The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 4

04: The First Meeting, You Called Me a Little Eunuch

“Wife… can I hold your hand?” He quickly stepped closer to the person, asking somewhat shyly.

Fu Yu’an’s temple twitched, thinking that he must make him change this title of “wife” when they get back.

It’s so nauseating!

He nodded, actively placing his hand on his, and the other person, delighted, immediately grasped it tightly.

The hand that had practiced martial arts for years had many calluses, and Fu Yu’an’s palm felt somewhat warm. For a moment, he felt as if he had also caught that foolish illness, otherwise why would his head feel so dizzy, even somewhat at a loss.

After not seeing each other for several years, he seemed to have become even more handsome, Fu Yu’an thought.

The first time Fu Yu’an met Qi Ren was actually five years ago.

At that time, Qi Ren’s elder brother Qi Ziqian had just broken his leg on the battlefield, and Qi Ren brought him back. Coincidentally, it was during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in the palace, and he was dragged into the palace by Concubine Jue.

Although it was called a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Concubine Jue actually had the intention of finding him a general’s wife.

Fu Yu’an was already unpopular, at the age of twelve or thirteen, he couldn’t drink alcohol, so after hastily eating a few bites of food, he sneaked away.

The full moon hung high, and he had just changed into a maid’s clothes, planning to sneak out of the palace to negotiate with the old man who sold picture books. As soon as one leg was over the wall, a strange force pulled him down from behind.

He had concealed his identity as the “Seventh Prince” so he had no scruples. Accidentally falling onto the grass, he cried out in pain.

A head stretched over from above, his face darker than the night sky: “Little eunuch?”

Fu Yu’an’s heart skipped a beat, and being young and easily frightened, he almost instantly burst into tears.

His crying was soft, not daring to look at his face, he sat up sniffling, hanging his head and sobbing quietly.

Qi Ren had never seen such a scene before, having spent so many years in the military camp surrounded by tough men. This was the first time he encountered someone who cried so easily, and for a moment, he was at a loss.

“You’re the eunuch, wuwuwu… what are you talking about!” He wiped his tears while softly complaining, thinking his voice was too soft to be heard, but Qi Ren, having practiced martial arts for years, had hearing far beyond ordinary people. In the quiet by the wall, every word was clearly heard by him.

Qi Ren wasn’t clear about his identity and didn’t dare to act rashly, fearing to cause more trouble, so he just stood there watching him cry.

Fu Yu’an cried enough, and being stared at, he didn’t dare to get up and run, so he could only lower his head and rub his eyes, his real crying turning into fake crying.

“Come here!” Qi Ren impatiently frowned and beckoned to him.

His facial features were naturally aggressive, with a scar on his temple, and his well-proportioned muscles hidden under his robe. Every move exuded the formidable aura tempered from battles in the military camp, which frightened Fu Yu’an, a half-grown boy.

If I go out, will I be disposed of? He has killed so many people, and I have no one to rely on. If I really die like this, it probably won’t cause any ripples, but…

“Ahhhh—”

Before he could finish weighing the pros and cons, he was grabbed by the collar and hoisted onto the wall.

The evening wind whistled past his ears, Fu Yu’an’s feet not touching the ground, he was so scared he forgot to breathe, tightly closing his eyes and clenching his fists, pretending to be dead.

In an instant, the two were outside the palace. Seeing that he meant no harm, Fu Yu’an couldn’t help but feel relieved.

His mother died during childbirth, and before she passed, she repeatedly told Xiao Zhu to watch over him, to avoid standing out and to live a peaceful life.

But not standing out didn’t mean others wouldn’t target him. After several close brushes with death, Xiao Zhu had him pretend to be mute to avoid attention.

But for a child, holding back from speaking was extremely uncomfortable. However, living in the cold palace year-round with only Xiao Zhu to serve him, there wasn’t much to worry about.

“Where to?” Qi Ren set him down on the ground, crossed his arms, and asked coldly.

Fu Yu’an didn’t want to tell him his real purpose, so he could only make up some excuses, saying he was going to buy rouge for the palace ladies.

Qi Ren nodded, didn’t ask further, and they went their separate ways.

Half an hour later, they met again in the picture book store.

At that time, Fu Yu’an was negotiating the price with the shopkeeper. His picture books sold well, and he wanted to raise the price, but the shopkeeper was unwilling. Back and forth, they started arguing.

When Qi Ren entered, he happened to hear them cursing at each other.

The shopkeeper recognized Qi Ren and, seeing him familiarly put his arm around Fu Yu’an’s shoulder, thought they were friends. After some consideration, he finally gave in.

Qi Ren kept a straight face throughout their conversation, forgetting his original purpose, and pulled him out of the bookstore.

“Buying rouge?” He raised an eyebrow, his tone somewhat displeased.

Fu Yu’an, feeling guilty, stammered, not knowing how to explain, and ran off.

Qi Ren initially wanted to reach out and pull him back, but his outstretched hand dropped, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Which palace’s little maid is this? She looks quite fair, but her voice is a bit rough, like a little boy!

Qi Ren’s residence was quite tidy, an elegant small courtyard that didn’t look like a military officer’s home at all.

A plaque hung on the courtyard gate, with three flamboyant characters: “Gu He Yuan” which seemed to be the handwriting of General Qi before he became foolish.

Two peach trees were planted in the courtyard, with a stone table underneath; to the east was an old apricot tree, and to the west was a pear tree, all seemingly quite old.

It was March, and the falling petals filled the courtyard with light-colored flowers, clusters on the trees and the ground, creating a lively scene.

Fu Yu’an’s mood brightened for once, and he looked up at the two peach trees, feeling a sense of peace.

Qi Ren stood behind him, also looking up at the peach trees, and sighed: “No peaches yet! Hey, I’ll get you some peach blossom cakes! My mother gave them to me this morning, I didn’t even eat them, saved them just for you!”

He was impulsive, his mood unpredictable. It was unclear what kind of poison could be so strange, making him seem not brainless, but his behavior was vastly different from before, and his memory seemed to be missing a lot…

It was as if he had been reverted to his childhood.

He sighed, wondering if there was any possibility of recovery.

Xiao Zhu entered Gu He Yuan from behind, directing people to move his dowry and other belongings into the courtyard, waiting for Fu Yu’an to decide.

Fu Yu’an nodded to her, entered the west wing, looked around, and pointed to Xiao Zhu, indicating for her to place the things here.

Xiao Zhu nodded, then loudly directed everyone to move the items.

These people didn’t seem like the usual wedding entourage, more like servants from the mansion, but all strong and robust, different from those who had obstructed them at the gate earlier.

After the items were moved, Fu Yu’an gestured to Xiao Zhu, who immediately understood, took out a purse from her pocket, and went over to tip them.

Qi Ren stood at the door of the main room, watching her generous tipping, and couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Quite generous, I wonder how she got the money in the cold palace, could it be from Concubine Jue?

The leader was a man with thick eyebrows and a hooked nose, his facial lines sharp and handsome. After moving the items, he didn’t accept the tip, just cupped his hands and bowed to Fu Yu’an, saying: “Your Highness, no need to be polite. We are all soldiers under the general’s command. Given the current critical situation, we naturally stand by you without fail!”