In the past few days, Xiao Jinghan had often been away from home. Yi Qing wasn't bored at all. She either read books or checked on the patients in the General's Mansion.
Sima Sanya had recovered well after the operation. Seeing her condition, Prince Nian was tempted again. It seemed that Lady Xiao really had the ability to cure this disease. However, thinking of the conditions they had proposed, Prince Nian hesitated.
"Isn't Lady worried about any unexpected situations by letting them be together like this?" Lu Tianzuo watched Prince Nian and Princess Lachuo playing in the backyard.
"Anyway, they're all in the General's Mansion," Yi Qing said without a hint of worry.
Prince Nian also saw Yi Qing, but he pretended not to. He knew Yi Qing's intention, which was to use the father - daughter affection to make him compromise.
That night, Yi Qing was sleeping drowsily when she suddenly smelled a burnt odor. She jolted upright and saw Xiao Jinghan tiptoeing to take off his outer robe.
"Did I wake you up?" Xiao Jinghan walked over and sat beside Yi Qing.
"Why are you back so late?" Yi Qing asked and then heard the crowing of roosters. "Is there a fire somewhere?"
Xiao Jinghan stroked the back of Yi Qing's head and pressed his forehead against hers. "The rations the Qing family transported to Li City caught fire during the hand - over outside the city."
"Caught fire?" Yi Qing suddenly lifted her head.
Xiao Jinghan slumped tiredly into the crook of Yi Qing's neck. "Don't worry."
How could Yi Qing not be worried? "Was it someone's deliberate act?"
"Yes. The arsonists were merchants from Beidi. They all died during the fight."
"Beidi," Yi Qing gritted her teeth.
"I'll rest for a while and then go check the remaining supplies," Xiao Jinghan said as he lay beside Yi Qing and gently put his arm around her.
The closer it got to this crucial moment, the more he wanted to spend time with Yi Qing.
Yi Qing wanted to talk to Xiao Jinghan, but when she looked up, she saw that he was already asleep. She stroked the space between his eyebrows, and her brows furrowed.
Back at Tianlang Stockade, even though Xiao Jinghan had worked day and night without rest, he hadn't been this exhausted. Could it be that the purple glass not only made his movements inconvenient but also affected his mental state?
Thinking of this, she felt his pulse. There was indeed a problem.
Yi Qing lit some calming incense for Xiao Jinghan. Then she and Lu Tianzuo went to check the situation of the burned rations. She mainly wanted to see the bodies of the arsonists. She always felt that this matter was not that simple.
Fortunately, the soldiers guarding the rations had rescued them in time, and one - third of the Qing family's rations had been salvaged. However, these rations were not enough to support their attack on Beidi.
"Who's that?" Yi Qing saw a magnificent carriage on one side. It looked very out of place beside the burned - out camp.
"She..." Lu Tianzuo's forehead was sweating.
"Speak," Yi Qing said, sensing that Lu Tianzuo was hiding something from her.
"She's Miss Qing of the Qing family," Lu Tianzuo said very carefully.
"What did the General order?" Yi Qing thought Lu Tianzuo was being a bit bold.
"Miss Qing was in charge of transporting and handing over these rations. We couldn't stop her from coming," Lu Tianzuo said awkwardly. "Miss Qing is still waiting for the hand - over. Lady, why don't you go and meet Miss Qing first?"
Yi Qing glanced at Lu Tianzuo. "Take me to see the bodies of the arsonists."
"Yes," Lu Tianzuo let out a sigh of relief. He was really worried that the Lady would lose her temper here, and no one would dare to console her.
Qing Zijin saw Yi Qing through the carriage curtain. Seeing how respectful Lu Tianzuo was to Yi Qing, she had already guessed her identity.
"Miss, that should be General Xiao's wife. She doesn't seem that special," Xiaoyou whispered.
"Watch your tongue," Qing Zijin gently tapped Xiaoyou's head. "To be by Xiao Jinghan's side, she must have extraordinary qualities."
Back then, the Ping family had donated rations and sent able - bodied men in order to give Ping Xinian a chance to get close to Xiao Jinghan, but all their efforts had been in vain.
Qing Zijin had met Ping Xinian. She was a heroic woman with outstanding looks. Even such a woman couldn't catch Xiao Jinghan's eye, yet he liked this woman. There must be something special about her.
"Miss is just too cautious. In my opinion, General Xiao is already married with a child. He's not worthy of Miss at all. When Miss gets married, she must be the mistress," Xiaoyou said firmly.
Qing Zijin smiled. With the status of the Qing family, when she got married, she would surely be the wife. But her father had asked her to be Xiao Jinghan's concubine. She was just curious about what kind of person could make her father take such a step back just to curry favor.
There were a total of twelve arsonists, and all of them were here. Yi Qing examined them carefully. They all had wounds on their bodies, but the real cause of their death was poisoning.
That meant they had taken poison before coming to set the fire. Whether this operation was successful or not, they were doomed to die.
"Break open their hands," Yi Qing ordered.
The soldiers on one side went over and broke open their hands one by one. Yi Qing took a look.
"Mr. Lu, check if there are any abrasions on the inner sides of their thighs," Yi Qing said and then turned around.
Xue Miao'er also turned around. "Why check the inner sides of their thighs?"
"People from Beidi are good at horseback riding and archery. Those sent to set fire to the rations at this time should not be ordinary people. Long - term horseback riding will cause abrasions on the inner sides of the thighs," Yi Qing explained.
Lu Tianzuo also knew this. After the inspection, his expression became solemn. These people didn't have the abrasions caused by long - term horseback riding. "Lady, only two of them have slight abrasions."
"These people are not from Beidi," Yi Qing said with certainty.
There were differences in appearance between the people of Beidi and those of the Great Jin. However, Li City was located on the border. People from the two countries lived together and intermarried, so there were many mixed - blood people.
Some people from the Great Jin also bought slaves from Beidi. Although they were slaves, they were still considered people of the Great Jin.
At this time, one couldn't determine which country a person was from by appearance but by their place of origin.
"Not from Beidi?" Lu Tianzuo thought for a moment and then understood. "Lady means that these people were pretending to be from Beidi?"
Yi Qing didn't turn back. "Take me to meet Miss Qing."
Qing Zijin had been staying in the carriage. Only after hearing that Lady Xiao wanted to see her did she get off the carriage with the ledger in hand.
She was wearing a peacock - blue cloak with gold - embroidered edges to prevent it from fluttering in the wind. She looked very petite, with a small face as small as a palm always wearing a smiling expression. No one could dislike her.
"Greetings to Lady Xiao," Qing Zijin bowed. "This is the detailed ledger of the rations donated by the Qing family. Please have a look, Lady Xiao."
"I'm not the military treasurer. Miss Qing has given it to the wrong person," Yi Qing said casually.
Qing Zijin wasn't embarrassed. She smiled slightly. "This batch of rations was donated by the Qing family to General Xiao. Since General Xiao is not here, please convey this to him, Lady Xiao."
"But the rations have already been burned, and we haven't made a calculation yet. What's the use of my taking Miss Qing's ledger?" Yi Qing sized up Qing Zijin.
Qing Zijin knew that since the hand - over of the rations hadn't been completed and something had gone wrong at this time, both sides would surely argue. "The Qing family has indeed gathered all the donated rations."
"Before the hand - over is completed, all these are just empty words," Yi Qing stared at Qing Zijin.
Qing Zijin looked at the ledger in her hand. "Then what does Lady Xiao plan to do?"