Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Feihan a cold glare, and he stood aside with a dry cough.

Li Xingruo said unhappily from her bed: “Why are you glaring at him? Did Feihan see wrong?”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t bear Huo Fenglie’s excessive behavior, and seeing as Huo Feihan hadn’t come as he’d promised, he had sought refuge there alone. As a result, upon entering, he heard Huo Feihan discussing with Li Xingruo whether to hold the wedding here or return to the capital. Liu Zhenqing’s hair stood on end when he heard this, and he was so angry that he kicked open the door and rushed inside.

“If you saw us, why didn’t you stop it?” Liu Zhenqing said angrily.

“Stop it? How could he know what was going on between you two? What if you were enjoying it?” Li Xingruo still hadn’t gained any femininity after giving birth, and confronted him with zeal.

“Who was enjoying it, ah? Do you know what he did?”

Liu Zhenqing was about to complain, but words suddenly failed him. Which of the things Huo Fenglie had done to him could be spoken out loud?

Huo Feihan carefully observed Liu Zhenqing’s expression and said: “What did he do? Besides k…..kissing you.”

Li Xingruo smiled and said: “If he did something more excessive, shouldn’t he take more responsibility?”

Liu Zhenqing was short of breath for a long moment, and could only say: “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Huo Feihen sent a silent glance toward the pendant at Liu Zhenqing’s waist and didn’t speak.

Li Xingruo narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth to argue. Liu Zhenqing still had Liu Qiao by his side, and as long as he was unwilling, he could order Liu Qiao to not allow Huo Fenglie to get close. Huo Fenglie hadn’t stopped since he went to pick Liu Zhenqing up, which proved that Liu Zhenqing had never given such an order. Was it that Liu Zhenqing had been taken by surprise, or was it something else…..

After some thought, Li Xinruo decided to give up, lest she push the other person too hard and cause him to react in a troublesome manner. It was rather interesting to see such an intelligent person stuck and confused. Her shixiong hadn’t even reacted yet. If it were someone else treating him like this, he would have blown the roof off the house rather than struggle in such a way. He had always been the one to make the others struggle and suffer when it came to matters of love. Apart from Huo Fenglie, who else could leave a mark on his heart?

This little didi of his had always been different. It could only be said that bystanders were able to see more than the participants could, ah.

Liu Zhenqing had originally come to ask for an explanation, but he felt guilty in the end and could only take out the two golden neckbands he’d prepared for the little babies as a change of subject.

After putting them on the children, Huo Feihan brought up official business: “I didn’t expect His Highness the Crown Prince to send you over here.”

“I volunteered myself,” Liu Zhenqing said. “His Highness doesn’t need to worry about such trivial matters. With the old emperor’s health and the Crown Prince about to succeed the throne, he’s too busy to take care of everything.”

“His Highness is already in charge of government affairs, so only the formalities are left. Great Zhou is currently at peace, and I don’t think Li Jinshu will be able to make too big of a splash,” Li Xingruo said. “It’s just disgusting that he has his eye on you, so find an opportunity to poison him to death.”

“Poisoning might not be the best thing for our Great Zhou. Don’t worry, I have a good grasp of the situation. During this period…..Huo-dage, mobilize all of your shadow guards.”

“Okay, I’ll order them to come see you later.”

After a while, Huo Fenglie came running over. He had been urged by Liu Zhenqing to get his medicine and bandages changed, and didn’t see him after returning to the courtyard, so he hurried over here. “Qing-ge, I’m going on patrol later. Do you want to come with me and take a look around?”

Although his tone was low and steady, as if this was a business handover, he couldn’t hide the heart of a young man who wanted to know where his sweetheart was. But Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to give him any chance to get close to him.

“I still have official business to take care of,” Liu Zhenqing said directly.

Huo Fenglie wasn’t discouraged by his rejection. He had just received a gift, after all. He took a step forward and, before anyone could react, kissed Liu Zhenqing on the cheek. Afterward, he turned around to leave: “I’ll be back soon.”

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo turned to look at Liu Zhenqing, only to see that his face was livid. His hand was stretched out halfway, and he ended up just rubbing hard at his cheek.

The two of them wanted to laugh, but didn’t dare to. When Liu Zhenqing suddenly opened his mouth, they thought he was going to gripe angrily about Huo Fenglie’s behavior.

Liu Zhenqing hesitated before saying: “His wound hasn’t healed yet. How big is the area he has to patrol?”

The two exchanged glances, then Huo Feihan stood up and said: “Alright, I’ll go with him. It’s a good opportunity to discuss the matter of Xiheng bringing their troops here.”

When Huo Feihan left, Li Xingruo watched Liu Zhenqing play with the two children and said: “Just before you arrived, Feihan and I were discussing naming you as their godfather.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Shouldn’t that be announced at their one month celebration?”

Li Xingruo replied: “But we decided not to do it for now.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, then saw Li Xingruo smile gently as she teased the two children. “Do you want a godfather or a second aunt?”

When Liu Zhenqing heard this, he almost choked on his saliva. He saw Li Xingruo look over with a raised eyebrow, and was about to refute when he heard her say: “The children say they hope to have a second aunt.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Li Xingruo with a mix of laughter and tears: “You…..are all of you planning to bully me?”

“It can’t be helped. I married into the Huo family, so now I can only aid my husband’s family.” Li Xingruo suddenly became a bit sentimental and said: “In fact, when we separated, Feihan and I were unsure how long the kid would be stuck on you. There have been many people attracted to Fenglie in the past two years, whether gentle, beautiful, or fierce, male or female. Many of them pursued him right to the gates of the General’s Manor. But he just ignored them one after another, not giving them a chance at all, and the excuse he gave was that he had a lover in the capital. Even when someone sent their daughter to be his concubine without status, Fenglie didn’t agree. He has given you his whole heart, and worked hard to grow into someone worthy of you.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flickered slightly.

Li Xingruo continued: “Actually, after we found out I was pregnant with twins, Feihan stopped taking care of military camp affairs. Fenglie has been the only one in charge of the Huo Family Army these days. His growth is astonishing, and Feihan even says he’s exceeded him. That day, Feihan asked him if he wanted to lead the troops out alone, but he declined.”

Liu Zhenqing looked over, and Li Xingruo sneered: “That man of mine is a good-for-nothing.”

Liu Zhenqing’s heart trembled, and he didn’t know what to say. If Huo Fenglie led the army alone, it would mean he’d have to guard the borders and never retreat until death, and he would no longer have the opportunity to freely choose to be Liu Zhenqing’s bodyguard. As long as he remained under his brother’s command, he could leave and go back to see him at any time.

When Liu Zhenqing finally went to the government inn to seek out the envoys, he asked Liu Qiao to take him on a detour in order to watch Huo Fenglie patrolling.

The coordinated footsteps and shouted slogans of the soldiers shook the sky. Even though he was injured, Huo Fenglie still sat on horseback with an upright posture, with the newly-acquired Chunjun sword hanging at his waist. He possessed a dignified demeanor, and people submitted to him wherever he went. Every pair of eyes directed toward Huo Fenglie were filled with admiration and yearning.

He was so handsome that even Liu Qiao beside him couldn’t help but sigh: “He’s even more impressive than General Huo when on patrol.”

Yes, ah, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen Huo Feihan do the same before. That scene had just filled him with brotherly pride, but Huo Fenglie was so eye-catchingly handsome at this moment that although Liu Zhenqing wanted to watch, he was too embarrassed to look any longer.

Was this the same person who’d acted so rudely toward him a few hours ago?

Liu Zhenqing shelved his messy thoughts and went to discuss the subsequent peace talks with the envoys, then met with the commander of the shadow guards and began to issue orders.

When he was done, the hour was already late. They had agreed to have dinner together, so Liu Zhenqing hurried back. Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo were already playing with the well-fed Yunci and Yunqian, while Huo Fenglie was picking out fish bones. Fish were rare in the northwest, and Liu Zhenqing had rarely eaten it on the road. He didn’t know how Huo Fenglie did it, but three dishes at the table were made with fresh fish.

As soon as Liu Zhenqing appeared under the light, Huo Fenglie turned as if he had sensed him. The moment he laid eyes on him, a charming smile appeared on his stoic face. Liu Zhenqing felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart. Yes, he hadn’t witnessed such a sight in a long time.

But this warmth was soon washed away by anger. Liu Zhenqing had kicked Huo Fenglie out when he’d crawled into his bed at night. This was a safe location, so there was no need for Liu Qiao to keep watch, and Huo Fenglie had come in unimpeded.

The person who had been kicked out of bed was still aggrieved: “I miss you so much that I can’t sleep. I feel uneasy if I can’t see you. Didn’t we always sleep together before?”

Liu Zhenqing was furious, but also understood that he had gradually lowered his bottom line and indulged him. However, it couldn’t be done. With everyone living here, it wasn’t appropriate for them to sleep together like this.

Although Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t allow it, Huo Fenglie didn’t lose control. He naturally wouldn’t disobey. If he wasn’t allowed to sleep on the bed, he would just lie down beside it.

Liu Zhenqing ignored him, and they actually ended up spending the night this way. When Liu Zhenqing woke up and saw him lying beside the bed, he was speechless. Seeing that he was still injured and didn’t seem to have slept well, Liu Zhenqing felt more helpless than angry.

On the second night, this person couldn’t be driven away and finally managed to climb into bed.

On the third night, he could finally fall asleep holding his sweetheart. On occasion, he would kiss him forcefully before bed. The gradual lowering of his bottom line proved that Liu Zhenqing had become numb to such things.

During the day, Huo Fenglie would take Liu Zhenqing around to play whenever he had time, hoping to share all of his memories here with him. By the time Liu Zhenqing came to his senses, it was like they were on a date.

Even though Huo Fenglie never did anything to embarrass Liu Zhenqing in front of outsiders when they were out and about, anyone with functioning eyes could see that their brave, wise young general admired this person from the capital, just as the rumors said. Thus, everyone at the border knew about Huo Fenglie’s undisguised love within three days.

At first, admirers of Huo Fenglie came to take a look at Liu Zhenqing, but faced with his beauty, both the men and women felt inferior. And when they saw that Huo Fenglie treated this person differently than everyone else, what more could they not understand? Intelligent people knew when to give up.

The relationship between the two seemed to progress naturally, and even Huo Fenglie felt as if Qing-ge was gradually accepting their relationship. Qing-ge’s feelings toward him were able to be transformed and cultivated, but they were not yet clear. After all, each time he impulsively kissed Qing-ge, he would struggle at first and then just glare at him with a red face, responding unconsciously. And every small response from Qing-ge was just an excuse for Huo Fenglie to act crazier.

He was able to seize the opportunity to taste Qing-ge several times in recent days, but Qing-ge would just kick him off the bed in shame and anger, then not allow him to get close again that night. Just last night, when he took Qing-ge’s hand with the intention of helping him in wicked ways, Qing-ge just buried his head in the quilt, refusing to look at him.

Huo Fenglie lived a delightful, carefree life each day, and even felt that these were the happiest days of his life in the past ten years.

Until he met Li Jinshu again during negotiations. Li Jinshu was a little different from how he remembered him – more mature and charming – but the look in his eyes when he fixed them on Liu Zhenqing was exactly the same.

“I would like to have a word with you alone.” Li Jinshu made this request right at the start. And Huo Fenglie, who had already heard about this man’s particular intentions, immediately stepped forward to stand in front of Liu Zhenqing. His eyes were filled with killing intent, and their surroundings immediately became tense.

Li Jinshu thought of the news he had recently investigated, and turned to glance at the red mark on Liu Zhenqing’s neck, which was inadvertently revealed when he tilted his head. His eyes grew darker, yet they held a smile.

“In this case, it’s fine if the Major General stays.”

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t worried about what Li Jinshu would do during the peace talks, so he dismissed everyone with a complete lack of concern and sat down. Huo Fenglie, however, didn’t take a seat. He stood directly behind Liu Zhenqing like a personal bodyguard, protecting him at all times.

This was actually supposed to be Liu Qiao’s job, but he had received an urgent letter from the south not long ago, saying that his uncle was experiencing internal turmoil and his grandfather was uneasy. Liu Zhenqing naturally had no worries about his own safety in the Huo Family Army’s territory, so he sent Liu Qiao to protect his grandfather, aunt, and little cousin. This being the case, Huo Fenglie had even more reason to guard Liu Zhenqing closely.

Li Jinshu had no scruples about mixing personal feelings into his reminiscences in front of Huo Fenglie. Every word and sentence declared to Liu Zhenqing that he coveted him.

Liu Zhenqing could even feel a chill coming off Huo Fenglie behind him. He’d helped him with his hand last night…..hoping to comfort him in advance and make him behave, but it was useless. He hadn’t expected this dog to be so jealous. Liu Zhenqing had no choice but to interrupt Li Jinshu in order to prevent Huo Fenglie from turning into a mad dog.

“Prince Li, we are here to negotiate, not to reminisce. To be honest, I don’t remember much of the past you mentioned. After all…..I have so many suitors in the capital.” As he spoke, Liu Zhenqing played with the jade Rubik’s Cube at his waist, and Huo Fenglie’s expression improved somewhat.

Liu Zhenqing had gradually discovered how fun it was to tease Er-gou, and after adjusting his mindset, Er-gou was very easy to coax and manage. There was no reason to always be pinned down by Er-gou.

“Let’s discuss peace talks. This is what Great Zhou has in mind…..” Having said this, Liu Zhenqing handed over the negotiation list.

This was like a haggling transaction. They initially offered a price the other party would not accept, and would then slowly negotiate the price down.

But Liu Zhenqing didn’t expect that Li Jinshu would just glance at him and say: “I cannot agree with these terms.”

Liu Zhenqing’s brow furrowed unhappily. These conditions were the most beneficial to Great Zhou. But although they weren’t harmful to Xiheng and contained some benefits, considering the strengths of the two countries, Li Jinshu would be at a disadvantage if he agreed. Liu Zhenqing naturally had his doubts.

As expected, Li Jinshu said at once: “But there is a precondition…..how about a marriage alliance?”

Liu Zhenqing sneered, thinking that he intended to bring up the matter between them. Huo Fenglie behind him was in an even worse mood.

Li Jinshu leaned back and said: “You know how I feel. I want to marry you. If you agree, I’ll add ten more concessions to these ten.”

Without waiting for Liu Zhenqing’s refusal, he continued: “But your Great Zhou is currently strong, and you are a favorite of its ruler, so you probably won’t agree to my request easily. Therefore, I’ll give you another marriage option.”

“What do you mean?” Liu Zhenqing asked in puzzlement.

Li Jinshu raised a hand and pointed at Huo Fenglie, saying: “A marriage between Princess Yangxue and Major General Huo. If our family’s princess marries into Great Zhou, I will agree to the ten points above. How about it? It’s a good deal, right? I don’t think the people in power in Great Zhou will refuse such a good thing.”

Gaining a princess brought ten sets of benefits, and there was no loss to Great Zhou in terms of reputation. Yes, ah, no envoy would refuse such a request.

“Either you marry over, or she does. You choose,” Li Jinshu said with a malicious smile. “Otherwise, negotiations will fail, and I will accept none of the conditions. You know that if peace talks fail, our Xiheng will have to fight to take back our benefits.”

Either marriage or war. 

Huo Fenglie drew his sword and pointed it directly at Li Jinshu: “It may be more beneficial for you to die here.”

Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows with a smile: “If it was more beneficial, the person beside you would have let you do it long ago. What do you think? Will you consider it, Xiting?”

Huo Fenglie gritted his teeth. He was about to say that there was no need to consider it, but then he heard Liu Zhenqing say with a smile: “Okay, I’ll consider it. We must consult the capital about this matter, so let’s discuss it again in ten days.”

Li Jinshu smiled, but Huo Fenglie tensed up at Liu Zhenqing’s words and looked over with an ashen face.

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(Alt Universe) Extra 26 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 28