Chapter 79 She missed him. She wanted him.

On a bright and sunny spring afternoon, a gentle breeze was blowing, and everything was full of life.

The handsome young man, now growing taller and more refined, changed into brand-new clothes, added a red headband, and after tidying his appearance in front of the mirror one last time, he tucked the exquisite snail-shell hairpin from the bottom of the drawer into his bodice before casually stepping out the door.

As he walked toward the private school in the west of the city, his steps slowed and became heavy. He lingered under the eaves where he could hear the sounds of wooden blocks colliding with machinery, quietly waiting for the people inside to appear.

Men and women of all shapes and sizes, from the learned to the martial, came and went, and they would always encounter the young man pretending to be nonchalant as he passed by. Everyone was used to it, and they would simply nod politely to him and greet him as "Your Highness" before going about their own business.

As the commotion in the courtyard subsided, Li Xu perked up again, pretending to be indifferent as he watched Qianzi come out to take inventory.

"Be careful with everything. Send these to the carpenter, and send the rest to the forge." Yun Qian held a thick ledger and stared intently at the newly delivered goods.

Five years have passed, and Li Xu feels that this older sister seems to have never changed, yet she also seems to have changed a lot.

She remained indifferent and perfunctory towards him, but her attitude towards her mistress changed from being obedient and caring to now offering her full support.

She learned to read and write, do accounting, and mastered the skill of mortise and tenon construction. She has now taken over the management of the agricultural manufacturing workshop opened by her young mistress.

She is busier than before, but happier than before.

He could only manage to say no more than ten serious sentences to her each day, and sometimes she was so engrossed in her conversation that she didn't even notice him.

"Sister." Li Xu quickly approached her while she was engrossed in writing down accounts.

Yun Qian didn't even look up as she replied, "Why are you here again? Don't you need to go to the temple to pray for blessings?"

Li Xu pursed her lips in a low voice, "I already went to pray for blessings yesterday. Sister is so busy, will you still be like this after you get married?"

Yun Qian suddenly stopped writing. She had never thought about this matter before, but recently many people had brought up marriage with her. "Speaking of which, Miss said the other day that I should get to know the Master's newly accepted disciple. If it's suitable, then..."

“That’s not appropriate,” Li Xu suddenly interrupted.

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had unconsciously raised his voice, attracting the attention of everyone around him.

He coughed lightly and lowered his voice, saying, "I know all the young men the Master has recently taken in. There are indeed a few who are good in both appearance and knowledge, but none of them are suitable for you."

As he spoke, he suddenly felt a slight discomfort from the snail-shaped hairpin on his chest. He wanted to remove it, but was afraid of being rejected.

Yun Qian stared at his anxious face, "Tell me, why aren't they a good match?"

"Putting everything else aside, their hearts are impure. Young Master Wang, Young Master Zhang, and Young Master Yi all have your young lady in their eyes. And then there's the one surnamed Dou and the one surnamed Jiang, who are always hanging around General Tao. And then there's the one surnamed Cui, who's just a bookworm. How could he be worthy of you?"

Yun Qian suddenly smiled. Her young lady and Miss Tao were already dazzling, so it was only natural that they were coveted by others. She was not surprised at all.

"Then they will be disappointed. General Tao is obsessed with protecting the country. Last year she just wiped out the bandits in the southwest, and this spring she went to the coast to fight the Japanese pirates. All she cares about is how to cut off the heads of more thieves who have invaded our territory. She doesn't pay any attention to those pale-faced scholars. As for my young lady, how could they possibly covet her?"

Not to mention that she had said several times that she couldn't bear it and wanted to hide away, even without those three gentlemen, she wouldn't have time to look at anyone else.

In just five years, her young mistress led the Zhenbei Army to cultivate a large amount of fertile land outside Kaifeng, where the land flourished.

They also bought back the rare species that their second uncle had brought back at a high price, as well as the vast fields of high-yield grain, ensuring that no one in Dayu or the Zhenbei army went hungry again.

Moreover, she used the money provided by Qin to develop various practical skills such as farming, weaving, and pickling, and promoted them throughout the country except for the capital.

During its implementation, efforts were also made to facilitate trade between different regions, with the economy and agriculture developing in tandem, and her name becoming increasingly well-known.

People have gradually forgotten that the one guarding Kaifeng is the former crown prince Li Xu, who has royal blood. The only topics of discussion are the Long'an Emperor who ascended the throne as an empress and the goddess Qin Song who brought blessings to Kaifeng and even the entire Dayu.

"It is said that Emperor Long'an frequently sent people to negotiate with the Crown Prince and the Junior Chamberlain in his early years. Later, the suspicion gradually subsided, and the two sides lived in peace and recuperated. Even now, there is still a group of old ministers in the capital holding the fort, and the Censorate has dispatched censors to firmly control the administration of orders in various prefectures and counties. The precarious Long'an court has miraculously survived to this day."

Storytellers throughout the country love to tell tales of the fragmented rule of the Great Yu Dynasty. With a slam of the gavel, they begin to recount the familiar stories.

"But Kaifeng is even more extraordinary. In the past, when the Zhenbei Army was pressing on the border, the former Crown Prince could have commanded the heroes to enter the capital in one fell swoop, but he held back and listened to the divine decree of Lady Qin, staying in Kaifeng for five years."

"What is the meaning of guarding Kaifeng? If it is to say that it is a division of power, then Lady Qin has never taken any measures to establish a separate regime in Kaifeng. There is no court here, nor is there any separate imperial power. There are only the sweet potatoes, corn, red peppers and other delicacies planted by Lady Qin, as well as the waterwheels and oxcarts that Lady Qin developed and promoted, and the unheard-of grafting and cultivation. Just as the Prime Minister Qin said, his daughter is truly a goddess."

"To say that a woman is in charge of the household is indeed a fantasy, but now we have seen it for ourselves. The sister of the commander of the Zhenbei Army, General Xiao Tao, has led 100,000 Zhenbei Army soldiers to achieve amazing feats, sweeping away bandits in the west and suppressing Japanese pirates in the east. Who says that daughters are not as good as men?"

"Not only that, women are skilled in both martial arts and literature. In the Jiangnan region, there emerged a female teacher known as Ms. Shuling. She was small and delicate, yet possessed the unwavering spirit of a scholar. The Yanqing Academy she founded was dedicated solely to the good of the nation, discriminating between men and women and remaining uninvolved in factional struggles. In just three years, countless students had become Empress Qin's right-hand women..."

For each segment the storyteller told, Tao Qingyang would give him a tael or two as a tip, until Qin Song could no longer listen, at which point he got up and went out with Qin Song.

"Are you unhappy?"

"I was moved." Qin Song lowered the veil in front of his hat to cover his face, trying to avoid contact with the crowd, and strode back to his residence. "I remembered that I have an urgent matter to attend to."

"Are you going to the capital to see Lu Youchuan again?" Tao Qingyang suddenly stopped and grabbed her hand with an unhappy tone.

Qin Song's steps slipped as he was pulled, and she almost fell into his arms.

It's just that every time she wanted to avoid him, she would find an excuse to sneak off to the capital.

No wonder he misunderstood.

“General Tao, you were holding this hand last night too. Look, there are still marks.” Qin Song deliberately rotated his wrist, revealing the finger marks on his wrist. “It’s one thing to be fierce at night, but to be just as fierce during the day, what are you trying to do? Besides, who said I was going to the capital to find him?”

He came all the way from the capital to find her.

Qin Song tried for five years but still failed to reconcile the relationship between Tao Qingyang and Lu Youchuan, which was a great failure.

Fortunately, Li Yu was very obedient and willing to be a mistress, rarely causing her any trouble.

"I'm sorry, I'll be gentler next time." Tao Qingyang lifted her wrist and kissed it affectionately. "So what are you going to do now?"

"See Li Yu." Qin Song deliberately smiled.

Tao Qingyang's face turned ugly. "Didn't you just see him the day before yesterday?!"

"Oh dear, it's all about missions, missions. You're the one I cherish the most."

After all, she has military power, so she definitely has to take it seriously.

Qin Song felt perfectly justified, cupping his face with a smile and flattering him, "However, we really need you for this matter right now, my General Tao."

Tao Qingyang was still unhappy with what she had just said, and only raised her eyebrows slightly as she listened to her explanation.

"Heytu sent a batch of warhorses into the country and asked General Tao to reciprocate with grain and cloth of equal value."

Qin Song's initial agreement with He Yitu for friendly cooperation included the exchange of goods and services. After she took control of the capital, she would also facilitate trade between the two countries and even provide technical exchanges such as raisin making and potato cultivation to prevent the northern barbarians from repeatedly invading our dynasty due to hunger.

"Simple, I will send Vice General Guo with men to make the handover."

Tao Qingyang held her hand firmly, showing no intention of leaving her side.

Qin Song was also exhausted. Tao Qing had the most effeminate face, but she was the fiercest one. She was also very clingy and possessive.

Qin Song leaned into his arms, relaxed: "No, the people trust the Crown Prince Party a lot now. We can't let anyone find out that we are cooperating with the Northern Barbarians, with whom we haven't formed an alliance yet. General Tao, you are one of the few people who know the inside story, and I can only trust you. You should go there under the pretext of escorting grain back to camp and patrolling the northern border to keep it a secret."

Tao Qing leaned back and hugged Qin Song, her tone serious: "But this round trip will take at least half a month, and if there is any delay, it will take even longer. If I leave, there may be some disturbances in the capital. How will we deal with that?"

We need her to make a move; it would be disappointing if she remained inactive.

Qin Song gave Tao Qingyang a sip of his drink, "What can you do? Raise an army to fight? I said I want to ascend the throne without bloodshed. The people are living in peace and prosperity now, why should we need to resort to violence? Don't worry, nothing will happen."

After Qin Song comforted him with a few words, Tao Qingyang led his troops back to the northern border that same day, marking the first time in five years that he had left Qin Song's side.

Tao Qingyang was filled with worry as he left, while Qin Song stood at the long pavilion outside the city, seeing him off from afar.

But Tao Qingyang's figure had already disappeared, while Qin Song was still waiting by the pavilion, anxiously waiting.

If Tao Qingyang knew that she hadn't left, he would probably be so excited that he would immediately turn his horse around.

If he really comes back, she'll probably be furious, since she's standing here seeing him off, but she's waiting for someone else.

"Chunhe, quick, help me put this hairpin in."

Qin Song took out the exquisite osmanthus hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to Chunhe.

Chunhe quickly took it; she was already quite adept at changing clothes, hair accessories, and making the bed on short notice.

"Miss, I rarely see you use this hairpin. Is there any special feature to it?"

Of course it has a history, and the problem only arises because it's rarely used.

During her most recent trip to the capital, she spent three days with Lu Youchuan. He kept looking at her jewelry box, and only recently did Qin Song see this hairpin, a gift from Lu Youchuan himself, among her vast collection of jewelry.

Just as she finished putting on the hairpin, the sound of rapid hoofbeats rang out in the distance.

Looking around, a young man in black rode up on horseback. His black robes were tied high, his gaze was firm, his shoulders were straight, and he still had a calm and cold demeanor. Only his wide cloak was fluttering in the wind.

As the horse drew near, he leaned down to control the reins, the long sword at his waist sliding down slightly to reveal his taut waist. His gaze went upward, revealing his long neck, prominent Adam's apple, and sharp jawline.

Qin Song's heart was pounding.

She misses him.

I want him.

"Ah Song." Lu Youchuan reined in his horse in front of her, leaped up, and landed in front of her.

His gaze traced her face; her rosy cheeks were more beautiful than the peach blossoms in March. Finally, his gaze swept over the osmanthus hairpin in her hair, and his deep black eyes gleamed.

Whether it was the panting from riding a horse or the overwhelming excitement of seeing his beloved, his breaths resonated deep within Qin Song's heart.

Ignoring the fact that Chunhe and the minor official behind Lu Youchuan could see, Qin Song buried his face in his arms.

"Lord Lu, shall we sleep together?"

She asked that question on their first meeting.

Lu Youchuan's heartbeat became very noticeable. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he picked her up horizontally.

"I haven't washed my hands, I'll go back first."

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Author's Note: It's almost finished, my darlings! This book finally made me realize many of my shortcomings, but I'm also constantly growing, and my typing speed has improved quite a bit, hehe.