Chapter 9: Ye Shao Tames Concubine Min

  The young woman, upon hearing this, suddenly became sensible, with tears and snot all over her face. She tugged at Ye Zhikui's sleeve and sobbed: "Save Daddy, save Daddy."

  Ye Zhikui said to the old military doctor, "Don't worry about the pulse for now, just treat his wounds first." Ye Zhikui took one look at the gunshot wound and could tell it was caused by a Japanese rifle. It seemed that this injured person was not simple. The old military doctor shook his head helplessly and said, "Not listening to an old man's words, going to waste my treasure." He then rummaged through his medicine box, pulled out two small white pills, and examined them closely before throwing them aside, muttering "wrong, wrong". Ye Zhikui and the others were drenched in cold sweat, worried not only for the injured person but also for their own future.

  Before long, they reached the shore. Ye Zhui first settled down the injured man and went into the cabin, while the little girl followed closely behind Ye Zhui, determined that he could save her father. It seemed that before the black-clothed brother woke up, she would not leave Ye Zhui's side. Ye Zhui was very troubled, this little girl looked pitiful, but couldn't be driven away and couldn't be reasoned with. Letting the orderly soldier help her wash her face and change her clothes, the little girl only hid behind Ye Zhui, her fearful eyes making Ye feel like he had done something beastly.

  Ye Zhi Kui couldn't help but lower his head, picked up the towel, and with a few wipes, he saw a small flower cat transform into a delicate and elegant face. Even after seeing many celebrities in the future, Ye Zhi Kui still felt a little stunned, slightly dazed. He silently scolded himself as a beast, wondering if he had been suppressed for too long, to have such thoughts about this young girl.

  "Little girl, what's your name? Come on, tell Uncle, and Uncle will give you some candy." Ye Zhi Kui asked softly, sweating - he himself was only twenty-one or two, yet he called himself "Uncle".

  Upon hearing the word "sugar", a little girl bit her finger, gazing at Ye Zhi Kui with watery eyes and said timidly: "My name is Xiao Ling Long." The little girl spoke incoherently, and after asking for a long time, Ye Zhi Kui finally obtained some basic information. First, he learned that her name was Ling Long, and second, they were likely from the Imperial Palace of Han City.

  After asking for a while and seeing that they couldn't get any more information, Ye Zhi Kui ordered the servants to bring in another woman.

  The woman was about forty years old, with well-maintained skin and a dignified appearance, looking like she was in her thirties. She walked with elegant steps, first greeting Ye Zhi Kui with a bow and saying "wan fu" (a polite phrase), then sat down at the lower seat with a composed demeanor. Her behavior and movements were all dignified and proper, exuding an aura of quiet authority and refinement.

  Ye Zhi Kui stared into the woman's eyes and asked: "Can you speak Chinese?"

  The empress glanced at the little girl quietly eating candy next to Ye Zhui and smiled slightly, replying, "Yes, I have a slight understanding."

  "It's easy now, I am Ye Zhui Kui, an officer of the Brave Character Battalion of the Great Qing Empire. Who is your lady?"

  When she heard the three words "Ye Zhi Kui", Empress Min's eyelids twitched slightly, and she let out a soft sigh. With a half-true, half-false tone, she replied: "This humble concubine is named Min Xianzhu, originally a palace maid in the imperial palace. When the Japanese invaded our imperial palace, I escaped and met this father-daughter pair on the road, and we traveled together. Unfortunately, we encountered Japanese pursuers and ended up stranded here. Thank you, sir, for saving my life."

  Although Empress Min's response was very proper and didn't have any flaws, unfortunately a person's temperament can't be changed in a short period of time. The empress's aristocratic demeanor that had been cultivated for decades couldn't make Ye Zhenkui believe she was just a small palace maid. For the time being, he also couldn't find any weaknesses. Ye Zhenkui's eyes turned and he smiled, saying: "Since it's like this, you can stay here then. I'm in need of a servant girl to serve tea and water."

  Min Fei's hands trembled slightly, thinking of her situation, and she had to suppress her anger again. "Let you gloat for now," she thought, "once you bring me to Pyongyang, you'll get what's coming to you." She replied obediently: "Yes, I obey!"

  "Xianzhu, next time don't say 'your humble servant' again, say 'slave' instead, do you understand? Later on, first warm up the quilt for me." Ye Zhikui said slowly.

  Min Fei gritted her teeth and replied: "This servant obeys." That night, Ye Zhi Kui heard the sound of grinding teeth all night long.

  He took a look at the little girl, Ye Zhi Kui, who was stuffing her mouth with food and making loud noises, and got another headache. What kind of people was he saving? He had just saved three big troubles.

  "Linglong, Uncle is going to sleep. Why don't you go down with that sister?" Ye Zhikui pointed at Min Fei and said.

  The little girl clapped her hands and replied innocently: "No, Xiaoling wants to sleep with Uncle, Xiaoling wants Uncle to save Daddy."

  Ye Zhi Kui supported his forehead with his hand, speechless for a moment, and muttered: "Uncle is the big bad wolf, don't pretend to be Little Red Riding Hood." Seeing Min Fei's playful expression, Ye Zhi Kui got angry and said: "Xian Zhu, go prepare a few more quilts first. Tonight, you'll sleep on the floor with Xiao Ling Long here. Oh, and bring some tea after you're done."

  Min Fei, under the eaves of the house, had to lower her head. After tidying up according to Ye Zhi Kui's instructions, she got back on the bed to warm it for him. The little girl was already a bit tired and fell asleep with her finger in her mouth. Ye Zhi Kui put her down on the ground mat, covered her with a quilt, and himself walked towards the bed.

  Min Fei lay on the bed, wrapped in a warm quilt, and saw Ye Zhi Kui walking over. She quickly got up and walked towards Ling Long. Ye Zhi Kui saw her reaction and his self-esteem was hurt, so he teased: "What's wrong, are you afraid I'll eat you? With your looks, this young master doesn't even look at you!" He was speaking nonsense with his eyes wide open. Min Fei had just taken a bath not long ago, wasn't wearing an outer garment, and her smooth skin like silk could be vaguely seen. Plus, the curves of her body were in all the right places, giving off an aura that made men want to commit a crime. Ye Zhi Kui secretly swallowed his saliva.

  The queen didn't say much and quickly snuggled into Xiaoling's quilt.

  Ye Zhi's helpless shake of the head, no longer thinking about it. The two women with temporarily clear backgrounds slept in their own rooms, although they believed they couldn't harm themselves, but still had to raise their vigilance.

  In the middle of the night, Ye Zhi Kui was suddenly awakened by a loud thunderclap and found that Xiao Ling Long had somehow lain down beside him, with his thumb in her mouth, sleeping soundly. Another loud thunderclap startled Xiao Ling Long awake, and she bit down on his finger. The pain shot through his heart, and Ye Zhi Kui let out a pained cry. His guards outside the door hastily knocked to inquire if everything was alright, and Ye Zhi Kui awkwardly replied that nothing was wrong.

  Xiao Ling saw the lightning and was so scared that she trembled all over and hid in Ye Zhi's arms, saying "I'm afraid, Uncle, I'm afraid."

  Ye Zhi's eyes dimmed as he let out a sigh, not knowing what kind of harm Xiao Linglong had suffered. He could only hold her tightly in his arms. Min Fei was also awakened by the commotion and saw this scene, scolding softly: "Beast!"

  Ye Zhi's helpless smile, without making any excuses.

  The next day, when he saw his subordinates looking at him with a sneer on their faces, Ye Zhi Kui was really speechless and helpless. He really didn't do anything! Unfortunately, no one believed him when he said it out loud. Instead, the story of Ye Shao Han shooting two birds with one arrow by the riverbank spread like wildfire.