Chapter 129 Weakness
The Saker Falcon landed on Ji Ruxue's forearm, then tilted its neck and rubbed her arm with the fluff on its head, showing quite intimacy.

Since Li Mang presented it to Xiao Yan, this aerial overlord of the north has often been sent out to receive letters and scout the enemy. But even so, it still stays in the camp most of the time, hovering around the camp and catching prey. At this time, the task of raising the Saker Falcon fell on Ji Ruxue.

Fortunately, this falcon is very human-like and has never scared the two Huanyinfang pigeons raised by Ji Ruxue. Not only that, there are many birds of prey in the north, and the pigeons may be harassed when they fly south. The Saker Falcon will even accompany them for a while to show that these two poor pigeons have the protection of their big brother.

At this time, armored officers kept coming in and out of the big tent. Everyone walked in a hurry, holding their swords with a serious look on their faces.

There were even generals from Mobei mixed in with the crowd. After they entered, they could hear the distorted Chinese language.

"The men went to the north of Lu County and fought a battle with the scouts of the Jin State, suffering heavy losses."

A general from Hebei responded disdainfully: "Will it work? General, why not let me lead my men to put on Mobei armor and have a good fight with Li Cunxu's cavalry to see if they can still be so arrogant!"

"What do you mean, Wunanan?"

"..."

The noise in the tent almost instantly became louder, as if two groups of people were suddenly on the verge of a fight, spitting and cursing at each other, expressing their disdain for each other.

Ji Ruxue held the Saker Falcon in her hands and calmly combed its shiny feathers outside the tent. She took the letter box from between its feet and read it carefully without any worry at all.

The next moment, a calm voice sounded.

"If you keep yelling, go out and receive your punishment."

The buzzing noise in the tent immediately quieted down.

After a while, Xiao Yan's voice continued to sound: "The mission of the generals in Mobei is just to confuse the sight of the Jin cavalry. You don't need to fight to the death, you can just fight and retreat. But you, relying on your excellent armor and weapons and a few victories, can underestimate the world's powerful army? Li Cunxu's focus is not here. How can you be arrogant before the hard battle has even started?"

There seemed to be silence for a while, and then a Hebei general apologized, "It is my fault for being rude in front of the tent..."

Outside, Ji Ruxue smiled slightly. Seeing that the military meeting seemed to take a long time, she planned to return to the tent with Haidongqing in her hand, and wait until Xiao Yan finished the meeting before telling him the letter on the mailbox.

When Xiao Yan was busy, he would ask her to open the letter for him first, and then she would judge the importance of the matter. If it was not urgent, she could decide after she was done. If the letter was urgent, she would need to break into the tent at this time, and ignore the other generals and inform him of the news first.

It was this trust that surpassed everything that often made the girl feel quite stressed. In this complex mood, she hadn't written to Feng Xiang for a long time without realizing it...

Just when she was about to go back with her thoughts in mind, the sound of several horse hooves was heard from the other side.

During the day, riding horses in the camp was a common sight. Ji Ruxue did not look back and moved aside to make way.

"Hey, you Central Plains girl."

A familiar voice came from behind.

When I looked back, it was indeed the somewhat stupid Shili Qixiang. She now looked very energetic. After a few days of rest, she seemed to have recovered from the embarrassment of that day and was as capable as before.

But the next moment, Shili Qixiang got off the horse, and said in a cold and stiff tone, "My queen wants to talk to you."

Ji Ruxue glanced at her and looked up.

In her sight, Shulido was also looking at her on horseback.

This queen was not like the ordinary women from outside the Great Wall. Her skin was actually quite fair and smooth. If she took off the round-necked velvet robe with the left lapel, she might still have beautiful eyes and white teeth. But this velvet robe made her temperament seem even more noble and arrogant. Her tall and dignified posture exuded a heroic and murderous aura.

Her eyes were sharp, as if they had great penetrating power. Even if she just casually swept around, she could make the soldiers and even generals around her subconsciously feel a chill in their hearts.

This aura that was inadvertently exuded was something that Ji Ruxue had only felt from the Empress among all the women she had ever met.

She had heard the title of Queen Yingtian from Xiao Yan a long time ago. It was said that this queen was full of ambitions and had ambitions that no man had. She was a woman who should not be underestimated.

Such an evaluation made Ji Ruxue feel a little solemn.

"please."

Seeing that the girl did not refuse, Shiri Qixiang extended her hand to invite her.

But at this time, Shuliduo had already dismounted from his horse and walked over personally.

Shili Qixiang frowned, feeling that her queen had lowered her status. In her opinion, Xiao Yan was the only person in the entire camp who could be treated like this by the queen. She even thought that this southern commander was not qualified to have an equal dialogue with Shuliduo.

She didn't even understand why the queen had to cooperate with this cunning man. According to the Central Plains, isn't this courting a tiger? Although the royal court was in turmoil, as long as Ao Gu could help, the queen could at least retain some power. There was a chance for her to make a comeback. She just had to wait a little longer.

But the most difficult thing right now is that no one knows about Aogu's situation...

"You guys step back. I will talk to the young lady alone."

At this time, Shuliduo raised his hand, waved away the guards who were gathered behind him, and then looked at Shili Qixiang: "You also leave."

“Queen…” The latter was extremely puzzled, but when she saw Shuliduo’s sullen expression, she dared not say anything more and retreated a few feet away.

After a few people left, a smile appeared in Shuliduo's beautiful eyes and she looked at Ji Ruxue.

As soon as she spoke, she sounded somewhat warm, making people feel as if they were bathed in spring breeze: "I have heard that General Xiao has a beautiful lady by his side, but I have never taken a close look at her. After taking a closer look today, I realize that the young lady is truly worthy of the title of 'beautiful lady'. No wonder General Xiao is reluctant to part with her."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment. You can just call me Ji Ruxue." Ji Ruxue knew that the grassland queen spoke fluent Chinese and was not surprised. She was a little cautious and did not intend to say much.

Shuliduo didn't care and asked with a smile: "Miss Ji, do you have anything important to say? Are you willing to accompany me for a walk?" "If the queen has anything to say, you can say it here."

"Isn't it too noisy here?" Shuliduo just smiled faintly and looked at the big tent not far away: "But if Miss Ji can't spare the time, I won't bother you."

Ji Ruxue hesitated for a moment, then nodded, put some distance between herself and Shuliduo, and walked towards a secluded place.

The latter put his hands behind his back and tilted his head slightly to look at the Saker Falcon on the girl's arm, then smiled and said, "This Saker Falcon is known as the 'divine bird' in Mobei. Miss Ji's Saker Falcon is extraordinary and looks much more ferocious than the others. I wonder how you trained it?"

"It's not my credit." Ji Ruxue shook her head and said, "This falcon was presented to him by the subordinates of Xiao Junshi. It was already trained at that time. Later, I just trained it a little to make it seem closer."

Shuliduo's eyes flashed, but her expression remained unchanged. She asked casually, "General Xiao, do you have subordinates in the north?"

Ji Ruxue was surprised: "General Xiao leads the army of Hebei, and his subordinates are naturally from the north."

Seeing that she was playing dumb, the queen just smiled and changed the subject, "Miss Ji and General Xiao are so close, why do you address each other so strangely?"

“It’s always been like this.”

Shuliduo observed Ji Ruxue's reaction with her eyes, and said nonchalantly: "I think Miss Ji should call General Xiao 'Jiulang'."

In an instant, she could sense a momentary pause from the girl's expression.

If she hadn't paid close attention, she wouldn't have even caught this fleeting micro-expression. But as a natural politician, Shuliduo's habitual method was to observe the other person's expressions to determine what was beneficial to her.

But immediately, Ji Ruxue said frankly: "If there was no queen, I would not know that he would still be called this."

Shuliduo was a little surprised. She wanted to get some more useful information from her, but she didn't expect that the girl knew how to retreat in order to advance. She almost blocked the topic instantly, and subconsciously stopped walking. "I just thought that Miss Ji and General Xiao were childhood sweethearts and could not be separated. If not, how could General Xiao be willing to bring such a beauty like Miss Ji to such a battlefield?"

"Just say whatever the queen wants to say." Ji Ruxue frowned.

"I can see that Miss Ji has some affection for General Xiao, and General Xiao may feel the same way towards Miss Ji. But Miss Ji doesn't seem to have any status in General Xiao's eyes?"

"..."

The girl didn't say much. She stretched out her hand, and the Saker Falcon on her arm flapped its wings and flew up, disappearing into the sky in the blink of an eye.

"Don't bother the queen with this matter."

Seeing Ji Ruxue walk away, Shuliduo stood there with his hands behind his back, pondering for a moment before speaking, "If I were to guess, Miss Ji might be feeling a little unconfident in the face of General Xiao?"

In front, the girl's steps stopped suddenly.

Shuliduo walked over calmly with her hands behind her back, "Miss Ji's lack of confidence may come from family background, status, or ability? You don't have to deny it so quickly. I was also a girl myself, and I know best what I would think when facing my lover."

"What does the Queen mean?"

"I also think that General Xiao is such a great man, and he is indeed the best candidate for your lover, but Miss Ji, aren't you worried that someone might come later and take your lover away?" Shuliduo covered her beautiful eyes and said slowly, "Miss Ji, General Xiao has trusted her so much, are you willing to be inferior to other women one day in the future?"

"..." Ji Ruxue just remained silent.

Shulido smiled and put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I have no other intentions. I just saw the shadow of my youth in Miss Ji, and I don't want Miss Ji to be wronged like this. As a woman, you should hold your lover in your own hands. Then step on other women. Maybe you don't understand it now, but in the future, you will be glad for your decision today. A man who can accomplish great things will never lack beauties around him, but the rest are just green leaves, complementing Miss Ji.

"As long as Miss Ji is willing, I can make her a person who matches General Xiao. Even in terms of martial arts ability, it's just a matter of a nod."

"What's the price?"

"No price." Shuliduo smiled faintly and said, "I said it was just because Miss Ji is very similar to me when I was young."

"Thank you very much."

Ji Ruxue pondered for a moment, nodded, and then said: "But I am afraid that I will disappoint the queen."

"what for?"

"Why do you think, Queen, that I don't want to be a mistress?" The girl said calmly, "On the contrary, the Queen and I are not alike. At least I don't have the same ambition as the Queen. No, it should be ambition. I personally think that even if I can become a green leaf, it is better than the withered grass that falls outside."

"Be a mistress?" Shuliduo frowned slightly.

"I think the queen is the one who doesn't understand the girl's thoughts." Ji Ruxue didn't even turn her head and waved her hand: "By the way, I will tell him about what happened today. Don't be surprised, Queen."

"..."

Shuliduo narrowed his eyes, frowned and said nothing.

At the back, Shili Qixiang glanced around the quiet place and whispered, "Queen, do you need me to bring her back..."

"It doesn't matter, it's not a big deal."

The latter didn't care. Instead, he looked at the direction where Ji Ruxue left and said coldly, "Maybe I'm not wrong."

"This Ji Ruxue is that person's weak spot."

(End of this chapter)