After expressing concern for his brothers, Chu Shun waved his sleeves and left.

If he didn’t leave now, he feared Xie Jingchen might raise his hand to punch him.

The sparks in Brother Jingchen’s eyes were almost overflowing.

He felt that Chu Shun was being a downer now, but tomorrow he would understand how warm his brother’s concern really was.

The soldiers carried the plank into the tent, and Xingxing asked in confusion, "Why bring in a door plank?"

The soldier shook his head, "We don’t know either; the Heir of Marquis Jingguo asked us to bring it."

"He specifically instructed us to choose a fast, thick, and wide one."

Xingxing tilted her head, looking at the door plank, unable to comprehend Chu Shun’s intentions.

She knew that Chu Shun and Qin Hanhan’s tent had a door plank, Xueling said the door plank was for her to sleep on.

Now that the master is back, does she have to sleep on the door plank?

Xie Jingchen came over and said, "Take the door plank away."

Just as he spoke, Su Jin’s voice came from inside the tent, "Bring it in."

The soldiers looked at Xie Jingchen, then at the tent, unsure whom to listen to.

In the end, they listened to Su Jin.

They brought the door plank into the tent and after leaving, said to Xie Jingchen, "If you don’t want the door plank anymore, we’ll come to take it away."

With that, they quickly ran away.

Xie Jingchen had a headache.

Thinking about how everything went smoothly at the Nanliang Military Camp, yet in Daqi, nothing went right.

The plank was placed beside the bed, right next to the footstool.

Xingxing felt it was too close and said, "Miss, can I move the plank over there? I’m afraid you might step on me if you get up at night."

Su Jin, "... ."

This maid, she really believes whatever people say to her.

Xie Jingchen was in a bad mood and wanted to shower and change clothes. In Nanliang, although Dong Chenglang trusted him, he dared not relax even for a moment.

He remained highly alert even while sleeping, waking at the slightest disturbance.

The tent had a faint aroma of medicine, a scent familiar to him.

After inhaling it for a while, his whole body relaxed; he only wanted to sleep deeply.

Su Jin looked at Xingxing and said, "Go ask them to prepare hot water. You’ll live in the next tent starting today."

"There’s no tent next door," Xingxing replied.

"... ."

"There will be soon."

"... ."

Xingxing puffed her cheeks; she wanted to share a tent with the miss.

But with the master here, she had to move out.

Soon, the soldiers delivered hot water, and Xie Jingchen soaked in a hot bath.

Su Jin placed the blanket on the plank, Xie Jingchen’s face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, "You let me sleep on the floor at night, and during the day too?"

Su Jin looked at him, "Don’t you plan to sleep until dawn?"

Xie Jingchen turned his head away.

"I don’t plan to."

Su Jin didn’t prepare his bed.

Xie Jingchen became more upset the longer he soaked in the bath, his palms itching with the urge to punch Chu Shun again.

The thought once arose couldn’t be suppressed.

Su Jin thought he would sleep after the bath, but instead, Xie Jingchen got dressed and left the camp.

He returned after a quarter of an hour, took off his brocade robe, and slept.

Not only did he sleep, but he also pinned Su Jin beside him.

If they couldn’t do anything else, at least they could accompany each other, right?

Su Jin didn’t ask what Xie Jingchen did outside; she assumed he remembered something urgent while bathing and went to inform the Prince.

Once the topic opened, it might prevent sleep for half a day.

Xie Jingchen soon fell asleep, but Chu Shun, in pain, couldn’t close his eyes for a long time; his right eye tingled with a spark-like pain whenever he tried.

A really heavy hand!

Prince NanAn and several others laughed till they cramped, "Who told you to send him a plank?"

Covering his eye, Chu Shun stared at the tent in the distance.

Though Xie Jingchen was asleep, he wasn’t sleeping deeply. After half a year of vigilance, it wasn’t easy to let his guard down.

Whenever someone approached the tent, he sensed it.

Opening his eyes, he heard the soldiers talking, "The Heir of Marquis Jingguo asked us to take the plank away... ."

This was a back-and-forth, leaving them wondering what the Heir of Marquis Jingguo wanted.

Prince Zhenbei’s Heir didn’t want the plank, while the Heir’s wife did... .

The soldiers were utterly confused.

Over a simple plank, was this necessary?

Hmm.

After taking a punch, Chu Shun felt his goodwill trampled by his brother, and after a not-so-fierce internal struggle, he decisively retracted his concern, letting his brother taste the meaning of too late to regret.

Without the plank, sleeping on the floor meant a damp blanket in the morning.

This was his experienced advice!

If you don’t listen to your brother, you’ll suffer soon!

Xie Jingchen felt he’d gone too easy on Chu Shun earlier.

Xingxing opened the tent flap and looked at Su Jin, "Miss, do we need this plank?"

Su Jin held her forehead, turned to glance at Xie Jingchen, then said, "Better keep it."

"Take my newly blended bruise-removal ointment to the Heir of Marquis Jingguo," Su Jin said.

Xingxing looked puzzled.

Why send medicine to the Heir of Marquis Jingguo for no apparent reason?

If he were truly hurt, the Heir’s wife surely has medicine.

Though she surely does, expressing the gesture matters.

Earlier, she didn’t know what Xie Jingchen did, but from this door plank delivery and retrieval, she figured it out.

These brothers’ anger rested in their fists; once vented, the anger dissipated.

Xie Jingchen fell asleep with residual anger, waking only by dusk. He dined with the Prince and others, discussed military affairs, then returned to the tent.

The long absence felt like a new honeymoon, but the giant plank spoiled the ambiance, leading to idle chatter.

After yawning, Su Jin pushed Xie Jingchen off the bed.

Xingxing helped spread the plank; as she arranged it, she looked at Su Jin and asked, "Why make the master sleep on the floor?"

"... Custom," Su Jin replied.

"But at Qingyun Mountain, we don’t have such customs," Xingxing said.

"We do, you just don’t know," Su Jin said.

Xingxing believed it.

Once the bedding was laid, Su Jin felt exhausted and lay down.

Xie Jingchen looked at her, "Do I really need to sleep on the plank?"

"The floor is too damp," Su Jin blinked and replied.

"... ."

Not wanting to speak, Xie Jingchen stared at Su Jin’s large, bulging stomach.

Finally taking a deep breath, he flipped over, showing Su Jin the back of his head.

Su Jin, "... ."

Is he angry?

Su Jin’s lips curled into a joyful arc.

She rubbed her belly; indeed, it was an amulet.

If this was before at the Prince Mansion, saying such things would invite anger and punishment.

Now, he dares not show anger, nor dare to retaliate harshly.

Thinking that the birth is just over a month away, Su Jin felt eager.

Late at night, Su Jin poked Xie Jingchen with a knife; the next morning, Xingxing supplemented another strike.

Half of the blanket was on the floor.

Xingxing touched the dampened blanket, "Heir of Marquis Jingguo was thoughtful; sleeping directly on the floor, the master would certainly fall ill."

Xie Jingchen’s heart felt blocked.

Without the plank, would he necessarily sleep on the floor?

The bed is big enough; surely it can fit him! 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Seems he urgently needs to thank the Heir of Marquis Jingguo properly.