Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Ruan Li prepared two teams of soldiers in Qiaotou Village, not far from the city gate. Each team had thirty men, and there were six horses in total. In addition to Ruan Li as the leader, there were also two deputy generals.

Fang Zhihe and Lu Wuyou rushed there after lunch. As they approached, Lu Wuyou suddenly stopped. Fang Zhihe looked at him in confusion, but Lu Wuyou pulled him close, scanned him from head to toe, straightened his clothes, and then said softly, "Don't panic. This isn't like you at all."

Fang Zhihe was worried about pretending to be incompetent, frowning. Upon hearing this, he hummed in acknowledgment. They were silent for a moment as they walked. Suddenly, Fang Zhihe asked, "If a person who is seen as clever by others pretends to be a simpleton, will people become suspicious?"

Lu Wuyou was slightly startled, his expression changing. He forced a smile and said, "That depends on where his cleverness lies. If everyone knows he is clever in scholarship, what harm is there in his not being clever in other areas?"

Fang Zhihe frowned and thought for a moment, finding it reasonable. He nodded and added, "If one's methods are seen by outsiders as ruthless and cruel, but now he becomes gentle and indecisive, unable to tell right from wrong, would that arouse suspicion?"

Lu Wuyou was silent for a moment and said calmly, "Hard to say. It depends on the matter."

"That's true." Fang Zhihe looked up and gave him a smile.

Lu Wuyou watched as the smile quickly faded, feeling an inexplicable sting in his heart.

He set the thought aside and glanced at Ruan Li's direction in the distance. "We're almost there," he said.

When they arrived, Ruan Li immediately dismounted and knelt reverently before him. Fang Zhihe looked down at the soldiers dropping to their knees with a rustle, and he did not stop them. Lu Wuyou, who was standing behind him, also knelt down.

He announced loudly, "We respectfully invite Your Majesty to mount the horse!"

Ruan Li followed with the same words: "We respectfully invite Your Majesty to mount the horse!"

The crowd behind also shouted in unison. Fang Zhihe stood pale-faced, the wind lightly lifting his robes. He was solemn and serious, saying in a deep voice, "Rise. There is no need for so many formalities outside. These days, Lord Lu and I have been elsewhere, leaving you to guard this place. I thank you for your hard work."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Li immediately moved to kneel again, but Fang Zhihe said, "If you kneel, don't get up."

Ruan Li's eyes widened. He looked at Fang Zhihe's expressionless face and then at Lu Wuyou's slight smile. Trembling inwardly, he did not kneel again.

Seeing this, Fang Zhihe patted his shoulder. "Minister, let's go." After saying that, he walked over to a sorrel horse, paused for a few seconds, and then mounted it.

Lu Wuyou followed closely and chose the horse beside his own, mounting it as well. Then he looked at Fang Zhihe's pale complexion and asked, "How is your wound?"

Fang Zhihe was surprised to hear him speak and ask such a question, but he calmly replied, "It's fine. I've already used medicine. Moreover, Qi Guan sent a letter mentioning that he will be here soon..."

As he spoke, he suddenly laughed. "He also said in the letter that Xiaoyuan has been pestering him lately, always making him get up early to practice swordsmanship. If he delays even one day, Xiaoyuan will drag him to the Grand Tutor's mansion to study together, making his life miserable..."

Yuntai. He looked at Lu Wuyou, whose eyes were fixed on him, as if the man was listening attentively. In his heart, he silently called his courtesy name.

Yuntai, look how mischievous our child is.

He fell silent, a quiet sadness in his heart that he couldn't shake off.

Seeing that he stopped talking, Lu Wuyou withdrew his gaze and casually said, "At night, let's find a room and share a bed." Then he turned his head to look at the road.

At that moment, Ruan Li turned back to ask Lu Wuyou about some official matters. Fang Zhihe stared blankly at the back of Lu Wuyou's head, repeating that sentence in his mind several times, but couldn't figure out its meaning. After thinking the whole way, he figured that Lu Wuyou probably wanted to tumble in the blankets with him again, and he understood.