NFBE Chapter 332 Losing his wife and losing his troops
Chapter 332 Losing his wife and losing his troops
Within two days, news that the wise Prince Gu Zhanghua was about to personally lead an expedition against the Rong and Di tribes on behalf of the emperor spread throughout Liyang City, and the people praised the wise prince highly.
In recent days, the atmosphere of panic brought about by the impending major battle has turned into a sense of excitement among the people.
At this moment, in the True King's Palace.
Gu Jingfeng, who was left behind as a seed by Emperor Gu Li of Xia, had a messy head of hair and looked utterly miserable.
He had been burying himself in books for some time, living in a daze, oblivious to the world around him, focusing solely on medical books.
An ice basin was placed in the study on a summer day, but it was still a bit stuffy, and the cicadas' chirping made him irritable.
Lazy cat Qiqi lay on the edge of the ice basin, belly up, limbs outstretched, looking from a distance like a "big" character written on the ground with an extra-large brush dipped in thick ink.
The pleasant and steady snoring sound highlights its comfort and ease.
Gu Jingfeng tugged at his collar, and no matter how agitated he was, he never ignored Qi Qi's presence.
He carefully stepped over Qiqi's body, walked to the window, opened it to let in some fresh air, and just then saw the Eighth Madam and the Twelfth Madam walking by, chatting and laughing.
"The Prince Xian is truly mighty! Such a gentle and refined young master actually dares to go to war in place of his father and fight on the battlefield!"
The Eighth Madam, with a fangirl's face, said excitedly.
"Indeed! When the people of the whole city heard about this, their admiration for the wise king surged like a mighty river, never ceasing!"
The Twelfth Madam clung tightly to the Eighth Madam's arm, her eyes shining.
"This time, Prince Xian and Princess Xian went to the Northern Border together. The couple is so well-matched! We are truly envious!"
The Eighth Madam shook her head slightly and sighed.
"Prince Cheng is leading the southern army in the war against Yue, and Prince Xian and his wife have gone to the northern border to assist General Qin. They are both princes, born of the same father. What do you think of our husband..."
The Eighth Madam did not continue speaking, but the tone of her disdain was so obvious that the Twelfth Madam not only immediately understood but also felt the same way.
"Let's not even talk about our husband! He's hopeless! He tried to memorize a medical book and ended up nearly dying, tsk tsk tsk! He's truly one of a kind in the world, like a scorpion pooping!"
The Twelfth Madam pulled the Eighth Madam along quickly, leaving Gu Jingfeng's study as if she wanted to avoid it at all costs.
The two ladies didn't even raise their heads or glance in the direction of the study; they simply ignored it and hurried past.
Gu Jingfeng stood by the window, staring blankly at the figures of the two ladies gradually disappearing. Suddenly, he felt extremely wronged, extremely unwilling, and even a little resentful!
His status in the mansion plummeted. He went from being a high-ranking prince who was surrounded by admirers to a stranger whom the ladies disliked, ignored, and treated like a familiar stranger.
From being quite self-aware of his own lack of knowledge and incompetence, to giving up on himself, to now studying hard to completely shed the image of a spoiled brat.
What did he do wrong?
Are these ladies blind? Can't they see his tireless efforts day and night?
How many days has it been since he last touched their bodies?
Quitting smoking, drinking, and womanizing—is it easy for him?!
It's just going to the North, right? If Fifth Brother can go, why can't he?
Gu Jingfeng suddenly turned around, overturned the pile of books in front of him, and rushed out of the study with a face full of anger.
The commotion startled Qiqi awake. It jumped up with a thud, its eyes still blurry with sleep. It looked at the books scattered all over the floor, then at Gu Jingfeng's figure disappearing out the door.
"Meow! Meow?"
The two meows fully expressed its surprise and confusion.
It's really going too far to take your anger out on books!
Wouldn't it be better to take a nap in a room with an ice basin on a hot day?
?
Not long after, Gu Jingfeng appeared in front of Gu Li.
He bowed deeply to Gu Li and said decisively:
"Father! Your son has come to request permission to join my fifth brother in a personal campaign in your stead! Please grant me your permission!"
Gu Li's heart skipped a beat.
what's going on?
Even the third brother, surrounded by women and in the gentle embrace of love, is so enlightened?
Does he know to prioritize national affairs and understand his responsibilities as a prince?
Gu Li closed the memorial she was holding and placed it on the desk, then looked up at Gu Jingfeng.
They immediately sensed something was wrong!
Is the third brother behaving like this?
With messy hair, panda eyes, and a mouth that practically turned to the sky, he looked like someone owed him eight hundred taels of silver and wouldn't pay it back!
"What? You're getting restless now that you heard your fifth brother is going to the Northern Frontier?"
Gu Jingfeng sat down angrily in front of Gu Li, almost crushing the chair, which showed how angry he was.
"What's the use of memorizing those medical books every day? My fifth brother is better than me when it really matters! I'm a man too, I have a strong will, I'm a prince, and I also want to share the burdens of the country and my father!"
After saying all this in one breath, Gu Jingfeng was so moved that he clenched his fists and waved them high in the air.
"That sounds quite plausible..."
Gu Li opened another memorial to the throne.
"Father, you agree?"
Finally, it's my turn to hold my head high!
Gu Jingfeng laughed inwardly three times, then immediately craned his neck to ask Gu Li.
As a father, how could you not hope your son would become successful?
Gu Li naturally hoped that each of her sons would be upright and achieve great things.
But as for the third son...
He has never been very promising; he does everything half-heartedly, acting on a whim.
Why not just continue learning medicine from Little Fairy Doctor?
After finally calming down for a while, why are they coming to me again, insisting on personally leading the army?
This simpleton is a seed I left for the Xia Kingdom, just in case something bad happens to him...
Gu Li simply couldn't imagine that if the third brother were really sent to the battlefield, he would kill himself without the enemy even having to lift a finger!
and……
Gu Li thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized that if he hadn't granted Xiao Wu permission to go to the Northern Border, the Third Brother would never have thought of this idea.
This guy in front of me saw the prestige of Xiao Wu's personal campaign and wanted to ride the wave to gain a good reputation for himself.
Gu Li sighed inwardly. How could a personal expedition be foolproof and risk-free?
The third brother only saw the outward glamour, never imagining the suffering behind it all.
In order to enable the Northern Army to use crossbows as soon as possible, Xiao Wu and his companions had to travel day and night, enduring wind and rain. Could Lao San, who was used to a life of luxury, endure this?
Whether they can safely reach the North remains a mystery!
After much deliberation, Gu Li decided against directly hurting the third son's pride and instead tried to persuade him indirectly.
"If you also go to the expedition, it might delay your medical studies. I heard from Little Fairy Doctor that memorizing those medical books is only the first step in learning medicine, and the simplest one at that!"
"With this delay, when will you ever graduate and be able to practice medicine independently? That would take forever!"
Upon hearing his father bring up his medical studies, Gu Jingfeng immediately slumped down.
"I think Little Fairy Doctor is really impressive when she treats people. The patients look at her like she's a goddess and treat her like their savior!"
In the end, it's all about superficial glamour!
Gu Li saw through Gu Jingfeng's thoughts at a glance; he didn't genuinely like studying medicine. Then she heard Gu Jingfeng stammer as he continued:
“Memorizing medical books…it’s so tedious! And there are so many books, and I’ve only memorized one so far…I think…my personality might not be suited for studying medicine…”
After finally getting to the bottom of his mind, Gu Jingfeng gave Gu Li a somewhat guilty smile.
"From what you're saying, are you going to back out? You're not going to study medicine anymore?"
Gu Li lifted her eyelids, looking at Gu Jingfeng with a half-smile, but she was furious inside.
The reason everyone says that a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold is because it's so difficult.
For his son, it was even more difficult than climbing to heaven.
Upon hearing Gu Li's question, Gu Jingfeng completely ignored the bewildered look in his eyes, patted his chest, and declared righteously:
"Your subject believes that my personality is more suited to leading troops into battle like my second brother! Going into battle to kill the enemy! Or I could personally lead an expedition like my fifth brother, providing the soldiers with some spiritual nourishment!"
Gu Li chuckled as he looked at the boisterous Gu Jingfeng in front of him.
"Fine! Just for what you said..."
Gu Jingfeng immediately exclaimed with delight, "Father, you agree?"
Gu Li snorted coldly.
"Agreed! Agreed that you stay home and don't go anywhere! Leading troops into battle and fighting the enemy? With your character, if you don't back down in the face of battle, I'll be burning incense for my ancestors!"
"Ow!"
Gu Jingfeng let out a mournful cry.
“Father, how can you look down on your son like this? You're showing favoritism! As the saying goes, you'll know if a mule or a horse is good or bad once it's out for a spin, and I haven't even had my turn yet…”
"What? You don't want to be a person, you want to be a mule or a horse?"
Gu Li glared at him, and Gu Jingfeng immediately shrank back.
"Go away! Go home! Don't get in my way! You won't be out of my sight until you've memorized all the medical books Little Fairy Doctor gave you!"
A stay-at-home order?!
Gu Jingfeng felt utterly dejected.
What a terrible loss! We lost both our wife and our army! We didn't get to go to the northern border, and now we're confined to the palace by our father!
Gu Jingfeng slunk out of the Imperial Study.
The old father looked at his son's desolate figure and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
It is said that the dragon has nine sons, each different from the other, but what should he do with this unreliable child?
Forget it, I'll keep him by my side. Even a coward is still a coward!
Gu Li suddenly realized that Xiao Aiyue's plan to force them to have a child was truly far-sighted. If Xiao Wu and Xuan'er had a child too...
Sigh, I'm not going to think about it anymore. I wonder if Hu Junfeng received the secret letter that he sent through his bodyguards.
As the leader of the most powerful sect in the martial arts world, he should be able to handle the task assigned by me, right?