Bai Qingzhou was stunned, staring at her father in astonishment.
It was as if he was seeing this man for the first time in his life. Strangeness, surprise, agreement, resistance, fear, disgust... all sorts of emotions surged up at once, so complex that he could hardly describe his feelings in just one or two words.
Marquis Anning suddenly realized that it wasn't good for a dignified military general to talk about stealing women all the time.
He just wanted to help his son get revenge, but now he's worried that it will affect his image in his son's eyes. What kind of old man talks about being jealous of other men all the time?
Marquis Anning coughed awkwardly twice to make himself serious, then changed the subject, "The military affairs in the barracks outside the capital are very busy. Normally, I cannot return to the capital for three days outside of my rest period. This time, it was because you were poisoned that the Emperor made an exception. Now that you have recovered to a preliminary stage, I will meet with your mother in a while and then leave the capital."
Bai Qingzhou asked, "Does Father intend to tell Mother about my poisoning?"
Marquis Anning nodded. "I've really thought about this for a few days. After comparing the options, I think it's better to tell her. If I tell her, she'll worry; but if I don't tell her, she'll start to speculate."
The truth will out eventually; she'll find out sooner or later. And once she knows, her suspicions will only intensify, so it's better to tell her. However, from now on, when you go out, I plan to find you two more attendants to test for poison on you.
Bai Qingzhou was both amused and exasperated. "Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? I'm not royalty. It would be ridiculous for someone to come all the way here just to test the poison."
He was surprised again—his father hadn't stopped him from going out.
He thought that because of this, his father would be domineering and prevent him from going out, or reduce his outings. He had already thought of a solution, but he didn't expect that... his father did not stop him.
Marquis Anning imagined the scene and thought it was exaggerated. "Your situation is special, they will understand. Otherwise, we still need to find a poison-testing attendant. If the gathering is attended by Prince Jin, his attendant will test the poison, and your attendant will also test the poison. If the gathering is not attended by Prince Jin, then it doesn't matter."
He paused, then added, "If you don't bring a poison-testing attendant, it won't be me preventing you from leaving the house, it will be your mother."
Bai Qingzhou thought about it and realized that made sense—if his mother knew he had been poisoned by socializing, would she still allow him to continue? If his mother cried every day, how could he feel at ease going out?
"Father is right, son will listen to father." A warmth filled my heart.
He had always dreamed of having his father as a support, someone to protect him and shield him from the storms of life, but this day came too late.
but,
Bai Qingzhou pursed her lips—though it was late, it was better than nothing.
You could say he's in an excellent mood right now; even the sunshine outside seems brighter. He's even starting to look forward to the future.
His mother was about to give birth to his younger siblings, his father respected and protected him, and there was also Mianmian in Mingyue Courtyard... He hadn't seen her for three days and wondered if she was worried.
Marquis Anning said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go to the main courtyard to see your mother. Your mother didn't know I was coming back this time. I asked Madam Shen to keep it from her. Now that you're awake, I dare to tell her."
Bai Qingzhou was shocked for the umpteenth time—her father had actually kept it from her mother? Although her father wasn't a good father, he was a good husband.
Unlike other men in the capital, my father did not have a large number of wives and concubines... Of course, this may also be related to his injuries.
Injury...
Bai Qingzhou thought of the terrible injuries his father had suffered, and then of the social engagements he had had these past few days, and the stares he received from those around him. Suddenly, he felt a pang of sympathy for his father.
He used to spend most of his time reading at home and never felt the horror of being stared at.
Now that he's actually out socializing, he understands the feeling of being constantly watched and constantly on edge. He can't imagine how his father had the courage to appear in public after becoming disabled.
A dignified military officer, a man of unwavering integrity... yet...
What would happen if the father didn't appear?
If it falls into decline, the Marquis of Anning's mansion will also fall into decline, and then the tree will fall and the monkeys will scatter.
Bai Qingzhou felt increasingly distressed. He suddenly hated his past self for being so cowardly. Why couldn't he have been stronger, followed his father in martial arts training, and given his father hope for the revival of the family?
With no one to rely on, no one to help him, and no hope for the future, how has my father managed to get through all these years?
He was also very upset at the time, so he chose to shut himself off, hiding in Qingfeng Courtyard to read books and escape from the outside world.
Why did he have the right to escape? Wasn't it because his father sheltered him from the storm? If his father had fallen back then, leaving only an orphan and a widow in the Marquis of Anning's mansion, could he still have peacefully read books and escaped life?
Marquis Anning said, "Alright, just focus on recovering. After I tell your mother, Madam Shen will come to see you."
With that, he turned to leave.
Bai Qingzhou was taken aback and instinctively said, "Wait!"
Marquis Anning stopped and turned around. "What is it?"
"..." Bai Qingzhou had no idea what was going on. He just inexplicably didn't want his father to leave and wanted to talk to him a few more times.
Having no other choice, he could only bite the bullet and start a conversation, "Are the barracks on the outskirts of Beijing that busy?"
After pondering for a moment, Marquis Anning felt that since his son was preparing to take the imperial examinations and enter officialdom, he should also tell his son about current affairs in the court.
He lowered his voice and answered seriously, "Yes, the imperial court is constantly increasing its military operations, so the selection and training of troops in the outskirts of the capital is becoming increasingly demanding. I heard that His Majesty is planning to expand the camps recently, and the deployment of generals and troops will also be adjusted."
After struggling for a moment, he said in an even lower voice, "There is a private rumor from the leader of the Imperial Guard that the Emperor wants to keep Prince Jin in the capital and have Prince Qin replace him in the Northern Gorge."
Bai Qingzhou was taken aback—he had only asked casually because he didn't want his father to leave, but he never expected his father to tell him such a confidential matter!
As a military officer, these things were not even to be told to his family; if the news got out, he would lose his head.
His father... spoke to him, could it be interpreted as his father acknowledging him? Believing that he could stand on his own?
Bai Qingzhou felt both a sense of accomplishment and increased pressure. He tried to calm himself down and recalled the military strategy knowledge he had read before. "Is there any connection between the Emperor keeping Prince Jin in the capital and expanding the training camps in the suburbs of the capital?"
Marquis Anning was also pleasantly surprised by his son's reaction. "It's hard to say. I can't be sure if there's a connection, nor can I be sure if there isn't."
As she spoke, she stopped in a hurry to leave and instead sat down in the chair in front of the bed, ready to analyze the current situation with her son.
Bai Qingzhou felt inexplicably excited when he saw his father sitting in the chair in front of the bed, because it meant that he was on equal footing with his father, rather than looking up at him.
Marquis Anning didn't think much of it, and after sitting down, he began to speak...
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