The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 105

105: Peace Negotiation

After a day of playing outside, Little Yuanbao was so tired that she fell asleep by the time they returned home in the evening.

Fu Yu’an carried her into the backyard, where Xiaozhu quickly stepped forward to take the child. However, there was no sign of Qi Ren.

“The general said he would stay at the military camp again tonight and won’t be returning. Your Highness should also rest early!” she explained, as if reading Fu Yu’an’s thoughts.

Fu Yu’an merely nodded and handed over the dried fruits and meat snacks he had bought before heading back to his room alone.

Why had he been staying at the military camp so often these days? Could it be that the war situation had grown tense again?

A faint sense of unease rose in his heart, and his chest felt suffocatingly tight.

…

The desolate, bl00d-stained battlefield was barren, littered with corpses and broken weapons. A crescent moon hung in the sky, its glow tinged with a faint bloody hue.

Fu Yu’an looked down and saw himself walking barefoot through the sea of corpses and bl00d. A thin mist shrouded the scene, hazy and indistinct.

“Qi Ren!” He heard his own voice, hoarse and desperate. “Qi Ren! Where are you?”

He frantically searched around but couldn’t find the person he was looking for. The soles of his feet were pierced by something sharp, sending waves of pain through him. Fu Yu’an collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by despair and terror.

There were no sounds of battle, yet it felt like an endless hell—lonely and horrifying.

As he lowered his head to check his wounds, something cold suddenly pressed against his neck. Fu Yu’an slowly looked up and saw a towering foreign soldier holding a blade to his throat.

The sword was chipped and stained with thick bl00d, dripping slowly onto the ground.

Where was Qi Ren? What was this place?

Before he could make sense of it, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. An arrow struck the foreign soldier squarely in the skull. The man staggered, collapsing without even a cry.

Bl00d gushed out. Fu Yu’an, panicked and helpless, turned toward the source of the arrow—only to see Qi Ren, drenched in bl00d.

“Qi Ren…”

Before he could step forward, Qi Ren suddenly clutched his head in agony, crouching down and roaring like a beast trapped in chains.

Fu Yu’an stumbled toward him, reaching out to lift his face, but Qi Ren violently shoved him away.

“No—!”

Qi Ren let out a furious shout, sweat pouring down his face like beads. Trembling, he raised his sword, his expression twisted in pain and ferocity.

Fu Yu’an didn’t understand what was happening. He stared in horror as Qi Ren’s agony faded into eerie stillness, his eyes losing focus, staring blankly at him as if he were nothing more than a corpse.

“What’s wrong with you? You…”

With a thud, the blade pierced through Fu Yu’an’s body, cleanly running him through.

The buzzing in his ears grew louder, blurring his vision, making it impossible to see the expression on Qi Ren’s face—only endless pain and disbelief remained.

“No… Qi Ren… Qi Ren!”

“Yu’an? Yu’an!”

A familiar voice called out beside him. Gasping for breath, Fu Yu’an jolted awake from the nightmare.

Before him was Qi Ren’s worried face. Still disoriented from the dream, Fu Yu’an stared at him, tear-streaked.

“What’s wrong? A nightmare?” Qi Ren leaned over, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, his concern palpable.

Fu Yu’an grabbed his arm and shook his head with closed eyes.

Dreams are the opposite of reality, dreams are the opposite of reality, dreams are the opposite of reality…

“It’s nothing. Dreams are the opposite of reality. Why are you back?” His voice was hoarse, drowsy and fearful.

The dream had felt too real—even the sensation of bl00d splattering on his face had been vivid.

And unlike before, this time, he hadn’t forgotten it upon waking.

In the past, dreams would fade within moments of waking, but now…

Qi Ren carried the chill of the outdoors, clearly having rushed back in a hurry. Seeing Fu Yu’an in such distress pained him like needles pricking his heart.

He kicked off his shoes and socks, hesitating for a moment before climbing onto the bed and embracing him.

Fu Yu’an immediately clung to him, the unease in his heart finally settling.

“Finished with your work? It’s so late.” Fu Yu’an yawned, tightening his hold. “You’re so cold. Let me warm you up.”

Qi Ren sighed. “I’m cold—don’t let me freeze you. I’ll go get you a heating pad.”

With that, he moved to lift the covers and get up, but Fu Yu’an stopped him with a sound of protest. “No need, no need. It’s too cold—don’t go. Just hold me, and I’ll warm up.”

Qi Ren chuckled and obediently lay back down, tucking Fu Yu’an’s icy feet between his thighs and pressing his hands against his own chest to warm them.

After a while, still feeling uncomfortable, he sat up and swiftly stripped off his outer clothes, leaving only his inner robe before pulling Fu Yu’an into his arms.

Now, it was truly warm. Fu Yu’an let out a contented sigh, his hands slipping beneath Qi Ren’s clothes of their own accord.

Qi Ren’s thoughts began to stray, his grip on Fu Yu’an’s waist tightening slightly—but he restrained himself from doing anything further.

“Sleep. I’ll stay with you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Fu Yu’an’s forehead before flicking his fingers to extinguish the lamp.

…

The Kingdom of Tianchang seemed to be in a great hurry. Just three days after the cryptic letter arrived, envoys came to negotiate.

The envoy was another burly man with deep-set eyes, who opened his mouth and began spouting gibberish—neither the language of Tianchang nor the official tongue of Great Yan. It was utterly incomprehensible.

The assembled commanders exchanged bewildered glances, utterly baffled as to what there was even to discuss.

Where was the sincerity? Couldn’t they at least send someone who could speak properly?!

Qi Ren watched him talk to himself for a long while before finally losing patience: “Someone! Relay my order—anyone in the three armies who can speak the language of Southern… no, Tianchang Kingdom, report to my tent at once!”

The subordinate accepted the order and searched for a long time before finally finding someone who could speak Tianchang.

The man’s father was from Tianchang Kingdom, and his mother was from Yan. After his father passed away, he returned to Great Yan with his mother.

After a laborious exchange, they finally reached an agreement.

The letter had already been sent to the capital by carrier pigeon when it first arrived. Given how urgent the situation was now, they couldn’t wait for the Emperor’s reply.

They had no choice but to act first and report later, letting Prince Qing handle the negotiations on their behalf.

As the sun set, Qi Ren had no desire to keep the envoy any longer and waved his hand, ordering someone to escort them away.

The hastily recruited translator also cupped his hands and prepared to leave. But when he looked up, he noticed Qi Ren frowning, his expression unwell. He couldn’t help but feel it resembled what his father had described… No, no, how could that be? This was Great Yan, after all.

He glanced back at the military tent once more but dismissed the thought.

…

It was a rare sunny day. Xiao Zhu hung the bedding outside to air, beating it with a bamboo pole.

Little Yuanbao sat beside Fu Yu’an, munching on fruit and babbling as he watched everyone busy about.

“Master!” Si Qi’s voice came from the gate. Yuanbao recognized him and toddled over to greet him, leaping into his arms.

Si Qi laughed and bounced the child, then looked around and asked quietly, “Is the general in the residence?”

Yuanbao waved his little hands and patted Si Qi’s head: “No… no!”

Only then did Si Qi relax. He carried the child over and sat down beside Fu Yu’an.

“What brings you here today? How’s the investigation into the prefect going?” Fu Yu’an took Yuanbao back and asked.

It had been nearly half a month—there should be some progress by now.

Sure enough, Si Qi nodded, looking at ease: “It’s pretty much wrapped up. He may seem upright and incorruptible, but in reality, he’s been secretly colluding with enemy states, working with local merchants to monopolize markets and drive up prices. He’s truly wicked to the core.”

Fu Yu’an hadn’t expected the seemingly honest prefect to be capable of such things and was momentarily stunned.

Truly, appearances could be deceiving.

“When do you plan to go back?” Fu Yu’an asked.

He said “you” instead of “we” and though Si Qi had originally come to sound him out, it now seemed unnecessary.

He really had no intention of returning.