The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 110

110: Conclusion

“I understand the reasoning, but he’s always been so cautious—how could he suddenly fall into such a trap? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“The monarch of Tianchang Kingdom is cunning and deceitful. Perhaps he caught the general off guard. Now they’ve sent envoys to the Prefect’s residence, demanding to see General Qi before they’ll back down.”

Fu Yu’an’s eyes darkened. “They’ve certainly made their calculations well! The mother poison was likely planted by them—originally meant to harm Qi Ren, but you happened to pick it up instead.”

This poison was extremely insidious. Once afflicted, a person would turn into a puppet, neither fully alive nor dead, forever obeying the one who cast the poison.

They never intended to negotiate peace—this was just a pretense!

How utterly treacherous!

The man on the bed twitched his fingers and finally woke up.

“An’an…”

His voice was hoarse and weak, his eyelids half-lowered, still not entirely conscious.

Fu Yu’an immediately leaned in closer, while Qiao Ying hurried out to call for help.

At least he was awake—thank heavens!

…

At the Prefect’s office.

Fu Yanxiao had yet to return to report to the emperor, so the incompetent prefect’s official hat could still be worn for a few more days.

But his timid nature had left him thoroughly frightened by the towering envoys on the first day, so Fu Yanxiao had since barred him from making further appearances.

Now those envoys were causing another uproar, clamoring to see Qi Ren.

Fu Yanxiao couldn’t simply drive them out, so he had no choice but to stall—a delay that had already lasted five days.

The leader of the envoy was a female official who spoke fluent Central Plains dialect and was relatively polite, but the others were far less courteous.

Fu Yanxiao dealt with them with a headache, on the verge of losing his patience, when Siqi finally brought Qi Ren back.

Accompanying them were Fu Yu’an and Qiao Ying.

The female official’s eyes lit up when she saw Fu Yu’an, and she eagerly approached him. “Brother Qi! It’s me! Why are you here?”

Qi Ren didn’t like her pulling at Fu Yu’an, so he immediately stepped forward to shield him, glaring coldly at her. “Yao Xuesong, this general warns you one last time—abandon your foolish schemes. This general will never submit to you, and neither will he!”

Fu Yu’an’s gaze shifted between the two, realizing they knew each other—and seemed to have quite a history.

What surprised him even more was that the “Young Master Yao” from that day was actually a woman!

Yao Xuesong refused to back down. “Why not? I’m so beautiful—it’s not like I’d be a disgrace to you! I heard your wife died years ago—I’d be perfect to marry you as your second wife!”

Fu Yu’an was stunned. He shook off Qi Ren’s hand. “You told people I died years ago?!”

Qi Ren was now in a situation where no amount of excuses could clear his name—no matter what he said, it would be wrong. Caught in the middle, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.

He grabbed Fu Yu’an’s wrist and gestured toward Yao Xuesong: “This is my wife—alive and well. We’ve been married for nearly four years, and our child has already passed the imperial examinations!”

Yao Xuesong: “???”

Beside them, Fu Siqi coughed uncomfortably.

What the hell was all this?!

Yao Xuesong’s eyes darkened, especially at the sight of their intertwined hands, fueling her fury.

Several envoys behind her stood up, cracking their knuckles menacingly.

Unwilling to back down, Qi Ren shielded Fu Yu’an behind him and sneered. “You’re on our turf now. How bold of you!”

“Bold? I’ll show you what true despair feels like soon enough!” Her delicate face twisted with resentment, her eyes burning with boundless rage. “I’ve waited for you all these years—ten whole years! And now you tell me you have a wife?! Well done, Qi Ren! Let’s see today who comes out on top—you, or my little gu worm!”

Qi Ren let out a cold laugh, about to mock her, but then abruptly changed tactics, feigning shock. “What gu worm?! What did you do to me?”

“Just a little something I went through great lengths to obtain. Don’t worry—once I activate the child gu inside you, you’ll obey my every word…”

She pulled out a small porcelain vial, unscrewed the lid, and a bl00d-red gu worm slowly crawled out.

Qi Ren remained expressionless, watching her actions with cold indifference.

Seeing his lack of reaction, Yao Xuesong assumed he was suppressing his fear. Just as she was about to fling the gu worm at him, a shadow suddenly darted from the side and snatched her last remaining gu worm away.

Qiao Ying cheerfully pocketed the worm and grinned. “So it really was yours—thanks! You’ve just gifted our Baihua Valley a great treasure!”

Yao Xuesong was horrified. “You’re from Baihua Valley?!”

Before she could say another word, Qi Ren was already charging at her, fists flying.

Li Ke and his men emerged from the shadows, joining Qi Ren and Fu Yanxiao as they brawled with the envoys.

The envoys were quickly overpowered, beaten into submission until they were bruised, bloodied, and unconscious.

Realizing the situation was dire, Yao Xuesong flung a handful of powder into the air, attempting to escape while everyone coughed and sneezed.

Smirking triumphantly, she leapt up—only to be yanked back down by someone grabbing her ankle.

Qiao Ying chuckled and pinned her to the ground with a foot on her back, swiftly binding her with some unknown tool.

Now, there was no chance of escape.

…

Fu Yanxiao was forced to stay for another half-month, sending a carrier pigeon to the capital with a message declaring war against Tianchang Kingdom to reclaim the lands they had seized over the years.

“A general in the field is not bound by orders from the court”—this was a case of acting first and seeking approval later. The emperor, well aware of his uncle’s temperament, had no choice but to draft an edict and send it posthaste.

The warriors of Yan were fierce and valiant, and with Qi Ren’s brilliant military leadership, reclaiming the lost territories wasn’t particularly difficult. In the end, they battered the enemy into submission, forcing them to cede land and sue for peace. Only then were Yao Xuesong and her envoys sent back.

“An’an! Wuwu… I still want to spend more time with you! There’s nothing fun in the capital, I’m practically bored to death!”

In front of the carriage, Xia Xiu clung to his arm, crying so hard that snot and tears smeared everywhere.

Fu Yanxiao pulled him back and comforted him, “After resigning from my post in a couple of years, I’ll bring you here to join General Qi, and you two can play together as much as you want. Stop crying now and hurry up, get on the carriage!”

Fu Yu’an also waved goodbye to him, “Alright, stop crying. What kind of man cries so pitifully? I’ll come back to visit you during the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

After lingering for what felt like ages, they finally boarded the carriage.

Fu Yu’an was the only one who got seasick, so this time Siqi could return with Fu Yanxiao.

Xia Xiu was still drowning in the sorrow of parting when he looked up and saw Siqi grinning from ear to ear. Instantly furious, he snapped, “What are you smiling at?! Heartless!”

“Huh? Oh, nothing… nothing.”

It was just that Qiao Ying had given him a scented sachet and told him she’d wait for his return.

That was far more important than the fleeting pain of separation.

He had to keep working hard, strive for a promotion, and come back to Jiangnan to stay with his master!

…

Two years later.

The general’s residence was bustling with celebration. Fu Yu’an asked five times in just one hour whether they had arrived yet, but each time the answer was no.

Qi Ren returned from the prefectural office and, seeing Fu Yu’an eagerly waiting at the gate, assumed he was there for him. He moved in for an affectionate hug but was mercilessly pushed away.

After the previous prefect was dismissed, Qi Ren had temporarily taken over the role and had been swamped with work. Now that Siqi had arrived, he could finally shed that burden.

“They’re still not here yet! Let’s go wait at the dock!”

“I just got back. Why don’t we wait inside? It’s not like they’ll get lost.”

Fu Yu’an refused to listen and insisted on going to the dock. Qi Ren had no choice but to order the servants to prepare the horses.

Li Ke leaped down from the rooftop using qinggong and reported to Fu Yu’an, “Your Highness, they’ve arrived. They’re already at the street entrance.”

Overjoyed, Fu Yu’an couldn’t be bothered with Qi Ren anymore and hurried toward the street entrance.

A familiar figure appeared in the distance—Xia Xiu had jumped off the carriage and was running toward him. But before he could take more than a few steps, Fu Yanxiao grabbed him from behind and yanked him back.

Qi Ren wanted to do the same to Fu Yu’an, but he was afraid of making him angry.

Siqi stepped down from the carriage, taller than before, his frame now robust like a grown man’s. He bowed respectfully and said, “Master, we’ve returned.”

Fu Yu’an was nearly moved to tears. Patting his shoulder with pride, he said, “Looks like Prince Qing didn’t treat you poorly—you’ve grown even taller. Qiao Ying will be thrilled to see you!”

Siqi’s face flushed slightly, his fingers unconsciously brushing the sachet at his waist as he smiled shyly.

The group returned to the residence laughing. Qi Ren and Fu Yu’an walked at the back, and when no one was looking, Qi Ren stole a quick kiss at the corner of his lips.

“You—what are you doing?!” Fu Yu’an hissed under his breath, his face burning red, terrified someone might see.

“Nothing. I was just thinking how brilliant the late emperor’s marriage decree was!”

“…”

Qi Ren glanced at Siqi’s retreating figure and said, “Let’s take Siqi to propose tomorrow! We can make it in time for the auspicious date on the third day of the third month.”

“It’s only October now!”

“Preparations take a long time! We can’t let the younger generation rush things like we did.”

That much was true. Fu Yu’an looped his arm through Qi Ren’s as Xia Xiu waved at him, and he quickened his pace to catch up.

“I had someone divine the date. The third day of the third month next year is auspicious for marriage.”

“…”

“Just like the year we married.”

The evening sunset dyed the sky a soft crimson, enveloping the general’s residence in its warm glow. Laughter startled the birds perched in the trees, sending them fluttering into the distance.

[End of Main Story]