Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 493 Relying on Favor (38)

From November to mid-March of the following year, the war, which lasted for nearly half a year, came to an end, and Yunzhou was divided in two.

With Tianyong Mountain as the boundary, the area to the east belongs to Jingzhou, and the area to the west belongs to Tingzhou.

In this battle, Tingzhou suffered more than 10,000 casualties.

In late March, Zhao Yuan left half of his troops in Yunzhou to garrison the city, and took the other half back to Tingzhou.

Upon learning that Zhao Yuan was coming back, Yan Zhen had the Zhao Prince's Mansion begin preparations well in advance.

She led her people to the city gate to welcome Zhao Yuan.

From morning until evening, the triumphant procession appeared in the distance, its horses' hooves kicking up clouds of dust on the thawed earth.

Amidst the dust and smoke, a figure on horseback rapidly approached the city gate.

Fu Xue placed her hand on her brow and stood on tiptoe to look in that direction.

Soon, she exclaimed excitedly, "It's the Lord! Your Highness, the Lord has returned!"

As they spoke, Zhao Yuan's figure became clearer and clearer.

He spurred his horse to the city gate and saw Yan Zhen standing there. Instead of stopping, his horse galloped straight toward her.

As he passed Yan Zhen, he grabbed the reins with one hand, bent down, and scooped Yan Zhen up with the other, pulling him directly onto the horse.

And just like that, right before everyone's eyes, they disappeared from sight.

The steward, who had prepared the honor guard to welcome the Lord's triumphant return, said: "..."

Fu Xue: "..."

The head of the honor guard stepped forward and asked the steward in a low voice, "Sir, shall we continue playing music?"

The steward snapped out of his daze and said impatiently, "Of course! Play the music! Play the music now!"

After saying that, he lifted the hem of his robe and hurriedly followed after Fu Xue.

The air in the third month of spring still carried a chill. The horse galloped all the way to the Zhao Prince's mansion. Zhao Yuan dismounted and lifted Yan Zhen off the horse, touching her hands which were cold from the wind.

He frowned, then simply hoisted the person onto his shoulder and strode towards the warm pavilion.

Yan Zhen was tossed onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She caught a whiff of the blood emanating from his armor and lightly punched his back: "You stink!"

Zhao Yuan turned a deaf ear.

Stepping into the backyard, he was met by two servants. Zhao Yuan took off the bag hanging from his waist and threw it to them: "Prepare the medicine."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen immediately asked, "Are you injured?"

"No."

As they were talking, Zhao Yuan entered the warm pavilion.

As soon as Yan Zhen was put down, Zhao Yuan lowered his head and kissed her roughly.

His armor was so hard it hurt, and he hadn't bathed in ages; he not only smelled terrible, but his beard hadn't been trimmed in ages either, making him look utterly unkempt.

Yan Zhen disliked his smell and was also uncomfortable from the prickly beard, so she twisted her body to try to get away.

Zhao Yuan held her tightly, trapping her in his arms.

Yan Zhen couldn't dodge, so she reached out her hand through the gaps in his armor to his waist, wanting to pinch his ticklish spot.

But Yan Zhen paused when he touched his waist.

Zhao Yuan had lost a lot of weight. All the extra weight he had gained in Tingzhou six months ago from good food and drink had been used up in the war. Yan Zhen could even feel the obvious lines of his ribs on his waist and abdomen.

Zhao Yuan noticed her movement, stopped panting, and pressed his forehead against hers: "I'm fine. That's how it is in war. You can't not pay a price."

"..." Yan Zhen sighed, unable to tell whether it was heartache or helplessness. She reached out and touched Zhao Yuan's thin, sunken cheeks. "Take a shower first, then have a proper meal. I asked the kitchen to stew some lamb chops, okay?"

Zhao Yuan licked his lips: "And then?"

"Let's talk after eating."

Buckets of hot water were brought into the bathroom. Zhao Yuan undressed and sat in the bathtub, letting out a comfortable sigh.

Yan Zhen took the bath powder, rolled up her sleeves, and helped him scrub his body.

While scrubbing Zhao Yuan's body, she noticed that he had many scars.

Especially on his lower back, a gruesome six-inch-long knife wound stretched across his skin, with rough stitches visible on it.

Yan Zhen recalled that over the past six months, Zhao Yuan had sent back a letter every ten days or so. The letters varied in length, but none of them mentioned the scars all over his body.

She gently rubbed the wounds between her fingers and whispered, "You've been injured so many times, why didn't you tell me a single thing?"

"I don't want you to worry." Zhao Yuan gripped the edge of the bathtub with both hands, his chin resting on the back of his hands, looking as comfortable as a big cat being stroked.

Yan Zhen sighed silently.

She could earn money and store grain for Tingzhou, stay in the rear, and provide Zhao Yuan with sufficient support, but the war was so brutal that she couldn't get involved at all.

If even Zhao Yuan, as the commander-in-chief, was so exhausted in this battle, what about the ordinary soldiers?

After changing the water three times, Zhao Yuan finally managed to scrub off the years of grime from his body and hair.

He emerged from the water, put on his undergarments, and the steward brought him a bowl of dark, murky medicine. Zhao Yuan took it, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

While Yan Zhen went to get the razor, she saw Zhao Yuan drink the medicine and asked, "What did you drink?"

She could smell the bitterness of the medicine from a great distance.

Zhao Yuan smiled but remained silent.

It was already dark outside. Zhao Yuan sat on a round stool, his long, curly hair cascading down his back. He tilted his head back slightly, letting Yan Zhen, who was standing in front of him, shave him.

Yan Zhen was focused on what she was doing, but Zhao Yuan's gaze towards her grew increasingly intense.

She had the feeling that he wanted to burn two holes in her face with his gaze.

After the last shave, before Yan Zhen could even put away the razor, Zhao Yuan eagerly pulled her into his arms, and she sat on his lap with her legs spread apart.

Yan Zhen immediately shielded the razor to prevent the blade from injuring Zhao Yuan: "Knife! Watch out for the knife!"

Zhao Yuan gathered the razor, tossed it onto the tray, and began rubbing her body with both hands: "Forget about the razor, just focus on me..."

With their bodies pressed together, Yan Zhen felt the vibrant energy emanating from Zhao Yuan, and his expression became hesitant.

She knew Zhao Yuan wanted it, but now was not the right time.

Yunzhou is in dire need of reconstruction, and if she gets pregnant at this time, it will cause a lot of delays.

Zhao Yuan breathed softly in her ear: "You promised me that in two more years we could... It's been two years now, you can't go back on your word."

Yan Zhen hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Zhao Yuan saw through her thoughts: "Don't be afraid, I've taken the medicine."

Yan Zhen asked in confusion, "What medicine?"

"The contraceptive pills for men were prescribed by a renowned doctor in Yunzhou."

Yan Zhen recalled the bowl of medicine he had just drunk and asked cautiously, "Are you sure it will work?"

"How could I dare to lie to you?" Zhao Yuan said. "With your personality, if I lie to you once, you can forget about ever lying to me again... I can tell the difference between a full meal and a full stomach."

Yan Zhen hesitated for a few seconds, then compromised, wrapped her arms around his neck, and lowered her head to kiss him.

……

The next morning, Yan Zhen woke up according to his biological clock.

After tossing and turning for most of the night, Zhao Yuan, who was next to me, was still not awake.

Considering that he might not have slept through the night for the past six months, Yan Zhen didn't disturb him. She tiptoed past him and prepared to get off the bed and wash up.

But as soon as she made a move, Zhao Yuan immediately opened his eyes alertly, and at the same time, his right hand swiftly grabbed her neck.

Yan Zhen gasped for breath as she was being choked. Realizing that Zhao Yuan might be experiencing post-traumatic stress, she immediately said, "It's me!"

Upon hearing her voice, Zhao Yuan's eyes glazed over for a moment. He quickly released her and pulled her into his arms, patting her back to help her catch her breath as he said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Yan Zhen coughed for a while before catching his breath, then comforted Zhao Yuan, "It's okay, I know."