After picking out the things they would "embezzle," Mu Hanzhang called for the left and right protectorate generals to come help count and do an inventory of the items in the treasure house one by one. Of course, they would also get a share, so the left protectorate general got a treasure sword, and the right protectorate general picked up a bag full of pearls. As for the other two generals, considering Hao Dadao's integrity and Zhao Meng's big mouth, they all decided not to tell them.
Jing Shao called for a few hundred soldiers to guard the treasure house. After going through it and doing a clear inventory, he had everything except a chest of silver escorted back to the capital.
In his report, Jing Shao directly said that the Southeast King had been killed by one of his own concubines; as for the person he chose, Jing Shao wrote down the name of the woman who had hugged Jun Qing's leg.
They rested in the southeast palace for ten days as they waited to receive an imperial edict and deal with the aftermath. In accordance with the imperial edict, Jing Shao rewarded the three armies with that chest of silver. He then dismissed the Shu, Xiang and Qian armies on the spot, and took his personal troops north to Jiangnan.
After a period of rest and nourishment, Ge Ruo Yi recovered fully. She changed into the clothes of a maid and continued to serve Mu Hanzhang. She didn't mention a word about what she had experienced in the southeast palace in the last few months, and Jing Shao also tacitly didn't ask.
The weather had turned cold. When they marched north from the south, in particular, they could clearly feel the chill.
In any case, they were just traveling. Jing Shao also no longer maintained a front, and huddled inside the carriage, burrowing into his Wang Fei's quilt.
Because of the cold weather, Xiao Huang no longer served as a footrest. Instead, he lay horizontally, acting as a warm pillow. But there was something wrong with a living pillow...
"Jun Qing..." Jing Shao gently kissed the neck of the person under him and nibbled on his beautiful collarbone.
"Wu, no, Ge Ruo Yi is outside..." Mu Hanzhang lowered his voice.
"It's fine, we'll be quiet," Jing Shao whispered in his ear.
His voice was rough and the man in his arms trembled with the burst of heat in his ear. Jing Shao smiled and moved to bite that ear. Then, he saw a fluffy paw stretch out to that blue jade moon and flowing clouds hairpin. It poked and scratched the hairpin, batting it back and forth...
Jing Shao: "..."
Mu Hanzhang: "..."
In the end, Xiao Huang was driven off to become a footrest once more.
* * * * *
Jiangnan in the twelfth lunar month wasn't as colorful as in the third month, but the withered lotus leaves and barren willows had their particular charm.
The city they stayed in was called Pingjiang. It wasn't the largest city in Jiangnan, but it was the most prosperous one. Moreover, the military headquarters of Jiangnan was here, and because the Huainan fief was right next to them, the Jiangnan army was also stationed outside the city.
Although the commander-in-chief of the Jiangnan troops didn't come out to meet them, it seemed that he already knew that they were coming, and had prepared a place for them to set up camp. Leaving his troops in the Jiangnan camp and flinging Zhao Meng aside to "housesit," Jing Shao, along with his Wang Fei and his other three generals, went straight to the Jiangnan commander-in-chief's residence.
"Lu Niao! Get your ass over here for Benwang!" Jing Shao yelled as soon as he entered the residence.
"Wang Ye..." The housekeeper leading the way couldn't help fishing out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his sweat. Cheng Wang's sudden visit had startled him and he had already sent someone to inform his master. Why was he still not here?
