ALL NOVEL Chapter 102 - I
When Jing Xingzhi woke up, the sky outside the window was already dark.
He slowly opened his eyes, and as soon as his hand moved, it was tightly grasped.
Liu Fang held his hand for a while and then asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong with you?”
The doctor hadn’t been able to determine anything. When the imperial doctor examined him, he simply said that Jing Xingzhi was sleepy and that they should just wait until he woke up.
But Jing Xingzhi couldn’t be woken up no matter how much Liu Fang called to him. Liu Fang used his spiritual energy to probe into Jing Xingzhi’s body, only to discover that his spiritual energy was completely depleted. Liu Fang had no idea what Jing Xingzhi had encountered.
He asked the No. 2 Jinshi and the No. 3 Jinshi, but they both said nothing unusual had happened. They claimed they had only stood by and watched as the entire city celebrated the recapture of Anbei and Dingbei.
Jing Xingzhi held Liu Fang’s hand and applied a little pressure to reassure him.
“It’s okay. I don’t know why, but I saw something I shouldn’t have seen, and I got distracted,” Jing Xingzhi explained weakly. He sat up slowly, then touched Liu Fang’s cold face with one hand. “Why haven’t you turned on the light? Where’s Ah Deng? Is Shu Niang looking after him?”
“Yes, Shu Niang is taking care of Ah Deng,” Liu Fang responded.
Hearing Liu Fang’s quiet voice, Jing Xingzhi pinched his face gently. “It seems Xiao Fangfang still likes me more. Ah Deng is going to be jealous.”
In the darkness, Liu Fang nodded, then realized Jing Xingzhi couldn’t see the gesture and said briefly, “Yes.”
Unexpectedly, Jing Xingzhi could see everything clearly.
Liu Fang nodded unconsciously, and Jing Xingzhi watched him with a warm feeling. It was as if he was chewing on two pieces of maltose in his heart—it was so sweet that it stuck to his teeth.
Jing Xingzhi leaned down and gently kissed Liu Fang’s lips.
In response, Liu Fang raised his head slightly, fully approving of the gesture.
Jing Xingzhi felt a surge of strength return to his body. The distraction and exhaustion from earlier faded away. “What do you say… we work in pairs to train harder?”
.
On the other side.
Wang Zhuang came to deliver the medicine, but before he could hand it over, he noticed that everything seemed fine. Relieved, he left without giving the medicine.
Watching Wang Zhuang come back with the medicine, Shu Niang asked, “What happened? Has Young Master Jing not woken up yet?”
“He woke up. He seems fine and probably… doesn’t need the medicine,” Wang Zhuang replied.
He tossed the medicine bowl aside, washed his hands, and then started playing with little Ah Deng. “Ahhh,” he teased with a smile.
“Ah!” Little Ah Deng responded very cooperatively, eyes widening.
“Ahhhh.”
“Ahhh!” Little Ah Deng waved his arms happily.
Wang Zhuang smiled and mimicked him, “Ahhhhhhhhhhh.”
Little Ah Deng froze, his face turning blank with a dull expression: “Ah…”
“Wrong! Madam, listen, this little fool, Little Ah Deng, got it wrong again!” Wang Zhuang laughed triumphantly.
Shu Niang held her forehead and sighed. “Brother Zhuang, it’s time for Ah Deng to sleep. You should coax him to bed.”
Wang Zhuang nodded, scooped up Little Ah Deng with a grin, and prepared to lull him to sleep.
But who would have thought that Little Ah Deng was a stubborn child? He glared at Wang Zhuang and stubbornly repeated “ahhhhh” and “ahhhhh” again, as if demanding Wang Zhuang admit defeat.
“Serves you right for teasing our Ah Deng!” Shu Niang chuckled as she gently took Little Ah Deng into her arms.
Wang Zhuang fell silent, not daring to argue anymore. After all, the little baby now had Shu Niang on his side.
.
Later that day.
Upon hearing that Anbei and Dingbei had been recovered, Li Yunxi was so overjoyed that he almost conferred Ning Haibo the title of Duke of Zhenguo on the spot.
Fortunately, he managed to rein in his excitement. However, when the report of Jing Xingzhi’s collapse arrived, it sobered Li Yunxi, tempering the chaotic emotions stirred by his earlier joy.
That night, Li Yunxi found himself unable to sleep. He got up and stood in silence, staring at the pale grey moonlight streaming through the windows.
The eunuch attending him was not Zhang Tong, but he was just as attentive. Anticipating the chill, the eunuch had already prepared Li Yunxi’s cloak, ready to ensure his emperor didn’t catch cold.
Li Yunxi brushed his fingers over the thick fabric of the cloak and smiled faintly. “With such a heavy cloak, do you think I’m getting old?”
“Never, Your Majesty! You are in your prime—such thoughts have nothing to do with you!” The eunuch looked as though he might carve open his chest to prove his sincerity.
“Dishonest,” Li Yunxi murmured with a shake of his head. “It has been almost twenty years in the blink of an eye. Time flies so fast. With Anbei and Dingbei reclaimed, the last burden on my heart feels lifted.”
The troops stationed at the border city were sufficient to defend it, and sending Ning Haibo out had been more at Ning Haibo’s own request than necessity.
Li Yunxi hadn’t expected that Ning Haibo’s sword would still prove sharp. Though his personal life was in disarray, Ning Haibo remained a formidable force on the battlefield.
This time, Ning Haibo and his allies turned the tables, employing the same strategies that the foreign tribes had once used against them. They leveraged the loyalty of a few aging warriors who had remained steadfast to the Li Dynasty. Striking while the city’s troops were away, Ning Haibo coordinated with forces within and outside the walls to catch the enemy unprepared, seizing the two cities with remarkable precision.
The two cities of Anbei and Dingbei stood like lone wolves in the north, echoing each other across the vast plains. They were not easy to conquer, which was why Li Yunxi had nearly bestowed Ning Haibo the title of Duke of Zhenguo in his earlier excitement. The achievement was undeniably significant.
But now, in hindsight, Li Yunxi feared he might struggle to contain Ning Haibo’s growing influence in the future. Moreover, he was reluctant to grant such a prestigious title, as it would imply that the stability of his dynasty depended on outsiders rather than his own authority.
“Ning Haibo is truly difficult to reward,” Li Yunxi thought, sighing deeply.
The thought of Ning Haibo naturally led him to think of Jing Xingzhi, who had suffered an unexpected incident that same night. Jing Xingzhi was his junior brother—and Ning Haibo’s son.
It seemed Ning Haibo wanted to help his wife recover from a peculiar affliction. But to cure such a malady required stimulating the woman’s mind in some unconventional way, something only Jing Xingzhi seemed capable of achieving.
“Perhaps I should sell out my little junior brother,” Li Yunxi mused with a wry smile. The idea tempted him, but he knew it was shameless to openly betray his junior brother like that. As emperor, he still valued preserving his dignity, so he dismissed the notion with nothing more than a passing thought.
Despite the challenges, Li Yunxi was more joyful than distressed that evening.
The following day, however, news from the front tempered his joy. Reports rushed in from the northern territories, and the contents dampened the celebratory mood.
Anbei and Dingbei had been under foreign rule for far too long, leaving the cities rife with complexities. Many foreign residents had settled there, and the military officers who led the conquest lacked the skills for governance and diplomacy. The violent storming of the city gates had further alienated the local populace, leading to deep resentment toward the imperial army.
The aftermath was utter chaos.
Li Yunxi reflected on the situation, understanding that it was anything but simple. Otherwise, joyous proclamations wouldn’t have been followed so quickly by reports of distress.