Volume Seven: The Years I Was a General
Drink More Hot Water1
After returning to the capital, Ye Mingxiu submitted a memorial to the throne to report the Imperial Preceptor Su Hong for framing the loyal and good, murdering the sovereign, and many other crimes such as committing insubordination. Xiao Chuyu and Ye Mingxiu, the two of them, with a tacit understanding, pushed all the criminal charges onto Su Hong. Thus, they completely cleared the criminal charges against Gu Wen Nuan, allowing all of this to settle like dust2.
Xiao Chuyu issued an imperial edict to have Su Hong immediately executed by beheading. Su Hong’s beloved, Yue Yao, in the end, did not dig up the grave. Xiao Chuyu ultimately had the two of them buried together, which could be considered as having repaid the kindness from Su Hong back then.
The truth of all of Gu Wen Nuan’s criminal charges was thoroughly investigated; it turned out she had been framed and slandered by the Imperial Preceptor who had set up a scheme. Now that the truth has come to light, Gu Wen Nuan was released, reinstated to her original post, and returned to the General’s Manor.
Imperial Prison
“Little General Gu, please.” A Captain released Wen Nuan.
Wen Nuan looked at the bright sun shining high outside; having returned to the Imperial Prison for these few days, she suddenly saw the sun and felt a bit uncomfortable, finding it somewhat dazzling.
“Alright, thank you all for your care these past few days.” Wen Nuan bowed to them one by one.
Ever since returning to the capital city from the Qinglong Temple, she had been locked back in the Imperial Prison by Xiao Chuyu. The reason was unknown; Xiao Chuyu intentionally did not tell her, saying it was to let her also experience the unpleasant taste of being kept in the dark by someone.
But in reality, how could Wen Nuan not know Xiao Chuyu’s plan? It was simply to collude with Ye Mingxiu to clear the criminal charges from her, push them all onto Su Hong, and return her innocence.
When the Captains saw Gu Wen Nuan bowing to them, they all felt they did not dare to receive such a courtesy and immediately bowed in return, “Little General Gu, you speak too seriously, this subordinate truly does not dare to accept, does not dare to accept.”
After a round of pleasantries, Wen Nuan finally left the Imperial Prison completely.
Walking out of the main gate of the Imperial Prison, she saw Ye Mingxiu with a cold and indifferent expression and, next to him, a horse-drawn carriage that looked perfectly ordinary, waiting for her.
Wen Nuan hooked the corner of her mouth: “Yo, isn’t this Chancellor Ye? Now that my innocence could be cleared and I have left the Imperial Prison safe and sound, I must really thank Chancellor Ye for his profound understanding of righteousness, ah.”
Superficial remarks3 that needed to be said still had to be said, to praise the greatness of our male lead.
Ye Mingxiu said indifferently: “…It seems Little General Gu still wants to go back to the Imperial Prison to stay for a while?”
“That’s quite unnecessary,” Wen Nuan refused with an Erkang hand4, “As the saying goes, a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one’s own kennel5, I’d rather go back to my General’s Manor.”
“Get in the carriage,” Ye Mingxiu said faintly, “I’ll take you back to your manor.”
Wen Nuan said with embarrassment: “How could I be so bold as to trouble Chancellor Ye?”
Ye Mingxiu watched as Wen Nuan, having finished speaking, immediately performed the action of getting into the carriage; she had truly taken being duplicitous6 to the extreme.
“It is as it should be. To be able to receive Little General Gu from prison is my honor.”
These words sounded as if they were squeezed out from between his teeth, with extreme difficulty.
If it weren’t for Xiao Chuyu not wanting to bring the servants and imperial guards from the palace out, and coercing and bribing him to come and pick up Gu Wen Nuan together, he couldn’t be bothered to come to the Imperial Prison to suffer the temper of these two.
Wen Nuan gave Ye Mingxiu a slight smile, pulled open the carriage curtain, and walked inside.
“Miss me?”
Xiao Chuyu hooked her lips: “Didn’t.”
“Your mouth says one thing but your heart says another,” Wen Nuan moved closer and kissed the corner of her mouth.
She ground against Xiao Chuyu’s lips, her voice ambiguous and husky: “This little mouth of yours said it missed me very much, oh.”
“Just…” Xiao Chuyu’s gaze flowed, “…the mouth]?”
Wen Nuan revealed a slyly wicked7 smile, “Then I’ll have to check carefully, where on you said it missed me?”
She pulled Xiao Chuyu into an embrace, bringing her into her arms, and was just about to let her hands roam up and down8 to properly relieve the lovesickness of the past few days, but seeing the male lead outside, still resentfully driving the carriage, she thought she’d better forget it.
For them to be seeking pleasure inside, completely disregarding the male lead’s life or death, this was simply not something a human would do.
The System gave a heh heh laugh: 【Yo, you still know how to be a decent person, huh?】
Wen Nuan: “….”
Xiao Chuyu, seeing that Wen Nuan was only holding her without any other movements, looked at Wen Nuan with doubt in her eyes, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Wen Nuan stroked her face, “Let’s go back to the General’s Manor first. This carriage is too small, I can’t spread out and perform.”
Xiao Chuyu’s face reddened, and she said in a low voice: “…Mm.”
Perhaps it was because Ye Mingxiu was truly feeling unbearably resentful, the speed at which he drove the carriage was very fast, and in a short while, they arrived at the General’s Manor.
He knocked on the carriage with a cold and indifferent expression, “Your Majesty, Little General Gu, we’ve arrived.”
He, the dignified Chancellor of a nation, had now been reduced to a horse driver; Ye Mingxiu suddenly felt deeply grieved.
Wen Nuan pulled open the door curtain, jumped down from the carriage, and raised her hands to carry Xiao Chuyu down.
She looked at Ye Mingxiu and said with a grin: “Many thanks to Chancellor Ye for taking time out of his busy schedule to escort me back to my manor, I am truly endlessly grateful, ah.”
Ye Mingxiu gave a few cold laughs: “…Heh heh.”
Very good. The laughter was permeated with sarcasm, coldness, and a trace of imperceptible helplessness and sorrow.
Wen Nuan touched her nose, gave an awkward smile, and also knew clearly in her heart why Ye Mingxiu would miserably come over to pick her up from prison.
Xiao Chuyu nodded: “Today, we have indeed troubled Chancellor Ye. Whatever reward you desire, Zhen can promise you.”
Give a slap then give a sweet date9; this is the way of a sovereign.
“…” Ye Mingxiu clenched his fists.
This was humiliating him!
He was the Chancellor of a nation, now reduced to a carriage-driving horse driver; could this be compensated for with just a few light and airy words of reward?
He gritted his teeth and said: “…This humble servant wishes to take a leave of absence.”
Xiao Chuyu readily agreed: “You may. Chancellor Ye can take a three-day rest10. Is that enough?”
Ye Mingxiu gave a slight smile: “It is enough.”
He had originally thought he would only get one day of rest, but unexpectedly, Xiao Chuyu gave him three days. A gain, hei.
Wen Nuan looked at Ye Mingxiu’s unconcealable smiling expression and thought to herself, this male lead is really easy to satisfy; he deserves to be used by Xiao Chuyu.
Ye Mingxiu left the carriage at the General’s Manor. The Chancellor’s Manor was only a street’s distance away from the General’s Manor; he could walk back with a stroll.
Wen Nuan and Xiao Chuyu walked into the General’s Manor. Looking at the familiar yet strange residence, the servants in the General’s Manor had basically all been replaced by Xiao Chuyu. The old servants had all scattered when she was imprisoned. The current General’s Manor completely lacked the liveliness and prosperity it should have had before she went to Mobei, and instead appeared somewhat cold and cheerless.
Xiao Chuyu saw Wen Nuan’s brow slightly furrowed, “You don’t like it?”
She had specially redecorated and reorganized the manor, precisely with the thought that Wen Nuan would feel comfortable and happy after returning. But seeing her expression now, could it be that she was very dissatisfied with her having acted on her own initiative?
Or perhaps… Xiao Chuyu looked at the surrounding servants and said nervously: “Although these servants were carefully selected by me, I have no intention of keeping watch over you. If you don’t like them, we can replace them all. Pick people you like to use, how about it?”
She was worried that Wen Nuan would think she had deliberately sent her own people to monitor her, and it would be bad if she became dissatisfied with her as a result.
Wen Nuan came back to her senses and smiled: “It’s nothing, I like it very much. This manor has been organized very well by you, and the servants are not bad either; each one is nimble-fingered and very diligent. I like your arrangements very much.”
She intertwined her fingers with Xiao Chuyu’s, “Chuchu did so well. If there’s any reward you want, just say it, I will satisfy you in everything.”
“As long as you like it,” Xiao Chuyu hugged Wen Nuan, her head resting against Wen Nuan’s scorching heartbeat, “As long as you can be by my side is good enough. I don’t want anything else.”
Wen Nuan’s expression was moved. She lifted Xiao Chuyu up in her arms, and in her shocked eyes, hooked her lips into a smile, “That won’t do. A reward must be given. For me, Gu Wen Nuan, once a word is spoken, a team of four horses cannot chase it down11.”
Xiao Chuyu wrapped her arms around Wen Nuan’s neck, “What reward?”
Wen Nuan lifted her foot and walked towards her own bedchamber. Although she hadn’t been back for a long time, there were some places she still knew how to get to.
She kicked open the tightly closed room door, placed Xiao Chuyu on the bed, and smiled wickedly, “Taking you up the mountain.”
“Up the mountain?” Xiao Chuyu was completely baffled, “What… does that mean?”
Wen Nuan leaned down, kissed the corner of her mouth, her tone ambiguous: “To ascend Mount Wu together, and appreciate the clouds and rain as one12.”
Xiao Chuyu was, after all, the Empress Regnant of the Ming’an Kingdom. Every day she had to attend the morning court session, and after court was dismissed, she still had to handle all sorts of complicated government affairs, so busy she was practically dizzy and disoriented.
And the reason she did not attend court was because Xiao Chuyu had given her sick leave, allowing her to recuperate properly in her manor.
As the saying goes, if the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain13.
Although Wen Nuan had the jade tablet given by Xiao Chuyu and could enter and exit the imperial palace at will, she was, after all, a general. Running to the imperial palace day and night would cause gossip14.
After all, few people knew of her female identity at present. In the perception of others, for a grown man to be constantly getting close to Her Majesty the Empress was truly something that would let the imagination run wild and would be bad for Xiao Chuyu’s reputation.
Although the summer night had a cool breeze, it was mixed with rolling heat waves that blew in, making one feel annoyed and distraught.
The Imperial Study had been filled with blocks of ice early on. Yuan Qi was using a cattail fan to fan the ice blocks, attempting to cool Xiao Chuyu down. The weather these past few days had been terribly hot, and many people in the palace had fainted from the heat.
Yuan Qi could feel that a large patch of his back was already soaked. A bead of sweat as large as a bean slid down from his eyelid, but when he inadvertently glanced at the memorial Xiao Chuyu was handling, his eyelid trembled, and the bead of sweat was so startled it flew off.
Xiao Chuyu looked at the character for [Approved] on the memorial, and the corner of her mouth hooked up slightly.
A cool breeze stirred the tips of her hair. Xiao Chuyu looked at the profusely sweating Yuan Qi to the side, “Go change your clothes, they’re soaked through.”
Yuan Qi responded: “Nuo. This slave will go change right now and return immediately to serve Your Majesty.”
“Mm.”
There were ice blocks everywhere in the Imperial Study. Xiao Chuyu’s body was already prone to coldness; now that the weather was hot, it was actually a good thing for her. At the very least, without Wen Nuan’s company, she could still barely experience a little warmth.
Xiao Chuyu placed the memorial in her hand to one side and picked up the unread memorials next to her to continue processing them, her expression focused and serious, until she felt a cool breeze float by her side and suddenly realized that Yuan Qi had returned.
“Go pour a cup of tea,” Xiao Chuyu did not raise her head, “Warm tea will be fine.”
These past few days, Yuan Qi, fearing she would get too hot, would always prepare chilled tea for her, but Xiao Chuyu preferred to drink some hot or warm tea.
A blue and white porcelain teacup was placed on the desk. Xiao Chuyu took the cup and had a sip, then casually passed it to the side.
The teacup was taken away, and Xiao Chuyu continued to review the memorials as a cool breeze blew by lightly.
Xiao Chuyu’s nose twitched. This cool breeze seemed to be mixed with a delicate fragrance; that ethereal, cloud-and-mist-like feeling was too familiar.
The tip of her brush paused slightly, “Has the incense in the Imperial Study been changed recently?”
No one answered her. Xiao Chuyu’s brow furrowed slightly. She looked up and immediately fell into that person’s eyes, which were filled with a smile.
Wen Nuan moved close to Xiao Chuyu, kissing the corner of her mouth, “Your Majesty likes the fragrance on this humble servant’s body, is that right?”
She naturally knew what Xiao Chuyu was talking about, and also naturally understood how to use her own strengths to stir up the amorous feelings between the two of them.
Xiao Chuyu licked the corner of her mouth, a flash of pleasant surprise in her eyes, “When did you arrive?”
“I’ve been here for a long time,” Wen Nuan pouted, “To think that Your Majesty didn’t discover this humble servant at all, this humble servant is so heartbroken, ah.”
Xiao Chuyu smiled: “Who was it that made Zhen’s little general’s martial arts so formidable and her qinggong so outstanding? An ordinary person naturally wouldn’t be able to discover the little general.”
“Your Majesty is no ordinary person. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven chosen by Heaven. This humble servant’s little trick naturally appears insignificant in Your Majesty’s eyes.”
“You, ah…” Xiao Chuyu held her hand, making her stop fanning, her tone carrying both affection and helplessness, “To think you would use such superficial words to compliment Zhen.”
Wen Nuan stopped teasing her. Seeing the fatigue between her brows, she raised a hand to rub the space between her eyebrows and said with heartache: “These past few days of government affairs have completely worn you out.”
“It’s alright,” Xiao Chuyu let out a breath, “They are all small matters that are easy to handle, not as tiring as you think.”
Wen Nuan casually looked at a few memorials. Xiao Chuyu wouldn’t mind this kind of action from Wen Nuan that showed no regard for the difference between superior and subordinate.
She saw a name on the memorial, and her brow furrowed: “Mobei has become chaotic again recently?”
“It’s nothing, just that mob15 from Mobei making provocations like scratching an itch through a boot16; it won’t amount to anything major.”
Xiao Chuyu’s gaze was reserved, not letting Wen Nuan detect the worry in her heart.
Wen Nuan still remembered the main storyline of this mission world: the remaining former subjects of the Yaodong Kingdom had spontaneously formed an army, supporting the Yaodong Kingdom’s princess, Lu Ling17, as the new monarch of the Yaodong Kingdom, with the intention of attacking the Ming’an Kingdom to take back the territory that was once seized from them. But they were, in the end, short on manpower, so Lu Ling devised a scheme, using her own stunning beauty to seduce the leaders of two sides, intending to unite with the Mobei bandits and the Anlong Kingdom. The three parties would dispatch troops in cooperation for the same goal, attempting to swallow the Ming’an Kingdom in one fell swoop.
Wen Nuan had come into contact with Lu Ling. This woman was full of schemes, beautiful in appearance, and skilled at bewitching people’s hearts, a beauty like Medusa. Back then, in order to defeat her, the Crown Prince of Yaodong had deliberately made Lu Ling pretend to be the delicate daughter of a merchant, and had her be discovered by Wen Nuan being violated by bandits while Wen Nuan was patrolling the border, thereby having her rescued and allowing her to infiltrate their ranks.
Wen Nuan did indeed rescue Lu Ling, but she did not have much contact with her, directly letting Zhangsun Jiashi take care of Lu Ling. And Zhangsun Jiashi shrewdly discovered Lu Ling’s true identity. Wen Nuan did not kill Lu Ling, and just let her go.
Later, when she conquered the Yaodong Kingdom, she did not see Lu Ling, only seeing the Crown Prince of Yaodong dead in his own bedchamber, the state of his death simply too horrible to look at. It seemed the person who struck had an extremely deep resentment for the Son of Heaven of Yaodong, which is why they would cruelly murder the Crown Prince of Yaodong.
Thinking about it now, Wen Nuan felt that the person who murdered the Crown Prince of Yaodong should be Lu Ling.
Xiao Chuyu saw Wen Nuan continuously looking at the memorial, her appearance of being lost in thought as if she were reminiscing about something.
She was naturally clear about the contents of the memorial. There weren’t many things on it that Wen Nuan could be reminiscing about; it was likely one of two things. One was the Mobei military situation, and the other was that new Empress of Yaodong, Princess Lu Ling.
A trace of coldness flashed in the bottom of Xiao Chuyu’s eyes. She deliberately asked: “What are you thinking about?”
Wen Nuan’s fingers tapped on the memorial. She informed her of everything she knew about Lu Ling, to see if she could contribute a little to the Mobei military situation, “Back when I conquered the Yaodong Kingdom, the Crown Prince of Yaodong died a miserable death in his bedchamber. I imagine it was at the hands of Lu Ling.”
“Lu Ling is the Eighth Princess of the Yaodong Kingdom. She is beautiful in appearance, skilled at bewitching and toying with people’s hearts. I actually think it’s perfectly logical that she could become the new Empress of the Yaodong Kingdom.”
“She is resourceful and farsighted, and military strategy and tactics are no problem for her. The Battle of Longming Slope and the Battle of Shuinan Gorge, I imagine, were planned by Lu Ling, leading to the defeat and failure of the Ming’an army.”
“Moreover, this person…”
Wen Nuan looked at Xiao Chuyu’s thoughtful gaze, and a woman’s sixth sense made her shut her mouth. She had a feeling that if she kept talking, Xiao Chuyu would definitely kill her. As for the reason, it was still unknown.
Xiao Chuyu looked directly into Wen Nuan’s eyes, while Wen Nuan, somewhat flustered, avoided her gaze. The two fell into a brief silence.
“Little General Gu is truly formidable. Zhen didn’t expect you would know yourself and know your enemy18 to this extent, ah?”
Wen Nuan: “…Uh, Your Majesty, this humble servant can…”
“Princess Lu Ling, beautiful in appearance, skilled at bewitching and toying with people’s hearts?” Xiao Chuyu pressed her cheek, “So Little General Gu thinks Princess Lu Ling is beautiful and charming, ah? Does that mean that Little General Gu once had her maiden’s heart19 thrown into chaos by Princess Lu Ling in Mobei, then?”
Wen Nuan: “….Uh, Chuchu, I…”
“Princess Lu Ling is resourceful and farsighted, well-versed in military strategy and tactics? Zhen didn’t expect Little General Gu to be so knowledgeable about Princess Lu Ling, ah? Zhen never told you the reason for the defeats at Longming Slope and Shuinan Gorge, yet you immediately thought it was Princess Lu Ling’s doing. This level of profound familiarity truly broadens Zhen’s horizons, ah?”
Wen Nuan: “…Uh.. I..”
She could explain!
Give her a chance, ah!
Xiao Chuyu looked at Wen Nuan’s flustered appearance, thinking to herself that during those years Wen Nuan was in Mobei, she must have long been ambiguously entangled with that Princess Lu Ling; otherwise, how could she be so well-versed in the matters of the bed between women.
The more she thought, the angrier she got. Xiao Chuyu grabbed a memorial from the side and threw it directly at her, roaring: “You libertine20, get out for Zhen!”
Wen Nuan looked at the tightly closed door, and for a moment, was speechless.
Yuan Qi, having changed his clothes, immediately rushed to the Imperial Study, only to see Gu Wen Nuan standing at the door, her back view exuding dejection and listlessness, like an eggplant hit by frost21, looking very pitiful.
“Little General Gu, you are…?”
Wen Nuan looked at Yuan Qi and asked in a small voice: “Has Her Majesty gotten her monthly affair22 recently?”
Yuan Qi didn’t understand why Wen Nuan was asking this, but thinking of the relationship between the two, he gave a slight nod: “Mm.”
Wen Nuan was instantly enlightened. When a woman gets her monthly affair, it’s unavoidable that her emotions will fluctuate greatly. She suddenly understood why Xiao Chuyu had flown into a rage.
She said with relief: “I made Her Majesty angry. Prepare some more hot water for her to drink, to cool her fire23, ha.”
Yuan Qi looked at Wen Nuan’s departing back, completely baffled, but he still followed Wen Nuan’s instructions and went to prepare hot water.
Xiao Chuyu saw that the person who came was Yuan Qi. She tilted her head slightly, saw no one outside the door, and her brow furrowed tightly, “Where is Gu Wen Nuan?”
Yuan Qi poured the hot water for Xiao Chuyu, “Little General Gu said she was afraid that seeing her would make Your Majesty angry, and afraid that you would ruin your health from anger, so she left. She said she will come to see Your Majesty again tomorrow.”
Xiao Chuyu looked at the hot water Yuan Qi brought over, “What is this?”
“This is the hot water Little General Gu specially instructed this slave to give to Your Majesty.”
“What is its use?”
Yuan Qi relayed Wen Nuan’s words truthfully, “Little General Gu said she understands that Your Majesty is currently having her monthly affair and is in a bad mood, so Little General Gu hopes you will drink more hot water and be less angry.”
Xiao Chuyu: “….”
The author has something to say:
Wen Nuan: I’m talking about work with you, and you’re talking about feelings with me?
Female Lead: I won’t listen, I won’t listen, you were definitely involved in something shady with that woman!!!
Author: (I write every world with all my heart, but my elementary school student’s writing style24 makes it so that there are many plot points you all don’t like. I can understand, after all, everyone’s likes and dislikes are different. This world is about to end, so if any little cuties don’t like it, please bear with it for a little while 【If you can’t bear it, I can only have tears in my eyes, feeling aggrieved】. To the little cuties who do like it, I also express my gratitude. Also, everyone be good, oh, don’t argue, you read novels just for fun. Giving you all red envelopes, ha.)
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