Chapter 223 It wasn't him who sent it.

The soft rustling of the beaded curtain began again. Yu Qingci came out from inside, picked up the begonia hairpin, and said:

"Then I'll accept it."

After saying that, he turned around and went back inside.

Lu Yunqi: ...

They did not disturb each other throughout the night.

The next day, upon arriving at the military camp, his subordinates secretly entered Lu Yunqi's tent during the midday break.

"General, what do you think of my idea? Did your wife smile and become more friendly towards you after receiving the gift?"

Lu Yunqi gave him a cold look and remained silent.

Isn't that right? Every time I upset my wife, I just coax her like this and everything's fine, isn't it?

The subordinate scratched the back of his head, puzzled, and then offered him advice:

"General, sometimes a man can't be too aloof. As the saying goes, even a good woman can be won over by a persistent man. Since no one can see you when you're alone in the bedroom, just say some nice things to your wife that she likes to hear. And if you put in some effort in bed, I guarantee that your wife will be inseparable from you the next day. That's what they mean by 'fighting at the head of the bed and making up at the foot of the bed.'"

Seeing that Lu Yunqi was still skeptical, his subordinate gave him an encouraging look before leaving.

Lu Yunqi sat at the large desk, frowning and deep in thought, feeling that the problem before him was even more difficult than asking him to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

From a very young age, he was taught martial arts and swordsmanship by his father, who was a great general. As he grew older, he went in and out of military camps and spent little time at home. He was always accompanied by servants or guards and rarely interacted with women, so he had very little experience in this area.

When he was bored at night in the military camp, he often listened to a group of rough men around him talking about women, and even secretly fantasized about what life would be like after he got married.

Later, he got a fiancée, but the two of them only met a few times. They didn't even exchange more than a few words during their few meetings. He only remembered that the girl had a pretty and charming face and a gentle and pleasant voice.

A year ago, Luo Yi appeared in his life, but at that time he was living a nomadic life and was constantly fighting and killing. He only regarded Luo Yi as an additional subordinate and had no romantic feelings for her.

But ever since he returned to the manor—no, ever since he accidentally stumbled into his young wife's room at Taijue Temple—something inexplicably had been added to his heart, something that he constantly thought about.

At that time, he was secretly delighted. Even after he found out that she was not his previous fiancée, he didn't dwell on it for long, because his heart and eyes could not hold anyone else except his little wife.

His young wife is now clearly cold and distant towards him, and a sense of unease he has never felt before is making him feel restless and agitated.

When he returned to the mansion that evening, the steward immediately conveyed the old lady's message: dinner would be served at Songbai Hall that night.

At Songbai Hall, Madam Ning's loving smile never faded when she saw her son return. She repeatedly instructed Su Jin and several other maids to come forward and serve him, while Luo Yi also eagerly stepped forward to help him undress.

Lu Yunqi turned them all away; he really wasn't used to being surrounded and served by a group of maids.

The dinner was set out, and the family, including Luo Yi, sat down at a round table to eat. Luo Yi had gradually gotten used to the rule of not talking while eating, and the meal was finally able to be eaten in peace and quiet.

As Lu Yunqi ate his meal, his eyes occasionally swept over his young wife, who was sitting on the other side of Old Madam Ning. Today, she was wearing a smoky blue gauze blouse with silver thread embroidered lotus patterns on the collar and cuffs, paired with a moon-white pleated skirt, making her look exceptionally elegant and refined.

In the flickering candlelight, her dark hair was adorned with only a simple jade hairpin, but it wasn't the begonia hairpin he had given her the night before. Instead, it was a butterfly-shaped green jade hairpin, which made her face appear as bright as the moon and her demeanor serene.

Luo Yi was separated from Lu Yunqi by Lu Yunchu. As she ate, her gaze kept shifting between Lu Yunqi and Yu Qingci. When she saw Lu Yunqi's gaze constantly looking at Yu Qingci, Luo Yi's hand holding the chopsticks tightened even more.

When Lu Yunqi's gaze fell on Yu Qingci again, Luo Yi placed the small celadon bowl of soup that the maid had just filled in front of her in front of Lu Yunqi, her voice deliberately gentle:

"General, you've had a long day. Have some soup."

Seeing this, Madam Ning secretly nodded in approval of Luo Yi's thoughtfulness and attentiveness.

Lu Yunqi simply nodded slightly and silently pushed the bowl of soup towards Old Madam Ning. The light in Luo Yi's eyes dimmed instantly.

Yu Qingci lowered her eyes and quietly ate the rice in her bowl, as if everything around her was irrelevant to her, her calmness revealing a sense of detachment.

After the meal, the group chatted with Madam Ning. Luo Yi took the initiative to sit down next to Yu Qingci and started talking to her. She even rolled up her sleeves to show off the tourmaline bracelet on her wrist, which she was dangling in front of everyone.

Pei Mama, who was standing to the side, darkened her eyes. She remembered that Luo Yi had told her mistress that this tourmaline bracelet was a gift from the general.

Granny Pei hadn't believed this before, but seeing her again now, she couldn't help but be moved. Smiling, she said to Luo Yi:

"Miss Luo, this tourmaline bracelet on your wrist is really beautiful. I heard you say the other day that the General specially bought it for you. Oh, the General really treats Miss Luo very well. Even our Madam and Miss Yun Chu have not received this gift from the General."

When Granny Pei spoke these words, she deliberately raised her voice, and Luo Yi's face immediately turned red. She glanced at Lu Yunqi guiltily, secretly praying that he would not refute her.

Unfortunately, Lu Yunqi didn't hear her inner prayer and explained with a frown:

"I have never bought any bracelets, let alone given any jewelry to Luo Yi."

The words were concise and to the point, and everyone's eyes turned to Luo Yi.

Luo Yi blushed and whispered, "I remembered wrong, this bracelet wasn't a gift from the general."

After speaking, she looked at Lu Yunqi with a wronged expression, looking exactly like a wronged little wife.

Lu Yun Chu secretly curled her lip: Who would believe I misremembered? I've been proven wrong!

Yu Qingci felt inexplicably more at ease.

Madam Ning smoothed things over, saying, "This tourmaline bracelet was a gift from me to Yiyi. Perhaps I didn't explain it clearly, causing Yiyi to misunderstand and think that Yunqi bought it. It's alright."

The expressions on everyone's faces were varied.

Madam Ning: "By the way, there is something I want to tell you. Now that Yunqi has returned safely, our whole family should go to Taijue Temple to offer incense and fulfill our vows, and also extinguish Yunqi's eternal lamp."

According to the custom of this dynasty, the eternal lamps offered in temples can only be given to the deceased; it is considered unlucky for the living to offer them. That is why Madam Ning made this statement.

Lu Yunqi: "I've been very busy with military affairs lately, and I probably won't have a chance to rest for more than ten days. Why don't you set a departure time, Mother? I'll go to the military camp first in the morning, and after I've finished dealing with things there, I'll rush over to meet up with you."

Madam Ning clapped her hands in satisfaction: "Then it's settled. We'll all go first thing the day after tomorrow."