"Riiip!" With a sound, by the clear spring in the mountains of Pei Prefecture, Zhou Fugui, the general of the White Tiger Camp of the Yan army, went mad and threw himself upon Princess Ziyue of Great Yan, Murong Huiying, the beloved daughter of the Left Virtuous King of Great Yan, by the spring. He tore open the thin silk of Murong Huiying's chest.
Summer weather was hot, and when not in battle, they basically wore single layers of clothing, so Murong Huiying's thin silk was torn to shreds, revealing a patch of snow-white chest. The clear spring water not far away rippled gently... Zhou Fugui grinned menacingly and pressed Murong Huiying fiercely to the ground.
As Zhou Fugui had said, he was also a person, a strong young man in his prime. How could Zhou Fugui not be tempted by Murong Huiying's beauty? If he wasn't tempted, he wouldn't be human.
Before the Battle of Luyi, the entire White Tiger Camp had essentially gone through... Only Zhou Fugui was left all alone, unable to reach heaven or earth... He had been suffocated for a long time, and had only managed to suppress it by taking cold showers and running frantically. His self-control was indeed extraordinary.
This was one of the reasons for Zhou Fugui's current frenzy.
Zhou Fugui had led the White Tiger Camp in a great battle with the Xia army in Luyi. The anger, regret, sadness, grief, pain, and so on, the immense pressure was beyond what ordinary people could bear. If it was accumulated for too long, it would inevitably find an outlet.
And the main reason was the anger in Zhou Fugui's heart.
The Xianbei people did not regard Zhou Fugui and other Han people as humans, driving them like cattle and horses, or even worse than cattle and horses. Why should Zhou Fugui respect them?
Anger, regret, sadness, and other complex emotions made Zhou Fugui lose his reason and vent his anger on Murong Huiying.
"Ah! How dare you?"
Murong Huiying was caught off guard and was thrown to the ground by Zhou Fugui. She let out a sharp scream and struggled desperately, scolding him angrily while fighting Zhou Fugui with all her might.
However, even though Murong Huiying could command thousands of troops, she was, after all, a woman. Generally speaking, women were naturally weaker than men. Zhou Fugui was also a master of grappling and combat, so Murong Huiying was no match for Zhou Fugui. The more she struggled, the more she was at a disadvantage, and the more awkward it became. The reason was that her clothes were getting fewer and fewer...
Murong Huiying screamed loudly, hoping her screams would attract someone to stop Zhou Fugui's madness, but at the same time, she didn't want anyone to come. If someone came and saw their embarrassing state, wouldn't Murong Huiying be ashamed to death?
Murong Huiying was in extreme conflict and entanglement.
However, Murong Huiying's hope or worry was in vain. The reason was that no one came at all. The two of them were alone, "talking sweet nothings," so who would be foolish enough to interrupt them? Zhou Fugui's and Murong Huiying's subordinates dared not come.
What if Murong Huiying's screams were from the peak of their passion...
"What is there that I dare not do now?" Zhou Fugui's eyes were bloodshot. He pinned down the struggling Murong Huiying with one hand and reached for his armor with the other.
Zhou Fugui had not taken off his armor.
But the more anxious Zhou Fugui became, the less he could remove his armor. He was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead, and he didn't know what to do...
As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Armor, especially a general's armor, was not only troublesome to put on but also to take off. It consisted of steel bracers, plated shoulder guards, scale skirts, codpieces, chest plates, and so on, as well as waistbands, belts, and lacing cords. The steps for wearing or removing it were seven or eight, and sometimes it required three or four attendants, or even more, to complete the donning or doffing.
Zhou Fugui, trying to remove his armor with one hand, found it getting tighter and tighter. The armor seemed to be stuck to his body, and he couldn't take off a single piece.
"Pfft!" Seeing Zhou Fugui sweating profusely and looking extremely embarrassed, Murong Huiying suddenly couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, hehe, it tickles, you... you... be gentle." Zhou Fugui was removing his armor with one hand, and the other hand was still indiscreetly... touching Murong Huiying's ticklish spots. Murong Huiying couldn't help but laugh again.
"Plop!"
Zhou Fugui had been trying to remove his armor for a long time without success. Hearing Murong Huiying's laughter, he lost all enthusiasm. He let go of Murong Huiying and sat down on the ground with a plop, panting heavily.
At this moment, Zhou Fugui had also sobered up quite a bit.
How could he take his hatred for Albugu and others, and for the Xianbei, out on her? Zhou Fugui lamented in his heart, dejected.
Zhou Fugui had known Murong Huiying for quite some time. He knew that although she was the Ziyue Princess of Great Yan and the daughter of Murong Bole, the Left Virtuous King of Great Yan, she had been pampered since childhood, she was essentially a good woman. At the very least, Zhou Fugui could feel her kindness towards him.
Moreover, Murong Huiying had been kind to him. To treat someone who had been kind to him in such a way, wasn't that ungrateful? Zhou Fugui lamented in his heart.
As Zhou Fugui lost his energy and slumped on the ground, panting, Murong Huiying, energized, got up, covered her chest with the torn thin silk, and sat beside Zhou Fugui with a slanted kneel. She looked at Zhou Fugui and asked with a smile, "Commander Zhou, would you like this princess to help you remove your armor?"
"I... I... you, you, you..." Hearing this, Zhou Fugui became even more ashamed and stammered, dejectedly begging for forgiveness. "Your Highness, this subordinate was rude and offended Your Highness. Please punish me!"
"Oh? Commander Zhou, you still know you were rude?" Murong Huiying found it even more amusing to see Zhou Fugui's dejected appearance and continued with a smile, "This princess thinks nothing of it. How about... we continue?"
Earlier, Zhou Fugui's ferocious, man-eating demeanor had almost scared Murong Huiying to death. Now, Zhou Fugui looked like a defeated rooster... The difference between then and now was like heaven and earth.
"Continue? No, no, Your Highness, please spare this subordinate." Zhou Fugui, scared, waved his hands repeatedly.
"Pah, a guy with a thief's heart but no thief's courage!" Murong Huiying rolled her eyes at Zhou Fugui and said, "Unlike us people from the grasslands, who dare to speak and act, dare to take responsibility. You've truly disappointed this princess!"
"A thief's heart but no thief's courage? Dare to speak but not to act? I refuse to believe it today. Come on, how do we continue?" Murong Huiying's words enraged Zhou Fugui.
"Right here," Murong Huiying said with a smile.
"Right here? In this wilderness, with everyone watching..." Zhou Fugui hesitated.
"Who was it that just did this to this princess... Now you're scared?" Murong Huiying chuckled.
"Damn it, let's do it. Who's afraid of whom?" Zhou Fugui said angrily.
......
After a long, long while, the two of them sat by the clear spring, leaning against each other. However, Zhou Fugui still hadn't removed his armor, which remained firmly attached to him...
"My Khan Tan Shihuai, are you still angry?" Murong Huiying nestled in Zhou Fugui's arms, stroking the gradually thickening beard on his face, and asked softly.
"Khan Tan Shihuai? What is that?" Zhou Fugui asked.
"Pah, don't talk nonsense." Murong Huiying spat at Zhou Fugui and said, "Khan Tan Shihuai is a hero of our people. He..."
Murong Huiying then recounted the deeds of Tan Shihuai.
"He actually fought all the way to Japan? Uh... the land of Wa... Hmm, he's a hero!" Zhou Fugui nodded repeatedly after listening. "But the others of your tribe, humph, are despicable and shameless scoundrels!"
"Are you referring to Albugu and Balhu?" Murong Huiying asked, using her hands to prop herself up on Zhou Fugui's chest and sitting up straight to look at him.
"Exactly!" Zhou Fugui clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "Despicable villains, who killed so many of my brothers! If this revenge is not taken, I, Zhou, vow not to be human!"
"What do you want to do? Don't do anything foolish." Murong Huiying exclaimed, "I was able to protect you last time, but I can't guarantee it this time. Fugui, Albugu and Balhu fled in battle, and they will be dealt with according to military law. You don't need to do anything extra."
"Humph, military law?" Zhou Fugui sneered, "How many times have Albugu and others fled in battle? Where was the military law at that time?"
"This..." Murong Huiying was speechless. After thinking for a moment, she said to Zhou Fugui, "I will tell my father personally about this matter. I believe my father will make a fair judgment."
Zhou Fugui looked at Murong Huiying. His heart was full of disbelief, but he couldn't bear to make Murong Huiying unhappy or worried any longer, so he remained silent.
"Fugui..." Murong Huiying then cautiously looked at Zhou Fugui and said softly, "Not everyone in my tribe is a scoundrel like Albugu and Balhu. Most people on the grassland are loyal and valiant. The reason they treat you like this is simply because you are..."
"Humph, because I am Han, right?" Zhou Fugui asked with a cold snort.
Murong Huiying nodded.
The distinction between Hu and Han, this was the reality of Great Yan. Murong Huiying also felt it was inappropriate, but she was helpless.
"Yingying..." Murong Huiying's tenderness somewhat eased Zhou Fugui's inner turmoil. He turned to look at her and said, "A song like 'Phoenix Seeks Phoenix,' I, Zhou, am not an imbecile, how could I not understand its meaning? But... alas... precisely because of this, I... Your Highness's great kindness, I can only repay you in the next life."
The distinction between Hu and Han made intermarriage between Han and Hu extremely difficult. Let alone someone as noble as Murong Huiying, even ordinary Xianbei women were unlikely to marry into Han families. Xianbei people also took Han women, but they were concubines, courtesans, maids, and so on, never legitimate wives.
"You... you are an imbecile, you are an imbecile, woo woo woo..." Murong Huiying stared blankly for a moment, then threw herself into Zhou Fugui's arms and cried.
"Yingying..." Zhou Fugui gently embraced Murong Huiying and sighed.
The division between Hu and Han was like a chasm, lying between two people who were gradually falling in love.