Yingchun quickly changed the young lady into suitable clothes for riding, then pulled her to sit down and quickly tied her hair up and wiped off the marks on her face, making the young lady look as normal.
She knew the reason for the young lady's loss of composure. The Regent... set out for battle today.
Fu Dong came in. She usually carried large and small plates, but today she held a package and a steaming cake in her hands. "Fill your stomach first, and you can eat the medicinal food when you come back. This package contains some food. I made it a bit heavier, but it goes well with rice. You can take it to the Regent."
Hua Zhi's eyes started to turn red again. She took a deep breath, took the cake, took a big bite, and walked out quickly. She had to hurry.
The eldest girl, who remained calm even when the sky was falling, was seen by everyone in the Hua family for the first time running with her skirt flying, even eating while walking without paying any attention to etiquette. She ran from the backyard to the front yard, stuffed the last bite of cake into her mouth, took the reins from Butler Xu, jumped on the horse, and galloped away.
Only war horses could run on the main street, so she took a detour through the alleys. No matter how many people looked at her sideways or how many people were stunned, she didn't care about anything. She didn't want to say nothing today and never have the chance to say it again in the future. She didn't want to be angry when they parted and make Yan Xi worry. She didn't want to regret it when she thought about it in the future.
She doesn't want to have any regrets.
Outside the East City Gate, flags were fluttering, and 30,000 elite soldiers drawn from the Beijing Camp stood in neat square formations. Gu Yanxi was wearing armor, which made his already tall body look even more majestic.
After the plan was made, the young prince personally filled the cup with wine, handed one cup to the newly appointed mighty general opposite him, and raised the other cup high, "Respect the heaven, respect the earth, and our Daqing country."
Gu Yanxi then toasted to the sky and the earth, and poured the wine under the table.
Two cups full.
The prince held it high and sprinkled it on the ground again, "To General Sun."
Three cups full.
"This cup is for the regent who stands tall and proud."
Gu Yanxi knelt on one knee and performed the military salute, "I, your servant, will do my utmost to protect our Daqing country."
After he finished speaking, he held the cup with both hands and drank it all.
The prince bent down and helped the man up, "I will wait for the general to return victoriously."
"I will not let the prince down."
The prince raised his head and looked at the man who was much taller than him. He said in a low voice that only the two of them could hear, "Nothing is more important than life. Brother Crown Prince must come back."
These words should not have come from the mouth of the crown prince who was about to ascend the throne. The meaning of the words was like leaving a way out for the general going to the expedition. But he said it anyway, and he said it with utmost sincerity. The Grand Tutor had taught him that a person can die with dignity, but living offers many possibilities. If things are really impossible, he hopes that his brother the crown prince can save his life and then plan for the future.
Gu Yanxi was also surprised, but more of it was heartwarming. He swallowed back the words "be careful with your words" that he was about to say, and added a little tenderness to his cold tone, "I hope that Your Highness will become a wise ruler in this prosperous era."
"I will." The prince raised his chin, confident and flamboyant, "I will!"
Gu Yanxi smiled and saluted to the civil and military officials who came to see him off. All the officials returned the salute solemnly. They admired the Regent, at least at this moment.
Chen Qing, who was also wearing armor, led the horse forward and handed the reins to his master. Gu Yanxi took it and was about to climb onto the horse when a voice came from afar, "Gu Yanxi!"
His body stiffened and he immediately turned around to look. Who else could it be but Azhi standing under the city gate
Hua Zhi's hair was not as neat as usual. She couldn't ride a horse on the main street, and there were no alleys to go through on the last section of the road. She was afraid she would miss the chance, so she abandoned her horse and ran over.
She was aware of her own embarrassment, but had no intention of caring. She was filled with relief that she had caught up. She no longer saw anyone else and just ran towards Yan Xi.
Gu Yanxi went to meet him with both surprise and joy. Seeing the sweat on her forehead, she felt as if she had soaked in a hot spring. She subconsciously reached out to wipe it with her sleeve, but when she raised her hand, she found that her sleeve had become soft armor, so she had to use her fingers to scrape the sweat off her forehead.
"Why are you here?"
"If I don't say something, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life." Hua Zhi looked up at the man who was a head taller than her. He only had her in his eyes. "You said you liked me."
"Yes, I am pleased with you."
"Do you want to marry me?"
"When I return safely, I will marry you in a sedan chair carried by eight men."
Hua Zhi smiled, "Listen carefully, I will only marry one man in this life, his name is Gu Yanxi, I will marry him if he is alive, I will marry him if he is dead, I will marry him if he is disabled, I will marry him even if he is just a piece of rotten meat and a pile of bones! In ancient times, Hua Mulan joined the army and Mu Guiying took the lead, I can also wear armor and avenge my husband, you know my sparse and ordinary three-legged cat skills, if I really go to the battlefield, I will just die..."
"Azhi!"
"If you don't want me to end up like this, then come back alive!" Hua Zhi was still smiling, with light in her eyes, "I'll wait for you to come back and marry me in a sedan chair carried by eight people."
Gu Yanxi was so shocked that he didn't know what to do. His mind was blank. He could only hug the person tightly according to his instinct, but he was worried that the armor was too hard, so he didn't dare to hug her too tightly. He tightened and loosened, loosened and tightened again. He just wanted to take off this troublesome thing and hold this person to a place where no one could find him. He wouldn't have to care about the country, the responsibilities to his family and country, or anything else. He just wanted this person in his arms.
He just wanted this person.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two people who were hugging were open and aboveboard. Instead, the adults who were watching a big show and didn't know what words to describe their feelings at the moment turned their eyes away. Some looked at him with their eyes and noses, while others looked at Minister Zhu jokingly. The one who was doing this shocking thing was his granddaughter.
Zhu Bowen half closed his eyes, pretending he didn't know. He had no intention of taking care of this granddaughter anyway. Even if she came here in her wedding dress to worship heaven and earth today, he would be willing to help set up the stage.
Fortunately, those two people were never ordinary people.
Hua Zhi stepped out of his arms, picked up the package thrown on the ground and handed it to him, "Fudong made some food for you on the road. Let's go, the sooner you go, the sooner you will come back."
But Gu Yanxi couldn't bear to let go of Azhi, who had lost all her composure, who had said such earth-shattering love words, who had even abandoned the etiquette of women, all for him. How could he bear to leave
"Azhi..."
"I just want to hear that you like me, and I don't want to hear anything else."
"I like you." Gu Yanxi didn't hesitate at all. He held her hand and put it against his chest, saying again and again, "I like you, only you. This place is filled with you."
Hua Zhi raised her chin slightly, "You have good taste."
"No one in the world has better vision than me."
Hua Zhi covered her eyes and lowered her head and said, "Let's go."
Gu Yanxi looked at the watermarks on the ground, his heart trembling. He wanted to tell her not to cry, but his throat seemed to be blocked and he couldn't say a word. He could only hug her again, kiss her ear and promise her, "I will definitely come back alive, wait for me."
PS: My brain is drained of juice...