"She really came, if so, if so then……" Lan Bing lips slightly trembled and he was unable to say another word, collapsing to the ground.

"Whats wrong with you? Too happy to see her?" Tong Shou leaned down and pulled Lan Bing up and a.s.sisted him onto the stretcher. He then turned to Tang Yu and said, "Let's go, I'll take you back and find the army physician."

"No need," Tang Yu stood still as a rock, his eyes lifeless. A long while later he said, "I'm only slightly injured. It's fine if I go get treatment later. I'll go see Lord Chancellor. You wait here first."

Tang Yu gathered up his courage and set foot inside the tent again.

Ji Feng Li was standing beside the table, looking down at the chessboard. His slender fingers were slowly putting back the pieces on the board.

Half of his face was obscured in darkness, the other half illuminated by the candlelight, displaying a pale complexion. His whole figure exuded a cold indifference.

"Lord Chancellor, " Tang Yu was still holding onto his chest as he slowly approached.

"Leave, don't let me see your face!" Ji Feng Li angrily said, without turning around. In his hand was a black chess piece which he held tightly to.

"4th Miss Rong is here! Tong Shou said she had already arrived earlier. After sending people to investigate, I heard that Nangong Jue had arranged a tent for her and she had rested early for the night," Tang Yu said slowly.

Ji Feng Li suddenly looked up, his eyes s.h.i.+ning with a deep coldness. He stared at Tang Yu and quietly asked, "What did you just say?"

"Rong is here!" Tang Yu replied.

"Since when?" Ji Feng Li asked, his hands slightly shaking.

"Since this evening," Tang Yu quietly answered.

deng….

The chess piece in Ji Feng Li's hand fell, emitting a slight noise.

He suddenly slid down to the floor, shaking the table. The jug of wine was knocked over and the bright red wine poured out, staining the ground.

This glaring red made him recall what happened earlier.

When he had lit the candles back on, he suddenly saw the blood on the blanket. There was so much. It was so red, so glaringly so. He didn't know there would be so much blood on a woman's first night.

Looking at the blood made him feel deeply guilty. Even though he a.s.sumed she was a brothel woman sent over by Lan Bing, even though it was just a physical transaction, even though he regarded brothel women with disdain, he still felt awfully uneasy.

But she actually wasn't a woman from the brothel. She turned out to be…

"Lord Chancellor…" Tang Yu worriedly called out.

"Get out this instant! Else I might just kill you!" Ji Feng Li shouted, his voice cold and heavy.

Tang Yu fell to his knees. "This subordinate is willing to receive punishment!"

Ji Feng Li raised his head to look at Tang Yu. His dark eyes were burning with anger. He swung his sleeve and hit Tang Yu across the face, blood spilling from the wound.

"Guards!, Take him away!" Ji Feng Li ordered.

Tong Shou, who was waiting patiently outside, entered quickly and pulled Tang Yu out.

***

Hua Zhu Yu was not feeling well.

She had woken up early the next morning. Just as she was about to step out of bed, her limbs felt limp and soft and she collapsed back onto the bed. Her forehead was hot, burning with fever.

In her life, Hua Zhu Yu had been injured many times, but she rarely fell sick. Even when she did, it was merely a minor illness that did not prevent her from practicing martial arts or leading the troops. However, this time was different, she could barely even get up.

A burst of pain flared in her chest and a bitter sweetness rushed up her throat. She couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood, staining her clothes.

Breathing laboriously, she stared at the blinding red blood. Her heart was gripped with pain and the feeling of agony overwhelmed her. She could no longer suppress it and tears came streaming down.

"Father, I can't hold on much longer," she whispered in a hoa.r.s.e voice as she leaned against the bed, tears flowing down uncontrollably.

There were footsteps outside her tent, followed by a knock on the door. "Commander Bao, are you awake? It's time for breakfast."

It was the old chef that was responsible for sending her daily meals. Due to her internal injury, her meals were specially prepared and delivered to her tent.

"Wait a moment!" Hua Zhu Yu said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, her throat feeling very uncomfortable. She struggled to stand and clean up the blood before answering the door.

The chef entered with her meal and placed it on the table. After turning around and taking a look at her, he was slightly startled and asked, "Commander Bao, are you sick?"

Hua Zhu Yu lightly coughed. "It's probably just a cold. Can you go to the physician and get some cold medicine for me. Don't tell anyone, alright?"

"This…. Commander Bao, if you're sick, just let the physician come and take a look. Arbitrarily taking self-prescribed medicine isn't good." The old chef was an honest and straightforward man.

"It's nothing major. Since I know a bit about medicine, I'm aware of my own illness. You should quickly go. Thanks," Hua Zhu Yu slowly said as she leaned against the bed.

Seeing this, the old chef quickly left.

Leaning against the bed, Hua Zhu Yu was breathing heavily, her whole body burning hot. Though she wasn't a physician, having stayed in the army her whole life, she was still able to identify common illnesses. She knew she had caught a cold. In addition, she was madly infuriated yesterday which detrimentally affected her health.

translations at peachblossomgrove . com

The chef returned a moment later. "Commander Bao, since you aren't feeling well, I'll brew the medicine for you. You should also tell Lord Chancellor, let him send a few more guards over to take care of you."

"Many thanks, but don't tell Lord Chancellor. There's no need to bother him with these little things. I can take care of myself," she replied with a weak smile.

The chef helplessly sighed and began to brew the medicine. After the medicine reached a boil, he reduced the fire. He turned around with a smile and said, "Commander Bao, the medicine is done. After about an incense stick of time, it should be done cooling down. I will go back now. I'll come see you when I deliver your next meal."

Hua Zhu Yu nodded and the old chef left.

After some time, Hua Zhu Yu struggled to get out of bed and slowly went over to the get the medicine. She raised the bowl of medicine but suddenly her head throbbed and she lost hold of her grip. The hot medicine fell, splas.h.i.+ng onto her leg and she winced in pain.

Her body was weak and her legs gave way when suddenly someone entered and rushed over to help her up. He frowned and said, "General, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

She pried open her heavy eyelids and saw that it was Ping Lao Da. In a hoa.r.s.e voice, she replied, "Yes. Help me brew another bowl of medicine."

Ping Lao Da helped Hua Zhu Yu lie down on bed. He picked up a cloth and soaked it in water before placing it on her forehead. He then began to brew another bowl of medicine. After some time, he brought the medicine over to Hua Zhu Yu. "How did you end up like this? How is it that there's no one to take care of you? Wasn't Ji Feng Li treating you well these days? He even arranged for the chef to personally prepare your meals separately."

Hua Zhu Yu received the bowl and drank the medicine. After taking a deep breath, she said, "Ping, I'm going to sleep for a while. You stay here, don't let anyone enter." Now the only thing she wanted to do was sleep. With Ping Lao Dao guarding her, she can get some peaceful rest.

She didn't know how long she was out but once she woke, she saw Ping sitting on the side of the bed. Seeing that she was awake, he smiled at her. It truly was nice having someone looking after her.

"Ping, I feel much better now. You should go back now, don't let others find out. After all, this place is very close to Ji Feng Li's tent. It won't bode well if you're discovered," Hua Zhu Yu said in a lowered voice.

"I know, I'm going. You should quickly find a way to transfer over the Hu battalion's camp. Since I'm a soldier of the Hu battalion, It's more convenient to come find you and take care of you there,"Ping Lao Da said with furrowed brows.

Hua Zhu Yu nodded, "Alright."

"Another thing, I found out there's a batch of military provisions sent to camp, but it didn't come from court but from Xijiang Yue," Ping reported.

"Xijiang Yue? Nan Bai Feng Rong Lou's Xijiang Yue?" Hua Zhu Yu asked with furrowed brows.

Rong Lou, in the the eyes of the world is a very mysterious person. Hua Zhu Yu did not know much about him. She just knew that Dan Hong once mentioned that he established a pavilion called "Xijiang Yue" and that on the 6th day of each month, people in need of a.s.sistance can send a missive which is collected by his subordinates. Anyone met with misfortune or injustice can submit a missive. And as long as it's something within his realm of power, he will receive the missive and provide a.s.sistance.

When Dan Hong first mentioned to her the four top ranked men of the kingdom, she remembered giving a lazy smile, asking, " Nan Bai Feng, based on what is he ranked first? Though this general is not talented, but I, for the country and people, defended the borders and heroically fought against the enemy. Why am I ranked below him? Truly not fair!"

Dan Hong replied, "Although Nan Bai Feng doesn't guard the border, he has done quite a lot to help the common people. He is concerned for their welfare and a.s.sists them with their pressing issues. It's more practical and puts him in a more favorable light than you who just guards the border."

"Xijiang Yue's main concern is the common people's welfare. It isn't surprising if it decides to donate provisions. Moreover, Xijiang Yue is wealthy and has the means to provide support. To Xijiang Yue, those army provisions are measly like a drop in the ocean," Hua Zhu Yu faintly said.

"I heard that it was sent by Nan Bai Feng Rong Luo himself. I had made discreet inquiries, the soldiers in the military camp aren't aware of this. I think Left Chancellor has a close relations.h.i.+p to Xijiang Yue. Otherwise, why would Rong Luo personally handle this?" Ping quietly asked.

"Rong Luo came?" Hua Zhu Yu was slightly startled. This was truly unexpected. Nan Bai Feng Rong Luo actually secretly came to the military camp.

"Alright, I know. You should go back quickly," Hua Zhu Yu said and waved her hand.

Ping Lao Da got up but before he left, he turned around and said, "Remember, quickly transfer over to the Hu Battalion's camp. If I didn't come find you today, no one would've known if you had fainted here."

Hua Zhu Yu nodded. Ping let out a deep sigh and turned to leave.

Hua Zhu Yu leaned against the bed, lost in thought. A long while later, she felt hungry and left the bed to eat a few dishes that were left on the table. Remembering that these dishes were sent over by Ji Feng Li's orders, she suddenly lost her appet.i.te. Her body felt cold but her fever was still running so she went back to bed to rest for a little while longer.

But she had a lot on her mind. The news that Rong Luo had came made her feel slightly apprehensive.

[][

Okay, so I think I have a pretty good candidate to play HZY if this novel were to ever be turned into a drama. Her name is Xing En and she currently 28 years old. She currently staring in Legend of Hua Buqi. She’s a relatively new actress since I couldn’t find that much information on her or her earlier works. But when I first saw her in Legend of Hua Buqi in a male costume, I was like that’s totally a girl. But then she was so good in her role that I started to doubt myself and started wondering if that was just a really pretty guy so I had to look it up just to make sure. And yes I was right. In addition, her fight scenes looked decent and she’s as tall as the other male characters and taller than the female characters so it made it more believable. I think she pulls off the male disguise very well. And isn’t it quite fitting that the picture I found of her was in a silver armor since Ying Shu Xie’s always in silver! What do ya’ll think?