Yi Qing looked dejected. At the moment, she was only interested in matters related to Xiao Jinghan, and nothing else could pique her interest.
"It's about you," said Lord Ghost persistently, lying on the stone table beside the lotus tank.
Yi Qing still didn't want to pay him any heed.
"Xiao Jinghan will be angry if he knows," Lord Ghost stared at Yi Qing.
Only then did Yi Qing show a bit of interest. "Tell me or not, it's up to you."
Lord Ghost was completely ignored. Stepping onto the stone bench beside him dejectedly, he said, "Fine, I'll tell you. There's a rumor going around that you've kept a man in your mansion, which is why you never go out these days."
Yi Qing looked at Lord Ghost.
"According to the description, that man might be me," Lord Ghost said proudly, looking at Yi Qing.
Yi Qing tilted her head and thought for a moment, then stopped paying attention to this matter.
"Aren't you angry?" Lord Ghost couldn't understand.
"Why should I be angry? If you think about it carefully, you're indeed being kept by me. You've been following us from Licheng to the capital, eating and living at our expense. It's not just for a day or two. If it weren't for you, would we have had to go to Southern Fujian?"
Lord Ghost was quite annoyed by Yi Qing. "I've spent money."
"You haven't even calculated if that little bit of money is enough."
Lord Ghost took a few deep breaths. "Fine! I'll see who dares to say that. I'll pull out their tongues." After saying that, he left.
Yi Qing frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly became happy. She threw all the fish food into the lotus tank, flicked off the fish food on her hands, and turned around to run back to her room.
Every time Xiao Jinghan wrote to her, there were new things. She stayed here every day and didn't know what to write back to him. Finally, something had happened. She must tell Xiao Jinghan about it.
Back then, Xiao Jinghan had made a grand entrance to Gelingkou. He directly selected troops and left, which greatly shocked the generals there. Now, Yi Qing's matter had been exaggerated and was spreading like wildfire in Gelingkou.
"Xue'er!" Ling Hong called out to Ling Xue'er, who was sneaking back.
"Brother—" Ling Xue'er hid her hands behind her back as if she knew nothing.
"Lady Xiao is now staying in our mansion. If any rumors spread, it won't do our family any good, especially for you. You're still an unmarried girl," Ling Hong scolded.
"What others do has nothing to do with me. Brother might as well go talk to that Lady Xiao. If she hadn't done something, how could others gossip about her?" After saying that, Ling Xue'er left.
Ling Hong looked at his sister helplessly. His sister had suffered a lot at home before, and now he doted on her like a precious treasure. He hoped nothing would go wrong.
Xiao Jinghan smiled when he saw Yi Qing's letter. He originally wanted to write to Ling Hong to admonish him, but then he thought better of it. Yi Qing was most afraid of boredom. It would be good for her to have something to amuse herself with.
Moreover, it was always Yi Qing who comforted him. This time, it was his turn to comfort her.
When Yi Qing received the reply letter, she was full of enthusiasm and immediately replied. Wu Min watched enviously. She also wanted to write to Lu Tianxun, but she didn't know what to write.
The matter in Gelingkou was already a big sensation, but Yi Qing didn't care at all. She even asked Lord Ghost to find out if there were any new developments. It was the first time anyone had been so happy to hear their own gossip.
"I'm the Lord Ghost of Ghost Floating Mountain. How can I become a hooligan who gossips on the street?" Lord Ghost said indignantly.
"Can you guarantee that you'll never get hurt or sick in the future?" Yi Qing threatened with a smile.
"I'll go!" Lord Ghost had no choice but to comply.
A few days passed, and Yi Qing showed no reaction. Then, another rumor spread that Yi Qing was bad luck for her husband. It was said that it was because of Yi Qing that General Xiao would encounter great disasters and would be plagued by misfortunes in the future. The rumor was so detailed.
Yi Qing still showed no reaction. She regarded these rumors as material for her letters. Otherwise, when she picked up the pen, not only did her handwriting look ugly, but she also didn't know what to write.
Xiao Jinghan couldn't help but smile when he read Yi Qing's letter.
"What's wrong with him?" Prince Zhen looked at Xiao Jinghan's strange expression.
Although Xiao Jinghan looked good when he smiled, in Prince Zhen's eyes, it was extremely strange. He always felt that Xiao Jinghan's smile seemed to be revealing something.
He had come to Southern Fujian as soon as he received the letter. He didn't care about other things, but he was very willing to deal with the Qiao family. The hatred of being framed and escorted back then had not been avenged.
Moreover, Qiao Ye always tried to interfere in the affairs of the Southern Border. This debt must be settled.
Now that Xiao Jinghan was in charge, if anything happened, it would be Xiao Jinghan's responsibility. He definitely had to take advantage of this.
"Lady Xiao has sent a letter," Lu Tianxun thought Prince Zhen was so ignorant. This question didn't even need to be asked. Only Yi Qing's letters could make Xiao Jinghan react like this.
"A letter every other day. Is it really necessary?" Prince Zhen disdained.
Just then, a scout came in from outside and presented a letter from the Empress of the Southern Border to Prince Zhen. Prince Zhen immediately turned sideways to protect it.
"A letter every other day. Is it really necessary?" Lu Tianxun repeated the same words to Prince Zhen. He wondered if Wu Min couldn't write a letter. Couldn't she even send him a bug?
Xiao Jinghan put away Yi Qing's letter and looked up to see Prince Zhen's furtive appearance. "I've almost cleared up the influence of the Qiao family. The rest will be handed over to Prince Zhen."
"What?" Prince Zhen quickly hid the letter in his bosom.
"Southern Fujian has many mountains, and the people are suffering. Your Highness once implemented a policy of tax reduction in Southern Fujian, which is feasible. During the search of the Qiao family, it was found that they had used various means to extort money from the people. Your Highness can use this as evidence to write a memorial to the emperor. However, implementing this policy will surely harm the interests of many people. Your Highness can use Qiao Ye's example as a warning. I believe it will get twice the result with half the effort," Xiao Jinghan said directly.
Prince Zhen was a bit slow to react. "What do you mean? Do you want me to take care of Southern Fujian in the future? What about my wife? Won't I have to be separated from my wife? No, no. I'll just take a look at Qiao Ye's end and then leave."
Xiao Jinghan looked at Prince Zhen, and Prince Zhen felt guilty under his gaze.
"I really can't do it. You should think about it. I couldn't even deal with Qiao Ye back then. What if someone like Wang Ye or Zhao Ye appears in the future? Wouldn't I be wasting your efforts in vain?" Prince Zhen pretended to be timid.
"Your Highness is right," Xiao Jinghan nodded. "Your Highness can't even manage Southern Fujian well. If you go back to the Southern Border, your identity will be embarrassing, and you won't have much ability. The Empress of the Southern Border will surely be under great pressure."
"Who said that?" Prince Zhen immediately became indignant. "Give me time, and I can turn Southern Fujian into a land of fish and rice."
"Good. Then I'll write a memorial to the emperor like this," Xiao Jinghan bowed. "All the handover matters have been dealt with. I have other important matters to attend to and must leave now." After saying that, he left.
"Wait..." Prince Zhen realized that he had dug his own grave. "You can't leave me alone." He stepped forward to block Xiao Jinghan and prevent him from leaving.
"I'm a military general. I've done what I should do in terms of both military and civil affairs. Now it's up to Your Highness," Xiao Jinghan leaped over Prince Zhen and left.
Prince Zhen had no choice but to turn to Lu Tianxun. "You're a scholar, right?"
"I have no official title," Lu Tianxun quickly distanced himself. Since Xiao Jinghan was going back, if he didn't go back, Wu Min would surely come after him.