Chapter 265

Jiang Jiang Mingyu closed his eyes in pain; he dared not admit that he and Zhang Zhang Jiaqi indeed shared a regret of missed opportunity, and from their very first parting, there had been an irreparable void.

They had missed countless chances to reunite, missed countless moments to confess; the distance and misunderstandings between them were something neither he nor anyone else possessed.

He had once regretted it, had once thought: if he had discovered Zhang Jiaqi's feelings in time, if he had bravely spoken his own heart, would the outcome have been different?

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed in relief, snatched the wine pot, and filled another cup for himself. "I know I owe Zhang Jiaqi an apology, and I know I have wronged her greatly, but I am truly not that kind of person. Three wives and four concubines—I do not consider myself blessed enough for such fortune. In the end, it comes down to one sentence: Zhang Jiaqi appeared too late. Had she appeared before Liu Yifei, I might have chosen her, but none of this allows for hypotheticals."

Tu Tu Kesiluo heard his words, smiled, and shook his head, saying, "Big Brother, you and I are both strangers in a foreign land; having seen through the mortal world, we each possess our own spirit and integrity. I do not force you, but you must carefully understand the depths of a woman's heart."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed, "I understand your meaning. Zhang Jiaqi's affection for me is deep and lingering; I cannot return it, yet doing so would hurt her heart. But I have pledged my marriage to Liu Yifei; she is the soulmate and confidante of my life. I am willing to give everything for this true love, even if it means enduring ten thousand hardships!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo patted his shoulder and spoke with passionate fervor, "What noble words of a husband! I admire your persistence in love, but human emotions are inherently complex and difficult. To avoid making things hard for both of us later, let us tonight drink to our hearts' content!"

The two clinked glasses and drank deeply; a trace of hidden worry shone in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's determined eyes—he understood that the path of true love would never be smooth sailing; only through enduring various trials and tribulations could its preciousness and indispensability be proven.

At noon the next day, while Jiang Jiang Mingyu was studying the plan to flood the city with water, Tu Tu Kesiluo walked in.

"Big Brother, look who has returned?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu turned his head and saw Liu Liu Yifei, whom he had not seen for many days, standing gracefully before him.

Seeing that Tu Tu Kesiluo had already quickly withdrawn, Jiang Jiang Mingyu eagerly stepped forward two paces and embraced the beauty in his arms.

Liu Liu Yifei blushed with shy embarrassment, struggled symbolically for a moment, then buried her small head in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's chest.

"Jiang Lang, I miss you so much." Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of breaking this rare moment of warmth.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gently stroked Liu Liu Yifei's beautiful hair and replied warmly, "Liu Yifei, I miss you very much as well."

Just then, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, who had come to find Jiang Jiang Mingyu, suddenly burst in. Seeing the two embracing, a flash of grief crossed her face, and then she ran out without looking back.

Crystal tears remained on the ground, quietly recounting the pain in her heart.

Watching Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's departing figure, Liu Liu Yifei asked softly, "Jiang Lang, what is wrong with Zhang Jiaqi?"

"Liu Yifei, go rest for now; I will explain some things to you later." He spoke gently.

Liu Liu Yifei pouted playfully, "Jiang Lang, you are not allowed to hide anything from me; I want to know the truth!" Having finished speaking, she affectionately hugged Jiang Jiang Mingyu's arm and shook it, acting spoiled.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart softened; just as he was about to explain, Liu Liu Yifei pointed outside the door and said, "By the way, I returned with a messenger; he is still waiting outside."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu then remembered the important matter and hurriedly invited the messenger inside to inquire about the situation.

Seeing Liu Liu Yifei leave, Tu Tu Kesiluo sighed and then brought the messenger before Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu glanced at the messenger and immediately asked, "Where are Zhu Ge Yu and Gou Dan now?"

The messenger respectfully replied, "Reporting to my lord, Mr. Zhu Ge and General Li have already established their camp in Dashan, thirty li east of Jingcheng. Mr. Zhu Ge has ordered me to inform my lord that he has brought thirty thousand brave soldiers on this journey; everything is ready. As soon as my lord sends troops to Jingcheng, he can join forces with you to jointly crush Fei Hou!"

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was overjoyed, as if he had already cast aside the entanglement from earlier. He slapped the table and declared, "Good! Time waits for no one! Tu Tu Kesiluo, go immediately and tell Gou Dan and Fang Hang; tomorrow morning our entire army will set out, heading straight for Jingcheng!"

The final confrontation with Fei Hou was finally coming. Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart was filled with heroic spirit, swearing to wipe out his past shame.

After Tu Tu Kesiluo received the order and departed, Fang Hang immediately came forward to present a large stack of documents, saying, "My lord, here are the city documents and the recent military supply records; please review them."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded, then calmly began to examine them.

By the time Jiang Jiang Mingyu finished handling official business, the sky outside the window had gradually darkened. Lights in the courtyard began to rise, reflecting upon his solemn face.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed softly and murmured to himself, "The time has arrived; I must go and have a serious talk with Liu Yifei."

He understood that the issue regarding the subtle relationship between himself and Zhang Zhang Jiaqi still needed to be laid out openly with Liu Yifei. Although this would be a difficult conversation, he must resolve it as soon as possible to prevent it from becoming a lingering knot in his heart later.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu composed his thoughts and arrived at Liu Yifei's boudoir. Liu Yifei was dressing and grooming; seeing him arrive, she smiled shyly.

"Liu Yifei, we need to talk." Jiang Jiang Mingyu said solemnly.

Liu Yifei's beautiful eyes shifted, and she asked softly, "Does Jiang Lang have something troubling him?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded, then cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. "Um... Liu Yifei, I want to tell you something."

Liu Liu Yifei put down the ledger in her hand and turned to look into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes. "Is it about Zhang Jiaqi?"

Seeing that she had guessed eight or nine out of ten, Jiang Jiang Mingyu simply nodded directly. "Indeed, it is exactly that matter."

Unexpectedly, Liu Liu Yifei spoke before he could open his mouth: "You want to tell me that Zhang Jiaqi has fallen in love with you, correct?" Her tone was surprisingly calm, as if this matter had nothing to do with her at all.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was stunned, his tongue even becoming tangled: "You... how did you know?" He had never expected that Liu Liu Yifei already knew the truth.

Liu Liu Yifei explained calmly, "My intuition, a woman's sixth sense, told me. From your reaction during the day, I guessed eight or nine out of ten. I have been waiting for you to come and explain it to me yourself."

She gazed into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes and said softly, "I don't want to know anything else; I only hope you tell me how you feel between me and Zhang Jiaqi in your heart; that is enough."

A wave of panic surged in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart; he did not know how to answer Liu Liu Yifei's question. What kind of feeling was his for Zhang Jiaqi? Was it friendship, or love? He himself could not make it clear. He only knew that Zhang Jiaqi was his comrade-in-arms and also the one who had saved his life; although they had not spent much time together, there was deep tacit understanding and trust between them.

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi was a smart, lively, and lovely girl; she always brought him joy and warmth. He cherished her friendship and respected her feelings. However, he had never thought of having any relationship with her beyond friendship; he felt that the feelings between them were like those of siblings, pure and beautiful.

And Liu Liu Yifei was his fiancée and also his first love in this world. Liu Liu Yifei was a gentle, virtuous, and kind girl; she always silently supported him, cared for him, and looked after him. She was his soulmate and also the most important person in his life. He loved her deeply and firmly believed that she loved him; the feelings between them were like those of husband and wife, firm and unshakable.

He did not know why Zhang Jiaqi would suddenly confess to him, why she would say she had secretly loved him all along, why she would say she was willing to give up everything just to be with him. He did not know how to face Zhang Jiaqi's love, how to refuse her request, how to comfort her sorrow. Nor did he know how to explain to Liu Liu Yifei, how to make her believe that he had no improper thoughts toward Zhang Jiaqi, how to make her understand that he loved only her alone.

He lowered his head, daring not to look into Liu Liu Yifei's eyes; he feared seeing her doubt, her disappointment, her sorrow. He opened his mouth, his voice trembling slightly.

"Liu Yifei, I... I don't know how to say it, I..."