Chapter 44: General Lu's Show-off

Moli saw a large slash across his chest and gasped in shock, "General, you are hurt?"

Lu Jinxiao gave the tear in his clothes a sharp yank, "Not really. My wife made me a soft golden-thread armor. I must say, it actually works quite well."

Moli's eyes widened in disbelief, "Soft golden-thread armor?! The Madam is certainly generous!"

Lu Jinxiao smoothed down his robe and said indifferently, "Women are naturally timid and cautious, and insisted on preparing it for me. She made me promise to wear it, though having it on feels a bit awkward."

Moli frowned and curled his lip.

General, if your tone weren't so insufferably boastful, I might actually have believed you.

Lu Jinxiao glanced at him, "What? Jealous? If you're jealous, you can have your wife make you one too."

Moli fought down the urge to roll his eyes and forced a smile, "My humble savings could never afford such precious gear. But I must admit, the armor really works. Otherwise, the General would definitely have been injured today."

Lu Jinxiao snorted, "I merely exposed a flaw on purpose to make that scoundrel lower his guard. If I had kept dragging out the fight with him, our soldiers would have suffered heavier casualties."

The longer a battle between two armies lasted, the greater the losses. Those scoundrels from Nanyue were far more ferocious than the soldiers of Daliang, who relied purely on sheer numbers to hold them off. The longer the battle dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Daliang's troops.

That was why he had done it.

Moli said, "The General took too big of a risk. If you hadn't been protected by the soft golden-thread armor..."

Lu Jinxiao said offhandedly, "It would've been nothing more than taking a slash. It's not the first time I've been wounded on the battlefield."

Moli could not help advising, "The General must never do this again. While defeating the enemy is important, your own safety is paramount. If you fall wounded, it will affect the morale of the entire army."

Lu Jinxiao gave him a sideways glance, "Since when did you become such a nagging mother hen? Hurry up and go clear the battlefield."

Moli had no choice but to withdraw.

Looking at the chaotic, debris-strewn battlefield, Lu Jinxiao reached out to touch the soft armor beneath his robes, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably.

I wonder how she is doing back at the General's Residence, and whether she has managed to subdue that crowd of unruly servants. And then there is his muddle-headed mother and willful younger sister...

At this thought, Lu Jinxiao suddenly felt a twinge of guilt toward Lin Wanqing.

The mess left behind in their General's Residence was truly a formidable burden. She was only eighteen years old, yet she had to manage all of this. What would she do if she couldn't handle it?

Meanwhile, the Lin Wanqing on his mind was sleeping soundly, completely unaware that miles and miles away, a man was missing her.

Early the next morning, Qinzhu hurried over to deliver news, "Madam, the eldest young miss wrote another letter last night and had Lianxin deliver it out of the estate. I followed behind Lianxin and saw her go to the official post station. I assume she's writing to the General."

Lin Wanqing smiled and praised her, "You are quite observant. Bansha, reward this girl with ten copper coins."

Qinzhu's eyes instantly curved into crescent moons, "Thank you for the reward, Madam."

Bansha fetched ten copper coins and handed them to Qinzhu. Qinzhu thanked Lin Wanqing once more before withdrawing.

"My lady, that young miss must have written to the General to complain again."

Lin Wanqing said, "She suffered such a great grievance yesterday; it would be stranger if she didn't complain."

The fact that Lu Jinrong hadn't written to Madam Lu was what truly surprised her. It seemed she harbored resentment toward Madam Lu as well, forcing her to look far away for help instead of seeking it close to home.

Speaking of Lu Jinrong, Lin Wanqing had only one evaluation: a troublemaker.

Truth be told, the girl wasn't fundamentally evil; she had simply been spoiled since childhood and lacked common sense, leading her to act recklessly without considering the consequences.

Yet, this girl was remarkably loyal.

In her past life, the General's Residence had faced a massive crisis, and the entire household was thrown into prison. Lu Jinrong's already mediocre husband's family demanded that she sever ties with the General's Residence under threat of divorce. It was this very willful girl who requested a divorce of her own accord, firmly chose to stand with the General's Residence, and shared their fate through thick and thin.

That single incident was what made Lin Wanqing look at the girl in a new light.

However, this did not mean she would tolerate Lu Jinrong's behavior because of the past.

Now that she and Lu Jinrong lived under the same roof, she had to keep Lu Jinrong suppressed.

After all, she had no intention of putting up with anyone's bullying in this lifetime.

Zisu asked, "My lady, should we have someone intercept the letter?"

After all, yesterday's commotion had been quite large. Annoying as Lu Jinrong was, she and the General shared the same mother's womb. Since her lady had subjected Lu Jinrong to such a harsh ordeal yesterday, there was no guarantee the General wouldn't hold a grudge.

Lin Wanqing waved a hand, "There's no need."

She didn't care about this marriage in the first place. If Lu Jinrong's actions caused Lu Jinxiao to hold a grudge against her or even divorce her, she wouldn't lose anything.

That way, she wouldn't have to bother with the mess at the General's Residence either.

Knowing her lady always had her own firm plans, Zisu did not try to persuade her further.

As they were talking, a maid came to report that Lu Huixin had come to pay her respects to Lin Wanqing.

The maids in the room were utterly surprised.

They had to remember that their lady had been married into the General's Residence for over half a month, and of the three children in the household, apart from Lu Qi'an who lived in this courtyard, the other two had never once come to pay their respects.

Had the sun risen from the west today?

Only Lin Wanqing, Bansha, and Zisu knew that Lu Huixin had been escorted here under duress by Mama Zhao.

Sure enough, when Lu Huixin entered the room, her face bore a look of extreme reluctance.

Yet, she still went through the motions of saluting Lin Wanqing stiffly, "Your daughter, Huixin, greets Mother."

This time, Lu Huixin's greeting ceremony looked somewhat passable, but her movements were rigid and her expression unsightly, falling far short of proper standards.

Mama Zhao said with a stern face, "Young miss, from the beginning."

Lu Huixin was displeased, "I already greeted her. Why do I have to do it again?"

Mama Zhao replied, "Because the young miss was not sincere, so it must be done again."

Lu Huixin glared in anger. How could she possibly be sincere when greeting Lin Wanqing!

Mama Zhao stated bluntly, without any pretense, "No matter how displeased the young miss is in her heart, you must not let anyone see it on the surface. This is called leaving no room for criticism. If the young miss truly achieves greatness in the capital in the future and wears every emotion on your face, I fear you won't even know how you died."

Lu Huixin was instantly rendered speechless, leaving her with no choice but to swallow her grievance and repeat the ritual.

This time, it looked somewhat better than before, though it remained stiff and unnatural.

Mama Zhao said expressionlessly, "Please repeat it once more, young miss."

Lu Huixin grew unhappy, "Is this endless? You're deliberately tormenting me, aren't you?"

Mama Zhao suddenly produced a disciplinary ruler, "Young miss, hold out your hand."

Startled, Lu Huixin gave a violent shudder and quickly hid her hands behind her back, "If we're doing it over, we'll do it over! What's the big deal!"

Thus, swallowing her bitter resentment, she curtsied and paid her respects to Lin Wanqing once more.

This time, it was much more standard.

Mama Zhao remained unsatisfied.

Suppressing a smile, Lin Wanqing intervened, "Alright, let's stop here for today. Rome wasn't built in a day."

Lu Huixin breathed a sigh of relief.

After they left, Bansha giggled, "Mama Zhao's methods are truly as formidable as ever."

Zisu remarked, "Indeed, villains are best dealt with by even tougher villains."

Lin Wanqing shook her head with a smile, wondering only how many days Lu Huixin would be able to keep this up.