Appointing a General as a Concubine: Where Can General Xiao Escape?

Chapter 206 Observing Filial Piety for 3 Years

"General Xiao, are you blaming me?" He raised his eyebrows and looked at her seriously.

"Anyone who threatens the country must be killed by mistake rather than let go.

Besides, the Prince of Chen has just reported to me what happened to Qin Shan. General Nie did not die at his hands, but another group of people did it before him.

Although General Nie has been in seclusion for many years, he is still an important official of our country. I will send someone to investigate the truth."

Xiao Mo lowered her head slightly, was silent for a moment, and suddenly knelt down.

"Whoever did this is dead and cannot be resurrected. I beg the Emperor to allow me to observe three years of mourning for General Nie, as a descendant would."

The emperor was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Qi Minxiu.

Qi Minxiu's reaction was calm and he wasn't surprised at all, as if he knew she would say that.

The emperor's inquiring gaze wandered over them, and he noticed some clues.

He softened his gaze and frowned, "But your wedding is in three days."

"Before his death, Master instructed me not to indulge in love and to prioritize the Emperor and state affairs. Therefore, I hope to postpone or cancel the wedding."

Xiao Mo tentatively talked about her and Qi Minxiu.

The emperor's eyes flickered slightly. He felt that what she said made sense, but also that something was wrong.

Qi Minxiu stood aside and never said a word.

Xiao Mo didn't want to discuss this issue with them, so she left on the pretext of feeling unwell.

Qi Minxiu looked at her leaving back, with a glimmer of reluctance in his eyes.

The emperor looked at his nostalgic expression and asked softly, "What do you think of what Xiao Mo said just now?"

Qi Minxiu lowered his eyes and curled the corners of his mouth bitterly.

"Father, please cancel my engagement with General Xiao!"

The emperor didn't expect him to say that, and he turned back in disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"General Xiao doesn't trust me. She is very suspicious of me about Qin Shan's incident. Plus, she just said she wants to mourn for General Nie.

Therefore, I beg you, Father, to cancel our engagement first and make plans later."

Qi Minxiu didn't want to say this, but when he thought of Xiao Mo's heartless attitude, he felt suffocated.

Observing the mourning period may be her heartfelt respect for Nie Changyuan.

But in his opinion, another reason was that he wanted to take this opportunity to talk about her wanting to break off the engagement.

Otherwise, bringing it up suddenly would seem awkward and would make the emperor feel that she did not take his imperial edict seriously.

The matter of Nie Changyuan has already left a thorn in her heart. If it is not properly resolved, this thorn will always accompany them.

Since she wanted to cancel the engagement, he would grant her wish and talk about it later after the truth came out.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at Qi Minxiu. Knowing that he was reluctant to let go, he thought of a compromise.

"Since she wants to observe mourning, then let's wait until the three-year mourning period is over before discussing your marriage.

If she still doesn't want to marry you by then, then I will grant your request today."

Qi Minxiu frowned and thought about his words for a while, then finally nodded slightly in agreement.

Xiao Mo has been absent-minded since she came out of the conference hall.

She didn't know whether Qi Minxiu would use the suggestion she had just made to tell the emperor about their wedding.

As I was trying to walk, I accidentally bumped into a passerby walking in front of me.

She apologized subconsciously, but her wrist was pulled up.

This action startled her and she thought the other party was going to fight with her. Just as she was about to use her internal energy, she looked up and saw a familiar face.

Qi Yue looked at her with a worried look on his face: "Amo, are you okay?"

Xiao Mo looked at him coldly and pulled her hand back with disdain: "I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

Qi Yue knew that she was feeling upset, so he didn't care about her attitude.

"I've heard about General Nie's situation, A-Mo. I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

When Xiao Mo mentioned Nie Changyuan, her eyes became even colder. He actually dared to bring up this matter. Didn't he know who the culprit was?

Oh, yes, he knew, he just thought she didn't.

"I heard you're not moving away. I want to go back and rest."

She really wanted to question him directly. Nie Changyuan had no grudge against him, so why did he want to harm him?

But she didn't dare ask this question, for fear of alerting the enemy and disrupting her future plans.

Qi Yue stared at her blankly for a while, then reached out and took off his cloak and put it on her.

"It's so cold, why are you still wearing so little? You'll be fine if you catch a cold."

Xiao Mo's attitude towards him has always been so defiant, so he didn't feel wronged or anything when she treated him so coldly.

Looking at the cloak on her body, Xiao Mo subconsciously wanted to reach out and pull it off.

But she paused when her fingertips touched the fabric. After a moment, she withdrew her hand and looked at Qi Yue with a smile.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness. But now that you've given me the cloak, what are you going to do?"

Although Qi Yue was a little surprised by her change of attitude, as long as she was willing to treat him well, he felt very happy no matter what the reason was.

"It's okay. Since you're not feeling well, go back home quickly. Yuan Mu, please see General Xiao off."

When she heard him ask someone to send her off, she quickly refused: "I don't need anyone to send me off. Although I don't look very energetic, I can still find my way home."

Qi Yue pursed his lips and nodded: "Okay, be careful on your way back. I still have to see my father, so I'll leave first."

Xiao Mo smiled at him faintly, and when she turned around, the expression on her face instantly turned cold.

At the morning court the next day, the emperor proposed to bring Nie Changyuan's body back to the imperial city for a proper burial, but Xiao Mo refused.

Some others stood on her side and helped her persuade the emperor, while others opposed her and supported the emperor.

In short, this topic was deadlocked for almost an hour.

In the end, Qi Minxiu decided to drop the matter on the grounds that the deceased should rest in peace and his soul should not be disturbed anymore.

Xiao Mo was very touched, but she didn't dare to show it.

After the morning court session, Qi Minxiu wanted to go find her, but was stopped by the emperor to discuss the construction of a long bridge over the Suizhou River.

"Min'er, I think you have to go for this matter."

"Father..."

"Today is the Lantern Festival. Go to the palace early in the evening for the banquet and set off early tomorrow morning." The emperor interrupted him softly.

Qi Minxiu didn't listen to Yuanxiao's words and just wanted to refuse the job.

"Father, I am not the only one in the court who can shoulder this important responsibility. I feel..."

The emperor raised his hand to interrupt him again: "I know what you are thinking. I have sent someone to investigate Nie Changyuan's matter.

This bridge construction is a serious matter, involving spies from the enemy nation. You must conceal your identity and help me find the perpetrators of the rebellion."

Qi Minxiu opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but thinking of his current relationship with Xiao Mo, he was silent for a moment and finally could only lower his head and agree.

"My son, I obey."

Perhaps, leaving some space between the two of them would be better than seeing each other every day now.