Lu Yanzheng looked at Jiang Qinyu with a forced smile.

Jiang Qinyu was taken aback by his gaze, then remembered that these were the words she had said to Uncle Chen. She looked at him, somewhat confused, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Isn't it just what it means literally?

When Lu Yanzheng saw her answer like that, a surge of anger rose in his heart, and he asked through gritted teeth, "In Madam's heart, am I someone who can be given to someone else at any time?"

"Huh?" Jiang Qinyu blinked, her mind a little slow to process what she was seeing.

No, what is he angry about?

Wouldn't it be better if she said she could let him have a concubine? Don't men all like having multiple wives and concubines?

Of course, if Lu Yanzheng really does end up in that situation, she will definitely divorce him first. Then whether he takes a concubine or not will have nothing to do with her.

Before Jiang Qinyu could figure it out, Lu Yanzheng had already leaned down and pressed her onto the kang bed, kissing her fiercely and hard, his hands not idle either.

Jiang Qinyu was completely caught off guard and was in a daze from the kiss when a chill ran through her body, which snapped her back to reality.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Qinyu quickly put one hand in front of her and pushed Lu Yanzheng away with the other, frowning as she asked, "What are you angry about?"

She hasn't even gotten angry with him for attracting unwanted romantic attention yet, so what right does he have to be angry?

After asking the question, Jiang Qinyu sneezed.

Lu Yanzheng was brought back to his senses by her sneeze and quickly pulled the blanket over Jiang Qinyu.

He pulled Jiang Qinyu into a tight embrace until her head rested against his chest, then he whispered, "I'm sorry, I... I just..."

Jiang Qinyu could sense his unease. She was a little angry at first, but now she wasn't so angry anymore. She tried to look up at him and said, "You can tell me what you want to say directly. If there's a problem, we'll solve it. Don't hit me without my permission again. What you did could be considered domestic violence, you know?"

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have treated you like this…” Lu Yanzheng rested his chin on Jiang Qinyu’s head, his voice muffled, “It’s just that when I heard you say you wanted to take a concubine for me, I… I can’t accept it.”

"Just for this?" Jiang Qinyu asked in surprise.

If she can't accept taking a concubine, why not just disagree? Besides, the context was that if he had other women, she wouldn't mind him taking them back. If he doesn't want to, he can simply mind his own business, right?

Lu Yanzheng spoke after a while, "No, I will only love you in my life. Other women are just moving pieces of wood in my eyes."

In fact, he knew that, given Jiang Qinyu's personality, she would definitely leave him if he got involved with other women.

That's what he can't accept.

Jiang Qinyu: "..."

This metaphor... is truly unique.

Jiang Qinyu nudged him, "Then just say it directly, why scare me?"

Lu Yanzheng met her gaze, his eyes overflowing with tenderness, his voice unusually gentle, "And what about you?"

Will you only ever love me in your entire life?

Jiang Qinyu subconsciously avoided his gaze, coughed lightly, and said, "We are husband and wife, so naturally I am devoted to you."

She was sorry, but she really couldn't say anything more mushy; this was her limit.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Lu Yanzheng's eyes, and a bitter smile disappeared from the corner of his mouth, but Jiang Qinyu did not see it.

The two embraced quietly for a while, and before long, Lu Yanzheng suddenly spoke up, "I'm afraid the world is about to become turbulent."

"Is there going to be another war? Who will fight whom?" Jiang Qinyu wasn't surprised at all; she was only concerned about whether the war would affect the people she cared about.

Lu Yanzheng said, "I have received news that Prince Yong is unable to capture the capital for the time being and is planning to change his route to Yuanzhou to join forces with Chen Guang in Yuanzhou before launching a final attack on the capital."

"Chen Guang?" Jiang Qinyu was a little confused, not knowing who this person was.

It can't be a combination of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, can it?

Lu Yanzheng nodded. "This man was originally a minor official in Yuanzhou. His family was very wealthy. Not long after Prince Yong started his rebellion, he took advantage of the drought to turn the Yuanzhou general against him and became the de facto ruler of Yuanzhou."

Jiang Qinyu felt a little embarrassed because even though Lu Yanzheng had explained these things to her in detail, she still didn't understand the key points.

Since she didn't understand, she simply stopped asking questions and listened quietly to Lu Yanzheng's explanation.

“Xiao Rui and the commander of Yuanzhou had some disagreements in the past. Xiao Rui will definitely start a rebellion after he returns. At that time, there will probably be a battle between Yuanzhou and Yukang Prefecture.” Lu Yanzheng said thoughtfully.

Jiang Qinyu didn't really have any impression of the map of Dayue, so upon hearing this, she couldn't help but ask, "Is Yuanzhou adjacent to Yukang Prefecture?"

“No,” Lu Yanzheng shook his head, “there’s Jingzhou in between.”

Jiang Qinyu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Then how do we fight?"

But that doesn't make sense. Yuanzhou has rebelled, so why doesn't the court allow Yukang Prefecture and Jingzhou to unite and take Yuanzhou back?

As if guessing her doubts, Lu Yanzheng explained, "The prefect of Jingzhou is the brother-in-law of the commander of Yuanzhou."

Jiang Qinyu finally understood. After all that, although Jingzhou hadn't rebelled, they wouldn't side with the court against her brother-in-law.

After all, a general in the field may not always obey orders.

No wonder Yukang Prefecture hasn't made a move either. With Prince Yong already eyeing the area, and now Yuanzhou and Jingzhou joining forces, Yukang Prefecture is practically struggling to survive in the cracks.

At this moment, Jiang Qinyu couldn't help but admire Lu Yanzheng and Xiao Rui. They were able to keep Yukang Prefecture from falling into chaos under such circumstances, and even make the people's lives better and better.

No wonder Lu Yanzheng said he wanted to see Xiao Rui's abilities again. If he could really resolve the current situation, then if Xiao Rui became emperor in the future, Lu Yanzheng wouldn't be afraid of being discarded after being used.

“Besides Yuanzhou, there’s Lin Chongzhi from Linzhou, the Green Turban Army from Junzhou, the Red Grass Army from Yunzhou… a total of more than a dozen forces are restless,” Lu Yanzheng said in a deep voice.

Jiang Qinyu was already numb. "Don't tell me that all these people will oppose Yukang Prefecture."

“It’s hard to say,” Lu Yanzheng shook his head. “It depends on how Xiao Rui handles it and whether the prefect of Yukang Prefecture will support him.”

In any case, based on what he knew beforehand, Prefect Yukang wasn't very enthusiastic about what Xiao Rui wanted to do.

Jiang Qinyu thought for a moment and said, "With Lu Wanqing around, she should be able to support it!"

It is said that Lu Wanqing is the only heir of the Lu family, and she is deeply in love with Xiao Rui. It is likely that the Prefect Lu will eventually have to give in for the sake of his daughter's lifelong happiness.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Lu Yanzheng nuzzled Jiang Qinyu's neck, his voice filled with deep reluctance, "You're going back tomorrow..."

That night, in her attempt to appease a resentful man, Jiang Qinyu nearly couldn't get out of bed the next day.

Meanwhile, after leaving the general's mansion, Xiao Rui and Lu Wanqing immediately packed their things and led their men away from the border town at full speed.

On the way, Xiao Rui and Lu Wanqing were traveling in a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage was moving very fast, completely disregarding comfort.

"Cousin, why are we in such a rush?" Lu Wanqing asked, clearly dissatisfied.