After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 84

Behind the corner of the earthen wall, Yi Xun quickly appeared, speaking respectfully: “Your Highness.”

Li Chanxiu coughed lightly and said: “You didn’t see anything just now.”

Yi Xun: “…But I saw it.”

She hesitated, then said frankly.

Li Chanxiu choked, then repeated: “You didn’t see it.”

Yi Xun: “……”

She fell silent. Just when Li Chanxiu thought she understood and wouldn’t say more, he suddenly heard her speak again with killing intent in her tone: “That man dared to offend Your Highness. Should I go kill him?”

Li Chanxiu: “……”

Sometimes, being too straightforward wasn’t a good thing.

He rubbed his forehead and said helplessly: “No need.”

Not to mention that his relationship with Pei Er was complicated and this didn’t count as an offense, even in terms of skill, Yi Xun might not actually be a match for Pei Er.

Yi Xun frowned, seeming not to understand: “But he offended Your Highness.”

Li Chanxiu had a headache and blurted: “He didn’t offend me.”

Yi Xun: “……”

Li Chanxiu: “……”

“Cough, in any case, this is between me and him. I’m using him to conceal my identity. There’s no need to bring this up again, and you don’t need to interfere,” he said, trying to keep his expression proper and serious.

Yi Xun fell silent for a moment, then quickly nodded.

Li Chanxiu let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief. After thinking for a moment, he added: “After we return to the southwest, there’s no need to tell Father about this either.”

Thinking of this, he felt somewhat fortunate that only Yi Xun had come to find him. Otherwise, if the other old subordinates all knew about this matter and it reached Father… he was truly afraid the other would, in a fit of anger, directly send someone to capture Pei Er.

Beside him, Yi Xun fell silent for a moment, then quickly understood. Although ever since she could remember, she had never met their lord nor seen how he interacted with the young lord, she had heard General Li, one of the lord’s subordinates, say that the lord valued the young lord extremely highly.

During those eighteen years of confinement, the lord’s range of movement had only been a small courtyard. High walls surrounded him; looking up, he could only see a patch of sky the size of a palm. Even passing birds would not linger, and the silence could drive a person mad. If not for the young lord staying by his side, someone he could talk to, someone who needed his care and whom he needed to support, the lord might have long since gone mad.

So if the lord were to find out that the young lord he had raised so carefully and attentively had been “offended” like this, he might personally take a blade and castrate the man.

But the young lord seemed unwilling for that person to be castrated… sigh, so complicated.

Yi Xun looked puzzled, feeling she couldn’t understand.

The two fell silent for a while. After a moment, Li Chanxiu coughed lightly and changed the subject: “By the way, why did you suddenly come here? Didn’t I tell you to stay in town and recover from your injuries?”

Yi Xun came back to her senses and quickly cupped her fist, replying: “Reporting to Your Highness, yesterday I saw you being stopped in town by a man in official robes. I investigated overnight and found that he is Shen Xiu’s cousin, and may expose your identity. Should I go kill him?”

Li Chanxiu: “……”

He fell silent. He truly didn’t know how General Li among the old subordinates had trained Yi Xun; she spoke of killing at every turn, just like Pei Er when he had first woken up in the wounded soldiers’ camp.

The problem was that killing wouldn’t solve the root issue.

He said helplessly: “Killing Gu Heng would instead expose you and me. There’s no need to invite trouble. Moreover, he is Shen Xiu’s cousin, and he doesn’t know what the real Shen Xiu looks like, so we don’t need to worry about him for now.”

After all, he had borrowed Shen Xiu’s identity. Although he disliked Gu Heng, for the sake of the real Shen Xiu, he wouldn’t make things difficult for him.

Hearing this, Yi Xun hesitated, then added: “But I also found out something, this person intends to… give you to Liang Wang Shizi, to curry favor and gain promotion.”

Li Chanxiu’s expression instantly turned cold. After a moment, he said in a dangerous tone: “Is that so?”

Originally, he had intended not to bother with this person out of consideration for the late Shen Xiu. But he hadn’t expected… after all, he was currently using Shen Xiu’s identity, yet Gu Heng showed no familial affection whatsoever toward Shen Xiu. In that case…

Forget it, now was not the time to act. He would deal with it when leaving.

Li Chanxiu frowned. He remembered that in the dream, Gu Junzhi’s in-laws were wealthy merchants in Wuyang City, Chen Dezhong. The reason he remembered this name was because this Master Chen had only one daughter, whom he doted on dearly. Master Chen possessed immense wealth but had no son. Fearing that after his death his daughter would be bullied by clan members and have her wealth taken, he wanted to choose a good son-in-law. After much selection, he chose Gu Heng, who came from a collateral branch of a noble family.

It was probably because Gu Heng did indeed appear refined and elegant, and possessed a fair amount of talent, that Master Chen greatly appreciated him. Knowing he was unrecognized despite his ability, Master Chen spent money in various ways to help smooth his path, hoping that after he became a high official, he could help support the Chen family and stand up for his daughter.

But unexpectedly, this very son-in-law whom he admired so much, after the Hu people invaded, killed his only daughter and his less-than-one-year-old granddaughter, and surrendered to the Hu people.

Master Chen was devastated. After that, he dispersed all his wealth to support anti-Hu forces, hoping to avenge his daughter. Unfortunately, Master Chen truly lacked some luck in judging people. The anti-Hu force he supported was a refugee uprising army. At first, they indeed fought the Hu people, but after capturing two cities, the leader of the uprising army grew arrogant and self-satisfied, indulging in pleasure and plundering wealth and women within the city.

Master Chen repeatedly tried to admonish him, but the man would not listen, and even ordered people to give Master Chen several heavy beatings. If not for the fact that he was good at managing logistics and could secure sufficient provisions for the army, he might have even been driven out.

It was said that when Master Chen was being beaten, he still cried out in grief to the army’s leader: “If you do not heed my words, your end is near!”

Sure enough, in less than two days, the Hu people returned. The city was breached, and the uprising leader’s head was hung on the city gate beneath the Hu banner.

Master Chen, because he resisted to the death, was captured alive. The Hu people, knowing of his situation, wanted him to surrender in order to break the will of the Great Zhou people to resist, and even summoned his son-in-law Gu Heng to persuade him.

But Master Chen was unyielding. Not only did he spit in Gu Heng’s face, he also cursed the Hu general fiercely, and was ultimately killed on the spot in the general’s rage.

Later, the common people praised Master Chen’s integrity and spread his story far and wide, which was how Li Chanxiu, far away in the southwest, also came to hear of it.

Looking at it now, for Gu Heng to even think of offering up a beauty to Liang Wang Shizi in order to seek promotion, he must currently be in a state of “frustration at not achieving his ambitions,” or rather, just one step away from rising further.

In the dream, Li Chanxiu had left Yongfeng early, so Gu Heng naturally never saw this “cousin” and had no chance to entertain such thoughts. But he must have had other schemes. Perhaps later, the reason he was able to become the governor of Yingchuan was precisely because of the Chen family’s strong support.

After all, with Master Chen’s wealth, helping Gu Heng, who was at that time only a prospective son-in-law, obtain rare treasures to present to Liang Wang Shizi would not have been difficult.

More than that, the Chen family may have contributed considerable funds. One should not assume Liang Wang Shizi lacked money. In recent years, in his bid to become crown prince, Liang Wang had been secretly buying off and courting officials and noble families, which required enormous expenditures.

Especially some time ago, the case of Jiang Chong embezzling official salt also implicated the Wang family, who was connected by marriage to the Song family, relatives of Liang Wang. Perhaps the Wang family was merely a front for the Song family, and the Song family in turn was for Liang Wang…

Following this line of reasoning, Li Chanxiu felt that after reuniting with the other old subordinates, it would be necessary to send someone to Wuyang City to ruin the marriage between Gu Heng and the Chen family. This would not only save Master Chen and Miss Chen, but also prevent Gu Heng from becoming prefect of Yingchuan, perhaps even save the people of an entire city.

After all, a defending official who abandons the city before the Hu people even arrive is worse than having none at all for the common people.

Wasn’t Gu Heng thinking of offering his “cousin” to curry favor with Liang Wang Shizi to achieve promotion? Then let his beautiful dream shatter, and at the same time remove his backer, Master Chen, so that in the future he would not even have the money to grease connections.

Li Chanxiu sneered inwardly. As for the present…

After some thought, he said to Yi Xun: “Find a way to break one of his legs and drive him out of Yongfeng Town. Be sure to act within your limits and do not expose yourself.”

There were no other physicians in town besides him and Doctor Hu. If the man really broke a leg or arm, he would have to return to the county city and would not be able to come back to bother him for the time being.

Although Li Chanxiu very much wanted to thoroughly teach this man a lesson, for now he still needed to keep a low profile.

Yi Xun understood and quickly said: “Rest assured, Your Highness. I will find an opportunity to do it.”

Li Chanxiu nodded, then after thinking, added: “If the others find you and make contact, have them wait for us in a nearby county city. Do not come directly to Yongfeng Town.”

First, coming directly to Yongfeng Town in large numbers would attract attention. Second… he did not want to be seen again.

He thought this expressionlessly.

Yi Xun nodded and soon took her leave.

Li Chanxiu stood where he was, thought for a moment, and seeing there was nothing else to do, turned and headed back toward the military camp.

Tonight was when the cold poison would flare up. He wanted to first go to the wounded soldiers’ camp to continue treating injuries, and then naturally stay overnight in the pharmacy, using the excuse that his illness had worsened so he would not return home.

He truly did not dare sleep together again. He felt as though his calves still ached somewhat even now, perhaps rubbed red, his skin still retaining the sensations from last night, especially the feeling that later slid slowly from his calves down to his ankles… Just recalling it made Li Chanxiu’s scalp tingle, his ears and cheeks burning hot.

He quickly took a deep breath, pressed his chest in regret, steadied his emotions, and then hurried toward the military camp.

***

Inside the command tent of the camp, Yang Yuanyi reported what he had just investigated to Pei Zhen, carefully choosing his words: “That Gu Heng really is Shen Xiu’s cousin, but… such a cousin is worse than none.”

After saying this, he cautiously glanced at Pei Zhen.

Pei Zhen’s expression was as cold as ice. After a long while, he finally spoke in a chilling tone: “Send someone to break one of his legs and drive him out of Yongfeng. Also, since he likes being an official so much, make sure he can never be one again.”

A person who only knew how to scheme for personal gain would not be a good official anyway.

Yang Yuanyi understood his meaning and immediately nodded to carry it out.

On the other side, after Li Chanxiu arrived at the wounded soldiers’ camp and had not been busy long, he suddenly heard a commotion outside. Soon Chen Qing came over clutching his wound, saying someone outside was looking for him.

Li Chanxiu frowned, thinking it was Gu Heng again. After all, Yi Xun would not come to the military camp to find him and would not be able to enter. As for Pei Er, he would come directly inside to find him without needing someone to pass on a message.

But when he got up and went outside and saw the person, he was momentarily stunned.

Standing before him was a “young man” of short stature and delicate features. In fact, Li Chanxiu could tell at a glance that she was a woman disguised as a man, after all, she was even shorter than him, her features were refined, and there were pierced holes in her ears. No matter how one looked, she did not resemble a man.

So… disguising oneself as the opposite sex is this easy to see through?

He shouldn’t be like that, right? He felt that he usually disguised himself fairly well… right? Didn’t Pei Er fail to notice?

His expression remained unchanged as he quietly sized up the newcomer.

When the “young man” in front of him saw him appear, their gaze immediately fell on him. Then the whole person froze, eyes going a bit blank, and couldn’t help murmuring: “So beautiful… truly like ice and snow, otherworldly, how could someone like Gu Heng be worthy…”

When Li Chanxiu heard this, his face immediately darkened somewhat. He also vaguely guessed who the person was, but still pretended not to know and asked: “You are…?”

The “young man” immediately came back to his senses, quickly coughed, his gaze drifting, and somewhat shyly said: “Miss Shen, hello. I, I am Gu Heng’s… I mean your cousin’s younger brother, no, not exactly, I, I am his clan cousin…”

Li Chanxiu suppressed a laugh inwardly, while outwardly remaining calm as he said: “You are Gu Heng’s fiancée, right?”

He hadn’t expected that Master Chen’s daughter, Gu Heng’s original wife, before marriage would have such a pure and lively personality. It was truly… a pity.

The “young man” froze upon hearing this, and after a long moment said in disbelief: “How did you know?”

Li Chanxiu: “Guessed.”

After a pause, he explained: “Ordinary women can’t enter the military camp. Since you can come in and you know Gu Heng, you must have taken his identity token…”

“N-no, I mean… how did you know I’m a woman?” The other’s face turned red, waving her hands repeatedly. After speaking, her expression turned puzzled again.

Li Chanxiu: “?” Was that so hard to tell?