Chapter 69 The emotional blade charged towards Lin Qingdai…
The unusual activity was reported to the Lin residence.
In the front courtyard's flower hall, He Kemujing and a group of experts were roasting fruit and drinking tea with Lin Qingdai, enjoying a warm and cozy time. Ever since the second young lady of the Lin family married into Lingdong, they had frequently visited the Lin residence, sometimes on missions, and sometimes simply on their own whims.
It's lively with lots of people, and there are always new things to do, which is much more fun than being alone.
Hearing the sound, He Ke looked at Lin Qingdai and said, "The general is back?"
Lin Qingdai replied softly, "At this hour, it shouldn't be possible?"
Today, the girl wore a light pink stand-up collar jacket with delicate floral patterns on the fabric, paired with a matching pink skirt.
Her beauty was exquisite and captivating.
Spring has not yet arrived, but the eastern part of the Lingnan region is already showing signs of spring.
He Ke: "I'll go out and take a look."
Song Yunyan: "I'll go too."
He Ke: "Let's go, let's go. If it really is the general returning, we'll exchange the tea for wine."
Lin Qingdai laughed upon hearing this, "Then I'll go steal the wine the general has hidden."
The flower hall burst into laughter because of Lin Qingdai's words.
He Ke and Song Yunyan strode towards the gate. When the gate opened, the scene at the entrance startled them.
Ji and Jing have indeed returned.
But he gave off a cold, emotionless feeling. His dark eyes, which always held a faint smile when he looked at them, were now bloodshot, clearly from recent crying.
Behind him were two generals, Cong Xin and Xu Xian, both armed. This formation didn't look like they were coming home; it looked more like they were there to arrest someone.
Who needs General Ji to personally take action to arrest?
"General, this is..."
He Ke asked gently.
Ji Yujing was very direct: "Take down Song Yunyan."
Song Yunyan: "..."
Upon hearing this, He Ke instinctively shielded Song Yunyan behind her. "General, why are you taking the Fourth Prince?"
Ji Yujing's lips twitched slightly. "Why? The fact that Song Qingwu's blood flows in his veins is his greatest sin."
In full view of everyone, they directly called out the emperor's name.
If this were taken seriously, it would be a capital offense. Something major must have happened to provoke Ji Yujing to this extent.
Song Yunyan bypassed He Ke; he didn't need protection. If Ji Yujing insisted on killing him, He Ke couldn't stop him.
"what happened?"
Ji and Jing remained silent.
Xu Xian replied on his behalf: "Because the emperor suspected that the general was hiding the tiger tally of the Zhenxi Army, he massacred almost all the civilians from Lingdong in the capital."
"What did you say?"
Song Yunyan was shocked and couldn't believe it; his dark eyes were filled with astonishment.
Xu Xian: "Everything you heard is true."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Xian drew his sword first. "A blood feud. Your Highness, please don't blame us."
Knowing that Ji Yujing and Song Yunyan were bound by the presence of Miss Lin Er, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He Ke naturally refused and fought with him.
He drew his sword again and charged towards Song Yunyan. As the sword's wind swept towards Song Yunyan, he instinctively dodged.
Seeing that the situation was not good, He Ke shouted, "Miss!"
"Mu Jing".
The impatient voice reached the flower hall, startling everyone.
Lin Qingdai, Mu Jing, and the others quickly got up and headed towards the door.
"stop."
The scene of fierce fighting came into Lin Qingdai's view, and she cried out in alarm. Her skirt seemed to be disturbed by her shout, and the arc it swung out became even sharper.
This sound forced Cong Xin and Xu Xian to a halt.
To them, Lin Qingdai was not only the general's wife, but also the second guardian of Lingdong. Since her arrival, the lives of the people of Lingdong have visibly improved, and they are filled with hope for the future.
This sound also caused Ji Yujing's right hand, which was hanging at his side, to twitch slightly.
That was all; he didn't go to greet her, his whole body cold and aloof, as if he had just emerged from a freezing pool.
Lin Qingdai walked out of the Lin residence and came between Ji Yujing and Song Yunyan.
"What happened?"
He Ke told her what he knew.
She listened and then fell silent.
Xu Xian then added details: "Not only did they kill so many people, they also cut off pieces of Shaoning's flesh and sent them to Lingdong."
“The Song family is so vicious that everyone has the right to kill them.”
He had only intended to state a fact, but as he spoke, his tone grew louder and louder, and his resentment could no longer be concealed.
Lin Qingdai looked at Ji Yujing, but he lowered his eyes, unwilling to look at her. He had been bright and spirited when he left home that morning. Yet, in just half a day, he had become so cold and ruthless.
How many more sins will the Song family commit?
Tears welled up in her almond-shaped eyes so quickly that she couldn't control them at all.
Silence fell over the area. After a long while, Lin Qingdai slowly walked towards Ji Yujing. "I understand how you feel, but..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ji Yujing looked up at her, his words gentle yet sharp, "You don't understand. A young lady like you could never truly understand the pain and helplessness of ordinary people."
"Despite a lifetime of hard work, they still live a life of poverty, their life or death depending on a single word from those in power."
"Yes, Song Yunyan is lucky; he is a prince. When he is hurt, you protect him time and time again, but what about the poor and lowly people?"
An emotionally charged blade hurtled towards Lin Qingdai.
Song Yunyan couldn't stand this any longer, "You..."
Mu Jing tugged at him.
Song Yunyan looked at Mu Jing.
Mu Jing shook his head at him.
At times like these, it's best for Song Yunyan to minimize his presence.
Ji Yujing had clearly decided to kill, but he didn't do it himself only because of Lin Qingdai between him and Song Yunyan.
Hatred consumed him; he still remembered it.
Song Yunyan listened to the advice and gave up going forward.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't sad to hear such words.
But her gaze towards Ji Yujing remained gentle. "You are not me, how do you know I cannot understand? If you were to kill Song Yunmian today, even if it were the Emperor himself, I would not stop you."
"But Fourth Brother, he is innocent."
"Innocent? Weren't those villagers who died unjustly innocent?"
"If you indiscriminately kill innocent people, how are you any different from Song Yunmian? And what gives you the right to condemn him?"
At this point, Ji Yujing suddenly laughed.
"Lin Qingdai, stop trying to impose your rules on me. You use rules to tame me, but others are brutally slaughtering the civilians of Lingdong."
"Can your rules save them?"
Is it possible?
Ji and Jing lost control of their emotions, as did their words.
"To tame you?"
The hurtful words finally shattered Lin Qingdai's composure, and tears welled up in her almond-shaped eyes. "You really think that way?"
Ji Yujing saw it and was stunned for a moment.
It only lasted for a moment; afterwards, he avoided the question.
"Leave Song Yunyan to me."
Lin Qingdai shook her head slightly: "He is innocent. As long as I see it, I will not allow any innocent person to die, even if it costs me my own life. He can be the fourth prince, or he can be a commoner."
"General Ji."
She called to him coldly, without a trace of her former affection.
"The Fourth Prince risked his life to save over a thousand people in Ningyue City. He and Song Yunmian are different, and their relationship is almost nonexistent. This matter cannot be attributed to him at all."
"But he is indeed Song, if we insist on arguing..."
“The Cen family, the mother's family of the Fourth Prince, can donate 10,000 taels of gold to Lingdong. General, let him return to the south.”
"You want to talk business with me?"
"I only wish for your well-being. If the general refuses and insists on killing the Fourth Prince, then..."
They killed me too.
“Because of this method of displaced anger, the royal family is becoming more and more insane, and no one I care about can escape it. This time it was the fourth prince, will it be my father or my brother next time? General Ji, I can’t take this anymore.”
"The sooner you die, the sooner you're free."
Once again, she predicted the future before everyone else.
Ji Yujing knew she was right.
Such conflicts will increase as Emperor Taining goes mad. He wants to kill, she wants to save.
Extreme intelligence is harmful, especially when one's body is weak.
If this kind of thing happens a few more times, she definitely won't be able to handle it.
One day, he will lose Lin Qingdai.
When this thought arose, Ji and Jing were briefly freed from the shackles of their hostility.
He cannot lose Lin Qingdai; he must find a compromise.
After a long standoff, Ji Yujing finally spoke, though his voice still hadn't warmed up.
"Ten days."
If the Cen family fails to send the 10,000 taels of gold to Lingdong within ten days, Song Yunyan will still die.
Lin Qingdai: "Then I'll trouble the general to wait for ten days."
After she finished speaking, Ji Yujing turned and left.
Xin and Xu Xian followed, but none of the soldiers surrounding the Lin residence retreated. Ji Yujing's meaning was already very clear.
Only after Ji Yujing's figure disappeared from Lin Qingdai's sight did she turn her gaze away and return to the Lin residence with Song Yunyan and the others.
As soon as the door closed, Song Yunyan shouted angrily, "Is Song Yunmian determined to kill me?"
They failed at Ningyue City, so they're trying again.
Knowing that he was in Lingdong, he still used extreme methods to provoke Ji Yujing, not only to warn Ji Yujing, but also to kill him.
He Ke: "Song Yunmian has really gone mad."
Lin Qingdai stopped in her tracks: "He really has gone mad."
"Fourth Brother, you can't just sit here and wait to die any longer."
Upon hearing this, Song Yunyan immediately fell silent; he had truly had enough.
"What can I do? Go back to the palace and fight him?"
Lin Qingdai didn't reply to him at the time. Returning to the flower hall, she instructed Mingyue to lay out a map of Xun Kingdom. Several people stood around the map, and Lin Qingdai's slender white fingertip pointed to the location of the south.
"Go south."
Song Yunyan: "What are you going there for?"
Lin Qingdai: "Initiate the plan to hide soldiers among the people."
"Hiding soldiers among the people?"
"They can be mobilized for combat immediately during wartime, and live a normal life during peacetime."
The south is home to numerous powerful families, each arrogant and self-important. Ordinary people simply cannot unite them. Yet, their strength and resources are undeniable, making them extremely difficult to conquer. This is why, despite the rise of many powerful figures, none originated from the south.
"But the situation is different now. The Lin family has moved to the south. With the young master of the Lin family and the fourth prince of the current dynasty joining forces, it's worth a try."
"Fourth Brother, it will be very tiring to negotiate with each one individually. Are you willing to do it? The situation is unstable. Only by entering the game and holding military power can we have the right to negotiate."
Song Yunyan looked at Lin Qingdai quietly for a moment, then said, "Dai Dai, Fourth Brother is willing to go."
He no longer wanted Dai Dai to save him time and time again.
He no longer wanted to cause his mother, who was deep in the palace, any worry.
Lin Qingdai gently curled the corners of her lips, "Dai Dai believes in Fourth Brother, and he will become famous throughout the world in another way."
...
Ji and Jing returned to the military camp and locked themselves in the council hall. Evening arrived, and they still hadn't emerged.
Ye Xiao was worried about him and would come over to check on him from time to time, but this time he only dared to loiter around the door.
At 5:15 PM, he arrived again.
As I pressed my ear against the door to listen for any sounds, the soldiers on duty at the patrol post came over.
"Young Master Xiao."
Ye Xiao: "..."
He turned around, feigning composure, and looked at the soldier. "Looking for the general?"
Soldier: "Yes, Miss Mingqian from the Madam's side has arrived. She brought a bowl of soup, saying that the Madam personally cooked it for the General."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao's dark eyes suddenly lit up.
"Okay, okay, I'll go get it."
Ye Xiao followed the soldiers out of the camp, took the soup, and then returned.
He finally found an excuse to knock on the door.
Bang, bang, bang.
He knocked three times, and a sound came from inside. "Come in."
Ye Xiao pushed open the door and strode over to Ji Yujing, placing the food box on the desk.
Ji Yujing didn't even look at it. "I don't want to eat it. Take it away."
Ye Xiao: "My sister-in-law made a calming soup and rice cakes herself."
"You really aren't going to eat it? Then I'll have it."
Ji Yujing looked up at him.
Ye Xiao immediately quieted down: "I won't eat, I'm not worthy. Call me if you need anything, I'll be there as fast as I can."
After saying that, he quickly left the council chamber.
Ji Yujing's gaze fell on the exquisite food box, and after a long while, he lifted the lid of the food box.
The aroma of herbs and the sweet, glutinous scent of rice cakes mingled together and wafted towards him...
For the next three days, at 5:15 PM each day, a calming soup would be placed in front of Ji Yujing. The snacks were different each time, but they were always soft, glutinous, and easy to digest.
On the fourth day, by mid-afternoon, Ji Yujing still hadn't received the calming soup. He was restless and irritable, unable to control himself. But when asked to ask, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
After nearly a cup of tea had been brewed, there was finally some movement outside the council chamber.
Ye Xiao came in and said urgently without asking, "Mingqian just came over and said that my sister-in-law has a headache and fever and is feeling dizzy. We don't have any calming soup today."
Ji Yujing's voice was cold. "When did this happen? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Ye Xiao: "..."
He thought to himself, "In your state, who would dare to talk to you?"
"It must be that my sister-in-law told me not to say it, for fear that you would worry."
Before he could finish speaking, Ji Yujing had already stood up and headed outside.
The speed was so fast that Ye Xiao didn't even have a chance to ask him where he was going.
Back at the Lin residence, they found Lin Qingdai in the flower hall.
She lay in the rocking chair, swaying gently with the chair, her eyes closed, her face flushed an unusual red, clearly still burning with fever.
I have been in Lingdong for nearly half a year and have been in good health and high spirits ever since.
After all that commotion, she got sick again.
Ji Yujing watched her quietly for a while, then walked to the recliner, bent down, and picked her up. Even though he was very gentle, he still startled Lin Qingdai.
She struggled to open her eyes and said stubbornly, "I want to stay here, it's cool."
Ji Yujing seemed not to hear her words, continuing to speak to herself, "Where's my calming soup?"
This sentence brought Lin Qingdai to her senses considerably. "General?"
Ji Yujing did not respond and carried the beautiful girl back to the bedroom.
He tucked her into the warm blankets, took off his coat, and lay down beside her, gently stroking her hair with his large hand. "Sleep."
Lin Qingdai: "I feel hot, have a headache, and can't sleep."
Ji Yujing: "Whose fault is it?"
Lin Qingdai moved closer to him, but her words were anything but kind: "It's your fault."
Surrounded by familiar scents, Lin Qingdai, who had said she couldn't sleep, quickly fell asleep.
Ji Yujing looked at her quietly, and in an instant, his lips touched her forehead.
That night, Ji and Jing also had a rare peaceful night's sleep.
The bloody and cruel scenes temporarily retreated, no longer strangling him.
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