Chapter 39 Obedience.
It took almost half a month for the news of the Prince of Dingbei declaring himself emperor to reach Huangzhou. Compared to who became emperor, the people were more concerned about whether it would rain the next day.
But when it was mentioned that this Prince Dingbei was General Qin's father, everyone's faces lit up with joy.
Life is peaceful now, and everyone has something to look forward to. But if the emperor changes, who knows what kind of chaos will ensue?
It's always better for a general's father to be emperor than for anyone else; if the son is a good person, the father will naturally be good too.
The logic of ordinary people is just that simple and unadorned.
Such an important matter was only discussed briefly before people started gossiping about those around them.
Everything was as expected, and Lingyi remained silent for only half a day before putting it out of her mind.
However, there were still many subtle changes in life. For example, the oxcart she usually took to go to town had a new driver.
The shop that sells handkerchiefs and purses has hired a few new employees.
Next door to the house, a family of three settled down: a father with four sons. This was the first time such a family had ever lived in this riverside village, which was known as the "Widow Village."
Lingyi was unaware that these things concerned her, and life went on as usual.
Compared to before, I now have a new hobby—reading.
Qin Lie left behind many books, including military treatises and historical records, which were difficult to understand.
For her, it was like seeing a new world. Even though she didn't quite understand it most of the time, she loved it so much that she would often read it until her eyes were sore before she could go to sleep.
When Qin Lie came over at night, she was lying on the bed reading by lamplight.
He stared at her, the firelight flickering in his eyes, as if something suppressed was no longer willing to lie dormant.
She sat up and asked in surprise, "Why...why is the Prince here?"
Now that the Prince of Dingbei has just declared himself emperor, he should stay in Ji Province for a while longer.
Without saying a word, he leaned down and silenced her with his lips.
There were many books on her bed, which he casually pushed aside and began to undress them.
With just this movement, the bed began to shake and creak.
He sat up slightly, looking at her innocent face with displeasure. "Why are you so disobedient?"
Lingyi wasn't really going against him; at first she was unwilling, but later she genuinely forgot.
He smiled and said, "It's alright." He continued with his work.
The bed creaked and groaned. Lingyi pushed him away, saying, "No, no, we'll change it tomorrow and do it again."
He simply refused, saying, "I can't wait."
Lingyi was so angry she was about to cry, and she scratched a bloody mark on his neck with her fingernails. "It really won't do!"
He asked her in a hoarse voice, "Where to? On the table?"
Lingyi nodded shyly, but in the end, he carried her around the room, but never went to the "table".
Finally, the two of them collapsed onto the bed, drenched in sweat, leaving puddles of water on the floor.
He then picked up the book on the bed, which contained a bookmark made of leaves. It was the page she had just been reading: a story about a dynasty that surrendered without a fight to a foreign invasion, the emperor becoming a slave, and princesses being led as slaves. Many princesses died silently, yet some left their mark on history books.
A princess endured humiliation and gave birth to a child for a foreign prince, then attempted to assassinate him once they were no longer on guard.
The assassination attempt failed, and she and her two children were executed. Her life was recorded in just over twenty words in history.
His gaze faltered slightly as Qin Lie recalled the Empress's words about Lingyi: "She shouldn't have chosen to live such a wretched life." In fact, she had attempted suicide once, when she parted from Huan'er. She tried to provoke him into ending her own life.
Fortunately, she wasn't that headstrong; otherwise, if she had died...
He stood there lost in thought. Lingyi thought he was angry because she had touched his books without permission, so she nervously explained, "These books are here. I just picked them up to look at them when I had nothing to do..."
Qin Lie said, "Read whatever you like, but most of these are old books I've read before. I'll bring you some new ones next time."
“No need,” Lingyi said. “I don’t understand it very well. Your annotations will help.”
Qin Lie smiled, brushed the sweat-dampened hair from her forehead, and suddenly said, "With me here, I will never let you fall to such a state. Even if you lose your princess status, I will ensure your lifelong peace and wealth."
Seeing that she remained silent, he asked in an unfriendly tone, "Don't you believe me?"
Lingyi smiled slightly before slowly saying, "Since ancient times, a beautiful woman's favor has faded before her beauty has faded. How long can one's favor last by using one's looks to please another?"
If you can only survive for a short time, how can you expect to live a peaceful life?
Qin Lie sensed something was wrong and wanted to say something, but seemed unable to refute it. In the end, he only asked her, "Do you hate me?"
Lingyi gently shook her head.
Is it that you don't hate? You dare not hate? Or you are unable to hate?
Qin Lie pressed further, "If it weren't for Huan'er, would you hate me?"
Lingyi suddenly looked up at him, his gaze burning as if trying to see into the depths of her heart, and she quickly lowered her head to avoid it.
In this situation, why ask any more questions?
Qin Lie wanted to laugh out loud, but he also wanted to scold her until she was in tears. He was usually very decisive, but at this moment he felt a tightness in his chest and didn't know how to vent his anger.
Finally, he pulled her into his arms and squeezed out four words through his teeth.
"Hate is useless!"
The next day, Qin Lie didn't rush to change the bed. Instead, he hammered and fixed the four bed legs in place.
After reinforcing the bed legs, I enthusiastically taught her to read.
His favorite books were military treatises, but even if Lingyi understood them, he found them boring and could only talk about history books.
He talked about things that Lingyi couldn't understand before. He wasn't a good storyteller, and his stories weren't vivid or engaging. However, he often had his own insights, which were often incisive and refreshing for Lingyi.
Aside from the parts she didn't understand, he would sometimes improvise and casually tell her anecdotes.
Just then, he sat at his desk, and Lingyi sat on a low stool to his side, obediently resting on his lap, listening to him talk about the Warring States Policy.
Qin Lie solemnly recounted that Empress Dowager Xuan said to Shang Zi, "When I was the former king, he would place his thigh on my body, and I would not feel tired. He would place his entire body on top of me, and I would not feel heavy. Why? Because it would be of some benefit to me."
When Lingyi finally understood, her cheeks flushed red. He laughed loudly, lifted her up and sat her on his lap, and asked her in a low voice, "Do you also think there's 'some benefit'?"
It was originally just teasing, but as he hugged and rubbed her, he immediately got excited and Qin Lie reached under her clothes to do something naughty.
Lingyi refused, "In broad daylight..."
He interrupted her with a self-righteous air: "Otherwise, why would the ancients have created the phrase 'profaning in broad daylight'?"
He was breathing heavily and moving hastily, but seeing that she was really unwilling, he stopped.
Lingyi straightened her clothes, glancing at him suspiciously a few times. Qin Lie raised an eyebrow: "What? You're still not willing to let me go?"
Lingyi hadn't expected him to do this, since he had only come for this matter.
Qin Lie clearly saw through her thoughts. "When I came, I naturally thought of these things, but I came here for more than just these things."
He finished speaking and waited for a reaction.
After a long while, she remained completely silent, forcing him to speak: "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"
Lingyi thought for a moment and then shook her head.
Qin Lie paused for a moment, then said, "Putting everything else aside, those people in the Princess's residence—you defied me to protect them, and almost fell into the hands of the White Lotus Sect. I thought you still cared about them. But for so many days, you haven't mentioned them at all. What, is it not worth your time to ask how they are doing?"
Lingyi said softly, "There's nothing more I can do for them now, so what's the point of asking?"
Qin Lie suddenly became angry, "How do you know it's useless if you don't speak up?"
Lingyi approached him twice. The first time, she asked him to send troops to rescue the Crown Prince, and the second time, she asked him to bring Huan'er back to his side.
The two unsatisfactory results only made her situation more and more difficult.
She thought about it carefully again, then shook her head. "I don't want to ask."
He stared at her for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating laugh and scolded her, "I never expected her to be such a heartless little thing."
He seemed to sigh, then stopped mentioning those things and casually started talking about anecdotes from the Spring and Autumn Period.
The two were sleeping soundly that night when a commotion suddenly broke out outside, and Qin Lie woke up almost immediately.
When Lingyi opened her eyes and saw his fierce and bloodthirsty gaze, she shuddered in fright.
Qin Lie now knew it wasn't an enemy attack, so he relaxed and held her in his arms to comfort her.
The noise outside grew louder and louder, and the two embraced as they listened to what had happened.
The family arguing was Ma Guihua, Zhou's neighbor across the wall. Her family was the first to have someone marry into their family. The son-in-law was not only handsome, but also had a silver tongue and knew how to coax people. In just over a month, he coaxed Ma Guihua into agreeing to let his sister come and live with them.
Today's argument was also about this "sister"—but this isn't a sister at all; she's his ex-wife, whom he lied about to marry into the family. How can the intimacy between husband and wife be the same as that between siblings? Rumors were circulating in the village, and Ma Guihua had long been suspicious. She consulted Zhou Sao and others, and tonight they caught them in bed together!
This commotion was caused by Zhou Sao and others beating the son-in-law and his "sister".
Ma Guihua initially intended to beat and scold the "sister" and kick her out, since she had no intention of divorcing her husband.
Unexpectedly, this son-in-law not only protected his "sister," but also pushed Ma Guihua away.
This enraged the widows, who surrounded him and berated him as a heartless, ungrateful wretch!
The son-in-law said frankly, "I married into the family for Xiao Huan's sake. How could I let her watch me be heartbroken with other women every day? I originally wanted to take her away, and it's good that I found out today. Guihua, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I will repay you double the money I owe you in the future."
Ma Guihua cried and said, "Do you think you can repay me with money?! For so long, you said you were a fallen nobleman, and I took care of the household, farmed and worked, and served you both comfortably. Now you're telling me it's all a lie, without a trace of sincerity. What about all the things you said to me before?"
She cried heartbrokenly, moving Zhou Sao and the others deeply. But the son-in-law remained unmoved: "My heart already belongs to Xiao Huan, there's no room for anyone else. You're still young and kind, forget about me. I'll definitely repay the money I owe you. As for the love I owe you... if there's an afterlife, I'll marry you again."
"Pah! You bastard!" Aunt Zhou kicked him to the ground. "You liar, what are you pretending to be so devoted for! Meeting you in this life is bad enough, and you still want to be reborn? You rotten piece of trash who's descended to the eighteenth level of hell, do you still want to be reincarnated as a human?! Let me tell you, dream on! On the other side of the river, you two also have ten acres of land, how come you can't make a living?! You married Xiao Huan because she has good land, a house, is capable, and has money! Now that life is better, you think you're all that anymore, and you're already looking down on her because she's a widow, what kind of grand show are you putting on for me? You can't even accept anyone else, how can you get hard in bed with Guihua? It seems this 'chicken' isn't on your side, you might as well cut it off early to avoid causing trouble outside!"
Although they were clearly unrelated, and no one even knew he was there, Qin Lie always felt that Zhou Sao was making veiled accusations against him.
At first, he might have been suspicious, but the person in his arms was clearly chuckling. His face darkened, and he asked her, "What are you laughing at?"
Lingyi looked at his expression and guessed what was going on. She forced a smile and said against her will, "New clothes are worse than old ones, but old friends are worse than new ones. I really can't blame him."
"New clothes are worse than old ones, but old friends are worse than new ones?" Qin Lie repeated slowly, his face growing even uglier.
He rolled over and asked fiercely, "Which old friend are you talking about?"
Fueled by anger, he moved violently and forcefully, and the bed began to creak again. Fortunately, it was noisy outside, but by the time the room quieted down, there was no sound outside.
Lingyi was exhausted and had no time to think about whether anyone had heard her.
He suddenly said, "This time when I return, I will lead troops to attack the capital. It will take at least two or three months, and at most half a year, before I can return."
The Seventh Prince is, after all, a descendant of the late Emperor, and with the assistance of Prime Minister Guo, he has a very deep foundation in the capital.
After the death of the Crown Prince and the subsequent tyranny of Geng Qing, the country was in chaos. Many people in the court and the provinces longed for stability and had no choice but to rely on the Seventh Prince for a moment of peace. In addition, Prime Minister Guo emptied the national treasury and continued to recruit soldiers. The capital now had ample food supplies, strong city walls, 100,000 troops at its disposal, and renowned generals such as Liu Yunfei defending the city. It was truly a tough nut to crack.
Lingyi opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over him to the majestic imperial city, the place where she had lived for fifteen years.
"Do you want to go back?" he asked.
"Can we go back?" she asked.
He chuckled, "If you behave, I'll take you back."
He gently stroked her cheek, his voice tender: "Once your father and brothers are dead, and your father takes over the capital, the feud between our two families will be wiped clean. With me here, there is no place in the world you cannot go, Princess Yongjia..." He addressed her by her title, "I can give you anything except a title and our child."
She remained silent, clearly unmoved.
Qin Lie sighed and conceded another step, "You are a princess of the previous dynasty and cannot teach my child, but it is alright if you meet. As long as you are obedient, I can let you see Huan'er often."
He kept using the word "as long as" in his sentences, so she asked, "What does it mean to be obedient?"
He brushed the long hair behind her ear.
"When I'm not around, wait for me, long for me."
"When I came over, she stayed with me and clung to me."
"That is what it means to be obedient."
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