Chapter 80: Beating The Drum And Waving The Flag Ostentatiously To Conquer The Enemies (3)

During the 36th year of the Jin Dynasty, South Vietnam invaded the borders and attacked the nearby cities, they brought disaster to the people.

The Emperor was furious and dispatched 100,000 troops to defend the country, the Sixth Prince led the troops to attack the South Vietnam king.

Speaking of which, the day they went on an expedition, the commander held the flag as he said goodbye.

When all the commanders and general got on their horses, the populace beat the drums while they left the capital, they waved the flags in their hands, and waited for them to conquer the enemies.

The people watched on as the elite and powerful soldiers galloped their horses into the distance.

There were others who tried following along to see them off until they finally disappeared into the horizon.

Since Zhou Xiaoxiao’s store was in a garret, she moved the curtains to the side and looked into the distance. She was searching for Yu Xingzhi’s figure in the army.

After her eyes saw a flag, she spotted a general in white.

The man had a rifle and a dagger hanging by his waist, alongside a bow in his hands.

The general, who rode on a horse, looked handsome like always.

While passing by the window, he looked up and his gaze plastered on to Zhou Xiaoxiao, it stayed there as his horse moved forwards.

Zhou Xiaoxiao forced a happy expression on and tried her best to wave her goodbye at him without bursting into tears.

When he finally turned around and was no longer in her sight, she couldn’t help but cry.

Xiao Mei advised, “Lady, since you can’t bear to part with him, why didn’t you convince him to not go?”

Zhou Xiaoxiao wiped her face and sighed, “Although we know one another, we still give each other support and respect for the decisions we make. That’s how you get along with someone, how can I recklessly ruin his ambitions?”

…

After around one to two days, Liu Xinyi came to visit.

Zhou Xiaoxiao invited her to the parlour so they could drink tea together.

After staring at Zhou Xiaoxiao multiple times, she was unable to form a sentence.

Therefore, Zhou Xiaoxiao initiated the conversation, “Because Xingzhi and the State Duke are on an expedition, the Lady must be missing them very much.”

Liu Xinyi looked up at her momentarily before saying, “Of course. Lord Wu abandoned his studies to be a part of the military, he insisted on going to South Vietnam where it’s quite damp and has numerous diseases like malaria. This made the Lady cry for a few days in a row, and lately, she has been laying in bed and hasn’t even gotten up.”

Zhou Xiaoxiao sighed and responded, “This is both my and Xingzhi’s fault.”

“The Lady said that no matter what, she won’t let you into the State Duke Residence anymore.” Liu Xinyi clutched her handkerchief before continuing, “Are you really… willing to keep on waiting like this?”

“Xingzhi abandoned his studies to enter the military for me, I can obviously be patient for him.”

Zhou Xiaoxiao faintly smiled and took a sip of tea.

She wore plain and white clothes, and after pulling her hair up into a simple bun, she dressed herself up as a man.

With a bright smile, this made her look even more beautiful and extraordinary.

Liu Xinyi couldn’t help but be stunned at her looks, her heart thumped rapidly.

She touched her chest and thought: after getting along with this Lady for a while, it seems like she really is something. No wonder someone like fifth uncle was also smitten by her.

…

Time flew quickly.

The people in the bustling capital had already forgotten about the battle and disaster at the frontier.

Due to Zhou Xiaoxiao having a regular and thorough lifestyle, she would sometimes hear about the tense situation at the frontier. News about their victory would often appear on the streets. Sometimes, the Ninth Prince, Cheng Shiqi, would grace her with his presence and bring her a letter written by Yu Xingzhi.

Once the letter came, she would always make tea and prepare snacks while happily re-reading it.

…

In the blink of an eye, autumn approached the capital.

Today, Zhou Xiaoxiao was idly sitting in the courtyard of the store, casually reading 《Menu in the Garden》.

She suddenly saw a man in armor rush over towards her, he wore a baleful look on his face.

Zhou Xiaoxiao looked up and saw Prince Yan, Cheng Shizhao, someone she hadn’t seen in a while.

“Prince? Why did you come back?”

Cheng Shizhao brushed his sleeves and sat on the seat next to Zhou Xiaoxiao. After a closer look, she noticed that he had a fierce look on his face, she could also faintly smell blood on him.

The latter quietly looked at Zhou Xiaoxia, his eyes were red and his mouth was silent.