After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 74

Li Chanxiu’s mind was in a daze; he didn’t even know when Pei Zhen had left. Even if he had known, he likely wouldn’t have been able to call him back.

In this situation, if he had asked the other to stay, he wouldn’t have known how to get along in the latter half of the night. Although there was still a broken wooden plank bed in the side room, the beam of the bed had already snapped, and there were no extra quilts. Even if he wanted to go sleep in the side room, he couldn’t.

Moreover, he simply couldn’t fall asleep now.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of continuing to explain just now, but Pei Er had already said things to that extent, so even if he continued, saying that night in the stronghold was because Pei Er, having lost his memory, didn’t know what to do, and he had helped, what use would it be?

At that point, even if they weren’t husband and wife, it couldn’t be explained clearly anymore.

Besides, at that time it wasn’t entirely because Pei Er had asked for help that he had acted… that night, he must also have been drugged, his mind muddled.

Moreover, there were several nights when they had indeed slept under the same quilt, and that night drinking deer blood wine, they had almost kissed…

If Pei Er didn’t remember the fake marriage, and only remembered these, then his misunderstanding was indeed…

But why did he remember only these? And not the fake marriage?

Li Chanxiu couldn’t help but run his ten fingers into his black hair and tug hard, only feeling a headache.

It was also his own fault. After the marriage, why hadn’t he kept a polite and distant boundary with Pei Er? Why had he, several times, with a muddled mind, been overly intimate with him?

But who could have expected that Pei Er would lose his memory again, forgetting what should be remembered, while remembering everything that shouldn’t, even more than he himself knew?

Li Chanxiu took out that hair-binding sachet again. At this moment he was still bewildered, while he hadn’t known, just what else had Pei Er done? In the other’s current memories, just how many things were there about them that went beyond their relationship, things he himself didn’t even know about?

The more Li Chanxiu thought, the more chaotic his mind became, more chaotic than when he had previously suspected Pei Er might like him and intended to confess.

Confessing feelings could still be dealt with by finding a way to refuse, but the other had directly skipped that step, insisting they were already husband and wife. How was he supposed to handle that?

In the latter half of the night, Li Chanxiu lay flat on the kang, eyes open for half the night, hardly sleeping again.

***

In the military camp, Pei Zhen lay alone on the bed in his tent, likewise unable to sleep for half the night.

With one hand behind his head, he quietly stared at the top of the tent, recalling what had happened not long ago.

His wife was unwilling; naturally, he couldn’t stay just now.

Moreover, he seemed to have frightened the other. If he continued to stay at home, his wife might, out of fear of sleeping with him again, find an excuse to come to the military camp.

Since that was the case, it was better for him to come to the military camp himself and let the other stay at home.

But why was it like this? Those intimate moments weren’t fake. No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t believe their marriage was fake. Even now, he still remembered how, in order to be able to marry her, he had fought desperately to win the military competition, the excitement when he shot and hit the prize.

He had put in so much effort to win the right to marry her, how could it possibly have been just for a fake marriage?

But his wife’s shock and fear tonight didn’t seem fake either, so what exactly was the reason?

Clearly those memories were all real, yet the other used all kinds of reasons to brush him off, though none managed to convince him. After all, he had already recovered his memory, unlike when he was still Pei Er and so easily fooled.

Pei Zhen frowned tightly. After thinking it over and over, he could only arrive at one conclusion, the other did not want to share a bed with him.

But why was that? Could it be… that it was related to the other actually not being Shen Xiu?

Pei Zhen’s eyes darkened. This was the thing he was least willing to think deeply about.

***

In the central command tent, General Chen recalled what had happened during the day and likewise tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Suddenly, he sat up with a jolt, still muttering in disbelief, “No, that kid really is Pei Shizi?”

…

Early the next morning, just as Pei Zhen stepped out of his tent, someone sent by General Chen came to summon him.

He paused mid-step as he was about to head to the medical room, thinking it must be something important, so he had no choice but to turn and head first to the main command tent.

Upon entering, he saw General Chen seated at the head, with a pair of faintly bluish, tired eyes, holding a teacup and drinking tea.

When the other saw him arrive, he hurriedly set down the teacup and was about to stand, but then, as if recalling something, suddenly sat back down again, his eyes secretly sizing him up, as though observing what reaction he would have.

Pei Zhen’s mind was either on the war or on matters between himself and Li Chanxiu, so he naturally had no time to guess what General Chen intended to do. His expression remained as usual.

General Chen sized him up briefly. Seeing that he had absolutely no awareness of his own “disrespect,” he became even more certain and said, “You brat, yesterday you were deliberately fooling me, weren’t you?”

He had tossed and turned all night, and no matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense. How could Pei Er be Pei Shizi? If the other were truly Pei Shizi, would he lower himself to stay in a place like this? Would he marry a criminal woman? Would he not directly reveal his identity and resolve the crisis at Wuding Pass?

Even if the other had previously lost his memory, judging from what he said yesterday, he should have regained it, right? But wasn’t he still the same as before, sticking close and going again to the wounded soldiers’ camp to find his wife?

For Pei Er to do this was normal, this kid was newly married, inseparable from his wife. But if he were Pei Shizi and still acted like this, then it would be abnormal.

If he really were Pei Zhen, even if after regaining his memory he could accept that he had married a criminal woman, at most he would treat her with mutual respect, right? He wouldn’t be like Pei Er.

He had heard that Yan Wang Shizi, Pei Zhen, was decisive in killing and warfare, godlike in military strategy, cold by nature, and wholly devoted to reclaiming the northern lands, with no interest in romantic attachments, otherwise he wouldn’t still be unmarried until now. Would such a person be entangled in gentle affections, even going out of his way to please his wife?

So after thinking it over and over, General Chen still felt that Pei Er had most likely been fooling him yesterday. After all, the other had previously used the banner of Pei Shizi before, he had probably gotten used to it.

“You think I’m timid and afraid I wouldn’t agree to you detaining Lu Gonggong, so you used the name of Pei Shizi to reassure me and let me allow you to handle this matter, isn’t that right?” General Chen asked, probing yet somewhat certain.

Pei Zhen: “……”

“If you say so, then so be it.” He had no mind to explain; as long as General Chen still listened to him, making things convenient for him to act was enough.

General Chen immediately let out a sigh of relief and said, “I knew it was like this!”

As he spoke, he pointed at Pei Zhen from afar and sighed, “You, you, before I said you were upright and overly honest, but now your guts are getting bigger and bigger, even daring to use the name of Pei Shizi. Do you think I’ve never seen Pei Shizi? Hmph. Luckily you only told me and even knew to have me keep it secret, you didn’t go telling others like this…”

At this point, he stroked his short beard and then indulgently said, “Forget it. Since you’ve already detained Lu Gonggong and offended him, I certainly can’t hand him over. Last night, people from the prefectural city came overnight, and I pretended not to know anything, said there was no such matter, and forcibly didn’t let them go to the prison to see. Early this morning, while the people from the prefectural city weren’t paying attention, I quickly transferred those two to another place for detention.”

As soon as Pei Zhen heard this, he knew the general had agreed with his approach. He cupped his hands and said, “Many thanks.”

“No, no, this is what I should do.” General Chen waved his hands repeatedly. After taking a sip of tea, he couldn’t help sighing, “It’s just that I don’t know whether, after this matter is investigated clearly, this little life of mine can still be preserved, or perhaps I won’t even last until that point…”

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and said to Pei Zhen, “Oh right, you must build a good relationship with that young brother Yang from Bingzhou. His status in the Bingzhou army isn’t low, I reckon at the very least he’s a young general capable of holding a city. He might even know the real Pei Shizi. Since we’re now determined to investigate Lu Gonggong’s matter, we’ll inevitably need his help for protection. In the future, he might even save both our lives. Speaking of which, he seems to have come looking for you. Did you know him before you lost your memory?”

Pei Zhen also sat down and drank tea, saying indifferently, “I am Pei Zhen.”

General Chen snorted, clearly no longer believing him, and then continued, “Oh right, there’s another matter. You interrupted me yesterday, so I forgot, it’s about your wife…”

At these words, Pei Zhen suddenly lifted his eyes and looked at him.

General Chen: …Look at how concerned he is. I told you, this kid couldn’t possibly be Pei Shizi.

How could Pei Shizi be so sentimental?

“Ahem, it’s like this,” he coughed twice and said, “Recently, your wife first discovered the epidemic and guessed that the Hu people might attack. Then she helped resist the Hu soldiers and worked hard treating the wounded, her contributions are not small. In addition, she previously discovered the issue of salt shortage in the army. In my opinion, with these merits, her criminal status could already be reported and pardoned.

“As for the official salt matter before, I feared that people in the prefectural city might be implicated, and reporting it might instead harm her, so it has been suppressed and not reported. But her contribution in resisting the Hu people can be truthfully reported to Prefect Yan at the commandery office, what do you think?”

The hand with which Pei Zhen held the teacup paused, and he immediately thought of the matter of his wife’s questionable identity.

Pei Zhen did not trust Prefect Yan. They still hadn’t figured out what exactly was going on with his wife’s identity, if they reported it directly and it ended up harming her…

He rotated the rim of the cup in his hand, then quickly said, “Please, General, do not report this for now. Allow me to go back and discuss it with my wife.”

General Chen nodded upon hearing this. “That works. Anyway, the war hasn’t ended yet. Perhaps your wife will achieve further merit later, reporting it all together then won’t be too late.”

Tsk, he knew this kid couldn’t be the one making decisions, sure enough, he had to go back and ask his wife. And yet he still claims he’s Pei Shizi.

General Chen lifted his teacup, flipped the lid, and took a few light sips while shaking his head, secretly amused.

Pei Zhen felt inexplicably puzzled by the way he was being looked at.

After taking leave of General Chen, he had only taken a few steps out of the military tent when Yang Yuanyi happened to come out from the neighboring tent.

The other stretched lazily, then turned and saw him, quickly walking over to follow at his side and asked, “Jianzhi, I heard you suddenly returned to the military camp in the middle of the night yesterday, did something happen?”

Pei Zhen’s steps paused. He turned his head and looked at him expressionlessly.

Yang Yuanyi: “…?”

What’s wrong? Did he say something wrong?

Based on his understanding of Pei Zhen, if the other suddenly returned to the camp in the middle of the night, something major must have happened in the army. Otherwise, could it be… for personal matters that he came back in the middle of the night?

Pei Zhen withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward the medical room. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped again, turned around, his expression solemn yet somewhat hesitant.

Yang Yuanyi couldn’t help but tense up. For something to make Pei Zhen both solemn and hesitant, it surely wasn’t trivial. Had the Hu people attacked again? Or had Lu Gonggong been rescued?

But such matters shouldn’t make Pei Zhen this hesitant and unable to decide, so…

“What exactly is it? Hurry up and say it,” he urged.

Pei Zhen glanced at him again. After deliberating several times, he finally spoke: “It’s not anything important. Yesterday I went to the wounded soldiers’ camp to visit the injured…”

Yang Yuanyi tilted his ear and listened carefully. After waiting a long time without hearing anything further, he couldn’t help asking, “And then?”

Pei Zhen coughed lightly and continued, “Then, perhaps because my attitude was overly cordial, one of the wounded soldiers opened his heart to me and began confiding in me about his troubles at home. He said…”

Yang Yuanyi: “?” You? Overly cordial?

What’s the difference between that and saying a ferocious beast is a house cat?

And what exactly is the matter? Why has he talked so long without getting to the point? When did Pei Zhen become so long-winded?

“…In short, that wounded soldier asked me, his wife is unwilling to be close to him, even using a fake… even using an impossible reason as an excuse. He wants to know why.” Pei Zhen finally said it all in one breath, his expression upright and serious.

After thinking, he added solemnly, “You know, I’ve never understood these things. But since that wounded soldier asked me, and I went to visit him, it wouldn’t be right not to help.”

Yang Yuanyi: “……”

“Of course, it’s not that he insists on being close with his wife, he just wants to know what’s wrong with her. If she has difficulties, he can help resolve them,” Pei Zhen added again.

After speaking, he clasped his hands behind his back in a serious manner, his expression appearing composed.

Yang Yuanyi: “…” This wounded soldier… isn’t you yourself, right?

He thought complicatedly. He had thought it was something serious, turns out it was just this?

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Pei Zhen frowned.

“Ahem.” Yang Yuanyi immediately snapped back to his senses and began analyzing for him. “Generally speaking, in this kind of situation, it could be that the wife has someone else in her heart and doesn’t like this husband.”

“Impossible.” Pei Zhen immediately rejected it.

Seeing Yang Yuanyi suddenly look at him with a probing gaze, he coughed lightly and added, “I’ve already asked that wounded soldier about this. He said that’s not the case.”

Yang Yuanyi: “Oh~”

He pondered, then suddenly asked, “To what extent is she unwilling to be close?”

“It’s that she won’t… How would I know? That wounded soldier didn’t say. Besides, matters between husband and wife, improper to hear,” Pei Zhen suddenly put on a stern face, his tone serious.

Yang Yuanyi: “…” Got it, roughly.

“Then it might be disharmony in marital relations.” He had always been blunt, so he said it directly.

Pei Zhen’s pupils suddenly shrank, then he froze: Not… harmonious?

At this moment, Yang Yuanyi raised his hand and slung it over his shoulder, saying carelessly, “Either the husband isn’t very capable, and the wife dislikes it but finds it hard to say, or the husband lacks skill, barging around recklessly and making the wife suffer, so she doesn’t dare to say it. In short, both of these don’t work, one is not good on the soft side, the other on the hard…”

“That’s enough.” Pei Zhen suddenly interrupted, his expression somewhat unnatural, displeased. “Broad daylight, why are you talking about this?”

After speaking, he frowned and admonished, “Stop picking up bad habits from the ruffian soldiers in camp.” All crude talk.

Yang Yuanyi: “???” Weren’t you the one who asked me first?

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