237: Chapter 237 Very Dissatisfied

Lin Xiao was silent for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Is Marquis of Ruyang your enemy?"

Qing Zaner nodded. "My father was originally the inspector general of Tong Province. Because he was an honest official, he offended many people and ended up having his home confiscated and being executed."

"I was relegated to the status of a low-born and was meant to go to the Music Bureau, but Marquis of Ruyang took a fancy to me and took me as a concubine."

"Later, at a banquet, Prince Yan took a fancy to me, and Marquis of Ruyang offered me to Prince Yan..."

"All these years, although I have borne one son and two daughters for Prince Yan, I have continued to associate with Marquis of Ruyang in secret out of gratitude."

"I had thought that once Marquis of Ruyang gained power, he would at least remember my kindness and protect me and the children..."

"But I never expected that Marquis of Ruyang was full of lies. I bribed a few soldiers and only then learned that my three children had all been killed by General Yelu Chuku..."

At this point, Qing Zaner's fingernails dug into her palms, and her lips were bitten until they bled.

Lin Xiao finally understood why this woman was prepared to die; the scissors under the pillow were clearly meant for Marquis of Ruyang.

"I have no interest in your life. If you want to atone for your sins, wait until this battle is over and tell Princess Li Xinglan."

Lin Xiao walked straight to the bed and lay down on it.

Qing Zaner stared at him blankly, at a loss for a moment, then stood up, went to the bedside, and took off Lin Xiao's shoes.

"Benefactor, what can I do for you?"

Qing Zaner asked pitifully.

"Just do as usual. Don't let anyone suspect anything."

Qing Zaner thought for a moment, then began to undress.

"What are you doing?" Lin Xiao frowned.

Qing Zaner blushed timidly and said, "Didn't Benefactor say... do as usual? At night, I always served Marquis of Ruyang in bed..."

Lin Xiao was speechless. "There's no need for that in private. Just go and lie down over there!"

Qing Zaner looked in the direction he pointed, which was a recliner.

She felt a strange sensation. Ever since she came of age, men had always drooled at the sight of her.

Even after having three children, Prince Yan and Marquis of Ruyang were still infatuated with her.

A fortune teller had said that she possessed a Natural Allure and would spend most of her life in the mortal world, being fought over by men.

But how could... this Benefactor seem uninterested in her?

While Qing Zaner felt it was strange, she also felt an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart.

She thought to herself that she must be getting old and losing her beauty...

Little did she know, Lin Xiao was not having an easy time either.

Provoked by Qing Zaner, he missed Xiao Qingxuan, who was far away in Yangquan, even more.

...

Yangquan. Light snow drifted in the sky above the city gate tower.

Xiao Qingxuan was wrapped in a white cloak, gazing at the starry sky in the east.

A cold wind blew, lifting a few strands of the woman's dark hair, her exquisite profile looking like a goddess descended to earth.

"Husband... it's snowing in Yangquan again. How is it over there?"

"We agreed you would go to E Prefecture. Now that E Prefecture has been taken, why haven't you returned yet..."

"I miss you so much..."

Xiao Qingxuan's eyes were red. She herself felt it was inexplicable that she would want to cry just from missing a man...

Unconsciously, Lin Xiao had become an indispensable part of her life.

"Is our Empress thinking of her man again?"

Leng Bingyan walked up, dressed in a dark red outfit that brought out a hint of charm and brightness.

Xiao Qingxuan turned back and rolled her eyes at her. "Did you run back from Sha Prefecture just to tease me?"

"Hmph, that's not it. Over there, not only is Wanying there, but Brother Zhao is too. Now even Commander-in-Chief Zhao Yunting has arrived."

"My father once said that among the famous generals of the Great Gan, there are only three and a half whom he respects."

"The late General Mu, Lu Sanchuan of the Silver Armor Army, and Zhao Yunting of the Cold Iron Guard."

Leng Bingyan sighed with emotion. "Since Husband has invited Commander-in-Chief Zhao, Sha Prefecture and E Prefecture will surely be as solid as a rock."

"I thought about it, and decided to come back to help you with odd jobs. There's nothing for me to do on the front lines anyway."

Xiao Qingxuan found it curious. "Three and a half? Who is the half?"

"The Great General of the Azure Dragon Guard, 'Spear King' Jiang Wanli!"

"Why is Jiang Wanli only half?" Xiao Qingxuan asked.

"Father said that while Jiang Wanli is personally brave, the main opponents of the Azure Dragon Guard are the weak Western Qiang, lacking the test of a strong enemy."

Xiao Qingxuan smiled. "Such harsh thinking is indeed the style of General Leng Duo."

"If we are really talking about the famous generals of the world, I think your father, General Leng, should also be in the top five."

Leng Bingyan smiled proudly. "That goes without saying! If it weren't for the internal strife in Western Shu, my father wouldn't have been able to concentrate his forces, so how could the Prince of Nanling have succeeded?"

Speaking of this, Leng Bingyan thought of something else, and her expression became somewhat serious.

"Qingxuan... now that Cang Province and E Prefecture are in our hands, the Zhenbei Army is growing stronger every day, and we have also incorporated the Cold Iron Guard..."

"My father has also been accumulating strength, incorporating the remnants of Western Shu..."

Xiao Qingxuan immediately interrupted her. "Stop talking, Yaner. Everything I have today was given to me by Husband."

"I will not allow anyone to use Husband to take away what belongs to him, including myself!"

Leng Bingyan was a bit anxious. "What are you thinking? Do you think I would betray Husband?"

"A wife follows her husband. Whatever Husband asks me to do, have I ever frowned?"

"But I am worried that my father and those old officials of Western Shu might not be reconciled to the situation and might do something foolish..."

Xiao Qingxuan frowned, unable to think of a good solution for the moment.

"Let's take it one step at a time... For now, I just want Husband to return safely."

Leng Bingyan nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

...

The next day, as soon as dawn broke, the seventy-thousand-strong Yan Kings Army broke camp.

The army, like two giant dragons, surrounded Qizhou completely!

They also sent envoys, demanding that the Khitan Army hand over Prince Yan and surrender by laying down their arms outside the city.

In fact, the Khitan had a total of only thirty thousand cavalry. Although they had the White Wolf Cavalry, defending the city did not allow them to utilize their advantages.

Therefore, when their water and food supplies were cut off, the Khitan Army suddenly became panicked.

Some scouts tried to break out to investigate, but they were all wiped out by the elite forces led by Wei Kongming.

Inside the tent.

Several of Marquis of Ruyang's trusted officers were offering "advice" to Lin Xiao.

"My Lord, you cannot let Wei Kongming continue to attack the Khitan Army. That guy is really killing them!"

"If we really anger General Yelu Chuku, and he leads the White Wolf Cavalry out to fight, even if it ends in mutual destruction, we will definitely lose our lives!"

Lin Xiao looked at these people with a smile, noting down their names and faces one by one.

"What do you know? The ones General Yelu Chuku sent are just small fry. Acting must be realistic, otherwise it won't be effective."

Upon hearing this, the officers understood and kept exclaiming, "My Lord is brilliant!"

After Lin Xiao dismissed everyone, Princess Li Xinglan walked out from behind the screen.

The girl had put on a suit of armor, looking quite heroic.

"Lin... My Lord, what do you think is going on with General Yelu Chuku? He's been blocked at the gate, why hasn't he come out?"

After all, Princess Li Xinglan had witnessed the strength of General Yelu Chuku, so she was somewhat uneasy.

"I suppose General Yelu Chuku and Marquis of Ruyang have some special channels of communication that we don't know about."

"Now that we have suddenly surrounded the city, he must want to figure out what is going on first..."

Lin Xiao was not in a hurry; his Zhenbei Army would not arrive for another two to three days.

On the side of the imperial court, if Emperor Hong could issue an imperial decree acknowledging Princess Li Xinglan's status as a princess, it could boost morale.

Until evening, the gates of Qizhou remained tightly shut.

Lin Xiao was pretending to read a military book in his tent, but in reality, he was browsing the system store...

Suddenly, a soldier delivering food walked in.

"My Lord, I have brought your meal."

Watching the honest-looking soldier open the food box, Lin Xiao glanced at his information.

[Er Gui, 34 years old, Khitan spy, White Wolf Cavalry scout, Aptitude: yellow grade]

[Tags: Spy, Disguise, Assassination]

Er Gui lowered his head and said coldly in a very faint voice:

"General Yelu is very dissatisfied with your performance. He wants to meet you tonight at the old place. If you don't want to die, don't try anything funny..."