Chapter 65: Save Me

He Tuo looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man riding forward. The man’s face was as flawless as jade, and his handsomeness struck one with awe at first glance.

Upon closer inspection, not a single flaw could be found.

He was strikingly handsome without any trace of weakness. Sitting on horseback, he towered well above others. He was dressed in deep black robes like ink, with the crimson collar of his inner garment peeking out at the neckline.

From his features to his silhouette, and even his attire, the man matched Shen Shi in every possible way.

He looked as though he was terribly afraid the world might not know he was Shen Ruojin’s husband.

Reining in his horse with one hand, Qin Lang arched his sword-like brows and said, "Hey you with the surname He, open your eyes and look closely! I, Qin Lang, am the true husband of Shen Shi, Shen Ruojin!"

He Tuo was instantly left speechless: "..."

Look how immensely pleased with himself this fellow was.

Anyone unaware would have thought he was some supreme deity descended from the heavens.

Shen Ruojin had just finished a fierce battle and was quietly regulating her breath in the saddle. Hearing Qin Lang shout using his inner energy, her voice-carrying wave swept across almost the entire battlefield.

She could not help asking Qin Lang, "Why are you here?"

Before leading her troops out of the city, Shen Ruojin had already discussed the multi-pronged troop deployment and military strategy with her grandfather and the various generals.

At that time, she and her grandfather considered that the young Prince Qin's identity was unsuitable to appear on the Western Frontier battlefield. Moreover, having spent days running errands concerning the Jiang family, he had just returned to Xizhou City and needed a proper rest, so they had told him to stay behind in the estate to recuperate.

Qin Lang had clearly agreed back then.

In the blink of an eye, he had followed her here anyway.

Qin Lang showed not the slightest bit of embarrassment at being caught tailing her. Instead, he asked naturally in return, "My wife is charging into battle, how could I possibly sleep in peace?"

Shen Ruojin was momentarily speechless. "Even so, you shouldn't have dressed like this to come to the battlefield."

Qin Lang wore a dark outer robe with red garments underneath, dressed precisely like a bridegroom.

He wasn't even wearing armor; this man truly wanted style over survival.

Sensing her underlying concern, Qin Lang lowered his voice and said, "I was in a bit of a rush this time, but I'll definitely wear battle armor the next time."

There would be a next time!

Shen Ruojin didn't even know what to say to him anymore.

The generals on both sides were left speechless at the sight.

This husband of theirs was truly clingy, insisting on tagging along even when the Tenth Miss went to war.

However, watching He Tuo and those Xichang soldiers—who had just tried to use a fake hostage to make threats—stare in utter dumbfounded foolishness upon the sudden appearance of the genuine husband, it was quite amusing.

Extremely amusing.

Li Hongzhen boomed in a loud voice, "Our husband is right here, He Tuo! You can save yourself the trouble of trying to use a fake to threaten anyone."

He Tuo’s expression turned somewhat unsightly. He glanced at Qin Lang, then back at Pei Jing on his own side. "Wasn't it said that Shen Shi's husband is Pei Jing? You women of Great Qi value absolute loyalty to a single partner; how is it that Shen Shi's husband has changed?"

Pei Jing had taken a whip-lash not long ago, and now, stabbed by He Tuo's words once more, his pale face turned a shade of bruised green. Through gritted teeth, he said, "I said it long ago, I am not Shen Shi's husband."

These Xichang people simply refused to believe it themselves.

Pei Jing was in too much pain to stand steadily, but in order to prove his dignity as a prince of Great Qi—even if he currently held nothing more than the status of a top provincial imperial scholar—he stubbornly straightened his back.

The two armies faced each other, arrows notched on strings, standing on the verge of a hair-trigger clash.

Pei Jing watched as Shen Ruojin and Qin Lang rode their fine steeds side by side at the front of the two arrays. One was heroic and dashing, refusing to let women bow before men; the other maintained a calm and collected composure amidst thousands of troops facing swords and spears.

This hastily formed newlywed couple at this very moment appeared remarkably made for each other.

Nearby, Murong Wanwei stared at the pair, too shocked to even blink.

Qin Lang had always been frivolous and profligate, caring about nothing in the world except eating, drinking, and making merry.

In her dreams, this young Prince Qin had never done a single proper thing right up until the downfall of the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion, yet now...

Qin Lang had actually accompanied Shen Ruojin onto the battlefield!

And Shen Ruojin—a mere woman—was actually able to command three armies and face Xichang generals weapon in hand?

They were all mad. These people had all lost their minds.

Murong Wanwei had yet to recover her wits and no longer bothered making Pei Jing pretend to be Shen Ruojin's husband.

"Since you are not Shen Shi's husband, does that mean the so-called younger sister is also a fake?"

He Tuo drew his blade and laid it against Murong Wanwei’s neck.

Though Pei Jing had indeed claimed he was not Shen Shi's husband, this woman had deliberately deceived them, making her all the more deserving of death.

He Tuo had originally intended to use a hostage to lure and capture Shen Shi. Not only had his scheme failed, but Shen Shi had also led troops to counterattack right to their doorstep. For General He, who had reaped merit after merit upon entering the battlefield, this was an exceedingly rare defeat in his lifetime.

With the chilling blade pressed against her throat, Murong Wanwei snapped back to her senses with a jolt of terror. Trembling, she cried out, "You cannot kill me! I really am Shen Shi's sister!"

He Tuo glanced toward Shen Shi's side.

Terrified, Murong Wanwei closed her eyes and shrieked, "Second Sister! Second Sister, save me!"

She thought to herself: *I only want to be the Empress; I want to be above all others.*

*I cannot die here.*

Thus, even though Murong Wanwei had never previously thought Shen Ruojin was better than her in any way, and had even envied her and coveted everything she had, when facing the brink of life and death, she could still scream, "Second Sister, save me!"

"Wanwei!" Pei Jing shouted harshly to stop her. "A battle between two nations is a matter of state and country; you must not scream and shout and shake the morale of the army! How can your life and mine..." be compared to the lives of thousands of soldiers?

"Brother Pei... shut up!"

With a blade held to her neck by someone else, Murong Wanwei had no capacity whatsoever to care about any country or state.

Those were things men cared about.

What was face and dignity?

What were ambition and lofty ideals?

Once a person died, everything was gone.

Survival.

Staying alive was what mattered most.

"Second Sister! I came to the Western Frontier entirely to help you! If not for me, how could you have known in advance that General Shen was in danger? It was me! I was the one who leaked the news to you! Second Sister, save me!"

Murong Wanwei cried out at the top of her lungs, her voice completely hoarse.

Even though she had initially written the letter telling Shen Ruojin that Old General Shen was trapped in Luoyue Pass merely to make Shen Ruojin leave the capital so that the rumors regarding the two daughters of the Marquis's Mansion swapping grooms would quiet down...

Didn't this act also allow Shen Ruojin to see her grandfather?

Ultimately, she had helped Shen Ruojin.

Therefore, it was only right for Shen Ruojin to save her once in return.

Watching Murong Wanwei desperately cling to life with utter disregard for how others viewed her, Pei Jing plunged into a deep state of self-doubt.

He had abandoned Shen Ruojin for the sake of such a person.

He had actually forsaken Shen Ruojin for a Murong Wanwei who was so cowardly, selfish, and utterly devoid of moral backbone.

On the day of their return visit to her maiden home, Pei Jing had been fully aware that Murong Wanwei had arranged for the news of Old General Shen's potential peril to be delivered to Shen Ruojin.

At the time, Murong Wanwei had claimed she knew Shen Ruojin cared most about her maternal grandfather. As a younger sister, though she had no intention of snatching her husband, the fact that the sisters had married each other's grooms was already set in stone.

Even though Shen Ruojin was angry with her and humiliated her publicly, Murong Wanwei had said she wouldn't hold a grudge against her Second Sister. Having received a warning from the heavens, she felt she had to give her sister a heads-up to prevent her from missing her grandfather's final moments and leaving a lifelong regret.

How high-sounding and righteous those words had been! How benevolent she had appeared!

Yet at this moment, Murong Wanwei was leveraging that past deed to demand repayment in gratitude, forcing Shen Ruojin to save her.

Every human possessed an instinct for self-preservation.
Yet Pei Jing simply could not stomach her lack of spine. In a deep voice, he said, "Wanwei, stop shouting! Death comes to all men; some are lighter than a goose feather, while others are heavier than Mount Tai—"

"You actually have quite a bit of spine."

He Tuo withdrew the blade from Murong Wanwei’s neck and placed it against Pei Jing's instead.

This little wench was far too cowardly, crying and screaming the entire time, making the person holding the blade to her look far less heroic.

The intended husband had been replaced by someone else, and Pei Jing was entangled with Shen Shi's younger sister; something fishy was definitely going on there.

Women valued emotional attachments deeply; even upon marrying someone else, it was impossible to completely forget a former lover in the span of just a few short days.

Determined to lure and capture Shen Shi, He Tuo decided to try one last time. He dismounted, held his blade to Pei Jing's throat, and pushed him forward, shouting, "Shen Shi! Even if this man isn't your husband, he is still a subject of your Great Qi. Step forward alone at once! Otherwise, I will kill him."

Shen Ruojin replied indifferently, "Go ahead and kill him."