Chapter 240: Chapter 240 What Does She Call Him? Lao Liu!?

Xiang Ying lay in Jie Chen’s arms, drowsily asleep, while the persistent sound of the Sixth Prince banging on the door echoed for an hour.

These days, Xiang Ying and Jie Chen were indeed a bit tired. Despite the Sixth Prince exhausting his voice outside, begging for a response, they didn’t pay him any heed.

It wasn’t until the door was halfway smashed open that Jie Chen held Xiang Ying’s arm and kissed her between the brows.

“Get up, he’s coming in.”

Xiang Ying yawned and stretched as she sat up.

Her misty, beautiful eyes surveyed the surroundings.

Her clothes from before were torn to shreds, certainly unwearable.

A look at Jie Chen’s attire revealed no better state, torn like two pieces of rag.

She could only temporarily take out a few new outfits from her space.

Accompanied by dissatisfaction, she said, “I told you not to tear them.”

Jie Chen looked into her eyes and smiled, “Was it me who tore them or you who was in a hurry?”

Xiang Ying’s beautiful eyes rounded in response, and Jie Chen immediately nodded in agreement, compliantly saying, “Alright, I tore them.”

That’s more like it.

Xiang Ying huffed and stood up, as Jie Chen watched the curve of her back, his gaze deepening, pulling her back.

“Wear them on the couch, lest Lao Liu catches a glimpse.”

After spending the past few days together, Xiang Ying’s endless chatter had been thoroughly engraved in Jie Chen’s heart.

She called the Sixth Prince “Lao Liu,” so he accepted it and followed suit.

Xiang Ying laughed heartily, really wanting to see the Sixth Prince’s expression upon hearing himself addressed as Lao Liu.

With a “crash,” the sealed mud at the door was completely broken through.

The Sixth Prince burst in frantically: “Xiang Ying! You can’t be dead!”

His hands bloody from digging, he had expected to see the frozen corpses of Xiang Ying and Jie Chen.

He never imagined that upon breaking into the granary, it would instead feel as warm as spring.

What surprised him even more was the sight of Jie Chen and Xiang Ying.

Both were dressed in fresh, tidy clothes; Jie Chen’s crown and gold threads were stern, and Xiang Ying’s hairpin was of pure jade color.

Compared to them, the Sixth Prince felt like the one who had been trapped in the granary for days.

Why were they not at all disheveled?

For days without food, without firewood, yet their complexions were so rosy and radiant.

Especially Xiang Ying, resembling a flower that had absorbed plenty of water, her figure draped in fox fur, faintly blooming with fragrance.

The Sixth Prince took a longer look, and Jie Chen’s brows furrowed, stepping in front of Xiang Ying.

“Do you need us for something?”

Hearing Jie Chen’s deep and indifferent voice, the Sixth Prince slowly showed a hint of astonishment: “Jie Chen, are you cured?”

Jie Chen didn’t speak, neither confirming nor denying.

The Sixth Prince was overjoyed: “I knew it, I knew it! Xiang Ying, you can cure the epidemic, why didn’t you say so before?”

Xiang Ying crossed her arms, her red lips speaking coldly, “You are mistaken, I don’t know how to cure epidemic; it’s Jie Chen’s own resilience, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Impossible!” declared the Sixth Prince, denying outright, “The wife and daughter of Marching General Bu Feng were saved by you; it’s been talked about throughout the city.”

Xiang Ying narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting with a chilling presence.

“What about it? I saved Lord Bu because he once spared our lives. You’re so anxious, Sixth Prince, could it be that you are ill?”

Jie Chen followed her words: “According to the rule you set, anyone who gets the epidemic from now on must be burned on the spot.”

Xiang Ying smiled: “I see, Your Highness has come to ask us to help with the execution; that’s simple.”

No sooner had her words fallen than she briskly walked over. Before the guards could react, the Sixth Prince was already seized by Xiang Ying by the nape.

With a forceful press and a kick to the Sixth Prince’s back, she sent him tumbling head over heels.

The guards shouted, “Insolence!”

They all drew their swords, Jie Chen with a fierce tone: “Who dares make a move?”

His momentum actually managed to intimidate this group of guards.

The Sixth Prince, lying on the ground, was coughing violently, his mouth emanating a bloody taste.

Xiang Ying approached with a relaxed and cheerful gait, coming to a stop in front of him, then bent down to stare at him.

“Sixth Prince, now that I’ve left another footprint on you, do you still want to capture me?”

The Sixth Prince clenched his teeth in secret, realizing that Xiang Ying was a woman who remembered grudges.

He propped himself up, staggered to his feet, then looked at the guards: “Put away your swords, all of you step back.”

“But Your Highness, perhaps…”

“Step back! Don’t make me repeat myself a second time.”

The guards cast a covert glance at Jie Chen and could only obey, leaving the area.

The Sixth Prince could feel his body burning hot, as if he was being roasted over a fire.

No matter how Xiang Ying provoked him now, he wouldn’t get angry. Saving his life was what mattered most.

“Xiang Ying, I admit, I was a bit harsh to you before because Jie Chen is my brother. I know his background, and I was worried that if he earned military achievements, he would be reused by Father after returning.”

Xiang Ying sneered: “Finally speaking the truth? You knew he was your brother, but you took advantage of the fact that his identity could not be disclosed and repeatedly caused us trouble along the way.”

“When you locked us up before, didn’t you also want our lives? Now you’re giving in? I’m telling you, I can’t possibly save your life. If you’re capable, then kill me.”

The Sixth Prince pursed his thin lips, his eyes filled with a pained expression, glancing back and forth between Xiang Ying and Jie Chen.

Jie Chen remained silent, clearly adopting an attitude of letting Xiang Ying take charge.

The Sixth Prince took a deep breath: “Then state your terms directly. What must I do for you to agree to save my life?”

Xiang Ying glanced at him: “My demands are rather harsh.”

“Speak them, I’ll listen.”

“I demand that you elevate me to be the General of the entire troop, everyone must follow my commands.”

The Sixth Prince’s eyes widened: “What nonsense are you talking about? Jie Chen has already appointed you as the Military Supervisor, aren’t you satisfied with that?”

Xiang Ying looked at him with cold, indifferent eyes.

“What I want is to be in charge of everyone, including your men; they too must obey my orders. If you agree, I’ll save you, and if you don’t…”

She shifted her tone and turned to sit on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs: “Then you can leave. Jie Chen and I are planning to live here until we die.”

Jie Chen raised an eyebrow.

He was unexpectedly a little distracted at this moment.

If he could spend every day after this as joyful as the last few days have been with Xiang Ying, then he wouldn’t mind staying until death.

The Sixth Prince gritted his teeth: “You! You’re too outrageous. There has never been a woman who became a General since ancient times. Even among your Qi Family soldiers, there has never been a precedent of a woman leading troops.”

Xiang Ying remained silent, fully displaying an attitude of “if we can’t agree, then there’s no negotiation.”

The Sixth Prince, furious, turned around and stormed off.

Xiang Ying’s eyes casually followed him as he walked away, her expression calm.

She counted silently in her heart—

Three,

Two,

…

Before she even reached one, the Sixth Prince turned around and came back, standing not far from Xiang Ying, with a fierce look in his eyes.

“I can’t make you a General, but I can let you be the Commander, which carries the same authority over everyone. If you agree, give me the herbal prescription right now!”

The so-called Commander was a temporary position controlling all the troops.

Xiang Ying didn’t care about the type of official title; what she wanted was to have power in her own hands, to be able to control these people.

She stood up and smiled faintly: “I can’t give you the prescription. It’s a secret family recipe, only I in the entire Western Zhou Imperial Family possess it. Lao Liu, you’re in luck. From now on, I’ll take care of you personally every day.”

The Sixth Prince’s eyes rounded in shock.

What did she call him? Lao Liu!?