Chapter 414
**Chapter 412: Good**
Li Yuanli never thought of himself as inferior.
The world is unpredictable; he just lacked a bit of luck.
“Stealing someone’s beloved, and you still want to make excuses!” Li Yuanjing’s face darkened. “Release the spell of aversion soon, or I will lead my army to flatten Nan Chu!”
Li Yuanli raised an eyebrow, his aura unyielding. “Then let’s fight; who’s afraid of whom?”
The two were like fire and water, ready to clash again in the next moment.
Shen Wei felt a headache coming on. She pressed her fingers to her temples and scolded, “What are you two fighting about? Starting a war between two nations over a trivial matter—what kind of foolish ruler is this? The people of both nations have finally found some peace, and you’re about to make them homeless and destitute?”
“Be rational! Two grown men, with brains as dull as pigs!”
As Shen Wei spoke, the two men fell silent, not daring to provoke her further.
Shen Wei did not want the flames of war to reignite. If the two nations went to war again, it would not only harm the common people but also severely damage her vast business empire spread across the land, resulting in enormous losses.
She could not allow the war to continue; chaotic times were not suitable for commerce.
Boom!
A loud noise came from outside the courtyard.
Shen Wei stood up to see Li Chengyou rushing in. “Father, Mother! There are two thousand private soldiers approaching from the southeast! They seem to be from the Nan Chu private army.”
Li Chengyou glared at Li Yuanli, fuming. “We agreed to a truce last night, and today you gather troops? You’re being two-faced! Not only are you treating Mother harshly, but you also want to capture me and Father?”
Li Yuanli raised an eyebrow. “I’m not treating your mother harshly; I want to marry her.”
Li Chengyou: ...
Shen Wei banged the table, questioning Li Yuanli, “You called in these private soldiers?”
Li Yuanli shook his head. “No.”
At that moment, a cavalryman from Nan Chu entered to report that the private soldiers from the southeast were from the residence of Prime Minister Tuoba. They were likely remnants of the Tuoba family, attempting to capture Li Yuanli and seize control of the Nan Chu court.
Li Yuanjing sneered upon hearing this. “Useless! You can’t even clean up a small prime minister’s residence.”
Li Yuanli retorted, “Did you think it was easy to eliminate the great families of Da Qing back in the day?”
Seeing the two about to argue again, Shen Wei felt overwhelmed. Two useless fools, and they still had time to bicker? Couldn’t they distinguish between what was important and what was trivial?
Shen Wei banged the table again. “Everyone be quiet. Li Yuanli, how many Nan Chu cavalry are left?”
Li Yuanli replied, “Two hundred, more than half are severely injured.”
Shen Wei closed her eyes, quickly thinking. The Nan Chu cavalry and the Da Qing Tiger Guards were both highly skilled, but they had suffered heavy losses from their fight last night. They would definitely not be able to withstand the two thousand private soldiers from the prime minister’s residence.
The only option now was to escape.
Shen Wei said to Li Yuanli, “I remember the nearest military garrison of Nan Chu is in Haicheng, a hundred miles to the east. Send someone to Haicheng for reinforcements. The remnants of the prime minister’s residence are here to capture the emperor of Nan Chu, and two thousand soldiers are not easy to deal with. We’ll split into three groups to disperse their forces. Li Yuanjing, you have the Tiger Guards change into the uniforms of the Nan Chu cavalry, and you take Mo Xun west; Li Yuanli and I will head north. Chengyou, you’re a good swimmer, take a small group of Tiger Guards to the sea, create the illusion of escaping by sea, and find a suitable moment to jump overboard. Once the soldiers from Haicheng eliminate the remnants, we’ll regroup.”
Shen Wei laid out her strategy succinctly.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Li Yuanjing’s heart raced. He never expected Shen Wei to understand military strategy. His heart pounded; his Weiwei was always so captivating.
Li Chengyou admired her wholeheartedly. “Mother! Splitting into three groups to disperse two thousand soldiers, simplifying the situation! That’s brilliant!”
He never imagined that their mother, who had spent so long in the palace, would understand military tactics.
Li Yuanli nodded. “Good.”
Li Yuanjing was puzzled. “Weiwei, I’ll take you west.” He couldn’t just stand by and watch Li Yuanli and Shen Wei travel together.
Shen Wei stood on her tiptoes, lightly brushing her fingers against Li Yuanjing’s handsome face, whispering, “Be obedient; my arrangements have their purpose.”
Her hand was warm and comforting.
Li Yuanjing thought: Alright then.
I’ll listen to Shen Wei.
Time was of the essence, and orders were quickly issued. In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the three groups of soldiers dispersed and swiftly vanished onto the sandy beach of the South Sea.
...
Horses galloped swiftly.
Gradually moving away from the coastline, they bumped along to a remote mountain area. The pursuers behind them grew fewer, and Li Yuanli protected her, fighting off the chasing soldiers for a long time.
After dark, Shen Wei and Li Yuanli finally escaped their pursuers.
Shen Wei’s body was already weak, and after bouncing on horseback for most of the day, she felt as if she might faint. Once off the horse, she pressed her hand to her chest and vomited.
By the end, her stomach was empty.
She felt dizzy.
“Drink some water.” Li Yuanli handed her a water pouch.
Shen Wei took a couple of sips, but her stomach still churned uncomfortably. She felt as if her soul was being torn apart, her feet barely touching the ground, as if she were walking on cotton.
“Want some more water?” Li Yuanli asked.
Shen Wei waved her hand. “No need... If it weren’t for running into you, I wouldn’t be dealing with all this trouble.”
Li Yuanli tightened his grip on the water pouch.
He looked at Shen Wei’s pale face, knowing her words were true.
The night sky was dark, and Li Yuanli rested in a cave. Two cavalrymen stood guard at the entrance, and a campfire burned inside, providing some warmth.
Shen Wei couldn’t eat anything, leaning against a rock, her eyes half-closed, lazily soaking in the warmth of the fire.
Li Yuanli draped his coat over her; Shen Wei’s body was still astonishingly thin.
Like a delicate, weightless bone.
Outside the cave, the wind rustled through the mountains, while the campfire crackled slowly inside. Li Yuanli pulled Shen Wei closer, letting her rest against his shoulder. Shen Wei, lacking strength, closed her eyes to recuperate.
Li Yuanli asked, “Am I making you suffer?”
Shen Wei replied irritably, “You’re aware of that, huh...”
After working hard for twenty years, she had finally reached retirement, only to find herself inexplicably in Nan Chu.
Several times, she had thought about ending Li Yuanli’s life.
Li Yuanli fell silent for a moment, his pupils reflecting the flickering firelight.
After a long while, just as Shen Wei was about to drift off to sleep, she heard Li Yuanli’s low voice: “Shen Wei, I’ve tried my best to treat you well. But it never seems to be enough; I always make things worse.
In my life, I’ve always taken the wrong path, never finding the right one.”
He wanted to have Shen Wei, yet he also hurt her.
Following him, Shen Wei was always getting hurt.
Li Yuanli felt a bit lost; he didn’t know how to treat Shen Wei well.
His mother had passed away many years ago, never teaching him how to love someone. He had floated through a sea of corpses and blood for years, using iron-fisted methods to gain the loyalty of the people, yet he couldn’t even earn a single glance of pity from Shen Wei.
Li Yuanli asked, “Shen Wei, tell me, what do you want?”
Inside the cave, the campfire crackled, the charcoal making faint popping sounds. Shen Wei lifted her head, her voice hoarse and weary. “I used to want to return to my original world, but unfortunately, I can’t go back. Now, I just want to return to my body in Qing Guo and live out my old age peacefully.”
The mountain wind blew gently, and the night was silent.
Li Yuanli said, “Alright.”
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