The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 100

100: There’s Still One More Who Hasn’t Arrived

Qi Ren led them to the general’s residence, where the rooms had been hastily prepared. Prince Qing stayed outside to chat with him.

“Did you come here on official business? Drawing a salary to travel and enjoy yourself?” Qi Ren said indignantly, especially since the person he had been thinking about hadn’t sent a letter in over a month, which only added to his frustration.

“How do you know I won’t carry out my duties impartially? It just so happened that Xiu’er wanted to visit Jiangnan, so I requested this assignment.”

“The other officials traveling with you have no objections?”

“Pfft!” Xia Xiu, standing nearby, couldn’t help but laugh.

Qi Ren gave him a strange look, unsure what kind of trick this guy was up to.

“There’s another official who brought an elder from his family along. They got seasick, so they’re taking the land route and will arrive a few days later,” Fu Yanxiao explained, barely suppressing a laugh.

Qi Ren said, “Alright,” but their expressions were so odd that he couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

What kind of scheme were they plotting now?

“Bringing an elder on official business? Isn’t that just asking for trouble with all the back-and-forth?” Qi Ren scoffed mockingly.

Fu Yanxiao and Xia Xiu exchanged glances and nodded. “Well, if you say so! But that elder… really isn’t in good health. I heard they even fainted from anger before. Tsk!”

Qi Ren snorted disdainfully. “How fragile! Why insist on tagging along then?! Let them find their own place to stay—I won’t bother waiting on them!”

“They don’t need you to wait on them… Ah, you’ll understand when the time comes. Just arrange one room for me and Xiu’er, no need to trouble yourself with more.”

Qi Ren shoved him forward. “Get out of here!”

He resisted asking about Fu Yu’an’s situation, telling himself that the letter might have been delayed on the road.

Well, that was a reasonable excuse. Qi Ren comforted himself this way.

He still held onto a sliver of hope, but his irritation was becoming harder to suppress.

“Li Ke!” he called for Li Ke and took some men out to round up laborers.

The general’s residence had been built during his father’s time. Unlike the grand and imposing mansion in the capital, this one had a more Jiangnan-style elegance, with greenery and trees everywhere, making it almost like a garden.

While Qi Ren was away, Xia Xiu wandered around the residence for half an hour before finally finding Xiao Zhu.

She was holding a little girl by the pond, feeding the fish. The child babbled incoherently, utterly adorable.

“Little Yuanbao has grown so big already?” he said with a smile as he approached.

Xiao Zhu was startled when she saw him but quickly bowed with the child in her arms.

“Young Master Xia.”

“General Qi went out again. I have something to discuss with you.”

“Please go ahead.”

Xia Xiu took out a small jade bracelet from his sleeve and handed it to her. “A belated first-birthday gift for Yuanbao. Take it—it’s nothing valuable, so don’t refuse.”

Little Yuanbao wasn’t shy and immediately grabbed it, trying to chew on it.

Xiao Zhu hadn’t expected to receive a gift from him and grew wary.

She returned the bracelet to Xia Xiu. “No rewards without merit. If you have any instructions, just say them directly.”

Yuanbao, who had just had her new toy taken away, pouted, on the verge of tears but too afraid to cry.

Xia Xiu hurriedly gave the bracelet back to her, realizing Xiao Zhu had misunderstood his intentions. He laughed awkwardly. “No, this is just a token of my regard, not… a bribe or anything. And I do have a favor to ask, but I promise you’ll be willing to help once you hear it!”

Xiao Zhu was utterly confused. “What is it? Stop keeping me in suspense!”

…

This year, the rice harvest in Zhizhou City was completed much faster than in previous years.

Two old men sat on the ground, watching the enemy captives working busily in the terraced fields, grinning from ear to ear.

Qi Ren brought two new captives over and stood at the top, scanning for areas with fewer people.

“We don’t have enough hands, General!” an old man smoking a pipe said cheerfully. “After harvesting, we still have to plant! Go catch a few more, eh?”

Qi Ren ordered Li Ke to take the people away, then walked over and squatted down beside the old man, smiling as he said, “Old sir, that fellow doesn’t even dare to show up now—there aren’t that many of them! After a while, we’ll have our brothers come help you out! These still need to be sent back!”

“Huh? Send them back for what? I’ve never seen prisoners just released for no reason! At the very least, we should make some demands or something!”

“This general has his own plans. You know how shameless the other side is—making demands won’t do any good!”

“Even if it’s useless, we should still make them! Otherwise, it’ll look like we’re pushovers!”

Qi Ren stood up, stroking his chin in thought.

It did seem unreasonable to just send them back like this.

But the other side hadn’t even mentioned retrieving their prisoners—whether they didn’t care or something else, he didn’t know.

“Li Ke! Increase the guard—make sure they don’t try any tricks!”

“Understood, sir.”

Qi Ren nodded politely to the two elders, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then left.

The old man stared at his retreating figure, clicking his tongue in admiration. “What a fine young man—loyal and righteous! I hear he still can’t forget his late wife and hasn’t remarried!”

“Ah! Didn’t we hear last time about an old man bringing his granddaughter to the general’s residence? Apparently, they were treated to good food and drink!”

“Well, I don’t know about that! Ah, forget it—what’s the point of us two old men gossiping like this?”

“…You were the one who brought it up first, you old coot!”

…

Qi Ren spent several days outside capturing prisoners, finally gathering enough hands to help the villagers harvest their rice.

Li Ke returned, covered in dust, bringing news from the scouts.

Ever since Fu Yanxiao arrived at the general’s residence, he had spent his days either investigating the case or taking Xia Xiu out to play, making himself a nuisance. Yet Qi Ren couldn’t just kick him out, so he had no choice but to hide away at the military camp himself.

“Well? What was the other side’s reaction after those prisoners returned?”

“Reporting, General—they were all stripped of their military status, so naturally, they wouldn’t dare reuse them. Our men stirred up rumors in the city, and now the whole place is in an uproar.”

“Good. Wait a few more days—within half a month, they’ll surely come begging for peace.”

Once that happened, he could set his terms. Maybe then they’d have some peace for a while.

“Oh, right… any letters from the capital?” Qi Ren asked, lowering his head to look at the documents on his desk.

Li Ke hesitated. “Ah… not yet… Should I go check the courier station tomorrow? Actually… you don’t need to worry—”

“I’m not worried!” Qi Ren cut him off, hastily explaining, “Just asking casually. I’ll go check myself tomorrow.”

“General, you’ve been working day and night—let this subordinate handle it!” Li Ke clasped his fists and bowed.

Qi Ren nodded approvingly, then asked how Fu Yanxiao’s investigation was going and when exactly that prefect’s official hat would be stripped from him.

Li Ke shook his head. “He says the official who was supposed to arrive by carriage hasn’t shown up yet, so there hasn’t been much progress. For now, he just goes to the prefect’s residence every day for tea, trying to intimidate him.”

Qi Ren frowned. “Who has such airs about them that even he has to wait? Could it be some young prince sent here for training?”

All style, no substance. Let’s see what kind of show they can put on!

“I don’t know about that, sir. Didn’t His Highness say this trip was meant to train that person? Maybe it’s some young nobleman with a high status—not someone to offend lightly.”

“Fine, fine! As long as they get the job done! How many days until they arrive?”

“Four or five.”

“Then I’ll stay at the camp another ten days or so. No desire to go back and wait on him!”

“…Understood!”