Song Yihuan never knew that Ji Lingchuan, the solemn and etiquette - abiding heir of the Prince of Ning, would one day say such vulgar words to her with a cold and serious face and do such absurd things.
She bit her lower lip, on the verge of tears, thinking that she was wrong. If she had known that he would go crazy like a rabid dog, gnawing and biting her, she wouldn't have come to Liaocheng. Instead, she could have just taken the medicine and returned to Sucheng to reunite with Xuan'er, Xiangxiang and her father earlier.
She said she was hungry and shouted to stop. Ji Lingchuan let out a low laugh and took her to the table. They worked together to fill her up bit by bit.
"Speaking of which, why did you give Xiangxiang such a name? Is there any special allusion?" Ji Lingchuan affectionately nestled his face against hers and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind.
Song Yihuan steadied her breath and replied, "The nickname I gave him was originally 'Jixiang', and it just became 'Xiangxiang' after I called it so many times. This child had been through so many close - calls, but he stayed safely in my womb, so I named him like this."
With a startled cry, Song Yihuan clung to Ji Lingchuan's shoulders and complained, "What are you doing? Why are you biting me?"
Ji Lingchuan raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "So, you were lying to me back then. You pretended to be pregnant, but actually you were already pregnant, right?"
"And Xuan'er. He's clearly still alive. Why did you hide it from me and make me think he was really dead?"
Reminded of what happened four years ago, a wave of guilt welled up in Song Yihuan's heart. "I... That day on the cliff, I really wasn't lying to you. I didn't know I was actually pregnant at that time."
"Xuan'er had an accident in Xile Town. When I found him, his body was already cold. I thought he was really dead and was extremely heart - broken. Fortunately, I met Brother Wang. Brother Wang said that Xuan'er still had a glimmer of hope for survival. He managed to save him successfully and also found out that Xuan'er's heart disease was caused by 'Beimantuo'."
"I saw Song Nanxin's earring in Xuan'er's hand, so I knew her involvement in his accident. I wanted to take revenge and expose her true face, so..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I came up with the idea of faking pregnancy to gain some bargaining chips."
"I asked Brother Wang for the fake - pregnancy medicine, but I didn't know that I was actually already pregnant. So what Brother Wang gave me was the fetus - protecting medicine, which allowed Xiangxiang to leave the capital safely with me."
Hearing her talk about the past, although her tone was extremely gentle, he was still filled with resentment. Every movement of his carried a hint of punishment.
Song Yihuan knew that he was pent - up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and coaxed him in his ear, " 'Jixiang' is just his nickname. He doesn't have an official name yet. My lord, would you like to name him?"
Ji Lingchuan hugged her tightly. By now, he had regained his senses. He gently kissed her jade - like earlobe and replied hoarsely,
"Okay."
Song Yihuan didn't forget about the important matter. She said, "You said that your capture was part of a plan. Why don't you tell me your plan? Maybe my status as a princess can help you. If we can retake the city earlier, we can reunite with Xiangxiang and Xuan'er earlier."
"You can indeed be of help."
Ji Lingchuan told Song Yihuan his plan in detail.
Liaocheng was now occupied by the Northern Allied Forces. The streets and alleys were filled with their soldiers. If they launched an attack rashly, not only would they encounter resistance from the outside, but the civilians in the city would also be held hostage. It was a very tricky situation.
Ji Lingchuan looked deeply into Song Yihuan's eyes. "The most important thing is how to deal with these Northern Allied Forces in the city. Once the attack begins, they will surely massacre the civilians. I've been thinking of a way to retake the city without bloodshed and easily break through from within."
"I wonder if the princess has any good strategies?"
Song Yihuan couldn't help but look at Ji Lingchuan. He had been on the battlefield for so many years. Did he really have no way to deal with this situation and had to ask her, a woman who had never been on the battlefield?
But since he trusted her and asked for her advice, she wouldn't be polite.
After thinking for a while, she smiled and said, "Since these Northern Allied soldiers are a threat, we should make them all lose their combat effectiveness."
"When I entered the city yesterday, I noticed that half of Liaocheng is close to water and there are many water channels in the city. It's difficult for the Yu State's soldiers to enter the city from the outside. I think we can use the waterways. Find some thin - built people and secretly send them into the city through the water channels. In this way, we can retake the city without much effort."
To his surprise, her idea coincided with his. Ji Lingchuan held her boneless hand in his palm and smiled,
"I've been implementing this plan for several days. Now, many black - armored soldiers have sneaked into the city through the water channels. But there is indeed something I need your help with. I'd like to ask the princess to draw a map of the internal routes in Liaocheng and the strongholds of the Northern Allied Forces and give it to these soldiers so that they can quickly retake Liaocheng."
...
It was already afternoon when Song Yihuan and Ji Lingchuan came out of that room.
After they stepped out of the door, Ji Lingchuan's limbs were chained again. Strangely enough, there was an extra collar and rope around his neck, and the other end of the rope was in Song Yihuan's hand.
This was such a humiliation for a proud and unyielding general.
After going out, Song Yihuan deliberately took Ji Lingchuan for a stroll around, as if showing off her "trophy".
When passing by the wing - room where he used to be held, she noticed that the guard had been replaced. After inquiring, she learned that the soldier who had spoken rudely to her yesterday had died suddenly last night.
She looked back at Ji Lingchuan. For a moment, she couldn't figure out whether it was Ji Lingchuan or Feng Tingyun who had done it.
Noticing a fallen leaf hanging on Song Yihuan's skirt, Ji Lingchuan said, "Princess, please wait a moment." Then he bent down to brush off the fallen leaf from her skirt.
Seeing his appearance, the Northern Allied soldiers in the yamen had all sorts of expressions on their faces.
After the two left, everyone started whispering to each other.
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect the great general of Yu State to end up like this, becoming a male favorite for a woman."
"Yeah, look at how obsequious he is. He even seems to be enjoying it. It's really an eye - opener."
"I heard that the noise from the two of them last night didn't stop until dawn. It seems that General Ji really served Princess Yanyun well."
Regardless of what others were saying in private, Song Yihuan took Ji Lingchuan for a big tour around the yamen. Finally, she started walking towards the front yard. As she got closer to the front hall for discussions, she began to call out,
"Brother Wang, Brother Wang!"
When she entered the room, she saw Feng Tingyun sitting there discussing matters with Tuoba Shi, Yelv Renya and Bai Xisong. Feng Tingyun turned his head in her direction and there was a hint of indulgence on his face. "Huan'er, why did you come here?"
Song Yihuan lifted her skirt and ran towards him, smiling. "Brother Wang, I'm so bored staying in this yard. I want Ji Lingchuan to take me around the city. I've never been to Liaocheng before. I heard that the scenery here is nice and there are many fun things and delicious food. How could I miss it?"
Before Feng Tingyun could say anything, Yelv Renya immediately said, "No! We must never let Ji Lingchuan out of our sight!"
Song Yihuan frowned and slightly raised her chin. "I'm talking to my brother. What business is it of yours?"