The First Prince withdrew obediently.
He had ample reason to suspect that Ling Yao had been abducted by the Divine Martial General at the time!
And that the Divine Martial General had not saved Ling Yao at all.
Looking at Ling Yao's spoiled and arrogant demeanor, it was clear the Divine Martial General was in the wrong! Yes, it must be so.
The dignified Great General was making egg pancakes.
He fell into thought: could hands that made egg pancakes still wield a Xuan Tie Spear?
"Eldest Brother, come in!"
Ling Yao was calling him.
Fine, he wasn't going in on his own accord.
"Ling Yao, you're really not being honest. You married the Divine Martial General, why didn't you tell me sooner? Don't tell me I've insulted him!"
"That's enough! He'll be back soon. I'm telling you, whatever you do, don't let him know about your visit to the palace, or I'll tell him you bullied me."
"Such a big matter..."
"Eldest Brother insulted my man, calling him a vulgar, uncivilized village bumpkin, and said he would marry me off to Wen Tang Gege!"
"Shut up quickly!" This must absolutely not reach his ears.
"Eldest Brother, don't blame me for not warning you. You burned down our house, and Xiao Shan won't let you go. Those were timbers he personally chopped from the mountain to build it. He raised the chickens, and every tile and brick passed through his hands. Tell me, how deep is the affection? Even I want to kill you..."
Thinking about it made her heart ache.
The First Prince: "..."
He could talk about money, but talking about feelings was the end of it.
"I'm afraid of you, so I won't say anything more!"
It was just that he needed to prepare more thoroughly; he couldn't bear the consequences if something happened.
Seeing how the Great General Xiao protected his "cub," how he was so careful with Ling Yao, and she was pregnant again, if anything happened to her, wouldn't he tear him apart?
"Ling Yao, you are a goddess. Is the matter of the Great Yao Divine Monarch true? General Xiao he..."
When this was mentioned, Ling Yao fell silent. She had no memory of the Great Yao Divine Monarch; all she knew about him was from the handwritten notes. This did not belong to her inherited consciousness.
"He isn't the Great Yao Divine Monarch, is he?"
The First Prince thought, they had already consummated their marriage, and the Divine Martial General was still alive and well. It should be fine, right? Then what about Song Bei Ting?
Should he have his imperial sister take him in too?
This was bad. He had to recall the person sent to deliver the message quickly. If Song Bei Ting returned, it would be a complete mess.
The door creaked open from the outside. Xiao Shan entered with egg pancakes, his face grim.
A chilling aura swept over them, and the First Prince couldn't help but take a step back.
The Divine Martial General truly lived up to his reputation as the heavens of Jing Country; his presence was truly astonishing.
"The Great Yao Divine Monarch is not decided by you, but by the Goddess. Whoever the Goddess marries, that person is the Great Yao Divine Monarch."
Ah, so he was the Great Yao Divine Monarch?
Ling Yao's eyes lit up, as if a sudden realization had dawned.
Was it like this?
Perhaps, possibly, it was like this!
"A Shan." She was overjoyed, her eyes shining with astonishing brilliance. "You are the Great Yao Divine Monarch, my guardian Divine Monarch of past lives."
Past lives?
Yes, he would follow her and protect her for all eternity. No one would ever snatch her away.
Xiao Shan gazed at the woman with a smile as radiant as a flower, baring his white teeth in a simple, honest grin.
The First Prince felt the atmosphere between the two becoming sticky again. This was not a territory he was familiar with, so he felt extremely uncomfortable and coughed twice.
Seeing Xiao Shan about to fly into a rage again, Ling Yao quickly grabbed his hand. "Ignore him. It smells so good! I think about your egg pancakes every day. Hurry, hurry."
She tilted her head back, her cherry-red lips parted, waiting for him to feed her.
The First Prince couldn't bear to watch. Did she not have hands, or what? If she were his woman, he would have kicked her out long ago.
He looked again at the egg pancake on the plate. It was dry, with burnt bits. How could it be better than what a cook made?
Was this self-torture?
He watched as the Divine Martial General slowly tore off pieces and put them into Ling Yao's mouth, even holding water to her lips for fear she would choke, showing more care than a maid.
He couldn't stand it anymore!
The First Prince shivered and ran out.
Xiao Shan paid no mind to others, wiping Ling Yao's mouth as if they were alone. The tenderness of a strong man was deadly when it appeared.
"Does your hand still ache?"
Ache...
Ling Yao gave him a commanding glare, her face flushing.
Then she remembered he would be going to the border city soon, and she became worried. He was so passionate. How would he cope there? Would he find other women?
"What are you thinking about? Don't frown."
"A Shan, when you get to the border city, you must focus on the army. Don't, don't be greedy!"
She said this with a blush and heard a deep chuckle from above.
"Don't worry, my brothers are loyal."
"I'm only greedy for you."
"If you don't trust me, you can check anytime."
"I guarantee there will be plenty of 'rainwater' every time."
Ling Yao reached out to cover his mouth, overcome with shyness, her eyes brimming with affection.
"I, I am also only greedy for you," she whispered, enduring her shyness to respond. "I only love you."
Xiao Shan's heart was deeply moved. A mere glance from her could make him live and die for her, let alone these direct and passionate declarations of love.
He grasped Ling Yao's hand, wishing he could hold her against his chest and take her to the ends of the earth.
"You little vixen, you're deliberately trying to keep me here!"
In the end, all the egg pancakes went into Xiao Shan's stomach.
...
The mirror reflected the woman's beautiful, flower-like face. Her apricot eyes and rosy cheeks, her eyes held a springlike water, her lips were red without rouge, her skin like ice and bones, a beauty that could topple kingdoms.
As Yu Liu combed her hair, she couldn't help but stare, mesmerized.
The Madam was truly too beautiful.
There were no superfluous ornaments, only a few circles of jade bead chains around her head, a simple plum blossom hairpin lightly pinned in the center, and delicate drop-shaped jade earrings dangling. The entire person was breathtakingly beautiful.
Truly beautiful women never relied on piling on luxurious jewelry; a light touch was just right.
Yu Liu fastened a fox fur cloak for her, making her appear as pure as if sculpted from ice and snow.
Xiao Shan was talking with the First Prince, walking along the long corridor towards them.
The First Prince kept covering his mouth and inhaling, a bruise visible on his face, and his legs were not moving smoothly.
General Xiao was indeed, as his imperial sister had said, very attached to the little broken house he had built. Before their talk, he had given him a severe beating.
Those fists were like steel, and they hurt him terribly.
If it weren't for the sake of royal dignity, he would have run away long ago and wouldn't have lasted until now.
Suddenly, Da Shan beside him stopped.
The First Prince looked up in confusion, following the man's gaze.
He saw his imperial sister and her maid standing in the center of the courtyard, talking about something.
Here we go again!
"General Xiao, I'm leaving now."
The First Prince realized that saying anything or not saying anything made no difference, and without waiting for a response, he ran off.
Xiao Shan's dark gaze was fixed on the snow-white figure.
He realized he was wrong.
She should be standing high above, admired by all, an unprofanable, radiant goddess, not confined to a mountain village, her elegance hidden by simple clothes.
On a cold winter day, a colorful little bird appeared from nowhere and circled around her head. She reached out to tease it, adding a touch of cuteness, so she wouldn't seem too unapproachable like a goddess.
As Ling Yao spoke, she tilted her head and saw Xiao Shan. Their eyes met, and she smiled brilliantly, instinctively running towards him.
"Don't run!"
Xiao Shan was startled and roared, then dashed towards her.
That roar made Ling Yao stop in her tracks and caused all the guards in the courtyard who had been beaten to shiver simultaneously.