The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 15

15: He Looks Gentle and Refined, But Who Would Have Thought…

Apart from his elder sister, Concubine Jue, Qi Ren also had an older brother, who was the legitimate eldest son born to the first wife, making him a figure of great prestige within the household.

The Qi family was a renowned military clan, but Qi Ren’s elder brother, Qi Ziqian, had no interest in military strategies or tactics. He was more than a decade older than Qi Ren and had already passed the age of forty. However, due to a battle five years ago, he had been left disabled in both legs, and since then, he had become dispirited and melancholic.

“Be careful, it’s hot.” a maid served tea, and the elder sister-in-law softly reminded her, her smile gentle and proper.

Fu Yu’an nodded slightly and accepted the tea, gesturing to her:

“Elder sister-in-law, you called us here in such a hurry. Is there something urgent?”

Tan Zhiqi put down her teacup and sighed, glancing toward the inner chamber with a somewhat helpless tone: “It’s my fault as your sister-in-law. You’ve been in the household for so many days, and I haven’t had the chance to visit you. I truly feel sorry.”

“Brother’s legs are inconvenient, and besides, you are the elder. It should be us visiting you. But as you know, the general’s current situation makes it difficult for us to do so.” His expression carried a hint of sorrow, and his smile was somewhat forced.

The elder sister-in-law was the daughter of the current Minister of Revenue and was once a renowned talented woman in the capital. Later, the Emperor arranged her marriage to Qi Ziqian, back when the old general was still alive.

Now, with the general’s household seemingly on the decline, and with no children born to them after all these years, perhaps the rumors were true that the couple’s relationship was not harmonious.

After chatting for a long time about trivial matters, Fu Yu’an’s hands were almost cramping, and he still couldn’t figure out what she really meant.

From the inner chamber came a series of coughs, followed by a listless voice: “Zhiqi! It’s about to rain. Bring in the birds hanging outside!”

Tan Zhiqi responded with an apology, smiling at him regretfully before she had to cut the conversation short and get up to go outside to collect the birds.

Dark clouds rolled across the horizon like spilled ink, and it looked like rain was imminent.

He wondered how he was doing at someone else’s home, but Lord Yu didn’t seem like the type to fawn over the powerful or bully the weak, so he probably wouldn’t give him a hard time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to stay there for half a month, freeloading meals without returning.

Fu Yu’an’s mind was in turmoil. Tan Zhiqi had been gone for a long time, and the umbrella by his side stood quietly, making him even more anxious.

Why did they have to call him over at this moment, only to chat about trivial matters? There wasn’t that much to talk about!

Xiao Zhu bent down and whispered, “Your Highness, should we take our leave? The roads might be difficult to navigate if it starts raining.”

Fu Yu’an nodded, raising his hand to signal her not to rush.

Qi Ziqian really kept a lot of birds. Tan Zhiqi directed the maids to make several trips before all the cages were brought back inside.

“I’m truly sorry, I got so busy that I forgot about the guest in the house!” Tan Zhiqi wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled. “How about I give you a bird as a small compensation… Qi Ren’s behavior has really put you in an awkward position.”

Fu Yu’an quickly waved his hand to indicate that he didn’t mind, but he didn’t accept her offer of a bird. Using the bad weather as an excuse, he hurriedly bid farewell and left.

Only after leaving his elder brother’s place did the two of them finally breathe a sigh of relief.

At least when talking with Concubine Jue, he could guess her intentions, but after spending half a day exchanging pleasantries with his sister-in-law, Fu Yu’an still had no idea why she had been so eager to call him over.

“Your Highness, the umbrella,” Xiao Zhu opened the oil-paper umbrella and asked, “It’s starting to rain, should we still go? It looks like the rain is going to get heavier!”

It was almost April, and as the saying goes, each spring rain brings warmer weather. After this rain, the weather would likely warm up, he thought somewhat inappropriately.

“Yes, my eyelid has been twitching, and I feel uneasy,” Fu Yu’an said coldly, straightening his sleeves as he walked towards the gate.

Fortunately, they weren’t far from the gate, so it wouldn’t take long to get there.

By the time they reached the Yu residence, braving the increasingly heavy rain, the downpour had just eased slightly.

Fu Yu’an looked up and sighed, rubbing his temples.

“So it’s the Seventh Prince, my apologies for not welcoming you properly,” Yu Liao smiled and bowed to them. “Someone, quickly prepare some dry clothes, don’t let His Highness catch a cold!”

Xiao He was also with Yu Liao, holding a conch shell and playing with it enthusiastically.

A bad feeling rose in Fu Yu’an’s heart.

Sure enough, upon asking, he found out that Qi Ren had already gone home that afternoon, probably right during the time Fu Yu’an was called away by Tan Zhiqi for a chat.

Fu Yu’an made a trip in vain, his outer robe soaked and dripping wet.

The Guhe Garden was as quiet as ever. He pushed the door open and entered the room, only to see Qi Ren, whom he hadn’t seen for half a month.

Fu Yu’an opened his mouth, wanting to ask why he hadn’t come home for so long, but Qi Ren just sat there silently, playing with a conch shell, seemingly uninterested in engaging with him.

Ah, Qi Ren remembered, the reason he had run away from home was because he was angry. Although he wasn’t sure why he was angry, ever since returning from the palace, he had been like this. Could it be that he was upset because he couldn’t beat up the Crown Prince?

But it had been half a month already, surely he shouldn’t be this petty?

Since Qi Ren wasn’t speaking, Fu Yu’an also kept quiet. Xiao Zhu, observing the situation, silently helped him remove his outer robe and then bowed her head as she retreated.

Fortunately, the outer robe was thick enough, so the clothes underneath weren’t too wet.

Qi Ren glanced up at him, then looked back down at the conch shell.

Fu Yu’an assumed he was just throwing a tantrum and didn’t pay him any mind. He went behind the screen to fetch a towel, undid his hair, and began drying it.

As the sky darkened, a lamp was lit behind the screen. Qi Ren stared intently at the faint silhouette, his gaze unwavering, like a lovesick fool.

His waist is so slender, Qi Ren thought, and his hair is so long… I think I’ve touched it before, soft and smooth.

Sigh, he’s actually been quite good to me.

After all, he just wants to live a peaceful life. Once Fu Yangyao succeeds, maybe I should take him with me!

The fourteen southern provinces—how would he manage without me looking out for him?

I’m really too kind, Qi Ren thought.

A few maids came in to carry in the bathwater. Behind the screen, steam began to rise, and the silhouette gradually blurred. Clothes were draped over the screen, and the soft sound of water could be heard.

Qi Ren couldn’t help but swallow hard, carefully walking to the bed and pulling out the illustrated book he had previously scorned, hiding it in his arms like a thief.

The candle crackled and popped. Qi Ren sat outside, reading by the lamplight, eagerly flipping through the scandalous pages of the book.

“Why is there only this one volume…” he muttered, glancing at the cover, then guiltily looking toward the screen. Seeing no movement, he finally relaxed.

Fu Yu’an, who usually appears so refined and scholarly, never expected him to draw something so explicit!

Tsk tsk tsk! You really can’t judge a book by its cover.

He got up and hid the book back under the bed, planning to quietly retrieve the box of books he had found in the storage room the other day.