Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 258 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (158)

They were supposed to be guarding the gate, but their superior climbed over the wall. The burly soldiers were caught off guard, unsure whether to stop him or not.

By the time they realized what was happening, General Zhuang had already nimbly flipped over the wall.

They were left staring at each other in bewilderment.

"Why didn't you use the proper main entrance? You sneaked in by climbing over the wall. If someone saw you and started yelling at you, what would you do then?" Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow.

"With my skills... who could possibly detect me?" Zhuang Yuxun casually flicked his robe, making Lu Liruan laugh.

Zhuang Yuxun possessed a strange, dashing charm, not like a man, but rather with the grace of a woman. Her posture and movements were uniquely charming.

Lu Liruan thought to herself: If she stays in the capital, not only men, but even young girls in the capital will throw handkerchiefs at her the whole way.

Today she was dressed in trousers, a neat cropped top with rolled-up sleeves, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail. Perhaps because she was in the capital, she had applied a light touch of lip rouge, making her look fresh and radiant, as if spring water was flowing through the gloomy winter.

"Nobody really noticed you?"

"Ah—would I lie to you?" Zhuang Yuxun blinked, speaking as if it were the truth.

Lu Liruan pondered to herself that she should have a proper talk with Ji Shumin when he returned.

The security at this manor... isn't very reliable.

"You're amazing, you're really amazing, you're the best!" In Zhuang Yuxun's eyes, Lu Liruan gave her two thumbs up, almost touching her face, praising her perfunctorily and exaggeratedly.

Zhuang Yuxun was not polite to her at all, poured herself some tea, and peeled two chestnuts that Lu Liruan had just roasted.

The chestnuts were still warm and not so easy to peel. Seeing that she was peeling them roughly, Lu Liruan simply bit into them with her teeth, patted her on the head, wiped her hands, and started peeling them for her...

Zhuang Yuxun narrowed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips: "Today I'm here to experience the carefree life the Third Prince leads." She teased him softly.

"What kind of life does General He usually lead?" Lu Liruan asked, turning around to retort when she heard her teasing her.

This autumn, Zhuang Yuxun and He Pingyan's marriage was arranged.

Countless families in the capital are eyeing He Pingyan's marriage, willing to marry their daughters to him.

In the imperial court, it was true that people were dissatisfied with He Diaoyu's rigidity and inflexibility, but it was even more true that they thought highly of his son.

This is also why many neutral parties, who do not side with any particular prince but still have some reservations about He Diaoyu, often keep their dissatisfaction to themselves and do not speak ill of him.

The He family not only has He Diaoyu, an unmarried son, but also a young master who is not yet twenty years old, and is exceptionally talented and intelligent.

Unlike his father and brothers, he was extremely eloquent, and his writings were appreciated by great scholars who said he had the talent of a prime minister.

A few years ago, the threshold of the He family's house was practically worn down by people, but later, few could face the expressionless and indifferent faces of He Diao and Lord He, and the matter gradually faded away...

Now that He Pingyan is a young general, such a hero still attracts attention.

Families with daughters are contacting him again, hoping to arrange marriages. While this is infuriating, everyone understands that regardless of who ascends the throne, the He family will not experience major upheavals.

If we could become in-laws with their family, it would be like bringing good fortune to our own family.

I heard that General He will return to the capital with his troops before the end of this year. Considering his age, he should be of marriageable age.

As a result, in the first half of this year, more and more people sought out He Diao and tried to get close to him through awkward small talk.

But before they could even speak, news came back that General He had become engaged to General Zhuang's daughter, General Zhuang, amidst the joyous celebrations of the border people!

This surprised many people in the capital who had plans. Although General Zhuang had made military achievements and came from a distinguished family, how could such a woman be suitable to marry?

In today's world, most women still take virtue and gentleness as their role models. Zhuang Yuxun, who is so unconventional, is looked down upon by many old-fashioned people.

Even when he was granted the title of General Zhuang, he faced considerable opposition.

"Where is it possible for a woman to be a general, commanding men! This... this is such a disgrace to the military!"

"She's a woman who doesn't take care of her husband and children, but instead loafs around in the army. How disrespectful!"

"Fuck you!"

Back then, General Zhuang cursed loudly in the imperial court, almost grabbing that sharp-mouthed, monkey-faced official and beating him up.

"My daughters, who dares to look down on them! A bunch of cowards, if you utter another word from your filthy mouth and rotten teeth, I'll chop you to pieces!" General Zhuang was so furious that his hair and beard stood on end.

The Emperor, quite troubled, advised, "General, don't be anxious. I know your daughter has rendered meritorious service."

Later, it was His Highness the Crown Prince who mediated the matter, and the Emperor was able to appoint him as a junior general. However, no one really knows what exactly the Crown Prince said to the Emperor.

"Do you know exactly what he said?" Lu Liruan asked curiously when she heard Zhuang Yuxun's story.

"His Highness the Third Prince didn't tell me, but I heard it from Pingyan. He said that His Highness told the Emperor that if he conferred an official title on me, he wouldn't need to bestow any more titles on the male members of the Zhuang family. Giving it to me is better than giving it to the male members of the family... It also shows His Majesty's love for talent." Zhuang Yuxun said happily.

Lu Liruan was astonished. Ji Shumin had accurately grasped the emperor's suspicious nature. He relied heavily on meritorious officials but was also wary of them, especially someone like General Zhuang, who held military power and was extremely prestigious.

The title was given to his daughter, but a woman cannot spend her whole life in the military to achieve merit and inherit the general's mantle. When it's time for her to get married, what will this young general be worth?

Under Ji Shumin's deliberate guidance, the emperor probably thought this was a good idea, which is why he successfully bestowed the rewards.

"Why not? I want to spend my whole life in the military. I want to become a general who is even more skilled in battle and more resourceful than my father! What is bestowed upon me is what I deserve." Zhuang Yuxun showed no sign of gloom.

She spoke with certainty, showing no hesitation about her future.

Lu Liruan thought to herself, the Emperor probably didn't expect that while he had the final say on the bestowal of titles and honors, he wouldn't have that say in the future...

Many people in the capital were more concerned about Zhuang Yuxun's marriage to He Pingyan than they were when Zhuang Yuxun was appointed a junior general.

General Feng and the others should just listen and not take it seriously. What can a woman accomplish? It's just to appease General Zhuang, who is currently engaged in battle.

But now, she's going to marry He Pingyan, such a promising young man, with a bright future, dashing and handsome—what kind of behavior is this! How can a boorish woman like her, who shows her face in public, marry the young master of the He family!

Not only were they engaged, but they were also in such a desolate place on the frontier—it was completely inappropriate!

As a result, someone who wanted to ridicule Lord He about this matter, after talking for a while, saw that Lord He's expression was calm and his expression was as still as a deep well.

"General Zhuang fought for his country, risking his life alongside my son on the battlefield. And you? At your advanced age, what have you done?"

"you--"

"So shallow, so concerned with a young lady's marriage, don't you find it shameful?" Lord He said coldly, then turned and left, leaving the man utterly humiliated.

Lu Liruan also heard Zhuang Yuxun's voice among the women.

He was initially angry, but after seeing Zhuang Yuxun's reply in the second month, he came to terms with it.

The letter reads: Others are jealous of our perfect match, how they always complain about us! Let them say what they want, it will only hurt their throats, it won't harm us in the slightest!

Lu Liruan thought to herself, "This person really doesn't suffer from any mental strain," but upon closer reflection, it was indeed true.

If something tragic or pitiful happens, even if people are secretly pleased, they must put on a show of sympathy and pity.

Only those who are sour, envious, or jealous would say pretentious things; it's better to just take them as compliments.

The more others say, the more it proves that you are worthy.

"He's living a good life, he's as happy as a fool!" Zhuang Yuxun clicked her tongue. She was not like an ordinary woman, shy and coy, but she was more frank than General He.

Zhuang Yuxun wrote to Lu Liruan: During the truce, the soldiers drank together. He was not a good drinker and could not hold his liquor after only a few cups.

Some people started egging me on to drink for him, but I thought to myself, how could I lose at a time like this! So I said I would fight for him and avenge his previous defeat.

At first, he was unwilling to agree, but after much difficulty he finally did. When I asked him to stand aside and pour wine for me, he acted all coy, like a young girl.

I made a couple of jokes at him, and then he turned around and...hey! He ran away!

Zhuang Yuxun's writing is so funny, it's like she's standing right in front of you and talking to you. Lu Liruan was so amused she almost choked.

Ji Shumin stood to the side, his wife ignoring him since dinner, and smiled broadly at the few sheets of paper.

Seeing Lu Liruan hand over a card and point to a spot, Ji Shumin leaned over to take a look.

……

This is truly... eye-opening.

Lu Liruan couldn't really imagine what He Pingyan, the young lady Zhuang Yuxun described, would look like. However, in the few times they met, Lu Liruan felt that General He was a serious-looking person, somewhat similar to his father, Lord He.

There aren't many rules in the military; everyone is easygoing, but he's very particular about things.

Speaking of his engagement, Zhuang Yuxun wrote: Before he was engaged, he would take any advice from others very seriously: "Don't joke around."

Later, it seemed he had been teased by people so much that he came running over and said he wanted to get engaged to me first, so that it would be reasonable. Then he went to my father again.

When my father heard this, he said, "Great idea! It's perfect timing since we've just won a great victory at the border. If we get engaged, the whole army will have a reason to celebrate. I think that's a good idea too. I'll drink for him this time. He can't be so embarrassed that he runs away, can he?"

Lu Liruan: ...

puff.

It is conceivable that General He Xiao attached great importance to this matter, going through the three letters and six rites in an orderly manner, not wanting to be the slightest bit negligent, being extremely cautious, almost to the point of piety.

As a result, you and your daughter...

All I wanted was some excitement and fun.

What a scathing and utterly incoherent exchange, utterly lacking in understanding!

But no matter what the process was like, the result was good! Lu Liruan, thousands of miles away, silently wanted to comfort General He in this way.

I wonder if General He's already healthy tan will become even darker.

"Compared to this, Li Ruan is truly understanding," Ji Shumin said quietly as he put down the letter.

That's right! You know that too.

Because of the two of us, you're the one who's unreasonable and quite crazy!

There has to be at least one normal person in a family.

Ji Shumin read those words into Lu Liruan's big eyes, smiled ingratiatingly, his handsome face devoid of any sharpness, which made Lu Liruan unable to resist reaching out to touch him.

"He's become more generous lately. A few days ago he even started saying sweet things to me, which was quite amusing," Zhuang Yuxun commented. She didn't know who else she would say these things to.

She needs to talk to people who know her and He Pingyan, right? But she really doesn't have any close female friends who fit the criteria. She can't just... share them with her father, can she?

Lu Liruan was about to laugh when she heard her words, but suddenly realized something was off: "A few days ago?" she asked.

"Ah." Zhuang Yuxun took the chestnuts that Lu Liruan had just peeled from her palm and popped two into his mouth.

“General He… isn’t he still at the border?” Lu Liruan asked, puzzled, because this matter had indeed been mentioned in court a few days ago, and Ji Shumin had casually mentioned it to her.

How is this going?

"Didn't His Highness tell you?" Zhuang Yuxun paused in his eating, looking somewhat surprised, before his expression turned serious.

Lu Liruan frowned: "What is it?"

"For example, only you and the Third Prince know that I'm here today, because I'm currently on my way back from the border," Zhuang Yuxun said.

Lu Liruan understood what she meant; very few people knew that she was already in the capital.

Just as everyone thought He Pingyan was still at the border, he had actually returned to the capital, but the news had not been leaked.

“His Highness said I could come to see you, and I thought you already knew.” Zhuang Yuxun raised an eyebrow: “Li Ruan has not seen me at all today.”

"Okay, I slept in bed all day today." Lu Liruan pretended to be serious, but she felt a little uneasy inside.

Zhuang Yuxun and He Pingyan are both military officers, yet they have both returned to the capital. Is it possible that some issues cannot be resolved peacefully?

Because of this, Zhuang Yuxun waited until Ji Shumin returned before telling him about it.

"I thought I was here to steal your beauty," she sighed.

"Come steal again next time, I promise I won't tell the Third Prince." Lu Liruan touched her ponytail.

Ji Shumin returned with a chill in his air. Before he could even speak to Lu Liruan, he looked at Zhuang Yuxun and asked, "Why haven't you left yet?"

How could he possibly sneak in? Ji Shumin knew about Zhuang Yuxun's arrival almost immediately.

But I really didn't know she'd been there for almost a whole day and hadn't left...

Ji Shumin looked listless. He took a sip of tea, listened to Zhuang Yuxun's words, and nodded: "It's nothing, I forgot to tell Li Ruan..."

When Zhuang Yuxun left, it was already dark outside. Ji Shumin, dressed in a moon-white casual outfit, leaned lazily against a rocking chair: "Did you have a pleasant day?"