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

Faced with Qin An's doubts, Xiao Mei hesitated for a moment before finally expressing her opinion.

"It would be impossible for His Majesty to be completely unaware of anything. You know, His Majesty was wise and powerful when he was young. He firmly believed that under his rule, Daxing would usher in an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity."

Qin An fell silent instantly.

He had already understood the unspoken meaning in Xiao Mei's words.

The more brilliant and powerful an emperor was in the early stages of his reign, the more ambitious and eager for glory he became.

Even if the emperor did suspect something, so what?

At this moment, he will only believe what he wants to believe.

Xiao Mei had clearly been holding back her words and grievances for a long time.

Now that he had already spoken, he decided to explain everything clearly and continued talking.

"Just recently, the canal project, which consumed countless manpower and resources, was completed. With such a great achievement accomplished, what else could it be but a golden age?"

"So the emperor thought that while he was still able to walk, he would travel south along the Grand Canal to see his magnificent country."

He said that wherever the might of Heaven passes, villains will naturally be reduced to ashes.

As she said this, Xiao Mei was quite disappointed in the emperor.

She simply couldn't understand how her husband, who was once so spirited and ambitious in his youth, had become like this.

This is why she was so anxious and eager to find someone to rely on.

Qin An's temples throbbed as he listened, feeling that he was completely unable to keep up with Yang Ming's train of thought.

But he was still unwilling to give up and couldn't help asking, "With so many people in the court, wasn't there a single one who would offer advice?"

"Yes." Xiao Mei raised her five fingers and gestured to him. "The censor submitted three memorials of remonstrance, but they were all kept in the palace and not issued. Two senior officials also remonstrated in court; one was reprimanded and the other was fined."

"Yuwen Hua only said one sentence, 'This is a momentous event for all time, and I should do my utmost to prepare for it,' and the Emperor would not listen to anything else."

After learning the specifics, Qin An understood that the matter was probably beyond redemption.

All I can do now is to learn more about the situation, prepare in advance, and wait for the change in circumstances.

He asked in a deep voice, "Has the parade route been decided?"

Since Xiao Mei intended to use Qin An as a guarantee for the future, she naturally wouldn't hide anything from him.

"The general direction has been decided: head south along the canal, first to Jiangcheng, and then, depending on the situation, proceed eastward." Xiao Mei paused here, "Yuwen Hua is handling the specific arrangements, and I only know that it won't take too long."

"This isn't a parade," Qin An said in a deep voice. "This is going to our deaths."

"Only you would dare say such a thing to my face." Xiao Mei smiled bitterly, gently stroking the teapot with her hand. "Even I wouldn't dare say it to the Emperor."

The night wind outside the palace suddenly picked up, causing the windowpanes to rattle softly a few times.

Qin An looked up and saw the flickering candlelight casting shadows on Xiao Mei's face.

She sat there, like a jade statue whose sharpness had been worn away by time—dignified, magnificent, yet shockingly cold.

"What are you planning to do?" He looked away.

"I don't know." Xiao Mei's voice was very soft, as if she had finally told the truth.

Qin An did not ask any further questions.

He stood up, walked to the soft couch, picked up the heavily intoxicated Yang Yuyan again, and turned to walk towards the palace gate.

This time, Xiao Mei did not stop him.

Just as Qin An was about to step out of the palace gate, she whispered behind him, "Qin An, you'd better not forget what you said tonight."

Qin An didn't stop walking, only replying, "I've always had a very good memory."

After he left, Xiao Mei sat alone in the empty hall, facing the few candles that were about to go out, and remained motionless for a long time.

Only when she heard the footsteps of palace servants outside the hall did she slowly raise her hand and pour herself another cup of tea.

The tea had gone completely cold.

But as she watched Qin An carry Yu Yan away, her heart gradually warmed a little.

"Qin An, Qin An, I hope my choice was right, and that you won't let me down."

……

Qin An carried Yang Yuyan out of the palace. As the night breeze blew, the warm fragrance emanating from her body finally dissipated somewhat.

A carriage was already waiting outside the palace gate, with its curtains drawn and lanterns hanging at the four corners.

The coachman was an unfamiliar female official. When she saw Qin An come out, she didn't say much, but simply bowed and lifted the curtain.

Qin An carefully placed Yang Yuyan inside, then crouched down and crawled into the carriage himself.

The carriage curtain fell, the horses' hooves clattered softly, and the wheels rolled rhythmically on the stone-paved road outside the palace.

He had just pulled Yang Yuyan closer to his chest when he sensed something was wrong.

Although the body in her arms was still limp and her breathing was still even, her two rows of eyelashes trembled slightly with the bumps of the car.

Qin An stared at her for a couple of moments, then suddenly asked, "When did you wake up?"

Yang Yuyan's body stiffened for a moment.

After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes, her pupils darting around as she looked at Qin An with a somewhat guilty expression.

In the dim light of the wind lamps outside the car, a blush rose on his face, a mixture of alcohol and embarrassment.

"Just... just when you were about to hug me, right when you touched me."

Yang Yuyan had nothing to hide from Qin An, so he chose to tell the truth.

Qin An's hand tightened, and he looked down at her: "So you know what happened in the hall just now?"

Yang Yuyan blinked and whispered, "Do you want to ask me if I saw it? Or do you want to ask if I heard it? I did hear some things, but I was still dizzy at the time, so I didn't hear a lot of them clearly."

"My lord, when did you and the Empress become so close?"

Qin An could clearly feel that Yang Yuyan tensed up slightly when she said those words.

He understood perfectly well that Yang Yuyan had witnessed everything that had just happened.

Qin An felt his throat go dry.

He wanted to explain, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know where to begin.

Seeing Qin An's reaction, Yang Yuyan instantly understood what he was thinking, raised her hand and pressed it to his lips, gently pressing them together.

"You don't need to explain. I didn't mean to blame you." Her gaze was clear, and her voice was still a little soft from the alcohol. "I believe you, and you don't need to say sorry to me or anything like that."

Qin An was stunned.

Although I knew Yang Yuyan was always a very generous woman, I never expected her to be so understanding in such a situation.

Yang Yuyan withdrew her hand, leaned closer to him, and buried her face in his chest.

"It's been almost a year since you left. I've been worried sick at home every day, afraid that you've been hurt, that you've been ambushed, or that you can't defeat those rebels."

"I was so happy to hear you were back in Beijing today that I drank a little too fast, but I didn't pass out after just a few drinks."

As she spoke, she stuck out a finger and poked Qin An in the chest.

"The Empress wants me to sleep, and I dare not refuse. But I also think that if she really has something she wants to say to you alone, it would be inconvenient for you if I were there."

"I just never imagined that you two had this kind of relationship. You're being far too audacious. What if things get out?"

Seeing that at this moment, instead of caring about her affair with her best friend, she was immediately worried that her affair would be exposed and harm her.

Qin An's heart softened terribly, and he also felt incredibly sour.

He tightened his arms around Yang Yuyan, holding her even closer, and rested his chin on the top of her head.

Even though Yang Yuyan said she didn't care, he still explained.

"There are some things between me and the Empress. Last time she was in danger when she left the palace, I accidentally had some physical contact with her while trying to protect her."

"Later, she wrote to the front line again. Today's incident is also because she saw that the situation in the capital was not good and was afraid that she would lose her support in the future, so she wanted to make the relationship even more solid."

He briefly explained the situation in a few words.

After listening, Yang Yuyan looked up from his embrace and asked, "Will the Empress be in danger?"

Qin An nodded: "It's hard to say, but the situation in Daxing is likely to get worse and worse in the future."

He thought that Yang Yuyan would say a few words for her good friend and ask him to help her out in the future.

But Yang Yuyan just looked at him, her eyes full of heartache: "Won't it be dangerous for you to get involved?"

Qin An was taken aback.

Yang Yuyan reached out and touched the dust on his cheek, saying softly, "The Empress has been good to me, and I am grateful to her. But if helping her will get you involved, I would rather you stay away from these things."

"You are the most important."

Her tone was calm, yet it struck Qin An's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

Qin An's throat moved, and after a long while, he said, "I can't give you a definite answer. As things go from here on out, we can only take it one step at a time and act according to circumstances."

Yang Yuyan nodded and did not ask any further questions.

The night outside the carriage was quiet, with only the sound of wheels and the occasional beat of a drum.

Yang Yuyan snuggled closer to him and suddenly whispered, "Husband, it's been almost a year since you left. I think about you every day, when you'll come back, and whether you'll leave again after you return?"

Qin An opened his mouth, wanting to say that he was no longer the common soldier he used to be, and now that he was in the capital, he would not be easily dispatched like before.

But when the words were on the tip of my tongue, I realized I didn't even believe them.

Now, Daxing is clearly in a precarious situation, and it doesn't know where it will go in the future.

Any guarantee seems pale and powerless.

The thought that they had been together for so many years but had always been separated made him feel a little guilty.

He could only lower his head and kiss her forehead: "At least I'm back now."

Yang Yuyan hummed in agreement, but didn't say anything more.

Nestled in Qin An's arms, she greedily inhaled his scent, as if trying to make up for all the time they had been apart.

Qin An didn't think too much about it, he just held her tightly and enjoyed this rare moment of tenderness.

But after a short while, Yang Yuyan suddenly grabbed Qin An's hand and pressed it against her chest.

Qin An's eyelids twitched.

Yang looked up, her eyes sparkling, with a touch of drunken boldness and an almost overflowing sense of grievance.

"My lord, I also want to know, who is better, me or Her Majesty the Empress?"