Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

The mighty army finally entered the pass of Yinshan Mountain and officially set foot on the territory of Daxia.

The steps of the 300,000 soldiers seemed to be lighter, and the atmosphere of returning home filled the team.

In the middle of the team, next to Liu Rusi's carriage, Fang Qiu was riding a horse with a frown on his face, and he came closer again.

"Rusi, what do you think... Will His Majesty just throw me back to the Fang family and lock me up? My father has that temper..." Fang Qiu lowered his voice, full of worry.

She had secretly joined the army, and because of her meritorious service in rescuing King Kang, she should have been rewarded according to the law. However, it was unprecedented for a woman to appear at court and receive a title. The possibility of not receiving a reward but being punished, or even becoming a laughing stock, weighed on her heart like a stone.

Liu Rusi lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the uneasy expression on Fang Qiu's young face. She soothed him gently, "Don't be afraid. Your contribution is real, and His Royal Highness Prince Kang can vouch for you. His Majesty... values ​​talent. He will only think of using a daughter of a general who can save his son and is as good as a man on the battlefield, not locking her up. You may be reprimanded, but you can't escape what's yours."

Her tone was firm, with a kind of power that came from someone who understood the world, which calmed Fang Qiu's anxious mood a little.

"I hope so..." Fang Qiu muttered, tugged at the reins, and returned to his position. However, he couldn't help but glance at the tall figure of Prince Duan Chu Shiyu at the front of the team, as if he wanted to draw some courage from that cold and hard figure.

The night was dark, and the bonfire in the military camp flickered, reflecting the relaxed faces of the returning soldiers.

Inside the main tent, Liu Rusi pulled out an unsealed letter covered in Qin Hao's immature yet neat handwriting. She walked over to Chu Shiyu, who was concentrating on wrapping pencil leads with scrap paper. He had agreed to help Liu Rusi solve the pencil mass production problem, so naturally he wanted to personally experience the production process in order to improve efficiency.

She waited quietly for Chu Shiyu to roll up the simple pencil in his hand before handing over the letter. Her tone was natural and without any grudges: "This is a letter from Hao'er to his grandfather. Please help me pass it on to General Wei Yu."

Chu Shiyu took the letter and brushed the back of her hand with his fingertips. Ruifeng's eyes were filled with warmth. "Don't worry." His voice was low, with an unquestionable promise.

Soon, Qin Shuangyu arrived as summoned. Chu Shiyu was already waiting outside the tent, his eyes as calm as water.

General Wei Yu took off the armor he wore during the daytime march, and his burly figure in casual clothes was still as steady as a mountain in the firelight. Only the deep longing for his grandson in the depths of his eyes suddenly lit up when he heard the letter.

Chu Shiyu handed over the letter: "Mrs. Liu asked me to pass on this letter from Qin Hao."

Qin Shuangyu's rough hands took the light letter, yet it felt as if they were holding a heavy weight. He knew Chu Shiyu understood his relationship with Qin Hao, and that behind this relationship lay the complex ethical entanglements between Liu Rusi, Chu Shiyu, and his deceased eldest son, Qin Lie. A sense of unease crossed his heart, but it quickly dissipated in the face of the overwhelming longing.

"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Duan." Qin Shuangyu's voice was barely perceptible, and he bowed sincerely to Chu Shiyu. This thank you was for the letter, and even more so for the fact that after knowing the inside story, the other party did not make things difficult for him, but instead became a bond of affection.

He couldn't wait to turn around and go back to his tent to read every word of his grandson and describe that intelligent little face.

"General Wei Yu, please stay." Chu Shiyu's voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the noise of the camp.

Qin Shuangyu paused and turned around in confusion: "Your Highness, do you have any other instructions?"

Chu Shiyu took two steps forward, the bonfire casting dancing shadows on his face, making his auspicious phoenix eyes seem even more profound and unfathomable. He looked at Qin Shuangyu and spoke slowly. The first question he posed was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake:

"Do you know the reason behind the ironclad rule in the Great Xia army that 'for any general above the rank of deputy general, at least one of his father, son, or brother must remain in the capital'?"

Qin Shuangyu was slightly startled. Although he was a little confused, he still answered according to his sluggish cognition: "Of course... one person must be left in the capital as a hostage to prevent the generals from becoming self-reliant and harboring rebellion."

Chu Shiyu nodded slowly, accepting the superficial answer. But then, his gaze sharpened like a cold blade, and his voice lowered, carrying the coolness of the night breeze, as he peeled back the deeper questions:

"General Qin, do you know why the Qin army, despite being stationed in the bitterly cold and barren northwestern borderlands, so far from the capital, manages to maintain an extraordinary force of 100,000 soldiers?"

The night wind seemed to freeze at that moment. The bonfire crackled, and the flying sparks reflected Qin Shuangyu's suddenly stiff body.

The eagerness and warmth on his face instantly faded, and his fingers gripping the letter unconsciously tightened, causing slight wrinkles in his palms. He raised his eyes and met Chu Shiyu's cold eyes, which seemed to penetrate the secret buried deep in his bones!

The same auspicious phoenix eyes, the same gaze—just like that cold glance Chu Tianming had given him nearly twenty years ago! A piercing chill shot straight up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head without any warning!

Chu Shiyu spoke indifferently, analyzing the situation like peeling off layers of silk: "Nearly twenty years ago, General Qin led 100,000 elite troops from the former Su family on a northern expedition. Back then, the Northern Tribe's cavalry was far more formidable than it is today... Few in the court, civil or military, expected you to turn defeat into victory, and return triumphantly with an army of 30,000. You have to remember that ordinary armies would be demoralized if more than half of their troops were killed or wounded—"

He paused, his gaze fixed on Qin Shuangyu's face like an icicle: "That war was enough to prove that General Qin is a leader of troops in battle—a rare talent."

Chu Shiyu took another step forward, lowering his voice even lower, but each word was like a hammer:

"And while the Qin army was embroiled in a bloody battle, yet to return victorious, in the capital, my proud and arrogant aunt, Princess Taihua, gave birth to a baby boy. On the day the general returned triumphantly, the aunt condescended to personally carry the infant out of the city walls to greet him... Even more bizarre, she didn't even name the child, leaving the decision to you... a 'stranger' who had just returned and to whom she wasn't even married."

Qin Shuangyu's breathing suddenly became heavy, and the dusty memory was suddenly torn open - when Chu Wei held the tender baby and handed him the right to name the baby under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the huge astonishment in his heart and the irresistible pity that followed... The throbbing and love of being a father were so real and had been seen by countless people.

Chu Shiyu's voice was icy as he listed the key points one by one: "Have you ever thought about why you, Qin Shuangyu, were only given the title of General Weiyu, while your one-year-old 'son' Qin Tao was directly given the title of Prince of Changtai?"

The corners of his mouth curled up in a cold arc, "Because this ensures that even if you command a hundred thousand soldiers, all your future achievements and the Qin Army you lead will be passed on to Qin Tao, the Prince of Changtai, who has the blood of the Chu royal family and has often entered the palace and been influenced by the Chu family since childhood!"

Hearing this, Qin Shuangyu's mind was in a state of confusion, and only the instinctive perception of threat brought a chill. These... questions he had never considered deeply, perhaps they were the truth... But they were all in the past nearly twenty years ago. Why would Prince Duan suddenly bring this up?

Seeing his expression, Chu Shiyu sighed inwardly. No wonder his father would continue to use Qin Shuangyu. This must be his judgment. Even if Qin Shuangyu had no loyalty to the emperor, he could still be easily controlled...

His face remained impassive, but Chu Shiyu calmly and abruptly asked a chilling question: "General Qin's tall and sturdy figure is rare among the people of the Central Plains of Daxia, but is more common among the northern tribes?"

Qin Shuangyu suddenly became solemn! His muscles tensed, as if he was under an unprecedented threat, facing a life-or-death test! In a state of panic, Qin Shuangyu looked at Prince Duan before him and couldn't help but retort, "Tall men in the Central Plains are rare, but they do exist... Your Highness, Prince Duan, is not also tall and straight, not much different from me?"

"Hmph..." A low, cold snort escaped from Chu Shiyu's nose. He said quietly, "My biological mother was born to a Hu girl from Luosha Country. It was precisely because of her tall and slender figure, good dancing skills, fair skin and beautiful appearance that she was taken in as a dancer..."

Chu Shiyu paused, his tone as flat as if he was narrating an old story that had nothing to do with him: "This is an old story that everyone in Prince Ning's Mansion knows."

A tiny crack in the curtain of the large tent behind Chu Shiyu quietly opened, and Liu Rusi was eavesdropping intently. At this moment, Chu Shiyu's frank words about his biological mother made her suddenly realize - no wonder his skin was so white, his features were three-dimensional, delicate and gentle, and he was so handsome... It turned out that his grandmother was a Hu Ji from the Rakshasa Kingdom.

Outside the tent, Qin Shuangyu was at a loss for words to refute. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, remaining silent... Chu Shiyu had proactively admitted his alien ancestry, which made his previous rebuttal seem pale and powerless...

However, Qin Shuangyu still didn't understand why Prince Duan told him all this, suspecting that he had Northern blood. Even if he knew that his father's family was from the Northern Tribe, it was a generation later, and his parents had passed away. Wouldn't it cause a big disaster?

Unless... Chu Shiyu also knew that he was a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty... Qin Shuangyu couldn't help but clench his fists secretly, preparing to face the storm!

Qin Shuangyu's silence was a mixture of vigilance and confusion.

Seeing that he still couldn't fully grasp the meaning, Chu Shiyu couldn't help but let out a low "tsk" with a hint of imperceptible helplessness. He didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point:

"General Qin, you possess rare military talent and the ability to command troops. This is an indisputable fact. Just like in the past twenty years, it is precisely because of the Qin family army you single-handedly led to guard the northwestern border that the northwestern gateway of Daxia has been so stable."

His voice was steady, with a sense of confirmation of the facts, affirming Qin Shuangyu's value. But then, the tone suddenly changed, becoming sharp and cold:

"However, you are rife with uncertainty. Your origins are a mystery, your origins unknown, and you possess a burly physique similar to that of the Northern Tribes... These are indelible marks. Placing you and the Qin family army in the northwestern borderlands, far from the capital, while leaving your 'son' Qin Tao, who carries royal blood, as a hostage in the capital, is a prudent way to utilize your talents after careful consideration."

Chu Shiyu's eyes were fixed on Qin Shuangyu like a hawk, his tone solemn, each word weighing a thousand pounds:

"But suspicion is still there! It won't completely dissipate just because you've been guarding the border for twenty years. It's like a crack in the surface that's been whitewashed, always a hidden danger that needs to be carefully guarded against—even to be eliminated!"

The word "hidden danger" was like an ice spike piercing his bones, making Qin Shuangyu shudder! He finally understood the purpose of Chu Shiyu's layer-by-layer analysis!

This was not just a revelation of the past, but also a revelation of a cruel reality to him - no matter how law-abiding Qin Shuangyu behaved, or how he shed blood and sweat for Daxia, his unspeakable "origin" would always be watched by Chu Tianming's cold eyes, and was a variable that had to be controlled!

This hidden danger will eventually erupt one day, and he, the Qin family army, even the Qin family in the capital, and even... his grandson Qin Hao, whom he had just met, may all be caught up in the catastrophe at any time!

Chu Shiyu watched the surging waves of fear and the sudden deepening chill in Qin Shuangyu's eyes, knowing he had touched upon his deepest fear. He stopped pressing and instead slowed his tone. His words carried an almost distant meaning, as if stating a predetermined trajectory:

"General Qin is now... almost forty-six years old, right? Qin Tao is also eighteen, very brave and extraordinary, with a lot of his father's style..."

He paused, and in a low but clear voice, he said something as profound as Mount Tai:

"Perhaps, it's time for General Qin to...retire after his success."

"Retire after success!" These four words exploded in Qin Shuangyu's mind like thunder! Prince Duan's almost straightforward words finally tore through his insensitive thinking!

Qin Shuangyu recovered from his shock. Though the turmoil in his heart hadn't subsided, he instinctively sensed that Prince Duan's words weren't malicious, but rather a condescending reminder. With a hint of bewilderment and resignation in his tone, Qin Shuangyu bluntly asked, "Didn't I, General... already let the Qin Army perform its duties on its own, on my way back to the capital? How else can I retire after achieving this feat?"

Chu Shiyu's gaze was as calm as a deep pool. "Leaving temporarily doesn't mean we're no longer involved." His voice was low, but every word struck Qin Shuangyu's heart. "With General Qin's unparalleled prestige within the Qin Army, even if you stayed in the capital and didn't involve yourself in military affairs for a year or two, if the Qin Army received your call again, would they... turn a deaf ear?"

Qin Shuangyu froze in place as if struck by lightning… There was no need to even think about this question! Those brothers who had crawled out of the sea of ​​blood and corpses with him, those soldiers who had given their lives and loyalty to him… No matter when or where, as long as he, Qin Shuangyu, raised his arm and called, they would follow him through fire and water without hesitation!

This unquestionable trust and appeal was now blatantly exposed by Prince Duan, and became a sword hanging over the heads of him and all those close to him!

After a long silence, he finally found his voice, with a heavy, almost resigned hoarseness: "Then... what should I do?" This was no longer a general's question to the prince, but more like a bewildered person looking for the right path.

Chu Shiyu's eyes were as sharp as lightning, as if they wanted to penetrate Qin Shuangyu's soul: "First, understand your own heart. What is the most important thing to you, Qin Shuangyu, right now?"

"Is it that vague ambition, the end of which even you can't see clearly? Or is it..." His eyes swept over the letter paper that Qin Shuangyu was holding tightly in his hand, which had been squeezed and deformed, "to protect these flesh-and-blood people around you, the people you truly care about?"

Qin Shuangyu's heart suddenly tightened! Ambition? The obsession with restoring his country, instilled in him by his father, the unwillingness that flowed from his blood, had indeed never truly died... However, the constant worry and concern for his family kept him from acting rashly...

Following Chu Shiyu's hint, Qin Shuangyu once again lowered his head to look at the letter in his hand, gazing at the childish yet neat and neat handwriting—that was his lost and found grandson, Qin Hao, his purest blood connection in this world...