Chapter 1817 – The Peculiar Records of Beiyuan (Part 1)
“Wenzheng!”
Jiang Pengji led an army of a hundred thousand northward to meet Qi Guanrang, who had departed early.
When this pair of sovereign and minister, who hadn’t seen each other for nearly three years, finally met, the live stream viewers quietly started shipping the ultra-cold couple.
Despite Jiang Pengji X Qi Guanrang being destined for a Bad Ending, the CP fans stubbornly picked up sugar from their interactions, so persistent it was almost heart-wrenching.
Jiang Pengji had no interest in the flags of the cult being waved by the viewers; she quickly dismounted and helped Qi Guanrang, who had come to greet her outside the Snow City. She noticed his exposed hands had turned red from the cold and couldn’t help but reproach him for not taking better care of himself.
Qi Guanrang chuckled, “Hearing that Lord was arriving today with troops made me overjoyed; how could I pay mind to such trivialities?”
Feng Zhen and Li Yun also rode over, feeling increasingly exasperated with their lord’s growing stubbornness as he aged.
Jiang Pengji said, “I initially thought you would lead troops to Xichang; the weather is better there, and I’ve heard that during this season, you only need to wear autumn clothes. But you insisted on bringing your troops to Beiyuan. You’ve barely finished dealing with Zhong Zhao and now you want to come to Beiyuan to stir things up, are you trying to wear yourself out?”
Her words were delivered somewhat harshly, but those familiar with her could tell she was genuinely concerned for Qi Guanrang.
The geographical climate of Beiyuan is utterly different from Zhong Zhao.
Among the five nations in the world, the terrain varies, and each country’s climate has its own characteristics.
Zhong Zhao, being the largest in area, the most fertile, and the most powerful, has always been envied and coveted by the other four countries, yet they dared not make a move.
Beiyuan, however, is quite the opposite; while it’s large, it’s genuinely poor. A cold, impoverished, and harsh place, with long winters and short springs and summers, its terrain even further north than the present-day Beizhou, where the local customs are fierce yet ignorant and backward.
Jiang Pengji didn’t want Qi Guanrang to suffer here; he might as well assist Fu Wang or Meng Hunyun in Xichang to achieve military merits.
Xichang might be chaotic, but the climate is mild and moderate, making it an ideal place for recuperating while accumulating battle accomplishments.
In the final moments of his attack on Zhong Zhao, Qi Guanrang hadn’t been successful, nearly falling victim to an enemy trap; while he later made a stunning counterattack, he also sustained arrow wounds to his thigh and arm. If he didn’t take good care of these injuries, he’d suffer in the cold when he grows old.
In comparison, old man Sun was much easier to manage.
Initially, the old man wanted to request a military command as well, but Jiang Pengji sent him to Zhong Zhao’s Bianzhou as Governor. On the surface, it was to let him handle the affairs of Bianzhou and restore its former prosperity ravaged by war; in reality, it was for him to rest for a while.
Worried that old man Sun would misunderstand, she even wrote him a long, long letter to express her concerns about his health.
Sun pondered over the letter for quite a while, treating it with care before putting it away as a family heirloom.
The private letter penned by the Emperor, the first female star in the realm, is worthy of being treated as a family treasure.
Sun had always been attentive to maintaining his health; persuading him was no trouble, but Qi Guanrang was different.
So hardworking!
If Qi Guanrang were still that young man in his twenties when they first met, Jiang Pengji would have let him do his reckless things without hesitation.
But now?
He’s well past forty, which in this era is considered late middle age.
Jiang Pengji wanted him to take a break; if he had to fight, he should do it at Xichang, but he insisted on coming to Beiyuan, not once avoiding writing letters.
She couldn’t consistently refuse without letting others think Qi Guanrang had lost the favor of his lord, so ultimately she agreed.
Preparing himself for a scolding upon their first meeting, Qi Guanrang nodded repeatedly saying “Yes,” mastering the art of taking reprimands without a retort.
He understood his Lord well; she tended to respond to softer tactics rather than harshness, and in such moments, it was best to yield. After all, she would surely not say too much.
As expected, after Jiang Pengji spoke a few words of criticism, the topic quickly shifted to military training and resource mobilization.
These were points Qi Guanrang had rehearsed countless times; whatever she asked, he answered, covering every detail thoroughly.
As Jiang Pengji and he entered the city one after the other, the comments in the stream began to explode.
【Three Squirrels Snacks】: Fell for this cold couple, destined for BE; today the official gave sugar, even with glass shards, I still gobbled it up.
【Liangpin Shop Snacks】: _(:з)∠)_ For the first time, I want to support NP; the host seems compatible with anyone they pair up with.
【Baicao Taste Snacks】: I remember a certain Bilibili master edited a gender-swapped version of XX’s palace struggles recently? Perfectly met the needs of all the fans. That video was kind of insane, with all the concubines scheming against each other, heavenly clashes, various betrayals, and manipulations that made me just want to knee myself. Thankfully, our Emperor big pig trotter is our host; otherwise who could handle these little demons?
【Stowaway Non-Money】: →_→ I watched that video, Wenzheng senior was brutally stabbed to death by the blackened Zixiao after fighting his way to the end; MMP that plot twist!
【It’s Just That I’m Too Handsome】: #Kneeling to cry, that video is insane! Now every time I see Zixiao smile, my heart skips. How could the gentle and elegant kind sir with a heart for the world turn into such a nightmare?
【Genius Guo Fengxiao】: The real nightmare isn’t the hard-working blackened Zixiao finally being poisoned by the big pig trotter Emperor? All that love and affection was just a show; I felt my heart aching. Now even watching the live stream gives me psychological shadows. Why don’t we get @Jianchun to deal with the big pig trotter and sacrifice him to the heavens? Such a ruthless scheme to end everyone’s story, what a scandal!
Jiang Pengji had just finished discussing the situation in Beiyuan with Qi Guanrang when she looked up and noticed the barrage of comments; she found herself out of the loop on everyone’s topic.
After all, she had been a dedicated live streamer for over ten years, so how could people speak ill of her actions?
“Is the Lord displeased?”
Jiang Pengji gulped down a double serving of hot wine, using the fiery drink to warm her body.
“Beiyuan is self-destructing, practically handing a kingdom to me; why should I be displeased?”
While she said that, there wasn’t a shred of joy on her face, and Qi Guanrang could tell his Lord was not truly pleased. To be honest, Beiyuan was far too poor; even for Qi Guanrang, he couldn’t envision how much the nation could squeeze from it. Sending 250,000 troops to attack was already showing them considerable face.
“Have the winter clothing for the soldiers been distributed?”
Though he said that, among the five nations, they were all part of one realm, and even if Beiyuan was poor, it couldn’t be abandoned; what must be regained should still be regained.
“Everything has been distributed.”
“That’s good; let’s get through this winter well. Have the soldiers practice more and get used to this dreadful weather.”
If it wasn’t necessary to fight this battle, Jiang Pengji would truly be reluctant to send her troops here to suffer through the cold.
After Jiang Pengji arrived, she was busy for two days; on the third day, everything finally went on track.
At this moment, scouts discovered over a hundred suspicious individuals, capturing them all to await Jiang Pengji’s judgment.
After Feng Zhen’s investigation, he reported, “They are refugees from Beiyuan, saying they can’t survive and hope the Lord will take them in.”
Jiang Pengji laughed, “Refugees? At a time when war is about to commence, common people are seeking refuge with me; is the Beiyuan royal family so out of touch?”
Feng Zhen commented indifferently, “The Beiyuan royal family is merely a group of puppets, manipulated by others, unable to control their own destinies; how could they unite the hearts of the people?”
