The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 104

104: Clingy

Fu Yu’an’s arrival was too sudden, disrupting Qi Ren’s original plans.

Although his plans had only involved staying at the military camp for ten days to half a month—nothing particularly interesting.

But now that he was here, Qi Ren naturally had no desire to go back there.

Li Ke came by in the morning, and after Qi Ren gave him all the necessary instructions, he settled in at home to accompany Fu Yu’an.

Fu Yu’an no longer hid his need for security and had become far more clingy than before.

At first, Qi Ren was a little worried, but then he thought that after so many years, perhaps this was the real him.

“I don’t want to work on the drafts,” Fu Yu’an said softly, tiptoeing behind him and resting his chin on his shoulder as he looked at the map in Qi Ren’s hands. “What are you looking at?”

Qi Ren turned his head and kissed him, then pulled him by the arm, making him tumble into his embrace. He gently massaged the back of Fu Yu’an’s neck, as if soothing a temperamental cat.

Fu Yu’an thoroughly enjoyed it, tilting his head up to share a sweet, lingering kiss with him, his gaze gradually losing focus.

This was a sign that he wanted to…

Qi Ren was utterly helpless, suppressing the itch in his heart as he pulled him up, lecturing him sternly, “You’re not fully recovered yet—it’s a no!”

“I am! I’ve been fine for a while now!” Fu Yu’an was on the verge of tears. “It’s been almost three years since we’ve been intimate. Don’t you miss it at all?”

Of course Qi Ren missed it, but reason held him back. Now was not the time to indulge in romantic distractions.

“Tomorrow, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. In a few days, I have to return to the camp. You stay at home—”

“I’m coming with you!”

He had expected this.

Qi Ren smiled helplessly. “I’ll be back in two days. Just wait for me at home. The weather’s been warm lately—it’s the perfect time for Xiao Zhu to take you out for a walk. You’ve been cooped up at home for almost half a month since you arrived. You’ll grow mushrooms at this rate!”

Fu Yu’an couldn’t argue with that. He had to admit Qi Ren had a point.

Fine, fine. He must have important matters to attend to.

“On the way here, I heard the neighboring country has been harassing the people. Have you found a solution?” Fu Yu’an tugged at a strand of his hair, lowering his head to look at the map.

Qi Ren shook his head. “Their territory is to the south. Some areas are unbearably hot even in December, making it difficult to grow crops. They’ve had their eyes on us for a long time. Now they’ve joined forces with other small countries—this has been planned for years.”

“Didn’t I hear you repelled them before?”

“It couldn’t have been just that one wave. They’ve been scheming for so long—they won’t give up so easily.”

“So what’s the plan? Trade? Or just conquer them outright?”

“The current governor refuses to open trade—stubborn old fool. When Fu Yanxiao arrives this time, I’ll have to get rid of him and replace him with someone else! Neither His Majesty nor I want unnecessary trouble. We don’t want war.”

Fu Yu’an agreed wholeheartedly with this. He didn’t like war either.

Even though he had married a general, he still didn’t want to see innocent people displaced or families torn apart because of war.

After three more days of staying home and being lovey-dovey, Qi Ren returned to the military camp.

The moment he arrived, Li Ke handed him a letter, explaining that an envoy had come the day before, babbling for a long time in a language no one understood. In the end, all they could do was present this letter, saying it was from their king to the general.

This “king” was the ruler of Tianchang Kingdom, the main instigator of the conflict. The armies of the other small countries all followed their lead.

“Peace talks?” Qi Ren flipped the letter over a couple of times, finally deciphering some meaning from the poorly written sentences.

“Not sure. That envoy didn’t even bring a translator—it’s all very suspicious. We’ve been fighting them for so many years. Would they really sue for peace?”

Qi Ren was also frustrated. He shook the letter, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his fingertip—but it was gone in an instant.

He didn’t pay it much mind, thinking to himself that these southern barbarians’ paper was indeed rough—it could even scratch skin!

“If they want peace, then peace it is. It just so happens that Prince Qing is at the governor’s office. When do they say they’re coming? Invite them to the governor’s city. I doubt they’d dare cause any trouble there!”

Li Ke pondered for a moment but couldn’t make sense of what the envoy had said.

“Does the letter mention it? This subordinate didn’t hear clearly—forgive my incompetence, General.”

Qi Ren waved his hand and returned the letter to him: “Keep it safe for now and study it later. Have all the prisoners been sent back?”

“They were sent back the day before yesterday. The rice planting is almost finished.”

Qi Ren nodded, wiping away the bl00d bead on his finger, and ordered, “Summon the deputy general and the military advisor to the main tent. This general has important matters to discuss!”

Li Ke acknowledged the command and withdrew.

The wound was small, right on the ring finger of his left hand. Qi Ren found it irritating, so he took out the ring and slowly slid it on.

Why did it feel tighter than before?

He pulled it off again and examined it closely, confirming that the inscription inside was indeed Fu Yu’an’s name. He frowned.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too tight. He thought maybe his finger had swollen a bit after being pressed by Fu Yu’an while sleeping last night.

Ah, well. Not a big deal.

…

The bustling streets were alive with noise and activity. Fu Yu’an and Xia Xiu each held one of Little Yuanbao’s hands, both carrying bags full of snacks—all for the little girl.

After just a few steps, the girl began complaining of exhaustion. Fu Yu’an chuckled helplessly, handed his bag to Xia Xiu, and crouched down to carry her on his back.

The little girl giggled happily, pointing at a pinwheel nearby and babbling that she wanted it.

So the two bought her what felt like the hundredth toy of the day and placed it in her tiny hands.

Xia Xiu opened a pack of dried fruit and handed a piece to Fu Yu’an. “Finally found time to come out, huh? I see how it is—brothers can’t compare to your beloved husband!”

Fu Yu’an shot him a glare. “Stop talking nonsense! The child is right here! Weren’t you also busy following His Highness the Prince? You’ve got no right to criticize me!”

Xia Xiu didn’t want to argue and changed the subject. “Are you planning to leave again after this trip? Since you brought the kid along, was it His Majesty’s way of giving him a chance to earn merit?”

“The will of heaven is hard to predict,” Fu Yu’an replied mildly. “He’s ambitious—he insisted on coming this time. But he’s only been in office for less than a year. How could he just go wherever he pleases?”

“So he has to go back?”

“Of course. But I don’t want to return with him. I’d rather stay in Nanjiang.”

Xia Xiu gave him a look that said, “I knew you’d say that,” chewing the dried fruit faster and mumbling, “You’re truly head over heels! Fine, stay if you want. With Fu Yanxiao keeping an eye on things for you, everything will work out.”

“I’m not worried about him,” Fu Yu’an sighed. “It’s just this place—I don’t know when the chaos of war will end.”

“It should be soon,” Xia Xiu said, swallowing his food and leaning in to whisper, “Fu Yanxiao mentioned they’re suing for peace. If negotiations succeed, we might secure decades of stability.”

Fu Yu’an nodded, thinking that such peace would surely come with conditions. He wondered how they would handle it.

“Ah, enough of these gloomy thoughts! We’re finally out—let’s go enjoy ourselves! Come on, I’ll take you to the opera!” Xia Xiu grinned, lifting Little Yuanbao onto his shoulders and sprinting ahead.

Fu Yu’an hurried after him, calling out for him to be careful not to drop the child.