Quick Transmigration: The Pregnant Little Fairy is Pampered by the Heirless Boss

"Of course it must be destroyed," the emperor said indifferently, "but not now. When the Emperor returns to the border and finds the wheat fields intact..."

He smiled meaningfully. "What do you think he'll think?"

Liu Xiang suddenly realized: "Your Majesty is brilliant! In this way, the Emperor will surely suspect that General Zhou is lying about military intelligence, and rifts will arise in the army..."

"That's not all." The emperor toyed with the jade thumb ring in his hand. "I want him to know that the lives of the people on the border have always been in my hands. No matter how capable Emperor Si is in battle, he is nothing more than my dog."

Zhou Yi flattered with a fawning smile, "Your Majesty is wise! However..."

He hesitated, then said, "What about Ji Xiaosong..."

The emperor's gaze turned cold: "She's just a female physician, is she really worth you bringing up?"

"Your Majesty is unaware of this," Zhou Yi lowered his voice, "This woman is skilled in agriculture; she brought the drought-resistant wheat seeds. What's even stranger is..."

He leaned closer mysteriously, saying, "There seems to be some kind of invisible and intangible force around the wheat field, making it impervious to swords and blades, and impossible for living people to enter."

"Oh?" The emperor finally became interested. "So, this woman has some skill?"

Liu Lian hurriedly interjected, "Your Majesty, why not send someone..."

"No need," the emperor raised his hand to stop him. "I want to see what's so special about a woman who can capture the heart of the Emperor."

He turned to Zhou Yi, "You return to the border immediately and pretend nothing happened. As for that female doctor..."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "If she knows what's good for her, I might spare her life."

*

On the official road, Ji Xiaosong suddenly pulled on the reins, and the moment he withdrew his consciousness, his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

What she had just "seen" made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

All the talk of a border crisis and destroyed wheat fields was just a show staged by the emperor himself!

"Young lady?" The guard looked at her suddenly pale face with suspicion. "Is your injury acting up again?"

Ji Xiaosong forced herself to remain calm: "It's alright. We... will change course and return to the border."

"What? But the general..."

"The general has his own arrangements." She turned her horse around, already having a plan in mind.

Since the emperor wanted to play the "crying wolf" trick, she decided to play along.

As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, a dark figure quietly retreated from the bushes beside the official road.

Three days later, at the border camp, Emperor Si led his troops back to the border day and night, only to find a peaceful scene before him:

The wheat fields remained lush and green, and the villagers were busy in the fields, showing no signs of being attacked.

"Zhou Yi!" Si Di shouted, "What's going on?"

Zhou Yi looked bewildered: "General, this subordinate...this subordinate doesn't know either. The Southern Rong army clearly..."

"Report!" A sentry rushed over. "General, we've spotted Southern Rong scouts ten miles away!"

Si Di's eyes sharpened: "How many people?"

"Three...three."

"Three?" Emperor Si laughed in anger. "This is the 100,000-strong army you were talking about?"

Zhou Yi knelt on the ground, trembling: "General, you are wise, that day it was indeed..."

"Enough," Si Di interrupted coldly. "Zhao Yan, take him away and interrogate him thoroughly."

After Zhou Yi was taken away, Si Di stood alone by the wheat field, his brows furrowed.

The matter is too suspicious. If Zhou Yi lied about military intelligence, why would he risk being beheaded?

If this is true, where did the Southern Rong army go?

"General."

A familiar voice came from behind him. Si Di turned around abruptly and saw Ji Xiaosong standing on the edge of the field. The injury on her shoulder seemed to have healed a lot, but her face was still a little pale.

"You..." He strode forward and pulled her into his arms. "Nonsense! Running around before your injuries have healed!"

Ji Xiaosong leaned against his chest and whispered, "If I hadn't come, wouldn't the general have fallen into someone else's trap?"

Si Di's body stiffened: "What do you know?"

“We’ll go back to the account.”

Inside the main tent, Ji Xiaosong recounted everything she had "seen."

To her surprise, Si Di remained unusually calm after listening to her story.

"Just as I thought." He sneered. "Is His Majesty trying to tell me that the fate of the border rests entirely in his hands?"

Ji Xiaosong grasped his hand: "General, how do you intend to deal with this?"

The Emperor did not answer immediately, but walked to the table and unfolded the border map: "Look."

He traced several key locations with his fingertips: "This is the granary, this is the water source, this is the main road to the capital... If Your Majesty really wanted to deal with me, there would be no need for you to go to such lengths to stage this charade."

Ji Xiaosong suddenly realized: "He's testing me!"

“Not bad.” The Emperor’s eyes gleamed with golden light. “Your Majesty wants to see whether, in my heart, the people on the border are more important, or the imperial decree is more important.”

“Then… Zhou Yi…”

"I'm nothing more than a pawn." The Emperor's tone was icy. "Soon an imperial edict will arrive, praising me for 'caring for the people' and 'commendable loyalty and bravery'."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a report came from outside the tent: "General! An envoy from the capital has arrived to deliver an imperial edict!"

Ji Xiaosong and Si Di exchanged a glance, both seeing the "I knew it" look in each other's eyes.

On the drill ground, the eunuch's shrill voice echoed through the military camp:

"...General Si Di, the General Who Guards the North, is loyal and brave, devoted to the country, and cares deeply for the people. He is hereby bestowed with a thousand taels of gold, a hundred bolts of brocade, and the title of Marquis of Dingyuan..."

The Emperor knelt on one knee, accepting the decree with a blank expression: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor."

After the eunuch left, Zhao Yan couldn't help but ask, "General, what is His Majesty doing...?"

"Soothe them." The Emperor casually tossed the imperial edict to his personal guard. "Go and find out who that eunuch met in the camp."

The personal guard obeyed and left. Ji Xiaosong said softly, "General, what's next..."

"Wait."

"wait?"

The Emperor gazed towards the capital, his eyes gleaming with golden light: "We await His Majesty's next move, we await Prime Minister Liu's slip-up, and we await..."

He turned to look at Ji Xiaosong, "Your injuries have healed."

A night breeze blew by, carrying the fresh scent of wheat seedlings.

Ji Xiaosong suddenly felt that the man in front of her seemed to be one step closer to the "return of the God of War".

In the Imperial Study of the palace, after listening to the eunuch's report, the emperor nodded with satisfaction: "Did Your Majesty show any displeasure when you received the decree?"

"Your Majesty, Marquis Dingyuan... uh, General Si's expression was normal when he received the decree."

"As if nothing had happened?" The emperor chuckled. "That's interesting."

He turned to the shadows. "Prime Minister Liu, what do you think?"

Liu Xiang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor Si is an unfathomable man, and we must be wary of him."

"Of course I know." The emperor toyed with a jade chess piece. "By the way, that female physician..."

"As His Majesty instructed, we have sent people to keep an eye on it."

The emperor slammed the chess piece down on the board: "Remember, don't alert her. I want to see what's so special about a woman who can capture the emperor's heart."

The flickering candlelight illuminated the emperor's ever-changing face.

*

Ji Xiaosong was unaware of everything happening in the palace for the time being.

Now, all she cares about is the food supplies on the border.

The dryland wheat will be ready for harvest in less than a month; this is the first batch of grain seeds grown on the border.