Chapter 123: Must Indulge In Joy
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too.
That night, what happened was not just the fight in the forest. In front of Zhen'nan Pass, and the two cities taken by the Kingdom of Qi, all had become a battlefield of slaughter.
In front of Zhen'nan Pass, the Great Chang had other ambushes. The Kingdom of Qi’s vanguard camp that prepared to attack the city at night was completely wiped out.
And in the two cities originally taken by the Kingdom of Qi, the ten thousand soldiers placed inside were mostly the old, weak, and wounded from the Qi army.
Before dawn, most of the wounded soldiers resting quietly in those two cities were still immersed in sweet dreams when they quietly met death.
The Great Chang soldiers who had hidden all over the city, and those hiding in several specially made underground bases in the city, all came out.
In one night, blood flowed like rivers, and corpses lay everywhere.
By dawn, the two cities originally taken by the Kingdom of Qi had their flags of the Great Chang raised again.
The Qi army scattered and fled but had nowhere to run.
The Great Chang soldiers at Zhen'nan Pass and those from the two cities all came out, forming a pincer attack and surrounding them.
The Qi army had to continue guarding the land near Zhen'nan Pass that they had cut out before, struggling to hold on, waiting for reinforcements from the court’s army.
In this battle, although the Great Chang suffered casualties, the Kingdom of Qi’s losses were far heavier. Not only were most of their old, wounded, and disabled soldiers taken by a smaller number of Great Chang soldiers, even the Qi Emperor’s most beloved imperial brother, the Prince of Ding'an, was captured alive by the Great Chang’s Second Princess.
Like killing someone and destroying their heart, after the defeat in this battle, the Prince of Ding'an was hung every day on the city wall for public display.
Whenever the Qi army wanted to regroup and break out, they had to see their Prince of Ding'an hanging naked above the waist on the city wall, crying and calling to see his imperial brother, begging his imperial brother to come and redeem him.
Because of this, the leading generals became cautious and hesitant. They dared not attack the city, nor fire random arrows.
Unintentionally, this gave the Great Chang an opportunity to press the advantage.
The 300,000-strong army, under continuous defeats and morale blows, gradually became disorganized.
For these and many other reasons combined, they fought and lost all along the way...
And when the Qi Emperor received the news of this battle, it was already five days later.
At that time, he was still holding a celebration banquet in the palace, waiting for the soldiers to return victorious to distribute rewards. He had even planned how to divide the land of the Great Chang and assign people to govern each area after the victory.
But unexpectedly, in the midst of the palace filled with laughter and joy, he received the battle report that his beloved imperial brother had been captured alive.
However, the bad news did not stop there.
Not only had the tens of thousands of troops at the front before Zhen'nan Pass been completely wiped out, but now only a little more than ten thousand soldiers remained, struggling to hold the land between Zhen'nan Pass and the border city of the Great Chang.
Even the border deep in their kingdom had been severely damaged.
That same night, under the leadership of Lin Zhenshi, the Great Chang army set out from the Tiger Pass, launching a night raid on the Qi army's defensive positions...
The Tiger Pass in Lingnan Road had always been a place easy to defend but hard to attack.
This place was very important; if lost, it would be hard to take back. For a long time, the Great Chang had been on high alert here, guarding against invasions from the Kingdom of Qi through this narrow pass.
The Great Chang soldiers at Tiger Pass had always been on the defensive. Long-term guarding against occasional harassment from the Qi army had already exhausted them, and perhaps this was why they had forgotten how to attack.
Perhaps because the Great Chang had been suppressed for so long, the Qi Emperor never thought that those timid soldiers inside Tiger Pass would one day dare to charge out and take the initiative to invade the Qi kingdom.
Moreover, which leading commander would dare to push most of his forces into such a dangerous place to do this kind of sneak attack when defeated?
But now, no matter how much the Qi Emperor regrets, it is useless.
The Kingdom of Qi suffered continuous defeats and had their current prince captured. The Qi Emperor knew deeply that there was no hope of winning this battle anymore. After thinking all night, the next day he sent envoys again to the Great Chang to ask for peace.
They were willing to give land and pay compensation, only asking the other side to spare his imperial brother and the remaining captured troops. To end the war and make peace.
However, this time, the usually weak Great Chang firmly refused.
They were not satisfied with just this.
Their counterattack came fast and fierce.
The Great Chang’s Supreme Commander Li Qiubai not only refused to accept the surrender letter, but also ignored the impact of the war on the country. She directly pursued the victory, attacking and provoking the enemy on many fronts, advancing toward the Kingdom of Qi’s imperial capital...
Of course, that is a story for later.
The most crucial battle for the Great Chang to turn defeat into victory was when Li Qiubai planned and captured the Kingdom of Qi’s Prince of Ding'an.
It was also the night when the Princess and the Young Master reunited after a long time.
After that night, the Princess had not found the chance to return to her own tent and spent the whole day in the command camp, sending out troops and orders.
Her trap was set from the very beginning by pretending to lose.
After that, every step was extremely crucial. She walked very carefully, not daring to make a single wrong step.
She also knew, although the several generals around her all followed her orders, worked wholeheartedly to assist her, and obeyed all her commands without any doubt or complaint.
No one felt relaxed or fearless in their hearts.
After all, this move—if successful, she would be remembered forever; if failed, she would be disgraced for a thousand years.
No one wanted to become a national shame for a thousand years.
Only when good news came from all directions one after another did she slightly relax the string in her mind that had been tense, and in the deep night she started back to her tent.
Although the night was deep, the camp was still full of cheers from victory that could not calm down.
Sent off by the repeated praises of “Her Highness is wise,” the Princess felt very happy.
But after returning to her place, the Princess found that the person she had waited and thought of all day was not there.
Her good mood thus slightly faded.
After ordering water to be prepared, she soaked in the bath for a long time.
Extremely tired, Li Qiubai was already almost asleep.
Not knowing how long she had slept, she was about to drift into deep sleep when a gentle touch on her shoulder woke her up.
Only then did the Princess slowly open her eyes.
“Where did this lecher come from?”
When her wrist was grabbed, the Young Master was still holding a white cloth in her palm. She was just about to wipe it on the Princess again, to clean off the bloodstains left unwashed at her neck.
The strength on her wrist was so light it was laughable, as if it were a half-hearted rejection that secretly welcomed her.
Because of that, the Young Master, who had not dared get too close to the Princess for fear of waking her, now boldly raised her other hand. From behind the Princess, she reached past her neck and cupped her cheek, giving it a teasing pinch. Then, in a deliberately low voice, she said,
“Your Highness is truly bold. You are not even afraid of a flower thief anymore?”
After pretending to be a stranger, the Young Master was afraid she had really frightened her. So she continued in her usual tone, muttering in displeasure, “And your tent’s guards are really too lax. They actually let a flower thief come in just like that…”
Hearing that, the Princess could not help but let out a soft laugh. She leaned back naturally, and only when the back of her head touched that soft body behind her did she raise her hand and rest it on the back of the Young Master's hand.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too.
With just a slight pull, she had already dragged her into the bath, splashing up a wave of water.
“Other than you, what flower thief could possibly get into my sleeping quarters?”
She would have been hacked to pieces by the shadow guards outside already.
The voice that brushed past the Young Master’s ear was full of laughter.
Meng Chang’an had been caught off guard by that pull. As she fell into the tub, her clothes were already soaked through by the warm water.
Just as she finally managed to sit steadily in the bath, the Princess hooked her arm around her neck again.
“And another thing, where did you run off to? How come I did not see your shadow the entire day?”
If one listened closely to that question, it was not hard to hear the full grievance hidden in her tone.
After catching the meaning behind it, the Young Master could not help but secretly laugh.
When she had sat herself upright and looked at the Princess, she no longer cared how uncomfortable her wet clothes clinging to her body were. She raised her brows and asked directly, “What, you missed me that much?”
Her tone was full of smug pride.
There was laughter in the Princess’ eyes. Her fingertips had already brushed over the Young Master’s brows and eyes. As she gazed into those lively, smiling eyes, the Princess replied openly,
“Yes. Do you not miss me?”
They had not seen each other in a long time. The moment their eyes met, they could no longer look away.
Not to mention, during that period when the Young Master had been blind, she had not even been able to see the Princess’ face clearly.
Now that they were reunited—how could she not miss her?
The Young Master just gazed longingly at the Princess’ face.
After all, long separation is better than a new marriage.
Even if she were to stare at her beloved like this for a whole night without blinking, she would not find it dull. In fact, she would feel that even a whole night would not be enough.
Thinking of this, the Young Master raised her hand and covered the one resting on her cheek. With a smile, she replied, “I do. I miss you so, so much.”
She could not hold back. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto the Princess' forehead, then explained.
“I was afraid of disturbing you. During the day, I only dared to sneak a few glances from outside. At night, Elder Brother and Wuyou dragged me away to ask about my injuries, so I ended up delaying my visit to you…”
Speaking of this, Young Master Meng felt a little embarrassed again. She could not help but feel annoyed at herself: how could she reveal her feelings so directly? What if the Princess got full of herself?
Clearly, it was the Princess who was not wearing clothes right now, yet the Young Master, with her reddened face, looked even more shy and delicate.
That little thought, the Princess saw through it with just one glance.
She was not satisfied with only that dragonfly-like peck. Before the Young Master could turn her head to avoid her gaze, the Princess had already hooked her arm around the Young Master’s neck and moved in.
Unlike the Young Master’s light, barely-a-kiss kind of peck, the Princess went straight for her lips.
When she captured those lips she had longed for day and night, the Princess felt that the emptiness in her heart was suddenly filled.
So full that her heart swelled.
Swelled so much that her eyes stung.
The Princess kissed with deep longing and burning passion.
As if she wanted to use this silent kiss to tell Young Master Meng that she too missed her, missed her so very much.
The yearning accumulated in her heart for so long, once the gorge opened, it was irretrievable as spilled water.
Just a single passionate and lingering kiss seemed to no longer be enough...
The Young Master let the Princess do whatever she wanted to her.
And as she quietly parted her lips in response, her hands could not help but wrap around the Princess’ waist that was submerged in the water.
The rippling water, mixed with the sound of hurried breathing, had already disturbed the still waters of the Young Master’s heart.
When she touched that slender and soft waist, the Young Master’s heart could no longer remain calm.
After that long deep kiss, the Princess finally pulled back a little.
If not for her deep internal energy, the Young Master would have almost been kissed breathless by the Princess, pinned against the edge of the bathtub.
Seeing the Young Master’s glistening eyes with that aggrieved and seductive look, the Princess only felt her heart grow even hotter.
Under the water, that pair of unruly hands were groping around messily.
That faint and fleeting touch had already teased the Princess until she could not help but soften her body.
She leaned obediently into the Young Master’s embrace, pressing herself even closer, in order to make it easier for the Young Master’s next move.
But the Young Master suddenly froze and stopped her hands in frustration.
Seriously...
The Princess had not slept the entire night and was this exhausted already. How could she still take advantage of her like this...
The Young Master also could not figure out why. Clearly, she had only wanted to help the Princess clean her body, then carry her back to the bed to rest. How did it turn into this situation now...
However, the Princess, who had not felt any further movement from the Young Master for a long while, could not help biting down on the Young Master's chin in annoyance.
“Did you not say last night that you wanted me to offer myself to you? What now, you do not dare to take me anymore?”
“Or is it that our Young Master’s shoulder injury has not fully healed yet, and you cannot move?”
Meng Chang’an: “…”
Such provocation, the Young Master naturally could not tolerate.
Since this was something the Princess brought upon herself, then she could not blame her!
The Young Master no longer cared how exhausted the Princess was. She immediately continued the movement of her hand from earlier, once again groping downward to explore, while also snorting coldly in response.
“Do not worry, Your Highness. My hand now can already hold a blade. Holding your mere waist is naturally not a problem.”
While she spoke, the movement of the Young Master’s hand did not stop, and even gradually began to apply strength.
She had wanted to do this long ago.
Back when they were still in the medicinal bath that day, she had already wanted to do this.
It was just a pity that her hand injury back then had not yet healed, and her movements were inconvenient.
Now that the chance had come, she naturally had to cherish it well!
The more Young Master thought about it, the more excited she became. But the Princess could not help suddenly going soft.
Her smooth arms still hung around Young Master's neck. No matter how intense the battle under the water became, the Princess's expression barely changed. She even had the strength to force out a scornful smile.
"Is that so? But how come I feel that Young Master's strength... is so small and weak?"
If not for the corners of her eyes turning red, with tears welling up slightly, the Young Master might have really thought her skills had worsened after not making a move for so long.
The Princess kept provoking her like this, which only made the Young Master try even harder.
Their tightly entwined bodies drifted on the water like duckweed, rocking without end.
After a sudden shudder, the Princess finally lost all strength and slumped weakly into the Young Master's arms. She bit her lip, swallowing her soft cries, only tugging at the soaked clothes on the Young Master's body.
"Stop..."
But the Young Master did not stop. As she lowered her head to kiss the corner of the Princess’ tear-brimming eyes, she asked with a teasing tone:
"Your Highness, is this strength enough now?"
Only then did the Princess choke out a response.
"Enough... enough..."
"But how could that be enough? After all, my strength is so small and weak..."
As she spoke, the Young Master had already withdrawn her right hand and clasped the Princess' chin, no longer allowing her to bite herself.
Looking at the Princess' eyes red with grievance, the Young Master could not help but feel a wicked thought again.
The finger resting on the Princess' lips pressed in slightly and was already inside the Princess' mouth.
Thinking back to where this finger had just been, the Princess could not help but feel embarrassed and angry, shouting, "Meng Chang'an!"
The next word "dirty" the Princess simply could not bring herself to say.
The Young Master felt very pleased, but she did not dare to cause more trouble in the Princess' mouth. She could only flatter her by kissing the corner of the Princess' mouth and said in a wronged tone,
"Why do you even scold me by full name? What, Your Highness, were you not satisfied just now?”
At this moment, the Princess was extremely annoyed, wondering how she had provoked this person too much.
After being pressed and deliberately tormented again by the Young Master beside the bathtub, the Princess finally could not help but begged, "I will not scold you... let us go somewhere else... not here anymore..."
She had no strength left, and could only sit on the Young Master's body, letting the Young Master clumsily serve her.
The body that had just been washed clean was now made sticky again by a new layer of sweat.
By the time the Young Master finally managed to wipe dry the water stains on both of their bodies, the Princess had already regained a bit of strength.
Her legs tightly wrapped around the Young Master's waist, while her left hand fell upon the Young Master's right shoulder, gently stroking that patch of hideous scar on her shoulder.
"Does it still hurt?"
The look of heartache on her beloved’s face could not be hidden no matter how she tried. The Young Master grew even more delighted the more she looked, and after tucking the Princess into bed and wrapping her tightly with the brocade quilt, she pressed a kiss on the Princess' forehead.
"If Your Highness blows on it for me, then it will not hurt anymore."
Their soft bodies were pressed tightly together.
The Princess was pinned beneath the Young Master, under her control. She could only lift her hands to touch the back of the one above her, slowly moving upward along the Young Master’s spine, until she once again held onto the Young Master’s shoulders.
She did not do as the Young Master said and blow on it a few times, but instead pressed a devout kiss upon that scar.
That clash just now had been full of release and full of joy.
The heat in the Young Master’s heart had already faded somewhat, but now, after receiving that kiss from the Princess, her thoughts began to ripple once more.
But she had already made the Princess cry from exhaustion earlier. If she kept going like this, the Princess would surely be angered, right?
The Young Master dared not move or touch recklessly. She could only obediently let the Princess kiss the scar on her shoulder, then gave a light cough and said, “It is late at night. How about we rest first?”
If the Young Master had not come tonight, the Princess would have surely fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion.
But that desire which had just now been stirred to the limit had already driven away all her drowsiness.
As she was now, how could the Princess possibly fall asleep?
After joy always came endless emptiness.
The moment the Princess closed her eyes, what appeared before her were countless wronged souls coming to claim her life.
But sadly, she no longer had much strength left. She could no longer entangle with the Young Master and continue to indulge in joy. So she simply lay there face to face, holding the Young Master in her arms, and raised her hand to gently stroke the Young Master’s face.
“Chang’an, do you know? Last night, I killed a lot of people.”
This sudden gloom and loss from the Princess left the Young Master at a loss for what to do.
She did not know how to comfort the Princess’ uneasy heart, so she purposely smiled and replied, “I know. Look, I also killed a lot of people.”
However, after hearing those words, the Princess became even more downcast.
“That is not the same.”
Killing thousands of people was not the same as killing tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.
“How is it not the same? Killing is still killing. How could there be a different way of saying it?”
After running around the camp for a whole day, with everyone praising the Princess’ bravery and outstanding military strategy, how could the Young Master not know how many people would die after the Princess gave that order last night?
But even so, so what?
In her heart, the Princess was still the one she loved.
The Young Master now was no longer that clueless wooden block who did not understand feelings back then.
She naturally knew what the Princess was worried about when she suddenly brought up this matter.
The Young Master once again planted a kiss at the corner of the Princess’ eye, then smiled and said, “If there really is a difference, then the only difference is that I killed with my own hands, while you killed through others. Comparing it this way, Your Highness’ hands are very clean, only mine are dirty.”
Being deliberately misinterpreted like this, the Princess truly did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Before the Princess could speak again, the Young Master stretched out her hand from under the blanket and waved it in front of the Princess.
“Look, my hands are covered in blood. Your Highness would not despise me for that, right?”
That smile on her face did not look like someone afraid of being despised at all.
Li Qiubai was amused by her and could not help but bite her chin again.
“You clearly know what I meant to say, do you not? Why are you still joking around?”
Seeing that her mood had lifted a little, the Young Master finally withdrew her teasing and gently stroked the Princess’ hair, then spoke seriously, one word at a time.
“If you had not killed them, they would have killed you. If it were me, I would have made the same choice as you.”
“If the blade in your hand was not enough, I would willingly become the blade in your hand.”
“So, Your Highness, you do not need to worry.”
The Young Master knew that from beginning to end, what the Princess was worried about and cared about had always been her feelings.
From the moment they met, and even more so after they fell in love, the Princess had always, always cared deeply about her feelings.
She was always afraid that, because of those flaws, the Young Master would stop loving her. Whenever she did anything bloody, she would always try to keep it from the Young Master.
Such careful and silent protection, never asking for anything in return, would move even someone with a heart of stone.
"No matter if my Highness is a person of utmost purity and kindness, or someone ruthless and merciless, or even a god of death feared by all—she is still the one I love."
No matter how shy the Young Master was usually, today she finally said what she had held in for a long time.
“No matter what kind of person you are, I love you.”
“So, Your Highness, do not be afraid. I will not leave. I will always stay by your side.”
