Chapter 76 My cousin and I are sleeping in the same room?

Chapter 76 My cousin and I slept in the same room.

How could Pei Wu go back on his word? Jiang Ru waited for his explanation: "Why?"

Pei Wu spoke vaguely: "The journey is long, and we don't know the whereabouts of the Chen Party. It would be safer for you to stay in Bianjing."

From that one sentence, Jiang Ru understood his implied meaning: "You mean there might be danger?"

Pei Wu neither admitted nor denied it, which means it was indeed possible.

Perhaps to reassure Jiang Ru that she could stay in Bianjing, Pei Wu added, "I didn't say there would be any danger, I just thought it would be better for you to stay in Bianjing."

If Pei Wu hadn't been so secretive, Jiang Ru might not have thought much of it, but because he said it this way, Jiang Ru would definitely go with him.

If there were real danger, how could Jiang Ru possibly wait for Pei Wu alone in Bianjing? She would be so anxious that she wouldn't be able to eat or sleep. If there was no danger, she would have to wait for Pei Wu in Bianjing for at least several months, which would be even more unacceptable to Jiang Ru.

Moreover, Pei Wu was perfectly fine at this time in his previous life, so there should be no danger for him. Therefore, Jiang Ru was not too worried about this matter, but she just did not want to be separated from Pei Wu.

Jiang Ru immediately stated her position: "No, you're asking me to separate from you for several months, I simply can't do that."

Sometimes she gets anxious when Pei Wu gets off work late; how could she possibly bear being apart from him for so long?

After emphasizing her principles, seeing Pei Wu hesitate, Jiang Ru quickly grabbed his sleeve and gently shook it: "Cousin, please take me with you."

She looked up at Pei Wu, her eyes wide open, her eyelashes curled upwards. To feign grievance, she winked at Pei Wu, her eyes sparkling with a pitiful charm, as if there was no reason for him to refuse her.

Before Pei Wu could speak, she immediately grabbed his wrist: "You promised me."

Even though Pei Wu had never said he would agree to her request, she was now twisting the truth. Just as Pei Wu was about to harden his heart, Jiang Ru mysteriously told him, "I can tell fortunes. I've predicted that you'll be fine, so take me with you."

No one would believe this, including Pei Wu. However, Jiang Ru spoke with absolute certainty, and Pei Wu hesitated suspiciously.

Jiang Ru pressed her advantage again: "Okay? Cousin, I can't live without you."

This was clearly an exaggeration, but Pei Wu believed it without question. Seeing that Jiang Ru was already pretending to wipe away tears, saying that she couldn't eat and would get thinner if Pei Wu left, and that she would have no one to support her if she was bullied, Pei Wu finally gave in: "Okay."

"Really?" Jiang Ru immediately removed her hand from wiping away tears, her eyes shining brightly. "You promise."

Seemingly fooled by Jiang Ru again, Pei Wu resigned himself to his fate and said, "I promise."

With his assurance, Jiang Ru cheered, patted Pei Wu lightly, and ran off to pack her luggage.

If Pei Wu disagreed with Jiang Ru going with him, Jiang Ru would cling to him completely, throwing tantrums and crying and making a scene. But if he agreed to let her go with him, he always felt that something was wrong.

He had clearly decided before going home that no matter what methods Jiang Ru used, he would never agree. However, after only a few words, he was completely bewitched by Jiang Ru.

Pei Wu sighed softly. Oh well, he'd just keep an eye on her. Besides, Jiang Ru could take care of herself, so he shouldn't worry too much.

Jiang Ru overestimated the speed of preparation in ancient times. Several days had passed after she had packed her luggage, and the Great Xia army still hadn't finished assembling. No wonder Chen Ling was bedridden and still able to take on this mission. At such a snail's pace, it would be enough for Chen Ling to recover.

Finally, at the end of the month, the Great Xia army was finally assembled and set off south.

With limited carriages and horses, Jiang Ru and Pei Wu could only squeeze into one carriage. In addition to their support, the imperial court also ordered troops to be dispatched, so there shouldn't be any major problems for now.

After traveling for several months, from winter to the beginning of spring, Jiang Ru even wondered if the war was over before they were finally about to reach their destination.

Chen Ling was appointed as the prime minister, and Pei Wu had to obey his orders. When they arrived at the border between the two states, Chen Ling said, "Minister Pei, now that Juzhou is besieged, I will appoint you as the commander of Juzhou and lead troops to provide support."

Most of the people who came to provide support were Chen Ling's men. Only Pei Wu and a few civil officials were under Song Pingzhang's command. Su Mu's side sent a deputy privy councilor, who could restrain him to some extent, but ultimately Chen Ling still had the final say.

Chen Ling's plan was the same as the discussion at the start of the trip: three commanders would be assigned to support three different locations. Pei Wu was assigned to Juzhou, while the deputy envoy of the Privy Council was assigned to Daizhou.

Daizhou and Nanzhao Juzhou are in two different directions. The Deputy Privy Councilor had already separated from them before, and now it was finally time to reach Pei Wu.

Thus, Pei Wu received the order and separated from the army to go to Juzhou. There was a reason why he was assigned to Juzhou: Juzhou was close to Nanzhao, which would make it convenient for him to monitor Chen Ling.

Juzhou is mountainous, which slowed down the army's march, but fortunately it was nearby and they arrived in just three days.

Yang Zhaoyi, the commander of Juzhou, was about forty years old. He was a military officer who had risen through the ranks by merit. He was transferred to Juzhou before Emperor Wen's death.

Juzhou is close to Nanzhao and has close exchanges with it. The people there are relatively well-off, so being transferred to Juzhou is considered a very good official position.

However, even with ample resources, Yang Zhaoyi never slacked off and never stopped training his troops. As a result, the Northern Yan army has yet to be able to conquer Juzhou.

When Pei Wu led his troops to Juzhou, the deputy commander Gao Jing came. When asked about Yang Zhaoyi, Gao Jing's tone was vague, only saying that the commander was busy.

Now the Northern Yan army is ten miles away from their camp. To prevent a surprise attack in the middle of the night, Juzhou must be on guard at all times. Pei Wu is not an unreasonable person, nor does he have any airs. He will not make things difficult for Yang Zhaoyi because of his slackness.

Pei Wu did not go to the camp immediately, but instead made arrangements for the soldiers he brought, providing support where needed.

Jiang Ru also found something to do. She had helped out at the clinic before, and now she could bandage wounded soldiers and go to the logistics department. She was busy wherever she was needed, and she stayed busy until night.

As night fell, she quickly finished a bowl of porridge and went to Pei Wu's new residence to find him.

Pei Wu's residence was given up by the deputy commander. There were too many of them, and there wasn't enough room, so they had to squeeze in as much as possible.

Most of the people camping here are men, with only a few logistics staff being women. Therefore, Jiang Ru was assigned to a multi-person tent and lived with several of the logistics women.

When she arrived, Pei Wu was listening to Gao Jing's report. Jiang Ru originally thought that if Pei Wu was still busy, she would wait outside, but the guard at the door directly called her in. Jiang Ru hesitated for a moment, but still went in.

Both men were sitting in the camp. When Gao Jing saw her, he hesitated whether to continue speaking. Pei Wu nodded, and then he continued.

Jiang Ru found a place to sit down. Her clothes were in a mess, and there was no mirror. She could only casually run her fingers through her disheveled hair. Now she was truly back to square one, penniless.

After she tidied herself up, the conversation over there ended, and Gao Jing left the tent, leaving only Jiang Ru and Pei Wu inside.

Almost immediately after Gao Jing left, Jiang Ru sat down next to Pei Wu.

She had been running around all day and was so tired that her back ached. She sat down leaning against Pei Wu, who could only stiffly let her lean on him.

The dinner for tonight was still on the table, already cold. Jiang Ru pointed to the bowl of porridge: "Why aren't you eating?"

Pei Wu finally picked up the bowl of porridge. Actually, he was too hungry to eat much, and the cold porridge was not pleasant to swallow. He ate slowly, and Jiang Ru noticed something was wrong.

Jiang Ru reached out and touched his bowl; it was cold porridge. Since she had some free time, Jiang Ru said, "Let me heat it up for you."

Pei Wu shook his head: "No need, you should rest for a while."

Jiang Ru had just arrived today and went straight to work. Pei Wu had heard all about it from his subordinates. He quickly finished his porridge and said to Jiang Ru, "Bring your bundle over. You'll sleep here from now on."

Jiang Ru: What about you?

Pei Wu paused for a moment, then said, "I'll go squeeze in with Gao Jing."

"Don't make things difficult for Gao Jing." He had specially given his tent to Pei Wu, but in the end, Pei Wu still had to squeeze in with others. That didn't make sense.

Although there were more people in the tent that Jiang Ru was assigned to, it wasn't inconvenient at all; it was just a bit far from Pei Wu's tent.

Pei Wu ignored her: "Just bring the bundle over later."

As he was about to stand up, Jiang Ru quickly stopped him, saying, "How about this, I'll set up another bed here, and you can continue sleeping here."

The tent wasn't small; there was room to set up another bed. Pei Wu was probably hesitant, worried that Jiang Ru was too far away for him to take care of her. He would be very busy these days, only able to see Jiang Ru briefly each evening. So he nodded and said, "Okay."

Pei Wu still needed to find Yang Zhaoyi, and they happened to leave the camp together, while Jiang Ru went to get her luggage.

She ran very fast and soon packed her things and returned the way she came. However, when she opened the tent door, the person inside was still there.

Just as she left, Pei Wu was also about to go out, but it turned out that Pei Wu hadn't left at all, and the guards didn't stop her, leading her to believe that no one was in the tent.

She lifted the tent flap, and everyone inside looked at her simultaneously. Jiang Ru, carrying large and small bags, stared at the two men.

The man sitting opposite Pei Wu exuded a murderous aura. He wore armor and a short embroidered shirt, his military attire was neat and sharp, and he had a fierce appearance. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's as he looked at Jiang Ru.

Jiang Ru subconsciously took a step back, but Pei Wu called out to her, "Come in."

Jiang Ru then dared to go inside. She tried to put her things away quietly, and the person on the other end continued their previous conversation.

The military officer opposite Pei Wu should be Commander Yang Zhaoyi. He glanced at Jiang Ru and said something unpleasant: "I told you long ago that the civil officials in Bianjing are all people who only know how to enjoy their salaries and not how to care for the common people. How can they bring women with them when they go to war?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ru looked at him with hostility, her expression one of utter discrimination.

She helped save many wounded people today and even helped with cooking. Yang Zhaoyi just said she was no good. He's really blind.

Pei Wu clearly disliked his words and immediately retorted, "Commander Yang's words are biased. Without them, who would manage the army's provisions, and who would treat the wounded?"

The arrival of the Northern Yan was sudden, and many of the civilians who came to provide logistics were volunteers, most of whom were women. Yang Zhaoyi's words just now were indeed incorrect, and he was not happy after Pei Wu said a few words to him, but he did not refute them.

However, even without this incident, Yang Zhaoyi's dissatisfaction would have been unbearable long ago and he would have been ready to vent it immediately.

If the imperial court had only sent troops to support him, he might have been very grateful. However, the imperial court sent a commander who knew nothing about military matters. In particular, Yang Zhaoyi had heard that Pei Wu was also very young. He was extremely unwilling to have such a person suddenly appear above him and command him.

Therefore, Pei Wu expressed his resistance as soon as he arrived.

But to his surprise, just as he was making sarcastic remarks about Pei Wu, a mere civil official who didn't understand warfare, Pei Wu replied without changing his expression, "I never said I wanted to command Commander Yang."

Yang Zhaoyi was stunned. Pei Wu continued, "The soldiers I brought from the capital are all under Commander Yang's orders. They will fight the way you did before, and they will fight the way you did before."

Pei Wu knew that no matter how many books he read, it was all just theoretical knowledge. Yang Zhaoyi had been in the military for twenty years and knew much more than him, so he would support Yang Zhaoyi to the greatest extent possible.

Yang Zhaoyi thought Pei Wu would take his position, and he was on edge. But to his surprise, Pei Wu was not like he had imagined. He did not give orders without knowing anything, and he returned all the power to him.

Pei Wu said, "Therefore, I hope that Commander Yang can discuss things with me before he does anything. If it is feasible, I will definitely give him my full support."

Ultimately, whatever Yang Zhaoyi wanted to do still had to be approved by Pei Wu, but this was much better than before. Pei Wu could have made the decision entirely, but he gave that power to Yang Zhaoyi, which was already quite humble.

Yang Zhaoyi, a military officer, was completely oblivious to the intricacies of the situation and was soon swayed by Pei Wu's flattery, readily agreeing to the terms.

His dark face flushed red as he stood up and reached out to Pei Wu: "I thought those who came from the capital were all good-for-nothings, but I didn't expect Commander Pei to be so understanding. I was truly blind."

Pei Wu reached out and shook hands with him briefly.

Jiang Ru stared in disbelief at Yang Zhaoyi, who had never seen anyone change their expression so quickly.

Yang Zhaoyi didn't feel anything was wrong. After sitting down again, he saw that Jiang Ru no longer had any prejudice and praised her, "I was blind before. Madam Pei is also very righteous. It is truly an honor for someone of your noble birth to condescend to cook in the kitchen today."

Jiang Ru suddenly felt that he was not an uncultured military officer. He spoke in a very sophisticated manner, but something about him seemed off. He was speaking in a normal way, but it always felt like he was being sarcastic.

And to call her Madam Pei? He must be crazy.

Is there no such thing as pure sibling affection in this world?

Jiang Ru couldn't help but glare at Yang Zhaoyi, but Yang Zhaoyi was completely oblivious and continued to flatter Pei Wu until Pei Wu interrupted him and explained that Jiang Ru was his cousin.

Yang Zhaoyi suddenly stopped talking, looked suspiciously at Pei Wu, then at Jiang Ru, and chose to believe Pei Wu's words.

Getting back to the main point, Yang Zhaoyi told Pei Wu about the current situation in Juzhou, and also recounted the several counterattacks Juzhou had launched against the Northern Yan invasion in recent days.

It must be said that Juzhou, under the command of Yang Zhaoyi, was very well-prepared to face the Yan army, and the army was in high spirits. It was not something that the Northern Yan could easily conquer with a small-scale attack. Now that reinforcements have arrived, Juzhou will be even more difficult to break through.

Yang Zhaoyi politely inquired of Pei Wu, "What are your thoughts, Commander Pei?"

Pei Wu: "We can't just sit here and wait to die. Now that the reinforcements have arrived, we should press on and drive them back to Northern Yan."

Yang Zhaoyi, who thought Pei Wu would back down, finally believed him this time and said excitedly, "That's what I thought too."

The question of how and when to take the initiative also needed to be discussed. The two talked late into the night by candlelight. The night was quiet, and Jiang Ru was so sleepy that she dozed off and climbed into bed to sleep.

There were some curtains around the bed, and she wasn't dressed, so it wasn't a big deal for her.

Pei Wu, who had been observing her, noticed that Yang Zhaoyi was still enthusiastically recounting her heroic deeds as the discussion was nearing its end. Pei Wu finally spoke up: "Commander Yang, it's late, you should go to sleep."

Yang Zhaoyi was still reluctant to part, wanting to talk more and insist on staying with Pei Wu all night. Pei Wu could only give in: "Then why don't we go to Commander Yang's tent to talk?"

Yang Zhaoyi finally remembered that there was another person in the room. He almost subconsciously looked towards where Jiang Ru had been, but Pei Wu stood up and blocked his view.

Yang Zhaoyi had no choice but to leave reluctantly, adding before he left, "Then we'll talk again tomorrow."

Pei Wu nodded.

After Yang Zhaoyi left, Pei Wu glanced at the bed behind the curtain. Even with the curtain drawn, Pei Wu could still see a corner of the bed from where he had been. Jiang Ru had initially slept on the edge of the bed, but later she brazenly lay down inside, kicked off her shoes, and completely wrapped herself in the blankets.

She slept very peacefully. Because she hadn't drunk much water that day, her lips weren't as rosy as usual; the edges were dry and pale. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was holding onto the corner of the blankets with both hands. Because she hadn't really intended to sleep at first, her posture was a little stiff.

Pei Wu reached out to her, not with any other intention, but simply to put Jiang Ru's hand under the covers. However, just as his hand was about to touch her, Jiang Ru rolled over in the blankets and continued to sleep soundly.

As if caught red-handed, Pei Wu withdrew his hand as if electrocuted. Even though he hadn't meant anything by it, he still felt very guilty.

He stared at Jiang Ru for a long time, but Jiang Ru was oblivious. She had her back turned, revealing her thin shoulders, her small face buried in the pillow, her breathing even. Pei Wu reached out to her again, almost as if bewitched.

Just as his hand was about to touch Jiang Ru's face, Pei Wu suddenly realized something. He quickly took a step back, forcing himself not to look at Jiang Ru anymore. Instead, he took out the bedding that Jiang Ru had brought earlier, spread out a straw mat on the ground, and slept on the ground.

Jiang Ru slept to his left. The tent was so quiet that he could hear her breathing.

Even though his breathing was very soft, Pei Wu could only hear it when he was very focused. But the sound of his breathing seemed to be impossible to shake off, constantly stirring up his thoughts and making him toss and turn, unable to fall asleep.

Patrols would occasionally pass by outside the camp, once every hour, and they would ring the bell. Even when he heard those footsteps, Pei Wu still couldn't fall asleep.

If he didn't go to sleep soon, he would be in a bad mood the next morning. Pei Wu got up, picked up his bedding, and left the tent.

When the soldiers outside the tent saw him, they hurriedly asked Pei Wu what was wrong. Pei Wu simply told them to continue their patrol and then went to the next room.

Next door was Yang Zhaoyi's tent. He had just said he wanted to talk by candlelight, but now he was sleeping soundly, his loud snoring echoing throughout the tent. When Pei Wu entered the tent, he woke up alertly, but when he saw it was Pei Wu, he fell back asleep without worry.

Pei Wu set up a makeshift bed on the side of the bed. Jiang Ru's breathing was very shallow and she slept very peacefully. Pei Wu couldn't fall asleep at all while sharing a room with her. Yang Zhaoyi snored loudly and made noises from time to time. However, he fell asleep immediately after lying down without any difficulty.

I slept without any dreams.

Yang Zhaoyi had developed a habit of waking up at a fixed time every day. He walked outside with bleary eyes, but suddenly kicked something.

Yang Zhaoyi opened his eyes, looking in shock at Pei Wu, whom he had just kicked awake: "Commander Pei, what are you doing here?"

Pei Wu sat up straight. He had already told Yang Zhaoyi that he wanted to stay the night before, but Yang Zhaoyi had completely forgotten about it overnight.

Pei Wu had no choice but to explain again: "My tent is not convenient for sleeping, so I came to Commander Yang's place to stay for the night."

Yang Zhaoyi suddenly realized, and said to Pei Wu with his mouth agape, "So that's how it is."

He was still thinking about it when he got back last night. Pei Wu kept saying that she wasn't his wife, but he was still sharing a room with his "cousin". He thought Pei Wu was just being stubborn, but it turns out that she really is an innocent cousin.

He waved his hand and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? Why sleep on the floor? You could have just slept with me."

Pei Wu politely declined, saying, "I'll just sleep on the floor and won't bother you."

Yang Zhaoyi continued, "What's the big deal? Come on, put the bedding on my bed."

As he spoke, he grabbed Pei Wu's bedding and placed it on his own bed with an air of absolute authority.

Pei Wu, empty-handed, could only express his gratitude: "Thank you, Commander Yang."

Yang Zhaoyi said that there was no need for such formalities between brothers. After washing up with Pei Wu, he took Pei Wu out and planned to show him the deployment of Juzhou.

Pei Wu also changed into a set of armor, which was very heavy, but looked much more imposing than his official robes. The two walked to the training ground, where Juzhou trained its troops every day in preparation for a surprise attack on Northern Yan.

They carried long spears, their movements were perfectly synchronized, and their presence was imposing.

Yang Zhaoyi reached out and grabbed Pei Wu's hand: "Commander Pei, you are too weak. Look at my men."

They were all very strong, with very large arm muscles. Pei Wu's current figure was not as extremely thin as before; his figure was very well-proportioned, but he was not weak either. However, compared to these strong men, he was indeed not strong enough.

Pei Wu looked at the soldiers practicing. Perhaps because he had been watching them for a while, Yang Zhaoyi was eager to try: "Commander Pei, have you ever studied martial arts? Let me teach you."

Pei Wu nodded: "Okay."

Jiang Ru, who was inside Pei Wu's tent, had just woken up. She had slept very well and didn't want to get up at all. She could barely catch up on sleep in the carriage while traveling, but now it was really time to get up.

The early spring morning was bitterly cold. As soon as Jiang Ru got up, she shivered twice from the cold. She struggled to get dressed, looked around, and found no trace of Pei Wu in the tent.

The bedding she brought was gone, and there was no sign that anyone had slept beside her. Where did Pei Wu go last night?

She clearly felt Pei Wu sleeping beside her when she was half asleep last night. Was she just dreaming?

Jiang Ru put on her shoes and searched the room. Sure enough, Pei Wu had taken the bedding, but he was nowhere to be found.

Pei Wu actually went to find Gao Jing. He had been told yesterday to sleep in the room, but Gao Jing wouldn't listen and secretly ran away while Jiang Ru was asleep.

Jiang Ru didn't want to go to Gao Jing's tent to look for him, so she could only wait inside for a while. Pei Wu didn't return, and she didn't have the patience to wait too long. Once she was sure that Pei Wu wouldn't be coming back, she decided to go to the kitchen to help out.

After washing up, Jiang Ru left the tent. She had walked this route yesterday and was very familiar with it.

On the way, they passed the martial arts arena and heard cheers from afar. In the center of the crowd were two familiar people, Pei Wu and Yang Zhaoyi.

Pei Wu changed into a suit of armor, his figure outstanding, standing tall and perfectly blending in among the soldiers. He is currently learning martial arts from Yang Zhaoyi.

He learned very quickly, imitating others and capturing about 80% of the essence. The soldiers around him took a break and gathered to watch the spectacle.

Yang Zhaoyi taught Pei Wu a few moves and asked Pei Wu to practice with him, and the two began to spar.

Pei Wu had studied martial arts for a period of time before, and after the Southern Kingdom envoy left, he went almost every day, which made him very strong.

Logically speaking, anyone who understands a little about human relationships would go easy on someone in a competition. But Yang Zhaoyi was one of those who didn't. After discovering that Pei Wu was indeed quite skilled, Yang Zhaoyi got excited and didn't hold back at all.

Pei Wu was initially able to exchange a few blows with Yang Zhaoyi, and even managed to inflict some losses on him a few times. However, unlike Yang Zhaoyi, who was experienced in countless battles, he was ultimately no match for him.

As Jiang Ru approached, she saw Pei Wu being knocked down by Yang Zhaoyi, and the two of them rolling around in a heap.

Even though Pei Wu had studied a lot, he was no match for Yang Zhaoyi, who had been through many battles. It was normal for him to lose.

But... Jiang Ru happened to see it.

Jiang Ru didn't see him compete, didn't see Pei Wu's counterattack, and didn't see Pei Wu holding his own against Yang Zhaoyi's offensive; she only saw the moment he lost.

As Pei Wu had anticipated, he stood up with the help of Yang Zhaoyi. He calmly raised his eyes and casually glanced at the crowd outside the arena. The moment he saw Jiang Ru, his expression slowly cracked like ice.

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Author's Note: Pei Wu: qaq My cousin found out I lost a fight, will she think I'm no good? [pity]