After the bloody and tragic battle, the survivors looked at Ning Que with subtle changes in their attitudes. During the journey after leaving the City of Wei, they respected Ning Que's ability as a guide. When they encountered some big events or important decisions, Ning Que was just a big stone in the eyes of the bodyguards. But now, no matter what they did, they would subconsciously ask for his opinion.
After reporting to Her Highness, the bodyguard leader followed Ning Que's opinion and did not immediately withdraw from the Northern Mountain Road. Instead, he decided that all the wounded would stay here and wait for further orders, hoping that the reinforcement troops at the southern foot of the Northern Mountain Road could arrive before dawn.
The weak old man Lyu Qingchen quietly looked at the lad beside the bonfire with a smile on his face. He gently rubbed his right thumb on the belly of his index finger, but in the end, he just shook his head.
Two bonfires were lit beside the carriage. Although the forest was dense and windy, fortunately, there was night dew on the rotten leaves, so there was no need to worry about a troublesome fire. The bodyguard leader and the wounded gathered around one of the bonfires, leaving another one in a better position for Her Highness, the old man and the little boy. Even in such a difficult situation, they still did not forget the hierarchy.
After being tied up, taking medicine and eating, the grassland barbarians could not resist the hunger and thirst after the battle and began to sip wine. The people around the bonfire passed the wine bags to Sangsang, but the little handmaiden shook her head slightly. Then, the barbarian named Dumu walked to Ning Que with a very respectful expression and handed the wine bag to him with both hands.
Looking at this scene, someone frowned slightly. She knew very well that these grassland barbarians, who were loyal to her, were arrogant and unruly Horse Bandits on the grassland before they were subdued. They rarely showed respect to others except for herself, not to mention that there was an obvious fear in their respect at this time. Even if the teenager played a decisive role in the previous battle and made them grateful, where did the fear come from?
Ning Que took the wine bag and drank a mouthful, frowning because of the strong alcohol. He looked at the old man by the fire, and his heart moved slightly. He used his hands to support his tired body and walked over. However, before he could bow, cup his hands, or even kneel down to ask for guidance like he had imagined when he was young, he was stopped by a faint voice.
"Take a seat."
Ning Que turned his head to look at the maidservant beside the fire. He looked at her face that was illuminated by the fire and sighed softly in his heart. He bowed respectfully and then sat down not too far from her in a well-behaved manner.
Although he insisted that, contrary to what the world was saying, she was an idiot. But even if he was an idiot, the difference in status between them was like the stars in the sky and a loach in the paddy field, so he had to pay attention to his etiquette and be respectful.
Because she was not a maidservant. She was the fourth princess of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yu.
Lee Yu quietly looked at the young man's side profile. His youthful face looked very ordinary. Apart from the small dimples that occasionally appeared when he smiled and the freckles that were not ugly under the firelight, there was nothing special about him.
However, the performance of such an ordinary young soldier in battle reminded her more than once of the indifferent tiger leaping over the bushes on the grassland. For some reason, she, who had just experienced a thrilling assassination, felt much more relaxed and calm as long as she looked at Ning Que, who was not far away from her, even though she still had a lingering fear after experiencing a thrilling assassination.
Perhaps it was because the young man was guarding her like a ferocious tiger.
But the problem was that she did not like this young man. From the City of Wei to the way he disguised himself as a maidservant to the way he behaved, whether he was disguised as a maidservant or now as a princess, she disliked the behavior of this border town soldier.
What made her even more unhappy was that she always felt that Ning Que's respect for her was just for show, and she could not see any sincerity. She even always felt that he should be laughing at her in some dark corner. It had to be said that a woman's intuition was always a terrible weapon, whether it was a peasant woman in the village or a resentful woman in the palace.
As the most distinguished princess of the Tang Empire, as long as she thought that a low-level soldier was mocking her, she should be angry. But now, what the princess felt was that sitting next to him, sitting next to the fire, made her feel relaxed and safe. She felt protected.
She liked this feeling, but she did not like that this feeling appeared because of Ning Que. Therefore, she felt inexplicably ashamed and annoyed. She slightly narrowed her eyes to look at his side profile, and deliberately spoke in a much colder tone.
"When the enemy attacked just now, it seemed that you wanted to go into the horse carriage to save me?"
What palace was I? Daming Palace? Li Xia Palace? Anyway, the real me was not in the horse carriage at that time. Now I say that you wanted to save me at that time, I am mocking you for only thinking about making a contribution.
"Actually … I knew that Her Highness was Her Highness when we were in the City of Wei."
Ning Que looked at her and explained seriously. Her Highness was Her Highness, and the me in the horse carriage was naturally not a princess. Small tricks that might be useful in alluring the enemy were, in fact, only low-level camouflage in the eyes of real smart people.
Li Yu slightly frowned. She did not ask when and how Ning Que could see through her identity. Perhaps the previous battle and the subsequent sense of security made her have a very good judgment of the young man's ability.
She suddenly asked coldly, "Previously you said that all your killing skills were learned in the army, but you are only fifteen or sixteen years old this year. When the City of Wei recruited soldiers, you were probably still a child. Why did the border army recruit you into the camp?"
Ning Que thought to himself, "You're just a sixteen-year-old girl, and you're still married to a faraway grassland." Just as he was about to tease her, Sangsang quietly walked over and sat beside him.
Looking at the real little girl beside him, his heart softened slightly. Looking at the floating flames in front of him, he recalled and said, "Your Highness, you should know that I picked up Sangsang from the roadside when I was a child. At that time, we were still very young and accidentally broke into the vast Min Mountain. Just when we were about to die of hunger and thirst, we met an old hunter."
He raised his head and looked at the beautiful face of the princess. He said, "The old hunter was not a sublime person, and he did not save us out of good intentions. Anyway, he taught me how to hunt, and I learned archery at that time. Later … the old hunter died, and I took Sangsang to hunt in the Min Mountain for a living."
It was a simple story, but vivid pictures appeared in the princess's eyes. A ten-year-old boy was carrying a five-year-old girl on his back. They were struggling in the Min Mountain, which was full of ferocious beasts and cliffs. He held a small boxwood bow in his hand, and the little girl carried a quiver of simple wooden arrows on her back.
Sometimes they could not shoot any prey for a few days, and sometimes they would fall down the hillside after being chased by a leopard. Sometimes they would shoot a gray rabbit, and the two children would jump in joy. Sometimes they would look at the lighted mountain village from afar and leave silently.
In Li Yu's eyes, Ning Que's face was no longer as hateful as before. She frowned and asked, "The mountain is so dangerous, why don't you go to the government? The Tang Empire should be very kind to the orphans and widows. "
Ning Que lowered his head and picked up a piece of charred firewood. He said in a low voice, "It's actually easier to live in a place with fewer people."
It was a very simple sentence, but it hid a lot of hardships, blood, and tears. Li Yu stared at the master and servant beside the fire, and suddenly frowned and asked, "That old hunter … how did he die?"
Ning Que raised his head and answered calmly, "I killed him. I killed him with a knife."
As for why he killed the old hunter, he did not explain. He would not explain to this noble princess who had never experienced the darkest and filthiest part of the world. He would probably not explain it to anyone in his life. He just rubbed Sangsang's little head lovingly and pulled her into his arms.
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