books44 Chapter 136 He felt sorry for her.
Chapter 136 He felt sorry for her.
"Your Highness has a kind heart." Shen Li didn't notice anything in Li Rui's expression and withdrew her gaze.
In her eyes, this seemingly uneducated prince was much smarter than the two in the court. In her previous life, he had not participated in the struggle for the throne at all, and he was enfeoffed at the age of twenty. He was a carefree prince until her death.
But this life is different. His military achievements have given him more leverage to get involved in the struggle. The Crown Prince no longer has the same advantage as in the previous life. The struggle for the throne has already begun. I wonder what he will choose.
After Li Rui finished eating, he got up and told her, "You should go home early too, it gets chilly in the evening."
"Okay." Shen Li nodded slightly.
After everyone left, Yu Die asked softly, "Sister Shaoyao, what kind of official is His Highness? Is he higher than a prefect?"
“Silly child, that’s His Majesty the Emperor’s ninth prince. He’s not an official yet; he’ll be granted the title of king in the future,” Peony explained with a smile.
"The... the emperor's son?" Yu Die's eyes widened.
“Yes, but you can’t say it like that, keep your voice down,” Lian Qiao reminded her from the side.
Yu Die quickly covered her mouth, but gained a new understanding of Shen Li's identity. She didn't know how high it was, but it should be very high.
Shen Li reached out and ruffled her hair: "Let's go back to the tent and sleep. We'll be home in a few days."
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Because the army was not allowed to enter the imperial city, Emperor Cheng, to show his respect, led his officials out of the city early in the morning to welcome them upon their arrival.
On this day, Li Rui and Xiao Zhan, along with Shen Li, Lin Wan'er, and a group of deputy generals, rode on horseback, followed by an army of 50,000. Their ranks were orderly, their momentum was immense, and they were awe-inspiring.
Gu Chang'an spotted A Li at a glance. She wasn't wearing the armor she had worn when she went out. This outfit fit her better, but she looked even thinner. She was already petite, but now her waist was even slimmer.
Although he already knew that Ah Li had marched for more than ten days, he still felt heartbroken when he actually saw her riding a horse. His Ah Li had never suffered such hardship.
Shen Li also accurately noticed Gu Chang'an, and at a glance she saw the anxiety between his brows, so she gave him a reassuring look.
I'm back safe and sound, aren't I?
But the more Gu Chang'an saw her so calm and collected, the more he felt that she had processed her suffering on her own, and the more heartbroken he felt.
The group dismounted and paid their respects to Emperor Cheng in unison, while the soldiers behind them roared loudly.
"All generals, rise." Emperor Cheng's eyes were brimming with joy as he stepped forward and grasped Xiao Zhan's hand, saying, "Old Duke, you've worked hard."
"Your Majesty's blessings have been great, and I have been fortunate enough to fulfill my mission. This great victory was achieved through the concerted efforts of all the generals and soldiers, and I dare not take credit for it all."
"Very good, all the generals are my meritorious officials, and I will surely reward them later." Emperor Cheng was also very excited.
What was originally a battle fraught with danger turned out to be a victory, not only not a loss but a win.
The 50,000-strong army returned to the three main camps. The emperor led his generals into the city and even allowed Li Rui and Xiao Zhan to ride in the imperial carriage.
The Crown Prince and Prince Yi both became wary almost simultaneously. They had been aware of the crisis ever since Li Rui set off to reward the troops, but Li Rui had inadvertently joined the war and even won.
Before the triumphant return to the capital, there was already much discussion about Li Rui in the palace. Now that he's on the imperial carriage, what will become of him?
Shen Li and the others followed behind on horseback into the city, and then entered the palace to be summoned by Emperor Cheng.
A compliment is essential.
The others could leave once they reached this point, since the rewards would be given at the Grand Court Assembly. But Shen Li and Lin Wan'er were not finished yet; they needed to enter the palace to be summoned by the Empress.
Looking at Shen Li and Lin Wan'er standing side by side below, Empress Ning made up her mind to keep one of them as her daughter-in-law. Since Shen Li had no chance, she was determined to have Lin Wan'er.
"I never expected that our Great Zhao would produce two outstanding women. Li'er has made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion, and Wan'er is not only capable of commanding battles but also capable of taking the head of a general. I admire them greatly." Empress Ning praised the two women.
Zhou Qianqian, who was serving nearby, did not look good. Although she was the daughter of the chief minister, she was born out of wedlock. Being born out of wedlock was one thing, but her talent was far inferior to these two. She had been overshadowed since childhood.
Now she has no advantage anymore. She had hoped to get pregnant and use the child to advance her career, but her belly just won't cooperate.
If things continue like this, the position of Crown Princess might be handed over to someone else.
This won't do; she can't just sit here and wait to die.
"Your Majesty flatters me. I was just lucky and stumbled upon this by chance." Shen Li was humble and showed no sign of arrogance.
"This humble woman has only learned a little bit of martial arts since I was a child, and I am not worthy of Your Majesty's praise." Lin Wan'er also said the same thing.
Both of them had the same thought in their minds: when could they leave?
The Empress, of course, did not release them so easily. She engaged in pleasantries for a long time and insisted on having them stay for lunch before finally letting them leave.
Before leaving, he also made sure the two of them visited each other often, which was a very clear hint to Lin Wan'er.
"See? She won't let this go." Lin Wan'er whispered to Shen Li after leaving Fengxiang Palace.
"Did you see Zhou Qianqian's expression?" Shen Li asked.
"Well, it seems the Zhou family doesn't want me to marry into their family."
"The Crown Prince's greatest reliance is that Grand Secretary. If the Empress and the Crown Prince force you to marry, I'm afraid there will be internal problems among them first." Shen Li said meaningfully, "They might lose both their wife and their army."
Lin Wan'er was moved and said, "Tell me what to do, and I'll listen to you."
"No rush." Shen Li reassured her, her voice even lower: "Seeing Zhou Qianqian reminded me, in your previous life, were you able to defeat her?"
“I couldn’t be bothered to fight her, but she seemed to think I was easy to bully and tried to embarrass me in front of everyone.” Lin Wan’er’s expression was cold, and her voice was even colder: “So I beat her to death right in front of Li Heng.”
Shen Li was stunned. She really didn't expect Lin Wan'er to be so direct in palace intrigue, killing a concubine in front of the emperor.
"In my previous life, my father and brothers died in battle, and my mother fell ill from grief and passed away not long after you died." Lin Wan'er calmly recounted, "After my father's death, my other uncles only tried to seize my family's property, and I was happy to exterminate their entire clan."
Shen Li remained silent for a long time before saying, "You know what, this method really does address both the symptoms and the root cause."
As soon as the two left the palace gate, they saw Gu Chang'an standing by the carriage. He was overjoyed to see Shen Li come out, but he suppressed his emotions because he was outside. His expression remained normal, but his eyes were sparkling.
"I have to go now. You... keep trying." Shen Li quickly walked forward upon seeing Gu Chang'an, leaving Lin Wan'er behind.
Lin Wan'er looked at her empty carriage beside her, and the cold and aloof expression on her face almost froze and slowly crumbled.
They were both given a second chance at life, but the differences were enormous.
Although she longed for the distant battlefield, it didn't mean she didn't want a man in her bed.
"Miss, would you like to go over and say hello?" the maid asked, noticing that she was staring in the direction of the Gu family's carriage.
"No, let's go back to the manor." Lin Wan'er got into the carriage and quickly lowered the curtain.
Out of sight, out of mind.
On the other carriage, Shen Li got in and threw herself into Gu Chang'an's arms, closing her eyes contentedly: "I will never travel far again."
Gu Chang'an, however, did not dare to hug her. Instead, he looked at her arm and asked, "Is A-Li's injury much better?"
He was worried that he might hurt her.
"I've been saying this for a while..." Shen Li's eyes darted around before she changed her words: "I feel like it doesn't hurt much anymore, but I haven't seen a doctor for a few days, so I don't know if it's healed. Will you take a look when we get home, my husband?"
"How could we neglect such a big matter?" Gu Chang'an frowned with heartache.
Shen Li then put on a wronged expression: "Yes, without my husband by my side, no one takes good care of me."
"It's all my fault for not being able to go out with A-Li." Gu Chang'an gently helped her sit down beside him and said softly, "Be careful not to bump into anything."
Shen Li was lying comfortably on him when he lifted her down. Gu Chang'an held her waist with his large hand, making it impossible for her to climb back up.
No... that's not the effect she wanted.
After getting out of the car, Gu Chang'an picked her up and carried her all the way from the main gate to the inner courtyard, even though Shen Li had asked to get out several times, he had not agreed.
However, this also made Shen Li realize that although her husband looked thin, he was actually quite strong, and he didn't even pant when he carried her into the inner room.
The servants all turned their heads, looking on with expressions of amusement.
"Get out, close the door." Gu Chang'an gently placed Shen Li on the couch as if holding a precious treasure, and gave the order.
The servants were surprised, but their eyes became even more gossipy.
Their family is way too impatient; they've only just brought them home and they already want...
Shen Li sighed, realizing she had made a huge fool of herself. What was meant as flirtatious banter had turned into a serious response from Gu Chang'an.
"Husband, I'm all better now. I was in pain for just a couple of days, it's nothing serious." Seeing his seriousness, she told him the truth.
Gu Chang'an entered the room and was about to undress her, but he quickly withdrew his hand and asked somewhat awkwardly, "A-Li, may I?"
Seeing his reaction, Shen Li suddenly realized that this misunderstanding wasn't so bad after all.
"Of course, go ahead and take it off." She even abandoned the idea of taking off her own clothes.
Gu Chang'an disregarded his shyness and carefully removed Shen Li's armor, then gently took off several layers of her clothing, finally revealing her smooth, lotus-root-like arms.
But his first reaction upon seeing it was surprise: "I remember it was the left arm, could I be mistaken?"
“That’s right.” Shen Li hadn’t looked closely before, but now she noticed that the bullet hole had already healed, and the scar from before was gone.
"That's good." Gu Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief, took her small hand, and helped her put the clothes back on.
"Huh?"
Shen Li was caught off guard when she noticed that Gu Chang'an had already tied the belt of her inner garment and turned to get her an outer garment for home from the closet.
She blinked, almost empathizing with Lin Wan'er from just now.
"It's chilly in spring, be careful not to catch a cold." Gu Chang'an came over and gently helped her put on her clothes, then squatted down to tie her belt, showing great care.
"I'm not cold, but I'm a little hot." Shen Li sighed and went to get the teapot.
"The tea is cold." Gu Chang'an gently pressed her hand and said to the outside room, "Someone, bring hot tea."
Peony and the others were gossiping when they heard the voice and were taken aback.
So fast? It's only been closed for a short time.