You Yuji and Si Que stayed at You's house for another month.
During this month, His Majesty's health has been getting worse. He was willing to lead the army before the New Year, but after the New Year, he suddenly aged and became more and more powerless to handle state affairs. Now that the crown prince has been deposed, people in the court and the public are discussing the selection of the new emperor. The crown prince is impossible, and many people are guessing which of the two, the Pinghuai King and the Jinnan King, who were left in the capital by His Majesty, will be the new emperor. Some people also guess that the Shengxiang King, who was driven to his fiefdom, still has the possibility of succeeding to the throne, and perhaps being driven to his fiefdom is also a kind of protection for His Majesty.
After much speculation, most people guessed that Prince Pinghuai would succeed to the throne.
Just when everyone was discussing the matter, battle reports came back from the front. To everyone's surprise, Chen's army suffered a series of defeats.
In recent years, the State of Chen had been annexing the surrounding territories more and more smoothly. The people of the State of Chen thought that this expedition to conquer the State of Ning, which refused to surrender, was a sure thing, but they did not expect to suffer repeated defeats.
It is said that the soldiers of Ningguo were protected by some evil god, and each of them was extremely powerful and could fight ten people at once.
When the news of the defeat reached the palace, Emperor Chen looked at the map of mountains and rivers spread out on the table with a pale face. Could it be that his ambitions would be frustrated in the end
There was a sticky medicine on the corner of the table. Its bitter taste reminded him that he was no longer young and it was no longer the time for him to fight on the battlefield and conquer the world.
"Deshun." Emperor Chen called the eunuch beside him, named several ministers, and summoned them to the palace for a discussion. Emperor Chen was worried that Ningguo would ally with Xuanguo again at this time, so he had to prepare for a rainy day.
The chief eunuch wanted to remind His Majesty that it was already very late, but when he saw His Majesty's frown, he swallowed his words of dissuasion, responded, and turned around to do it.
The smoke from the Boshan furnace wafted out and brushed across the pale temples of Emperor Chen.
Chen's army suffered several defeats, which dampened their high spirits when they set out. The atmosphere in the army also became subtle.
Chen Jun was having a meal in the camp. Chen Anzhi sat in a corner, holding a piece of coarse flour bun in his arms. He left Beijing in the early part of the first lunar month, and now it was the beginning of April.
When he left Beijing, his skin was fair and his face was ruddy. Although he had not yet fought a formal battle, the months of running around had changed him. His once fair face had turned wheat-colored, and his lips were chapped from eating steamed buns. The burn on his right hand had almost healed, but he was no longer as flexible as before. Not only was he always accompanied by a hideous and ugly scar, but he also had no strength to use. When he encountered bad weather, his knuckles would ache unbearably.
He had never taken up arms and gone to the battlefield seriously because when he was standing in the crowd, he looked too weak and frail, and was injured, so he was assigned to the fire corps.
Look, the steamed bun he is chewing now was made by himself.
Tiezhu came over with two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge and sat down next to Chen Anzhi. He smiled carelessly and said, "It's a rare thing for us to eat the food cooked by the prince. When we go back, we can brag about it to the neighbors!"
The stationmaster was a tall and strong man with a loud voice. His voice, which he did not lower on purpose, was heard by the soldiers around him and caused a burst of laughter.
At first, Chen Anzhi couldn't help blushing when he heard these words. His skin was fair and delicate, and his blushing was particularly obvious, which often caused another burst of laughter.
But after listening to it for a long time, Chen Anzhi got used to it. He even smiled and said, "I would like to go to the battlefield with you guys."
Tiezhu bit his steamed bun and looked at Chen Anzhi with deep emotion. When the army left the city, he saw Chen Anzhi's delicate skin and tender flesh and patted his shoulder to tease him. It was only after being reminded by others that he knew his identity. The two of them were next to each other during the march, and by chance, their bedding was also next to each other when they slept at night.
He witnessed Chen Anzhi's transformation. Until now, he still remembered how the spoiled prince Chen Anzhi was so frightened by a mouse that his legs became weak and he couldn't walk. He also remembered how he cried under the quilt at night. At first, no one dared to provoke him, but after a while, they found that he was determined to experience life. This group of people were carefree and outspoken, and it was common for them to joke with each other.
Tiezhu didn't understand why a man of such a background couldn't bear to mix with these peasants. He picked up the bowl of porridge and took a big sip, half a bowl in one gulp. Before taking the second sip, he joked with a smile: "I have improved. I won't blush anymore, haha."
Chen Anzhi politely wiped the steamed bread crumbs from the corner of his mouth and said with a smile: "I am embarrassed to be laughed at by you. It's not that I'm tanned, but I can't even see my blushing."
"Hahaha." Tiezhu laughed loudly, and the people squatting next to him eating dinner also laughed.
Tomorrow we will attack the city, so everyone had dinner tonight and quickly went into the tent to rest. Chen Anzhi and several other soldiers washed several large pots of dishes and returned to the tent. As soon as he stepped into the tent, he immediately smelled a strong and bad odor. The weather was warm, and the tent was filled with the smell of sweat and smelly feet.
At first, he was nauseated by the smell, but now he has gradually adapted to it. Chen Anzhi raised his arm and smelled his sleeve. He could no longer tell whether he had this disgusting smell. There was nothing he could do about it. Taking a shower in the army was a luxury.
In the tent, blankets were placed close together. Some people had already lain down and were snoring, some were gathered in groups of three or four to talk, and some were playing dice for small amounts of money.
Chen Anzhi squeezed through the crowd and returned to his place. Somehow, a footprint was left on his clean mattress. If it was when he first came, he would have thought someone had done something bad on purpose, but now that he had been with these people for a long time, he knew that they just didn't care and stepped on it accidentally when they passed by.
He sat down and rubbed it hard with the old clothes. After it was barely clean, he lay down again.
Tiezhu was lying aside, holding a pair of knee pads, thinking about his wife.
Chen Anzhi looked at the knee pads in his arms and smiled, "You are holding the knee pads your wife made for you again."
"Why, are you jealous?" Tiezhu tightened the kneepad in his arms, "I say, you are a prince, you have a wife and concubines, aren't the clothes and bedding you wear all made by them?"
Chen An was stunned and didn't know how to respond.
Tiezhu got interested and sat up to ask, "I heard that you are very lucky. You have brought the two most beautiful women in the Twelve Kingdoms into your courtyard! One is your childhood sweetheart, the other is your concubine. If you like any maid, you can take her back to your house and make her your concubine... Are you willing to leave your home like this?"
Chen Anzhi felt that these people's words when talking about women were too vulgar, and he was very unhappy. He frowned and said, "I have to get up early tomorrow, so I'm going to sleep."
He turned over and faced away from the iron pillar, not wanting to continue talking to him.
"If I were you, I wouldn't come here to suffer, hugging my beautiful wife every day. It doesn't matter what kind of beauties or concubines there are, as long as I have a sincere wife." Tiezhu smiled and lay down, hugging his knee pads again, thinking about his little wife. His little wife is good in every way, even the fierce look when she raised a kitchen knife and scolded him for being incompetent is pretty...
Chen Anzhi couldn't help but get distracted as he listened to Tiezhu mumbling to himself behind him.
He thought of the women in his backyard.
I had to wash so many dishes every night. Where was the hot water in the army? I kept my hands in cold water for so long that the burns on my hands would hurt after each dishwashing.
The pain in his hand reminded him of the nightmare.
He didn't want to think about Fang Qingyi, but the heartfelt words she said to him the last time he saw her could still hurt him so much after such a long time, causing him to ache.
It takes courage to admit that you suck.
There was a lot of noise around, but Chen Anzhi's ears seemed to have quieted down.
Maybe he really did something wrong. He was too self-righteous and felt good about himself, so he stood on his high ground and treated those women as almsgivers. If he hadn't messed up his own backyard, he wouldn't have harmed his cousin, mother, and sister...
Thinking of the fire, Chen Anzhi closed his eyes.
He regretted it, really regretted it. When he returned to Beijing, he would be filial to his father and mother and listen to them. He would never mess with other women again. As for those women in his courtyard...
The first person Chen Anzhi thought of was You Yujie, his wife.
The effect of the Zao Nu San had completely worn off, and he had suffered another blow. Now that he recalled it carefully, he felt deeply sorry for her. He even felt that his apology before leaving was not sincere enough. When he returned, he would cherish her.
Maybe she really doesn't want to live with him
But he already knew he was wrong, and he wanted to get her back and make her his wife. He had to make amends for his past, and he had to beg her back sincerely, using his whole life's sincerity and time to make amends.
Then, Chen Anzhi thought of Princess Que. This goddess who had been hidden in his heart and made him feel excited just thinking about her...
Since he brought her to the mansion, he didn't dare to be rude. Wouldn't that be ignoring her? He said he would protect Princess Que for life, so he must keep his word. When he returns, he will no longer be afraid to approach her because of his cowardice. He should please her openly like a real man.
Chun Xing was his first woman and had always been obedient and docile. Naturally, he could not abandon her. Even if he did not dote on her, he could always ensure that she had enough food and clothing.
Cuiyu, chase her away. At most, give her some money and let her find a way out on her own, so that she won't pass on her bad habits to others.
Hongzan. Whenever Chen Anzhi thought of Hongzan, he would think of Fang Qingyi. If he kept her in the mansion, he would never enter her room again.
Si Han... Chen Anzhi tried hard to recall, but he could hardly remember what this woman looked like. At first, she just wanted to please Si Que, but who knew... She was chased away too.
If the mistress You Yuji doesn't like these concubines, just drive them all away.
Chen Anzhi had made up his mind that he would no longer bring women to the back house in the future. Only You Yuji and Si Que would be enough. He smiled with relief when he thought of the good relationship between You Yuji and Si Que.
There was a lot of noise in the tent, but Chen Anzhi fell asleep with a smile on his face, full of anticipation for a happy life for three people in the future.
Although You Yuji had been living in the You family, she had been keeping in touch with the Princess of Jinnan. By mid-April, she learned that the Princess's burns had almost healed, and the fetus in her belly had been stable for a long time, so she could leave the house.
Only then did You Yuji plan to return to the Prince of Jinnan's Palace.
—Go to the palace with the princess to meet the Empress Dowager Cixi and inform her that she and Chen Anzhi had divorced long ago.
Si Que sat up, opened the bed curtain, and looked around the room. He saw You Yuji sitting in front of the dressing table, drawing her eyebrows. He got out of bed lazily, without even putting on his shoes, and walked towards You Yuji with lazy steps.
"Sister." He leaned down, his messy long hair hung down, brushing against the tip of You Yuji's ear and sliding down to rest on You Yuji's white wrist.
After getting off the bed from Si Que, You Yuji had already stopped drawing her eyebrows. She held the thin eyebrow drawing pen in her hand without moving. She watched Si Que approach step by step through the bronze mirror. Until he leaned over to her, she bent her eyebrows, sighed softly, and said with a helpless smile: "Go put on your pants."
The person holding her from behind did not move. Instead, he nuzzled her delicate cheek with the tip of his nose, then lazily called her "sister" and said, "I don't want to wear it. I want to use it for a while."
You Yuji looked at Si Que's profile through the bronze mirror.