My enemies became my companions

Chapter 234 Will there be children?

Every extra snowfall means one more day until the New Year. Looking at the fields from afar, they are clean and tidy, with undulating ridges. Every household has harvested enough food and hung bacon in the courtyard, waiting for a good New Year.

Two official horses walked side by side, slowly passing through the muddy path between the fields. The path was pebbled and overgrown with weeds. A village could be seen in the distance, with wisps of smoke rising from the sky. Young children were playing with each other, pulling tree branches from one end of the village to the other, vying to be the most powerful hero at the entrance of the village, each fighting with his sword.

"It's quite comfortable." Min Ning said softly when he saw this scene.

Chen Yi came back to his senses and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's very peaceful here. The Annan King's military camp is right over there, but everything in this village remains the same as before."

Min Ning pointed to Chen Yi and saw that on the hillside in the distance, there were many tents, arranged in a tight and orderly manner, with flags fluttering in the wind, stacked among the trees.
"I thought I would see ruins and broken walls along the way, but I never thought... they didn't harm a single thing."

Throughout history, it is not uncommon to let soldiers plunder in the places where they are stationed. There are houses that were burned down, bodies that have not been buried in time, body parts floating on the river, naked female corpses in the houses, and ashes after the fire. It is often said that warlords are as fierce as tigers, but few people think that warlords are also as greedy and cruel as tigers.

The village before him was now a leisurely scene with chickens and dogs coexisting and the old and young living in peace, which surprised Min Ning a little.

In the streets and alleys of the capital, the story of King Annan's evil deeds had long been spread, and the army under his command was a group of evil spirits that wreaked havoc on the world, leaving no grass growing wherever they went.

Therefore, it was really surprising for Min Ning to see this scene.

Chen Yi was not that surprised. No matter what kind of person the King of Annan was, he was not a northern barbarian. He would plunder and empty all the houses when he entered the pass. Qin Qingluo came to the north to support Lin Yan's forced abdication. If she entered the capital, burning, killing and looting would damage her reputation. Now that Queen An had returned to Jingren Palace, the capital was gradually reorganizing and there was a possibility of a surprise attack at any time. The King of Annan was withdrawing his troops one after another. It was even more impossible for him to allow his troops to plunder at this time when strict military discipline was most needed.

Looking at the sky from afar, he saw the sun setting and the earth was covered with a golden color. Chen Yi thought for a while, then turned to Min Ning and said:

"You wait here, I'll go into the barracks and take a look."

Qin Qingluo and Zhu E were most likely in the military camp, so he naturally wanted to go and see them. However, there were many martial arts masters under the Annan Palace. He was now at the fourth rank in martial arts, so he could deal with them alone. At worst, he could just run away if he couldn't win. However, no matter how good Min Ning was, he was only at the sixth or seventh rank. If he went in with him, something would inevitably go wrong.

Min Ning frowned and thought for a while, and figured out the pros and cons, so he didn't dwell on it any further.

Chen Yi gently placed his hand on her innocent feeling.

Min Ning was startled, and then he felt a ray of sword intent and a ray of knife intent flowing into his body.

Chen Yi withdrew his hand. Now that he had entered the fourth level and realized the meaning of martial arts, he could naturally separate out a wisp of his intention. However, his sword intention and knife intention were far less pure than Zhou Yitang's.

"If you encounter any danger and cannot fight, you should run away. Don't stand there stupidly. Do you understand?"

Chen Yi thought of her temper and gave her a warning.

Min Ning folded his arms across his chest and remained silent.

She was silent for a short while before she saw Chen Yi reaching out to take advantage of her. She quickly dodged and said in dissatisfaction:

"If I can't beat you, I'll run away again."

Seeing this answer, Chen Yi nodded reluctantly.

He dismounted from his horse, used his lightness skills, and headed towards the military camp in the mountains and forests.

.....................

The commander's tent was located deep inside the military camps, and was separated from the other camps by a series of empty tents.

The sound of waving swords was heard one after another in the parade ground. Even though it was no longer possible to plot against the capital, the entire army was still training as usual. This was the way to run an army. If there was a change in one day, the soldiers would become slack every day and people's hearts would be unstable. Only when everything remained the same as before could the army's morale be stable.

A tall figure in armor stood on a high place. After glancing at the parade ground several times, he lowered his pupils slightly, as if counting the number of people.

"Where did Qin Liancheng go?"

King Annan asked in a low voice.

The subordinate officer beside him also took a look around and then reported: "In the past few days, the deputy general has led his personal soldiers out of the camp for reconnaissance."

"The army has its own scouts, why would he leave the camp without permission?" As he spoke, the King of Annan's eyes darkened. "It seems that the military discipline has been lax in the past few days since I was away."

The officer replied timidly.

"When he comes back, he will be caned thirty times, and everyone else will be caned twenty times." King Annan's words were brief, but left no room for doubt.

The officer hesitated and whispered, "He is your nephew after all. Moreover, he has good intentions. If he is punished for this, I am afraid that the elders will..."

This time, the prince didn't say a word, just glanced at her.

The officer was instantly silent.

When the King of Annan turned around and returned to the commander's tent, that subordinate finally came to his senses and thought to himself that Qin Liancheng was in trouble. Now he went north to the capital, but his efforts were almost in vain. During the few days when the prince was away temporarily, the people in the camp were unstable. Perhaps affected by this, the prince is now more taciturn than usual, and even more ruthless and does not tolerate any questioning.

After lifting the curtain, Qin Qingluo was not in a hurry to take off her armor, nor did she remove her disguise and illusion. She lowered her eyes, and the further she walked into the tent, the slower her steps became.

After being stationed for several days, the commander's tent was divided into two parts by screens and curtains, which were used as reception rooms, study rooms, bedrooms, bathing rooms, etc. It can be said that it was small but had all the necessary facilities.

Qin Qingluo would slow down every time he opened a curtain.

When she reached the deepest part, she saw the woman in red through the gauze curtain. She was kneeling on the ground with her hands folded and her head lowered, praying devoutly. Qin Qingluo knew who she was praying for even if she didn't listen.

Although the Annan Palace has close ties with the Divine Religion, Qin Qingluo is not very interested in it. First, the Divine Religion is, after all, a demonic cult in the eyes of the world, and a thorn in the eyes of the government and the people of Dayu. It can be used but not trusted. Second, Qin Qingluo himself does not respect gods and Buddhas. When he first inherited the throne, he cut off the previous king's support for the Taoist temples and Buddhist temples.

Now, listening to the prayers day after day, Qin Qingluo's eyes dimmed and a faint twitch came from his back.

She clenched her fists silently.

After Zhu E finished praying, Qin Qingluo finally opened the curtain and called out softly:
"Aunt Zhu."

Zhu E raised her eyes. Her eyes, which were already charming, became even brighter and more charming after that incident.

The woman in red looked at Qin Qingluo walking slowly towards her. Seeing that she looked exhausted, she stood up and called out,
"My Lord, you are tired..."

Qin Qingluo said in a calm and vigorous voice, "During my absence these few days, I have neglected the affairs here, and people are a little distracted. I believe that the Southern Frontier Palace is also busy, and those old immortals are taking advantage of this opportunity to jump around. I will clean up after the return of the army. When the New Year comes, if everything goes well, everything will be brand new again."

She called the palace Southern Xinjiang instead of the exact place name. Zhu E knew that it was because the woman and the prince never regarded the place as their home, but only as half of the place where the dragon rose.

The woman in red nodded slightly and gently tried to touch Qin Qingluo's furrowed brows.

Qin Qingluo subconsciously stopped and waited. Her mind flashed through her mind like lightning, and she took a half step back. Just as she raised her foot, she stopped again. In a short moment, her mind changed several times, and the woman in red finally touched her brow and gently massaged it.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry..." Zhu E said in a low voice.

"… I'm fine." Qin Qingluo replied, paused for a moment, and then asked: "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Zhu E shook his head and said with a smile:
"How could I be in trouble? That matter... I don't even have time to laugh."

That smile hurt Qin Qingluo.

The princess seemed to recall that day, and was completely immersed in her thoughts, with her brows slightly raised, just like a favored concubine in the deep palace.

The Saint of the Demon Cult pressed her belly and said to herself with a silly smile:
"Your Majesty, do you think I could get pregnant with his child here?"

Qin Qingluo was silent. She knew that this girl from the Divine Religion had been a devout believer in Ming Zun since she was born. She was made a saint when she was twelve years old. She spent three whole years deep in the religion, keeping company with the scriptures and the prophecies of Ming Zun's birth all day long.

Qin Qingluo stretched out his hand towards her, but stopped halfway. The woman, who was still hanging in the air and still in her armor, said hoarsely:
"Just once, no more."

Zhu E grabbed her withdrawn hand and said in a fanatical tone:

"What if it really happened?"

She regarded that man as Mingzun, and as a saint, she would eventually give birth to a Mingzun son for the entire religion.

Qin Qingluo's face froze, and a chill spread down his spine.

She was silent for a long while and then said:
“…entered the Qin family tree.”

My dear relative's voice was struggling, and the enthusiasm on Zhu'e's face paused.

I have to go out for a while, so I finished here. I will write the extra chapter as soon as I come back.


(End of this chapter)