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

The rewards were so generous that Qin An felt it was almost unreal.

Although he had indeed made many military achievements, he did not believe that military achievements alone would be enough for him to obtain the position of General of Anxi.

Without the help of others, even if he died on the battlefield, he might not have been able to be posthumously honored to this extent.

"Assistance?" Thinking of the support behind him, Qin An's heart stirred, and he instantly made a guess.

He raised his head slightly, his gaze passing over Yuwen Rong's broad shoulders and back, and looking at Yang Ming on the high platform.

The emperor's face was flushed with genuine excitement, and his fingers trembled slightly with emotion as he read the imperial edict.

Was this reward truly from Yang Ming's own heart?

Or is it that someone used Yang Ming to deliver such a great gift to him?

Qin An kowtowed three more times without changing his expression, saying, "Your subject receives the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

On the high platform, Yang Ming's smile widened. He closed the imperial edict and handed it to the eunuch beside him, waving his hand dismissively: "All of you generals are the pillars of my Great Xing! Today, a banquet will be held in the palace to celebrate your victories! Not a single one of you will be left out!"

The assembled officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Qin An stood up with the others, not even having time to brush the dust off his knees, when he felt a chilly gaze fall on him from behind.

As if sensing something, he glanced sideways at the high platform while adjusting his armor.

Standing there is Yuwen Hua.

The current prime minister, Yuwen Rong's biological father, was at the forefront of the civil service.

Today he was dressed in a black court robe embroidered with gold, his beard and hair were neatly combed, and he was stroking his long beard, looking at Qin An with a half-smile.

Their eyes met, and the smile on Yuwen Hua's lips deepened slightly.

His gaze was like that of a hunter examining a falcon he had released, and seeing that it had indeed flown high and far, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

Qin An, who had already made a guess, instantly became certain of it.

"As expected, only the Yuwen family could have put me in this position throughout the entire court!"

He instantly understood that this was the reward he had received for siding with the Yuwen family.

The other party was also flexing their muscles. What others could never obtain in their entire lives was something the Yuwen family could simply arrange casually.

This is the advantage of having a powerful backer.

Upon realizing this, Qin An was not pleased. A thought subconsciously surfaced in his mind: "Why is this old man so kind to me?"

No sooner had one question been answered than another arose in his mind.

On the surface, he had pledged allegiance to the Yuwen family and become their henchman.

But Qin An knew in his heart that no matter what, he could never enter the inner circle of the Yuwen family.

Now that the other party has suddenly given me such a big gift, what are they really up to?

A multitude of thoughts raced through Qin An's mind, but he showed no emotion on his face, simply following behind Yuwen Rong as they walked into the palace.

The victory celebration banquet was held in the large square outside Hanyuan Hall.

It was just past noon, the sun was high in the sky, and dozens of long tables were arranged on both sides in front of the hall, leaving a large open space in the middle.

On the table were golden plates and jade cups, displaying both land and water delicacies, while on both sides of the corridor were bands of musicians waiting, ready to play music and dance at a single command.

Yang Ming sat down on the throne in the center and beckoned to his generals: "Sit down! Today, let's not stand on formalities and drink freely! Anyone who doesn't get drunk is disrespecting me!"

These words were spoken with great bravado, and the generals responded with a chorus of agreement, taking their seats.

Yuwen Rong naturally sat in the first seat on the left.

Qin An's position was also among the top, which made many officials who had been working in the court for many years secretly take notice.

A young man in his early twenties actually sat at the front of the martial arts class, truly becoming incredibly famous.

After a few rounds of drinks, music began to play.

A troupe of dancers filed in, their colorful sleeves fluttering and their waists swaying gracefully. Accompanied by the clear sounds of chimes and strings, they danced like flowing clouds on the open ground.

Most of the generals had been through mountains of corpses and seas of blood; they had never seen such a soft and romantic scene before, and for a moment they couldn't take their eyes off it.

Cheng Zhiyuan was the most straightforward of them all. His wine glass stopped in mid-air, his mouth slightly open, and he didn't even notice the wine dripping down the rim of the glass onto the table.

Xue Ju sat down next to him and nudged him with his elbow: "Shut up your drool, it's embarrassing."

Cheng Zhiyuan snapped out of his daze, chuckled, and wiped his mouth: "Damn, this is much more interesting than looking at the enemy's flag."

Qin An glanced at the dancer, then quickly looked away.

As the banquet reached its climax and the atmosphere became lively, with fewer formalities and everyone clinking glasses, he picked up his wine glass, stood up, and left his seat.

Yuwen Hua was sitting in the head position of the civil officials, chatting and laughing quietly with an old minister beside him.

Although he was not young, he sat upright like a pine tree, exuding an air of authority without anger.

Just as Qin An walked up to Yuwen Hua, the dance was about to end, and the music faded away.

He held the cup with both hands and bowed slightly: "Prime Minister, this humble general Qin An toasts you."

Yuwen Hua seemed to only then notice him, raising his hand to stop his conversation with the others, turning his head, his gaze falling on Qin An, but he did not immediately pick up his wine glass.

"Qin An," he called his name, his tone neither too loud nor too soft, like an elder addressing a junior, "now you should call him General Anxi."

Qin An lowered his stance even further: "I owe it all to the Prime Minister and the General's guidance; I will never forget it."

Yuwen Hua stared at him for a couple of moments before reaching out to pick up the wine cup in front of him and gently clinking it against his. However, he didn't rush to drink but instead played with the cup.

"You are indeed a wise man. This time, you have risen from a lowly general to the position of General of Anxi. It is not that no one in the court is speaking out."

"If I hadn't shielded you from some gossip by speaking to the Emperor, this imperial edict might not have been written so smoothly today."

"This subordinate understands," Qin An said. "The position of general was hard-won, entirely thanks to the Prime Minister's maneuvering in the court."

Yuwen Hua took a small sip of wine, put down the cup, and his smile faded slightly.

"Qin An, you are indeed a capable person. Not only Rong'er saw this, but I also think that I was right to help you back then."

That old fox is indeed shameless.

When Qin An sought help from the Yuwen family, the Yuwen family only took him in because Qin An had saved Yuwen Zhi's life and to protect the Yuwen family's reputation. They treated Qin An like a dog they had just casually adopted.

Now, however, it's as if he had long admired Qin An and was deliberately cultivating him.

Qin An was fully aware of all this, but his face still showed deep gratitude: "Talented horses are common, but discerning judges are rare. I will never forget your kindness in recognizing my talent."

"However!" Yuwen Hua changed the subject, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, "Skills are only real skills if they are used in the right way. If they are misused, the greater the skill, the greater the trouble."

Qin An's expression remained unchanged, but his back tensed up.

Yuwen Hua stared into his eyes, his gaze like a fine needle, firmly piercing the depths of Qin An's pupils.

"Do you know why I'm working for you to become the General of Anxi, instead of Andong or Annan?"

Qin An had only wondered why Yuwen Hua had elevated him so highly; he had never really considered this question before.

Hearing the question now, he paused for a moment.

Seeing his confusion, Yuwen Hua didn't say much, but smiled slightly. "It's okay if you don't understand. You can think about it slowly. I'll be watching your performance."

"Go on, you young people should have more fun. It's no fun keeping an old man like me company."

The music started again, and the dancers changed to a new tune, filling the hall with a warm, intoxicating, and festive atmosphere.

Li Jing leaned closer and whispered, "Brother-in-law, what did you go to see the Prime Minister for?"

Qin An didn't look at him, but said indifferently, "It's just a toast. He said that now that I am the General of Anxi, I must act in a way that lives up to this title."

Li Jing, without suspecting anything, simply said "Oh," and then turned to look at the music and dance filling the hall.

Qin An poured himself a glass of wine and slowly drank it.

The wine is excellent; it is smooth on the palate and has a long, lingering sweetness.

But Qin An detected a faint, almost imperceptible bitterness in his taste.

The question he couldn't understand in front of Yuwen Hua before, he now had the answer.

"Anxi? West of Daxing, isn't that the Li family's territory? This old man, he really doesn't trust me!"

……

The banquet continued until dusk.

Palace lanterns were hung in front of the hall, illuminating the entire square as bright as day.

Yang Ming was already half drunk, holding Yuwen Rong's hand and rambling on about "the world's hearts returning to him" and "peace throughout the land".

Yuwen Rong sat to the side with a smile on his face, but his eyes were clearer than when he was sober. It seemed that after returning to the capital, he had become the leader of the Imperial Guard and the emperor's personal bodyguard again.

Qin An leaned back in his seat, holding an empty cup in his hand, gazing at the darkening sky outside the palace walls.

His thoughts were completely with his wife and children at home.

Just then, a high-pitched voice of a palace attendant suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived..."

This sound was like a bucket of cold water being poured into boiling water, instantly silencing the noise throughout the hall.

Everyone looked up and saw a group of palace maids filing in. One of them walked slowly in; it was Empress Xiao Mei.

Today she wore a dark blue brocade phoenix robe, with only a red gold hairpin in her hair, and her gait was neither hurried nor slow.

When he glanced at the warriors filling the hall, a perfectly timed smile played on his lips, neither frivolous nor overly aloof.

Yang Ming was talking to Yuwen Rong when he heard the voice and turned around. He squinted his eyes, which were red from drinking, and grinned when he saw who it was: "Why is the Empress here?"

Xiao Mei walked to the throne, bowed slightly, and said gracefully, "I was delighted to hear of the triumphant return of the generals. As the Empress, it is only right and proper for me to pay my respects to these meritorious officials. Otherwise, I would be being impolite."

Yang Ming laughed heartily, waving his hand and saying, "Good! Good! The Empress speaks well! My beloved ministers, my Empress wants to toast you all, so why don't you all fill your cups?"

A chorus of thanks immediately filled the hall.

Xiao Mei took a jade cup from a maid beside her; the wine inside was clear and bright.

She held the cup in one hand, lightly covering her sleeve with the other, and gestured to both sides in turn. Finally, she nodded slightly towards Yuwen Rong and Qin An, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The movements were clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

The generals cheered loudly and quickly raised their glasses in response.

Qin An raised his glass with the others, his gaze lingering on Xiao Mei's face for only a very brief moment before he looked away.

But a bad feeling crept into his heart: "Could this woman be after me? How dare she? Is she crazy?"