Chapter 983 – Battle at the Northern Frontier (Twenty)
Only Genius Guo Fengxiao, Jiang Pengji, and the Audience were captivated, while others showed little interest.
Some were looking down, others were eating.
They had grown so accustomed to plain feasts that the sudden array of delicacies left them feeling overwhelmed.
Genius Guo Fengxiao: “Ah, crossing over is quite nice. If I could live like the streamer, commanding the world awake and indulging in beauties while I sleep, just thinking about it makes me envious! Those ladies are stunning, truly a sight to behold.”
The Han Family Woman had a refined and understated beauty, her features mild, while the beauties of the Northern Frontier were more striking, aligning more closely with the Audience’s taste.
The face was secondary; what really stood out was the dancer’s figure—curves aplenty that made one feel they’d have a delightful touch.
Qing Luo Yuexia: “#PickingNose, you did mention if you could live well like the streamer—what if you don’t?”
Yue Caomu Hui: “The greatest joy of watching the stream is seeing a group of pure natural high-beauty ladies, curing my years of face blindness.”
The Audience chimed in, chatting away, while the lively music from the entertainers ranged from exhilarating to flirtatious, almost like a delicate hand plucking at the most tender strings of the heart—faint yet enticing.
Jiang Pengji extended her hand to the central dancer, who met her gaze with a playful smile, stepping gracefully forward to offer her right hand.
“Your hand is like a soft tender sprout, refined like coagulated fat.”
Jiang Pengji praised with a bright smile, to which the lead dancer beamed back, leaving the others with darkened expressions.
Qi Guanrang discreetly glanced at his Lord, while Feng Zhen sneakily eyed Wei Ci.
Historically, it was only men who were known for their flirtations; when had women been the ones to tease so openly?
Yet, who could say anything about their unique Lord? It didn’t feel out of place at all.
The dancer performed several celebratory group dances, and except for Jiang Pengji and Feng Zhen enjoying the show, everyone else remained stoic.
“What do you all think?”
Only after the dancer had finished completely did Jiang Pengji, still wanting more, kindly inquire about her subordinates’ opinions.
Feng Zhen was quick to respond, “The dance was wonderful, and the dancers even more so.”
The others still remained silent.
Jiang Pengji said, “I agree, quite wonderful. In the upcoming battle in the Northern Frontier, we should find some optimism; the soldiers’ stress is overwhelming. It might be better to have these dancers perform occasionally, both as a reward for the army and to relieve stress through celebratory song and dance.”
In this era, there weren’t many psychologists, and if soldiers faced emotional issues, they had to resolve them themselves.
Jiang Pengji planned to establish a troupe for occasional performances to help relieve the emotional pressure of the soldiers through entertainment.
The crowd was taken aback.
They had thought their leader was merely infatuated with the dancers, but it turned out she had practical considerations in mind.
In contrast, Feng Zhen, the rogue, seemed to be losing on the ideological front.
Fu Wang frowned, somewhat disapprovingly saying, “Lord, won’t this disrupt military discipline?”
The Military Camp was a serious place; why bring in dancers to sing and dance?
“To say that is rather conservative,” replied Jiang Pengji, “The soldiers accompanying our troops, aside from a few veterans, are mostly decent citizens. They’ve not only never taken a life, some of them haven’t even slaughtered a chicken or duck. Being put in a position to take lives, they fear it in private.”
Her brows furrowed deeply, with lines forming in between.
Fu Wang recalled his first experience with killing but didn’t feel any fear or confusion; his leader worried too much.
“If they’re frightened by this, how will they survive on the battlefield where swords and blades won’t discriminate?”
Jiang Pengji smiled but didn’t respond, “Anyway, it’s settled. Consider it a bonus for the soldiers.”
Fu Wang felt helpless.
After all, she was the Lord; as long as it didn’t involve serious principles, almost no one would challenge her.
To give her credit, she was indeed thinking of the soldiers’ well-being.
After a simple victory feast, everyone returned to their duties.
Despite today’s great victory, they still had to manage the spoils of war, arrange for the guarding of prisoners, and count casualties… Besides that, the soldiers were exhausted; if not for the joy of victory, they might have already fallen asleep somewhere.
As everyone began to disperse, Jiang Pengji intentionally kept Wei Ci behind.
Before leaving, Feng Zhen winked at Wei Ci, while Qi Guanrang shot him a sympathetic glance.
The expression from the former read, “Seize the opportunity!” while the latter’s was all about “Take care on your way back.”
Wei Ci: “…”
“Zixiao—”
Jiang Pengji held Wei Ci’s hand, not softly or warmly as a woman might, but rather with a firm grip.
Wei Ci lowered his lashes, his gaze falling on her hand.
He calmly asked, “Is the Lord comparing the feel of our hands?”
At that moment, the Audience was still watching live, stunned by the turn of events, momentarily frozen before bursting into chatter—
Flowing with the Current: “Did I miss something important? Why is the beauty Ci so nonchalant about having her hand touched by the streamer? She used to scold or avoid any sort of teasing—”
Manjusaka: “Don’t ask me; I have no idea either.”
Jiang Pengji inquired, “Is Zixiao jealous?”
Wei Ci replied, “She’s just a lady; no need to feel jealous.”
If he felt jealousy over this, he would have drowned in a sea of envy in his last life.
Oddly enough, he was best friends with the Lord and with men, but for some reason, women always seemed to harbor ulterior motives toward her.
“Tsk—look at you, so easygoing, I can see right through you,” said Jiang Pengji. “You must be used to encountering storms.”
Her words carried a double meaning.
Wei Ci was no longer as alarmed as before.
He had a feeling the person before him not only saw through his façade but probably inferred quite a bit about his past experiences as well.
“As long as you’re happy,” Wei Ci said.
Gently Kissed Clean Lotus: The psychological activity of the beauty Ci at that moment—being a man surfing in a sea of jealousy, unafraid of anything!
“Zixiao is too indifferent; I’m feeling unhappy,” Jiang Pengji reached out her hand, “I need a kiss or a hug to feel better.”
Wei Ci silently flushed: “…”
How could it be so blatant?
It wasn’t that he lacked the skill; it was just that the person he faced was too much of a challenge.
“Lord, don’t mess around,” Wei Ci paused before adding, “This is a Military Camp.”
“As long as it’s not a Military Camp, it’s fine, right?”
Wei Ci: “… Then that still doesn’t work.”
Wasn’t their Lord once very serious and dignified?
“Today we achieved a major victory; shouldn’t Zixiao give something nice to encourage me?” Jiang Pengji extended her hand towards Wei Ci.
He hesitated, then pulled something from his sleeve and placed it in her palm.
A small personal seal.
The seal bore a single character—”Peng.”
Meanwhile, Feng Zhen was aimlessly preparing to sleep but noticed Qi Guanrang turning back towards the main tent.
He draped a hand over Qi Guanrang’s shoulder.
“What a disgrace!” Qi Guanrang brushed his hand off.
“By the way—Lord is turning nineteen, right?”
Qi Guanrang raised an eyebrow, “Speak your mind.”
“Are you saying they—” Feng Zhen raised an eyebrow, wearing a “men understand” expression.
“That’s the Lord!” Qi Guanrang’s expression turned serious, his dark eyes filled with a hint of severity, “Feng Zhen, mind your words and actions!”
Feng Zhen remained unfazed, “I mean no disrespect to the Lord, just worried about one thing. The Lord is a woman; who will inherit her family business?”
Without an heir, for them as subjects, it felt like being rootless, unstable.
“Of course, it would be the future Young Master, no need to ask,” Qi Guanrang replied. “Wei Zixiao knows his bounds; he wouldn’t dare overstep.”
