Chapter 442 Yi Hongfei x Luo Jining 1

Chapter 442: Yi Hongfei × Luo Jining (1)

My name is Yi Hongfei, but for over a decade, I was called Nie Hongfei.

I was born a Yi. When the Crown Prince gave me the choice, I knew I didn't really have one—just like A Qi. The dozens of members of the Yi family couldn't have died in vain. I carried the heavy burden of avenging their deaths.

Being Nie Chuan's son was actually pretty entertaining. Watching him keep his guard up against me while having no choice but to rely on me—because he had no one else—was deeply satisfying.

Of course, when the day comes that he gets a taste of betrayal himself, it'll be even sweeter.

The vast Marquis Dingguo estate was a tangled web of relationships—some loyal to General Nie, some to the Imperial Consort. The small courtyard I was assigned looked full of holes on the surface, but in truth, Madam Hua had everything arranged with precision. The people in my courtyard knew exactly what to show them and what to hide.

Later, when Prince Lian and the Crown Prince were locked in a fierce struggle, the Imperial Consort ordered me to take a wife—her goal being to chain me to the Nie family for good.

I agreed. A wife I could take or leave, nothing more. Did she really think a marriage alliance could tie me down? Women, so naive.

When I first saw Luo Jining, he had the air of a noble scion—jade-like hands hovering over a zither, about to play, radiating the refined bearing of an aristocratic young master. Only later did I learn it was all an act. The man fought me in bed, kicking and shoving.

But that's a story for later. At the time, I was captivated by his handsome, shrewd features and stayed on constant guard, afraid he'd see through the secrets of my courtyard. One after another, I brought in my subordinates as fake concubines to keep an eye on him.

A person can put on an act for a while, but not forever. That husband of mine, who seemed like the type to brew his tea only with purified water, turned out to be far easier to please than I'd imagined.

I never expected him to squat on the ground, chin resting on his palm, watching me practice with my spear, his eyes shining with admiration—brighter than the scorching sun, almost blinding me.

Honestly? Adorable. And I wanted to fuck him.

He's my own husband. No harm in a quick roll in the hay, right?

Didn't succeed. I got kicked—sent flying from the bed to the floor. Turns out he's stronger than I thought. Caught me completely off guard.

The second time, before I could even climb into his bed, he banished me to the study.

...

On my fifty-eighth attempt, I finally made it into bed! But he called me a stallion. What the hell is a stallion supposed to mean?

Oh~ I see. He's just asking for it.

Today I got bitten again. But I fucked him three times last night and once this morning. The way he looked at me, completely helpless—so damn adorable.

Didn't fuck him today. He said he wants to learn martial arts, beat me to the ground, and then cut me off (Little Luo's exact words: "I'll geld him sooner or later"). He asked Sister Hua to teach him kung fu and even took the chance to touch her hand. That didn't sit right with me.

One day, when Xiao Shiliu was putting on a fragile act and complaining to me in front of him, I noticed his eyes fixed intently on us. Was he jealous?

...Turns out he wasn't jealous. The bastard was thinking about having sixteen wives of his own!

Fine! Luo Jining, you're something else! (A furious General Yi)

After Nie Chuan fell from power, the Emperor granted me a new mansion. I wasted no time marrying off all sixteen of my "concubines." Luo Jining punched me in the eye, yanked out a fistful of my hair, and wouldn't let me in bed! (Furious)

I could see he was about to cry from anger, so I finally met him halfway...

Hahaha, I married off Xiao Shiliu and the others to my own soldiers instead.

That night in bed, I heard him muttering: "At least I'm keeping it in the family—I can still see them every day... wuwuwu... Xiao Shiliu..."

Seeing him refuse to sleep properly, I flipped him over and fucked him a few more times until he finally settled down. (Smug)

(Deadpan) At today's New Year's Day banquet, he kept staring at Song Tingzhou's husband in the great hall—his eyes practically glued to the man! (Losing my mind)

That night, I reluctantly accompanied him to the Song residence. When Meng Fulang walked him out, his eyes were red—he might have been crying. I suspect Meng Fulang had turned him down flat.

Serves him right!

But I do feel a little bad for him...

—

Luo Jining was sitting at home when a servant suddenly announced, "The General's back!"

He instinctively looked up, and a figure in silver armor appeared in the doorway.

Yi Hongfei leaned his spear against the screen, striding over in long, quick steps. "What are you looking at?" His hair was tied high, his silver armor making his frame look tall and imposing. He had sharp brows and bright eyes, clean facial lines, and carried the fierce, heroic air of someone fresh off the battlefield.

He was always so impetuous, catching Luo Jining completely off guard.

"A letter from Lin'an." Knowing Yi Hongfei's temper all too well, Luo Jining simply handed it over.

Yi Hongfei didn't take it. He leaned in close, his silver armor clinking softly with the movement, enveloping Luo Jining entirely in his shadow, bringing with him a chill of cold air. Luo Jining was forced to lean back, his lower back pressing against the chair, with nowhere left to go.

"Song Tingzhou? Why is he writing to you?"

Luo Jining rolled his eyes and jabbed a finger at the envelope on the table. "Open your damn eyes and look—it's addressed to you. Since you're not easy to reach in the military, it was sent home."

Hearing it was for him, Yi Hongfei finally straightened up and actually read the letter.

Luo Jining said, "Shen Chongshan, the Salt Transport Commissioner of Yangzhou, is coming. Apparently he's escorting an Eastern Japanese prisoner, and there's some connection to the Luo family in Lin'an."

Yi Hongfei already had a plan in mind. "Got it. We'll talk when they get here."

With that, he kicked the door shut behind him and casually steered Luo Jining toward the bedroom.

Luo Jining was about to lose it. "Nie Hongfei, are you insane? Didn't you just fight the Eastern Japanese? Can't you rest quietly for a moment? Can't you go one day without something dirty in that head of yours?"

He fired off four questions in a row—clearly on the verge of a meltdown.

Nie Hongfei tossed him onto the bed, raising an eyebrow. "Xiao Shiliu isn't married yet. Should I call her over to take care of me instead?"

"Are you even human? How old is Xiao Shiliu?" Luo Jining glared at him with the look of a man facing certain death—resigned, ready to sacrifice himself. Fine, just take it out on him!

Nie Hongfei suddenly let out two weird laughs. "You don't know if I'm human or not?"

They messed around until late into the night, then bathed again. Nie Hongfei put his armor back on and picked up his silver spear.

"Going back to the camp?" Luo Jining was too sleepy to keep his eyes open.

Nie Hongfei felt a surge of surprise but kept his usual nonchalant expression. "Yeah. I'll come home when I have time."

Luo Jining buried himself in the blankets. "Don't. Don't bother coming back."

Nie Hongfei stared at him with dark, deep eyes, feeling like a hole had been ripped in his chest.

If he wasn't happy, Luo Jining wasn't going to be happy either.

"My deputy, Ping'an, finishes his mourning period in another year. Get Xiao Shiliu's dowry ready."

A pillow came flying at him from the bed. Nie Hongfei caught it effortlessly, twirled his silver spear, and let out a cold, chilling laugh before turning and leaving the mansion for the camp.

Ever since Marquis Zhongyi had charged into Mohe territory and extracted the truth that the Eastern Wo were the real masterminds, their ambitions had been all but laid bare. Using Penglai as their stronghold, they'd been shipping troops across the sea, and Yi Hongfei had already clashed with them several times.

The Eastern Japanese are cunning, but Yi Hongfei is no pushover either. The two sides have been testing each other with minor skirmishes, both waiting for some kind of opportunity.

"Sweetheart, another letter from the Luo family has arrived." Sister Hua walked in from outside, her belly round and full. She'd actually been married for years, wedded to her childhood sweetheart who wasn't in Yi Hongfei's army but had followed her to Weihai.

Luo Jining was nearly scared to death and hurried forward to support her. "You're about to give birth, just stay home and rest. There's no need for you to run errands for such a trivial matter."

Sister Hua smiled brightly. "I'm a martial artist, tough as nails, it's no big deal. Besides, everyone won't let me do anything, and it gets pretty boring."

Luo Jining had her sit down, personally poured her a cup of tea, then quickly skimmed through the letter from the Luo family. Inside, as expected, it was the same old guilt-tripping.

He gave a mocking smile and, like before, tossed the entire letter into the spittoon to burn. "What a pipe dream."

"The Luo family's in for a rough time. The Wu family has suffered heavy losses and hunkered down. Apparently their clan head has ordered that for three generations down, no Wu family member may take the imperial exams." Sister Hua was well-informed; she served as a strategist beside Yi Hongfei and held a position of considerable importance.

Luo Jining couldn't care less about their fate. "If things go badly, it's their own doing. Not my problem."

This wasn't like the time those disgusting people tried to gift him to Prince Lian.

Sister Hua could see he was troubled and switched to a more interesting topic. "The Xiang family has been making big moves lately—breaking ground and building—but they failed before they even started. A crowd of common folks blocked them, raising a big stink."

"Regular folks dare to stand up to the Xiang family?" Luo Jining was genuinely curious. He escorted Sister Hua home, then took Liu'er—the quietest and deadliest—out to the streets to check out the drama.

The Xiang family's status in Licheng was equivalent to the Luo family's in Lin'an. Weihai also fell within the Xiang family's sphere of influence, especially local water transport, which they virtually monopolized.

Right now, a prime spot on Weihai's busiest street had been roped off. Originally, the Xiang family was planning to build some sort of charity school there.

That's how these big-shot clans rolled—when something benefited them, they did it quietly; but if they did even a bit of charity, they made damn sure the whole world knew about it.

Luo Jining's family had a bit of money, and he'd seen his parents' two-faced, money-grubbing ways. Someone like Meng Wan must've caught that selfless streak from Song Tingzhou—doing good deeds without making a fuss, only spread by word of mouth among the locals.

In any case, the Xiang family's charity school project had a reputation far bigger than their actual actions. News had reached several neighboring prefectures, and the clans and merchants who'd donated money or contributed effort would've hired eight hundred storytellers to sing their praises. Rumor had it Licheng's school was already done, and Weihai's was probably about to break ground.

By the time Luo Jining arrived, the street corner was already packed with layers of onlookers, as packed as a county fair. Liu'er shielded him as they squeezed into a teahouse. The owner obviously recognized the general's husband and smartly set up a private room for them. The two took the best vantage point to watch the commotion.

Someone downstairs was shouting, "The Xiang family's steward got his ass kicked out!"

A middle-aged man in silk robes stumbled out of the crowd in a sorry state, his hairpin all crooked. Behind him, over twenty servants and laborers were no match for the mob, all looking roughed up.

Luo Jining watched the spectacle with amusement. He'd never had a good opinion of the big clans.

"Hey, Liu'er, why's everyone wearing something white?" Luo Jining squinted, studying the crowd carefully.

Liu'er was a woman of action. "I'll grab one for you to look at, sweetheart."

Before Luo Jining could stop her, she jumped straight out the second-floor window, grabbed at a strip of white cloth hanging from one rioter's garment, and tried to leave. But she missed her grip on the first try, got annoyed, and yanked hard—yanking the whole person clean out of the crowd.

The person yanked: "..."

Liu'er: "..."

Upstairs, Luo Jining silently covered his eyes.

That animal Yi Hongfei was a man of his word—when he said marry them off, he did. Except for Xiao Shiliu, whose fiancé was still in mourning and had delayed things, every last one of the beauties got married off in one fell swoop.

The only ones left in the residence now were Liu'er and Xiao Qi, the two most skilled in martial arts. Both had married Yi Hongfei's shadow guards, and the four of them took turns standing watch.

What a goddamn couples' shift rotation.

The small cluster of people below snapped back to their senses. "Who are you? Why're you snatching my good-luck charm?"

The words "good-luck charm" seemed to touch some nerve in the rioting crowd. They stopped surrounding the Xiang family's steward and instead all glared at Liu'er. Over a hundred men, women, old, and young—even Liu'er couldn't help feeling a chill run down her spine. It was like the people in front of her weren't regular folks but puppets in human skin, their heads only ever able to turn in one direction.

The Xiang family's steward seized the chance to scramble up, crawled into his carriage, and fled—not even bothering to pick up the shoe that had fallen off.

Luo Jining sensed something wrong and shot to his feet. "Liu'er, come back."

Liu'er, staring into that eerie gaze, felt her back crawl and obediently made her way back up to the second-floor private room. Those people's eyes stayed glued to her the whole time, then shifted from her to Luo Jining. He couldn't help but shiver too.

The next moment, the crowd suddenly abandoned the Xiang family's unfinished charity school and began converging on the teahouse instead.

Luo Jining's hair stood on end. Liu'er shielded him and led him downstairs. As they descended, Luo Jining couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but the patrons and waiters in the main hall downstairs also seemed to be watching him and Liu'er with deliberate, sidelong glances.

"What's going on here? Clear out, all of you, clear out!"

The yamen runners arrived belatedly, their loud, barking voices and dog-relying-on-master's-authority demeanor somehow bringing Luo Jining an immense sense of relief.

The patrons on the first floor returned to normal, and the waiter bustled over to refill their tea. Everything from moments ago seemed like nothing more than a figment of Luo Jining's imagination.

The rapid clatter of hooves sounded—"da-da-da"—as Yi Hongfei dismounted in a whirlwind, then swept the reluctant, glancing-back Luo Jining up onto the horse. "What happened?"

He'd barely slept the night before. Weihai had been unsettled lately, with the Eastern Japanese constantly making trouble. When he heard there was a disturbance in the city, he worried about Luo Jining and rode back at full speed.

Luo Jining, encircled in his arms, struggled half-heartedly a couple of times before giving up and settling in comfortably. Enveloped in the safety Yi Hongfei had forged around him, that strange, creeping dread from before instantly dissolved.

"Do you still remember that rumor of immortality that came out of Penglai?"

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