng Yao to come back and help me apply medicine."

Apply medicine?

Right—he was injured.

An Luo no longer cared about being shy. She quickly turned around, walked closer, and examined him carefully.

"Where are you hurt?"

"My arm."

As he spoke, Cheng Chengxuan winced and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Hss!"

Seeing this, An Luo anxiously glanced outside the Tent.

"Why haven't Cheng Yao and the others come yet?"

"Yeah."

Cheng Chengxuan answered absently.

He glanced at An Luo, then lowered his gaze to the ground, and said softly.

"It's really nothing, just a small wound. If this were on the battlefield, I wouldn't even bother with it."

"How could that be acceptable?"

An Luo glared at him, frustrated that he couldn't do better.

"On the battlefield it's because there's no time, no chance to treat the wound—how could that be the same? Can't you take a little better care of yourself?"

"Sit down quickly. I'll help you apply the medicine."

Cheng Chengxuan turned on his heel, walked over to the small wooden cot, sat down neatly, and began rolling up his sleeve.

Watching his smooth, practiced movements, An Luo felt something was a little off?

But when she saw the wound behind his arm, she couldn't bother thinking it through and hurried over to help apply medicine.

"An arrow wound, and a blade wound too? How is it this serious?"

The blade wound was as long as an adult's palm.

Speaking of this, Cheng Chengxuan's brow furrowed tightly.

"We didn't have many people, and the enemy's martial arts and weapons were both very formidable."

Worthy of being a trump card held in the Shunhe Emperor's hand—one person from the Qianlong Guard could take on three or four of the Cheng Family Army.

Fortunately, though, they had received word in advance, and the plan had succeeded.

An Luo carefully helped him treat the blade wound, but was stumped by the arrow wound.

The arrow wound was near the shoulder—the sleeve couldn't be pushed up any further.

"How about you take off your clothes, or bare your shoulder, otherwise it won't be convenient to apply the medicine."

Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke; An Luo tried her best to ignore the heat on her face, grumbling inwardly.

Cheng Xin and Cheng Yao are really something—why haven't they come yet?

Hearing her words, Cheng Chengxuan, whose face had just been radiating a chill, immediately flushed bright red, his tongue stumbling over itself.

"O-okay."

The moment he bared his shoulder, the tent was flung open and Cheng Xin burst in like a whirlwind.

"Young General, this subordinate will help you apply the medicine!"

Seeing the scene before him, he was instantly struck dumb.

Covering his eyes, he turned and ran.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb the two of you!"

Don't go!

An Luo threw out an outstretched hand, shouting.

"Hey!"

"It's not what you're thinking!"

Come back!!!