Appointing a General as a Concubine: Where Can General Xiao Escape?

In Prince Chen's Mansion, Qi Minxiu was dressed in a black robe with a belt, and was busy adjusting his cuffs and collar.

Ling Su looked at him worriedly: "Your Highness, please let me go. Your health..."

"You stay in the mansion and pretend to be me. If anything happens, send a messenger to report it. I have difficulty walking, so normally no one will come to visit me."

After Qi Minxiu finished his instructions with a serious look on his face, he walked to the sword that had been covered in dust for a long time and reached out to touch it.

"It's all my fault. I hid it even though she had recovered a long time ago. If I had gone with her, I would have prevented her from suffering this disaster."

His eyes were slightly red and his voice was choked, which made Ling Su next to him feel distressed.

"General Xiao is a man of good fortune, and he will surely return safely. Your Highness, you are not fully recovered yet, so please let me go and look for you."

After Qi Minxiu recovered from his grief, he composed himself and turned to look at Ling Su: "Is Lieutenant General Zhao in Quancheng?"

"Yes, Lieutenant General Zhao, as General Xiao's right-hand man, is conducting a comprehensive search and rescue operation in Quancheng."

"Remember what I said. It's best if no one comes. If someone comes, pretend to be sick and stay in bed. Don't let anyone know that my leg is healed for the time being."

Qi Minxiu picked up his sword, put on Ling Su's coat, covered his face, and walked out the window without looking back.

Ling Su stood behind him and wanted to call him, but after thinking for a while, he finally shut his mouth.

Qi Yue was imprisoned in Yongyang Palace for five days. He refused to eat or drink during these five days, which made Concubine Liang very angry.

In desperation, she could only let him go.

After gaining his freedom, the first thing he thought of was to find Xiao Mo, but unexpectedly he fell to the ground as soon as he left Yongyang Palace.

The imperial physician diagnosed that he had fainted from hunger due to not eating for many days, and that he would recover with a little care.

Hearing this, Concubine Liang frowned in self-blame: "I didn't mean it that way, I just..."

"Your Highness, there's no need to blame yourself. Your intentions are good. One day, His Highness will understand."

The maid's comfort soothed her heart. She sat down beside the bed and reached out to touch Qi Yue's face: "Yue'er, you are too stubborn."

"Your Highness, since His Highness values General Xiao so much, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him personally confirm it.

If General Xiao is lucky enough to be alive, then we can proceed with our plan.

But if she unfortunately died, having His Highness personally confirm it would also put an end to his thoughts."

Concubine Liang's guilty expression changed subtly after hearing the maid's words.

After a moment of silence, she sighed and compromised, "Then let's do as you wish. When Yue'er wakes up, prepare a good horse for him."

"Yes."

When Qi Minxiu arrived in Quancheng, Deputy General Zhao and Shen Yun were not there.

I learned from the soldiers guarding the gate that they all went to the bottom of the cliff to look for Xiao Mo.

He inquired about the situation and asked the soldiers to take him with them, but the right deputy general wanted to persuade him to stay and rest on the grounds that it was a long journey.

While the two sides were arguing, Deputy General Zhao and Shen Yun returned with their soldiers.

He walked forward anxiously and glanced behind them: "Where is General Xiao?"

Shen Yun's eyes were red and slightly swollen. She lowered her head and dared not speak.

Deputy General Zhao knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in front of him, and turned his face away: "General Xiao..."

Judging from their reactions, Qi Minxiu knew without their answer that it was definitely not found.

If they found it, they would definitely not look like this.

Qi Minxiu's eyes flashed with clarity. Without saying anything, he walked straight out past the crowd, "You all should rest well. Right Lieutenant, come with me to look for it again."

The right deputy general followed closely in his footsteps and called out to him, "Your Highness has traveled through mountains and rivers for several days and nights to reach Quancheng. You deserve a good rest. Let me take the men to find General Xiao."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yun and the other soldiers all knelt down: "We will definitely find the general and bring him back safely."

After Shen Yun finished speaking, she looked up at him and realized something. Her eyes widened in surprise: "Your Highness, your leg?"

Qi Minxiu glanced at her calmly and said, "Two years, it's too late to explain it."

He looked tired and his eyes were bloodshot. The crowd couldn't persuade him, so they had to concentrate and go down the cliff with him.

Two days later, Qi Yue and Yuan Mu also arrived.

When he saw Qi Minxiu moving freely and briskly, he was also shocked for a moment.

Every day, the two men led two teams to conduct a carpet search under the cliff.

After searching for half a month, they found a broken arm, a bloody half-calf hanging on a tree branch, and some rotten and dried limb fragments.

They could tell at a glance that the arms belonged to a man, but they were not sure about the calves and other body parts.

The white armor that Qi Minxiu gave Xiao Mo before she left was also hanging on a tall tree, swaying in the wind.

After returning to the city, Deputy General Zhao proposed with great sorrow to report the news of Xiao Mo's death to the emperor, but was opposed by both Qi Yue and Qi Minxiu.

In fact, after so many days of searching, they already had the answer in their hearts, but they were just deceiving themselves and didn't want to admit it.

Qi Minxiu, feeling depressed, went to the bottom of the cliff again as soon as he returned to the city.

This time he only brought one person with him. It would be more accurate to say that he was going to commemorate someone rather than looking for him.

It seemed as if every inch of the rugged mountain roads he walked on every day had Xiao Mo's shadow.

On the rocks, Qi Minxiu stopped and watched, his eyes filled with endless sadness.

Suddenly, his blurry vision was attracted by a hint of green in the crevice of the stone.

He wiped away his tears and walked forward to pick up the broken jade pendant piece by piece.

Looking at the token of love he gave Xiao Mo before she left, the tears that he had just held back suddenly burst out.

The soldier who was traveling with him stepped forward stiffly to comfort him: "Your Highness, accept my condolences."

Qi Minxiu was sad for a while, then he clenched the jade pendant tightly in his hand and went straight back to the imperial city without even going back to Quancheng.

After the soldier went back to report to Qi Yue and others, Shen Yun also set out on the journey back to Beijing.

Only Qi Yue stayed, based on the principle that he could not be sure of Xiao Mo's death without seeing her face.

After returning to the imperial city, Qi Minxiu first went back to Prince Chen's Mansion. After bathing and changing clothes, he took Ling Su to the palace.

The emperor and Concubine Liang were shocked to see that Qi Minxiu did not come in in a wheelchair.

"Min'er, when did your leg get better?" He walked forward in surprise, but before he touched Qi Minxiu, Qi Minxiu knelt down straight.

"Father, I have a favor to ask of you."

The emperor looked at him puzzledly: "What's the matter? Get up and talk."

Qi Minxiu lowered his eyes and spoke in a sonorous and powerful voice, each word clear.

"General Xiao sacrificed his life for his country, his love was boundless. Now that his body is still warm, I want to fulfill the promise I made to her before I left for the battle."

"What promise?" When Xiao Mo was mentioned, the emperor's smiling expression paused.