A year later, news of victory came from the border. The emperor was overjoyed and summoned the general back to the capital to reward him.
When the news of the invincible god of war's great victory reached the imperial city, the people were all smiles and the entire city was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Thinking that the general would return triumphantly with his troops soon, many ministers reminded their wives to interact more with the general's husband.
The general's importance to his husband was known to the whole city.
In the past, there were people who were jealous and thought that if they were the general's wife, they would definitely be more favored than the general's wife, so they relied on their looks to seduce the general.
But unexpectedly, the general ordered the guards to throw the man back to her house. Therefore, no one else dared to have any more thoughts.
More than a month later, in the general's mansion.
Today, the general returned to the capital. Fu Siqin specially asked for leave from his teacher and went to welcome his father with his nanny.
After he finished a plate of snacks and a bowl of goat milk soup, his mother's door finally opened.
"Qin'er, have you been waiting for a long time?" Muqin came over with an embarrassed look on her face.
Seeing his father's face filled with smiles and eyes full of joy, Fu Siqin smiled and said, "My son has just arrived. Let's go, father should be here soon."
"Okay, let's go." Xylophone nodded.
"Is this outfit new, father? I've never seen you wear it before." Fu Siqin asked curiously when he saw his father's outfit was different from before.
Without waiting for Muqin to answer, Qiu Shuang, the maid following the two masters, said with a smile, "This dress was worn by the master when he first met the general. The general saw that the master liked it, so he asked someone to make a new style every year. The master usually keeps it at the bottom of the box."
"Qiu Shuang! You are the only one who talks too much."
Being teased like this in front of other people, Muqin felt a little embarrassed.
"Okay, I won't say anything more." Qiu Shuang coughed lightly and suppressed the smile on her face.
A group of people from the General's Mansion appeared on the Imperial City Avenue in a mighty procession.
Seeing the general's wife and the young master being protected in the middle by the guards and maids, everyone stepped aside to make way for them.
Not long after, the emperor and his ministers also arrived. The general had returned victoriously, so the emperor naturally went to greet them in person.
After waiting for a long time, they suddenly heard the sound of orderly and dull footsteps, and the sound of the iron hooves of war horses stepping on the bluestone road was deafening.
The scene suddenly became quiet. Everyone looked up and saw a figure slowly emerging in the distance.
After fighting the enemy on the battlefield for many years, every soldier who was able to return safely was intimidating and full of murderous aura.
As the troops approached, the murderous aura and smell of blood that belonged to the border also overwhelmed them. The common people who had never seen such a battle were frightened and turned pale, and subconsciously hid to the side.
No one dared to say anything, even the emperor and his ministers stopped smiling and looked solemn.
Having been with her husband for many years, Muqin Yi, who had long been accustomed to this kind of momentum, only had a slight change of expression, and did not react as violently as the others.
On the other hand, Fu Siqin's eyes were surprisingly bright, and he tightened his grip on his father's men.
Feeling the changes in his son, Muqin understood everything.
In five years, his son grew from five to ten. He and his son had waited too long, and he was afraid that his son would almost forget what his father looked like.
Thinking that she would soon meet her husband, Muqin's eyebrows slightly curved, and the joy in her heart was so full that it was about to overflow.
"I saw it! I saw it!" A voice suddenly rang out, and others followed suit, their mouths stretched to their ears.
"The general is still as mighty and brave as ever, and his aura is so intimidating!"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Eh? Am I dazzled? Is the general riding with a woman in red?"
Following an inappropriate remark, everyone looked and saw a woman in red riding on the general's horse.
"This……"
Thinking of the story of the general and his wife's long-term love, the people looked at each other and dared not say a word.
Muqin, who also heard those words, felt a chill in his heart and subconsciously took a few steps forward to look.
But she saw her husband hugging the woman in red in front of him. She didn't know what they were talking about. She only saw the woman leaning into his arms and laughing. Her husband also lowered his eyes and looked at her with a smile.
Seeing this scene, Muqin felt a buzzing in his head, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, with a chill all over his body.
Muqin had never seen her husband smile at anyone other than the two of them.
At this moment, he could no longer hear any sound, only the promise he made to himself under the moon that year kept echoing in his mind.
"You are the only one in my life and I will never let you down." Muqin's pale lips trembled and his vision gradually blurred.
Now...what is this?
"Mr. Mum..." Seeing his Mr. Mum's look at this moment, Fu Siqin suppressed the anger in his heart, walked up to him and held his hand.
Muqin retreated according to her son's force, and several maids beside her quietly surrounded her, blocking the gazes of others around.
Even for the sake of the General's Office's reputation, Muqinyi could not lose his composure in public.
"Father, shall we go back home first?" Fu Siqin said softly, his eyes full of worry.
Father, you are the one who loves me the most, but why did you embarrass me in public today?
Looking at his father who was crying and silent with his head down, Fu Siqin sighed and walked to the emperor.
After listening to Fu Siqin's words, the emperor glanced over there and nodded, "Since the general's wife is ill, let's go back home first."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Fu Siqin said respectfully with a frown on his face.
Then he returned to his father.
Seeing the people from the General's Mansion suddenly leave, and thinking of what they had just seen, the people around them began to discuss in a low voice.
The emperor looked away and spoke after a long while, "My great general has a good son."
Listening to His Majesty's somewhat ambiguous words, the old prime minister lowered his eyes and said, "A tiger father will not have a dog son. This is common sense."
General's Mansion
Seeing Muqin coming back with red eyes and the maid who came back with her also looked anxious, the old housekeeper hurried over to greet her, "Master, what happened? Where is the old man? Didn't he come back with you?"
"Master Butler, don't mention this. You don't know that the general came back with a woman, and they were riding on the same horse!" The maid Qiu Shuang said angrily.
"Qiushuang, shut up! How can you discuss the masters' affairs?" Liangxia scolded coldly.
Qiu Shuang, who was scolded by Liang Xia, shuddered and subconsciously looked at her master. Seeing that her master's eyes dimmed after hearing her words, Qiu Shuang shut her mouth and dared not say anything more.
There are four maids beside Muqin.
Chunju is honest and steady, while Liangxia's personality is the opposite of her name, she is strict and cold.
Qiu Shuang is lively, but sometimes she speaks bluntly and without thinking. Xue Mei loves to laugh, and she is usually the one who makes her master happy.
The common point among the four is that they all know martial arts, and their skills are not low.
"The general brought a woman back?!" The old housekeeper was surprised, but quickly responded, "I know the general's character very well. There may be other hidden reasons. When the general returns home, why don't you ask him privately about the reason?"
"Father, what the housekeeper said makes sense. You should change into some fresh clothes first. Father should be back soon." Fu Siqin also advised.
My father's health is not very good, so he needs to take good care of himself on a daily basis.
When the seasons change, you will always feel uncomfortable. If it gets cooler at night and you are not careful, you will have a fever the next day.
He was afraid that his father would be too sad and hurt himself due to the emotional ups and downs.
"...Yes, maybe your father did this for a reason." Muqin forced a smile, subconsciously ignoring the discomfort in her heart, "It's my father's fault. I'm sorry to have made Qin'er worry."
Seeing his father's slightly pale smile, Fu Siqin felt a little uncomfortable. He shook his head silently and accompanied his father back to the main courtyard.
On the corridor, Fu Siqin heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the voice of his father-in-law laughing and scolding the maid from inside the house.
But when he thought of the scene he just saw, his brows furrowed.
Not far away, the old housekeeper frowned at the young master, shook his head, sighed, and left.
Sir, what on earth do you think?
Even if there is another hidden story, it should be made clear in advance and the lady should not be made so sad.
"Still no news about Hei Yi?"
"Yes, little master."
After hearing Wu Qi's answer, Fu Siqin became confused.
Logically speaking, my father should have returned home, and Hei Yi and the others should have returned with him. How come the letter I just sent fell into oblivion?
Suddenly, another shadow guard appeared and knelt on one knee beside Wu Qi, "Young Master, I have something to report!"
"Speak."
"Heijiu sent a letter saying that he found out at the border that Heiyi had lost his whereabouts a year ago, Heiliu had his throat slit for betraying his master, and the other Shadow Guards died on the battlefield." Heiqi whispered.
"What did you say?!" Fu Siqin was shocked and turned around to look at Heiqi.
"Hei Liu betrayed his master? That's impossible!" Fu Siqin retorted subconsciously.
He still remembers when he was five years old, his father brought four shadow guards to him. At that time -
'Qin'er, come here and take a look at the four shadow guards your father has given you. When your father is not at home, if you have any problems that you cannot solve, just give them to them. They will protect you on behalf of your father.'
'Protect me? Qin'er is very capable and doesn't need protection. Daddy, let them protect Mommy instead!'
"Silly boy!" The young father patted his son's head and laughed, "Your father has twelve shadow guards protecting him, so why should you worry?"
"Father is partial to me!" The five-year-old child staggered after being slapped by his father, and he covered his head and complained.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you just said you'd give them to your father, and now you're accusing me of being partial."
"What if they don't listen to me?" The child rolled his eyes and changed the subject.
'No, they would not rebel unless their father died.'
"Why?" the child asked curiously.
"Well... I will tell you when you grow up." The young father patted the child's head and did not say anything.
Unless their father died, it would be impossible for them to rebel against their Lord.
Fu Siqin suddenly had an idea in his mind, as if he understood something, but at the same time he didn't understand it, and his eyebrows wrinkled into a ball.
He subconsciously felt that the answer was in the flash of inspiration just now.
"What else did Heijiu say in the letter?" Fu Siqin pondered for a long time before he continued to ask.
"Heijiu found out that the division commander's two legs were broken, but this incident did not cause much reaction in the army."
"The division's legs are broken? Can you tell me the reason?" Fu Siqin asked.
"Yes..." Hei Jiu hesitated and was about to speak when he was interrupted by the voice of the visitor.
"Master, young master, the general has returned! He has arrived at the gate!" The servant ran into the main courtyard, his voice excited.
"Let's talk about this tonight." Fu Siqin waved her hand, signaling them to leave first.
"Yes, I'll take my leave."
As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow guard in front of Fu Siqin left, without letting the servant see them.
As soon as the shadow guard left, the door was opened. Fu Siqin walked over and accompanied his nanny to greet his father.
By the way, ask your father what his actions today mean.