Bao Ning was extremely surprised. She and Qiu Mingshan had only met a few times and were not close friends. Why did he come here late at night and specifically ask to see her?

Bao Ning said to Aunt Liu, "Wait for me to change my clothes."

Pei Yuan was still bathing. He was not so slow at ordinary times, but this time he was in a bad mood and was slamming the soap box in the bathroom, making a clattering sound, as if he was venting his anger.

Bao Ning changed into a more formal dress, put on her makeup in front of the mirror, and knocked on the bathroom door: "General Qiu wants to see me. He is at the back door. I'm going out for a while."

There was a sound of water running over there, but he probably didn't hear it clearly, so he didn't answer. Bao Ning didn't call again, and hurried over with Chen Jia and Aunt Liu.

She didn't know what Qiu Mingshan was going to do, but he was a man after all, and an elder, so a secret meeting would definitely not be allowed. Aunt Liu could be a witness. As for Chen Jia, to be honest, Baoning was afraid that Qiu Mingshan would kidnap her.

This idea seemed a bit absurd, but Baoning couldn't tell whether Qiu Mingshan was an enemy or a friend, and she didn't trust him.

Didn't he always want to usurp the throne?

At the corner of the back door, Baoning saw Qiu Mingshan's figure through a moon door. He was wearing a casual suit, without a sword, but sitting on a stone platform with a whip in his hand, teasing a dog. Under the dim moonlight, he looked like a kind old man.

Baoning frowned and called softly, "Ah Huang."

The dog looked back, wagged its tail twice, and ran to Baoning's feet.

Qiu Mingshan also looked over, stood up, and tidied his clothes rather stiffly, and said with a smile: "Baoning is here."

Baoning asked: "General Qiu, is there anything important? It is not convenient for us to meet like this. If there is anything, please tell us quickly."

Qiu Mingshan's face froze for a moment at such an obvious alienated attitude. He quickly recovered his gentle appearance and said with a smile: "I will be returning to Northern Xinjiang tomorrow. I came to let you know tonight."

Leaving? Bao Ning was a little surprised, and nodded with concern: "The journey is long and tiring, General, please take care of yourself."

"I know you all... don't like me very much." Qiu Mingshan forced a smile, with a few wrinkles at the end of his eyes, "I'm old, and I can't communicate with you young children. I'm also a little old-fashioned and stubborn, which makes you hate me even more. But Bao Ning, your uncle really loves you. I watched Yuan'er grow up, and I really hope that he will live a good life in the future. I was too impatient in the past, which made the gap between Yuan'er and me deeper and deeper. I said a lot of things that he didn't like to hear. The misunderstanding between us cannot be explained clearly in a few words."

Bao Ning raised his head slightly and looked at him: "What exactly do you want to say, General?"

"But a few days ago, an old friend came to me in a dream, and I suddenly figured it out." Qiu Mingshan said, "If I give him something he doesn't want, even if I snatch all the treasures in the world and put them in front of him, he may not be grateful to me. What I want is actually very simple, as long as he is satisfied and happy. So in the future, I will no longer force him to do anything."

Qiu Mingshan's tone was slow, and Baoning's heart softened. Hearing him say this, she suddenly thought of her deceased grandmother.

Grandmother was a kind woman, and now Qiu Mingshan also gave her a kind and caring feeling.

Baoning's voice also softened: "General, the 'he' you are talking about, is it the prince?"

"Yes." Qiu Mingshan nodded slightly, still smiling gently, "He is too impatient. If I talk to him face to face, he may not listen. So I have to trouble Baoning to tell him what my uncle said. You can tell him that I am leaving, but if he needs me, I will definitely stand up. If not, then forget it. No matter what he wants to do, just do it. I and the 200,000 soldiers in the northern border will always be his solid backing." When

he said this, Baoning suddenly felt a little sad. She nodded: "General, don't worry, I will tell him."

"Good kid." Qiu Mingshan said, and took out another token from his sleeve and put it in her hand, "This is Yangmagang's mobilization token. There are 3,000 iron cavalry there, all elite. Give it to him, and you need to take it yourself."

Baoning agreed.

Qiu Mingshan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll leave."

He moved the whip in his wrist, hooked Ah Huang over, and said with a smile: "Little Ah Huang, grandpa is leaving, you say something to send me off."

Ah Huang wagged his tail and called sweetly.

Baoning laughed, and suddenly realized that Qiu Mingshan's sudden funny look was very similar to Pei Yuan, or Pei Yuan was very similar to him.

Suddenly remembering that yesterday was Qiu Mingshan's birthday, they forgot to go to congratulate him, Baoning asked Aunt Liu to come out and pack two roast chickens for Qiu Mingshan to take away. This thing is not worth money, but it is a token of thought. Baoning thought that Qiu Mingshan might like this gift more than the treasures and antiques.

Sure enough, Qiu Mingshan accepted it with great joy. Before leaving, he looked at her deeply, his eyes full of love.

Baoning watched him ride on the horse, whipped away, and clenched the token in her hand.

She couldn't help but wonder why General Qiu was so good to Pei Yuan, silently good, and this kind of care really exceeded the love for the young man. Compared to the one in the palace, Baoning had a better impression of Qiu Mingshan. At least there was no suspicion between them, and there was a little warmth between them.

Nanny Liu stepped forward and held her arm: "Madam, let's go back. The prince must be waiting anxiously."

Baoning nodded, took two steps, and suddenly remembered: "Where is Chen Jia?"

Nanny Liu didn't know. The two were looking around, and suddenly a wailing sounded from behind the willow tree not far away. It was almost not a human voice. Baoning shivered with fear, and then saw Jixiang jumping out, with blood on the fur around his mouth, and his eyes as bright as a wolf.

Baoning was stunned and asked anxiously: "Who did you bite?!"

Jixiang shook his head, looking very happy. Bao Ning turned around in a daze: "What did you do to the person?!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Manager Miao covered his legs and crawled out from behind the willow tree, crying and wailing: "Princess, Princess, save me!"

"..."

Bao Ning narrowed her eyes and looked at him, wondering why he was here, and then realized that this must be a trap set by Chen Jia.

She was no longer anxious and asked in a calm voice: "Manager Miao, what are you doing behind the tree, eavesdropping?"

"Princess, I'm bleeding a lot, am I going to die?" Manager Miao's lips were pale, and he stretched out his hand to her with trembling, "Princess, the vicious dog bit my leg and bit off a piece of meat as big as a bowl..."

He happened to pass by here and happened to see Qiu Mingshan handing Bao Ning the token. He remembered the instructions from His Majesty, asking him to investigate the Fourth Prince's behavior and interpersonal relationships, so he kept an eye on the matter and wanted to listen again. Just as he was about to leave after listening, this huge dog suddenly jumped out, and without even a bark, it bit his leg!

Manager Miao pounded the ground and cried, "Princess, please seek justice for this old slave!"

Jixiang turned around when he heard the sound. The mastiff's head was as big as a millstone and as strong as a wild beast. Manager Miao was extremely scared and trembled, unable to speak clearly. Baoning was about to ask another question when he saw his eyes roll back and fainted.

"How can this man be so easily frightened?" Bao Ning frowned. "Send him to the clinic. Tell his apprentice to take care of him and leave enough money. Don't worry about the rest."

Nanny Liu said worriedly, "After all, he was appointed by His Majesty..."

Bao Ning said, "The one who bit him was the dog that His Majesty gave him a plaque!"

She remembered that the dog that was given a plaque was Ah Huang. She pursed her lips and added, "It was the dog friend of the dog that His Majesty gave him a plaque."

"He was eavesdropping. It's a good thing that his legs weren't bitten off. He deserves it."

Manager Miao was carried away by the people who were called. Seeing the people walking away, Chen Jia came out and said, "I saw Manager Miao behind the tree a long time ago, and his movements were sneaky, but it was difficult to drive him away, so I came up with this idea and let Jixiang chase him away... I didn't expect Jixiang to be so violent and bite him directly."

"Jixiang has always been jealous of evil." Baoning said, "Go back and prepare warm salt water to clean its teeth."

...

Baoning walked around and came back. Pei Yuan was already very unhappy and sat in the house drinking tea: "What did you do? It took so long. Were you fishing?"

Baoning retorted: "What kind of fish? I bought 81 fish, Jixiang counted them, and not a single one was missing."

Pei Yuan put down the teacup, still unhappy: "Then what did you do? Counting fish by the lake with a lantern in the middle of the night to see if any of your fish were dead."

"I..." Baoning suddenly came to her senses, and the topic was diverted by Pei Yuan.

She quickly stopped talking about fishing, told Pei Yuan what happened, and handed him the token given by Qiu Mingshan.

Pei Yuan looked through the token under the lamp and flicked his fingers: "It's real."

It was hot outside. Bao Ning felt uncomfortable after returning home. She prepared her underwear and went to take a bath.

After listening to Pei Yuan's words, she turned around and asked: "Are you going to see the general off tomorrow?"

"He left Beijing in plain clothes. It would be bad if I went." Pei Yuan threw the token back on the table, "Let's talk about it later."

Bao Ning said: "General Qiu seems to be quite pitiful. He always looks lonely."

Pei Yuan smiled and said: "He has so many wives and concubines, so many children, how can he be lonely."

Bao Ning spoke for Qiu Mingshan: "But I think his heart for you is real."

Pei Yuan didn't like it, so she didn't say anything. She held her clothes and walked to the bathroom. When she was about to enter the door, she remembered something and turned back to call Pei Yuan: "Husband!"

Pei Yuan's wrist trembled. When had Bao Ning called him like this before? It was a respectful and elegant title, but it sounded good to him.

Pei Yuan also smiled warmly and replied, "Madam."

Bao Ning rubbed his arms and got goose bumps. She wrinkled her nose, leaned against the door frame, and whispered to Pei Yuan: "Husband, I think what you said at that time was quite right."

Pei Yuan was puzzled: "Which sentence?"

"That is, the number of fish should be counted frequently." Bao Ning discussed with him, "The carp in the mansion are newly bought. They suddenly moved to a new place. I don't know if they are used to it. Why don't you go and take a look? Come back and tell me the number so that I can fill in the blank. The number eighty-one is really good and auspicious. Carp is also an auspicious thing. Eighty-one fish is auspicious..."

Pei Yuan asked: "You want me to count fish with a lantern?"

"It seems you have nothing to do now." Bao Ning hid his body behind the door, revealing his head with a flattering smile, "Just consider it as a blessing for your family..."

Bao Ning saw Pei Yuan's mouth corners drooping, as if he was about to scold him. He didn't dare to wait for his answer, and hurried back to the bathroom, slamming the door.

Pei Yuan became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. He kicked the stool far away and could not help but yell inside: "You are afraid that your fish will die, but aren't you afraid that I will be bitten by poisonous mosquitoes?"

"Pick an auspicious day tomorrow and roast all the fish, and send them to the west with good luck!"

"Burn those books on the Book of Changes of yours. You have learned such a useless thing instead of good knowledge!"

"You are so auspicious, so you might as well call me Pei Jixiang from now on!"

Baoning finally spoke up and answered from the inside: "Jixiang is a dog!"

Pei Yuan reacted and became even angrier, and scolded her: "Ji Ahhuang."

Baoning slammed the wall angrily: "Are you sick..."

...

It was already late at night, and Manager Miao was lying on the small couch in the clinic with a deathly pale face, groaning in pain from time to time. Miao Xiaoguang was serving him on the side, also with his head down and looking depressed.

The steward of a prefecture was bitten by a dog, which was embarrassing enough, and he was sent to the clinic, without even anyone to visit and comfort him. It was extremely embarrassing!

Miao Xiaoguang looked down at his tattered cloth shoes that were about to fall apart, and suddenly he didn't know what he had been following his master for for so long.

Not to mention money, even decent clothes were hard to come by. In the past, he had some status, and hoped to get promoted and have a good future. Looking at today, he is simply driven out and destitute. He has no future, and it would be a blessing from the Bodhisattva if he doesn't end up on the streets.

Miao Xiaoguang was so sleepy that he couldn't even open his eyelids. He was worried, and dozed off with his hand on his chin.

Chang Xi slipped in from the back door of the clinic, looked at the scene, and knocked on the door gently: "Steward Xiao Miao?"

Miao Xiaoguang didn't wake up.

Chang Xi called out a few more times, but he was still groggy. Chang Xi could no longer bear it and shouted, "Whose silver fell on the ground!"

Miao Xiaoguang immediately sat up and answered loudly, "Mine! Don't tell my master!"