“Go to the palace immediately and report this matter to the Emperor. The rest of you, follow me out of the city to rescue General Su!”
Si Yao swung onto her horse with crisp, efficient movements.
She wanted to take some of the city guard soldiers with her for the rescue, but the gate commander refused.
“General Si, without orders from above, we would be punished for leaving our posts with you!” the commander declared righteously.
Moreover, this wasn’t just any ordinary city gate—this was the capital, the heart of Da Xia, the imperial seat.
If enemies were to enter, wouldn’t that be dangerous?
Crack!
Si Yao’s whip snapped fiercely against the ground.
The air whipped past the commander’s face, carrying a hint of intimidation.
Si Yao shouted sternly:
“Punished for what? Following me to rescue General Su is your honor! If saving a meritorious general warrants punishment, then I’ll take full responsibility alone. If you don’t go, that would be the real dereliction of duty!”
“Today, anyone willing to follow me to rescue General Su will be credited with one merit and promoted one rank!”
At these words.
The soldiers who had been steadfastly guarding the city gate began to waver in their resolve.
The black energy wasn’t far from here—they could die on the battlefield without necessarily receiving credit or promotion.
But by following General Si now, they could gain a merit.
What a great opportunity this was.
“General Si, you have no authority to award merits to my soldiers!” the commander said seriously.
They weren’t under Si Yao’s command at all.
How could Si Yao both deploy his men and award them merits?
“After General Su returns, I will be appointed as a seventh-rank general, a higher position than you, a mere gatekeeper. How do I not have the authority?”
Furthermore, the entire city knew about the military achievements she and her husband had made.
Naturally, they were due for rewards.
“General Si, I’ll go with you!” a gate guard immediately stepped forward.
The commander ordered him to return to his post.
But following his lead, dozens of soldiers seeking advancement through merit had already stepped forward to stand behind Si Yao.
Si Yao smiled triumphantly, “You don’t need to listen to him. After I get promoted, I’ll add to your merits.”
“Yes, we’re willing to follow General Si to rescue General Su.”
After all, rescuing a meritorious official would count as a significant achievement upon returning to court.
Even without rewards, they certainly wouldn’t be punished.
Si Yao rode out with over ten soldiers.
The commander’s face darkened as he shouted after them, “You’re recklessly abandoning your posts—this is a major military offense! You’ll bear all consequences yourselves!”
However, Si Yao and the dozen soldiers didn’t think there would be any consequences at all.
Their figures gradually disappeared from view.
“Boss, what should we do?” Seeing that more than half the city guards were gone, the soldier who had earlier helped Si He now quietly came forward to ask.
The commander gritted his teeth, “Have someone go to the government office to mobilize official troops as replacements. I’ll go to the palace immediately to report this matter to The Emperor!”
“Yes!”
Si He led Qing Bao to the old street side and spent five coins to buy the child a meat bun.
The meat bun placed before Qing Bao was as round as her face.
Qing Bao happily took a big bite, chewing with complete satisfaction.
“Mother, you have a bite too.” She offered the bun to her mother.
Si He didn’t refuse either, opening her mouth to take a bite.
During these two years in the village, they rarely got to eat meat, so even a simple meat bun in the capital was relatively precious for the mother and daughter.
Qing Bao chewed vigorously, her cheeks bulging high, making her speech barely intelligible.
“So yummy~”
Seeing her like this, Si He couldn’t help but feel heartache.
Si Yao’s daughter was pampered daily in the General’s Residence, dining on delicacies from land and sea, while Qing Bao had suffered hardships with her for two years.
She blamed herself immensely for not being able to provide Qing Bao with a better life.
“Qing Bao, Mother has no home in the capital, but we still have to return to that General’s Residence, that place that devours people… Are you afraid?”
Stroking her daughter’s round head, Si He’s heart ached even more.
She didn’t know if she had passed her bad luck to her daughter—otherwise, why would the Old Madam have deemed her daughter a Star of Calamity before she was even one year old, wanting to eliminate her?
Even when she took her daughter away to avoid conflict, they still couldn’t escape their schemes.
“Qing Bao isn’t scared. Qing Bao has already died once.” Qing Bao smiled innocently.
To Si He, this brought tears to her eyes.
She composed herself, raised the baby’s right hand, and chanted along with her:
“Alright, then we’ll face it bravely. Qing Bao, let’s charge!”
Qing Bao chewed on her meat bun, wrinkling her little brows as she chirped, “Charge!”
But then, the little fist she raised bumped into something soft.
Looking up, they saw a man staring down at them coldly from above.
“Si He, is this what you feed the child?” Si Ye’s face carried a hint of concealed anger.
Si He stood up and looked at him. “Qing Bao, let me introduce you. This is my second brother.”
Her tone was indifferent, as if speaking to a stranger.
Qing Bao politely called out, “Hello, Second Uncle.”
“Don’t call me uncle,” Si Ye said with a flash of disgust in his eyes. “I only have Yao Yao as my sister. Only her daughter is qualified to call me uncle.”
Qing Bao was speechless and retorted crisply, “Then why do you care about me? Are you sick?”
“How dare you speak to your elder like that? I just can’t stand your mother feeding you such garbage.”
“She has a tael of silver, doesn’t she? Is it so hard to take the child to a restaurant for a proper meal?”
Who knows if such unclean food might harm the child?
Si Ye felt that Si He was inherently incapable of shedding her impoverished demeanor.
Then again, what kind of good person would return only to compete with Yao Yao for her husband?
Si He ignored him. “If you came here to question me over such a trivial matter, I must rudely take my leave!”
That one tael of silver was meant to cover three months of living expenses for her and her daughter in the countryside.
How could he understand?
“Si He, when you were recognized by the Si Family, Grandmother gave you a sum of silver, and Mother prepared a dowry for you. How could you still end up like this? It’s one thing to suffer yourself, but to make the child suffer too! You’re a disgrace to the Si Family.”
With so much silver given to her, why not spend it? Why insist on living so miserably? Who did she think would pity her?
“Has Second Brother forgotten? Three years ago, you lost a cricket fight and owed the Shangshu’s son a sum of silver. You borrowed all of my money—five hundred taels—and you still haven’t returned it…”
At this, Si He could only resent her own naivety back then.
She had actually believed her brothers would treat her well.
“How could I have the money to repay you? Don’t you still have your dowry? Yet you live like this!” Si Ye frowned, looking disdainfully at her coarse, tattered clothes as if they were filthy.
“What does it matter to you how I live? Qing Bao, let’s go.” Si He said with displeasure, taking Qing Bao’s hand as she turned to leave.
Hah.
Dowry.
What dowry did she even have? The dowry her “mother” prepared for her was to be equally split with Si Yao.
Later, it was locked away in the storeroom by Si Yao, who declared no one could use it without their mother’s permission.
“Of course it matters! Your shabbiness brings shame to our Si Family!”
Just then, a woman’s angry voice rang out.
Si He turned to see Lady Si approaching with her maidservants.
Her hair was adorned with glittering pearls and jade, her robes embroidered with golden threads that shimmered with radiant colors.
Si He was her biological daughter, yet she wore coarse, patched clothing—the plain gray-blue attire of a village woman.
The two stood facing each other, creating a stark contrast.
“Tonight, General Su and Yao’er are entering the palace for the Bestowal ceremony. Your presence would only be a disturbance. Come back to the Si Family with me—your grandmother wishes to see you!”