Chapter 98: Tenderness, Going to Battle in His Place

Of course Shen Qianmo understood what Meng Yuanheng meant.

As the saying goes, one must enter the tiger’s lair to catch its cub. If they wanted to expose Meng Tianluo’s conspiracy and root out the Black Mountain and the Shadowless Sect behind him, this was the simplest and most direct way.

And his wish to meet He Liancheng was surely connected to the Ghost Fury River massacre seven years ago. As He Yuanshan’s son, He Liancheng must know who had taken part in that catastrophe and joined forces with the Northern Di to plot that earthshaking scheme.

The matter of Ghost Fury River had long lain heavy in his heart. Now that there was finally a lead, he would naturally pursue it to the bitter end. This was his promise to the former Prince Xuan and to the more than one hundred thousand loyal soldiers who had died.

More importantly, whether he personally went to war this time was the old emperor’s test of him and the Prince Xuan Manor. For a hundred years, the Prince Xuan Manor had driven back foreign enemies, remained loyal to the throne, and protected the country and its people; it had won the admiration of all under heaven. How could that reputation be ruined in Meng Yuanheng’s hands?

Night deepened little by little, and the vast Prince Xuan Manor grew even quieter.

In the bedroom, Shen Qianmo helped Meng Yuanheng lean against the head of the bed, then picked up a bowl of medicinal soup from beside the bed and handed it to him.

Meng Yuanheng made no move to take it, only parted his lips slightly. It was obvious he wanted Shen Qianmo to feed him.

Shen Qianmo gave him an exasperated look, but did not argue with him. Obediently, she scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his lips.

A satisfied smile spread across Meng Yuanheng’s handsome face. The medicine he had always frowned at and called bitter was tonight swallowed as though it were sweet nectar.

After she finished feeding him, Shen Qianmo was drawn into his arms.

Seeing her idly toying with his hand, tracing the lines of his palm one by one, Meng Yuanheng felt that today’s Shen Qianmo was so gentle and well-behaved that he was almost not used to it.

Languidly lying against his strong chest, her right hand intertwined with his long fingers, Shen Qianmo said softly, “A Heng, stay with me tonight, will you?”

The arm around her tightened. He laughed in delight, and his teasing voice drifted down from above her head. “Of course. I told you before, Mo’er is always welcome to climb into my bed.”

This fellow was becoming more and more fond of teasing her. Shen Qianmo angrily thumped his back with her small fist and struggled to lift her head, only to accidentally knock against his hard chin.

The dull thud rang out sharply in the quiet room.

“It hurts.” Shen Qianmo clutched the top of her head with a pained face and cried out.

Meng Yuanheng no longer had time to worry about his own numb chin. He hurriedly fumbled over the spot she had hit and asked anxiously, “Did you hit here? Does it still hurt? Should I call Situ Gong?”

Shen Qianmo shot him a glare. “Are you insane? Calling Doctor Situ over for something this small? He needs his rest too.”

Meng Yuanheng’s handsome face darkened. “If Mo’er needs him, then even if he were paralyzed in bed, he would still have to crawl up for this prince. And no, you are not allowed to care about other men.”

Shen Qianmo was truly defeated by him. He was even jealous of Situ Gong. Meng Yuanheng, could you be any more childish?

Seeing her lower her head and fall silent, Meng Yuanheng assumed she was angry and grew a little flustered. In a cautious voice he called, “Mo’er.”

Shen Qianmo lifted her head and gazed at him intently, then said softly, “A Heng, after two more courses of treatment, your cold poison will be completely cured. When you return from this campaign, your leg should also be healed. Then we will marry, all right?”

For a brief moment, Meng Yuanheng simply stared, as if unable to believe what he had heard. Incredulously, he asked for confirmation, “Mo’er, you… you mean… marry?”

“Yes.” Shen Qianmo nodded firmly. “Last time in the Hall of Diligent Governance, I refused your proposal for marriage. This time, I am the one proposing to you. Will you agree?”

Mo’er was proposing to him!

Though Meng Yuanheng was hearing the word proposal for the first time, it did not stop him from understanding Shen Qianmo’s meaning.

A flood of joy crashed over his heart at once. The ecstasy in his eyes seemed ready to spill over; even the hand gripping Shen Qianmo’s shoulders trembled slightly. So overwhelmed was he that he could not speak, only call out in a husky voice, “Mo’er,” before without hesitation lowering his head to kiss her lips.

Shen Qianmo obediently lifted her face and met him halfway, hearing his soft confessions, each one full of love.

“Mo’er… in this lifetime, I, Meng Yuanheng… love only you…”

Deeply moved, Shen Qianmo returned his devotion with a tenderness and fervor she had never shown before.

Meng Yuanheng was filled with joy and was about to turn over and press Shen Qianmo down onto the bed to go further, when suddenly a wave of dizziness struck him. The arm holding her slender body gradually lost its strength, and then his whole body went weak, leaving him powerless to slump back against the bed.

Slowly, Shen Qianmo opened her eyes. Her long lashes trembled, and in her lovely eyes there seemed to be a haze of mist.

“Mo’er, you… why did you do this?” Meng Yuanheng forced himself to stay conscious and not lose consciousness. In his narrowed eyes was nothing but unanticipated shock.

Shen Qianmo stroked his gaunt cheek with utmost gentleness, her thumb lightly brushing the sharply defined curve of his thin lips as she said softly, “A Heng, I’m sorry, but I have to do this. There are only a little more than ten days left before your cold poison is fully cured. We cannot let all our previous efforts go to waste.”

Treating the cold poison was not a matter of one day or one night, and the process was by no means easy. If everything were abandoned now, would all the pain he had endured these past months not have been for nothing?

“No… Mo’er, you can’t do this…” Meng Yuanheng shook his head repeatedly and struggled to sit up and seize Shen Qianmo, but with the medicine taking effect and wave after wave of sleepiness flooding in, he could only helplessly collapse back down.

Shen Qianmo steeled her heart and stepped back to a place beyond his reach, her reluctant gaze tracing every inch of his deep, handsome features.

“A Heng, I will wait for you at Bright Sun Pass. Once your leg is healed, come with whip raised and horse galloping to bring me home.”

With that, she turned resolutely and walked toward the door.

Behind her came Meng Yuanheng’s increasingly weak cry: “Mo’er, come back… Mo’er!”

But Shen Qianmo did not look back. She stepped out the door and shut it firmly, locking his anxious calls inside.

With her back against the door, Shen Qianmo stood silently for a long while before she heard no further movement from inside.

It seemed he had finally been unable to withstand the medicine and had fallen asleep.

She knew Meng Yuanheng possessed extraordinary willpower. The calming powder she had added to that bowl of medicinal soup, by her reckoning, was already enough, and yet she had not expected him to hold out for so long.

A moment later, Cloudy Wings, Wen Renyuan, Situ Gong, and Changdong emerged from the darkness one by one, all four wearing grave expressions.

“Qianmo, are you certain that when Ah Heng wakes up, he won’t be so angry he starts killing people?” Cloudy Wings rarely wore such a serious expression. Concerned, he asked, the usual flippancy gone from his face.

Meng Yuanheng hated nothing more than being manipulated, and this time, Shen Qianmo was taking command of the expedition in his place. Given how spoiled he was when it came to her, he would naturally not do anything to her, but as for the few of them who had helped her, that was another matter.

He could already foresee that they would die very badly.

Shen Qianmo understood what Cloudy Wings was thinking and smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, Manor Lord Yun. Ah Heng won’t be so lacking in judgment.”

Of course he would be angry; she could already imagine the thunderous fury he would display upon waking. But she believed that after reading the letter she had left for him, he would not do anything to Cloudy Wings and the others.

“This journey to Bright Sun Pass is fraught with peril. Why not let this subordinate lead the Flying Cloud Cavalry there first to meet the enemy, and once the prince’s leg has healed, he can come after us and rejoin the army? As for having the princess consort lead the troops in the prince’s stead, I beg the princess consort to think it over carefully,” Wen Renyuan urged.

Shen Qianmo arched her delicate brows slightly and said calmly, “General Wen Ren, do you look down on me?”

“Not at all,” Wen Renyuan hurriedly denied.

Shen Qianmo did not take offense. Even if Wen Renyuan truly did look down on her, that would be understandable. In his eyes, she was merely a frail woman—how could she possibly resemble a general commanding troops into battle?

She smiled lightly and said to him, “With General Wen Ren here, there is naturally no need to worry about marching and fighting. My coming along this time is only to help the prince steady the army’s morale.”

Wen Renyuan of course understood Shen Qianmo’s intention. Last time, when they had commemorated the soldiers who died at Ghost Fury River in the Flying Cloud Cavalry camp, the prince had told the entire cavalry that seeing the princess consort was like seeing the prince himself. If the princess consort accompanied them, it would indeed help stabilize morale.

But how was he to explain things to the prince? Thinking of that, Wen Renyuan grew deeply worried.

“Doctor Situ, I’ll leave the final two courses of treatment to you. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have He Qing bring Little Good to you. For this period, Little Good will stay in the manor and be under your care,” Shen Qianmo said, turning to Situ Gong, who stood to one side.

“Yes. Please rest assured, Princess Consort.” Situ Gong bowed in acceptance, though inwardly he was lamenting bitterly. He was the one who had to remain in the Prince Xuan Manor and bear Meng Yuanheng’s wrath after he woke.

The final two courses were the crucial stage of the entire treatment for the cold poison. Indeed, long-distance travel was not advisable; otherwise all their previous efforts might truly be lost. Situ Gong admitted that the princess consort’s decision was, for the prince’s treatment, the best one.

But when he thought of the terrible scene of the prince erupting in rage after waking, he still could not help shivering.

Among the group, perhaps only Changdong, that slightly dim and expressionless youth, remained as silent and impassive as ever.

Seeing that none of them objected further, Shen Qianmo gave her orders. “Then please, General Wen Ren, go ahead to the Flying Cloud Cavalry and make preparations for the campaign. Once I have arranged the affairs of the manor and the Duke’s residence, I will come to meet you. As for Manor Lord Yun…”

“I will lead the men of the Cloud Dwelling Manor to march with the army. Then I’ll take my leave first, and we’ll meet at the road junction outside the city tomorrow morning.” Before Shen Qianmo could finish, Cloudy Wings hurriedly made his decision and departed in haste.

What a joke. He had no desire to remain in the Prince Xuan Manor to face an enraged, out-of-control Meng Yuanheng. He still wanted to keep his life so he could continue trading barbs with the beautiful, fiery young lady of the Ning Marquis Residence.

Come to think of it, he had not seen Ning Hua for quite some time. Once this matter was settled, should he go meet her too?