Qi Shuo seemed not to notice his mother's agitation and repeated his words.
"No!" The Consort of Prince Jing's first reaction was to refuse. "There is an imperial decree; your father had no choice, but why are you volunteering to go?"
"If I go, I can look after Father, and it will give you peace of mind."
Consort Jing laughed out of anger. "Peace of mind? I'll have twice as much to worry about!"
Qi Shuo suddenly knelt.
Consort Jing was stunned. "Shuo'er, what are you doing?"
"Father is heading to the battlefield. As the eldest son, for me to remain in the capital enjoying wealth and honor would be truly unfilial. I beg Mother to grant me this act of filial piety."
Before Consort Jing could speak, Qi Huan let out a thud and knelt beside Qi Shuo. "I want to go too! I can't let Father and Big Brother go to the battlefield while I stay in the capital enjoying a life of luxury!"
Qi Qiong looked at her two kneeling brothers, then at her mother's darkening expression. After a moment's thought, she gathered the hem of her skirt and knelt as well.
"Qiong'er, you want to go too?" When Consort Jing asked this, she was already wondering where she had left the feather duster.
"Little sister, aren't you just adding to the chaos?" Qi Huan nudged Qi Qiong with his elbow, whispering his dissatisfaction.
Qi Shuo looked silently at his younger brother.
This brat was the one truly adding to the chaos; by kneeling, he made it even harder for their mother to agree.
Qi Qiong rolled her eyes at Qi Huan, a sweet smile hanging on her slightly upturned face. "This daughter is powerless; of course I wouldn't run off to cause trouble."
"Then why are you kneeling?" Consort Jing asked with a stern face, her rising anger subsiding slightly.
Qi Qiong blinked innocently. "I am kneeling to Father."
Prince Jing, who was sitting beside Consort Jing, was startled. "Why is Qiong'er kneeling to me?"
Qi Qiong smiled. "Daughter wants Father to be at ease. While you are away from home, I will keep Mother company."
Prince Jing was so moved he nearly shed tears. "Qiong'er is still the most thoughtful."
Unlike those two stinking brats—one giving him a difficult problem and the other adding to the chaos.
The one adding chaos was naturally the youngest son, and the one presenting the problem was the eldest.
Unlike Consort Jing, who opposed it immediately, Prince Jing was tempted by Qi Shuo's request once he suppressed a father's instinctive protectiveness toward his children.
The world had suddenly fallen into turmoil; it wouldn't be a bad thing for one of his two sons to accompany him north to be tempered...
More importantly, he saw determination and resolve in his eldest son's eyes.
"Shuo'er, have you thought this through?"
Consort Jing sensed something was wrong and called out, "Your Highness—"
Prince Jing withstood Consort Jing's angry gaze and looked at his eldest son kneeling on the ground.
"I have. I have already reached adulthood; it is time I should shoulder responsibility, rather than always letting Father shield us from the wind and rain."
"Father and son as soldiers on the battlefield" was not just an empty phrase.
The North had already become a sea of blood, and his old father was about to lead the army north; as a son, how could he remain indifferent?
"Since you have thought it through, then go."
"Your Highness!" Consort Jing stood up in desperation.
Qi Huan lunged forward and hugged Prince Jing's leg. "Father, if only one of me and Big Brother can go, let it be me! Big Brother's health isn't great—"
A light cough sounded. "Has Second Brother perhaps forgotten the beatings he used to get?"
Qi Huan's body stiffened, and he looked at his threatening brother in disbelief.
This couldn't be his gentle and refined eldest brother. Had the demon king from their childhood returned?
"Where did you learn to hug people's legs at the drop of a hat? Cause less trouble in the capital and stay away from messy places, otherwise, you'll be dealt with by family law when you return!" Prince Jing kicked his youngest son aside with a grim face.
With this brat, staying in the capital would at most cause some minor disturbances, but once he caused trouble on the battlefield, it would be a disaster.
Under the combined blow of his father and brother, Qi Huan had no choice but to shut up.
Although Consort Jing was ten thousand times unwilling, once Prince Jing decided on a major matter, she no longer opposed it, though it was inevitable that she would be angry in private.
"Since your father has said so, I will say no more. But have you thought about the second daughter of the Lin family?"
Qi Shuo lowered his eyes, hiding the ripple of emotion caused by the mention of Lin Hao. "I will go and tell her."
Consort Jing sighed, unable to bear looking at her three troublesome children any longer.
The three siblings knew their parents still had things to discuss and tactfully departed.
Walking out of the main courtyard, Qi Huan was still not giving up. "Big Brother, if you follow Father north, you won't know when you'll return. It could be a year, two, or even three to five years. What about Second Miss Lin? I think you should let me go; I'm not engaged, so it doesn't matter where I go."
Qi Shuo glanced at him, his tone flat. "You aren't an adult yet."
Qi Huan was instantly choked speechless, muttering resentfully, "Don't regret it once Second Miss Lin starts crying."
"Mother is in a bad mood; accompany her more, sister," Qi Shuo instructed Qi Qiong before heading to the General's Manor.
"The Heir has come to see the Second Miss, please come in."
With his status as the prospective son-in-law, Qi Shuo was invited directly to the flower hall upon entering the General's Manor. He didn't wait long before Lin Hao arrived.
"If you had come any later, I would have gone out."
"To the Lin residence?"
"Yes. It's a cold winter this year; those beggars are having a hard time." As she spoke of this, a flicker of worry crossed Lin Hao's eyes.
Once war broke out, beggars were a small matter; there would likely be a massive influx of refugees flooding into the capital. Who knew what the scene would be like then.
"Is something the matter?" Lin Hao asked curiously, holding the hot tea brought by her maid.
Qi Shuo glanced at the servants standing in the hall.
Lin Hao signaled the maid to withdraw and leaned forward slightly. "What is it? Tell me quickly. Has there been another change in circumstances?"
The Great Zhou was currently besieged on three sides. Rumors followed one after another, some true and some false, leaving the people in a state of panic.
"It is my father. He has received an imperial order to go north to fight."
"Ah..." Lin Hao's grip on the cup tightened instinctively. After a moment, she asked softly, "And you?"
If A-Shuo weren't going, he should be at the Prince Jing Manor accompanying his father who was about to depart, or comforting his mother who was worried about her husband, rather than coming to the General's Manor to find her.
A hand with well-defined knuckles reached out and landed on the hand she used to hold the cup.
The cup was hot, but his hand was hotter.
"I am going too. A-Hao, I'm sorry."
Those eyes, clear and distinct, were filled with apology.
"I—" Lin Hao wanted to say *I guessed it*, but as soon as she opened her mouth, tears fell.
Qi Shuo remembered his brother's words: *Don't regret it once Second Miss Lin starts crying.*
A-Hao really was crying.
He hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from his robe and wiped away her tears.
"It was my fault for making the decision before telling you—"
The girl's eyes, washed by tears, appeared exceptionally clear. "A-Shuo, I want to go too."
Qi Shuo:?
Lin Hao let out a heavy sigh. "But I know it's impossible."
Because they could not be together, the man before her would become her daily and nightly longing once he left.
Thinking of the agonizing days to come, she only wanted to cry.
"A-Shuo, since you are visiting formally, do you wish to see my grandmother and my mother?"
"Yes. For a matter this significant, I should inform the two elders."
"Let's go." Lin Hao stood up.
Walking toward the main courtyard, Qi Shuo couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "A-Hao, does Mother-in-law hit hard?"
(End of Chapter)