In the winter of the seventh year of Jianhe, the emperor issued an imperial edict posthumously conferring Xiao Jinghan the title of a first - rank general. Yi Qing was bestowed the title of a first - rank general's wife, and their son, Xiao Duo, was made the Prince of Kangping. They were rewarded with a hundred taels of gold and numerous other gifts.
The entire court and the public were shocked.
What? Xiao Jinghan actually had a biological child, and the child was already four or five years old?
And who was this Yi Qing? An unknown nobody who suddenly became the general's wife?
Although she was a widow, she was still a first - rank general's wife recognized by the emperor!
Normally, the imperial order for a first - rank general's wife should be issued by the queen, but the emperor had conferred it himself. This either showed the emperor's great attention or indicated a rift between the emperor and the queen.
While the outside world was in an uproar, the General's Mansion remained calm and peaceful.
The thick snow completely covered the world. Xiao Tian led Baozi and walked slowly in front. Yi Qing, wrapped in a brand - new pure - white fox fur robe, one of the many gifts from the emperor, followed behind.
The wintersweet flowers were blooming defiantly against the cold, sending out delicate fragrance.
The world was so beautiful, but Yi Qing was a bit grumpy.
"Xiao Tian, do you know the way or not!"
Xiao Tian had people carry all the things in and dismissed everyone. Then he led the mother - and - son pair slowly inside.
His wound had almost healed, but he was still not as agile as before and could only walk slowly.
However, Yi Qing clearly noticed that they were walking along a path that didn't look like a proper one at all. They had been walking eastward, and they could already see the outermost wall.
Xiao Tian said, "I've hardly lived here for a few days, so I'm not very familiar with it. But I remember there were wintersweet flowers here, so I brought you here to have a look. Do you want to pick a few branches of plum blossoms to put in a vase?"
Yi Qing liked flowers, various porcelain wares, and vases.
In the past, Xiao Tian could watch her arranging flowers for half an hour without getting bored.
Yi Qing said expressionlessly, "No. I'm hungry."
The emperor had insisted on talking to them after the morning court before letting them go. It was already past noon. Yi Qing had eaten little in the morning, so she was starving.
Xiao Tian said, "I told you to drink half a bowl more of porridge this morning, but you refused. Let's go!"
Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance.
After much effort, they finally reached the main courtyard. Yi Qing smelled the alluring aroma in the air. Looking up at the empty black plaque, she raised her eyebrows and said, "The Empty Courtyard?"
"You're overthinking. We're just waiting for you to name it."
It turned out that he couldn't remember the names of each place, so he had people remove all the plaques and was waiting for Yi Qing to decide.
Xiao Tian said, "Let's go. Have lunch first. We can talk about the rest later."
There was a heated kang in the room, making it as warm as spring. The decoration was luxurious. The floor was covered with a large red felt, and there was even a pot of blooming camellias on the kang table.
"Eighteen Bachelors?" Yi Qing asked.
"I don't understand. Anyway, I told them to bring the best ones for decoration." Seeing the strong interest in Yi Qing's eyes, Xiao Tian felt that his painstaking efforts were not in vain. "Have lunch first. Servants, bring the hot pot."
Watching plates of fresh beef being served, Yi Qing was surprised. "Where did you get the beef? Killing farm cattle is a serious crime."
"On a snowy day, a cow froze to death." Xiao Tian lied without batting an eyelid. He thought he had been influenced by Yi Qing.
After ten years, crossing the past and present lives, Yi Qing finally ate beef hot pot again and was very satisfied. Baozi even ate a whole plate of beef by himself.
Xiao Tian fished out a chopstick of beef and put it into Baozi's bowl. "From now on, you two will live here, and I'll live in the next courtyard. There aren't many servants in the mansion. There are quite a few maids and women doing rough work, but for those who serve in the courtyard, when the human - broker brings people, you can choose them yourself."
Yi Qing was very picky, and it was not easy to meet her requirements.
Unexpectedly, Yi Qing said, "No need. I don't like to be served closely."
"That won't do!"
"There's nothing wrong with it." Yi Qing looked at Baozi. "All these are the emperor's favor to Xiao Jinghan, but he's gone. This favor will surely fade over time. Now is undoubtedly the best time. If we get used to being served, we'll feel disappointed in the future."
Xiao Tian didn't expect her to think this way. For a moment, he didn't know how to persuade her.
Baozi nodded. "I can help mother with the work."
"Good boy." Xiao Tian stroked his head.
Baozi said, "Uncle Xiao, can you take me to Mr. Lu's place to apologize? I left without saying goodbye for so long. Mr. Lu must be angry."
Seeing his worried face, Xiao Tian glanced at Yi Qing, who showed no sign of guilt. "Don't worry. He won't blame you. It's not your fault. I've already talked to Mr. Lu. He said you can go to him for classes anytime you want."
"Really?" Baozi's eyes lit up instantly.
"Of course it's true." Xiao Tian stroked his head. "But Mr. Lu is going to enter officialdom, so he won't have as much time to teach you as before."
"Mr. Lu is going to enter officialdom?" Baozi's eyes were full of surprise, and then he was extremely proud. "My mother cured Mr. Lu's leg, so he can enter officialdom."
"Yes."
Yi Qing seemed not to hear their conversation and still ate her meal slowly.
"From now on, I'll also be in the mansion. Just like before, I'll accompany you with your mother. How about that?"
Yi Qing had to admit that this big man, Xiao Tian, was more patient with the child than she was.
Before Baozi could be happy, Yi Qing said indifferently, "No."
Xiao Tian was stunned and thought he had misheard. "You said no?"
Did she mean that she didn't allow him to live with them?
He felt embarrassed and nervous as if he had been exposed - he did have improper intentions towards Yi Qing.
"Yes, I said no." Yi Qing said. "I plan to go out and do something."
Xiao Tian was even more surprised. "You're going out to work? What do you want to do?"
Yi Qing said, "Open a medical clinic."
This was what she had always wanted to do. In her previous life, she was a doctor, and in this life, she naturally wanted to help the sick and save lives.
"I didn't dare before because I was alone with Baozi and was worried that someone would cause trouble. Now Baozi is older, and with your help and the backing of the General's Mansion, I'm not afraid of others causing trouble, so I want to open the medical clinic."
Xiao Tian had no doubt about Yi Qing's ability now; but he was still very surprised to hear that she was going to open a medical clinic alone.
"You know," Yi Qing said indifferently, "Xiao Jinghan had a bad reputation. It's already good enough for Baozi to grow up under his shadow. As for more, he has to earn it by himself. I'm also selfish. I hope I can help Baozi as much as possible."
Xiao Tian looked at her and didn't say a word for a long time.
Xiao Jinghan had killed countless people. He was no less than a god of death harvesting lives with his long spear; while she was a doctor, snatching lives from the hands of Yama, including her own. Her merits were immeasurable.
Maybe this was one of the reasons why he was attracted to her.
"Okay. Tell me where you want to open it and what requirements you have. I'll help you achieve them!"