Back at the Tingyu Garden, the First Prince was already waiting in the room.
"Lingyao, Father Emperor went to court today! And Grand Tutor Lu reported the news of the Divine Might General's return to the border. Father Emperor has decreed that he return to the capital to report for duty!"
"How is Father? Is there anything unusual?"
"No, aren't you worried about the General?" He thought she would ask about the Divine Might General first!
"He won't be back. Tell me about Father first."
"He's thinner, his expression is blank, and his eyes are unfathomable. One wouldn't be able to tell he was being controlled if they didn't know what was going on inside."
The siblings chatted in the room, while Yuliu and Yushan stood guard outside the door.
In another room, the door gently closed, and Sumian, filled with doubt, approached the bed.
"Miss, I've seen it several times. Every time the First Prince comes, he is alone with Madam Xiao in a room. What do you think their relationship is? How could General Xiao allow it?"
Qu Linglong also couldn't figure it out. Xue Niang was a cold person, rarely intimate with anyone. The First Prince was even more so; she had never seen him genuinely care for anyone else.
But the interaction between the First Prince and Xue Niang was very strange. They were more intimate than ordinary people, yet they were open and selfless, with no ambiguous actions. Instead, they acted like family.
However, the imperial family only had two princesses. One was married off, and the other was Princess Lingxi, whom she had met.
As for her cousin, Princess Lingyin, she had also died young.
So who was Xue Niang? It couldn't be a simple adoptive sister relationship; Brother Xiao wouldn't be so at ease.
A bold guess flashed through Qu Linglong's mind.
No, it's impossible.
She had seen the ceremonial procession for a princess's wedding, that long escort. How could a dignified princess fall into the hands of a thief?
Besides, wasn't the Second Prince going to the border precisely to retrieve his sister?
Qu Linglong shook her head, "Don't speculate wildly. You'll know when you're supposed to know."
"But it's too disrespectful. Even if she's an adoptive sister, it's not acceptable. And they even made us shields..."
"Talking nonsense again! If you can't control your mouth, you'll get into trouble sooner or later!"
"What trouble?"
The door opened, and the First Prince walked in, his cold phoenix eyes glancing at Sumian.
Sumian's face turned pale, and she lowered her head and retreated.
"It's nothing, just chatting," Qu Linglong leaned against the headboard, lowering her eyelids.
"I just went to see. The child has opened its eyes. The wet nurse said it has been eating a lot these past few days, so it seems there are no lingering illnesses."
She already knew this. How could she not care about her own child? She had already investigated thoroughly.
However, what surprised her was that he would say such things.
But she knew he wasn't saying it out of guilt.
The First Prince said something else, and seeing that Qu Linglong had no intention of talking, he also felt bored. After all, he had seen the child, and Qu Linglong had seen it too. His task was complete, so he wouldn't waste any more time.
"Rest well!" He turned to leave.
"First Prince, I've given the child the milk name Nanxing. Could you give him his formal name?"
"You can handle this yourself! I'm not very good at it."
Too busy, no time.
Qu Linglong was disappointed again.
...
Lingyao took her usual afternoon nap, but it wasn't a peaceful one. She had an unhappy dream.
She dreamed that Xiao Shan had won a battle, and a group of people were kneeling to thank him, after which an official hosted a banquet.
The official's daughter, dressed provocatively and with her chest puffed out, sat on Xiao Shan's lap.
"Xiao Shan! How dare you!" Enraged, she went up to push the woman.
Then she woke up.
Upon waking, she felt a tightness in her chest and her lower abdomen was as hard as a stone.
"Yushan, Yushan..."
Yushan ran in, startled by her complexion, and quickly took her pulse.
"Miss, relax, relax. You're too tense. Did you have a nightmare that caused contractions?"
Under Yushan's massage, Lingyao slowly relaxed, and her abdomen softened.
Her eyes were red, and she said aggrievedly, "I dreamed that Xiao Shan was looking for other women..."
Seeing her like a young girl, Yushan couldn't help but feel sympathetic. Although she was her mistress, she was only eighteen years old and pregnant. Her emotions were unstable, and having such a dream must have made her sad.
"He won't. Besides you, our Master won't even glance at any other woman. You just miss him too much."
"Mmm, I haven't been separated from him for this long..."
Yushan was much older than her and was a physician. Lingyao felt more comfortable talking to her.
She drank some water and lay down to sleep again.
Far away in Jinjiang City, on the border.
Xiao Shan had indeed won a victory, killing all the Turks stationed there and recapturing Jinjiang.
The people of Jinjiang City, who had been oppressed by the Turks for two months, welcomed him with open arms, rescuing the county magistrate who had been imprisoned and the women who had been kept in the backyards by the Turks.
After two days of thoroughly clearing Jinjiang and ensuring no one was left behind, the county magistrate organized the city's wealthy families to hold a celebration banquet.
Just as Lingyao had dreamed, the county magistrate's daughter personally performed a dance and then eagerly looked at Xiao Shan as she leaned towards him.
Xiao Shan, who had been busy for two days and two nights, was starving. He was eating heartily when he suddenly seemed to hear his wife's voice in his mind, sounding very angry.
He froze, looked up, and saw a woman leaning towards him like a boneless creature. His eyes turned cold, and he kicked her away, "What the hell are you doing!"
The woman screamed and fell onto the cold ground.
Yuan Bufeng mocked, "I say, Magistrate Liu, haven't you heard the rumors that the Divine Might General is not close to women? Even if you haven't, bringing a woman who has been played with by the Turks to serve my elder brother, who are you trying to provoke?"
Magistrate Liu saw that all the generals were glaring at him with extreme anger, and he turned pale with fright.
"This, this was not arranged by this subordinate. Drag her away, drag her away."
The Divine Might General was not like those lustful Turks. It seemed he couldn't rely on his daughter to build a relationship.
"It's not that I'm not close to women," Xiao Shan finished eating and straightened his robes, his voice like a thunderclap. "Issue an order: this general already has a beloved wife. If anyone dares to stuff women into this general's presence without knowing their place, they are enemies with ill intentions! Execute them on the spot!"
"Execute on the spot!"
"Execute on the spot!"
"Execute on the spot!"
The generals raised their arms and shouted.
Magistrate Liu and the wealthy families trembled at the deafening shouts.
Wu Zhoubai curiously asked Yuan Bufeng, "Tell me, is his beloved wife real or fake?"
"Not only is it real, but elder brother can't beat her."
Ah? She's that skilled?
"What sect or school is she from? What weapon does she use? How could she defeat the Great General?"
"No sect or school. She only uses a fire poker."
"Ah! Is she another genius who learned without a master, like the General? When can I meet her!"
Yuan Bufeng was truly impressed by the strategist. He was so good at formations, but why did he seem to lack something in other matters!
"Strategist, you've been hiding in a small village for a year. Haven't you found a little wife?"
"Hiding, hiding what am I hiding, am I a snake! Let me tell you, I expected the General to find me, so I've been waiting! You say if I found a wife, wouldn't that be harming her!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Hmph! Nice words, but he's probably too ugly for anyone to like!