The God of War Who Protects the Nation: Starting with Saving a Mother and Daughter in Distress

Yang Yuyan was so angry at Cai Zhen's outspokenness that she immediately started hitting her.

Cai Zhen circled around her older sister, while Cai Yan was caught in the middle, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She would sometimes shield her younger sister and sometimes pull her mother along.

After making a fuss for a while, Yang Yuyan reached out to grab Cai Zhen.

Cai Zhen nimbly dodged behind her sister, and Yang Yuyan's hand, unable to stop, landed squarely on Cai Yan's chest.

It was discovered that it had already begun to develop, and the buds were just beginning to emerge, showing initial signs of growth.

Yang Yuyan was stunned for a moment, then withdrew her hand.

Looking at her eldest daughter's slightly flushed cheeks, her expression softened with emotion: "You've really grown up. You need to be more dignified and composed from now on, and act like women!"

Cai Yan lowered her head, her ears turning slightly red.

Cai Zhen peeked out from behind her sister.

He looked curiously at his sister's and his own chest, then grabbed Yang Yuyan's hand. Suddenly, he frowned and asked a question in a sullen mood.

"Mom, why are you so much older than us? Is there some secret to it?"

Yang Yuyan was both amused and exasperated: "What secrets are there? This is just natural growth."

"No, no." Cai Zhen shook her head repeatedly, her expression serious as if she wasn't joking. "Mother, I've secretly observed that you've grown a lot since you started following Father. You must have a secret. Tell me, teach me!"

Yang Yuyan's face flushed red, and she reached out to cover Cai Zhen's mouth: "You little rascal, you're going too far with your words!"

Cai Zhen was unable to speak because of the covering, and after making two muffled noises, she broke free and muttered, "Fine, I won't say. When we get to the capital, I'll ask Father. He'll definitely know."

Yang Yuyan was so angry that she chased after her again, but Cai Zhen learned her lesson this time. She crawled into the quilt, wrapped herself in the quilt, and rolled to the corner of the bed, leaving only her bright eyes showing.

Yang Yuyan had no choice but to sigh, lie back down on her pillow, stare at the top of the tent, and say nothing more.

Cai Yan lay down beside her mother and whispered, "Once we get to the capital, we'll be able to see Father. Once we see Father, Mother won't have these wild thoughts anymore."

Yang Yuyan didn't say anything, but simply reached out and pulled her two daughters closer to her.

As the moonlight gradually shifted westward, the breathing of the mother and her two daughters became steady and long.

……

On the morning of the third day, just as dawn was breaking, Han Quan led his troops to wait outside the Qin residence.

More than twenty cavalrymen, their armor gleaming, their horses well-groomed and in high spirits.

Han Quan had a spacious carriage prepared, lined with thick mattresses, and filled with dry rations and water bags, all arranged perfectly.

Yang Yuyan led her two daughters out of the mansion, followed by two maids carrying the last few pieces of luggage. She glanced back at the house where she had lived for some time.

Suddenly, she remembered the last crazy moment between her and Qin An when they moved out of the stone house in Baishantun, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

But this time, she didn't feel much reluctance.

After all, Qin An didn't stay in this house for very long.

The place lacked the essence of Qin'an, so she didn't feel much attachment to it.

However, this was ultimately the legacy Qin An had built, and now he was leaving it all behind, which made him feel a little sentimental.

Standing beside her mother, Cai Yan whispered, "Mother, let's go!"

Cai Zhen had already climbed onto the carriage impatiently and leaned out of the window: "Mother, come quickly!"

Yang Yuyan withdrew her gaze and boarded the carriage.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a dull sound.

The procession left the city gate and headed north along the official road.

Inside the carriage, Cai Yan and Cai Zhen leaned out the window, watching the scenery along the way. The mountains were still the same mountains, and the fields were still the same fields.

But because the destination was the capital, everything changed.

Cai Zhen would occasionally point to something in the distance and excitedly shout, "Sister, look at that!"

Cai Yan appeared much quieter, occasionally responding to her sister, but mostly just gazing quietly out the window.

Yang Yuyan sat in the car, clutching the letter in her hand, her gaze passing through the car window and landing on the blurry horizon in the distance.

Beijing!

The last time she left the capital, she was a convicted female official's wife being escorted out of the city, her future bleak.

Now she is going back, but as the general's wife, she is being escorted back.

But she felt no sense of triumph, only layers of unease.

There was another woman in the Qin family mansion in the capital.

She didn't know what kind of people they were, nor did she know how important her position as the legal wife was to Qin An.

She had no idea what kind of abyss Yuwen Hua's invisible net would drag her and her daughter, along with Qin An, into.

Cai Zhen peeked out the window and saw her mother's expression. Suddenly, she snuggled up to Yang Yuyan, hugged her arm, rested her head on her shoulder, and whispered, "Mother, don't be afraid, Father will protect us."

Yang Yuyan was stunned for a moment, then reached out and touched her hair, a smile appearing on her lips.

Yes, when soldiers come, we will block them; when water comes, we will dam it.

As long as Qin An is here, this family will not fall apart.

……

As the carriage made its way to the capital, Qin An was facing something that made him extremely uncomfortable.

In the evening after the Queen's seven-day prayer period ended, her maid came to deliver a message.

The Empress invited General Qin to the Zen temple for a chat. Qin An straightened his armor and, following his maid, passed through several corridors to the Zen room where Xiao Mei resided.

The door was ajar, and a dim candlelight shone through.

Qin An stood outside the door, cupping his fists and saying, "This humble general, Qin An, greets Your Majesty."

Xiao Mei's voice came from inside, softer and weaker than usual: "Come in."

Qin An pushed open the door and entered, but stopped in his tracks as soon as he looked up.

Xiao Mei was not wearing the bright red palace dress, but only a plain white dress. Her long hair was not tied up and was draped over her shoulders. Her face was so pale that it almost blended into the color of her clothes.

She knelt on the prayer mat, the scriptures in front of her half-open. The candlelight reflected on her face, clearly illuminating the weariness in her eyes and the tiredness between her brows.

Is this really the dignified and majestic empress she used to be?

She was clearly an ordinary woman who was sick.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Qin An frowned, took a step forward, but then remembered the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, and stopped abruptly. "This humble general will immediately send someone to summon the imperial physician."

"No need." Xiao Mei raised her hand to stop him, but her tone left no room for doubt. "I have only been fasting and chanting scriptures for days, and my body is a little weak. There is nothing seriously wrong. If we summon the imperial physician, it will be a big fuss and will only cause unrest."

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Qin An, the candlelight flickering dimly in her eyes. "General Qin, accompany me for a walk."

Qin An's expression changed slightly. He stepped forward, about to speak and dissuade her, but Xiao Mei had already stood up, supporting herself on the prayer mat.

She stood up slowly, clearly with some effort, yet she still maintained that ingrained grace.

She glanced at Qin An and said calmly, "I once heard the imperial physician say that people with weak constitutions should not sit for long periods of time. Appropriate movement can actually help with recovery. General Qin, there is no need to persuade me further."

After saying this, he dismissed the accompanying palace maids and eunuchs, and only ordered two palace maids to follow far behind and not to get close.

What else could Qin An say?

He could only clasp his hands and say "Your subordinate obeys," then stepped aside to let Xiao Mei go first.

The two left the meditation room and walked slowly along the stone path towards the back mountain.

The temple bell had already rung, dusk was deepening, and the last vestiges of crimson on the horizon were disappearing behind the distant mountain ridges.

The stone path was lined with groves of green bamboo. The night wind blew through them, and the bamboo leaves rustled, swallowing up most of the sound of their footsteps.

Xiao Mei walked ahead, her steps slow and unsteady, her plain white dress fluttering slightly in the night.

Qin An followed two steps behind her, his eyes always alert, habitually scanning every shadow and every possible ambush point around him.

But when his gaze occasionally fell on Xiao Mei's back, he would be involuntarily drawn to her.

After fasting for seven days, Xiao Mei lost a lot of weight, but her figure became even more curvaceous.

Her waist was so slender it could be encircled by a single hand, but below it rose a sudden, full curve.

Although the plain clothes were loose, they could not conceal the fullness and roundness that only a mature woman possesses.

As she walked slowly, the hem of her dress swayed gently, subtly outlining the contours of her body.

Qin An looked away and cursed himself inwardly.

But before long, his gaze involuntarily drifted back.

He cursed himself even more harshly in his heart.

Seven days, a full seven days of fasting, this was even more agonizing than being in the military camp.

Looking at the Empress's retreating figure, an absurd thought uncontrollably popped into his mind: "Her waist-to-hip ratio is probably comparable to Yu Yan's!"

The moment the thought crossed Qin An's mind, he pinched his thigh hard.

Xiao Mei suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Qin An quickly stopped, and the two were now only a step apart.

Xiao Mei did not turn around, and remained with her back to him.

His gaze fell on the faint outline of the mountains in the distance, visible in the night, and he suddenly asked a question that made Qin An's heart tighten.

"General Qin, tell me the truth, what do you think of the current situation in Daxing?"

Qin An pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty need not worry too much. Although the rebels are powerful, they are not invincible. As long as the court is united and proceeds steadily, it is only a matter of time before the rebellion is quelled."

Xiao Mei turned around and looked at him.

A faint look of disappointment appeared on his pale face.

She shook her head, her tone calm yet sharp: "I'm asking for your true opinion, not the platitudes used in court that only report good news and hide bad news."

"I hear these words every day in the palace. If this is all you say, then you don't need to accompany me today."

Qin An fell silent.

He looked into Xiao Mei's eyes, which were clear and firm in the candlelight. They didn't seem to be testing her, but rather as if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Your Majesty, there are some things... this humble general dares not say." His voice lowered.

Xiao Mei's lips curved slightly, as if she were smiling, but there was no joy in her smile, only a hint of self-mockery.

She looked up at him, a playful smile suddenly appearing on her lips: "General Qin, you don't seem like a coward!"