Chapter 78: I'm sick out of nowhere. I know General Qi was injured years ago. It's not appropriate...

Early in the morning, Liu Yeshu went to the chicken coop.

In the Liu family's courtyard, morning light filtered through the sparse shadows of the trees onto the bluestone slabs, casting dappled spots of light. Mother Liu sat on the porch, her head bent, absorbed in her embroidery. Her delicate needlework shone softly in the sunlight. Father Liu was in the courtyard, sorting firewood.

There was a knock on the gate. Liu Yeling put down the wooden tool in her hand and hurried to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, he was stunned.

The man standing outside the door was tall and straight, wearing a black robe with dark patterns, and an exquisite general's seal hung around his waist.

"Little Brother Liu? Could you please let me know that I'm here to visit your father and mother?"

"General Qi? What's wrong with you..." Liu Yeling quickly stepped aside and bowed. "General Qi, please come in. I'll go get my parents."

Mother Liu looked up upon hearing the voice and saw that it was Qi Yu. She quickly stood up to greet him. Father Liu also put down the firewood in his hand and hurried over to greet him. "General, why are you here so suddenly? Please take a seat!"

After Qi Yu sat down, he gently grasped the teacup with his big hand, as if he was considering his words. Father and Mother Liu were both puzzled and uneasy, and even little brother Liu did not dare to say a word and went to the kitchen to make tea.

"I'm here today to talk about the young lady from the Liu family."

"Ye Shu?" Liu's mother's eyelids twitched. "But what mistake did she make...?"

"No." Qi Yu shook his head, thought for a moment, and then got straight to the point. "Miss Liu is intelligent, resilient, and kind-hearted. I admire her and deeply respect her."

"I've come here today to express my feelings to my uncle and aunt. If you agree, I would like to ask Miss Ye Shu to marry me."

Qi Yu's words were like a stone falling into a calm lake.

Mother Liu was stunned, and Father Liu also stood there in a daze, obviously unprepared for this sudden confession. The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Liu Yeling had just walked in with a tea tray when he heard this, and he paused, nearly knocking over the tea bowl in his hands. He looked at Qi Yu in astonishment, then at his parents, as if he suspected he had misheard.

Father Liu was the first to react. He raised his hand and asked Liu Yeling to put down the tea tray. He said in a deep voice, "The General's kindness is truly appreciated by our Liu family."

Mother Liu also recovered from her shock and looked at Qi Yu with a complicated expression. Although her tone was calm, it was also somewhat tentative: "General, you are a garrison commander with a promising future. Why would you take a fancy to our Ye Shu? Although Ye Shu is a little clever, she is just an ordinary woman in terms of status."

Qi Yu stood up and bowed deeply to Liu's father and mother, saying sincerely, "Miss Ye Shu is no ordinary woman. Her insight and courage are admirable. I am willing to protect her for the rest of my life and live up to this life."

"In that case," Father Liu lowered his head and thought for a moment, "There's something I dare not hide from the general..."

*

Moonlight streamed across the courtyard like water, casting a hazy silver glow on every slab of bluestone. Liu Yeshu pushed open the gate and saw her father pacing back and forth, his shoulders slightly hunched, his figure looking particularly lonely in the moonlight.

"Dad?" she called softly.

Father Liu turned around at the sound. His weather-beaten face, illuminated by the moonlight, was filled with worry. He stroked his beard out of habit and cleared his throat, "General Qi came home today."

Liu Yeshu looked at his father quietly, his expression somewhat unexpectedly calm. The old man secretly speculated that the two of them had probably already had a tacit understanding.

"He's here to propose marriage?"

"Yes," Father Liu rubbed his hands irritably, his eyes wandering, "but I told him about the rumors outside. I said..." He paused, his voice low, "You are infertile."

Liu Yeshu's slender fingers gently fiddled with her sleeves, her brows slightly furrowed. "I was the one who spread the rumors outside. General Qi will know about it sooner or later."

Father Liu patted his daughter's shoulder, his eyes filled with worry. "Marrying into a general's mansion is certainly glorious, but you have to understand that battlefields are full of dangers. I only managed to escape with my life last time." He took a deep breath. "During the march, I also heard the soldiers talking about General Qi being engaged to the princess in the capital..." At this point, his voice grew heavier. "In my opinion, he is not a good match."

In the moonlight, Liu Yeshu's face looked exceptionally cold. She nodded gently, her voice as calm as water: "Marriage is the order of parents and matchmakers, and I should obey."

Liu Yeshu sighed softly as he watched his father turn around and go back into his room. He pushed open the door to the next room and saw Liu Yeling frantically rushing back into his own room. The young man scratched his head in embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping.

"Sister, aren't you angry?" Liu Yeling asked cautiously, her eyes full of worry.

Liu Yeshu smiled slightly and reached out to ruffle her brother's hair: "Don't worry, if you can't even solve this little thing, you're not worthy of me marrying you."

"Is that easy to solve?" Liu Yeling was a little anxious because it concerned her sister's lifelong event.

Liu Yeshu sighed: "I don't know."

*

The next day, as Liu Yeshu stepped into the kitchen, she saw Chun Xing hurriedly coming up with a bowl of steaming medicine.

"Miss Liu, I made this medicine according to the prescription sent by Miss Chu. Drink it while it's hot." Chun Xing carefully handed the bowl of medicine forward.

"This is..." Liu Yeshu took the medicine bowl and looked at the dark brown medicine in the bowl, frowning slightly. The medicine was still steaming and emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

"I heard from the people who came here that this is a recipe Miss Chu paid a large sum for after hearing about her sister's cold condition." Chun Xing didn't finish her words, but Liu Yeshu understood. Chu Yurou had also heard the rumor. She looked down at the medicine bowl, remembering those cold days of exile. She had indeed developed a chronic illness, and it seemed she was having trouble conceiving. She tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, not even having time to savor the medicine.

"Sister Liu, why aren't you afraid of hardship?" Chuntao, holding Yuanbao, poked her round little face out from the storage room, her eyes full of surprise.

"I don't feel it's bitter." Liu Yeshu wiped the corner of his mouth and smiled slightly.

"How can medicine not be bitter?" Chun Tao pouted and said seriously, "Every time I take medicine, I have to eat a lot of rice candy." She blinked her big eyes, "The general just gave me a lot of candy. He said if the medicine is bitter, he would give it to you..." As she spoke, she secretly glanced at the empty bowl in Liu Yeshu's hand, "Let me taste it?"

Chun Xing reached out and tapped Chun Tao's forehead: "You, you are the only one who is curious!"

Chuntao took the medicine bowl, licked the remaining medicine at the bottom with the tip of her tongue, and sipped it a few times. "It doesn't seem bitter at all."

"Is this true?" Chun Xing approached suspiciously and took a careful sip. Her eyes widened immediately. "It's a recipe I paid a huge price for. It's not bitter at all. It's truly amazing!"

Liu Yeshu thought of Chuntao's words and turned to ask, "Did you meet the general just now?"

Chun Xing wiped her hands and took out a prescription from the corner of the kitchen: "Yes, I came back from the gate and happened to meet the general. He asked me where this prescription came from and what it was used for." Her eyes wandered back and forth between the prescription and Liu Yeshu.

Liu Yeshu thought about it and decided to tell Qi Yu the truth and went to the study to find him.

The study was brightly lit, and Qi Yu was writing a letter. He didn't even look up when he heard footsteps, but he knew it was Liu Yeshu.

"General, I have something to say." Liu Yeshu stood in front of the desk and told the truth in detail. "I was the one who spread the rumor." She paused, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. "But it's true that I have a cold body, and it may be difficult for me to have children."

Qi Yu put down his pen, waved his hand, and motioned her to come over.

Liu Yeshu approached and her eyes fell on a letter on the desk. After a quick glance at the contents, she saw that it was the princess explaining that the incident with Han Mo that day had nothing to do with her. Liu Yeshu curled her lips, and a trace of disdain flashed in her eyes.

Qi Yu tapped the freshly written reply letter on the table with his slender fingers. The ink was still wet. He watched Liu Yeshu's slightly furrowed brow as she read the letter, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

After reading it, Liu Yeshu was both angry and amused: "Why do you say that about yourself?"

"It's easy to get injured on the battlefield, and there are soldiers who have been injured here." Qi Yu spread his hands with a calm expression, "This way, everyone will be safe."

Liu Yeshu then remembered the ancient etiquette and thought that perhaps she should be more reserved, but she didn't know where to start. As she hesitated, she felt a tightening around her waist and was pulled into a warm embrace.

"Ye Shu, just let nature take its course." Qi Yu's breath brushed the back of her neck. "If you don't have children, it just proves that I didn't lie to you, princess. If you do, it just proves that you are a skilled doctor."

Warm breath penetrated the thin clothes, Liu Yeshu felt her ears burning, and her cheeks were as red as the pomegranates on the table.

"I understand your father's concerns." Qi Yu tightened his arm around her waist, his voice low and firm, "A border war is about to break out. I will drive the Xiongnu out of the Western Regions completely. When I return, we will get married. Okay?"

Liu Yeshu felt a tingling sensation on her neck and quickly struggled to stand up, but was pulled back into his arms again.

"You haven't agreed yet."

Liu Yeshu was not released until she said "Okay, okay, I promise". She blushed and gently slapped the prescription on the desk: "General, you should drink more medicine too." After that, she ran away.

Ten days later, a letter bearing the imperial seal arrived from the capital. As Qi Yu opened the letter in his study, Liu Yeshu walked in, carrying a pot of freshly brewed tea. It was premium Longjing tea, brought back from the capital, and its fragrance permeated the air.

She walked lightly to the desk, her eyes inadvertently sweeping over the letter in Qi Yu's hand. On the letter was the imperial handwriting in regular script, the brushstrokes were vigorous and each word was solemn:

"I understand that General Qi was injured years ago and is not suitable for marriage. However, considering that the princess is of advanced age and that the Emperor's uncle's second son is seeking her hand in marriage, I have cancelled the engagement. I urge the general to prioritize the country and take good care of himself. The Xiongnu are rampant and the border is in dire straits. I will send a large army to reinforce them and order the general to depart immediately to annihilate the Xiongnu and restore peace to the Han Dynasty."

After Qi Yu finished reading the letter, he picked up the teacup and blew on the tea leaves floating on it: "Look, your idea is really good."