Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 399: Entrusted for Life

Chapter 399: Entrusted for Life

"In the past, I used to say that time can prove everything, but now, I have someone who can prove it." Song Qingshu said.

"Who is it?" Even when Ajiu heard about Zhang Wuji's completely different side, she still found it a little unbelievable.

"On the way to Golden Serpent Camp, I happened to fight Zhang Wuji again. At the time he was questioning Miao Renfeng about the whereabouts of King Chuang's treasure," Song Qingshu replied.

"Miao Renfeng… what does Leader Zhang have to do with the four guards of the invaders?" Ajiu said bitterly. 

In the past, after gaining some accomplishments in her martial arts, Ajiu wanted to address her father's concerns, so she quietly sneaked into Li Zicheng's barracks and attempted to assassinate Li Zicheng. However, she encountered several old men with excellent martial arts skills. Fortunately, she escaped with her life due to her exquisite qinggong. Only later did she realize that those skilled old men were Li Zicheng's famous four bodyguards surnamed—Hu, Miao, Tian and Fan.

"Miao Renfeng is the descendant of the guard surnamed Miao," Song Qingshu said, secretly exclaiming that it was unfortunate. Ajiu and Li Zicheng had a deep hatred, and she despised Miao Renfeng as well. 

‘I wonder how she will react if I told her about Miao Ruolan and Bing Xue’er? What should I do if she wants to kill them after learning their identity?’

"What about the King Chuang's treasure?" Fortunately Ajiu didn’t continue to linger on the identity of Miao Renfeng.

Song Qingshu told her about how the four guards hid the treasures collected by Li Zicheng to make a comeback in the future. 

Ajiu sneered, "Back then, my father used all the money in the inner treasury to pay for the army. He was so concerned about his image that he was reluctant to replace his dragon robes even if they were torn, fearing ridicule from the ministers. So, he sat upright and covered up the holes every time…when it was heard in the capital that Li Zicheng was about to attack, my father called everyone to donate money to the civil and military dynasties as military pay. However, in the end, the donated money only amounted to a meager ten thousand taels."

"Each of those families were worth tens of millions, but they only cared about themselves. They thought that after Li Zicheng became the new emperor, they would be able to continue enjoying their glory and wealth. Naturally, they were reluctant to donate anything. However, when Li Zicheng invaded the Capital, he gave the same order as my father, but he ended up killing them all and sent troops to plunder all the gold and silver in their homes. Humph, although I hate the invaders with all my heart, this incident made me extremely happy."

Seeing Ajiu getting more and more excited as she spoke, with tears in her eyes, Song Qingshu understood that she was thinking of her father who died for the country. He sighed deeply and stretched out his hand to hug her, gently patting her shoulder to comfort her.

Ajiu's body froze at first, but she did not struggle. She leaned her head on Song Qingshu's shoulder and quietly sobbed.

After a long time, Ajiu raised her head with red eyes, gently pushed Song Qingshu aside, stretched out her crystal-like jade fingers to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. She looked at the man before her, and said with a somewhat unnatural expression, "I heard a little bit about the King Chuang's treasure, but I thought it was just a myth."

"King Chuang's treasure does exist; otherwise, Zhang Wuji wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to the Central Plains to question Miao Renfeng." Song Qingshu roughly summarized what happened that day.

"The witness you mentioned is Miao Renfeng's daughter? Where is she now?" Ajiu suddenly asked.

Song Qingshu was startled by her and said hurriedly, "What do you want to do?"

Noticing Song Qingshu's fierce reaction, Ajiu was startled at first, but soon understood his worries and couldn't help but smile, "Did you think I want to kill her?"

Song Qingshu nodded awkwardly, "You hate Li Zicheng so much, and Ruolan is a descendant of the four great guards…"

As the saying goes, every debt has its debtor, every injustice has its perpetrator. In this case, the four great guards were the perpetrators. 

“How could I turn my anger on their descendants?" Ajiu suddenly glanced at him with resentment, "Am I such a vicious woman in your mind?" 

"Of course not!" Song Qingshu broke out in a cold sweat and quickly changed the subject, "Ruolan is now in an inn in a nearby town. You can ask her anytime you want."

Ajiu shook her head, "Why should I ask her?"

Song Qingshu was startled and subconsciously replied, "Aren't you asking to verify what happened that day?"

Ajiu’s face suddenly turned red, and she angrily glared at him, "What is your relationship with me…how could I believe Zhang Wuji and doubt you."

Song Qingshu was stunned for a moment, then said happily, "Ninth Princess, you… you…"

A hint of shyness appeared on Ajiu's face. She lowered her head, pursed her lips, and softly said, "From now on…you can call me Ajiu." (G: ? translated as "A" or "Ah" is used in front of the surname or last character of someone’s given name to express familiarity or friendliness.)

Song Qingshu found it hard to believe such a sudden advent of good fortune and stretched out his hand to hug the woman in front of him.

Unexpectedly, Ajiu showed no intention of struggling at all and fell into his arms with a shy look.

Song Qingshu pinched his thigh in disbelief, and a huge storm surged in his heart, ‘Could it be that I also have the domineering aura of those male protagonists in webnovels? Or is this some kind of a dream?’

At the moment, Song Qingshu wanted to burst in tears. Ever since he came to this world, he often needed to use various complex means to have the women who made his heart beat. Sometimes, it would even cause the women to hate him. 

He never had a pleasant experience while courting women, not even Bing Xue’er, with her magnanimous nature wanted to be him from the start.

Ajiu was peerless in appearance, of noble status, and had a strong martial arts, which made her to be truly extraordinary for ordinary women. And, she was the first one to actively express her willingness to be with him. 

In fact, this was due to the difference of Song Qingshu's worldview. In his previous life, a woman's chastity was not that important, and one-night stands were normal. So after using that method to treat Ajiu's injuries last time, Song Qingshu didn't have any extravagant expectations. He felt that it was just a matter of urgency and necessity.

But Ajiu was different from him. As a native of this world and as a princess of a country, the concept of chastity was deeply rooted in her bones. Although she was caught off guard at the time, when she calmed down after leaving, she knew that she would never be able to marry anyone else.

What's more, Song Qingshu's appearance and martial arts were all top-notch, and Ajiu also had a good impression of him when they met several times before. She was a little hesitant at first, considering that she would have to devote her whole life to the cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, and she was worried about dragging down Song Qingshu as well. However, when she got the news that he had tried to assassinate Kangxi, Ajiu made up her mind.

So she resolutely refused Zhang Wuji's offer to stay, resigned from her post as a saintess, and returned to the Central Plains from the Western Regions. 

On the way, she happened to hear the news that the Golden Serpent Camp was re-electing a new Golden Serpent King, so she decided to contribute in her beloveds future.

If it weren't for Ajiu's existence, no matter how much Situ Bolei admired Song Qingshu, there was no way he would’ve decided to betroth his female apprentice as a concubine.

In fact, it was Ajiu's idea to let Zeng Rou marry Song Qingshu. She knew that the Ming Dynasty was essentially dead, and she could not rely solely on some vague reputation of loyalty to win over her subordinates. So, she planned to use this to completely tie Situ Bolei to the same chariot.

Situ Bolei was already optimistic about Song Qingshu, so he naturally agreed to allocate Zeng Rou to Situ Bolei as his concubine. However, it also made Ajiu quite anxious, so she had to hint at her relationship with Song Qingshu as well.

Based on his relationship with Zeng Rou's father and his love for Zeng Rou over the years, there was absolutely no reason for Situ Bolei to let Zeng Rou become a concubine. However, if she and the princess of the Ming Dynasty could work together… Situ Bolei was sure that his old friend in heaven would be satisfied, and after a moment of hesitation, he also agreed to wholeheartedly support Song Qingshu, leading to the current situation.

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