The mistress who remarried has returned.

The shadow remained tight-lipped, saying, "Not telling you is to protect you. The less you know about your master's affairs, the better!"

Liu Shun was taken aback. "?"

The shadow has been possessed by Kang Yin. Why are they all suddenly protecting him? What big secret about the general have they found out? They're all keeping a low profile.

Liu Shun wanted to ask more questions.

The shadows had already turned their horses around and galloped away, disappearing without a trace. They were faster than rabbits. The key point is that these shadows all had their faces covered, making it difficult to find them next time you want to question them.

Without delay, Liu Shun took the general's court robes, boots, and hat and went to the Meridian Gate to meet the general.

Qin Huai hadn't slept well last night while embracing Zhou Yu's concubine, and now his head was throbbing. So he casually tossed aside the horse's reins, sat down on the stone steps by the roadside, leaned his head back against the palace wall, and closed his eyes briefly to avoid falling asleep and making mistakes in court.

The BMW recognized its owner and, in a way, shielded him from the cold wind, allowing his master to rest better.

A short while later, Qin Huai heard the carriage stop and opened his eyes. He saw Liu Shun driving the carriage over. Qin Huai stood up and lazily walked over. "Are your clothes in the carriage?"

Upon hearing the question, Liu Shun reached out and touched the belly of the horse that Qin Huai had left open. It was very shrunken, clearly indicating that the horse had been hungry for a day and a night. He wondered what his master had been doing and said, "His court robes, court boots, inner garments, undergarments, and black gauze hat are all in the carriage."

Qin Huai didn't say much, and stepped onto the stool that Liu Shun had placed on the ground to walk onto the carriage.

"General, where did you go last night?" Liu Shun asked curiously. After getting the cloak from the Su residence, where did you go instead of returning home?

Qin Huai said, "Something came up."

Seeing that the general only gave a simple answer, Liu Shun didn't dare to ask what it was about. He wasn't tired of living, so how could he question his master? He just wondered if his master was like this horse, not eating much for a day and a night.

Shen Shu, who had come to court with him, saw Qin Huai's carriage parked ahead and told his servants to stop it. He instructed them, "You can come and pick me up after court. Just drop me off here. I'll take General Qin's carriage for the rest of the way."

As Shen Shu spoke, he got off the carriage and headed towards Qin Huai's carriage.

At this moment, Liu Shun was speaking into the carriage, "Master wanted to see the General last night, but the General was not at home. Master did not tell his subordinates what he wanted to see the General about, only saying that he would tell you when he saw you today."

"Understood." Qin Huai changed his clothes in the carriage. He saw that Liu Shun had brought his undergarments, inner garments and outer clothes, which was quite complete, so he simply changed them all. The undergarments he was wearing were sticky and uncomfortable.

Shen Shu greeted Liu Shun, but before Liu Shun could stop him, Shen Shu entered the carriage and overheard Liu Shun mentioning that the general was not at the mansion last night.

When he entered the carriage, Qin Huai had just put on his underwear and trousers, but hadn't had time to put on his shirt yet. His chest and abdominal muscles were bulging like iron plates, and the blue veins under his arm skin bulged with his movements. He was reaching for his undergarments to put on.

Shen Shu noticed two or three scratch marks on Qin Huai's chest. He then glanced down at Qin Huai's discarded underwear, which showed some sticky residue. His eyes lit up with interest. "Your chest looks pretty badly scratched. Did you have a rough night last night?"

When Qin Huai heard Shen Shu's words, his expression remained serious. He didn't notice that Su Yunxi had also left marks on him. At this moment, he did remember that her two hands had been pressed against his chest last night, which annoyed him. He thought that if it were Zhou Yu, she wouldn't have pushed them away.

He put on his undergarments, then his court robes and boots, and put on his black gauze hat. He then casually piled his discarded military uniform on his discarded trousers, and sat down to straighten his cuffs and collar until they were perfectly neat.

He glanced at Shen Shu, who was staring at him with wide curiosity, and asked, "What's going on in your head all day?"

Shen Shu simply looked at him with a smile, "Or did you wet your pants?"

Qin Huai chuckled, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.

After all, he spent the night entangled with another man's concubine. That woman didn't dare let her sickly husband find out.

Qin Huai's face gradually darkened.

Shen Shu looked at the bandage on his hand. "You really went all out, you even got bruised. Did a woman force you? Who could hold you down...?"

Qin Huai remained silent for a moment, not responding to Shen Shu's question, "Have the leave dates been arranged?"

Shen Shu clicked his tongue. "It's all set. I'll be at Yingtian Pavilion for your father's birthday. But don't change the subject."

Qin Huai only asked, "Have the bodies of Meng Qian and the others been disposed of?"

Shen Shu was incredibly curious. The less his friend revealed, the more curious he became. Who was this girl who had made Qin Huai look so disheveled? He had never imagined seeing Qin Huai in such a state in his life. But since his friend wouldn't tell him, he couldn't keep pressing for answers.

He felt like a gossip, mainly because even if he pressed the questioner, the other party might not tell him, which would only make him feel awkward. He coughed lightly and said, "Everything has been taken care of. The skins of Meng Qian and the others have been kept and are being used to make human skin masks according to your previous ideas."

"Hmm." Qin Huai immediately said, "Once the masks are made, use them. Meet Wen Quan at the Moon-Viewing Pavilion in the dense forest of Sanheli. Don't rush, just proceed slowly. See what Wen Quan's intentions are."

Shen Shu nodded, then smiled suddenly. "I know what I'm doing, so don't worry about leaving it to me. You can spend more time on that girl from last night. Was it Xue Wenying last night? I'm not sure which type you like; your two previous girlfriends were too different."

Qin Huai remained silent, offering no response to his friend's teasing and speculation.

Just when Shen Shu thought he would not receive a reply, he heard Qin Huai's voice faintly ring out.

"It could never be Su Liangdi. Am I some kind of despicable person who would stoop to being someone's mistress?"

***

After returning to the Qin residence after court, Qin Huai went to his father's study to report on his duties. The father and son did not talk much in court.

When Qin Huai entered, Qin Lanzhang was standing behind his desk, writing calligraphy. Seeing Qin Huai come in, he glanced up at him, then lowered his head again to continue writing, asking in a low voice, "Didn't you go home last night?"

Qin Huai approached his father's desk, nodded in greeting, and said, "The Crown Prince still has a general named Kang Mang on the run. Last night I obtained some clues and went to investigate."

Mr. Qin looked up and asked again, "How did you hurt your hand?"

"After a few moves, I got injured," Qin Huai said.

Mr. Qin nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He only said, "Kang Mang can hurt you. I never realized his strength before. I underestimated him."

Qin Huai glanced at his father and asked, "What did Father want to see me about last night?"

After listening, Qin Lanzhang pondered deeply. After a moment, he put down his brush and sat down in his chair. "Tomorrow is my birthday celebration, held in Yingtian Pavilion. The Zhou family will also be there. His Majesty Zhou Guangcheng, Consort Shu, the Second Prince Zhou Qiu, and the other princes will all be coming. Inevitably, someone will try to cause trouble at the Qin residence. Have the security arrangements for tomorrow been made properly? No one can afford to cause any problems at the Qin residence."

Qin Huai nodded, "Father, rest assured, I have already made all the arrangements. Tomorrow, I will personally go with Shen Shu and Liu Shun to ensure that Yingtian Pavilion does not cause any trouble."

Qin Lanzhang sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The Emperor himself came to my birthday celebration. It seems that the Zhou and Qin families are as close as brothers. But don't think that he is happy to celebrate the birthday of his subject. He must be feeling like he's swallowing a knife because he is wary of the Qin family."

Qin Huai simply listened quietly to what his father had to say.

Qin Lanzhang continued, "In recent years, the world has become increasingly peaceful, except for the Great Qi, which has not yet been conquered. The Emperor still relies on the Qin family for this matter. In recent years, he has become increasingly suspicious, and in a few years, the Qin family will become a thorn in his side. I am getting old, and this is no longer my era. Your grandfather is also old and unable to manage the affairs of state. In addition, most of your uncles' households are incompetent. You are the only pillar of the Qin family, and I'm afraid many people are eyeing you. However, you have no sons, and there is a lack of successors. We cannot continue to uphold the family tradition. The matter of having a successor is urgent."