Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Born a Legend

Shen Ruoxi shook her head quietly. At that time, she was only fourteen, Pei Xuan was thirteen, Lan Jue was fifteen, and Xu Ji was merely eleven.

They were all just children, going out together to hunt and play, naturally no one had much to say about it.

But now, they had all grown up, and she had experienced the ups and downs of marriage, her mindset was no longer the same as before.

“What do you say? How old were we before? And how old are we now?” Shen Ruoxi said with a touch of annoyance.

It seemed true, Xu Ji suggested, “Why don’t we bring along Big Cousin’s Wife, Fifth Cousin’s Wife, Qing’er, Yun’er, and Xiang’er, what do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ruoxi was slightly taken aback, then her heart gave a little leap.

Ever since the heroic deaths of the men in the Shen family, the household had been shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

The children were still young, perhaps they didn’t fully understand the weight of it, but what about her two sisters-in-law?

The elder sister-in-law was in her prime, only thirty-two this year, while the fifth sister-in-law was as lovely as a flower, only twenty-two.

Yet, they were like withered flowers, having lost their former brightness and vitality.

Shen Ruoxi pondered for a moment, then asked, “I remember Cousin Jue is about to take the Spring Examination, right? Will he have time?”

Lan Jue, Shen Ruoxi’s cousin, his mother was her aunt, and his father was Lan Yu, Prince of South City, one of the two great foreign-surnamed princes.

Interestingly, Lan Jue had a gentle and refined temperament, knowledgeable and well-mannered, always impeccably clean, like an immortal being. Compared to the lively nature of the three, they couldn’t have been more different. It was a wonder how they ended up together?

Xu Ji confidently said, “If you have time, he will definitely make time, but it’s indeed strange that you returned home and he didn’t show up!”

Shen Ruoxi couldn’t help but tease him, “Do you think everyone is as idle as you?”

At these words, Xu Ji pouted a little unhappily and said, “You all say I’m idle. No way, I need to find something to do!”

Shen Ruoxi smiled slightly, suggesting, “Why don’t you go study too? Maybe you could even take the Spring Examination with Cousin Jue.”

Xu Ji was so startled by this proposal that he jumped up, waving his hands quickly, “Cousin, please don’t joke with me! I’m not cut out for studying.

Cousin Jue is a bookworm, though he’s the Princely Heir of the South City, he still takes the Spring Examination? That’s laughable!”

Shen Ruoxi rolled her eyes at him and retorted, “That’s because Cousin Jue doesn’t want to rely on his family, he wants to find out for himself how much knowledge he really has. And you? Even if you had a lifetime to study, you wouldn’t measure up to Cousin Jue’s level of knowledge.”

Xu Ji retorted defiantly, “But Cousin Jue can’t beat me in a fight!”

Shen Ruoxi cheerfully exposed his lie, “Can he really not beat you?”

Xu Ji suddenly felt annoyed and scratched his head vigorously, complaining, “Grandmother and Mother keep nagging endlessly, always comparing me to Cousin Jue, I’ve had enough of it.

I always live in Cousin Jue’s shadow, unable to compare to him in anything.

To be honest, I’m not meant for studying. My ambition is to become a martial champion.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ruoxi’s lips curled up slightly, showing a hint of a smile, “Cousin Jue is indeed outstanding.”

Xu Ji said mysteriously, “But Cousin Jue also admires someone!”

Shen Ruoxi was quite surprised, “Oh? Is there someone better than Cousin Jue? Who is it?”

Xu Ji slowly uttered a few words, “Prince Zhan, Jun Moling.”

Images of the various rumors about Jun Moling appeared in Shen Ruoxi’s mind.

Jun Moling, the legitimate eldest son of King Ruyang, a nephew of the late Emperor, and the current Emperor’s cousin, his birth destined him for legend.

In his youth, he exhibited astonishing talents, incredibly intelligent, never forgetting a word, able to craft poetry with a few steps, articulating beautifully.

Moreover, he not only had profound literary accomplishments, but excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was also exceptional in martial arts, epitomizing the balance of literature and martial prowess.

However, Shen Ruoxi had never had the fortune to meet this legendary figure.

She remembered that in the year she went home, her father and brothers went on an expedition with Jun Moling, and now it had been five years.

During the time they fought to defend the country, Beichang Country practically occupied a quarter of Dayi’s territory.

Yet, Jun Moling not only forced Beichang Country back to the border city, now there were only three lost lands left unrecovered.

He became a hero of the entire Dayi Country, widely respected by the people.

Thinking of this, Shen Ruoxi couldn’t help but think of her father and brothers.

That fight was the battle for Liuzhou City, and it became their burial ground.

All the battle plans were well prepared, yet a traitor was found within the army.

Just as they initiated the siege, they fell into an ambush, surrounded by the enemy on all sides.

Faced with an enemy force three times their own, they had no choice but to retreat.

In that brutal battle, the Shen Family Army served as the rearguard, buying time for the main army to retreat.

However, when Liuzhou City was finally recaptured three days later, none of the twenty thousand soldiers of the Shen Family Army survived.

Blood stained the entire Liuzhou City, the corpses piled high, and not a single Dayi soldier who recaptured Liuzhou could hold back their tears.

Prince Zhan Moling, in his grief, swore by blood to return to the capital only when the lost lands were regained.

“Cousin, you’re crying again, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned Prince Zhan, it’s all my fault, if you don’t want to go then don’t, please don’t cry.” Xu Ji became very flustered.

Shen Ruoxi gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye, gave Xu Ji a look, and said, “I cried because I thought of my father and brothers. Tomorrow I’ll call on the sisters-in-law to come along, it’s time to lift our spirits a bit. But that Old Mrs. Xu is always so restless, I’ll have to find a couple of people to keep an eye on her.”

“Why bother with all that? Tonight, I’ll just chop her up. When Aunt was alive, that old hag dared to set rules for her, I’ve been wanting to send her to see King Yan for a long time.” Xu Ji said indignantly.

Shen Ruoxi thought of her cousin Xu Ci, both were indeed siblings, even their speaking tone was the same.

“Alright, enough with the violence, some people still wouldn’t know how to pin a crime on me! If she suddenly dies mysteriously now, they would surely say it’s my doing.

She was right about one thing, that disrespectful grandfather of mine had her carried into the Shen family’s house in a big sedan chair, she may be a younger elder, but without evidence, we cannot kill her.”

“Evidence? What do you mean by evidence? Did she try to harm you?” Xu Ji asked, frowning.

Shen Ruoxi slightly raised her brow, thinking to herself, despite not being fit for the imperial exams, this cousin of hers had a quick mind, immediately thinking of Old Mrs. Xu harming her just from talk of evidence.

Though not as he thought, she couldn’t reveal too much to him, given his violent temper, if he found out, he would definitely hack Old Mrs. Xu to pieces, but asking him for a favor was indeed possible.

“Not quite, but I need your help with a maid issue, here’s what you do…” Shen Ruoxi spoke quietly to Xu Ji.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ji’s eyes flashed with determination and he cheerfully agreed, “No problem, leave it to me.”

Shen Ruoxi smiled faintly, “I appreciate it, cousin.”

“Cousin, when you’re this polite, it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Then I’ll return to reviewing the accounts.” Shen Ruoxi laughed.

Xu Ji thought for a moment, “Cousin, you go on with the accounts, I’ll arrange things with the others and gather some ingredients for tomorrow’s outing.”

“Alright, go ahead.” Shen Ruoxi nodded in agreement.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep