The Slender Waist-Chapter 286 - 199: The Battle Between the Dragon and the Tiger

Chapter 286: Chapter 199: The Battle Between the Dragon and the Tiger

Jixiang was stunned.

Following the Emperor’s gaze, in an instant, the group of people rushed up to them.

The one in the lead was Pei Jue, who came in the pouring rain.

His clothes were already drenched, his urgency like that of chasing a beloved. Only when he got close, and saw Xiao Cheng and his guard, did he slowly rein in his horse and come to a stop.

Ta Xue neighed, its front hooves rising high, splashing a spray of raindrops.

Xiao Cheng slowly moved the umbrella forward, waiting for the raindrops to pass by before removing it to look at Pei Jue.

"Great General, it has been a long time."

The two had encountered each other on the Bingzhou battlefield, but from a distance, without the proximity of sharing the same rainy space, face to face, eye to eye. Even in the dim night, unable to see each other’s expressions, one could feel the hostility and indifference from their presences.

But the "long time" Xiao Cheng referred to was not Bingzhou.

It was separated by a lifetime.

Pei Jue did not speak. He scanned Xiao Cheng and his entourage, and not seeing Feng Yun, his gaze darkened.

"Qi Jun crossing the Zhuye River at night, what are your intentions?"

Xiao Cheng pursed his lips, brushing off the rain-soaked sleeve.

"Great General chased after me so urgently, for whatever reason, that is also my reason."

In the midst of the wind and rain, Pei Jue locked eyes coldly, "Qi Jun should not break the rules."

Though the peace treaty was not yet signed, both sides had agreed on the borders.

Xiao Cheng fell silent for a moment, "Unable to contain my feelings, I hope the General will understand."

His voice carried a hint of shame yet was gentle and powerful, seemingly conveying his uncontainable longing for Feng Yun through this sentence.

Pei Jue said, "Qi Jun sends emissaries to negotiate peace but does not keep to the agreements. It’s better if our two nations don’t reconcile after such deception."

"Others may not understand me, but you, General, should," Xiao Cheng felt a bitterness in his throat. Facing Pei Jue’s icy killing intent, every word he uttered was steeped in awkwardness.

"Personal matters are not state matters."

Oh, such private and affectionate matters.

Pei Jue said, "If Qi Jun is not sincere, don’t blame me for turning hostile..."

His eyes, inflamed with rage, appeared dark and deep in the night. Hidden by the umbrella’s shadows, Xiao Cheng actually couldn’t see his expression clearly. Yet, even without seeing him, just from that low, cold voice, one could hear immense anger...

He was very angry.

At this very moment.

He felt the same as Xiao Cheng.

The emotions were for the same woman.

Neither could confide the pain to others or find relief, their torment was the same...

Xiao Cheng smiled.

When he thought the deep affection he had taken for truth was but false lies, when the loyalty he assumed would last until death was soon replaced, when his pride and arrogance were thoroughly trampled upon...

He saw Pei Jue.

He saw him riding like a madman, saw his discomposure and anxiety. In that instant, Xiao Cheng felt Pei Jue’s emotions were in tune with his, including the perception of pain...

Pain that cut deep into the bone, yet left no mark upon touching...

Pei Jue feared he would take Feng Yun away.

Chasing him down on horseback with a disregard for his own life.

Like him in his past life, like him in this life.

No one knew the boundless torment caused by the loss of a loved one, but there was Pei Jue, who shared the same panic as him...

"Today, let us not talk of state affairs, but of personal feelings, how about that?"

Xiao Cheng handed the umbrella to Jixiang and walked slowly towards Pei Jue, drenched in rain, giving him a bow.

"If the General has no feelings for her, could you let her return to me? I want to make amends to her, to rectify the regrets of this life... Please, General, grant me this favor!"

In the storm, the young and handsome Emperor, an exquisite gentleman amidst the troubled world, his fair and handsome face was the stuff of a maiden’s dreams. Watching him, Pei Jue inexplicably thought of the poetry collection Feng Yun had placed on her desk.

Thinking of the gentleman, warming her as jade...

Xiao Cheng remained in his deep bow.

Sincere, earnest, his gesture was so moving that even his guards’ eyes reddened.

What depth of feeling must an Emperor possess to make such a humble plea to a rival in love?

The guards clenched their teeth, hand on the hilt of their swords, wishing they could fight to restore their Emperor’s dignity.

Pei Jue sat on his horse, looking on indifferently.

"How will you make amends?" he asked.

Xiao Cheng looked up at him, his robe soaked and his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed.

"Xiao Cheng swears here. If the General will grant this, tomorrow she shall be the Empress of Daqi. I will honor her, love her, give her dignity, give her respect. For her entire life, let no one bully her, insult her."

Without waiting for Pei Jue’s response, he looked up and continued:

"General, you are loyal, but you can never protect her. Instead of letting her wander in a foreign land, lonely and unsupported, it’s better to let her come home with me. This is not only fulfilling a desire but also an act of great love."

Of course, he said this believing he had grounds.

Not to mention the outcome last life when Pei Jue cast her out of Central Capital, but this life alone, from the messages sent frequently by Ren Rude, showed that Li Sangruo could not tolerate Ayun. If not this time, there would be another.

Given Pei Jue’s loyal nature to the Jin Court, even if Ayun did not die at Li Sangruo’s hands, they would eventually follow that irreversible path due to Li Sangruo’s manipulation and alienation...

Originally, he could wait.

Wait three years, until Pei Jue grew tired of her and cast her out.

Following the trajectory of his previous life, he could also wait for a turning point to emerge...

However, the battle at Bingzhou changed everything, with Pei Jue marrying her, causing Ayun’s attitude towards him to take a drastic downturn, so resolute and unwavering.

Xiao Cheng could wait no longer.

The days without her stretched on, almost hopelessly long. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Pei Jue still wore no particular expression.

He sized up Xiao Cheng, his thoughts unknowable.

"Why does Qi Jun assume I cannot protect her?"

Xiao Cheng looked at the Great General atop his horse, drenched from head to toe, and chuckled lightly.

"Because you are not the ruler of the Jin Court," he pointedly directed his barb, "You see, even an incompetent nobody who climbed the ranks through the bedchamber dares to molest her under your very nose, and harbors unsavory intentions..."

Pei Jue’s expression changed.

Xiao Cheng’s voice was light, yet it pierced to the bone.

"In light of this, do you still believe you can protect her?"

Pei Jue’s grip on the reins tightened imperceptibly, as if a cold and despotic aura was drifting over through the misty rain.

"You cannot protect her." Xiao Cheng smiled faintly, his words intermingled with the patter of the rain, filled with seductive insinuations, "Ayun is fated to be the target of all, a coveted prize in the struggle for possession."

He did not spell it out, but he believed Pei Jue would understand.

Men know men best.

Who could remain unmoved by such peerless beauty?

But only the most powerful men with the most formidable authority could keep her safe and shield her from harassment.

"If you lack the resolve, General, why not bless us? It would not be in vain for her to have been with you."

Having the power to seize the throne of Daqi on his own merits, Xiao Cheng’s persuasiveness was formidable. Zuo Zhong and the others listening on the side felt a chill in their hearts, cold and icy, anxious on the General’s behalf.

"Have you finished, Qi Jun?" Pei Jue moved a few steps in place, still holding the reins, "If you’re done, then leave. Don’t force my hand before the peace talks, lest it burden the common folk."

Xiao Cheng’s expression turned stern.

It seemed all he had said had fallen on deaf ears.

"Do you realize, General, that by imprisoning her, you are hurting her? One day, she will be destroyed by your own hands!"

"My woman, Qi Jun, does not need your concern," Pei Jue’s voice came coldly through the rain, carrying a bone-chilling chill and mocking scorn.

"So concerned, Qi Jun, where have you been all this while?"

Xiao Cheng: "That is between her and me, not for the General to inquire into. She is my wife; what I owe her, I will repay... slowly."

Pei Jue looked straightforward, "If she is your wife, why did she not leave with you?"

The calm voice seemed like a spike piercing through Xiao Cheng’s nerves, as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer.

"It’s not that she would not leave with me; it’s because you took her by force, forcing her to submit to fate!"

The sound of the rain was loud; Xiao Cheng was nearly shouting.

It was to ensure that Pei Jue heard clearly, as well as to argue with heaven and earth.

Feng Yun was, of course, his wife; they had ascended the jade steps together, entered the grand hall, received the worship of the ministers, letting the whole world witness. They shared a lovely imperial son; together they had conceived an heir...

She had been with him far longer than Pei Jue.

Therefore, Pei Jue was but a minor disturbance in the fate they shared.

It represented the three regrettable years they were apart.

Xiao Cheng inhaled slightly, allowing the rain to wash down his cheeks, his voice steady.

"Why won’t the General let her have a way out?"

Pei Jue remained silent as if Xiao Cheng’s words had no influence on him, standing straight and cold, reaching his hand towards Jiu You.

Jiu You had a bow strapped on his back.

He glanced at the Great General and handed it over.

Pei Jue took the bow, faced Xiao Cheng, and slowly drew it, "Qi Jun, please leave."

The Qi Army guards quickly surrounded Xiao Cheng, but his expression remained unchanged, and he slowly drew back Jixiang in front of him, fixing his gaze on Pei Jue:

"Since I dared to cross the river, I made the ready to sacrifice my life. General Pei, it’s difficult to be together forever; you cannot do it, why not let go? To you, she’s trivial, insignificant, easily discarded. To me, she is a treasure, to whom I would stay true until death..."

He spoke fervently, his tone of grief and indignation directed as much at Pei Jue as at himself, as if in this way he could extinguish all the guilt of his former life...

"Just let go, and for this peace negotiation, you may set whatever terms you like..."

Pei Jue coldly raised his bow, his lips nearly forming a straight line.

Then, from behind the shrouded banyan tree in the heavy rain, a soft snort suddenly emerged.

"The rain is getting heavier. Have you two not settled the matter yet?"

That’s how Feng Yun appeared.

Holding an umbrella, she stepped into the view of the crowd. It was uncertain how long she had stood there, her body already drenched, a fragile beauty, her forehead crowned by graceful eyebrows, such comeliness.

"Since the two of you can’t come to an agreement, let me make it clear. Feng Yun Ayun, is not a piece of merchandise to be bartered. Whoever wants to claim me, prove your mettle and take away a corpse. If you don’t have the guts, wait until I arrange your funeral!"

She came unexpectedly, standing resolute in the night.

Behind her stood Crown Prince Chunyu, tall and straight, his appearance distinguished and elegant.