137 Chapter 137
"From now on, I only wish you long-lasting happiness and peace of mind, and that you find another good partner."
Xu Qinghe stared at the blurred figure in front of him and whispered, "How do you know that as the Princess of the Southern Territory, I wouldn't sacrifice everything for peace in the Southern Territory? Xie Qi, you're not the only one in this world who has such a selfless heart to defend our country."
Naturally, Xu Qinghe also has it.
"I know, of course I know." Xie Qi lowered his head, smiled bitterly and murmured.
At this moment, he actually felt a little proud.
Look, this is the girl he has liked for so many years.
Her intelligence, cleverness, bravery, and fearlessness made his original intention of bringing her back to his side at all costs seem even more disgusting.
"It's precisely because I know you're this kind of person that I don't dare tell you this. It's not for anything else, it's just for my own selfish reasons."
"As a general of the Southern Territory, I naturally hope to have as many people as possible who will sacrifice everything for the Southern Territory. But as your husband and your sweetheart, Qinghe, I only hope that you are well and can live a happy and carefree life. I just want you to be well."
Xu Qinghe smiled again, but hot tears were welling up in his eyes.
"Even though I hate you?"
Xie Qi tightened his grip on the window frame. Even though his heart ached as if someone was clutching it, he still spoke hoarsely with a slight roll in his throat, "Even if you will hate me."
Xu Qinghe still smiled: "Even if I fall in love with someone else in the future and become compatible with him?"
"Even if... you fall in love with someone else in the future and become compatible with them."
As Xu Qinghe laughed, tears finally welled up in her eyes.
"Even if I could have a harmonious marriage with another man, have children, and make a promise to be together forever?"
After leaving him, she would fall in love with another man, become intimately acquainted with that man, bear children for that man, and completely abandon him to the depths of her memory, never to think of him again. She would make a promise to that man to be together forever in the next life...
Just thinking about these things made Xie Qi so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.
A voice in his heart was clamoring: "Why don't you dare look back at her?"
He was afraid that once he turned back, it would be difficult to turn back.
"Can't you hear it? She's crying because of you again."
He deserved death. But this would be the last time. From now on, they would be separated and he would never make her cry because of him again.
"Go back, look at her and hug her. She's such a soft-hearted person. As long as you admit your mistake, as long as you speak up, she will definitely forgive you. She will forgive you."
She would forgive him, but he could no longer forgive himself.
A short pain is worse than a long one. Rather than letting her be alone in the future because of my death on the battlefield, it is better to cut everything off today.
The voice laughed at him: "What a boast! How do you know she won't remarry after you die?"
Xie Qi smiled bitterly, but there was relief in his smile.
He just knows.
After his death, it was difficult for her to fall in love with someone else.
He just knows.
He and she were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, so naturally they both knew how deep the other's feelings were for them.
If he gives in today and they reconcile, then if he really dies in battle one day, this girl will be a widow for the rest of her life.
This is not because she is loyal to him, but because after loving him, she will not find any man better than him.
In this regard, he is indeed extremely confident.
But he couldn't bear to see such a good person like her being alone for the rest of her life.
The voice in my heart was silent for a moment, but still asked, "But why are you so sure that you will die on the battlefield?"
Who can guarantee that he can escape unscathed from the Nanyi Kingdom’s palace and the battlefield in the southern border?
He couldn't let this possibility, which no one could guarantee, ruin her life.
What's more, he was determined to die on this trip.
In fact, he shouldn't have shown up when they met again. He shouldn't have coaxed her back to his side and made her his wife just to satisfy his own selfish desires.
Since everything that happened before was a mistake, he will end this mistake with his own hands today.
"Xie Qi, I'm asking you a question, answer me."
The girl behind him said while holding back her tears.
Xie Qi closed his eyes and suppressed the turbulent emotions in his eyes.
He turned around and calmly looked at the girl whose face was covered in tears but still looked stubborn. He smiled and said, "Qinghe, there are thousands of good men in the world. You will definitely find someone better than me, someone who can love you more wholeheartedly. Even if you are in harmony with another man and have children with him, I will only sincerely bless you."
At this moment, in the midst of heartache, Xie Qi was actually able to distract himself and feel thankful.
Fortunately, fortunately, he had followed her request and not left her with any children. Otherwise, with this girl's stubborn temper, she might have done something stupid like raising a child alone.
Then he would really hate himself.
Xu Qinghe held back her tears. Just now, for a moment, she even wanted to tell him that she was pregnant with their child. Even so, would he still push her away?
But in the end, he didn't say anything.
This is a matter between the two of them. It would be wrong to involve others, even if they are their own flesh and blood.
If he overturned all his previous decisions and gave up separating from her because of the child, they would never be able to go back to the way they were before.
Rather than this, it would be better to end it here.
"Okay, I understand."
Xu Qinghe raised her hand to wipe away her tears, frowned, and didn't let the other person see her momentary vulnerability.
She stepped forward, approaching him step by step under his astonished gaze.
Seeing her coming, Xie Qi obviously wanted to hide, but Xu Qinghe didn't allow him. She just grabbed his collar with one hand and pulled him back, while reaching into his collar with the other hand.
Sure enough, she found the two jade pendants that had been used to seal their engagement in his arms.
When she left the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion, she took nothing with her, even the jade pendant was left with him. At first, she herself didn't understand why she did this, but later she gradually figured it out.
I just wanted to give myself an excuse to rekindle our relationship, but I didn't expect that he didn't want it at all.
Xu Qinghe clasped the two pieces together tightly and held the jade pendant that had finally become one in the palm of his hand.
He must have often carried this jade pendant with him to play with it. Not only did it still retain his body temperature, but the edges were also much smoother than before.
But she threw such a precious jade pendant, which carried the beautiful memories of their youth, to the ground in front of Xie Qi's shocked gaze.
The jade pendant fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Fragments bounced from the ground and scratched her tear-stained cheeks.
Xie Qi was still in shock and heartache as he looked at the debris scattered all over the ground, but Xu Qinghe had already cheered up and regained her former pride as the Princess of the Southern Territory.
She raised her chin, ignoring the bleeding wound on her face, and said coldly: "Just Xie Qi, you pushed me away today, don't regret it in the future."
She looked at him calmly, officially sentencing their relationship to death: "From now on, whether you, Xie Qi, live or die has nothing to do with me, Xu Qinghe, and it's best if we never meet again. Even if fate plays a trick on us and we meet, it's best to pretend we don't know each other. From now on, you and I will just be strangers."
Xie Qi also looked at her, watching her gradually become strong, no longer the little girl who would cry in front of him after falling off the horse.
After a long moment, he heard his own voice, with difficulty, reply, "Okay. From now on, I wish you eternal happiness and freedom from worries... Find someone else..."
"Find another good match."
She turned away with a cold face. Xie Qi reached out his hand hesitantly, realizing it belatedly, but he only caught a wisp of fragrance that had blown past her.
What she didn't know was that he had already regretted it the moment she turned and left.
**
Five days later, Xie Qi led his personal soldiers to the southern border.
This incident was not publicized, but it was not kept secret either. Therefore, after the news spread from one person to another, the streets along the Suzaku Street where the soldiers were marching were still crowded with people. Qi Sheng had no choice but to send a number of imperial guards to maintain order.
Amid the people's cheers, they walked out of the city gate with their heads held high.
Not long after the army had gone out, Xie Qi suddenly tightened the reins and looked back at the city wall.
Fu Zongying also reined in his horse and looked back, only to see that on the city wall there were only soldiers standing solemnly with spears in their hands. Apart from them, there was no one else.
It was obvious who he was waiting for.
Fu Zongying sighed. This was clearly his brother, but the things he did always made him worry.
"Why are you doing this? You clearly can't let go, yet you're pushing the girl away. Why bother?"
Not seeing the person he wanted to see, Xie Qi lowered his eyes, turned back and continued to drive his horse forward: "I have narrowly escaped death on this journey. This is the best for her now."
He remembered the promise he made to Emperor Yongshun.
A few days before Emperor Yongshun's birthday, Xie Qi went to the palace to meet the emperor.
He informed Emperor Yongshun of his true identity and the truth of that year in advance, and asked him to cooperate with them to reveal everything on his birthday.
But how could Emperor Yongshun, as the emperor, actively cooperate?
He sneered from his high seat: "The son of a traitor, what a big mouth you have."
Xie Qi knelt in the hall with his back straight, looking directly into the emperor's eyes. He said neither servilely nor arrogantly, "As long as Your Majesty allows me to reveal the truth and clear the Xie family's grievances, Xie Qi is willing to lead the troops to fight Nanyi again for Your Majesty."
The Nanyi Kingdom located on the southern border has always been a major concern for Emperor Yongshun.
When Da Ling established itself as a nation, it had not prioritized military preparations. By the time Emperor Yongshun registered the country, this weakened state of military preparations was already irreversible. Fortunately, the surrounding states remained relatively law-abiding and had no plans to take Da Ling under their control.
Except for the Nanyi Kingdom.
The people of Nanyi are good at fighting. In terms of hand-to-hand combat, a Nanyi person can even fight three people at once. However, the country of Nanyi has a poor terrain and scarce resources. It is not well developed in horse breeding and weapons manufacturing. This is why it has been unable to do so despite its ambition to annex Daying for many years.
"According to what you just said, Wei Yiqun has been secretly supplying horses and weapons to the Nanyi Kingdom for many years. If the two countries were to go to war again, what chance would you have of winning?"
Xie Qi knew that Emperor Yongshun was showing signs of giving in.
He continued, "If we were to engage head-on, my ability to deploy troops would only be 70% effective at best. However, according to the information I sent people to gather from the Nanyi Kingdom, there are undercurrents surging within the Nanyi government. As long as someone can give them a push and make them leaderless and unable to take care of themselves, I am absolutely certain that I can defeat them. From then on, the southern border will enjoy eternal peace for at least a hundred years."
Emperor Yongshun pondered for a long time that day, and only when the sunset outside had turned into a bright moon did he finally nod.
"I will give you three years. If you can guarantee that Nanyi will completely surrender within three years, I will announce to the world that I will hand over the full power of the Southern Border Army to you, Xie Qi. If you cannot..."
He sneered, "It's not just you, Xie Qi. Since the Southern Border Army is unable to shoulder the responsibility of defending the Southern Border, I can't keep them either—including Xu Qinghe."
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