Old Madam Qin said, "If Guaizai were your grandson, and someone sent ten chests of gold bars wanting to buy him from you—would you agree?"
The first part of that sentence made Old General Qin feel pleased for a moment, but the second part made him furious. His face darkened, and he slammed his fist onto the bed with a loud bang, nearly cracking the bedboard, his voice icy: "Anyone who dares—I'll break their legs."
"Well, there you have it," Old Madam Qin said. If that method actually worked, she'd be willing to hand over the entire Qin family fortune.
It was simple—every time she saw that child, she felt an inexplicable closeness. As for the Shen family's child, she'd stared at his portrait over and over—couldn't say she was satisfied, couldn't say she wasn't. That child still carried Shen family blood, so by all logic, he should have pleased her eye. But somehow, when she looked at that portrait, she felt none of that pull. Probably it was because Guaizai looked like Meng Ruqing—and that made him feel familiar and dear to her.
Though mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships were notoriously difficult, Old Madam Qin truly treated Meng Ruqing like her own child.
If it were another family, they'd be scolding Meng Ruqing by now—why? They'd say, "We told you not to come back to the capital, but you insisted, and look what happened—you lost the child, and after that you couldn't conceive again."
But Old Madam Qin saw things clearly. If anyone was to blame, it was the Qin family who had caused Meng Ruqing's suffering.
Old General Qin had slain the Third Prince of the Chao Kingdom with his own sword, and the enemy knew exactly what the Qin family valued most—so of course they struck back.
Only those who were parents themselves could understand—a child was more important than life itself. Meng Ruqing had carried that child for ten months, always stroking his belly with joy. Old Madam Qin had seen with her own eyes how much he'd looked forward to that child, how much he'd yearned for it. And then—after nearly losing his life, after suffering through the pain of childbirth—he hadn't even had a chance to hold the baby before it was thrown away. He must have blamed himself more than anyone. How could she possibly resent him for it?
She wasn't that heartless.
If he hadn't married into the Qin family, would he have ever suffered like this?
Out of guilt, she doted on Meng Ruqing even more than on her own two sons. And since Guaizai looked like him, she figured her affection just carried over.
Old General Qin let out a disappointed sigh.
Every time Guaizai wrote a letter, he'd start by greeting everyone one by one, then go on and on about what he'd been up to. His letters always mentioned Zhao Ger and Fang Zichen—how Zhao Ger had made him something delicious, how he and his father had gone into the mountains to catch pheasants, how they'd gone to the river to scoop up shrimp—so much fun! His father had even taken him to fight bandits, and he'd knocked them down one by one with his staff—he was so skilled! He could protect the common people too.
Between the lines, though he never said it outright, it was clear that Fang Zichen doted on his stepson dearly.
Even Fang Zichen—greedy for money as people said he was—supposedly wouldn't sell his own child.
Knowing that was one thing. But Old General Qin couldn't help but hope anyway.
What if? Maybe?
The night was deep, and speaking of these things only brought more sorrow. Old Madam Qin didn't want to dwell on it anymore—for now, they'd just take things one step at a time; there was no rush. But as she lay down, another matter suddenly came to mind.
She lowered her voice: "I've noticed that Deputy General Lu seems a bit off lately."
Old General Qin blew out the oil lamp and lay down beside her. He hadn't had a proper rest in days, and now that he was finally lying down, his thoughts started to drift. He mumbled drowsily, "What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know. A few days ago, he looked awfully preoccupied."
"Did he? I didn't notice." This time, Old General Qin had once again led the troops into battle himself, and as usual, the Chao Kingdom's forces had been driven back. There was nothing to worry about on the battlefield, so then...
"Maybe something's happened at home?"
"I sent Shi Yi back to Hengyang to check, and they said nothing was wrong. But later, when I called Deputy General Lu in to ask, he panicked for a moment—then immediately denied everything."
After that, when Old Madam Qin observed him again, he seemed perfectly normal.
Old Madam Qin couldn't shake the feeling that something was off: "Keep an eye on him."
Old General Qin frowned at once.
"Don't jump to conclusions. That's not something to say lightly. Deputy General Lu has followed me for many years, always loyal. If word of this gets out and the men hear it, they'll be disheartened."
Old Madam Qin knew that perfectly well. Right now, the tents were surrounded by Qin family soldiers, and she kept her voice low so no one outside could hear.
"I just have a bad feeling," she said.
Old General Qin knew she was worried. Outside, the campfires burned bright, and the tent wasn't completely dark. He took her hand, patted the back of it, and murmured reassuringly, "I understand. Don't worry."
He was exhausted himself, but hearing that she was still wide awake, he forced himself to stay alert and brought up another topic: "That surnamed Jiang brought two right-hand men with him in the last battle."
It came out of nowhere, but Old Madam Qin understood.
He was talking about Jiang Zhanying—a general of the Chao Kingdom, a man who'd been fighting against Old General Qin his entire life.
Twenty years ago, the Chao Kingdom had broken their treaty and suddenly attacked Da Xia, slaughtering over a dozen villages along the border. That had enraged Old General Qin, who led his troops to strike back. In that battle, Jiang Zhanying's entire arm had been hacked off by Old General Qin. The Third Prince of the Chao Kingdom had also been among them—a stubborn, dissolute wastrel who refused to retreat or surrender, and ultimately died by Old General Qin's sword.
After that, the Qin family had naturally suffered the Chao Kingdom's "retaliation." In the last engagement, Jiang Zhanying had personally commanded the troops and brought two of his right-hand men along. One of them wore a mask and kept his face hidden—as though he didn't want to be recognized. Old General Qin heard Jiang Zhanying address him as "A-Zuo."
That man was undeniably formidable and courageous. At a single command from Jiang Zhanying, he charged straight at Old General Qin without a hint of fear. They exchanged two moves, and then Jiang Zhanying circled around with the other man.
Qin Hengyi broke through the encirclement and rushed over, engaging A-Zuo. The masked man held his ground against Qin Hengyi, exchanging over a dozen rounds without yielding.
Probably to avenge the lost arm and the prince, the assassins who had attacked the Qin family had aimed relentlessly at their arms and vital points. Qin Hengyi's arm had been broken in the fight, and if Qin Hengxuan hadn't blocked the final blow, the entire arm would likely have been chopped off by them. But Qin Hengxuan had taken a spear straight through his chest for his trouble, and had almost gone to drink soup with the Grandma Meng.
[孟婆汤 (Mèngpó tāng): lit. Grandma Meng's soup; fig. the soup of forgetfulness served at the Naihe Bridge in the underworld, which makes souls forget their past lives before reincarnation.]
Qin Hengyi's arm bones were shattered... now it was as good as useless—he couldn't even hold a teacup steady.
Old General Qin had personally trained him from childhood, so he knew exactly what his son was capable of.
With one hand crippled, he was naturally not what he used to be. But even so, he was still formidable. The fact that he could fight evenly with him — and that Old General Qin himself had exchanged two blows with the man — told him all he needed to know about A-Zuo’s strength: he was a tough one too.
Who knew how many more of these men the enemy had at their disposal? Had Jiang Zhanying trained them all? If so, and if they were all this skilled... that old bastard had some real ability.
Old Madam Qin was silent for a long moment. "Don't overthink it. No matter what, we just have to do our best."
Worrying wouldn't help.
Old General Qin closed his eyes and said no more.
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