Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 162 My Life Doesn’t Matter

Another major event has occurred in the Yuan capital, and rumors have spread overnight. The Zhou hostage, having defied the imperial decree and refused marriage, has been placed under house arrest in the emperor's new residence. The peace talks between Chen and Zhou are facing increasing uncertainty, and an agreement is unlikely to be reached in the short term.

There was another matter that had been discussed many times in the court. The Ninth Prince Qi Xiao had already been crowned king, and after Concubine Lin's death, he should have returned to his fiefdom of Fuzhou. His Majesty had been considering this matter for many days, and finally approved the Ministry of Rites, allowing the King of Chu to choose a day to leave the capital.

That day, the Guild Hall was abuzz with activity. Two people from Yangxizhai and Huaxi Villa were both packing up and moving. One was leaving Beijing, the other was moving to a new house. Surprisingly, they had chosen the same day. The Guild Hall Secretary couldn't help but glance at the almanac. Everything seemed auspicious; it truly was a good day.

On the official road at the foot of Chenshan Mountain, Qi Xiao was riding horses with a group of people. Compared with the large group of people and horses walking slowly in the past, Qi Xiao just wanted to ride his horse and gallop, the faster the better. However, there were several carts of supplies and a carriage in their team, and they could not run fast, so Qi Xiao could not go fast either.

A carriage was parked in the distance beside the official road. Qi Xiao gently squeezed the horse's belly to make it run faster, leaving the people behind him and rushing towards the carriage. When it was so close, he couldn't even wait for the horse to stop before he dismounted and ran towards the carriage.

The carriage was empty, there was no one in it, as if it had been abandoned here, without even a coachman.

Qi Xiao's heart tightened. Could something have happened?!

The carriage was tied to the side of the road, and there were no signs of a struggle around or inside it. There were a few footprints beside the carriage, but they weren't messy. Qi Xiao calmed down slightly, thinking it wasn't an attack.

"Here it is!"

Qinglan's voice came from the woods nearby. Qi Xiao looked in the direction of the voice. On the other side of the official road was a small steep slope. The towering birch forest blocked Qi Xiao's sight, and he couldn't find any figure for a while.

Qi Xiao gathered his strength and leaped up the steep slope into the woods. Not far away, he found a path with traces of foot traffic, leading in the same direction as Qing Lan's voice. Qi Xiao breathed a sigh of relief; they had wandered into the woods on their own. But until he found Tang Ling, he couldn't help but fret.

"Qi Xiao."

Tang Ling walked towards Qi Xiao from the other end of the path. When she was only a few feet away, Qi Xiao couldn't wait for her to walk slowly, so he used his lightness skills to pounce on her and hugged her.

"Did I worry you?" Tang Ling leaned on Qi Xiao's shoulder and smiled. "It was a bit boring just waiting, so I went into the woods to take a look. You can see the official road from over there. I didn't go far, I've been waiting."

Following the direction Tang Ling pointed, Qinglan and Ye Huai hid behind the trees and consciously avoided it.

Qi Xiao took a deep breath and hugged Tang Ling without saying a word.

"No one knows I left Yuanjing, and with Ye Huai here, what could possibly go wrong in broad daylight?"

When Tang Ling was assassinated in Hukou Gorge, it was broad daylight and she was surrounded by a whole team of Huwei Army guards. Something was bound to happen. If it weren't for Qi Xiao, Tang Ling would have died at that time.

Qi Xiao felt a little depressed, but remained silent. Tang Ling had handled His Majesty's affairs in Yuanjing with ease, though troublesome, and at least safe. Joining the army to attack Qi was incredibly dangerous, and Qi Xiao couldn't bear to let her go. He had agreed, but as soon as Tang Ling's carriage left the guild hall, he regretted it. Even if they had planned carefully and acted meticulously, in battle, Qi Xiao might not be able to protect Tang Ling. The mere thought of it filled him with dread.

Tang Ling held Qi Xiao's face in her hands and said softly, "I didn't think it was such a shame that I couldn't practice martial arts before. Now I realize how useless I am. Will I be a burden to you?"

"nonsense!"

Tang Ling smiled: "Don't make me feel like a burden to you. I need you to protect me, but I'm not a loser who can only be carefully protected."

"...I'm sorry..." Qi Xiao forgot, he wasn't, never was. It was just that after Concubine Lin got into trouble, Qi Xiao became extremely anxious and worried.

"We should still have some time, right? Let's go."

"where to?"

"It's late autumn now, and the leaves in the birch forest on Chenshan Mountain are turning yellow like clouds. Didn't we agree to see them together?"

Qi Xiao was stunned, as if he had just realized that he was in a birch forest, and there was a golden scene in front of him.

Tang Ling held Qi Xiao's hand and climbed up the mountain along the mountain path. After a while, everyone else disappeared. They were the only two left in the dense forest. The towering white birch trees surrounded them in a quiet world. The mountain path seemed to have no beginning and no end. They walked forward with one foot high and one foot low. The two of them walked slowly with their fingers intertwined, as if they could walk forever.

Qi Xiao had never imagined he'd have the leisure to climb Mount Chen, or rather, he'd never thought he'd be able to do so. While reading Shanchuanzhi with Tang Ling, Qi Xiao's mention of wanting to see the birch trees had been a casual remark, a thought that would be a beautiful thing, so he made a wish. He had never imagined it would actually come true, and so soon.

Qi Xiao held Tang Ling's hand tightly and followed his footsteps to climb the mountain.

Chenshan Mountain was neither very high nor very steep, and they did not really want to climb to the top. Tang Ling was not very active, and her breathing became heavy after walking for a while.

"Are you tired? Let me carry you?"

Tang Ling smiled and said, "I'm fine. This little journey is hard enough. How can I survive once I enter Fenglin Mountain?"

Qi Xiao tightened his grip on Tang Ling's hand: "Nonsense."

"That's not nonsense. If I'm pampered like this, I'll really become a burden to you. The Great Zhou stretches across the plains toward Qi, and across the Taihua River toward Chen. In the past, following my father, I've never experienced crossing mountains and marching and fighting in the forests. I have to learn from now on. Besides, we have to enter Fenglin Mountain before the snow closes the mountain, and we have to spend the entire winter there. With my current health, I'm afraid I won't even be able to survive the winter, let alone march."

"Tang Ling! With Qing Lan here, you'll be fine."

Tang Ling pulled Qi Xiao forward, ignoring Qi Xiao's anxiety: "We're almost there."

The birch trees ahead were becoming less dense, and they soon reached a hillside. Although they were still far from the top of the mountain, they could see a golden blanket below, which made them feel like they were stepping on a whole cloud.

"It must be more beautiful at dusk." Tang Ling turned around and hugged Qi Xiao, smiling, "It must be beautiful in winter too."

"Tang Ling..."

Tang Ling looked up at Qi Xiao, smiled and said to him, "Kiss me."

Qi Xiao lowered his head and kissed him. It was like the sweetness in his heart that could drown out all the bitterness of the previous seventeen years.

Tang Ling found that Qi Xiao seemed to have grown taller. In just a few months, the young man in front of her seemed to have changed a lot. But in fact, he had not changed at all. It was just that the more Tang Ling understood him, the more she liked him.

"Qi Xiao, we have already left Yuanjing City. There is something you have to promise me first."

"You said."

"This battle concerns the lives of all people in the world. Victory is the key. Defeat is the only option. If you are to lead the army, you must understand that everyone who follows you into Fenglin Mountain has entrusted their lives to you. You must bear the consequences of their lives, whether they live or die, or their honor or disgrace. If there ever comes a moment when you must make a choice, my life will not be at stake."

"Tang Ling!!"

"It's Ye Huai and Xingluowei's job to protect me. You don't have to worry. So, can you promise me?"

“…Tang Ling…”