Chapter 332: Shenwu Commandant (Part 2)

The morning light was faint, slanting into the room through the paper-pasted window lattice.

Du Ruo's biological clock rang.

Before her eyes even opened, her hands habitually patted the bed, that hard, cool sensation helping to stimulate her into full wakefulness.

Only, today's sensation seemed slightly different.

It was hard, yes, but not at all cool.

Not only was it not cool, it was like a furnace, carrying the unique warmth of a human body...

A person?

Du Ruo was startled, a jolt running through her as she abruptly turned her head to look.

Sleeping beside her was a handsome man.

His sword-like brows were long and narrow, his nose bridge high and straight, his jawline clear and defined; the entire face seemed like an artwork meticulously carved by the Goddess Nüwa.

His white inner robe was slightly open, revealing a chest without a single ounce of excess fat, exuding a strong scent of masculine hormones.

And further down...

It was blocked by the quilt.

Du Ruo was both shocked and delighted, her small hand pinching the man's toned waist, "Husband?"

Jiang Cheng let out a muffled groan, slowly opening his eyes.

"Trying to murder your own husband this early in the morning?" He reached out his large palm to scoop his little wife into his arms, lowering his head to seek her lips, "Since you're so energetic, it looks like we need to expend some of it."

Du Ruo turned her face away, dodging Jiang Cheng's advances, then gave him a light push and shot him a glare, "Later, I haven't rinsed my mouth yet..."

Jiang Cheng's kiss landed on her cheek.

"Fine, then later," he said with a light laugh.

Du Ruo tilted her neck to look at him, asking suspiciously, "Why did you suddenly come to Fengyang Prefecture?"

Jiang Cheng was dead serious, "I missed you, so I came."

"Cut it out." Du Ruo couldn't help but pinch him again, "Tell the truth!"

As a constable of Wutou Xian, he couldn't just abandon his post because he missed his wife; there had to be something going on.

"Alright, I'll tell you, wife, please show mercy."

Jiang Cheng pulled her tighter, laughing, "Your husband did indeed miss you, but I also came to report for duty at the prefecture."

Seeing the confusion written all over his pretty little wife's face, he explained the whole story in detail.

It happened like this.

Last time, hadn't he performed the greatest service in suppressing the bandits at Yugui Shan? According to Li Xianling's estimation, there should have been a reward of several dozen taels of gold, plus a minor, rankless military title.

After waiting for nearly a month, the approval finally came down two days ago.

There was indeed gold—a full fifty taels—but it was given to Wang Buju and Lin Xianling's daughter, Lin Ruonan.

Since the two of them had performed the same great service in suppressing the bandits, they naturally received the same reward.

Besides that, there was a transfer order appointing Jiang Cheng as a Shenwu Commandant, stationed in Fengyang Prefecture, commanding three thousand troops...

"Three thousand?" Du Ruo's eyes widened, unable to believe it, "No way, even a rankless military officer wouldn't have that many men under him, right?"

Jiang Cheng chuckled, "Don't be impatient, listen to me finish."

A rankless military officer naturally couldn't command that many men; usually, being able to command a few hundred soldiers was quite impressive, barely stronger than a centurion.

But this position Jiang Cheng held was not rankless.

Shenwu Commandant, a Sixth-Rank official.

"Speaking of which, it's still thanks to you, wife. The transfer order clearly stated that because your husband suppressed over a hundred bandits, and you, wife, broke through the Moyu Stronghold and captured over a hundred water bandits alive, resolving the water disaster that had ravaged the Black Water area for years, the two merits were rewarded together, which is why I got this result."

Having said this, Jiang Cheng lowered his head to kiss his little wife again, praising her, "My wife is truly amazing!"

Du Ruo finally understood everything.

No wonder there hadn't been any news about the water bandit case for so long; it turned out Prefect Su had combined the merits and credited them to Jiang Cheng.

Well, that was fine; as long as the benefits stayed within the family, it was all good.

"In that case, isn't your official rank two levels higher than Du Ren Mei's now?" Du Ruo's eyes sparkled.

Jiang Cheng laughed, "Yes, yes, yes. From now on, when he sees you, he'll have to respectfully call you Lady Jiang."

Is that so...

That really feels great!

"Then when I see Du Mingzhu, can I slap her?"

Jiang Cheng: "..."

Du Ruo burst into laughter, "Silly, I'm just teasing you! I'm an official's wife now, I have to pay attention to my personal image; I won't hit people for no reason, lest people see and say that Jiang Daren's wife is a shrew, wouldn't that make you lose face?"

Jiang Cheng didn't care about that at all, "It doesn't matter, your husband's face is thick, I'm not afraid of losing it."

His wife was a person with a sense of propriety; if she hit someone, it was definitely because they deserved it.

After finishing the business about Jiang Cheng, Du Ruo told him everything that had happened since their group set out—the big and small events, including how they dealt with the water bandits, how they broke through the Zheng family's schemes, and how Jiang Zhan became the Prefectural Top Scholar.

Jiang Cheng was very gratified, "Second Brother always had natural talent; he is the one among us brothers most like Father, though his temperament was a bit too soft. But after this experience, I imagine he understands the malice of the world and can take fewer detours in the future."

Du Ruo deeply agreed.

"By the way, wife, you said earlier that Prince Yu also came to Fengyang Prefecture?" Jiang Cheng asked.

Du Ruo nodded, "It's said he's here to preside over the Apricot Forest Assembly."

Jiang Cheng lowered his eyes in thought.

Since Prince Yu was also here, should he go and pay his respects?

Back when he saved Prince Yu, who was then the Thirteenth Prince, Prince Yu had once proposed to recruit him, but because he couldn't let go of his young siblings at home, he had refused.

Now that he was about to take office as a Shenwu Commandant, if he could build a relationship with Prince Yu, his chances for promotion in the future would certainly be much greater...

However, after a moment, Jiang Cheng abandoned this thought.

He wasn't a lofty person, nor did he mind taking shortcuts, but meat delivered to the door didn't taste good; what he needed to do now was wait for the right moment, and once he shone brilliantly, would he still need to worry about Prince Yu not coming to find him?

Jiang Cheng quickly cast this matter aside, his attention returning to the beauty beside him.

A moment later, he frowned, "Wife, you seem to have lost some weight?"

"Have I?" Du Ruo hadn't noticed this while busy with the Imperial Examination.

"Yes." Jiang Cheng's large palm measured his wife's body, "Your waist is thinner by more than half an inch."

His hand slowly moved upward, his breathing suddenly hitched, and he lowered his head, his scorching breath spraying against her ear, "But this part seems to have grown a size larger; your husband likes it very much."

Boom—Du Ruo's face turned bright red instantly, and she nearly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.

Sure enough, all crows under heaven are black; there isn't a single man who isn't lustful!

But when it came to lust, who was afraid of whom?

Not knowing where it came from, a competitive spirit flared up, and Du Ruo mimicked Jiang Cheng, touching his pectoral muscles before looking at him provocatively, "These seem to have grown larger too; I like them very much."

Jiang Cheng: "..."

At this point, if he could still hold back, he wouldn't be a man.

To hell with waiting until eighteen to consummate the marriage.

He wanted it now!

Jiang Cheng flipped over and pinned Du Ruo down, lowering his head to kiss her fiercely, his hands not idle as they skillfully stripped away her clothes.

Mmph.

Du Ruo only then realized she had sparked a fire, hurriedly using her hands and feet to push him away, but she was no match for his strength; the man was like a mountain, pressing her until she couldn't breathe.

"Jiang Cheng... don't..."

The remaining words were shattered into ambiguous sounds amidst the intense, passionate kisses.

The man seemed to have lost his reason, wanting only to tear her apart and devour her.

Du Ruo regretted it.

Deeply regretted it.

Had she known Jiang Cheng was so easily provoked, she wouldn't have had that damn competitive spirit...

Just as Du Ruo lay spread-eagled, ready to accept her fate, a series of knocks on the door saved her, "Lady Du? Lady Du, are you awake?"

Du Ruo felt as if she had heard the sound of heaven, hurriedly taking the opportunity to free her mouth and shout, "Awake, awake, I'm coming!"

Saying this, she pinched the man on top of her, "Husband, someone's here."

Jiang Cheng gnashed his teeth.

There was no help for it; he had to suppress that urge with all his might, biting her again as punishment before reluctantly rolling off the bed.

The unsatisfied man's expression was naturally far from pleasant. Jiang Cheng pulled the door bolt, his tone displeased, "What is it?"

The waiter at the door was startled by him.

A man? Why was there a man in Lady Du's room?

And he was so handsome, wearing so little... could it be... Lady Du was having an affair?

The waiter's heart skipped a beat, looking Jiang Cheng up and down suspiciously, "Who are you? Why are you in Lady Du's room?"

"I am her husband." Jiang Cheng was concise.

Lady Du's husband?

The waiter didn't believe it, "You look like a stranger to me, when did you arrive?"

Sneaking around like this, could they be a proper married couple?

Jiang Cheng was about to speak when Du Ruo, hearing from the bed, hurriedly explained, "Little Brother Waiter, he really is my husband, he arrived in the middle of the night!"

The waiter gave a skeptical "Oh," handed the bucket of hot water he was carrying to Jiang Cheng, and turned to leave.

Walking to the stairs, he still felt uneasy, so he returned to the upper floor and ran to the door of the guest room where Jiang Zhan was staying.

He began to knock hard.

The door opened quickly, revealing the young man's handsome face.

Before Jiang Zhan could speak, the waiter looked around sneakily and lowered his voice to warn, "Young Master Jiang, there's a man hiding in your sister-in-law's room, would you like to go take a look?"

The waiter was very thoughtful.

If it really was Lady Du's husband, then he would be Jiang Zhan's brother, and Jiang Zhan would certainly know him.

If not, it was either an adulterer or Lady Du was being coerced by that man, but either way, it wasn't a good thing, and they had to catch them in the act and drag them to the Ya Men!

"Nonsense!" Jiang Zhan's face turned cold, "Little Brother Waiter, don't go around spreading rumors here and ruining my sister-in-law's reputation!"

The waiter was so anxious he was ready to swear, "I saw it with my own eyes, Young Master Jiang, if you don't believe me, go see for yourself!"

Jiang Zhan naturally had to go see.

Otherwise, if he let others talk nonsense, how would his sister-in-law be able to face people in the future?

He walked straight to the door of the adjacent guest room and was just about to raise his hand to knock when he suddenly heard faint laughter coming from inside, and it seemed there was also the sound of a man talking.

Jiang Zhan's handsome face changed.

The waiter peeked at him, muttering, "Look, Young Master Jiang, I didn't lie to you, there really is a man..."

Jiang Zhan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

He trusted his sister-in-law's character; she would never do such a scandalous thing, there must be a reason for this.

"Sister-in-law?" He knocked and called out.

Creak—the door opened quickly.

A young man in his early twenties stood by the door, his posture tall and upright, his face handsome and heroic; even wearing the simplest white inner robe, he couldn't hide his imposing and majestic aura.

"That's him!" the waiter shouted.

The next moment, he saw Jiang Zhan's eyes widen in surprise as he rushed forward, "Big Brother! Big Brother, when did you arrive?"

The waiter was stunned.

What? It really was Lady Du's husband? This was a mess; he had almost ruined a good thing with his good intentions.

He shrank his neck, trying to minimize his presence, and then quietly retreated toward the stairs, wanting to slip away.

"Little Brother Waiter, please stay." At this moment, Jiang Cheng called out to him.

The waiter cursed inwardly.

He turned back stiffly, apologizing awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Young Master Jiang, I didn't recognize you, I mistakenly thought..."

"Little Brother Waiter is sharp, I feel very relieved having my wife stay here." Jiang Cheng took out a piece of silver and handed it to the waiter, laughing, "Please send up some more hot water."

The waiter was pleasantly surprised, hurriedly taking the silver and responding loudly, "Yes, yes, please wait a moment, I'll be right there!"

Saying this, he scurried downstairs.

The brothers stood at the door talking, and Jiang Zhan peeked into the room, asking suspiciously, "Big Brother, where is Sister-in-law?"

"Your sister-in-law is tired, she'll get up later."

Jiang Cheng pushed his younger brother out, "You go back to your room first, I'll come get you with your sister-in-law after we wash up."

Jiang Zhan obediently said "Oh."

As he walked, he felt puzzled; his sister-in-law looked quite energetic last night, how could she be tired after sleeping?

Forget it, it shouldn't be a big deal; Big Brother was there, and Big Brother would certainly take good care of Sister-in-law.

He thought for a moment, then happily went to tell Jiang Dabo and Lao Tietou that his Big Brother had arrived. Jiang Dabo, though not showing his emotions, was clearly very happy.

Only Lao Tietou smiled without a word.

He had discovered it when the brat sneaked in in the middle of the night, but he was too lazy to expose him; sneaking into Du Shi's room as soon as he arrived, it went without saying that he missed his wife.

Well, that was good.

He hoped the brat would work hard and get Du Shi pregnant soon, so he wouldn't have to worry about Du Shi being snatched away by someone else.

Before long, the waiter sent up another bucket of hot water.

The couple finished washing and changed their clothes; Du Ruo applied the tanning cream as usual.

Although Jiang Cheng had arrived and she didn't have to worry about her beauty attracting trouble, there was no need to be too conspicuous; it was better to keep a low profile.

Besides, Du Ruo had a big event to attend today.

It wasn't suitable to be flashy.

The two first went to call Jiang Zhan and Jiang Dabo, then walked hand-in-hand downstairs for breakfast, and registered at the counter along the way.

The lobby on the first floor was already full of people; the students all recognized Jiang Cheng, having seen him before, and knew his identity.

So they all stood up to exchange greetings.

Bian Dou Dou was even more proactive, waving his hand to call the waiter, "Bring out all the good food and drink, let's welcome Jiang Constable!"

Jiang Cheng thanked them politely.

For a time, it was lively and bustling.

Only Xiao Liangchen sat silently in the corner without a word, his gaze shifting from the couple's clasped hands, lowering his head to drink his porridge by himself.

His heart felt inexplicably blocked, and even the porridge in his mouth tasted bland and tasteless.

After finishing the meal, Jiang Cheng set off to report for duty at the Ya Men.

Du Ruo called out to Lao Tietou, laughing, "Let's go, Lao Tie-shu, it's time for us to make our entrance!"