Chapter 20

After that day, Lin Qiang disciplined the bandits in the village for a full half month, leaving them wailing and howling in utter misery. Especially the fourth brother, who was the focus of attention; the smiling tiger had almost turned into a weeping tiger, and he was still lying in bed.

Seeing this, the second-in-command panicked. He immediately brought out the old chieftain's memorial tablet and tried to persuade him with both soft and hard tactics.

"Men should marry when they are of age, and women should marry when they are of age!"

"Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no offspring!"

"He has a beautiful wife and lives a happy life!"

"Black Cloud Stronghold needs a wife!!!"

......

"......"

The reasons for pressuring people to get married are becoming increasingly bizarre.

To avoid further trouble, the two compromised. Lin Qiang handed over the training of the newly arrived bandits to the second-in-command, while he spent the whole day reading and practicing martial arts with the little girl.

Zhao Jile was happy to see them develop feelings for each other and didn't force them anymore.

Leopard relayed Yuan Qiong's message back to Yandu, where General Guan Xiao suddenly turned against him for some unknown reason, thus thwarting Yuan Su's plan to send troops back to suppress the bandits.

Subsequently, several guards came to the mountain stronghold to deliver a message, but were all captured by Lin Qiang and imprisoned in the dungeon. Several months later, one night, they all escaped and disappeared without a trace.

Lin Qiang suspected there was a traitor within the stronghold, so he purged all the bandits and sent his second and third brothers to recruit more. The gambling den and money exchange were entrusted to the fourth brother, with Yuan Liu Niang assisting. Farming and logistics were handled by the sixth brother and Mang Hu. All financial matters were managed by the fifth brother.

Oh, right, there's also Cheng Mingyu, who was caught sneaking up a mountain a couple of days ago.

Why would a perfectly good county magistrate's son choose to become a bandit in the mountains?

Lin Qiang, speechless, was quite annoyed by the man's repeated claims of "I am your savior!" Since there weren't many literate people in the village, he took the opportunity to recruit him and assign him to Lao Wu as an assistant.

Time flowed by like water; summer passed, autumn arrived, winter ended, and spring came, and everything gradually settled into a routine. The first group of bandits in the stronghold who participated in the training were beginning to resemble soldiers.

"Girl, what are you thinking about?"

The spring morning was quite cold. Lin Qiang pulled Yuan Qiong, who had grown a little taller, into his arms, his robust body shielding her from the chilly mountain wind.

Yuan Qiong leaned against him, her gaze passing through the wooden railing of the high platform and landing on the well-trained bandits in the training ground.

The burly men below, dressed in thin clothes, moved with unwavering determination and resolute expression under the second-in-command's control, executing each command with practiced precision and efficiency. At that moment, she felt as if she were seeing the guards of the Yandu military camp. The difference was that these men were not like the princes and nobles, who were all show and no substance.

"Big Beard, what do you intend to do with these people?"

A year was enough time for Yuan Qiong to gather all the information about the village, but she still couldn't see through the man behind her, nor could she see through what lay behind the village.

Lin Qiang followed her gaze down at the audience, a smile on his face: "For self-protection."

"Self-preservation?"

"I just don't want to one day have my life and death controlled by others, who can tell me how many days I'll live and how I'll die, and I'll die that way."

"......."

Yuan Qiong didn't believe it.

In her opinion, the bearded man was just being perfunctory and didn't want to tell the truth.

She broke free from his embrace and stepped down from the high wooden platform without a word, her tightly pursed lips revealing a hint of displeasure.

"What's wrong with this girl these past few days? Her temper has become increasingly strange."

He braced his arms on the wooden railing, gazed at the training in the distance for a while, nodded in satisfaction, and then turned to chase after the girl who had walked away.

Grass grows tall and birds fly, all things thrive.

Yuan Qiong used her light-footed skills to quickly leave the village, while Lin Qiang followed her at a distance, not quite understanding what kind of temper she was throwing this time.

"Big Beard".

When they reached the mountain stream where the two loved to catch fish, Yuan Qiong landed on a rock. She turned around, her crystal-clear, glass-like eyes reflecting the clear, bright spring water.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so serious?"

Lin Qiang smiled and stepped forward, intending to pinch her cheek as usual, but she dodged away.

She crossed her arms behind her back, stood ramrod straight, and asked the question she had been pondering for a year: "Big Beard, do you like me?"

"like."

Yuan Qiong was taken aback by the unhesitating answer, and then a sweet feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart and spread to her whole body.

"But it's not the kind of liking they're thinking of."

Lin Qiang nimbly took a few steps forward, picked up a pebble and threw it into the spring, creating several ripples.

Suddenly, a small green stone caught his attention.

"What a beautiful stone!" Lin Qiang picked it up and stuffed it into her hand, jokingly saying, "Keep it safe, it might be some kind of gemstone, then it'll be worth a lot of money!"

"good."

A woman with a heart full of sweetness sees everything as good.

She muttered to herself: Excuses! Liking someone is liking someone, are there so many kinds? In Yuan Qiong's view, when a man likes a woman, there is no other answer.

She curled the corners of her lips, put the stone into her purse, and asked again, "Then will you marry me?"

Answer me quickly, and I'm willing to give it a try if you say you can.

This was the first time in Yuan Qiong's life that she wanted to fight against her grandfather and her family, and to fight for herself.

This feeling of excitement came suddenly, yet it was captivating. She longed to hear him say that word; it was the first time she had ever longed for something so much.

"What are you thinking?!" Lin Qiang was both amused and exasperated, and lightly tapped her forehead. "How could I possibly marry you?!"

"How is that possible?"

The upturned corners of his mouth slowly sank, just as his racing heartbeat gradually subsided.

"What does that mean?"

How could I possibly marry you...?

How could I possibly marry you...?

"Didn't you ever think about marrying me?" Then why are you so good to me?

You taught me history, arithmetic, martial arts, and Chinese philosophy. You gave me the best of everything and told me you loved me.

"Of course I haven't thought about it!" Lin Qiang replied without hesitation. "What's going on in your little head all day? Have I been giving you too little homework? What marriage stuff? How old are you?"

Just then, a fish suddenly darted up, and he spotted it immediately and rushed to catch it.

"Hahahaha... Girl, look! This stupid fish has delivered itself right to our doorstep!"

Yeah, how stupid.

My heart is ice-cold.

Yuan Qiong forced back her tears, a slight smile playing on her lips. She felt even more foolish. To actually think of giving up immense power for a bandit leader—how utterly stupid!

Lin Qiang rolled up his trousers and started catching fish, while Yuan Qiong stood on the shore watching. Just like countless mornings before.

"We're having fish again today!"

fraud.

Big liar.

The mountain breeze lifted the hem of her gauze skirt, and Yuan Qiong turned and left without any lingering.

Lin Qiang turned around, carrying the fish: "Hey?! Why are you leaving?!"

Back in the village, he knocked on the door next door, but no one answered for a long time.

Inside the room, Yuan Qiong sat on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. Through the thin gauze curtain, she looked lonely and sad.

She is fourteen this year.

According to custom, the Crown Prince must visit the Yuan family in April to formally propose marriage, bringing with him the court's head eunuch to demonstrate that she now belongs to the royal family.

Next year, she will turn fifteen. After her coming-of-age ceremony in June, she will officially marry Yuwen Jing, become the Crown Princess of Yan, move into the East Palace, and share the harem affairs with her aunt.

A year here is long enough.

Now that her only reason to stay is gone, she has no choice but to leave...

That evening, Yuan Qiong silently devoured the entire fish that Lin Qiang had grilled. She ate until she was so full she couldn't eat anymore, until Lin Qiang couldn't bear to watch and forcibly carried her back to her room.

"Lie here to digest your food before going to sleep."

"oh."

Yuan Qiong stared at him intently.

"Big Beard, I want to hear two stories tonight."

One a day, no more than that!

"No, just two, otherwise I won't sleep."

In the end, Lin Qiang gave in and, after finally finishing telling the two stories, went back and slept peacefully.

The next morning, they discovered that the person next door had disappeared, leaving only a strip of pure white cloth.

"I'm leaving, don't worry about me."

——Yao

**

Half a month later, Yandu, which had been quiet for a long time, received a major piece of news.

The eldest daughter of the Yuan family, who had spent a year praying for the emperor and empress at Shenshou Temple, has returned to the capital!

Some people are born with the blood and marrow of dragons and phoenixes, making them unattainable, such as the eldest daughter of the Yuan family.

Her return to the city instantly stirred up a storm, with countless people, both overt and covert, beginning to stir and wanting to do something.

At this moment, before the jade steps of the Yuan residence, which ordinary people could only admire from afar and were not qualified to approach, the current prime minister, Yuan Su, led the entire household out of the central gate to greet them. Crown Prince Yuwen Jing, even more excited, had been waiting there for some time.

When others saw this, a mix of emotions welled up inside them, including admiration, envy, jealousy, and a sense of unease.

“Qiong’er…”

A fair and delicate jade wrist lifted the sedan curtain, revealing a pair of captivating, slender fox eyes. The girl smiled, yet there was an underlying aloofness that kept people at a distance.

"You're finally back..."

Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:

Even the top bunkmate who's terrible at naming things gets a name from one bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!