Chapter 43: Your ideal husband is on the third floor.
The prefectural government only provides rations per capita. There are no restaurants operating in the city. The inns that are still open only provide lodging and do not provide meals, but you can borrow their stoves to cook.
Tao Yao and several soldiers with notable names entered the city. On the way, they caught a deer, which became their main meal for the night.
The boss went to great lengths to find them several bottles of wine, and by the time everyone arrived, the aroma of venison was already wafting through the air.
The war has not yet ended, and the soldiers in the army still need to stick to their posts. Today, a few of us just happened to be in the city on business and stayed overnight. There was a lot of noise and chatter at the table, but there were actually no more than twenty people present.
The wine had just been poured when Guo, the adjutant, looked at Tao Qingyang with a smile and asked, "General, why aren't you wearing a mask today? Are you waiting for the brothers to praise you and Lady Qin as a perfect match?"
Qin Song sat down between Tao Yao and her brother. At first, she was whispering to Tao Yao and didn't pay much attention to what was happening at the table. Only when she heard the voice did she glance at the people present.
The soldiers, seasoned by many battles, were mostly burly with rough skin and sallow complexions. Those who lived in the barracks were even more unkempt and behaved inappropriately.
At first glance, Tao Qingyang, casually leaning back in his chair, was dressed in red like maple leaves, with a face as white as porcelain, black hair flowing over his shoulders, and a neat and proper appearance. His relaxed demeanor was also elegant, truly like a crane standing among chickens, dazzling and eye-catching.
His features, even without a mask, were incredibly beautiful and alluring. Looking into those tender, affectionate peach blossom eyes, who could imagine that he possessed hands that could kill without hesitation?
Thinking of this, Qin Song unconsciously lowered his gaze to the hands that were crossed on his lap, with the pad of his left thumb gently rubbing the web of his right hand.
His hands had long, slender fingers covered with shallow scars, revealing the strength of years of martial arts training. His skin was fair, and you could see the bulging veins lurking beneath it; no one wanted to have their throat choked by them.
These hands aren't as beautiful as Li Yu's, Qin Song immediately concluded, but she had to objectively admit that these hands exuded a flamboyant sexiness.
She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice the noise at the table.
The owner of those hands seemed to sense her gaze. Suddenly, his clasped hands moved, picked up a teacup from the table, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it in front of Qin Song.
Is it pretty?
Qin Song suddenly came to his senses and looked up along the crimson sleeve, where he saw Tao Qingyang's ever-present, unreadable smile.
"With clothes on, who would know?" Qin Song casually made up a lie and looked away.
She didn't like looking into his eyes; looking into this man's eyes too much could easily make her bewitched.
However, Tao Qingyang's gesture of pushing tea for her unexpectedly caused a stir among the men at the table.
"The general and his future sister-in-law are so loving; they even push each other around when they're having tea."
"Oh, I see. The general is not wearing a mask so that he can be with his wife, right? If you ask me, with the general's looks, wearing a mask would be a waste of his precious talent."
"That's a waste, buddy. Besides, it's precisely because it's beautiful that it needs to be hidden away. Have you forgotten, the general once—"
"cough."
Two soldiers in the lower seats were joking around when Tao Yao, who had been quietly eating her meat, suddenly coughed, and the two men immediately fell silent.
Qin Song was puzzled and glanced at Tao Yao. She lowered her head and lowered her brows, not daring to speak. Then she looked at Tao Qingyang.
He remained casually leaning back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips. He appeared to show no anger, yet the atmosphere at the table fell into a deathly silence, with everyone holding their breath.
Has this touched a nerve with this general?
Qin Song wanted to offer him a glass of water to ease the atmosphere, but Vice General Guo across from him raised his bowl first and changed the subject, "It's rare for us to come back to the city today, let's have a drink first, brothers. We have to go back to camp as soon as it gets light. Taking back Danzhou will take a lot of effort, so everyone, don't be shy."
However, after he finished speaking, the person in charge remained silent, and the group of young soldiers were trembling with fear. Even Tao Yao held her breath and did not react.
Deputy General Guo was caught in a dilemma, holding the bowl in his hand.
Qin Song felt suffocated. He picked up the untouched wine in front of him and said sincerely, "The end of the year is approaching. You soldiers are unable to reunite with your families, yet you still fight bloody battles to protect the land of Dayu. You are truly worthy of the title of heroes. It is my honor to sit with you all. I also raise my glass to toast you soldiers."
Qin Song raised the wine bowl in his hand and turned to Tao Qingyang, "I also toast to General Tao, who has led the country with great skill."
Her cunning eyes held a hint of gentle flattery, and Tao Qingyang's gaze seemed to soften slightly.
He stared blatantly at her lips, and finally raised his hand to touch the wine bowl on the table.
But after touching it, he suddenly changed his mind, turned his arm and stretched it out towards Qin Song, who was holding up the bowl of wine.
"You dare to drink even one cup?" Under everyone's watchful eyes, he took the wine bowl from Qin Song's hand and gestured with his chin toward the cup of tea in front of her. "Drink tea."
Qin Song was slightly taken aback. How did he know she was a lightweight?
However, she was too lazy to investigate. Drinking tea was the perfect thing to do. She picked up her teacup, and the others, because of Tao Qingyang's actions, also thawed and raised their cups to drink together.
The atmosphere at the table relaxed again, and Qin Song turned to Tao Yao and asked in a low voice, "What happened just now? Is there any connection between your brother wearing a mask and that?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Tao Yao's expression froze, and she stopped drinking. She secretly glanced at Tao Qingyang's reaction.
As it happened, Tao Qingyang caught her gaze and she quickly looked away.
Tao Yao was about to whisper to her not to ask anymore when Tao Qingyang's voice rang out from behind her, "Sister A-Song can just ask me directly."
Qin Song's expression changed slightly. How could this person be eavesdropping? He could even hear her voice so softly.
Qin Song turned around with a fake smile, "You'll tell me if I ask?"
Tao Qingyang nodded, "I will answer any questions."
Is the answer true?
"What you believe is true."
What's the point of saying anything more? Judging from his expression just now, he's not someone who can be easily told what to say. Qin Song rarely asks.
As the last plate of stir-fried venison was served, Qin Song picked up his chopsticks and started cooking. The innkeeper, who was personally in charge of the cooking, came to the lobby wearing an apron.
"How is the taste? Are you all satisfied?" He wiped his hands with a white cloth, stood opposite Tao Qingyang, and asked politely.
During the meal, all the soldiers praised the dish, making the innkeeper beam with joy.
But when he glanced at the person in the main seat, he saw Qin Song standing next to him.
Her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my, Miss Qin is here too! Your Mr. Right is here—"
Qin Song pretended to cough suddenly, pretending to look for tea. In his excitement, he accidentally knocked over the wine in front of Tao Qingyang, splashing it all over Tao Qingyang.
Although the little incident caused some chaos, it thankfully shut the innkeeper up.
What kind of innkeeper is this? Why does he always seem to be so interested in his guests' love lives?
Although she was not responsible to Tao Qingyang, she still had to give him some face in front of his subordinates before the engagement was called off.
But the words "ideal husband" had already been uttered, and everyone at the table pricked up their ears to hear what would follow.
Qin Song turned to help Tao Qingyang wipe her wet robes, then deliberately looked up at Tao Qingyang with a forced smile: "Yes, my ideal husband is here too."
The innkeeper glanced at Qin Song, then at the unapproachable Tao Qingyang, his brow furrowing with growing doubt.
Tao Qingyang was a shrewd person and clearly noticed the innkeeper's unusual behavior.
However, the jeering from a group of soldiers at the banquet masked that slight doubt.
The innkeeper, having roughly grasped the gist of the situation from the commotion, silently retreated to the counter and waited to be served.
The way Qin Song was wiping Tao Qingyang from the corner of the table was seen by the soldiers as unusually provocative, even erotic.
But Qin Song was so busy wiping his robes that she didn't notice these strange stares.
I only have one feeling—
Straight, long, and muscular—these are very nice legs.
She fiddled around a few more times, straightened up, and met Tao Qing's gaze, which was tilted back and smirking as if she were examining a little white rabbit being fed into a fox's mouth.
Qin Song felt that strange chill again, a primal reaction to the person before him, a fear ingrained in his muscle memory.
What happened between the original owner and Tao Qingyang? Why did she react so strongly to him? But Yun Qian once said that they had barely met.
Qin Song couldn't understand, but it wasn't the right time to ask. She avoided eye contact with him, casually saying, "Getting wet isn't bad either," before turning her gaze away.
The lively atmosphere at the banquet grew louder and louder. Tao Qingyang had an excellent capacity for alcohol, and after several rounds of drinks, he remained calm and composed. Tao Yao, on the other hand, had been toasted by several soldiers and was already feeling dizzy, but she still insisted that she was not drunk.
Qin Song was about to help Tao Yao upstairs to rest when Deputy General Guo suddenly said in a serious tone, "This humble general has heard that Imperial Censor Lu has presented the charges against that scoundrel Chen Peizhi to His Majesty, but His Majesty has not ordered a thorough investigation of that scoundrel. Is there something fishy going on here?"
Upon hearing the words "Imperial Censor Lu," Qin Song stopped what he was doing, pretending to take care of Tao Yao while silently listening to what they had to say.
Tao Qingyang casually straightened his robe and said, "We'll know when we recover Danzhou."
Deputy General Guo's brows were still furrowed. "If even Imperial Censor Lu can't get involved in this matter, it's probably no small thing."
“Lu Youchuan is not a god.” Tao Qingyang sneered without any attempt to hide his disdain. “Chen Peizhi’s act of handing over Yunzhou to the Northern Barbarians for trampling is no small matter, and it does not require the Censorate’s verification.”
The deep male voice was full of contempt and hostility, completely different from his usual kind and seductive tone.
Qin Song had his back to Tao Qingyang, so he couldn't see Tao's expression, but he knew without a doubt that it wasn't good.
But aren't Lu Youchuan and Tao Qingyang cousins? How could there be such great hostility between them?
It certainly wasn't because of her, since she could have been friends with him, but she had long realized that his approach to her was purposeful, which is why she was lukewarm towards him.
Since he has no feelings for her, it's impossible for him to harbor hatred because of her relationship with Lu Youchuan; it can only mean that there is a conflict between them.
Perhaps she could find an opportunity to ask Tao Yao.
At this moment, Tao Qingyang said solemnly, "However, the fact that Chen Peizhi's heinous crimes have been able to spread far and wide indicates that the forces behind him are indeed not to be underestimated. We must be even more careful."
Tao Qing raised his wine bowl and clinked glasses with Vice General Guo.
After swallowing his wine, Vice General Guo frowned and said, "General, you are absolutely right. I have heard that Censor Lu and you are cousins. Why don't you write a letter to Censor Lu to inquire about the situation in the capital, so that we can respond accordingly?"
Finally, they got to the main topic. Qin Song supported the dazed Tao Yao and glanced sideways at Tao Qingyang. He saw that Tao Qingyang had a deep frown, his fingertips were slightly tracing the rim of the bowl, and his eyes were dark and thoughtful.
Deputy General Guo often accompanied Tao Qingyang and had a deep understanding of his temper. He clearly sensed that his superior was extremely displeased at the moment. He nervously withdrew his gaze, swallowed, and tried to change the subject.
Qin Song couldn't help but interject, "I have some acquaintance with Lord Lu. If General Guo trusts me, I am willing to write a letter to him."
The actions of the Zhenbei Army are related to the survival of Yunzhou City. Regardless of any personal grudges between Tao Qingyang and Lu Youchuan, Qin Song cannot watch the Zhenbei Army be put on the defensive.
“Sister A-Song.” Tao Qingyang emphasized her words.
Qin Song looked over, giving her a wicked look: "I'll do it."
Tao Qingyang was adamant in not allowing Qin Song to get involved in the matter, leaving Qin Song with no choice but to give up.
Tao Yao, quite drunk, insisted on sleeping with Qin Song, so Qin Song had no choice but to help her upstairs first. The innkeeper eagerly approached, "Our inn is spacious; please stay on the third floor, ladies, and gentlemen on the second floor."
After saying that, she smiled and handed Qin Song two room numbers: "Miss Qin, please. Hot water will be delivered shortly. Please ring the bell if you need anything."
Qin Song naturally accepted the room number and nodded his thanks.
Shen Xing, who was waiting at the next table, came up at the right time and helped Tao Yao upstairs. She lowered her head and looked down, not daring to look at Qin Song.
"Ah Song, I want to share a room with you." Tao Yao reeked of alcohol and kept tugging at Qin Song's arm, acting coquettishly towards her.
Qin Song said "okay, okay" but as soon as she opened the door, she went back on her word.
He had just stepped inside when he suddenly carried Tao Yao back out and led her into another room.
After putting Tao Yao down, Chen Xing lowered her head and busied herself, saying, "Miss Qin, you should go and rest first."
When did your young master arrive?
Li Yu was in the room just now.
Shen Xing didn't dare look at her. "I came as soon as the meeting was over."
This girl must be an undercover agent, she informed her young master so quickly, she even arrived before them.
It seems the innkeeper's unfinished sentence was: "Your ideal husband is on the third floor."
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Author's Note: The next chapter will feature the second chapter, so I suggest you come early. The update will be at 9 PM tonight.
Lately, I've been very busy with work in the real world, only getting one day off a week and working overtime, so I haven't had much time to reply to comments. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your subscriptions and interactions. Love you all!
P.S. Although I'm busy, I'll update as long as I don't take leave!!
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