Before the assassin could even make a move, he sensed a sense of danger and hurriedly called out to stop him:
"I'll tell you the truth, but please don't hurt my wife."
"OK."
Wei Yutang casually put the dagger back. No matter what happened to this assassin today, he couldn't escape death, and neither could his wife.
He was still quite young at the time, and the assassin's father had indeed made many contributions on the frontier. Apart from being timid and cowardly and having a tendency to desert in the face of battle, he had basically no other faults.
So even though he had made such a big mistake, when he could spare his son's life, Wei Yutang still chose to have the child sent to the farthest place, change his name, and let him grow up in a completely unfamiliar environment.
Chu Qing originally didn't want to disturb them, but Xia Xia had suddenly fainted in his arms.
He carefully checked his son's pulse and concluded that it was due to excessive fright. Therefore, he wanted to take his son to his residence in the capital to rest before he could finish dealing with things here.
"I'll have someone send you there first."
Wei Yutang was genuinely curious about what deep-seated hatred existed between him and the assassin. When he did that thing, he didn't expect the assassin to be grateful, but he never imagined that the assassin would repay kindness with enmity.
"good."
After returning to the house, Chu Qing first instructed the maid to boil water and then went outside to get some medicine, intending to brew it for him to drink that evening.
Being overly frightened is no small matter, especially when it comes to a child; one must be careful.
Old Qi didn't have the patience to stay there and listen to the explanation, so he went back here as well. When he saw the usually lively little guy lying there, a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes.
"This matter is probably not as simple as it seems on the surface."
Chu Qing, who was wiping Xia Xia's body, paused after hearing this, looked up, and met Lao Qi's eyes to ask:
"Could there be some other story behind this?"
Old Qi had also been stationed at the border, so he was familiar with the ins and outs of this matter.
While the vast majority of people disagreed with leaving him a bloodline, Old Qi was one of the few who stood by the general's side.
There was no love or hate involved; it was just that Lao Qi felt the matter was rather strange at the time.
"The general should know when he returns tonight."
Chu Qing was in a hurry to make arrangements for Xia Xia, so when she heard Lao Qi say this, she didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded in agreement.
After waking up, Xiaxia continued to lean there in a daze, still unable to recover from the fear of almost being killed.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and remembered that he still had the medicine his father had prepared for him.
If it weren't for this reason, he would probably be dead somewhere by now.
After hearing the sounds coming from inside, Chu Qing hurried over, stood by the bed, looked at the little guy's absent-minded appearance, squatted down and gently patted his back.
"This matter is over, don't be afraid, I'm always here."
After hearing this, Xiaxia nodded gently, sniffed, and leaned against her father's chest.
After arriving in this new place, Lao Qi was not entirely at ease with the people in his household. So after Chu Qing wrote out the prescription, he glanced at it to make sure there were no problems, and then sat down to personally brew the medicine.
Before Xiaxia could tell her father in detail how she remembered the medicine powder he had prepared for her in her fear, she saw Lao Qi walk in with a bowl of medicine, which greatly relieved the little girl's anxiety.
"Xiaxia is in good health now and doesn't need to take medicine."
This little guy was really scared after all that. He had only caught a cold before, but he had to drink medicine for at least half a month. After that, he would run away whenever he saw this grandpa.
Old Qi wasn't saddened by Xia Xia's resistance; instead, he found it somewhat amusing. He placed the medicine bowl in front of her and then comforted her:
"Don't worry, this medicine was prescribed by your father, unlike the ones I prescribed, which taste terrible."
After hearing this, Xia Xia felt relieved. Before, due to his mischievousness or other reasons, he would drink two or three bowls of medicine almost every month.
Based on his long experience with Da Niu and Er Hu, the medicine his father prescribed, apart from its unpleasant smell, was not so bitter as to be unpalatable. The medicine prescribed by his grandfather, however, was quite the opposite.
It doesn't smell like much, but the taste is so bitter it goes straight from your mouth to your heart.
Chu Qing found it somewhat amusing to see Xia Xia's terrified expression.
After blowing on the medicine to cool it down, I fed it to him, explaining as I joked:
"You were frightened during the day, so you should drink something calming."
Xiaxia frowned and leaned over to take a sip. Only after confirming that it was indeed the medicine prescribed by her father did she feel relieved. She then picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
He's just young, not stupid. Every time his grandfather prescribes medicine, he adds a lot of Coptis chinensis.
Chapter 126
When Chu Qing prescribes medicine for children, she tries to minimize the use of bitter herbs that produce a bitter taste, while still ensuring the medicine is effective. But Lao Qi is different; no matter whose medicine it is, he likes to add a lot of Coptis chinensis (Huanglian) to it, making it so bitter that it's almost unbearable.
After Xiaxia finished drinking, Chu Qing brought him some water to rinse his mouth, and after finishing all that, she patted his back to comfort him.
Da Niu and Er Hu had been waiting at the door. They were also terrified at the time. If it weren't for the guards stopping them, they would have rushed to help Xia Xia as soon as she was taken away.
Teenagers are at a stage where they are fearless and daring.
"Father... I'm not sad."
Xiaxia looked up at his father and smiled. He wasn't as fragile as his father thought.
Since learning about her father's identity, Xia Xia has changed her attitude in many ways. After all, he is the son of the only Grand General in charge of the country! How can he be so cowardly?
"Yes, Xiaxia is very outstanding."
Chu Qing reached out and ruffled his hair. Looking into Xia Xia's eyes, which seemed to glow, he forced down the unease in his heart.
He could tell that Wei Yutang's plan for Xia Xia's future was that Xia Xia would take over everything he had once owned.
Xiaxia's talent is indeed quite good, and taking over his position is not out of line, but as a parent... Chu Qing hopes that this child can be safe and sound.
In his heart, great wealth and high status are not as important as good health and a peaceful and prosperous life.
Two conflicting feelings were intertwined, making him slightly conflicted, fearing that his thoughts might affect Xiaxia's future.
Every time Xiaxia is praised by her father, her tail wags high, she puffs out her chest, and nods proudly.
Yes, his father's son is the most outstanding one!
Chu Qing then noticed that Da Niu and Er Hu had been standing at the door for a long time, and hurriedly invited them in.
Xiaxia didn't want her timidity to be exposed in front of her friends, and when she talked about what happened before, she was almost entirely bragging.
Chu Qing didn't expose Xia Xia's boasting in front of her friends. She rubbed her temples and glanced out the window.
It's getting late, but Wei Yutang still hasn't returned, making it hard not to start overthinking.
After Xiaxia finished her dinner, she was sleepy. The mansion had been prepared by His Majesty, and not only Xiaxia, but also her two friends had their own small courtyards.
After Xia Xia fell asleep, Chu Qing returned to the courtyard where Wei Yutang used to live and opened a medical book to read under the lamp.
Many of the patients he treated praised him as if he were Hua Tuo reincarnated, but Chu Qing himself knew very well that he was not as amazing as others praised him to be.
He had only scratched the surface of medicine.
It was past midnight when Wei Yutang returned. Hearing from the servants that Chu Qing was still waiting for him, he quickened his pace imperceptibly.
The sound of the door opening caught Chu Qing's attention. He looked up and met Wei Yutang's deep eyes. He was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses, put the book aside, and stood up to greet him.
She helped him take off his cloak, placed it to one side, and asked gently:
"Why are you back so late?"
Wei Yutang sat at the table, took a sip of the long-cold tea to soothe his throat, and returned in the darkness of night, his long-cold fingertips slowly warming up.
"That matter took a little longer to investigate."
What's the inside story?
"Um."
Previously, Wei Yutang would never have imagined that his subordinate, who would cry out in pain even during battle, would do such a thing at a crucial moment.
It wasn't treason or collusion with the enemy; rather, it was taking a huge risk by using a fake plan to obtain what would allow their army to win.
At the time, he never defended himself, and he acted too quickly afterward. If it weren't for Wei Yutang's momentary lapse of judgment, wanting to leave him a bloodline out of consideration for their years of friendship, he probably wouldn't have been able to save the child's life.
After listening, Chu Qing remained silent for a long time. If there was such an inside story, it was no wonder that his son was so angry and even attempted to assassinate him.
Wei Yutang stared at the moon outside the window, his mind filled with memories of his time on the frontier.
The assassin's father was cowardly and didn't resemble a soldier on the battlefield at all. He also lacked willpower, and many people ridiculed him, saying that someone like him would be better off going home to farm.
"How do you plan to handle this matter?"
Chu Qing took Wei Yutang's hand and gently warmed his cold hands.
"You didn't even notice, so that matter must have been kept extremely secret back then."
He wanted to say a few words of comfort to Wei Yutang, but he felt that whatever he said in this situation would be too superficial.
“Indeed, he didn’t utter a single word of defense until the execution.”
In the military, this kind of thing is the most intolerable: colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, which can even lead to the execution of nine generations of one's family.
"Tomorrow I plan to go to His Majesty to plead guilty and help him seek justice."
On his way back, Wei Yutang pondered how to best handle such a situation, but no matter how he thought about it, nothing seemed right.
As one of the parties involved, everything he came up with was like that.
Therefore, he decided to report the matter to His Majesty and let His Majesty handle it personally.
“Okay, I’ll go with you. Are there any villas near the capital? Let Old Qi take Xiaxia, Da Niu, and Er Hu out for a few days.”
Chu Qing was willing to face these things with Wei Yutang, but she didn't want the child to know.
"Yes, I'll arrange it tomorrow."
"good."
Wei Yutang's emotions have not yet calmed down. That was his comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him for many years. When he learned that Wei Yutang had colluded with the enemy, the usually calm and sober man got drunk for the first time. When he sobered up, he learned that Wei Yutang had been executed.
If it weren't for their very good relationship, Wei Yutang wouldn't have made an exception and released his son.
The next day, Xiaxia was quite unhappy when he learned that he was going to be sent away. Only after his father and grandfather promised that it would be no more than seven days and that they would come to pick him up in person did he obediently get into the carriage.
As Lao Qi boarded the carriage, he glanced at the general and had a vague idea of what was going on.