Chapter 106: Pengpeng, I Fancy You (8)

Having thought this, my hands moved towards the belt on the armor. However, as if Qi Sheng had already read my mind, the moment I moved, he placed his hand over mine and drew me towards him. He scolded in a low voice, “Don’t be ridiculous!”

The Northern Desert general looked surprised as well. He took a few steps forward on the horse, looked up at me then turned to Qi Sheng. He asked, “Emperor of Nanxia. Do you find a random maid to impersonate your Empress only to save your ego?”

Qi Sheng took me by the waist and answered nothing.

But I was never afraid of bicker so I spat and shouted, “Open your freaking eyes and have a good look at me to see whether I am the Empress of Nanxia. Who in our country doesn’t know that His Majesty loves me and me alone? I gave birth to both his two kids. Look at the one standing beside you. How can she give birth to two kids in three years? Only Northern Tartars like you, whose heads are stuffed with hays, will believe she is the Empress! And you bring a weak girl to the battlefield. Dear me, you have such thick skins. I was wondering why the walls in your Pingning City were so thick, so it turns out they were built using your skins.”

Everyone on the walls laughed hearing my words.

The facial expression of the Northern Desert general changed but he quickly restored himself and shouted in return, “You are a sharp teethed and rude woman. How can you be the Empress? You are indeed a fake!”

I sneered and shook Qi Sheng’s arm loose. I pointed to the soldiers behind me and said with a clear voice, “You can ask the Nanxia men on this wall. Who doesn’t know that I, Zhang shi is the granddaughter of General Zhang Sheng? When my grandfather made his reputation in Jiangbei, you Tartars feared him only by hearing his name. My Father is a Minister of Defense. My uncle has been guarding Jingyang for seventeen years. All my uncles and brothers are brave soldiers in the army. I am a daughter of a distinguished family. I could even kill enemies in the battlefield so why should I pretend to be a timid girl!”

I was loud and I shouted as loud as I could this time, so the voice travelled far. Before the echo died away, soldiers on the wall applauded me.

In this deafening acclamation, I shot Qi Sheng a glance, and asked with a smile, “Now you know the benefit of having a wife with powerful family background.”

Qi Sheng hung his head and smiled. Just when he was about to say something, his face suddenly changed and immediately reached his hands out for me. I was in no state of defense, and he dragged me into his arms. In a blinking second, an arrow breezed past. Then I heard Li Hong, who was standing next to us, exclaimed, “Your Majesty, be careful!”

I was shocked. Before I could react, Qi Sheng turned around and protected me in his arms. From his shoulder, I watched the second arrow coming towards us and ripping into Qi Sheng’s back…”

Two arrows in a row! The first arrow aimed at me but it was only a camouflage. What they really wanted was to shot Qi Sheng with the second one.

If Qi Sheng pushed me away rather than took me in his arms when the first arrow came, he might have avoided the second one. But when he reached out for my shoulder, he pulled me into his arms without any hesitation.

Qi Sheng couldn’t die. He couldn’t die at this moment!

There was a while of silence in my ears but then it exploded, all sounds pouring into my ears. He Bingze and Li Hongze as well as the others all approached us. And someone stood before us, in case there were more arrows coming.

Li Hong exclaimed, “Your Majesty!”

I tried my best to held Qi Sheng’s body. I broke the feather on the arrow on his back and placed it in my chest. I said in a cold but calm voice, “It’s the Empress that got shot, say Empress!”

Everyone was confused. He Bingze was the first one that realized what I was up to and immediately shouted, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Our Empress got shot!”

The Northern Desert soldiers were a step too late. When they shouted that “the Emperor of Nanxia got shot”, it was overwhelmed in the cheers of Nanxia soldiers, “Tartars were despicable and they stabbed us in the back. Our Empress got shot and was injured! Let’s kill this Tartars and revenge for our Empress!

The horns sounded again, indicating another round of attack from the Northern Desert. He Bingze led the other soldiers and drew the bows. Another round of battle started.

Guards helped me and Qi Sheng retrieved to the tower. The army doctors came forward, cut Qi Sheng’s clothes and treated his wound. I sat beside in trance, feeling a bit cold in my hands and feet.

The wound was on the critical area on Qi Sheng’s back so he could only lie on all fours on the bed. But he really had a tough mind and even at this moment, he still managed to stay sober. He urged, “No one else can know that I’m injured. Li Hong, put on my armors and lead the army. We only have to hold for another two days, then the reinforcement will arrive!”

Li Hong solemnly nodded and put on the armors Qi Sheng just took off. He held the helmet and made a kowtow towards Qi Sheng then turned around and left.

Qi Sheng had a few words with other generals. After almost everyone had left, he calmly asked the imperial doctor, “How’s the injury?”

The doctors glanced at each other, but no one dared to say anything.

“Just tell me. I want the truth.”

The oldest one said in a trembling voice, “The arrowhead just brushed past the heart so it would be a bit dangerous getting it out. If Your Majesty can get past this stage, then everything will be fine.”

Qi Sheng looked calm and he slowly said, “You should go now and find me someone with a steady hand to get the arrow out of me.”

The doctors carefully retrieved to somewhere a bit far from us.

Then Qi Sheng turned around to look at me, “Come here, I have a few things to tell you.”

I went up to him and sat beside him. He looked at me and whispered, “I’m afraid your wish can be granted now.”

I felt some pain in my heart but I clenched my teeth and replied in a low voice, “Don’t worry. You’re not going to die that easily.”

Qi Sheng was slightly surprised and quietly looked at me. Then he took a deep sigh and told me, “If I die, you can ask Li Hong to impersonate me for two more days, then Zhao wang will arrive with the reinforcement. He will protect you and return to Jingyang. Then you have to call back Yang Yu and the others, and close the gate, in case the Tartars strike again. Don’t reveal my death and don’t hold the funeral. Then leave Zhao wang and He Liangchen to guard He Liangchen and you will return to Sheng City with Yang Yu and He Bingze and make Hao’er the Emperor. Are you clear?”

I felt my eyes was unbearably dry so I closed my eyes and said nothing.

Qi Sheng’s voice faded. He paused and then continued, “Chu wang has to die or Hao’er won’t be safe as the Emperor. Don’t be soft on this.”

I nodded and said in a hoarse voice, “I know.”
Qi Sheng smiled faintly, “Now go, and ask them to draw the arrow out for me.”

I didn’t move. I only summoned those imperial doctors and then held Qi Sheng’s hands tightly in mine. I said calmly, “I’ll be here with you.”

A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes and then he was at east again, “Fine.”

The doctors had already prepared equipment to stop the bleeding, and someone put a ginseng tablet in Qi Sheng’s mouth. The eldest doctor gently gripped the broken arrow on Qi Sheng’s back and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, I am going to draw this out of you now.”

“Wait a second,” Qi Sheng suddenly said. He looked at me again. The brows furrowing out of pain slowly eased and a gentle smiled appeared on his face, “Come here, I forgot to tell you something.”

I didn’t overthink it, bent down and leaned towards him. He whispered at my ears, “Pengpeng, I fancy you.”

His lips brushed over my ears. I was so shocked that I straightened up, looking at him in surprise.

He only smiled and said to the doctor next to him, “Let’s get it done now.”

The doctor didn’t reply but his hand suddenly drew the arrow out, blood sprinkling like an arrow. Qi Sheng made a groan and his body was pulled up for a second by the force. After a pause, he fell down again and didn’t move afterwards.

All my senses seem to have stopped functioning, with scarlet red muddling my eyes. I didn’t know how long time it was before someone whispered at my ears, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, His Majesty will be fine. He has made it.”

I was relieved and I felt darkness overwhelming me. Before I fainted, there was only one thought in my head, what the hell, why am I being so useless!

I was fainted for a long time and even Qi Sheng woke up before me. When I opened my eyes, I realized I was in somewhere else. Qi Sheng was lying next to and looking at me, “You are awake?”

I immediately sat up and hastily asked, “What time is it now?”

As feeling uncomfortable laying like that, Qi Sheng frowned and changed his posture. When he settled in again, he replied, “Zhao wang has returned.”

Zhang wang has already returned? So did it mean that the problem with Pingning was already solved? I was finally relieved and pounded the bed. I exclaimed, “Wonderful!”

Qi Sheng quietly smiled.

I turned around to look at him. Though he looked pale, he seemed to be in a good spirit so I carefully asked, “You said something before the arrow was taken out. Do you mean it?”

Qi Sheng looked and me and responded by asking, “What do you think?”

I took the chance to get an inch near him. I held my face close to his and smiled, “I think that a dying man will speak kindly, so there might be some truth in it.

Qi Sheng was suddenly agitated and pushed me away. He said egoistically, “My wound hurt too much at that time. I forgot what I had said.”

I approached him again with a cheeky smile and said, “I remember. You said you love me.”

Qi Sheng looked at me contemptuously and corrected me, “I said I fancied you.”