Chapter 356: Sudden Change

Qin Zhangfeng was honest to a fault, especially when facing women.

He had walked the path of the world for many years, always keeping himself clean and never lingering over any woman. This year he was already twenty-eight, and the matter of starting a family had been put on the agenda, which was why he was finally willing to follow the arrangements of his parents and Liu Zheng.

Therefore.

He had never seen such a bold and fiery woman, and was thoroughly flustered and tongue-tied by Pei Yanran.

"Pfft..."

"Hahahaha!"

"No, I can't hold it in! General, you two chat first!"

Cheng Kai and the others had long been unable to hold it in; feeling quite awkward, they decided that if they didn't withdraw now, when would they? They hurriedly offered an apology and left one after another.

Pei Yanran's few attendants were also understanding people; they chuckled and left the place.

For a moment, only Qin Zhangfeng and Pei Yanran remained in the tent.

Awkward...

Heartbeat accelerating.

He didn't even dare to take a look.

Qin Zhangfeng just held his tea like that.

Pei Yanran was smiling the whole time; the voice of this number one talented woman of Chuan Shu sounded as pleasant as a bell when she laughed.

She just kept looking at Qin Zhangfeng like that, seemingly finding him more and more interesting the longer she looked.

And then...

She extended her slender, jade-like hand, gently removed her veil, and looked at Qin Zhangfeng infatuatedly, whispering, "Dummy, are you afraid I'm not pretty enough?"

"Ah?"

Qin Zhangfeng was startled, and just as he wanted to explain, he lifted his head.

This one look.

Pei Yanran's peerless, city-toppling beauty instantly appeared before him without any concealment.

This one look.

His eyes could no longer move away.

"Yanran, I..."

She was actually so beautiful, so fair-skinned, with such spirited eyes and such outstanding temperament.

Could this not be a fairy who had jumped out of a painting?

Pei Yanran smiled infatuatedly and said with naive charm, "Qin Dage, are you satisfied?"

Qin Zhangfeng nodded like a fool: "Satisfied, satisfied..."

The atmosphere between the two instantly became ambiguous.

Pei Yanran couldn't help but blush, but she seemed to enjoy the little ambiguity between them at this moment. Hmm... a heart fluttering like a deer, a flushed face—was this what love was?

She had always been a bold woman, but at the same time, she was also a proud one.

Since childhood, she had been exceptionally talented, well-read in the classics, and her reputation had spread far and wide.

But from a young age, she had rejected the marriages arranged for her by her family.

Finally...

When she reached the age of twenty—if she didn't marry at this age, it would invite many rumors. She finally couldn't hold out any longer and was arranged by the King of Shu to marry Qin Zhangfeng of Liangzhou.

Who would have thought...

That Qin Zhangfeng actually didn't want her! He had chosen Sikong Jing instead! At the time, Pei Yanran was very angry. Could a famous general of the world humiliate her like this?

However...

Immediately after, Sikong Jing was assassinated on the road, and Qin Zhangfeng was devastated, deciding to observe mourning for her.

This matter spread throughout the world; some despised it, some envied it, some praised it, and some were unimpressed. But to Pei Yanran, Qin Zhangfeng's actions were absolutely shocking.

In this era, where was there any such thing as unwavering, loyal love?

But... wasn't this exactly what she had always longed for?

Thus, harboring resentment toward Qin Zhangfeng, she tried sending the first letter to the direction of Liangzhou—this approach was already too proactive for a woman. Yet, what made her even more restless was that when she sent the letter, Qin Zhangfeng was in the midst of a campaign in the Western Regions.

She waited a full four months for that reply.

In these times, carriages and horses were very slow.

But carrier pigeons were still quite fast.

The letters between the two began to flow continuously. From then on, Pei Yanran finally knew what kind of person Qin Zhangfeng was; he was a man of integrity who, for the sake of the appreciation shown by Prefect Liu, had thrown himself into Yongliang, never regretting it for his entire life.

He regarded Prefect Liu as a brother.

Prefect Liu regarded him as a limb.

He said that from now on, he would only live for his home and country, and would not speak of personal romance.

From then on, resentment turned into admiration. Slowly, slowly, Pei Yanran finally moved Qin Zhangfeng with her delicacy and sincerity.

Today...

This man, seasoned by the battlefield, was standing right in front of her; how could she not be happy?

This dummy...

Having already arrived in Shuzhou, he had actually gone so many days without coming to the Pei Family to find her...

This left Pei Yanran somewhat amused and frustrated. But she knew Qin Zhangfeng's heart; he felt that the chaos in Shu had not yet been settled, and he was waiting for Liu Zheng, waiting for that world-renowned Prefect Liu to come to Shuzhou, so that this marriage could be personally managed and proposed by his own brother and sovereign, which would be the greatest respect for Pei Yanran.

However...

Pei Yanran could not wait.

She looked at the Qin Zhangfeng before her with a smile, suddenly gave a playful grin, and extended her jade-like hand to gently stroke Qin Zhangfeng's slightly dark, yet incomparably firm face.

"Ah?"

Qin Zhangfeng was startled, but for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he could not dodge away.

It was as if he had been struck on an acupuncture point by the peerless beauty before him. Because he saw the love hidden in the depths of Pei Yanran's eyes, as well as signs that she was about to get angry... It seemed that if he were to dodge, she might truly burst into tears like rain.

In this era, men and women were not to touch when handing things over; for a woman to take the initiative like this, if she were rejected, it would certainly be an incomparably humiliating matter.

Although Qin Zhangfeng was not well-versed in matters of the heart, he was still quite sensitive to Pei Yanran's thoughts.

"So good..."

Pei Yanran giggled; she seemed to have sensed Qin Zhangfeng's thoughts.

She just kept stroking Qin Zhangfeng's rough face like that, the roughness passing over her palm seemingly telling the story of this famous Longyan general's many great battles, through wind and frost, unhindered...

A famous general.

A talented woman.

A rough man.

A daughter of a noble family.

It seemed like a perfect match, yet their styles were vastly different.

But Pei Yanran, she just loved him.

She seemed to have disliked the sons of noble families and the weak scholars since she was young; what she liked was a real man like Qin Zhangfeng, who cared for his country and knew how to repay kindness.

However...

After all, the two were not yet married, so this ambiguity naturally could not continue.

And so...

The unobservant Cheng Kai ran in, wind and fire, holding a letter.

"Ah..."

Pei Yanran's face turned red, and she was so startled that she hurriedly withdrew her hand.

"Ah?"

Cheng Kai saw it, and he now wished he could poke his own eyes out.

Oh my, what kind of sin is this!

Qin Zhangfeng had an order in the army that if there was an urgent military report, one did not need to knock and could enter directly...

This...

"Ah, well, the wind is strong, my eyes are all blurred, quick, General, blow on them for me, blow on them for me!"

Cheng Kai was quite interesting; he rolled his eyes, put on a show, waved his hands around blindly, and walked over.

Who would have thought, this only made Pei Yanran let out a soft cry.

Aren't you just trying to cover it up by making it more obvious?

Qin Zhangfeng kicked Cheng Kai and laughed, scolding: "Say what you have to say, spit it out if you have to, is it a letter from the young master?"

Only then did Cheng Kai open his eyes and grin: "General, this..."

He glanced at Pei Yanran.

Pei Yanran also knew that she should not be privy to military secrets.

But Qin Zhangfeng frowned: "Yanran is one of our own, what is there that is inconvenient to say? Just read it out!"

Cheng Kai also laughed heartily.

Pei Yanran's reputation was well-known in Chuan Shu. Since the fall of Jiangzhou, she had become the spiritual leader of Chuan Shu, leading people in various battles. Added to her relationship with Qin Zhangfeng, there was naturally no need to consider what was confidential and what was not.

Moreover...

Cheng Kai had just read the contents of the letter, and there were indeed no special secrets.

So he looked at Pei Yanran and asked: "Miss Pei, the young master has a question."

Qin Zhangfeng and Pei Yanran were both stunned at the same time.

Prefect Liu, asking Pei Yanran?

What could he possibly ask her?

Pei Yanran looked over, puzzled.

Cheng Kai smiled: "Miss Pei, do you know of the North-Lookers?"

"What?"

Pei Yanran's delicate body trembled, her face full of disbelief.

In the depths of her eyes, a flash of panic even appeared.

Qin Zhangfeng and Cheng Kai both looked at her in unison.

Pei Yanran gave a bitter smile: "Prefect Liu, he really is..."

She took a deep breath and stared at Qin Zhangfeng: "If Yanran says that I am a North-Looker, and that I came to offer a strategy to Qin Dage today precisely for this matter, does Qin Dage believe me?"

"What?"

Qin Zhangfeng and Cheng Kai's expressions changed instantly.

This Pei Yanran...

Is a North-Looker?

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhangfeng's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

In that case...

According to the young master's description of these North-Lookers, could he be a pawn of this Pei Yanran?

Pei Yanran knew this matter was sensitive; if she didn't explain it clearly on the spot, she feared it would be too late when she returned.

She smiled bitterly: "Qin Dage, please allow Yanran to explain this later... The lives of the people of Jiangzhou are at stake. At this moment, there is a senior fellow apprentice of mine in Jiangzhou City who can resolve the siege of Jiangzhou. Yanran came today to offer this strategy."

"Qin Dage, if you misunderstand Pei Yanran, could you wait until Chuan Shu is fully pacified, how about that?"

Qin Zhangfeng was instantly stunned.

This Pei Yanran truly possessed astonishing charm.

These sincere and forthright words made it impossible for him not to believe her.

Consequently, the displeasure he had felt just moments ago seemed to have vanished.

"Senior Brother?"

Qin Zhangfeng frowned slightly.