"I'll lead the troops to quell the rebellion first, and then return to the capital to report," Xiao Tian said nervously, looking at her. "Will you stay with me?"
Okay! Even if it's not okay, it has to be!
As the old saying goes, since you're already here, what else can you do?
Seeing Yi Qing's silent consent, Xiao Tian was overjoyed.
But Yi Qing suddenly asked, "What's really going on with the birthmark on your butt?"
Xiao Tian answered honestly, "I really don't know. Maybe you were seeing things?"
"Impossible," Yi Qing said. "I saw it clearly."
Although she was a bit flustered at that time, her eyes weren't blind.
Xiao Tian muttered, "I don't know, but it doesn't matter. Yi Qing, we've made up today. From now on, neither of us is allowed to bring up the past, okay?"
Yi Qing snorted, "That depends on your future performance. If you dare to make me angry, should I talk about feelings with you instead of bringing up the past?"
"So you mean you've forgiven me now?"
Looking at his stupid and straight - forward appearance, Yi Qing almost rolled her eyes to the sky.
She just thought of it as helping the poor. Otherwise, with Xiao Tian's EQ, he was simply doomed to be single!
"It's not that I want to forgive you. I'm just afraid that when the fire is at the doorstep, you'll still be dawdling. If I'm captured by others then, who can I cry to?" Yi Qing said crossly.
Xiao Tian said, "No. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you in the slightest."
Confidence and magnanimity showed in his eyes. The silly and stupid man from just now had disappeared.
Yi Qing said, "Then hurry up. I'm still looking forward to going back to see Baozi. Have you sent a message to Baozi? I'm afraid he'll worry if I'm away for too long."
"I have," Xiao Tian said.
"That's better."
Yi Qing felt relieved and then asked about the situation outside, "Was everything smooth?"
"Chen Liang is an old subordinate of mine. He's loyal and everything went smoothly. You don't need to worry."
Yi Qing squinted at him, making Xiao Tian feel guilty.
"What's wrong?"
"I think," Yi Qing said, stroking her chin, "you've been talking a lot today. Are you feeling guilty?"
Xiao Tian wasn't such a chatterbox before.
Xiao Tian: "…Yes."
Yi Qing burst into laughter.
When she laughed, it was as if all the dark clouds had dispersed for Xiao Tian.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I'll lead the troops to surround and suppress them," Xiao Tian said. "We'll make a quick decision."
"Are you still up for it after not riding a horse for so long?" Yi Qing deliberately goaded him.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Tian had learned her thick - skinned attitude quite well and said, "Don't you know whether I'm up for it or not?"
Yi Qing: "!!!"
Oh no, he had changed from a naive and sweet guy to a glib one. Suddenly, he wasn't as cute anymore.
"Stop joking," Xiao Tian laughed. "It's okay. We'll set off back to the capital in two months."
Yi Qing pouted, "Stop bragging."
Xiao Tian pinched her cheek, "Then I'll show you your man's prowess."
A few days later, Xue Tianlang brought Xue Miao'er and the people from the mountain.
Xue Miao'er was still in a state of shock. When she saw Yi Qing, she accused her, "You're so good, Yi Qing. You've deceived me so badly. It turns out you're the general's wife. You must have been really proud when you said you wanted me to be your maid!"
"I'm under a lot of pressure. You're so clumsy. I can't afford to hire you," Yi Qing said bluntly.
Xue Miao'er couldn't argue with her and was so angry that she tickled Yi Qing.
After they finished joking around, Xue Miao'er sat opposite her, resting her chin on her hand, blinking her eyes. "It's really amazing. Yi Qing, how did you become the general's wife? You've married so well."
Yi Qing said lazily, "Why don't you come to our mansion and try to be a concubine?"
Xue Miao'er's eyes lit up but then dimmed again. "Forget it. Your husband only has eyes for you. He'll probably find me annoying if I go there to eat for free. I'll think about going to the Deng Mansion to get by."
Only then did Yi Qing realize that Deng Xiao should still be there.
— She had even forgotten to send him a message. She covered her face in embarrassment.
Then she thought that Xiao Tian should have taken care of everything.
Sure enough, when Yi Qing asked about Deng Xiao, Xue Miao'er said, "Lord Deng has returned to the capital. He said the emperor had urgently summoned him. But he sent someone to lead the way for us here. Otherwise, we wouldn't have come here so smoothly."
Yi Qing breathed a sigh of relief and then laughed, "So you've fallen for him secretly?"
Xue Miao'er: "…No. I just want to take advantage of your good fortune. I'm just thinking about what to do in the future."
Yi Qing was both angry and amused. "This is the first time I've seen someone be so justified about taking advantage."
"Isn't it because I learned from you? Yi Qing, can we discuss something?" She leaned forward, looking flattering.
Yi Qing waved her hand and refused, "Don't even mention it. It's impossible."
"Will you refuse without even listening?" Xue Miao'er got angry. "I just want to help fight in the war. Maybe I can even become a female general. Isn't that good?"
"No. Don't go and cause trouble. We'll have to save you while fighting the enemy then."
"Who do you look down on!" Xue Miao'er was furious.
"I look down on you," Yi Qing said without backing down.
Xue Miao'er: "…You!"
When it came to being tough, she had never admitted defeat to anyone except Yi Qing.
"Forget it," she gave up first. "I was just joking. I don't expect you to help me anyway."
"Don't blame me. You should admit that you can't become a female general," Yi Qing said, pointing to her head. "You're not smart enough here."
Xue Miao'er was speechless with anger.
But she wasn't really angry. She was just joking. Soon she said excitedly again, "Yi Qing, tell me something about you and the general. My father checked later and said you didn't even hide your real name, but we didn't know anything. We were really stupid. Yi Qing, I really didn't know you were so amazing!"
Yi Qing was speechless. "There's nothing to say. If you like to listen so much, go listen to the storytellers. They'll surely tell it more excitingly than me."
Hearing her watertight answer, Xue Miao'er was immediately deflated.
Yi Qing asked her a few more questions about Deng Xiao.
It wasn't that she was being petty. It was just that Deng Xiao was narrow - minded and moody. He might bear a grudge against her for not giving him a heads - up.
But since Xue Miao'er, the naive girl, said Deng Xiao wasn't angry, Yi Qing would just assume he wasn't.
Xiao Tian showed amazing military talent. He led the troops straight in all the way, advancing irresistibly. In just one month, before Yi Qing even realized it, the situation had become clear.
Yi Qing said in disbelief, "This, it's over?"
She had spent so much time before. When it came to the war, she had thought it would be the longest part, but it was solved so quickly?
This was very different from what she had thought!
Xiao Tian picked her up horizontally. "It's over. It's all over. Your man is amazing, isn't he?"
Yi Qing: "…Amazing my ass… Ah! Xiao Tian, you're a dog!"
"You're the reward for the troops now," Xiao Tian whispered hotly in her ear, making her feel a tingling itch behind her ear.