Chapter 29 part 1
Edited by renderedreversed
Chapter 29 part 1
Three months later; it was now midwinter. Wei Country had issued a decree declaring war on Qi Country. At this time, the emperor and the empress dowager were also locked in an intense battle with each other.
Before going to send the troops, the emperor summoned me to the palace again to both appease and intimidate me. Since he was keeping an eye on me, I didn’t think I’d be able to slip away from the battlefield.
Back to the general’s mansion, Chu Kong was gnawing on a roasted chicken while he bitterly grumbled: “Damn Wei Country! Why start a war in midwinter, causing xiaoye to run here and there in this weather. Xiao Xiang Zi, go, go fight a battle or two with them. Abuse them a little before running away.”
Just as I was wondering what things I needed to bring with me, Chu Kong had to go and say something like that.
“You’re not the one who needs to go to the battlefield. You only know lip service. If you want to abuse them, go abuse them yourself.”
Chu Kong bit into a large piece of meat and vaguely mumbled: “Who says xiaoye isn’t going?”
My eyes lit up and I stared at him.
“Do you want to impersonate me and go to the battlefield in my place? Princess Kong, after becoming a woman, you’ve become more human.”
Chu Kong took once faint glance at me before he suddenly sneered. Then, he continued to bite into his chicken without additional comment. That he didn’t refute me was supposed to be a good surprise, but it still made my mind uneasy.
A few days after that, even seeing Chu Kong’s shadow became an impossible task. I still didn’t see him on the day of departing, either. I began to worry, not about him, but about myself. Only the Gods knew what game he was playing...
On the day of my departure, I sat at a long table with the emperor. We drank blood wine together before I had to leave.
I had to wear heavy armor as I rode my warhorse. The warhorse staggered a little and shook its head. Actually, maybe this was a little too much armor...
In front of the citizens of the capital who came to see me off, I led the horse forward and left the capital.
I had heard word that this General Chu was very brave before he died. He also was quite the war tactician. Every war he battled in, even if he was at a disadvantage, he still came out the victor.
Wei Country feared this General Chu considerably. Of course, on the way to the frontline, I still suffered many assassination attempts.
It was just that, though this lifetime was undoubtedly filled with trial and tribulation… When being poisoned, Chu Yi would block it for me. When being assassinated, Chu Yi would block it for me. He really was a human shield. My ‘gold’ armor would also block it for me. Every time an assassin came close, I didn’t move or run; I just firmly sat there and waited. When my would-be murderer was about to strike a deathly blow, no matter if it was upon his head, shoulder, or abdomen, the first thing that would fall first was Chu Yi’s sword. Over time, rumors developed that the general was invincible. The rumors in the army said that the general was extremely powerful, and that he cultivated a golden hard body that would never wither.
Of course, they were mortals. They didn’t know any better. I, on the other hand, knew that this general’s golden hard body was not, in fact, invincible. It was really hard to run away with this body.
The biggest problem that came with the assassination attempts was Chu Yi. He was always attentive to a fault afterwards. All day long, he stood beside me with that wooden face. It became really difficult to escape.
Day after day, the frontline grew nearer. I was so anxious that I was an insomniac every night.
On one of these particular nights, the army was camping on the outskirts. I was sitting in a tent with a headache. Suddenly, I could hear Chu Yi’s voice yelling: “Presumptuous! Whose underling are you? How dare you sneak into the general’s tent!”
An assassination attempt again? I waited for half a day and still didn’t hear a sound. My anxiety got the best of me, so I walked out of the tent, only to find Chu Yi holding a skinny soldier. This skinny soldier’s eyes were impressive; he wasn’t intimidated at all and in fact was staring at Chu Yi with a cold, unyielding look. Seeing that I had come out, his eyes fell onto me. With raised eyebrows, his lips moved and said, “Xiao Xiang Zi.”
I also raised an eyebrow. I didn’t expect Chu Kong to dress like a soldier and mix into the army. But why didn’t he come to look for me after so many days? Why did he come today? I coughed and said, “Soldier, what do you have to report?”
In the sunlight, Chu Kong’s face was a little pale. He deliberately lowered his voice and hoarsely said, “General, it’s life-threatening information.”
I nodded. “Come in and talk.”
Chu Yi refused to release him.
“General, this is probably a bad idea...”
“No harm.”
I waved my hand and took Chu Kong with me into the tent. It was just that this place wasn’t like the general’s mansion. Anyone could overhear us outside. I let Chu Kong come to my desk. There, I handed him a brush and asked: “What do you have to report?”
While Chu Kong said aloud, “A matter of life and death,” he wrote on the paper, “There’s another child in my belly.”