The Slender Waist-Chapter 254 - 178: Angering Xiao Cheng to Death

The crimson bridal tent glowed with a warm yellow light.

Xiao Cheng’s silver-white armor gleamed brightly.

The window was not shut; a strong breeze blew as he sat motionless in the bridal room. His calm face, tranquil eyes, seemed as if they were about to be submerged by the overwhelming redness...

His wedding night with Feng Yun did not have any pleasantness. Xiao Cheng had thought he had forgotten it long ago. He detested the vulnerability, the sorrow, and the thick plea in her eyes that night, and though she spoke such words, she still looked at him with those youthful, black eyes, suggesting delicately.

"Your concubine is willing to serve you, Your Majesty, in other ways..."

Xiao Cheng was driven to the height of fury.

When such shameless words came out of her mouth, he did not think of pride or pleasure, but rather what kind of "other ways" she had used during the three years she spent with Pei Jue, which satisfied that robust man...

He was the Emperor.

He did not lack concubines for the night.

Yet she humiliated him with these words...

That night, Xiao Cheng left with a flick of his sleeve and went to Fanghua Hall.

On their wedding night, he stayed in Feng Ying’s room—just a minor punishment for her and a release for the slight disquiet in his heart...

Xiao Cheng’s hand gently caressed the crimson satin fabric.

Some long-forgotten scenes now leaped forth.

Leaving on their wedding night, the next time he saw Feng Yun was three days later...

Her eyes were swollen like peaches. Seeing him, she lowered her head and stepped to the side.

Avoiding him, afraid of him...

Then he too disdained to offer her a shred of sympathy.

Why did the anger he felt back then seem to have faded now? Recalling her every smile, only nostalgia remains.

He could have embraced her, tried those soul-destroying methods, but the propriety of a Noble Young Master and jealousy clouded his mind, sounding like vulgar words to him, especially the thought of her trying them with Pei Jue that made it seem indecent to even look at her, making the sight of her seem wanton...

At that time, he did not understand that it was actually jealousy.

Jealousy blinded him, made him want to see her brought low, wanting her to grovel before him and live at the behest of his breath.

He wanted her to know that he was her husband, her heaven...

Latterly, as he wished, she became obsequious, but it was for the sake of their child.

Yet Xiao Cheng could tell that she had never admitted defeat in her bones.

That waist, it just wouldn’t bend.

The knees had knelt, but the bones remained rigid.

"Your Majesty..."

The guard Jixiang entered jubilantly, saluted Xiao Cheng, and said with a smile:

"Your Majesty, General Xie has finished writing the victory report ready to be presented to Tai City. Please issue your command."

A victory report.

Xiao Cheng slightly furrowed his brow, his plain armor accentuating his noble features, with a hint of chill.

After paying such a heavy price to retake Bingzhou and being ruthlessly toyed with by Pei Jue, they barely managed a draw. To claim it a victory, Kou Shan, who died miserably outside the walls of Bingzhou City, would be the first to disagree...

But the Qi Army desperately needed a victory, and if one only regards the outcome without considering the process, having retaken Bingzhou City, he too had nothing to say about claiming a victory.

"Approved."

Xiao Cheng’s word was indifferent, almost as if it overflowed from his throat.

Jixiang sensed the Emperor’s unstable emotions and felt a wave of unease.

He was not like Ping’an—who had been with His Majesty since childhood—and even though the Emperor was known for his gentle and magnanimous nature, Jixiang remained cautious, pondering before speaking:

"Your Majesty, this servant has heard that Pei Jue stayed in the main camp before the battle. Would Your Majesty like to take a look?"

Jixiang only wanted to pull Xiao Cheng away from this room that hurt his eyes.

Xiao Cheng pondered for a moment and agreed with a grunt.

However, what Jixiang failed to anticipate was that when Xiao Cheng sat down at the rosewood desk Pei Jue had used, upon opening a drawer, he found a woman’s used breastcloth, its long scarf emanating a familiar fragrance. Embroidered at the end was a tiny "Yun" character...

This was the main hall of the camp, where military affairs were conducted.

Pei Jue dared... to insult her so?

She was not a concubine for pleasure; she was his wife.

His wife by marriage.

Xiao Cheng’s face turned extremely pale as he suddenly swept away the teacup from the desk.

The teacup fell to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces.

Jixiang flinched, promptly kneeling down.

Xiao Cheng said nothing, his gaze once more fell on that drawer, where there was an opened envelope. The handwriting was graceful and delicate; every stroke seemed to be etched in his mind.

"To be opened personally by the General."

Xiao Cheng unfolded the letter.

Inside, apart from extensive analyses of the Jin and Qi armies, the speculations on Xiao Cheng’s own military tactics, there was one line that was especially eye-catching.

"Awaiting your triumphant return, to rejoice with you to my heart’s content."

Xiao Cheng’s eyes pricked, and he tightened his grip on the letter, suddenly pulling open all the cabinets in the room.

There was not a single useful document left, only a pile of ashes in the brazier in the corner...

All that should have been burned was burned.

Only one letter was left for him.

Xiao Cheng’s face was cool, and he chuckled lightly, "Pei Jue!"

-

The room was extremely quiet.

When Feng Yun came to, she spent quite a while feeling that she might be in a silent world.

A candle’s flame flickered, now bright, now dim, encased within the lampshade, isolated and endless.

"Xiaoman..."

She spoke, her throat hoarse.

Then came an itch, followed by a bout of violent coughing.

Xiaoman pushed aside the curtain and came in, hurrying to pour water for her, patting her back.

"Take it slow, miss, take it slow."

Feng Yun’s throat felt as if it had split. Her voice was rough, and she didn’t want to speak anymore; she just pointed to her throat and asked Xiaoman with her eyes what had happened.

Xiaoman put down the cup and fetched a pillow for Feng Yun to lean on before saying with concern,

"Miss, you’ve been ill. Last night, you were burning up; Xiaoman was terrified."

With tears that she couldn’t hold back, she said, "When I saw miss tumble down the cliff, I thought... I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime. Fortunately, the Great General saved you." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As Xiaoman recounted the events, Feng Yun’s consciousness slowly returned.

The carriage tumbling down the cliff had thrown everything into disarray. She and Pei Jue fell into a deep pond, hid in a cave, and the blazing firewood gave off a dizzying heat, scorching her skin till it felt feverish...

She and Pei Jue...

With Pei Jue...

For a moment, Feng Yun’s thoughts seized up. The chaotic scenes in the cave were mostly blurred, dream-like and disjointed, except for Pei Jue’s vivid expression of intense release as he threw back his head and moaned—it was etched in her mind, over and over...

She hugged her shoulders, as if remembering something, and looked down at her clothing on her body, her cheeks flushing with heat.

Pei Gou!

Those various spots and red marks – they were all left by him.

He knew neither restraint nor tenderness.

Seeing her grit her teeth in anger, her face livid, Xiaoman nervously placed her hand on Feng Yun’s forehead.

"Miss, does your head still hurt? Medical Officer Puyang said that you would have recurring fevers and severe headaches..."

She gestured towards the towel on the rack.

"Medical Officer Puyang taught Xiaoman, and I’ll go heat it for you now."

But the heat she referred to couldn’t be lifted.

Only by killing Pei Gou could it be done.

Feng Yun sighed inwardly and asked, "And the General?"

A smile appeared in Xiaoman’s eyes.

A married lady is different indeed; she blushes at the mere mention of the General.

"The General has gone to the camp to handle official matters. He commanded that once miss awoke, someone should be sent to inform him..."

She then added mysteriously,

"The General has even summoned Daman."

Feng Yun was taken aback, "Really?"

Xiaoman nodded vigorously, her face alight with a sweet smile.

"Xiaoman sees that the General really values Daman. When Daman came to visit you this morning, the General talked to him for a good while. He didn’t allow the servants to wait on you, and I didn’t hear everything clearly. In any case, the General is very indulgent with you and treats Daman well."

Xiaoman used words like ’indulgent’ and ’treats well.’

Xiaoman was a simple girl; she thought in terms of outward appearances.

Feng Yun surmised that it must have been the incident in Bingzhou City where Wen Xingsu severely defeated Deng Guang that had made Pei Jue regard Wen Xingsu in a new light.

She did not send word to Pei Jue.

Catching cold and coming down with a chill was nothing to make a fuss over.

After taking the medicine soup Xiaoman brought her, Feng Yun lay down for a while longer, and then news came.

Following the battle of Bingzhou, in which the Qi Army’s elite forces under Kou Shan were annihilated, besides awarding military honors, Pei Jue also made adjustments to the personnel and command of the seven-color armies.

Ao Qi, at the young age, served as deputy to Zhu Cheng as the vanguard, but that had been a mere verbal agreement without official orders. This time, the seventeen-year-old Ao Qi was truly appointed as the general of the Red Armor Army...

He became the youngest General in the Beiyong Army.

And in the Great Jin Dynasty.

Not because he was Pei Jue’s nephew, but for the military merits he had earned.

In addition, the three traitorous generals from Han, Chu, and Hu were executed in battle, and their positions were filled by promotions of the three deputies, Yu Daming, Tong Kejian, and Nangong Yi.

The most unexpected move was Pei Jue’s appointment of Wen Xingsu as the general of the Orange Crane Army, entrusting him with the remains of the Orange Crane forces and the task of reorganizing the Orange Crane Army...

As the title General Wen Xingsu held initially was purely honorific without actual command.

This was a real responsibility, coming directly from Pei Jue’s trusted ranks.

Furthermore, Pei Jue considered the matter with great care.

Because Wen Xingsu was newly promoted, installing him over another camp could cause unrest amongst the natives.

Since the Orange Crane Army had been decimated in Bingzhou City by Deng Guang, appointing Wen Xingsu to take over was more than appropriate: restructuring it would allow Wen Xingsu to cultivate his own trusted subordinates.

Pei Jue truly lived up to his reputation for magnanimity.

Upon receiving the news, Daman and Xiaoman were overjoyed, dancing with delight.

"Now that Daman has been awarded a military position, moving forward, you can hold your head even higher, miss."

Feng Yun shook her head, wanting to say something. But an itch in her throat caused another coughing fit, and she simply decided against speaking, waving them off instead.

"Leave me. I’m going to sleep a little longer."

She knew that reorganizing the Orange Crane for the Beiyong Army and her elder brother’s act of killing the Beiyong Army’s traitors in Bingzhou City were not the same thing...

Her concern was not whether Pei Jue would offer the honor, but whether her elder brother would accept it.