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

Li Qingwan's courtyard was on the east side of the house. When Qin An arrived, he found that Shan Bing was also there.

It's unclear whether it was because they were used to fighting side by side, or because of the pressure brought by Yang Yuyan.

These two women, with such different personalities, actually became inseparable best friends.

When they go out, they travel together; when they sleep, they share the same room.

"Husband?" Shan Bing asked, her voice tinged with surprise and barely concealed joy as she opened the door. "Why are you here?"

Li Qingwan came out from the inner room upon hearing the sound, looking equally surprised.

She reacted faster than Shan Bing, quickly stepping forward to grab Qin An's hand. She glanced outside again, then lowered her voice and asked, "Weren't you with my sister...?"

"Yu Yan asked me to come," Qin An said truthfully. "She said she's been neglecting you all these past few days and asked me to come and keep you company."

Li Qingwan and Shan Bing exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of emotion in each other's eyes.

Li Qingwan was the first to come to her senses. She pulled Qin An into the house, her voice gentle, "It's chilly at night, let's come in first."

When Shan Bing closed the door and looked at Qin An, her eyes lit up and her expression was one of eager anticipation.

While Li Qingwan went to pour hot tea, Shan Bing had already taken off Qin An's outer garment.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been forced to sit on a soft couch.

Such a reaction left Qin An both amused and exasperated.

Why are you acting even more eager than I am?

However, when she thought about how Yang Yuyan had neglected them during this period, she instantly understood.

"Madam is so generous, we cannot let her down." Li Qingwan, who was carrying a cup of hot tea, had completely lost her former reserve.

Just as Yang Yuyan said, Qin An had indeed neglected them a bit during this period.

This made them feel uneasy, but also deeply missed Qin An.

Now that we finally have such an opportunity, we certainly won't waste it.

Sensing their enthusiasm, Qin An did feel a little guilty.

Soon, the candlelight inside the room flickered on and off in the night wind.

To cherish this rare opportunity, she acted even more gently and considerately than before, wanting him to make up for the time he had missed.

This allowed Qin An to fully sense their longing for him, as well as their fear of being ignored by him.

……

After an unknown amount of time, the commotion inside the house finally subsided.

After a long while, Li Qingwan finally recovered. She propped herself up and looked at Qin An, then suddenly asked softly, "Husband, tonight... was it really Madam who sent you?"

Qin An nodded and roughly repeated what Yang Yuyan had said.

After listening, Li Qingwan remained silent for a while, and her eyes even reddened slightly.

Dan Bing also lifted her face from Qin An's shoulder, her gaze complex.

To be honest, they did harbor some resentment towards Yang Yuyan during this period.

Before Yang Yuyan came, they ate meat to their hearts' content every day, and they were incredibly satisfied.

But as soon as Yang Yuyan arrived, Qin An devoted all his energy to her.

The two of them couldn't even get a sip of soup.

Even though they knew that Yang Yuyan couldn't possibly eat all the food by herself, they didn't dare to ask to share it with her.

There's no other reason than the intimidating power of the legal wife; they wouldn't dare to be disrespectful to Yang Yuyan.

Unexpectedly, Yang Yuyan still remembered them, which made their feelings a little complicated.

Li Qingwan said with deep emotion, "Madam's magnanimity makes me feel that my petty thoughts were utterly despicable."

Dan Bing nodded, her voice low and husky but earnest: "Me too. From now on, I will recognize Madam as my elder sister. If anyone dares to disrespect Madam in the future, I will be the first to object."

"Sister Shan Bing is right. If we sisters ever have any disagreements in the future, we will never make things difficult for Madam. In our hearts, she is our eldest sister."

Clearly, Yang Yuyan's magnanimity had completely won them over.

Looking at the two women's solemn expressions, Qin An felt both gratified and moved.

He reached out and pulled them both into his arms, placing a kiss on one of their foreheads.

"With you all here, this family is complete. Harmony in the family brings prosperity in everything. When I am no longer here, you must support each other."

The two women nodded in unison.

……

On the first day Qin An returned to the Imperial Guard camp, before he could even enter the camp gate, he was stopped by a palace maid who was there to deliver imperial edicts.

A maidservant, holding the imperial edict, bowed with a smile and said, "Her Majesty the Empress invites General Qin to the inner palace for a chat."

Qin An was genuinely a little surprised to hear Xiao Mei summon him.

He had been thinking about when he could find an opportunity to tell Xiao Mei that Yang Yuyan had arrived.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Mei was even more anxious than I was.

They had actually sent people here to wait for them long ago.

Although he had already guessed why Xiao Mei wanted to see him, he remained calm and composed. He straightened his armor, looking serious, and followed the maid into the inner palace.

Upon entering the Queen's palace, he first smelled the aroma of wine and food.

Looking up, he saw an exquisite banquet set up in the hall, with Emperor Yang Ming sitting prominently beside him.

Today, Xiao Mei was dressed in a dark purple casual outfit, which made her appear less imposing and more gentle than when she went on tour. She was personally pouring wine for Yang Ming, her smile attentive and tender.

Yang Ming held his wine glass, but his expression was somewhat uneasy, as if he were being roasted over a fire. Seeing Qin An enter, Yang Ming raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Qin An?" He put down his wine glass, his tone tinged with curiosity. "Why are you here with the Empress?"

Xiao Mei knew that men all had a strong possessive desire. If she suddenly summoned Qin An to the harem without a reasonable reason, she was afraid that it would displease the emperor.

Before Qin An could speak, she answered for him, explaining to Yang Ming with a smile.

"Your Majesty may not know, but General Qin's wife, Lady Yang, was my close friend from back then. I summoned her here to ask if she had come to the capital. If she has, I would like to bring her to the palace for a reunion."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ming's slight unease vanished instantly.

Instead, he wore a relieved expression, even revealing a hint of joy.

"Yang Yuyan? I vaguely remember her." He turned to Qin An, his tone suddenly becoming unusually friendly. "Has she arrived yet?"

Suppressing his surprise, Qin An clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, my wife arrived in the capital a few days ago."

"Good, good, good!" Yang Ming said three times, and immediately beckoned to a eunuch, "Go to the Qin residence and bring Madam Qin into the palace so she can have a good talk with the Empress."

After making the arrangements, he stood up, patted Qin An on the shoulder, and gave him a meaningful word of advice.

"Bring your wife to the palace more often to keep the Empress company. You two chat, I still have memorials to review, so I'll be leaving now."

Qin An bowed and watched Yang Ming's figure disappear outside the palace gate.

He felt that the emperor's tone just now was not like a normal instruction, but rather like he was handing over some important task.

Only he and Xiao Mei remained in the hall.

Xiao Mei didn't look in the direction the emperor had left. She simply picked up her wine cup, took a small sip, and then sighed softly.

There were too many things in that breath that couldn't be explained or described.

She felt resentful, exhausted, and a hint of disappointment that she herself was unwilling to admit.

Qin An stood in the hall, wanting to ask so many questions, yet unsure where to begin.

He hesitated for a moment, but still asked the most direct question: "Your Majesty, forgive my ignorance, but His Majesty just said he had some impression of my wife, and what is the reason for this..."

Xiao Mei glanced at him, a faint smile playing on her lips: "General Qin, are you completely unaware of your wife's family background?"

Qin An was taken aback.

"His Majesty's surname is Yang." Xiao Mei gently set down her wine cup, her voice as indifferent as if she were discussing something trivial. "Your wife's surname is also Yang!"

"Ah~" Qin An's eyes widened, his heart filled with shock.

Yang Yuyan's surname was Yang, and the emperor's surname was also Yang.

He had never thought about it that way.

Could the female convict from the frontier, who is all alone with her two daughters, possibly have royal blood?

Seeing his reaction, Xiao Mei casually said, "Don't overthink it. There is some connection between the two, but it's not what you think."

Qin An wanted to ask more, but Xiao Mei gently shook her head and stopped talking.

She simply picked up her chopsticks, pointed to the dishes on the table that had barely been touched, and her tone suddenly became more casual.

"Don't waste it, sit down and have something to eat with me."

Qin An hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, this is against etiquette."

"His Majesty knows everything, but he didn't say anything. Please sit."

Qin An hesitated for a moment, but finally sat down opposite her.

He wanted to be reserved and wait for Xiao Mei to start eating before he did, but Xiao Mei just held her wine glass and drank slowly.

His gaze was fixed on the palace walls outside the window; his mind was clearly not on eating.

From her posture, Qin An could vaguely sense that this empress seemed to harbor some resentment.

But he couldn't say much about it.

After waiting for a while, to avoid embarrassment, he simply stopped being reserved, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat heartily.

Hearing the noise, Xiao Mei turned her head and glanced at him.

The way he ate was completely different from the refined courtiers in the palace.

They don't care about table manners, but they're not annoying either; they just eat honestly, like someone trying to replenish their strength on a battlefield.

She suddenly smiled and poured herself another glass of wine: "General Qin, what did you discern in His Majesty's presence just now?"

Qin An paused for a moment with his chopsticks, but did not reply.

Xiao Mei didn't mind, and drank the wine in her glass in one gulp. Her voice was even lower than before, with a hint of self-mockery.

"As you can see, His Majesty feels uncomfortable sitting here with me for even a moment longer. I had these dishes and wines prepared, but he hasn't even touched his chopsticks."

She put down her wine glass, looked up at him, her eyes slightly tinged with intoxication, and said, "General Qin, do you think I'm getting old and losing my beauty?"