Chapter 143 Qin Changgeng, would you lie to me? ...
Dai Li was stunned. Her son's tone was much more serious than usual. Zhouzhou rarely spoke to her like this.
While she was curious, she also felt inexplicably uneasy.
Dai Li didn't immediately agree. Instead, she raised her hand and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. After a brief moment of thought, she asked with a smile, "What's making you so serious? Let me make it clear beforehand, if it's something important, I can't just agree to it right away."
Qin Yanzhou lowered his eyes. "Mother, I heard that we will lose another imperial edict due to the bandits on our way south."
Dai Li wasn't surprised that he knew about this; there were simply too many channels. Qin Changgeng himself was one, Nalan Zhi, as the governor's master, was another, and there were also rumors among the military generals.
“Yes, that’s the plan.” Dai Li nodded.
"They said there really is a band of bandits in Yan and Ji provinces, and it's not a lie." Qin Yanzhou finished speaking in one breath. "After encountering the bandits, there will definitely be a bandit suppression operation. Mother, I want to go with the soldiers in the army to suppress the bandits."
Dai Li's heart skipped a beat. The words "bandit suppression" seemed to be amplified infinitely, causing her mind to go blank for a moment.
After the blank, she seemed to see a scene of flashing swords and flying blood and flesh.
“No!” Dai Li immediately refused. “The bandits know the terrain well. They know exactly where the ravines are and where the steep slopes are. It’s too dangerous!”
"Qin's three hundred soldiers are all elites. In terms of skill, they far surpass the bandits. At most, the enemy has a geographical advantage. But I suspect that before launching an attack, they will definitely send out scouts to investigate. Therefore, the enemy's geographical advantage is not so absolute," Qin Yanzhou said firmly.
As he continued, his tone softened, “Mother, the Qin family has helped me a lot along the way, and I remember it all. This is just a small bandit suppression operation. If other soldiers can go, why can’t I? I’m the same as them.”
“It’s different!” Dai Li stared intently at the young man in front of her and repeated, “Zhouzhou, you are different from them. I can repay those debts owed to the Qin family and to Qin Changgeng, with grain or other means. I don’t need you to risk your life.”
"But Mom, I've grown up now and can be your support. I shouldn't, and can't, continue to hide behind you like a coward." Qin Yanzhou forced a smile.
Dai Li lowered her eyelashes, her gaze falling on his scarred hands, her eyes welling up with tears. "Zhouzhou, what's this talk of fame and fortune, what's this talk of being remembered in history? Those aren't my expectations for you. You've suffered enough in the past ten years. I just hope my son will be healthy, safe, and happy from now on. Nothing else matters."
In the era of cold weapons, there were no antibiotics, and once an infection occurred, it was basically a death sentence.
If the wound is not cleaned properly, local tissue necrosis may occur, and even more serious amputation is not out of the question.
Qin Yanzhou noticed her gaze and subconsciously hid his hands in his sleeves, pretending to be nonchalant as he said, "You have more than one son now. If Qin Qinian can go, I want to go too."
Dai Li's tears had dried up from his anger. She turned her head away and said, "No, I don't agree to you going to the front lines."
"Mother……"
A gentle tug came from her sleeve, and in that instant, Dai Li was pulled back to the way things were before.
For Qin Yanzhou, the modern world was ten years ago, and it had become very distant. But for Dai Li, it was only a little over a year ago; the image of that little bean sprout was still vivid in her mind.
In the past, whenever her son needed something from her—whether it was buying her extracurricular books, wanting to eat snacks, or wanting to pet the old professor's dog next door—he would gently tug at her clothes and look at her longingly.
This trick works very well; it almost always works.
Dai Li's eyelashes trembled slightly. She didn't turn her head, trying her best to restrain herself from looking at him, and she wouldn't soften her heart. "No means no. There's no room for discussion!"
As soon as she finished speaking, her sleeve was gently tugged again.
“Mom, I have martial arts skills. I can survive in one-on-one fights in the past. Now I have three hundred companions by my side. It’s just a trivial bandit suppression. How could anything happen? Please believe me.”
These words were spoken with great seriousness, and even though Dai Li didn't turn her head, she could imagine the earnestness on her son's face.
Dai Li put her hands behind her back, pulled back the hem of her clothes that had been tugged, and then looked at Qin Yanzhou again, "Zhouzhou, medical care in this era is very backward. The weapons used by those bandits are not clean, and there's no guarantee they won't have dangerous bacteria on them. What if you get injured somewhere and end up dying from an infection, or losing an limb..."
The tears she had just managed to hold back welled up in her eyes again, and Dai Li became more and more agitated as she spoke, "I finally found you, what if, what if that kind of thing really happened? That would mean I would lose my son again in less than a year. Have you ever thought about how I would feel? What would I do then?"
Qin Yanzhou was stunned by her tearful eyes. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Dai Li's eyes suddenly changed, revealing a hint of ferocity. "Did Qin Changgeng send you? Did he give you some hint that made you want to join the army?!"
"No." Qin Yanzhou shook his head.
Dai Li wanted to say more, but then she saw the young man in front of her, who was already much taller than her, suddenly lift his robe and kneel down.
Her dark eyes suddenly narrowed.
“I’ve had the idea of joining the army for a long time, even before you married him.” The young man looked up at Dai Li, his expression completely returning to the level he had been ten years ago.
His eyes pleaded, "I want you to be proud of me, to let those ignorant outsiders know that you have more than just the Marquis of Wu'an as your support, and to prove that you are not entirely useless. Life is so long, I can't live helplessly under your protection forever, that's not what I want..."
After he finished speaking, he bent over and slammed his forehead heavily on the ground.
Dai Li felt as if she had been bitten by a snake, and she staggered back a step. The venomous snake that had bitten her cunningly burrowed into her head, writhing wildly within, causing her excruciating headache. "Qin Yanzhou, get up!"
Qin Yanzhou simply raised his head, but did not get up.
Dai Li heard footsteps outside the corridor; it must be the other people who had eaten dinner returning.
Dai Li glanced tearfully at her son, who was still kneeling on the ground, then silently opened the door and left.
Once Dai Li's footsteps faded into the distance, Qin Yanzhou got up from the ground. This was his room, and since dinner had already been eaten, he could normally stay in the room.
However, Qin Yanzhou went out.
The three floors were all rooms for people from the north. Qin Yanzhou had just gone out and hadn't taken more than a few steps when he saw Shi Rongyue turn out of the stairs.
The two walked towards each other.
"Brother Chong Le," Shi Rongyue greeted Qin Yanzhou with a smile.
Since Dai Li and Qin Shaozong got married, she has changed her previous way of addressing him as "Young Master Qin" and now calls him Brother Chong Le.
Qin Yanzhou stopped in his tracks. "Rongrong, there's something I'd like to ask you."
The girl blinked her light brown, round eyes, a bright light rising from them. "No problem!"
Qin Yanzhou was slightly taken aback. "I haven't said what it is yet."
Shi Rongyue belatedly realized what was happening. She glanced guiltily to the side and gently scratched her cheek with a slender finger. "I... I just felt that it was rare for Brother Chongle to ask me for a favor. Given our friendship, I absolutely couldn't refuse. So please just say what you need."
Qin Yanzhou shook his head. "This matter is of utmost importance. You must consider it carefully. This is not the place to talk. Come with me."
Qin Yanzhou originally intended to take Shi Rongyue downstairs to the courtyard of the post station. This post station was designed in the shape of a "回" (hui), with the side rooms on several sides facing outwards. Looking down from the current corridor, one could see the courtyard in the middle below.
He had excellent eyesight and saw several imperial soldiers chatting idly below.
The young man stopped in his tracks.
"Brother Chong Le?" Shi Rongyue asked, puzzled.
Qin Yanzhou turned to look at her. "There are many people from the imperial court in the courtyard below, so it's not convenient to talk. Rongrong, would you mind coming to my room?"
Shi Rongyue quickly shook her head, "I don't mind."
Qin Yanzhou nodded and walked back. Unseen by him, the girl behind him couldn't help but smile broadly, and then happily followed after him.
The three floors had several top-class private rooms with the same layout, but after entering, Shi Rongyue couldn't help but quietly look around.
The room's owner must have spent some time in the room before dinner, as some traces can be seen inside.
A long sword was sheathed and placed on the table; his clothes box was placed at the foot of the couch, and a dark blue robe was folded several times to form a rough square before being placed on top.
Shi Rongyue has two older brothers. She had been to their room before, and her impression of it was one of chaos and disdain that they couldn't take care of themselves without servants.
She looked away, and subtly curled the corners of her mouth.
Since the visitor was a guest, Qin Yanzhou used a tinderbox to light the small stove and slightly heat the water inside to make it easier to brew tea later.
Shi Rongyue sat down opposite the table, placed her hands on her knees, straightened her back, and said very seriously, “Brother Chongle, generally speaking, I would agree to your request directly. But if it is really as you said before, ‘this matter is of great importance’ and requires me to exert a lot of effort, then I will still agree to your request. However, after it is done, I would like to ask you to do me a small favor.”
The water quickly boiled, and the teapot steamed. Qin Yanzhou took a handful of tea leaves and put them into the earthenware bowl. The tightly closed tea leaves slowly unfurled in the hot water, spreading the tea color.
Through the rising steam, the young man's handsome features seemed to be tinged with a soft, watery hue, less aloof than usual, like ice and snow melting and spring returning to the earth.
Seemingly noticing her gaze, or perhaps he was already about to ask her a question, he looked up at her. His eyes were like black agate soaked in a mountain spring, dark and glossy, their brilliance subdued in the fading twilight.
Shi Rongyue unconsciously tightened her grip on her knees, crumpling her dress in her hands.
He asked, "What kind of help?"
Shi Rongyue hesitated for a moment, "Well, I want to get a puppy. When we went to Yousi last time, we passed a stall selling puppies. I saw you glance at it several times, so I guessed you must know how to pick out puppies. So I was thinking that after we go back to Yuyang, you can help me pick one out."
As she spoke, Shi Rongyue swayed slightly from side to side with delight, her tuft of hair bobbing with the little girl's movements. "Oh, right, I want a white puppy, preferably with black eyes, as beautiful as jade."
Qin Yanzhou fell silent for a moment.
"I'm not really good at choosing, but I can ask other people for advice."
"I only have this one, that's all. Brother Chongle, what do you want to ask of me?"
Two voices overlapped, one slow and one fast; the former was hoarse and hesitant, while the latter was gentle and full of vitality.
After the tea was boiled, Qin Yanzhou took a cup and poured tea, first pouring it for Shi Rongyue, and then said, "There will be a bandit suppression operation soon. I want to join other soldiers to rid the people of this scourge, but my mother is worried that I will get hurt and won't let me go. Rongrong, you ride in the same carriage with my mother during the day. She has mentioned to me before that she gets along quite well with you, so I would like to ask you to persuade her a little."
Shi Rongyue held the teacup with both hands, her mouth slightly agape in surprise.
Seeing her completely stunned, Qin Yanzhou lowered his eyes and asked, "Is it difficult for you? If..."
"Did your second aunt really tell you that she felt a connection with me?" Shi Rongyue's eyes were bright, as if a tail was wagging behind her. "That's wonderful!"
This time, it was Qin Yanzhou's turn to be stunned.
Realizing she had been too outspoken, Shi Rongyue coughed lightly, "No problem, I'll talk to her. But I can't guarantee what the outcome will be."
The voices behind him lowered, because Shi Rongyue had realized that he might have mentioned this to Dai Li beforehand, but it didn't work out, so he had adopted a roundabout tactic.
"Of course. No matter the outcome, I will give you a little white dog when we return to Yuyang," Qin Yanzhou promised.
Shi Rongyue suddenly raised her hand to cover her face.
"Rongrong?" Qin Yanzhou was puzzled.
The little girl moved her hand down a little, revealing only her big, smiling eyes that were like crescent moons. "It's nothing, I'm just so happy, hee hee."
Qin Yanzhou further instructed, "The matter of the bandits must not be known to the court."
Shi Rongyue nodded vigorously, "I understand."
*
Shi Rongyue walked briskly out of Qin Yanzhou's room. Before she could even suppress her smile, she suddenly saw Qin Shaozong walking towards her from not far away.
The two were not far apart, only a few steps away.
Shi Rongyue was caught red-handed as soon as she came out, and even her expression was seen by Qin Shaozong.
The little girl froze for a moment, then quickly straightened up and said, "Second Uncle."
Qin Shaozong glanced at the tightly closed door behind her and said meaningfully, "What happy event makes Rongrong so happy?"
Shi Rongyue looked at him with concern, saying, "This is my first time traveling so far, it's all very novel."
Qin Shaozong chuckled, said nothing more, and walked past her back to his room.
Shi Rongyue turned slightly to the side, stealing a glance at the tall figure walking away into the distance, her eyes filled with doubt.
Was it just her imagination? She felt that her second uncle seemed to be in a good mood.
...
"Click." The door was pushed open.
The last rays of the setting sun had just faded away, and the room was dark and gloomy, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Qin Shaozong swept his gaze across the black tide and precisely caught sight of that beautiful figure.
She stood by the window, facing outwards and with her back to the window, so her expression was not visible.
"Why isn't the lamp lit, Madam?" Qin Shaozong took out a tinderbox and lit the lamps in the room one by one.
As the firelight gradually brightened, the room became warmer and more inviting, making her emerald-green cross-collar dress appear less aloof and unapproachable.
But when the woman by the window turned her head, the coldness that had just melted away returned to her beautiful profile. "Qin Changgeng, would you lie to me?"
That voice was incredibly gentle, carrying a hint of inexplicable dependence, like being enveloped in a captivating honey.
Qin Shaozong suddenly stopped walking. He couldn't explain why, but at that moment his back involuntarily tensed up.
Author's Note: Here I am! [dog head with rose in hand]
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