Sweet Beauty - Chapter 10

Against her expectation, A’Shu slept like a log that night. The first morning light came and found her still fast asleep.

Liu Xun woke up as early as the first crow of the rooster.

It was early autumn and the night was cool. The young woman unconsciously rolled over to his side in her sleep. She was leaning on his shoulder at the moment, breathing deeply and long. The soft chest touching his arm from time to time felt plump and warm.

Frowning, he quietly moved aside, and unconsciously looked over.

She was still in deep slumber. The red mark on her cheek printed by a piece of cloth accentuated the lustrous and delicate face. The golden sunlight sifted through the gaps between the doors and windows, shining on her undulating chest and slender waist, outlining a graceful spring scenery.

The hazy figure among the dense water vapor yesterday flashed through Liu Xun’s eyes. His eyes fell on her chest, which was half-veiled by her long hair and clothes.

Partly hidden and partly visible, the hills and valley were sharply contoured.

For such a slim girl, her flesh and bones were surprisingly well-developed.

His heart burned, and his pitch-black eyes flared with virulent desire.

At this point, there was a knock on the door, rousing A’Shu from sleep. Her eyes opened to a pair of dark and unfathomable eyes. She froze at once. Then, she looked down. His eyes were pointing straight at her chest!

A’Shu drew a sharp breath and subconsciously let out a faint cry. A guarded look crossed upon her flushed cheeks. Her hands flew in front of her chest, trying to block his sight.

Caught in the act, Liu Xun quickly kept a straight face, looked away as if nothing had happened, coughed and shouted, “Come in.”

The outside maid came in with a towel, a cup and a basin, and served the two people to wash and change clothes. A’Shu nervously looked down and frequently stole glances. She felt as if her nerves snarled themselves into a tangle and could not be untied.

Liu Xun, on the other hand, was deeply upset. His face looked ill at ease. After changing his clothes, he sat aside and waited for the servants to served them the breakfast.

However, the two had only just eaten for a moment when Liu Ji, who was stationed outside the city, rushed in to report, “Your Highness, there were a lot of rumors in the army camp last night. Early this morning, there were five hundred soldiers who secretly deserted before everyone woke up.”

All the maidservants around were shocked. Even A’Shu couldn’t help but looked askance. Liu Xun only brought two thousand soldiers with him, and now five hundred left overnight. It was really a heavy blow!

Liu Xun, conversely, was unshaken. He rinsed his mouth with water, wiped his face with a towel, and adjusted his clothes. In Liu Ji’s anxious eyes, he calmly asked, “Are there still many soldiers in the army who have this notion?”

Liu Ji cupped his hand and said, “Your Highness need not worry. At this moment, the army is under martial law. No one can escape.”

Liu Xun waved his hand and said leisurely, “There is no need to impose martial law. Go back and send a message to the people. I know this trip is difficult and the way ahead is bleak. Many of them have families, hence, it is reasonable if they are not willing to take risks with me. If there are still others who want to retreat, they shall leave before noon. Then, we’ll continue to drive in the afternoon.”

“Your Highness——” Liu Ji suddenly raised his head, anxious and puzzled.

Liu Xun only waved again, as if the matter had been settled. “Go ahead and do as I say.”

Liu Ji, head full of doubts and worries, returned to the camp to spread the word among the soldiers.

A’Shu watched in confusion. From their conversation last night, it was clear that he predicted this scenario. But instead of worrying, he even left an opportunity for more people to leave. Perhaps this was the very reason why he didn’t stay in the camp last night.

But why?

A trifling two thousand men was already vulnerable to a single blow. If a single person left, it would be even more difficult to move. The lack of morale was the most taboo thing for marchers. Anyone who reneged and secretly defected was also deeply hated by people. If Liu Xun was so lenient, was he not afraid of losing his prestige and followers?

She could not understand his intention any more.

In the post station, when Xie Jin and others heard the news, they were puzzled at first. Then, they flew into a rage. Disregarding etiquette, they went to Liu Xun to scold. “Your Highness has the Emperor’s order, but he let go of the deserters without punishment. Where did he put the Emperor’s authority? His Majesty ordered you to recover Hebei but didn’t ask you to do it this way!”

Liu Xun, still with no sign of haste, smiled his usual helpless smile and shook his head. “An army lacking in morale is no different from hovering geese. Besides, most of the soldiers are the pillars of the family. They still have families and children to support. If I can not protect their future, why not let them find their own way?”

He sounded as though he had already accepted the situation. Not caring for personal gains or losses, he did not hope to relieve Hebei any more, but was rather more concerned about the mon soldiers.

Xie Jin was shocked, sheer incredulity slamming through his entire being. “How can Your Highness lose confidence before reaching Hebei?”

The Grand Marshal missioned him as a military inspector. He had already made a plan to stay in Hebei for a year and a half for this position. It took him several days to pack up dozens of boxes for his luggage. If Liu Xun was to decline now, just what were the Empress Dowager and the Grand Marshal so afraid of?

These thoughts transfigured his face into contempt. His voice dripped with disdain as he chided, “It seems that His Majesty has really trusted the wrong person.”

After speaking, he stomped off and rested in the post station.

On the other hand, Zhao You, who was watching coldly, became worried. Taking advantage of Liu Xun’s absence, he advised A’Shu, “Little Sister, I thought that with Liu Xun’s kindness, he wouldn’t at least put you in a difficult situation despite your ties with the Empress Dowager. But looking at it now, although he is kind, he is really weak. Now the army’s morale is scattered. In a few days, I fear that he will be defeated before he enters Hebei. How can he protect you when he reaches the end of the rope?

“I think that you should go back to Handan with Elder Brother and Sister-in-law while taking advantage of this passage. Don’t waste your life in sufferings by following him.”

Without thinking, A’Shu shook her head and refused. “Elder Brother, I know you have always attached importance to justice. It’s really not a good deed to abandon him at this time. Let’s wait.”

She didn’t know about anything else. All she knew was that Liu Xun would ascend the throne in the future. Back on that terrifying day in Changle Palace, he had long shed his magnanimous and gentle facade. Killing Empress Dowager Zhang and her son was not enough. He even shot dozens of people from Geng Yun’s household, men and women, young and old.

How others humiliated him today, he would surely repay them one by one in the future.

She was the daughter of an enemy. It would be unjust if she run away at the time of his crisis. How could he spare her and the Zhao family when he took revenge in the future?

Thinking of that day, an uncontrollable shudder spiralled through her and her eyes lost focus.

Zhao You sighed. “If it’s in the past, I would never do such a thing to damage Zhao’s reputation, but now there’s you…” He was full of worry. When he saw the hardly concealed fear on her face, he suddenly felt a terrible thought in his heart. “A’Shu, is he一 very bad to you and threatening you?”

A’Shu was taken aback. He must have misunderstood the cause of her fear just now. However, she could not tell him anything. She waved her hand repeatedly. “No, no, Elder Brother. He isn’t一”

Looking at her elder brother’s anxious and doubtful eyes, A’Shu was really left speechless. Her face turned red. At length, she clenched her teeth and stomped her foot. She stretched out a hand and gently pulled his sleeve. Lifting her face, she said in a pettishly charming manner, “Elder Brother, believe me. Wait for another two days. Maybe the situation will turn around by then.”

Zhao You’s eyebrows tightened on his handsome face. He looked at her sister’s sparkling eyes and finally shook his head. “Alright, wait a few more days. You girl, you are very good at taking advantage of Elder Brother’s weakness.”

Who, after all, could say no to such an adorable younger sister?

“If he doesn’t improve, you’ll have to go home with Elder Brother.”

With a childlike smile on her face, A’Shu nodded hurriedly.

This was what Liu Xun saw when he returned.

The girl who slept beside him last night was now clinging onto her elder brother’s broad sleeves. Her small face was slightly tilted, her eyes were sparkling and her shallow dimples were dancing at the corner of her curved lips.

Remembering her reservation with him everyday and even the fear she occasionally let slip accidentally, he unconsciously felt unhappy. He cleared his throat to alert the siblings of his presence.

Unexpectedly, Zhao You, who had always been respectful and courteous, suddenly turned cold when he saw him. He strode past without saying a word and walked away. When he passed by his side, he even faintly heard a cold hum of disdain.

Why was this?

How could Zhao You treat him differently overnight when he didn’t do anything to offend him?

He looked puzzled and asked A’Shu, “What did you say to Junshan just now?”

Junshan was Zhao You’s courtesy name. He appreciated and respected Zhao You’s straightforward and righteous character very much.

Feeling guilty, A’Shu hung her head. “It’s just a small talk. Your Highness, this concubine have packed up. When will we leave?”

As soon as Zhao You left, she reverted to her meek disposition. The difference was really poles apart.

Liu Xun was unhappy. Ignoring the tightness in his chest, he ordered people to set off.

……

After the matter of desertion, the remaining one thousand five hundred troops dwindled to one thousand two hundred as soldiers continued to flee one after another. The momentum of the army was already in the slump, and the army’s morale was broken.

Liu Xun, for some reason, was still posed. He still marched unhurried to Hebei.

A few days later, when the team arrived at Shexian, people finally became increasingly nervous.

Shexian was located at the junction of Hebei and Silizhou. Because it was backed by the Western Hills and facing the Zhang River in the south, the terrain was convenient to occupy and had always been a place where bandits and refugees lived. At present, the world was in chaos. Naturally, it was not peaceful here.

Among them was a band of refugees who fled due to drought and famine a year ago. It consisted of more than ten thousand people, led by Wang Shu, a native of Dongjun. All those who passed through this place would be robbed by them.

When Zhao You and his party travelled from Handan to Chang’an, they also took extra precaution. First, they municated with the big families in Shexian and then asked them to help send money and food to Wang Shu to allow them safe passage.

However, Liu Xun’s party was too good to be let off. A refugee who was hungry would never let go of the fat in his mouth.

Liu Xun’s treatment of the deserters had long reached the ears of Wang Shu. He had been waiting for several days. Finally, when the army reached the Western Hills, he led five thousand of his men, wrapped in red turbans and armed with wooden spears, to lie in wait in the mountain forest.