Chapter 249 -

Chapter 249: Chapter

Nine was waiting right outside, chewing on a piece of meat he had taken from the kitchen. He quickly walked beside her, shivering from the biting wind.

"Host, why are we walking around in this freezing camp?" Nine whined, his teeth clicking together. "My feet are turning into ice! We should be inside drinking hot tea, not walking around cold tents!"

Yueqing rolled her eyes and poked his forehead. "Stop complaining! A little cold air won’t hurt you. You’re a system, not a real human!"

"Hey! That hurts my feelings!" Nine gasped, holding his chest. "I am in human form right now, so I feel the cold too!"

As they walked and argued, they saw a warm fire glowing off in the distance. They walked over and found a group of camp maids gathered around a small bonfire near the supply tents. The women looked tired from their hard work.

Before Yueqing walked up, the maids had been softly humming a song to pass the time. But as soon as they saw the Young Madame coming, they stopped instantly.

The maids quickly stood up, bowing their heads in fear.

"Young Madame..." the head maid said nervously. "We are sorry if we disturbed you!"

Yueqing saw their scared faces and smiled gently. "No need to bow. Please, sit back down. Were you singing?"

The maids looked at each other nervously, staying quiet.

Seeing how scared they were, Yueqing stepped closer to the fire to warm her hands. She closed her eyes, remembering her past life in the hospital. Whenever she was sick in bed, her mother would sit by her side and softly sing a gentle ancient song to help her sleep.

Taking a soft breath, Yueqing began to sing out loud:

"The bright moon shines on the mountain tall,

"The gentle wind sings a song for all.

"Close your eyes and rest your head,

"Warm sun will wake you from your bed."

"No matter how cold the winter nights may stay,

"The morning light will chase the dark away."

Her voice was sweet and clear in the cold night air. The maids stared at her in total shock. They had never seen a noble lady stand with simple maids and sing for them.

Slowly, the sweet song melted away their fear. One by one, the maids joined in, humming and singing the simple words with her. Nine stood right beside Yueqing, his mouth slightly open, staying completely quiet for once as he listened.

The dark, cold night suddenly felt warm and happy, their sweet voices filling the whole area.

Farther down the path, Wenzhe and Third Prince Xiao Chen were walking back to the main tents, with Dong Li and Commander Guo behind them.

Xiao Chen had just arrived at the camp with his guards, his golden robes looking very elegant under his heavy coat. He was talking about army plans with Wenzhe when the sweet song caught their attention.

The whole group stopped in their tracks.

Looking toward the glowing fire, they saw Yueqing standing among the maids. The bright firelight lit up her face, and her sweet smile filled the dark night with beauty.

Wenzhe’s dark eyes softened, his heart full of love as he watched his wife.

Beside him, Xiao Chen stared at Yueqing, completely amazed by her sweet presence. A small, sad smile touched his lips.

Without looking away from her, Xiao Chen spoke quietly to Wenzhe.

"You are so lucky to have her as your wife, you jerk," Xiao Chen whispered softly. He paused, then looked at Wenzhe’s sharp face. "But remember this, if you ever hurt Yueqing and you two get a divorce, I am going to make her my Empress."

Without batting an eye, Wenzhe lifted his heavy iron-soled boot and stomped down hard right on Xiao Chen’s foot.

"Ouch! You absolute jerk!" Xiao Chen gasped, instantly hopping on one foot and clutching his crushed toes. "Are you crazy?! I am the Third Prince of this empire!"

"My foot slipped," Wenzhe replied smoothly, his face completely calm as he kept his eyes fixed on Yueqing’s glowing smile by the fire. "Next time, watch your mouth, Your Highness, or my sword might slip too."

"You arrogant brute!" Xiao Chen hissed under his breath, glaring at Wenzhe while rubbing his aching foot. "I was being serious!"

Behind them, Commander Guo turned his head away sharply, his shoulders shaking as he fought with all his might to keep a straight face. Dong Li quickly covered his mouth with his heavy sleeve, coughing loudly to hide the snort that almost escaped his nose.

"Is something funny, Dong Li?" Xiao Chen snapped, turning his glare toward the two officers.

"N-No, Your Highness!" Dong Li squeaked out, his face turning red from holding back his laughter. "Just... a terrible cough from the cold northern wind!"

"Yes, Your Highness," Commander Guo added, looking up at the sky with total seriousness. "The wind is very strong tonight!"

Xiao Chen huffed, brushing off his golden robes, though a small, subtle smirk touched his lips as he looked back toward the fire.

Later that night, Yueqing was back in her warm command tent. She had changed out of her heavy outerwear into a simple, comfortable silk garment.

She walked over to the low table and poured herself a fresh cup of warm tea. Just as she picked up her book to read, Wenzhe stepped inside. He quietly unbuckled his sword belt, slipped off his heavy outer armor, and walked straight over to her.

Before Yueqing could even turn around, Wenzhe wrapped his long arms firmly around her waist from behind. He pulled her flush against his chest, resting his heavy head right on her shoulder.

Yueqing set her book down on the table and frowned, wriggling slightly in his tight grip.

"Move away, Wenzhe," she huffed, pouting as she tried to push his arm off. "You are way too heavy!"

Wenzhe didn’t budge an inch. Instead, he buried his face deeper into the crook of her neck, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.

"Let me stay like this for a minute, my wife," Wenzhe murmured softly, his low voice vibrating against her skin. "I’ve been dealing with military reports and an annoying Third Prince all night. My head hurts."

[Calling himself heavy isn’t an lie though... he feels like a giant, solid bear clinging to my back. But fine, I’ll let him rest for five minutes.]

Wenzhe smiled against her neck, his arms tightening affectionately around her waist as he held her close in the quiet, warm tent.

"Tomorrow morning, I have to go with the Third Prince to inspect the troops we’ve gathered," Wenzhe whispered, his breath warm against her neck as he held her tight. "The training officially starts tomorrow, so I will be busy at the grounds most of the day."

Yueqing turned her head slightly to look at him, her brows knitting into a small frown. "Then what am I supposed to be doing while all of that is going on? Sitting in this tent staring at the ceiling?"

Wenzhe smiled softly, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Enjoy yourself, my wife. You can explore the nearby village and check out the local markets. Just make sure you always have Lu Yue and guards with you wherever you go."

He paused for a brief moment, his dark eyes softening with pure, deep affection as he looked down at her face. "I love you, Yueqing."

Yueqing froze completely, her lips parting in surprise. A hot, bright blush instantly spread across her cheeks and down to her neck. She quickly looked away, keeping her mouth firmly shut, too shy to say the words out loud.

[He loves me?] Her inner voice suddenly echoed with a sweet, flustered panic right inside Wenzhe’s head. [This shameless, stubborn man actually said it so casually! How am I supposed to reply to that out loud without dying of embarrassment?!]

Wenzhe held back a low laugh, feeling her small body go rigid in his arms.

[I mean... it’s not like I don’t feel the same way!] Yueqing’s thoughts continued racing, completely unaware that her husband was listening to every single word. [I love how he always protects me, even when I make a huge mess. I love how his eyes soften only when he looks at me. I love how warm his chest is when he holds me like this, and how his stupidly handsome smile makes my heart bounce like crazy. I love how he always remembers what I like to eat, and even how jealous he gets over the dumbest things...]

As her inner list of everything she loved about him filled his mind, Wenzhe’s heart swelled with overwhelming warmth.

He didn’t need her to say it out loud. A deep, tender smile touched his lips as he tightened his arms around her waist, leaning down to press a slow, sweet kiss against her burning cheek.

Yueqing rested her head back against his shoulder, her heart still thumping fast from her flustered inner thoughts.

Wenzhe leaned his face right into the sensitive shell of her ear, his low voice suddenly dropping into a soft, whining baby tone.

"Yueqing..."

Yueqing blinked, taken aback by the sudden softness in his voice. She tilted her face slightly, looking up at him in confusion. "What?"

Wenzhe buried his hot face right into the crook of her neck, his broad arms tightening around her waist as he whispered completely without shame, "I’m horny!"