Hot flashes

Xiao Jue cleaned Zhou Heng thoroughly and meticulously, even personally changing him into soft, clean undergarments.

Zhou Heng kept his eyes closed and pretended to be dead the whole time, letting himself be manipulated. However, when the cool ointment was carefully applied to those hidden sore spots again, his eyelashes trembled uncontrollably a few times.

"Are you hungry?" Xiao Jue wrapped him up in the blanket and asked in a low voice.

Zhou Heng let out a muffled hum through his nose as a reply. He was completely exhausted, his throat was parched, and all he wanted to do was sleep forever.

Xiao Jue didn't insist, and got up to give a few instructions to the outsiders.

Before long, Chen Zhen personally brought over a bowl of warm, lightly fragrant minced meat porridge and several delicate side dishes, placed them on a low table beside the couch, and then withdrew without looking to the side.

"Eat something before you sleep." Xiao Jue sat back down on the couch, picked up the bowl of porridge, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and brought it to Zhou Heng's lips.

Zhou Heng lifted her eyelids, glanced at him, then at the spoonful of porridge. After hesitating for a moment, she finally couldn't resist the emptiness in her stomach, and awkwardly opened her mouth to accept being fed.

The porridge was cooked to perfection, melting in the mouth and soothing the empty stomach with its warmth. Xiao Jue fed it slowly and patiently, spoonful by spoonful.

Zhou Heng was initially a little stiff, but later he simply gave up and closed his eyes, focusing only on swallowing.

The tent was quiet, save for the soft clinking of spoons and bowls and the sound of swallowing.

The morning light shone through the gaps in the tent curtains, outlining Xiao Jue's focused profile. At this moment, the sharpness and coldness that usually inspired awe seemed to be quietly enveloped by some strange gentleness.

After finishing the bowl of porridge, Zhou Heng felt he had regained some strength. He closed his eyes again, turned over, and faced Xiao Jue with the back of his head, saying in a muffled voice, "Sleepy."

Xiao Jue put down the bowl, looked at his ostrich-like posture, and a very faint smile flashed in his eyes.

He reached out and, through the blanket, gently massaged his still somewhat stiff back and waist. "Go to sleep. Nothing's happening today, I won't disturb you."

His palms were broad and warm, and the pressure he applied was just right, relieving the soreness in my muscles.

Zhou Heng relaxed almost imperceptibly, the clean, sun-kissed scent of the bedding lingering in his nostrils, along with the faint, reassuring scent of pine wood emanating from the person behind him.

Exhaustion washed over him like a tide, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.

I slept soundly until the sun began to set.

When Zhou Heng woke up, he was the only one in the tent, covered up tightly. The bowl of porridge and side dishes had been removed and replaced with a pot of warm water next to the charcoal stove.

My body is still sore, but it's much better than when I woke up in the morning; at least I can move around freely.

He slowly sat up and stared blankly for a while.

He got up, dressed neatly, and went to the outer tent. New documents were piled on the table, but Xiao Jue was not there.

A guard reported: "The Marquis has gone to the drill ground to inspect the newly formed scout squad. The Marquis instructed that if the clerk wakes up, he may handle the documents himself."

Zhou Heng nodded and went to find Mr. Du first.

The old man was in high spirits, clearly having not slept all night but still full of enthusiasm. He pulled him aside to show him several possible tunnel clues that he had initially sorted out, as well as the oral records of two descendants of old miners that he had interviewed.

Zhou Heng examined the area carefully, and after combining it with his vague impressions, he and Mr. Du discussed it for a long time before marking out two entrances that were most worth exploring first.

After dealing with these matters, he returned to the main tent and began reviewing the routine documents that were not urgent.

He paused slightly as his gaze swept over a report concerning the transportation of grain supplies to the rear.

As mentioned above, recently, the Southern Capital has been conducting much stricter checks at several key trade routes leading to the territory of Northern Liang. Although there has been no explicit ban on passage, numerous difficulties have been imposed, resulting in a significant reduction in the efficiency of transporting supplies such as grain, fodder, and medicine, and an increase in costs.

Southern Capital...the young emperor? Zhou Heng frowned.

Xiao Jue's power is immense, and it's understandable that the court is wary of him. However, this covert obstruction is clearly intended to slow down Bei Liang's expansion and even deplete its reserves.

As he was deep in thought, steady footsteps sounded outside the tent. Xiao Jue had returned, still in his armor, carrying the chilling aura of the training ground, but when his gaze fell on Zhou Heng, that chill softened slightly.

"Awake?" He walked to the desk and casually picked up a few documents that Zhou Heng had reviewed and looked at them. "Hmm, handled properly."

His gaze swept over the grain report, his eyes turning slightly cold, but he said nothing more, only remarking, "The small actions from the south are expected. It's just a minor ailment, nothing to worry about."

Zhou Heng looked up at him: "What if they're planning something bigger?"

Xiao Jue put down the document, pointed his finger at the location of Nanjing on the map, and said in a calm but firm tone: "The court is weak, the Prince of Qi has just been defeated, and the southern towns are all harboring their own evil intentions."

Even if they wanted to act, they couldn't muster an army capable of directly confronting my Northern Liang cavalry. Their schemes are nothing more than petty, underhanded tactics.

He looked at Zhou Heng, then changed the subject, "The matter of Black Wind Valley is of utmost importance. The tunnel exploration can begin tomorrow. You will come with me to meet the men selected by Lieutenant General Zhao."

His attitude was nonchalant, glossing over the potential threat from the court while keeping his focus on the actual military affairs at hand. This composure reassured Zhou Heng somewhat.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in the southern capital, in the imperial palace.

The magnificent hall could not conceal the underlying superficiality and anxiety that permeated the very core of the matter.

The young emperor Xiao Chang sat high on the dragon throne, the jade beads hanging from his crown swaying slightly, reflecting the solemnity he was trying to maintain on his pale face.

His father, his equally mediocre and short-lived brother, and his even earlier grandfather who only knew how to enjoy himself and emptied the national treasury, left him a court riddled with problems and losing all prestige, and the ever-growing tiger in the north—Xiao Jue.

"...Xiao Jue of Beiliang has overstepped the bounds of propriety and encroached upon prefectures and counties. His power is growing daily, and he is already showing signs of becoming too powerful to control! If we continue to tolerate him, there may be a calamity of dynastic change!" A censor was speaking eloquently, his voice echoing in the empty hall, but it did not elicit much of a powerful response.

The civil and military officials lined up in the hall knew perfectly well that the Shence Army had been annihilated at Luoshui, the King of Qi had fled, and Yingyang had surrendered... Xiao Jue's blade was getting closer and closer to the gentle embrace of this southern capital.

But what does the imperial court have left? The treasury is empty, military preparedness is lax, and the various military governors are disloyal. Suppress the rebellion? With what can they use?

As the young emperor Xiao Chang listened to the empty or evasive discussions below, cold sweat seeped from his palms.

He knew that his ascension to the throne was a stroke of luck; if his elder brother hadn't died childless, it would never have been his turn. He wanted to pull himself together, but the deep-seated problems were too difficult to overcome, and among all the officials in the court, not a single one could share his burdens or stand against Xiao Jue's military might.

"My lords..." he began, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible dryness and expectation, "Who...who is willing to share my burdens, lead the army north, and contain Northern Liang?"