The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 98

98: I Miss You

The conflict at the Southern Border this time was far more troublesome than before. It wasn’t that the defensive forces had weakened, but rather that the enemy had allied with neighboring small states, amassing a force many times larger than the previous skirmishes.

What’s more, they refused to engage in direct confrontations—utterly infuriating.

Qi Ren had been locked in a stalemate with them from the end of the year until early summer the following year, yet he still couldn’t eradicate them completely.

At times, he even wished he could just storm straight into their capital and wipe out their entire kingdom!

Endless harassment—it was disgusting.

But the Great Yan’s ancestral teachings emphasized benevolence and kindness. He had petitioned the Emperor for permission to launch an offensive, but His Majesty refused.

Not to mention that failure would mean heavy losses, leaving them vulnerable to outside threats—even if they succeeded, that kingdom had little interaction with Great Yan to begin with. Conquering them would only create a rebellious, ungovernable territory.

It would bring nothing but endless trouble—more trouble than it was worth.

Qi Ren was furious. He had gone to see the local Prefect several times, but the old man kept dodging the issue.

That stubborn official had been entrenched in his position for thirty or forty years, utterly inflexible—no matter what was said to him, his response was always “I don’t understand,” “I don’t know,” or “It can’t be done.”

Qi Ren suspected he was involved in some shady dealings, but after investigating, he found the man’s record was clean—just utterly incompetent.

Years ago, he had petitioned the late Emperor to impeach him, but the late Emperor had retorted, “You’re a military general—why meddle in a civil official’s affairs?” In the end, nothing came of it.

Li Ke returned from the courier station, bringing a letter for Qi Ren.

Xiao Zhu was in the courtyard trimming the plants when he saw Li Ke return with a bright expression. At first, he thought the enemy had finally surrendered!

Li Ke waved the envelope in his hand, on which four bold characters were written: “To Qi Ren – Private.”

“That’s His Highness’s handwriting! A letter from His Highness?! Is there one for me?”

Li Ke chuckled, pulling out another letter from his sleeve and handing it to him, unable to suppress his grin as he carried the letter to the general.

Qi Ren was playing with a pigeon—a particularly sturdy-looking one.

“General, a letter from the capital.”

Assuming it was a response to his impeachment petition, Qi Ren gave an indifferent “Hmm” and tapped the desk, signaling for Li Ke to just leave it there.

Li Ke stared at him in surprise, opening his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately, he just set the letter down and left.

Only after Qi Ren had finished amusing himself with the pigeon did he finally remember the letter. Hopefully, it’s not just more of His Majesty’s empty pleasantries—annoying enough as it is.

He clicked his tongue, roughly snatching up the letter—only to freeze when he saw the familiar handwriting on it.

It was a letter from Yu’an!!

Immediately, he regretted handling it so carelessly just now.

This was the first letter Yu’an had sent him in two years.

Last time, Qi Ren had sent a letter in a fit of frustration, but he hadn’t written much—just a few stiff, impersonal lines before sealing it.

Would Yu’an write back just to scold me with sarcasm?

Well, even if he does, I’ll take it. At least it’s better than silence.

With nervous anticipation, he opened the envelope, catching a faint whiff of the familiar, pleasant scent that belonged solely to Fu Yu’an.

But the letter contained only a few sparse lines—the first inquiring after Xiao Zhu and Little Yuanbao, the second mentioning Siqi’s progress in his studies, and the third simply telling him to “be careful.”

There didn’t seem to be any sarcastic or mocking undertones in the letter.

But that last line made him almost shout in excitement.

He was utterly straightforward, writing, “I miss you.”

Qi Ren could hardly believe it wasn’t a forgery.

Suppressing his exhilaration, he stepped outside and saw Li Ke and Xiao Zhu in the courtyard. Feigning distress, he approached them and asked, “Was this letter swapped by someone else?”

Li Ke cupped his hands respectfully and replied, “It was retrieved directly from the courier station, and the handwriting appears to be His Highness’s. Could it really have been swapped?”

Qi Ren stared at him without a word, his expression not one of anger or urgency—but something more like… smugness?

Li Ke gave him a strange look, then lowered his head and tentatively asked, “Is the handwriting in the letter incorrect? Why does the general suspect foul play?”

Qi Ren pressed, “The handwriting is the same, but the ending… Since when has he ever been so open and direct? There must be something fishy going on!”

“…Huh?”

“Look!”

He showed the letter to the two of them, pointing at the last line. “That tight-lipped man actually said he misses me? Impossible!”

Xiao Zhu couldn’t help but laugh. “General, there’s no need to doubt it. The handwriting is indeed His Highness’s. As for the affectionate words… His Highness truly misses you. I can vouch for that.”

Satisfied with the answer, Qi Ren shot a disdainful glance at the still-baffled Li Ke and double-checked with Xiao Zhu, “Really? He’s really changed?”

Xiao Zhu, adept at reading the room, gave the answer her master wanted: “Really!”

Pleased, Qi Ren returned to his room, took out the letter, and read it over and over, his heart practically bubbling with joy.

This is wonderful. He’s finally come around!

If only he’d been like this sooner—say what you feel, write when you miss me. What grudge couldn’t be resolved?

He ground ink, picked up a brush, and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, carefully composing his reply.

If he’s not holding back anymore, Qi Ren thought, then neither will I!

And so, Fu Yu’an received a letter so shameless he could hardly bear to read it.

He had been hoping for some kind of response from Qi Ren. Given how cold and distant the man had been in his last letter, Fu Yu’an expected nothing more than perfunctory advice about eating well and dressing warmly.

But to his surprise, while the first half of the letter was normal pleasantries, the latter half grew increasingly… unrestrained.

Fu Yu’an’s face burned crimson. He couldn’t bring himself to finish it, hastily folding the letter and stuffing it under his pillow, covering his face to cool down.

What nonsense is this scoundrel spouting? So indecent!

After a while, he quietly retrieved the letter, shut the doors and windows, and forced himself to read it from start to finish despite his embarrassment.

By the end, his entire body felt like a boiled shrimp.

I thought after two years, my heart would’ve settled. Who knew… Ugh! I’m so hopeless!

But does this mean he’s forgiven me?

It seems he didn’t press for further answers, as if he had finally relented.

Fu Yu’an let out a sigh of relief, biting his lip as he tucked the letter back under the pillow, preparing to write a reply later.

But did he mention when he’d return to the capital? Maybe I should check again…

Just as he was thinking this, he pulled the letter back out and was about to open it when suddenly, Siqi’s voice rang out from outside:

“Young master! Young master! I’ve finished the exams!”

The voice grew louder and closer, and just as it seemed he was about to burst through the door, Fu Yu’an was startled, his hand trembling as the letter fell to the ground.

“Oh no!”

His heart sank, and he hurried to pick it up. Just as his fingers brushed the letter, the door was pushed open by Siqi.

Fortunately, there was still a screen separating them. Flustered, he quickly hid the letter away as Siqi cheerfully stepped in front of him.

“Why didn’t you knock? Are you that happy?”

“My apologies, young master! Next time, I promise, next time!”

“Have you been tired lately at the Hanlin Academy? Has anyone been guiding you?”

“It’s alright. Some of the seniors from the Imperial College have been helping me a lot.”

Fu Yu’an smiled and nodded, leading him out of his room and instructing the kitchen to prepare some good food for him.

Originally, no one had expected him to make it to the palace examinations in one attempt, and Siqi had always seemed carefree and playful about it. So Fu Yu’an had simply taken it as a joke, wondering how to comfort and encourage him.