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

After returning to the Qin residence, Qin An sent the two children back to their courtyard and had Li Qingwan and Shan Bing accompany them before returning to his bedroom with Yang Yuyan.

As soon as Yang Yuyan entered the door, tears began to fall.

"It's my fault." She had her back to Qin An, her shoulders trembling slightly. "If I hadn't been so talkative in the palace today, he wouldn't have noticed Yan'er and Zhen'er."

Qin An walked over and hugged her from behind: "I don't blame you. As long as he has feelings for you, he can find out even if you don't say anything."

"But what if he really targets those two children..." Yang Yuyan's voice was bitter.

"With the tour imminent, he can't worry about these things for now." Qin An rested his chin on the top of her head. "Remember, starting tomorrow, if anyone comes to deliver an imperial decree, do not respond unless I am present. If you really cannot refuse, immediately send someone to the military camp to find me."

Yang Yuyan nodded vigorously, turned around, and buried her face in his chest.

Qin An knew that Yang Yuyan was still blaming herself, and that she had indeed been provoked by Xiao Mei earlier, so he decided to help her relax in his own way.

"Let's stop thinking about it and rest!"

Yang Yuyan understood Qin An's meaning. Tears still clung to her face, but her hands had already begun to undo his belt.

She definitely needs to relax.

The couple quickly collapsed onto the bed.

But when his clothes were pulled open and the candlelight revealed Yang Yuyan's unusually familiar voluptuous body, Qin An's movements suddenly paused.

Xiao Mei's image involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

The same maturity, the same abundance.

For a fleeting moment, the two figures almost overlapped.

Yang Yuyan noticed this moment of distraction.

The flush on her face subsided slightly. She lowered her eyes, her voice soft and hoarse: "Do you think I'm too old?"

Qin An snapped out of his daze: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I could tell in the palace today," Yang Yuyan laughed self-deprecatingly. "Although the emperor was amazed by me, it was obviously because I'm old and my beauty has faded that he became interested in Yan'er and Zhen'er instead."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.

She felt extremely guilty, as this incident was entirely her fault.

Qin An felt a pang of pain in his heart, and all thoughts of Xiao Mei and the Empress were thrown to the back of his mind.

He leaned down and responded to her with even more passion, kissing her inch by inch, from her brow to her lips, from her neck to her heart.

Yang Yuyan quickly softened and lost all interest in thinking about anything else.

As the rain subsided, the two nestled together, panting.

Yang Yuyan closed her eyes and suddenly whispered, "If there is any danger during this tour, take care of yourself first. If you still have the strength... then protect Xiao Mei."

Qin An was taken aback, somewhat surprised by Yang Yuyan's change in attitude: "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

He clearly remembered that not long ago, Yang Yuyan had said that although Xiao Mei was a good friend, in her heart, he was the most important person, and everything was for her own safety.

Yang Yuyan opened her eyes and glared at him.

"Do you think I'm stupid? When you came back from the side hall, you were covered in her fragrance. The two of you were alone in the hall for so long. I don't believe nothing happened."

"Since she has captured your heart, and she's also my good friend, I naturally don't want her to suffer if possible."

"You really don't care?" Qin An asked, puzzled.

It was a double betrayal of her, both by herself and Xiao Mei, yet she still said such things, showing such magnanimity, which was indeed surprising.

Yang Yuyan seemed to have already figured it out, and leaned closer to his chest: "I admit, it really bothers me that you've fallen for her, but if I think about it another way, she's older than me. The fact that you're even interested in her shows that you really don't care about age. So I'm not so afraid anymore."

She paused, then whispered, "If she ever falls on hard times, with her status, she won't be able to put pressure on me even if she enters the Qin family. On the contrary, she can help you. Rather than letting another woman in, I'd rather it be her, since we know each other well."

Qin An listened without speaking for a long time.

He lowered his head and kissed Yang Yuyan's forehead, then hugged her even tighter.

That night, neither of them mentioned the unpleasant things in the palace again. They simply held each other quietly until they both fell asleep.

……

For the next two days, Qin An did his usual routine of simply checking in at the military camp before heading home to spend some quality time with his wife and children.

As a result, as soon as they turned off the long street, they were stopped by someone.

The man was around thirty years old, dressed as a scholar, with a fair complexion and no beard, and his eyes revealed a cautiousness that only those in official positions possess.

"General Qin, my master requests your presence."

Qin An reined in his horse, his gaze lingering on the man for a moment before he lowered his voice: "Who is your master?"

The scholar looked around and then took out a black wooden plaque from his sleeve and handed it over.

Qin An took a look and his pupils contracted slightly.

They are from the Yuwen family.

Qin An returned the wooden plaque without changing his expression and said calmly, "Lead the way."

He thought the other party would take him to the Yuwen Mansion.

The carriage traveled through the West Market, turned into an extremely narrow alley, and finally stopped in front of the back door of an inconspicuous teahouse.

The scholar led him through the back door and straight up to the second floor.

Pushing open the door to the innermost private room, Yuwen Hua was sitting by the window brewing tea.

The room was filled with the aroma of tea, and the charcoal fire glowed faintly red.

He was dressed in casual clothes, and the solemnity he had displayed in the imperial court was gone, replaced by a relaxed and homely air.

Hearing the door open, he didn't even look up: "You've come? Sit down."

Qin An sat down opposite him, but he was more vigilant than he was on the battlefield.

"My lord, you summoned me late at night. What are your orders?"

Yuwen Hua slowly and methodically filtered the tea, his movements extremely steady: "I've summoned you here today for no other reason than to ask you one question: what are your thoughts on His Majesty's upcoming tour?"

"His Majesty's tour is a matter for the officials in the court to discuss, so how could I dare to speak presumptuously?" Qin An replied politely.

Yuwen Hua chuckled lightly, "Qin An, I told you long ago that you are a capable person. If you are capable, you don't need to pretend to be stupid in front of me. You know that what I want to ask is not this."

Qin An looked at Yuwen Hua, only to see the other man staring at him with a half-smile. He knew that pretending to be stupid at this moment would definitely not work.

This old man is clearly forcing himself to take sides.

Fortunately, after learning that Yang Ming had his eye on Cai Yan and Cai Zhen, Qin An made a final decision.

Under such circumstances, he did not hesitate at all and resolutely bowed to Yuwen Hua: "Your subordinate will follow your orders without question. I will do anything you need, even at the cost of my life."

Seeing Qin An's decisive stance, Yuwen Hua's eyes revealed a hint of admiration.

"You have indeed not disappointed me." He paused. "That's why I summoned you. The Emperor is going on a tour, and the Imperial Guards cannot be used exclusively for the escort. I need you to accompany him south."

Qin An had already guessed what the other party was thinking, so he wasn't surprised, but he still put on a troubled expression.

"This humble general holds the post of General of Anxi, in charge of military affairs on the western front. If I accompany Your Majesty south, the western front will be..."

"Things in the west will naturally be handled by others. Your greatest use as General Anxi right now is in this tour."

Yuwen Hua interrupted him, his gaze intense, "During this tour, I will arrange for you and Rong'er to stay by the Emperor's side. Do you understand?"

Qin An pondered for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "This humble general obeys the order."

Yuwen Hua then smiled again, picked up the teapot, and poured him another cup.

"You are a smart man. A smart man should know that following the emperor is sometimes more dangerous than being outside, but sometimes it is also a great opportunity."

Qin An looked at him and said, word by word, "This humble general only knows that by guarding the Emperor's side, I have fulfilled the duty entrusted to me by you, sir."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Hua laughed loudly, pointed at him and said, "Good, very good. You are far superior to your comrades who only know how to shout for battle."

Qin An chuckled twice, but there was no smile in his eyes.

It was nearly midnight when I came out of the teahouse.

Qin An mounted his horse, and the night wind blew in his face, quickly dissipating the slight tea fragrance on his body.

He rode back to his residence, but Yuwen Hua's words kept replaying in his mind.

This old fox has now laid his cards on the table.

If he could, Qin An really wouldn't want to get involved in this kind of thing, but he couldn't refuse.

Neither Yang Ming nor Yuwen Hua would allow him to withdraw at this time.

He's getting deeper and deeper into this mess.

……

Back at the manor, Yang Yuyan was still awake, wearing a robe and flipping through account books under the lamp. Seeing him enter, she quickly stood up and asked, "Why are you so late? Have you eaten anything?"

Qin An shook his head, sat down in the chair, and looked exhausted.

Yang Yuyan didn't ask any more questions. She turned around, went to the kitchen, cooked a bowl of noodles, added two eggs, and brought it to him.

After finishing his meal, Qin An recounted the important part of Yuwen Hua's visit to him.

Yang Yuyan's face paled slightly after hearing this: "This is pushing you onto the edge of a knife."

"I know." Qin An leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "But I can't back out right now. If I don't express my opinion, Yuwen Hua won't tolerate me. At that time, let alone protect you, you might not even be able to leave this mansion."

Yang Yuyan walked behind him and gently massaged his temples, her voice filled with barely suppressed worry: "Then, according to you, should we go south together this time?"

Qin An opened his eyes, pondered for a long time, and shook his head, saying, "No, you all stay in the capital."

Yang Yuyan paused in her work: "But didn't you just say..."

"It is precisely because the road is dangerous that I cannot take you with me." Qin An grasped her hand and gestured for her to come around to face him. "Yuwen Hua wants me to be the blade, so I will be. But if you come along, you will all become the weak points on the hilt of the blade."

Yang Yuyan bit her lip, her eyes reddening: "But we feel even more uneasy when you're not here."

"I will leave Li Jing and Luo Kai here. Arrangements have already been made in the manor. As long as you do not leave the capital, the Yuwen family will not take any action against you in the short term."

Qin An said in a low voice, "They still need me, so they dare not go too far."

"What if something happens to you on the way..." Yang Yuyan didn't finish her sentence, tears already falling down her face.

Qin An gently wiped away her tears, his movements incredibly tender: "Your man isn't that easy to kill. He's fought his way out of enemy lines before, what's there to be afraid of this time?"

Yang Yuyan threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist tightly, and choked out, "You've only been back for a short time, and you're leaving again. It's always like this, always..."

Qin An lowered his head and kissed the top of her head without saying a word.

After a long while, Yang Yuyan slowly raised her head, her eyes red as she looked at him: "Promise me, you must come back no matter what. Come back safely."

"I promise you," Qin An cupped her face in his hands, saying each word carefully, "I will definitely come back!"