It was understandable that Zhao Luoning, who didn't know martial arts, failed to hear the noise.
But Guisu was one of the top experts by his side. Any slightest sound couldn't escape her ears.
He had been searching for Zhao Luoning in the yard for nearly half an hour. How could Guisu not know?
"You knew I was looking for Ning'er. Why did you keep silent at first?"
Guisu glanced in Zhao Luoning's direction. The culprit was sitting there motionless, holding a plate of peanuts.
She neither looked at the moon nor at Ji Shisu.
Her gaze extended into the infinite distance shrouded in the moonlight.
Since Chen Chuliu's visit, this general's wife had indeed become rather strange, looking preoccupied.
Zhao Luoning said she wanted to find a quiet place to stay for a while.
Guisu never expected that the usually steady Zhao Luoning would think of climbing onto the roof.
It was quiet here, but it was also unsafe.
Guisu was afraid that if something happened to her, she wouldn't be able to explain it to Ji Shisu. So she accompanied her in the cold wind for most of the night.
The peanuts were brought up by Guisu, but Zhao Luoning didn't taste a single one. Guisu prepared them on purpose to prevent herself from getting sleepy.
These peanuts were coated with bitter melon juice and were extremely bitter. She used them to remind herself not to fall asleep.
After most of the night, Guisu was aching all over, but Zhao Luoning, who knew nothing about martial arts, had been sitting in one place motionless for so many hours.
Guisu was utterly impressed.
When Ji Shisu just returned, Guisu and Zhao Luoning, being on high ground, had already seen him.
Guisu originally wanted to remind Zhao Luoning.
The silent Zhao Luoning finally said her first words in over an hour.
"Don't go down. Don't let him know I'm here."
Although Guisu didn't understand what this out - of - character wife was up to.
But she knew very well in her heart.
If she had to choose between the master and the mistress, choosing the mistress would definitely be a wise move.
If she made the mistress angry, the master would surely blame her, and no one could persuade him.
But if she made the master angry, the mistress only needed to say a single word, and the master would be overjoyed.
Although Guisu was straightforward and not very tactful, she still had a clear idea about which side to take in such an obvious situation.
Ji Shisu didn't notice Guisu's little thoughts at all. While waiting for her stuttering answer, he had already taken off his cloak and wrapped the wooden - doll - like Zhao Luoning in his arms.
"Sorry, master. It's Guisu's carelessness that I didn't notice you." Guisu still tried to save face with her clumsy lie.
"It's not..."
The one who interrupted Guisu was the always - silent Zhao Luoning.
Her tone was tinged with the coldness of the night. There seemed to be a lot of nameless anger and bitterness in her heart, and the only way she could express it was this simple two - word "It's not".
Ji Shisu was really melted by Zhao Luoning.
He hugged Zhao Luoning in his arms. His tone was a thousand times gentler than when he questioned Guisu before.
"Alright, I won't punish Guisu. It's late at night. It's not good for you to catch a cold sitting here in the wind. But if you really want to stay here, let me stay with you, okay?"
Stay with her? He was the source of her troubles!
Zhao Luoning got angry just hearing Ji Shisu's voice and seeing his face now.
Caixue and Feixing were not around. Her mother and Luoyu were far away in Huangcheng.
Zhao Luoning had no one to talk to about her worries. She could only calm herself down by sending messages to Caixue via carrier pigeon and sitting on the roof in the wind.
Zhao Luoning felt extremely tired, so tired that she didn't even have the strength to question Ji Shisu.
She just wanted to hide and be alone.
But he still broke all that.
With his personality, he wished he could tie her to his body and take her with him all the time. How could there be any peace?
"Alright, I've been chatting with Guisu for most of the night and I'm really tired. Don't make a fuss. Take me down."
Chat? The twelve - word command was all she said. Could this be called chatting?
But Guisu didn't dare to say this in front of Zhao Luoning and Ji Shisu.
Fortunately, she managed to escape another danger. She should learn from Jingsu and say less of what shouldn't be said.
Ji Shisu successfully used his light - body technique to take Zhao Luoning down to the ground. Guisu naturally followed closely behind.
Fortunately, Ji Shisu hadn't had the chance to make a big deal out of it. Only a few of his trusted subordinates knew about this, and the impact wasn't as great as it was a year ago.
Everyone was very considerate and didn't bother the couple. They all went back to their rooms to rest.
"Ning'er? Did Chen Chuliu say something to you that made you... You have to trust your husband."
As soon as everyone left, Ji Shisu couldn't wait to hug Zhao Luoning from behind.
It had only been a few hours since they separated, but he missed her so much that his bones ached.
Although he didn't know what bad things Chen Chuliu had done behind his back to make Zhao Luoning act so strangely today, it mustn't be anything good. He should make some preparations in advance to deal with it later.
"Chen Chuliu... She just asked about our return date. Did General Lian mention this when you met him today?"
Zhao Luoning forced herself to cheer up. She turned around and stared directly into Ji Shisu's eyes.
She was looking forward to an answer from him.
"We can start preparing to go back as soon as General Lian returns. We'll set off in ten days at the latest."
Ten days. It was so soon.
Maybe it was because she had been sitting in the cold wind on the roof for too long. Zhao Luoning felt dizzy and weak. She almost fell, but fortunately Ji Shisu noticed something was wrong and quickly caught her.
"You don't even know how to take care of your own body."
Afraid that she might catch a cold, Ji Shisu quickly called Guisu and told her to cook a bowl of ginger soup.
He then personally rubbed her hands and feet to warm up Zhao Luoning's cold body that had been blown by the wind.
Although her body had warmed up, her heart couldn't be warmed up.
While he was busy dispelling the cold for her, she said again.
"Shisu, the journey to the capital is long. I can't bear the long - distance journey. I don't want to go to the capital. How about you go to meet the emperor with the army. I'll take Chen Chuliu to Huangcheng and wait for you."
Anyway, the emperor didn't ask her to meet him.
She was just a little woman, not a great general, and didn't need to report back to the emperor.
When she said this, Zhao Luoning's face was pale, blending with the pale moonlight, exuding a bone - chilling coldness.
There was also a hint of desolation in her eyes.
Ji Shisu happened to look up at her at this moment. He was startled by her pale face and tightened his grip on her hand.
Recently, he had been feeling restless.
He always had a strange dream, dreaming that they had returned to Huangcheng, to the Ji Mansion, and to the Peaceful Paradise.
It was like a memory and also like some kind of omen.
Some kind of inauspicious omen.