Shao Mingyuan was silent for a moment, then showed a gentle smile: “Yes, I’ll be leaving shortly.”

Qiao Zhao pressed her lips together, a faint reluctance rising in her heart.

“About your unauthorized entry to the capital—”

“I already had an audience with His Majesty today. This matter is considered settled, so don’t worry.”

Qiao Zhao breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good, but what you did was too risky. Don’t be so impulsive in the future.”

Human hearts were unpredictable, let alone the thoughts of an emperor. An army commander returning to the capital without permission could easily become a catastrophic disaster if handled poorly. Though Qiao Zhao felt warmed that Shao Mingyuan had traveled thousands of miles to rescue her, she couldn’t help but worry.

“Alright, I won’t be impulsive in the future.” The premise being that you don’t get into trouble.

Shao Mingyuan gazed at Qiao Zhao’s face, unable to look away.

Deep into the night, the candle on the table suddenly sparked.

Shao Mingyuan leaned down to kiss Qiao Zhao’s forehead, stood up, and said hoarsely, “I should go.”

“You’re just leaving like that?” Qiao Zhao looked up at him.

Shao Mingyuan was slightly stunned.

The young lady lifted her fair, delicate chin: “Kiss me.”

Why had this fellow become like a block of wood after their engagement? Could it be that everything before was her imagination?

Under the lamplight, the young lady’s face was white as jade, her cherry lips small and exquisite, tinged with a faint pallor that made her appear even more pitiable.

“I—” Shao Mingyuan suddenly felt his mouth go dry, standing in place, not daring to move.

“You what? Kiss me!” Miss Qiao, unable to move due to her injuries all over, could only raise her chin higher, her eyes reflecting the brilliant lamplight and the man’s wooden expression.

Shadow suddenly descended, scorching lips fell upon Qiao Zhao’s cool lips, making her heart race.

After a long while, the candle sparked twice more. The man’s gaze was burning, his breathing rapid, as he asked hoarsely: “Satisfied?”

The young lady’s face flushed red as she feigned composure: “Passable.”

Shao Mingyuan smiled, his gaze reluctant to move away for even a moment: “Then I’ll work harder in the future. Just ‘passable’—I’m not satisfied with that.”

“Then I’ll wait.” Qiao Zhao responded with a smile.

“Zhaozhao, I really must go.”

“Go then.”

Shao Mingyuan looked deeply at her, walked to the window, and stopped to turn back, saying seriously: “At most ten days to half a month, and I’ll be back. Wait for me.”

The man disappeared at the window, and the banana leaves outside swayed, casting silhouettes on the gauze curtains.

Qiao Zhao stared at the window, feeling lost and melancholy.

Binglu poked her head in, lowering her voice: “Miss, may this servant come in now?”

“Come in.”

Binglu tiptoed in, first ran to check the window, then returned to Qiao Zhao’s side: “Has the general left?”

“Mm.”

Binglu looked at Qiao Zhao and covered her mouth to laugh.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Miss, your lips are swollen—” Sensing the atmosphere was wrong, Binglu quickly stopped laughing.

“Go to sleep. I don’t need you to serve me here.” Qiao Zhao said with a stern face.

“Then this servant will sleep in the outer chamber. Miss, just call me if you need anything.” Binglu ran off like a wisp of smoke, and reaching the outer chamber, lay down on the couch and vigorously rubbed her face.

Oh my, the miss and the general are truly so loving. What if there’s a baby?

Qiao Zhao in the inner chamber had no idea how far the little maid’s concerns had wandered. She sniffed lightly—the room seemed to still carry that person’s scent. She couldn’t help but sigh, suddenly remembering the argument between her grandmother and grandfather many years ago.

Grandfather had made the decision to betroth her to Shao Mingyuan, and Grandmother had said that the Marquis Jing’an family were hereditary military officers. The legitimate heir might stay in the capital as a comfortable heir apparent, but the second son would most likely lead troops in battle. Being a military officer’s wife would certainly mean frequent separations and constant fear—she didn’t want her granddaughter to suffer such hardship.

Looking back now, Grandmother had indeed been thinking of her from the perspective of a wife and mother, but she was still grateful that Grandfather had arranged this marriage for her.

Rather than the bland mutual respect between ordinary couples, she would rather encounter such a person, spiritually connected, dependent through life and death. Even one day together would surpass many people’s entire lifetimes.

In the following days, the Li residence busily arranged Li Guangshu’s funeral affairs. Relatives, friends, and colleagues came to pay their respects one after another. Those who had been lining up to invite Third Miss Li to visit their homes all withdrew, and the wife of the Minister of Justice even angrily said that Second Master Li had died at an inconvenient time.

Several days later, news of Marquis Guanjun leading Great Liang’s army to a great victory over Northern Qi’s forces spread throughout the capital. The entire capital celebrated joyously, and the number of people coming to pay respects at the Li residence suddenly increased, making this funeral appear incredibly lively.

Second Madam Liu’s sister-in-law from her natal family had been staying at the Li residence these past days to accompany Liu. When she once again looked at Liu with eyes full of sympathy, Liu finally couldn’t bear it: “Sister-in-law, need not look at me like that. I’m fine.”

“Oh my, little sister-in-law, I know you’re strong. Sister-in-law understands all your suffering—”

Liu impatiently interrupted her: “Sister-in-law, I’m a bit tired. I’ll go lie down first.”

What suffering did she have? She had lived without a man for over five years—couldn’t she continue living the same way? Truly speaking, compared to having a man with another woman in his heart constantly annoying her eyes, living alone was more comfortable.

Speaking of which, she should properly check on Third Miss’s health condition.

Liu waved her handkerchief and headed toward Yahe Courtyard.

Because Qiao Zhao was recovering from injuries, she had never appeared at the mourning hall. Old Madam Deng’s external explanation was that she had caught a cold earlier that hadn’t fully recovered, but over time, somehow the story had changed.

“Did you hear? Third Miss Li is in poor health.”

“Really? Didn’t Third Miss Li seem fine when she attended the banquet for the Xijiang envoys? How did she suddenly become unwell?”

“Third Miss Li’s illness isn’t just from the past day or two. Even before Second Master Li died of a sudden illness, she was already unable to go out. I heard she even declined invitations from the prince’s residence.”

“I know about this. At the time, people speculated that the Li family was unwilling to let Third Miss Li appear in public and politely refused, but it turns out she was truly ill.”

“It certainly can’t be false. Otherwise, how could she not appear even when her uncle died?”

“Sigh, what do you think—if Third Miss Li is truly in poor health, then her engagement to Marquis Guanjun—”

Thinking of this, many people’s minds became active.

With the great victory in the Northern Territories, Marquis Guanjun’s reputation had risen another level. He was so young and would certainly be highly valued by the future emperor.

True, marrying a military officer carried risks, but wealth was found in danger. If one could gain a tremendous fortune, what did a little risk matter?

Shao Mingyuan on his return journey had no idea he had inexplicably become an ideal son-in-law in many people’s eyes again, and even that person in the imperial palace had begun to contemplate.

“Commander Jiang, I heard that Marquis Guanjun’s fiancée is gravely ill?”

Jiang Yuanchao’s heart stirred, and from the corner of his eye, he glanced at Wei Wuxie standing behind Emperor Mingkang.

Since his adoptive father’s death, although he had taken over the position of Jinlin Guards Commander, the emperor’s trust in him was incomparable to the trust he had placed in his adoptive father. With one declining and the other rising, the Eastern Depot’s power had grown, and much of the information reaching the emperor no longer came solely from the Jinlin Guards.

What did His Majesty mean by asking this question?