“Not only did he abandon his post in the middle of battle, but he also deliberately drew the assassins toward us, exposing our location. I have already reported every detail of what happened to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.”
“Lord Qu, I know you have fought alongside him for many years, and your families have been close for generations. Your relationship must be like that of brothers.”
“But you must listen to me on this matter. You absolutely must submit a formal accusation against him. I honestly don’t understand how such a shameless man can command the respect of his soldiers or even qualify to be a general!”
“Someone like him is not worth befriending. Otherwise, you might never know when he’ll stab you in the back.”
Those final words were probably Lin Zhong’s heartfelt advice.
Qu Jinshu had risked her life to save Prince Jing, and he was deeply grateful to her. He practically wanted to become sworn brothers with her.
A self mocking smile tugged at the corners of Qu Jinshu’s lips.
Even Lin Zhong was better at judging people than she had been.
If she had possessed such discernment in her previous life, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.
“I still need to report Prince Jing’s situation to the Empress Dowager. I’ll take my leave first.”
Remembering this, Lin Zhong hurriedly left.
Qu Ya and the other members of the Qu family standing behind her had been afraid of getting implicated, so none of them had dared approach He Xiujun.
When Qu Sheng, Qu Jinshu’s father, saw that she had returned as well, his brows furrowed. He immediately brought an attendant over.
The attendant had a thick beard covering his face, making his appearance rather awkward.
He was Qu Zhao in disguise.
Since Qu Jinshu had assumed his identity, he had no choice but to change his appearance.
When he reached Qu Jinshu, he immediately questioned her in a low voice.
“Where have you been? Didn’t I tell you to do everything you could to win first place in the hunt? But when the Imperial Guards counted the game, you hadn’t caught a single animal! What were you doing last night?”
“Enough. There are too many people around. Keep your voice down,” Qu Sheng reminded Qu Zhao in a low voice.
Only then did Qu Zhao reluctantly shut his mouth.
As for Qu Sheng, his shrewd, calculating face practically screamed of his schemes. “Jinshu, I heard that you went to save Prince Jing. How did it go? You must have rendered a great service, haven’t you?” he asked tentatively.
Qu Zhao immediately caught on and became eager. He ordered Qu Jinshu, “Hurry up and switch faces with me. I want to meet the Emperor and claim the rewards for my achievements!”
Qu Jinshu replied calmly, “I did save Prince Jing, but he was also badly frightened. I’m not sure whether…”
“He was frightened? What if the Empress Dowager and the Emperor decide to punish us?”
Qu Zhao’s expression immediately darkened. “You useless thing! How can you fail at such a simple task? You couldn’t win the hunt, and now you can’t even save someone properly. If we’re punished, you’ll have to take the blame for me. After all, you’re the one who brought this trouble upon us.”
“Enough. How many times have I reminded you to remain composed when we’re outside?”
Qu Sheng reprimanded Qu Zhao again. Although his words sounded like a scolding, his tone was far gentler than the way he normally spoke to Qu Jinshu.
Then he turned to look at her.
Unlike the foolish Qu Zhao, he was more calculating and far sighted. Deliberately putting on the smile of a loving father, he said, “Jinshu, you’ve worked hard last night. Although Prince Jing was frightened, at least his life was saved. Even if you haven’t rendered a great service, you’ve certainly worked hard.”
“If the Emperor rewards you, you must make arrangements to secure another promotion for your elder brother. Besides, you must also explain things on Xiujun’s behalf. Tell the Emperor that he left last night to lure the assassins away.”
“Brother Xiujun left because of Eldest Sister. If it weren’t for him, Eldest Sister might have fallen and injured herself. He’s a benefactor to our Qu family, so you must plead for leniency on his behalf,” Qu Zhao warned her.
He even leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Didn’t you have feelings for him? What’s wrong with saying a few good words for the man you love?”
So, in their eyes, her carefully concealed admiration for He Xiujun in her previous life had been an open joke all along.
No wonder they had been able to exploit her weakness time and time again.
“I know what I have to do.” Qu Jinshu’s tone remained indifferent as she strode toward He Xiujun.
“Qu Jinshu! How dare you speak to me in that tone?”
Qu Zhao flew into a rage. He wanted to curse her out, but realizing there were people around, he could only hold his tongue.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, He Xiujun knew who it was without even turning around.
“You’re here.”
His tone was familiar, as though there had never been any estrangement between them, as though he hadn’t been the very person who had caused her death in her previous life.
“You’ve returned too, haven’t you?”
He finally raised his head and looked at Qu Jinshu.
“Congratulations. You’ve finally gotten what you wanted.”
Qu Jinshu looked down at him, a cold glint flickering deep in her eyes.
“Last night in the forest, you probably wanted to kill me, didn’t you? In that case, we’re even. I don’t want to dwell on the grudges from our previous lives anymore. Although my subordinates killed you, you occupied Ya’er’s position as the General’s wife for many years. You even caused her death…”
“But this time, I returned at just the right moment. None of those things have happened yet, and I believe I have the ability to prevent what comes next, as long as you don’t stand in my way.”
“Now that I’ve been given another chance to continue my relationship with her, I don’t want anything else interfering with us.”
“So you don’t need to plead for leniency on my behalf. I’m willing to do anything to protect Ya’er.”
“From now on, you go your way, and I’ll go mine. The debt you owed me was already repaid in your previous life. I’m magnanimous enough not to hold a grudge over the fact that you shot me last night. From this day forward, we’re even. I have my own happiness to protect, so please stay away from Ya’er. She knows nothing about any of this.”
He Xiujun spoke at length. Whenever he mentioned Qu Ya, his expression softened noticeably, and his eyes filled with tenderness.
But Qu Jinshu could only respond with a cold sneer. “Are you finished?”
“Being even is nothing more than what you believe. Everything you owe me, I’ll reclaim one thing at a time.”
At her words, He Xiujun’s expression changed drastically.
His fists clenched tightly, and the composure he had displayed moments ago vanished. “Qu Jinshu, what exactly are you trying to do? I admit that I wasn’t entirely fair in some things I did in our previous life, but are you completely blameless?”
“Whatever you want, take it up with me. You absolutely must not hurt Ya’er.”
“Are you still refusing to let me go? Could it be that you still have feelings for me? Give up! I never loved you in my previous life. I married you solely to take revenge. And now that I have Ya’er, I won’t even spare you a second glance.”
“In your previous life, you occupied the position of the General’s wife and even took credit for being my military strategist. You enjoyed all those privileges. This time, I’ll take everything back. You’d better watch yourself!”
Faced with He Xiujun’s threats, Qu Jinshu almost burst out laughing.
It seemed he truly had no idea about the actual state of affairs in his general’s residence or the situation on the northern frontier.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced into the distance and saw Qu Ya looking rather flustered and uneasy because she had approached He Xiujun. It was as though she feared Qu Jinshu might steal him away.
Qu Jinshu sneered. Then, with a meaningful look, she said to He Xiujun, “Fine. You and Qu Ya can enjoy all those blessings yourselves. I have no desire to claim them.”
“Also, I sincerely hope you can withstand the wrath of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager this time.”
Watching Qu Jinshu walk away, He Xiujun felt as though something was lodged in his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
In his previous life, he had suddenly passed out just after she died, so he had no idea what had happened afterward.
Nevertheless, he was confident that the entire army was under his command. They would surely conquer Northern Jin and become the greatest military force in Xiling’s history. And he would be the general most deserving of having his name remembered for generations.
As for the General’s residence, his mother and younger sister were managing everything. What could possibly go wrong?
Besides, in this life, Ya’er would be there to help manage the household. The family would undoubtedly prosper.
Qu Jinshu’s warning was downright laughable!
He had truly been blind in his previous life. When she died, he had actually felt a moment of regret, thinking that perhaps she had some redeeming qualities after all.
Now he realized that she was completely useless and would only drag him down!
From now on, he would stay far away from her.
But if she dared to cause trouble, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her again.