Yi Xin as a concubine

With the news brought by Qin Mo, Chu Xingchen adjusted his plan again. He worked all night long, and it was almost dawn before he lay down with his clothes on and closed his eyes for a while.

After about half an hour, Chu Xingchen opened his eyes, and soon after, Wangchuan knocked on the door and came in.

"Master, didn't you get enough rest?" Wangchuan had been busy all night and had just rushed back from outside. When he saw the master's condition, he knew that he had not rested for another night.

"It's okay. Deliver the letters on the table as soon as possible." Chu Xingchen ordered while washing up.

"Yes, I'll go and boil some medicine for you." Wangchuan knew he couldn't persuade him, so he simply responded.

"Send the letter, eat something and have a rest. We will close the net in the next few days. You must stay alert because there is still a tough battle to fight." Chu Xingchen said.

Wangchuan's eyes lit up when he heard this. They brothers had been busy for so long, and it was finally almost over. They could relax for a few days, and the master could also rest and recuperate.

"Yes." Because of excitement, his voice unconsciously rose a few degrees.

Not long after Wangchuan left, Lancao walked in with a food box.

"Second Master, I didn't see Wangchuan, so I brought it to you personally. Do you want to use it now?"

Because of the injuries, he didn't dare to make any big movements. He could only walk around in circles in the open space in the room to stretch his arms and legs. When he heard Lancao come in, he had already sat down at the table.

"Put the food on the table!"

Lancao responded, walked to the table, put down the lunch box, opened it layer by layer, and took out the breakfast at just the right temperature.

The temperature in the north was already a little low in mid-October, and the variety of vegetables was not as many as before, so Lancao only prepared a few simple and refreshing side dishes. They were not too rare, but they were still exquisite. They went well with the soft and glutinous lean meat porridge. Chu Xingchen finally had the first meal that suited his taste since his injury.

Food is still a little scarce now. Although people will not starve to death, they can only eat about 60% to 70% full after three meals. Chu Xingchen was very satisfied to have such a meal when he was out. He ate a full bowl of food before putting down his chopsticks.

Lancao told him that after she had made the bed, she came back to clean up the dishes and found that there were only a few dishes left. She looked at Chu Xingchen in astonishment, and only then did she stop when Chu Xingchen's face turned black.

It’s no wonder that the cousin said that Wangchuan doesn’t know how to serve people. It’s true. Look at how hungry their future son-in-law is. After so many days of feeding him, his face is still pale. It seems that they still have to find some good things to nourish the second master. Otherwise, when the girl comes back and sees that they didn’t take good care of the future son-in-law, she will probably be sad.

Lancao thought so and nodded very confidently, then walked out of the bedroom with the food box in her hand in a heroic and vigorous manner. She looked as if she was going to fight on the battlefield, which made Chu Xingchen puzzled.

Three days later, General Xu's letter finally arrived. Chu Xingchen quickly glanced through it. His face, which had been cold for several days, finally showed signs of brightening up.

"Lethe, come in."

The master and servant stayed in the room and discussed for a full hour before Wangchuan came out with a worried look on his face.

As soon as he came out, he ran into Lancao who came to deliver medicine. Lancao glanced at him and saw that he looked pale. She asked with disdain, "Your master has punished you again."

This was said in an affirmative sentence, and Wangchuan held his breath, but he was now full of worries and had no time to leave this little girl whose features were indistinguishable.

"The master is in a bad mood. Be careful when you go in. Control your big mouth and avoid causing trouble." Wangchuan couldn't bear to see her smug look and scolded her sternly.

Wangchuan had something on his mind and was too lazy to pay attention to the little girl who was irritated by his two words. He gave Lancao a provocative look, telling her to fend for herself, and left decisively without giving her a chance to fight back.

He still needs to discuss it with his brothers. His master refuses to listen and insists on going into battle despite his injuries. If something unexpected happens, he can die to atone for his sin.

Lancao didn't understand, but she was always a calm person. She shook her head and put the little incident behind her. She knocked on the door lightly, and after getting nod, she pushed the door open and walked in.

"Second Master, it's time to take your medicine." Lancao said crisply.

"Bring it here." Chu Xingchen ordered without raising his head from behind the desk.

He had just argued with Wangchuan for a few words. He knew very well that his body was still a little bit weak for going into battle and killing the enemy. However, there were many people on the other side, so they could only outsmart them and rely on surprise attack to have a sure win. Therefore, they had to pay attention to the timing of every step. He could not command them since he was not on the scene. Wangchuan was brave but not resourceful enough. A slight carelessness might lead to the destruction of the entire army. He did not want to gamble with the lives of so many brothers.

"Yes." Lancao placed the medicine bowl on the desk, carefully avoiding the books, and reminded: "Second Master, this medicine must be taken while it is hot, otherwise it will not be effective."

Chu Xingchen didn't reply. He picked up the medicine bowl with his big, bony hands, lowered his eyes to look at the half-full bowl of bitter medicine juice in the bowl, and a bitter taste rose unconsciously in his mouth. He frowned, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

"These candied fruits are for you. They are my daughter's favorite. She always eats two after taking medicine. She says this means bitter first and sweet later." Lancao handed over a small butterfly as if she was offering a treasure, and said with a smile.

Hearing Lancao talking about her daughter, Chu Xingchen's frown slowly relaxed and asked, "How is your daughter doing now?"

Before Lancao could answer, he remembered that Lancao was also thrown away, and suddenly felt bored, "I forgot, how would you know."

"I know. Of course I know. My cousin often writes to my cousin, and she mentions my daughter every time." Lancao said proudly.

"Oh, then what did your cousin say about your daughter?" Chu Xingchen asked casually, but his ears stretched a little unconsciously.

"My cousin said that my daughter can turn... decay into magic, and can do many strange things, and can turn an ordinary woman into a beautiful woman that everyone wants to be with."

"They also said that my daughter is a business genius, even better than my master. In just a few months, she managed a club that made a fortune. Those Nanzhao nobles were proud to get a new item from my daughter."

"Also, my cousin said that my daughter is very bold now and even dares to do business with the Queen."

Whenever Lancao talked about her own girl, her face was full of admiration and she talked endlessly. Chu Xingchen also knew these things, but her feelings were deep and her letters were brief. Every time she wrote to him, she only wrote a few words and glossed over her great achievements. He didn't know the specific situation. Now, listening to Lancao's intermittent narration, he couldn't help but be fascinated.

"Any more?"

"Yes, my cousin said that my daughter is too beautiful and almost never shows her true face. Even though she always wears a veil, she still attracts many admirers. Fortunately, my daughter likes to be quiet and rarely goes out. Except for banquets that are difficult to refuse, she rarely goes downstairs. But even so, she has to go out several times a month. I don't know why the nobles of Nanzhao love to get together so much."

As Lancao spoke, she couldn't help rubbing her arms. It wasn't late autumn yet, and she had already put on more clothes. She looked up at the man who was wearing even thinner clothes than herself, and said unconsciously.

"Hey, it's so cold! Why is your room so cold? I'll find you a thick blanket later. Your injury hasn't healed yet, so don't catch a cold again."

"No, go out!" The voice was cold and indifferent, one degree lower than usual, but Lancao didn't feel a thing. She bent down, took the empty bowl and trotted away.

She is so cold!

After Lancao left, Chu Xingchen kept reading with his head down for a long time. In his head, he kept repeating Lancao's words "attracting a lot of bees and butterflies" over and over again, which made him upset.

He knew he was afraid. The little girl would leave him and these broken countries. Now that she had emerged from her cocoon as a butterfly, she would surely become even more charming.

On the other hand, he himself had national hatred and family feuds, and one heavy burden after another on his shoulders. He could not give her anything, but instead dragged her down everywhere, making her go against the life she wanted.

But even so, he never seemed to want to give up on her. Even if he was selfish, he would try harder and strive to achieve his wish as soon as possible, and then accompany her to wherever she wanted to go with ease.

And now, his most important task is to deal with those traitors.

"Forgetful River, close the net!"