As night fell, the sea breeze blew across the deck, and everyone changed into heavy clothes, unlike the light ones worn during the day. Yinzhen accompanied Qingyan as they came out of the cabin.
Qingyan leaned against the railing, watching Yinzhen stare blankly at the dark night sky, where the stars, vying for brightness, seemed to be waving to them.
"Sisi, look how bright those stars are!" Qingyan looked at the stars. The Qixi Festival was coming in a few days, and she didn't want it to be filled with bloodshed.
Yinzhen trapped her between his chest and the railing, and as he listened to Qingyan's clear voice, the murderous aura in his heart slowly dissipated.
"Little darling, four days from now is the Qixi Festival, and we may have to spend it on the ship." Yinzhen lamented that he couldn't give Qingyan a wonderful Qixi Festival.
They came to fight on behalf of the Qing Dynasty, and when it came to national dignity, everything else could be postponed.
"It's okay, I'm just glad you're here with me!" She didn't care at all.
In modern times, soldiers are often recalled from their leave when they need to represent the country on missions. Yinzhen was in such a situation.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yinzhen kissed her cheek, feeling quite surprised that Qingyan was so understanding and righteous.
Previously, Fei Yanggu had specifically instructed Yinzhen to have a good talk with Qingyan. Every year, Yinzhen would use special methods to help Qingyan get through the seasonal changes. This year, however, they were far from the land, and even if they wanted to, they were powerless to do so.
"Fourth Brother, we'll have countless Qixi Festivals in the future, but this might be the only time you'll represent the Qing Dynasty in battle!" Qingyan whispered. "I don't want you to have any regrets."
The meaning of the banquet touched Yinzhen deeply. Even Lady Yingenjueluo did not pay much attention to Qixi Festival. Since joining the royal family, Yinti had been in the military camp for most of the year and rarely had the opportunity to come back to celebrate Qixi Festival.
She was unwilling to let her own actions disrupt the morale of the soldiers on the ship.
At this time, the soldiers were focused on preparing for the test and did not pay any attention to these holidays. If they had been informed in advance, they might have missed their wives, which would have affected the morale of the army.
He stared intently at her face and, upon realizing she truly didn't care, felt happy.
Early in the morning, Yinti and Yinzhen had breakfast in the dining hall. They got up two hours earlier than usual. Yinti even asked Yinzhen if he had told Qingyan about Qixi Festival. Yinzhen told him what Qingyan had said, and the smile on his lips was never hidden.
Yinti also believed that Qingyan was a man of great integrity and could make the best of a bad situation.
Two hours later, Qingyan helped Sulan to the dining hall, where Yingenjueluo Shi sat at the octagonal table, waiting for Qingyan to arrive.
A delicious meal was laid out on the octagonal table. Before going to bed, Lady Yin Genjue Luo listened to Yin Ti's instructions and, as she prepared to have breakfast, inquired about Qing Yan's thoughts.
"Little darling, you'll be spending this time on the ship, so there won't be time to go back for Qixi Festival!" As soon as Yin Genjue Luo Shi said this, Qing Yan understood why Yin Zhen had asked about it last night.
"Sister-in-law, I've already spoken to Master. We can't celebrate this year, but we can celebrate later. The most important thing now is to deal with that tiny country." Qingyan didn't care. Yinti probably thought that because she was young, he would think that Yinzhen didn't follow the rules and that he disliked her.
Emperor Kangxi and others valued the Qixi Festival highly, and every year they would have Consort Tong stop the Qixi Festival activities in the palace.
"Well, it's good that you understand the greater good. As for others, we don't need to think about them too much!" Yin Genjue Luo Shi smiled.
In the following days, Yinzhen was so busy that he couldn't even accompany Qingyan for three meals a day.
She followed Lady Yin Genjueluo in the flower hall to make the winter cotton-padded clothes, without inquiring about any information.
Three days later, they were getting closer and closer to the shore where the Koreans would land. The entire flower hall was covered with black gauze, so that the outside scene could not be seen from inside.
Candles were lit in the flower hall. Qingyan had her dinner and sat in the armchair as usual. After breakfast, the servants began to cover the area where they were moving with black silk gauze. This unusual action made her heart sink. War was about to break out.
"Little darling, we'll probably be staying up all night!" Yin Genjue Luo's lips curled up slightly. "Yin Ti and Yin Zhen will be coming over soon!"
Yin Genjueluo's hands trembled slightly; she was still afraid when faced with a real battlefield.
"Little Darling!" Yinzhen pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing Qingyan staring blankly at the purse, he quickly went over to her. He nodded to Yingenjueluo Shi, who was standing to the side, "Sister-in-law, eldest brother is behind!"
Two suites were specially arranged in the flower hall, prepared by Yinti and Yinzhen in the hope that Qingyan would not leave their sight after the war began.
Yinzhen was not comfortable entrusting her to anyone; if someone betrayed her, Qingyan's safety would be a problem.
A few days ago, he made this suggestion, which coincided with Yinti's concerns. In the end, the two decided to entrust this matter to Erlu for the time being.
"Huh, when did we get a suite like this here?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.
Previously, under Yinzhen's guidance, she had carefully toured the ship, and these two suites were definitely built later.
"Yes, it's for your safety. We're busy with our duties, so we can rest here for a bit!" Having experienced numerous spy incidents, and facing real danger, Yinzhen decided to personally protect Qingyan.
"Fourth Brother, is war about to break out?" Qingyan asked, lying on her side in his arms.
"Yes, it's midnight. I was worried that you and your sister-in-law would be scared, so I decided to cordon off your area. With those black silk curtains, you definitely won't be able to see what's outside," Yinzhen reassured Qingyan. "There were just some cannon shots outside, there won't be any problems."
Yinti, he, and Eshuo had simulated the scenario countless times, anticipating all the difficulties, determined to ensure their final safety.
Qingyan remained silent, waiting in his arms for the sound of cannon fire.
Just after midnight, the sound of cannons rang out outside the ship. Just moments before, Qingyan had wished him a happy Qixi Festival, and the sound of cannon fire followed immediately.
"I hope the king of the Li dynasty will like this Qixi Festival gift!" Yinzhen sneered.
Early in the morning, Yinzhen received news from the capital that the heir apparent had been sent there. After repeatedly inquiring about the twins, Yinzhen sneered inwardly. The future of Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen was already decided. Kangxi had specially arranged for several sons of powerful officials to compete with each other, and the most outstanding one would become Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen's husband.
"Huh? Why start the war on Qixi Festival?" Qingyan was puzzled. Didn't Yinzhen say that it would be postponed for a day?
"The Crown Prince has his eye on my daughter, how can I possibly give them any face!" Yinzhen was definitely a doting father. If he discovered that someone posed a threat to Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen, Yinzhen would definitely take action in advance.
What? !
Qingyan stared wide-eyed, silently questioning Yinzhen.
"I will handle it directly, and Father Emperor will not agree to it!" Yinzhen sneered.
He was thankful that his daughter was still young; if that prince had used some extreme methods, he would have regretted it to death!
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