Chapter 70 – No One Knows a Father Better Than a Daughter
When Mengyao carried Qing back to the military camp, as his advisor Shen Tu removed the arrows from Qing’s shoulder, General Gongsun arrived upon hearing the news.
After learning that Qing had secretly led troops and suffered heavy losses, Gongsun’s face contorted in anger, and he directly ordered Qing to stay away from the battlefield for the time being and to reflect on his mistakes.
When Qing heard Gongsun’s words, he was about to speak, but when he saw his daughter Mengyao by his side, he swallowed his words and remained silent.
If others heard Gongsun’s words, they would surely think he was very angry… But Qing had fought alongside Gongsun for years, and through their close daily interactions, it was easy to guess Gongsun’s true intentions.
Gongsun’s punishment, upon discovering that there were people in the camp targeting Qing, could directly eliminate the possibility of Qing getting into trouble.
After all, staying in the camp would not give anyone a chance to harm him. It was much safer than being on the battlefield.
However, if this were the case, Gongsun would be in danger…
Gongsun was Gongsun Feifei’s father and Qing’s father-in-law. Qing could not bear to watch his old father-in-law fall into danger and pretend that nothing was wrong.
However, Mengyao had traveled all the way to the battlefield because she was worried about him getting into danger… Therefore, Qing was now in a dilemma.
Should he help his old father-in-law or not worry his daughter?
While Qing was struggling, Gongsun did not stay long, as he had plenty of military affairs to attend to and could not afford to waste too much time.
Before leaving, Gongsun glanced at Mengyao, who was disguised as a man, and left coldly without saying a word.
During this period, Qing and Mengyao’s relationship had eased, but this did not mean that Gongsun had accepted Qing’s children.
To Gongsun, only his daughter Gongsun Feifei’s happiness was the most important!
However, when Gongsun Feifei wrote a letter a while ago stating that Qing’s children had no ill intentions towards her, Gongsun no longer thought of harming Mengyao.
He had previously considered faking an accidental death to deceive Qing…
At this moment, none of these matters were important. What was important was how to win this war against Luoluo Kingdom.
“Mengyao, were you scared? Your father is fine, I just didn’t expect there to be so many traitors.”
“How can you be fine? If I had come a step later, you would have been beheaded… If it weren’t for Yu and I investigating the clues in the capital, we probably wouldn’t have arrived in time.”
“Oh? What clues did you find?”
After everyone around them withdrew, Qing finally spoke to comfort Mengyao, wanting to tell his daughter not to worry. Although the situation was critical at the time, the outcome was good now.
Although Qing was very disappointed with those who had temporarily switched sides, such as Wang Wei. After all, they were soldiers who had fought on the battlefield together for many years, but they had attacked their former comrades because of their families, which made Qing very angry.
However, despite his anger, it was of no use. Because of the heavy burden of their families, people like Wang Wei could not resist… However, since they had done such things, they had to face the consequences. For example, the fate of being killed by Mengyao’s sword…
“After you left the capital, the scouts sent to Xize Town returned with reports that all the local tyrants in Xize Town were killed by assassins from the alliance. Then, Yu and I… When I left the capital, Qingheng had already been sent to spread the news, and I believe the entire capital will soon know the crimes of the Wang clan.”
“So that’s how it is. No wonder those people mentioned the Wang clan when they made their move…”
After Mengyao’s simple explanation of what happened in the capital, Qing finally understood the entire sequence of events and learned the truth about the death of the envoy from Luoluo Kingdom.
However, Qing was not surprised that the Wang clan was the murderer. Although Qing had not expected such a development at first, after Wang Wei mentioned his family before he died, and considering the arrogance of the Wang clan in the capital in recent years, Qing was not surprised to hear Mengyao’s words.
The Emperor had been suppressing them in the imperial court, and if the Wang clan wanted to advance further, they would have to find opportunities in other areas. It was not surprising that they had extended their influence into the army.
“Since Gu Yu is staying in the capital to control the situation, Mengyao, you don’t have to worry. If I’m not mistaken, the Linfeng Kingdom and Luoluo Kingdom will reconcile soon, and there’s no need to continue the war.”
“But what should we do now? I heard that the main general of Luoluo Kingdom has been provoking us and has been poised for days. We don’t know when they will launch an attack.”
“I’ve already been punished by the Great General and cannot leave my residence… so even if I wanted to intervene, I couldn’t. I won’t think about it anymore.”
“Why do I feel… that you’re saying this to reassure me, and then secretly follow General Gongsun to the battlefield?”
“…”
No one knows a father better than a daughter. This saying was indeed accurate.
When Qing finished speaking, Mengyao looked at him suspiciously, clearly not believing that Qing could stay there alone and ignore the battlefield.
When Mengyao looked at him, Qing’s mouth twitched. He wondered why Mengyao was so vigilant and couldn’t even be tricked. But he remembered that when Mengyao was young, she was always clever and sly, and tricks like this usually didn’t work on her. Now that she had grown up, it was even harder to fool her.
“Alright, I’ll tell you the truth… After all, Gongsun Jie is Feifei’s father, so I have a responsibility to protect his safety. From a national perspective, General Gongsun is also an indispensable figure, and there can be no mistakes.”
“Is General Gongsun important, but you are not? Look at your shoulder, it’s still bleeding. Can you go to the battlefield like this? You’ll probably be shot down by the opposing general with an arrow as soon as you step onto it.”
“Heh heh, I have to try. Dad feels very sorry for you. You went through all the trouble to come here, and I’m still being so willful.”
Hearing Mengyao’s complaint, Qing chuckled and scratched the back of his head with one hand. He felt quite guilty towards his daughter. However, he couldn’t just watch his old father-in-law get into trouble. After some deliberation, Qing made his choice. This didn’t mean he didn’t love his daughter, but sometimes responsibility was helpless.
Mengyao also knew that Qing’s temper was the same as hers. Once he made a firm decision, he would never change it. Therefore, she didn’t say anything more and just asked Qing to rest well and recover quickly.
Then, Mengyao clenched the medicine packet containing Sleeping Powder in her pocket, thinking that if Qing insisted on ignoring her advice and going to the battlefield, this powder would come into play. However, she didn’t expect that the powder Yu gave her to fight enemies would be the first to be tasted by her father. Just as Qing couldn’t bear to see Gongsun get into trouble, Mengyao also couldn’t bear to see Qing get hurt.
…
“What did you say? The Wang clan is so audacious!!!”
“Yes, I rushed to the battlefield from the capital this time because I was worried that the Wang clan would harm my father. As it turns out, my worries were not unfounded. The people the Wang clan had secretly placed in the army did indeed attack my father… Fortunately, I arrived in time and killed those people, saving my father.”
After asking Qing to rest, when Mengyao left Qing’s residence, she did not go to the arranged rooms to rest but went directly to Gongsun Jie’s location.
Then, upon meeting Gongsun Jie, Mengyao slightly embellished her words and explained the incident of the envoy from Luoluo Kingdom being killed, giving him some forewarning.
When Gongsun Jie heard this news, his face showed a shocked expression, clearly not expecting… the Wang clan to be so audacious. Of course, Mengyao did not reveal that Gu Qingheng had spread the news. She only stated that when she left the capital, there were already rumors circulating that the Wang clan was the killer. Mengyao directly omitted some private matters and focused on conveying that the Wang clan was the mastermind, thus avoiding further trouble.
After Gongsun Jie’s surprised expression faded, he also knew the importance of this news. Although he was not sure if it was true or false, since Qing had been attacked, he could not afford to be careless. The Wang clan was desperate for power. If they attacked him now, they could easily get away with it by finding any excuse… As long as he died, the position of Great General would be vacant, and the Wang clan could seize the opportunity to climb up. Thinking of this, Gongsun Jie silently pondered how many of his subordinates belonged to the Wang clan.
“I came here to tell you this. Since General Gongsun is aware of it, I won’t disturb you further.”
“Yes, I understand. I will take precautions accordingly. You may go and rest now!”
With her objective achieved, Mengyao did not want to stay at Gongsun Jie’s place for long. After speaking, she walked out of Gongsun Jie’s residence. Mengyao was not slow-witted and was well aware of Gongsun Jie’s hostility towards her. However, it was not as strong as before. She didn’t know what had happened recently. However, regardless of what it was, Mengyao did not want to fall out with Gongsun Jie, as she was very satisfied with Auntie Fei and did not want any rift between them. After the theory that all stepmothers are wicked was overturned, Mengyao realized she had been overthinking. Since Gongsun Feifei could take good care of Qing now, everything was fine.
“It’s reported that news from the front lines indicates that Luoluo Kingdom is sending troops.”
Mengyao had originally wanted to accompany Qing, but upon hearing the soldier’s anxious voice, she smiled helplessly, thinking that the Sleeping Powder would have to be used in advance.
