HXC Chapter59

Before Ji Zhen could finish changing, he heard his elder brother’s voice outside the tent. He answered casually, and Ji Jue entered, finding him haphazardly tying his belt.

 

He was changing into ordinary clothes, which should have been easy to put on neatly. However, the more he rushed, the more he fumbled, and he couldn’t even get the belt to tie correctly.

 

He looked preoccupied, and Ji Jue, seeing through his thoughts, stepped forward and brushed his hands aside.

 

Ji Zhen obediently stood still as he let his elder brother buckle his belt for him. He looked down at the nimble fingers and softly called out, “Gege.”

 

Ji Jue tightened the belt, and cinched his slender waist. Ji Zhen was pulled forward and barely managed to regain his balance as he heard his elder brother say, “Why are you back?”

 

Even Ji Zhen could tell that Ji Jue was asking a question he already knew the answer to. He slightly raised his eyes, for the first time a little hesitant to face his elder brother’s gentle gaze. But it was precisely because the person in front of him was the elder brother he trusted most that he didn’t want to hide anything. He mumbled, “I saw Shen Yanqing.”

 

Ji Jue finished tying the belt and took a step back. He was about to speak, but first, he noticed a striking red mark on the side of Ji Zhen’s neck, and his pupils constricted slightly.

 

Ji Zhen, who was completely unaware of what his elder brother was looking at, continued nervously, “I know you sent me away for my own good, but you also need to think of yourself…”

 

Mid-sentence, Ji Jue raised his hand and touched Ji Zhen’s neck, then pressed on the red mark.

 

Ji Zhen didn’t flinch. He looked at his elder brother with a hint of confusion as he allowed his elder brother’s fingertip gently rub his skin. A moment later, he suddenly remembered what Shen Yanqing had done the night before and stepped back in shock while covering the side of his neck with his palm. A blush spread across his face, and he wanted to explain but couldn’t find the words.

 

Ji Jue didn’t press the matter either. He turned to the side, picked up the fox fur, and wrapped it around Ji Zhen’s neck, his voice low. “Wear this.”

 

Ji Zhen naturally didn’t object, giving a soft “en.” Because of this small incident, Ji Zhen completely forgot the speech he had prepared. Just as he was in a state of embarrassment, Jiang Yunyu lifted the tent flap and rushed in.

 

Ji Jue was still wrapping the fox fur around Ji Zhen. The two were standing very close, their posture was even more intimate than that of ordinary brothers. After a brief pause, Jiang Yunyu came inside and said softly, “Brother Ji Jue, Yelu Qi has sent a message asking you to go along.”

 

During the discussion, Yelu Qi had greatly admired Ji Jue’s talent and praised him as an invaluable asset. Since Ji Jue had devised the strategy for this mission, it was only natural for Yelu Qi to request his presence.

 

A major mission was at hand, and the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin. After thinking it over, Ji Jue said, “Alright.”

 

For the past half year, Ji Zhen had barely left his elder brother’s side. On the rare occasions he went out for fun, it was only for only a day or two. But a round trip to Khitan would take about half a month. Ji Zhen felt a sense of unease and couldn’t bear to be separated from his elder brother, so he urgently said, “I’ll go with you.”

 

Jiang Yunyu said, “You stay in the camp. I’ll have someone look after you.”

 

Ji Zhen said earnestly, “I can go in disguise. I promise I won’t cause any trouble.”

 

Jiang Yunyu retorted, “We’re not going for fun.”

 

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Ji Jue made a decision. “Bring Zhen Zhen along.”

 

Ji Zhen slightly lifted his chin, about to be happy, when his elder brother added, “Since you’ve decided to come, you must agree to three rules with me.”

 

He nodded without hesitation.

 

“One, our identities are special. The envoys may know us, so the masks must not be taken off.”

 

“Two, stay by my side at all times. No running around.”

 

“Three, and the most crucial point.” Ji Jue’s expression was solemn. “This is a matter of great importance. No matter what happens in Khitan, you are not to interfere.”

 

His elder brother’s last words were spoken in a heavy, serious tone. Though he felt an inexplicable gloom, he still obeyed his brother and straightened up, saying, “I’ll listen to everything Gege says.”

 

Ji Jue gave a couple more simple instructions before leaving the tent with Jiang Yunyu.

 

Jiang Yunyu shook his head, “Still so willful. If things don’t go his way, he won’t let up.”

 

“Rather than leaving him in the army to overthink things, it’s more reassuring to have him by my side. We just need to be cautious about everything.”

 

“Brother Ji Jue is right.” Jiang Yunyu glanced back with a smile playing on his lips. “If we didn’t bring him along, he’d probably find a way to run away on his own anyway…”

 

At noon, Jiang Yunyu assembled his troops to escort the envoys to Khitan.

 

Ji Zhen and Ji Jue were disguised as Jiang Yunyu’s strategists. Both wore silver masks that covered most of their faces, making their true appearance unidentifiable.

 

When the two envoys questioned them, Jiang Yunyu replied with a straight face, “These two were originally border residents. Their faces were burned in a fire, making their features unrecognizable, which is why they wear masks all day.”

 

The envoy stroked his beard. “What a shame.”

 

Shen Yanqing, who was at his side, didn’t say a word and just staring intently at Ji Zhen. Ji Zhen naturally felt the other party’s burning gaze but pretended not to notice. He used his elder brother’s strength to jump onto the carriage and swiftly ducked into the cabin.

 

Shen Yanqing watched Ji Jue and Ji Zhen’s tightly clasped hands, only retracting his gaze when prompted by a colleague.

 

It would take a day and a night to travel from the military camp to the Khitan capital, Chengxuan. The carriages carrying the envoys and the Ji brothers traveled side by side, and Jiang Yunyu, whether intentionally or not, rode his horse right between the two.

 

All along the way, Jiang Yunyu would occasionally use a reed he plucked from the roadside to poke it through the carriage window and tease Ji Zhen.

 

Because Shen Yanqing was in the carriage next door, Ji Zhen was a bit distracted, but after being teased by Jiang Yunyu a few times, he got a bit spirited. He leaned halfway out of the carriage to snatch the reed from Jiang Yunyu’s hand, raising his voice, “You’re a general! What kind of general bullies a little soldier?”

 

After a long time of trying, he finally grabbed the base of the reed. He was wrestling with Jiang Yunyu, pulling and tugging, and just as he was about to succeed, the curtain of the opposite carriage was lifted. Shen Yanqing’s deep gaze fell upon his face.

 

Ji Zhen’s grip loosened, and the reed was immediately pulled from his grasp. He avoided Shen Yanqing’s eyes and huffed at Jiang Yunyu, “I don’t want to play anymore.”

 

Jiang Yunyu glanced at Shen Yanqing out of the corner of his eye.

 

Hearing the commotion, the two envoys stroked their beards and laughed. “The Young General and Young Master Qin are quite a pair. All this bickering and fighting along the way certainly makes things more interesting.”

 

Shen Yanqing’s knuckles on the window sill slowly tightened. Looking past Jiang Yunyu, he saw in the other carriage that Ji Zhen was leaning intimately against Ji Jue. He said something that made Ji Jue lower his eyes and chuckle softly.

 

The blinding scene made Shen Yanqing’s throat itch. He endured it for a long time but still let out a few low coughs.

 

Among the group, Shen Yanqing, who was the only one to have an official relationship with Ji Zhen, became an outsider. He could only watch helplessly as Ji Zhen laughed with Jiang Yunyu and acted coyly with Ji Jue. He didn’t even have the right to get close, because this wasn’t the capital, where everyone knew Ji Zhen was infatuated with Shen Yanqing. Ji Zhen wasn’t even Ji Zhen; he was the fabricated “Young Master Qin.”

 

Shen Yanqing clenched his knuckles until they turned white, prompting an envoy to ask, “Is Lord Shen feeling unwell?”

 

The opposite carriage curtain was deliberately pulled down by Ji Jue, so Shen Yanqing could no longer see what was happening inside. Only then did he reply in a low voice, “I’m fine.”

 

Jiang Yunyu put the reed between his lips and let out a faint cold laugh, then said, “Speed up. We’ll enter the woods before dark.”

 

The northern landscape was vast. Traveling to Khitan required passing through long stretches of sand and dense forests. This area was uninhabited, so the group would camp in the woods for the night.

 

As the sun began to set, the group set up tents and rested in the forest.

 

The soldiers were well-trained. As soon as they stopped, they lit a fire to warm up and distributed hardtack to everyone. The autumn nights in the north were extremely cold. Ji Zhen and his elder brother got off their carriage and went to the bonfire to warm up. As soon as they sat down, Shen Yanqing also dismounted and sat directly across from him.

 

Ji Zhen immediately felt that the already unappetizing hardtack became even harder to swallow, and he choked.

 

Ji Jue handed him a leather pouch full of water and patted his back lightly. “Eat slowly.”

 

After drinking a few sips of water, Ji Zhen recovered, but he noticed that Shen Yanqing was staring at him without any reservation. He originally wanted to ignore it, but the other party’s gaze was too blatant. He had no choice but to hide behind his elder brother, leaning against his shoulder as he struggled to take a bite of the flatbread.

 

Shen Yanqing could only see the lower half of Ji Zhen’s face, which was soft and luminous in the firelight. As he ate, his cheeks puffed up, and Shen Yanqing was mesmerized.

 

Jiang Yunyu sat across from Shen Yanqing, using his body to block Ji Zhen from view.

 

Now Shen Yanqing couldn’t see Ji Zhen at all. His brows furrowed. His gaze clashed with Jiang Yunyu’s for a moment, and sparks flew. Even the two envoys sensed the strange tension.

 

Jiang Yunyu was a member of the deposed Crown Prince’s faction, and Shen Yanqing was loyal to the Third Prince. It was common for them to be at odds. The envoys just assumed that their differing political views had created bad blood between them. They happily tried to mediate, “Lord Shen, would you like some flatbread, too?”

 

Shen Yanqing nodded. “Thank you.”

 

He slowly ate the flatbread with water. When he saw Ji Zhen stand up, he subconsciously rose as well.

 

As soon as Shen Yanqing moved, Jiang Yunyu stood up in a flash, and Ji Jue also looked up at him with a heavy gaze. This tense scene caused the two envoys to look at each other, both a little surprised.

 

Ji Zhen had only stood up to stretch his legs because they were numb from sitting. He had no idea that his small action would cause such a stir. He looked at his elder brother, feeling confused as well as to seek help.

 

Ji Jue smiled gently. “How about we take a walk nearby?”

 

Ji Zhen nodded immediately as he reached out to hold his elder brother’s hand. Ji Jue used Ji Zhen’s momentum to stand up, then wrapped Ji Zhen’s hand in his own palm and led him into the woods.

 

Shen Yanqing had only took half a step when Jiang Yunyu raised his hand to block him. “Lord Shen, there are still some things about the gift list that this general doesn’t understand. Let’s talk privately for a moment.”

 

Seeing that the Ji brothers had already entered the dense forest, Shen Yanqing went with Jiang Yunyu to a secluded spot.

 

Without anyone else around, Jiang Yunyu didn’t beat around the bush anymore and said coldly, “Let’s skip the small talk. If you dare to harm Ji Zhen, I will take your head.”

 

Just last night, Ji Zhen went to great lengths to defend Jiang Yunyu. Today, Jiang Yunyu was making harsh threats for Ji Zhen. They seemed to care so much about each other that it was as if Shen Yanqing was the villain breaking up a loving couple.

 

He faced the man’s threat calmly, merely saying in a soft voice, “Young General, you are joking. Ji Zhen and I have paid respects to heaven and earth and are deeply in love. How could I bear to harm him in the slightest?” Before Jiang Yunyu could speak, Shen Yanqing’s expression turned stern. “On the contrary, I should remind the Young General of something. Ji Zhen broke off his engagement with you for me back then. I hope the Young General does not forget his status and gives people something to gossip about.”

 

Anyone who heard these words would think they were competing for affection. This was a behavior Shen Yanqing had once despised, yet he never imagined that one day he himself would act so uncharacteristically, abandoning all his usual gentlemanly decorum.

 

Jiang Yunyu’s eyes instantly widened with a severe expression.

 

Shen Yanqing knew he had lost his composure. He cupped his hands slightly and turned to walk back.

 

From behind him, Jiang Yunyu’s voice resounded clearly, “I may not be as eloquent as Lord Shen, but I know that what matters is not the past, but what happens right now.”

 

Shen Yanqing’s steps faltered as if he had been struck by a sharp blade. The bleak night wind swept in, stirring up fine sand on the ground.

 

Yesterday is gone forever; and spring has passed without a trace.

 

The author has something to say:

This novel is also called “Shen Yanqing the Witty and Eloquent Scholar”.