On the surface, he appeared loyal to the monarch and patriotic, but secretly he plotted rebellion.
Such deceitful acts, he disdained and never considered.
But being in his position, he had no choice but to consider every step carefully.
These were the things his mother had painstakingly warned him about.
Even when he was slow to act, she went ahead and arranged everything on her own.
She had been in the Royal Palace for twenty-seven years, and for most of that time, she had been planning for him.
What pained Yelyu Lie was that it wasn’t until his mother left that he understood her painstaking care...
He had always known about the presence of those pawns.
But in the past, he had always felt his mother’s actions were unnecessary, even questioning whether this was something a country’s generals should do.
However, after this incident, he grew increasingly contemptuous of his former self — that foolishly loyal and dutiful idiot!!!
If it weren’t for his mother’s advance planning, given his current status in the hearts of Bianliao’s people, he would have long been relegated to some obscure corner by his father, the King.
And he... had always believed in his father’s deceitful words!
He thought it was his father’s deliberate protection that allowed him to fight on the battlefield without worries...
"Nuannuan, is your husband the biggest fool in the world?"
"Absolutely not! My husband is the most intelligent, brave, and outstanding man in the world! He is just loyal to the country and the Monarch, how can you call him a fool?"
She gently wiped the sweat off his handsome face, "You mustn’t doubt yourself; otherwise, you’ll be questioning this Princess’s judgment! I fell in love with you in such a short time. If you speak of yourself this way, wouldn’t that make me even more foolish?"
He curled his lips into a bitter smile, "But, I really miss my mother..."
His lips trembled.
His light pupils swirled with turbulent emotions.
He endured and concealed them, only allowing the word ’miss’ to escape his lips.
That unattainable longing was something Yun Chunnuan could feel deeply the moment she arrived here.
She enveloped him in her arms as if comforting a child, "Mother went to seek happiness. The pain she endured in the deep palace, for more than twenty years, no one knew. Now that you know, you should be happy for her.
She no longer has to be a caged bird; she is free.
Didn’t we agree that once the situation in Bianliao stabilizes, we would travel the whole continent, visiting mother then, wouldn’t that be nice?
By then, perhaps there will be a baby clamoring for mother to help us with the children!"
Her sweet and tender voice was always soft.
Even the hardest steel couldn’t escape the gentle touch, like a warm breeze penetrating every part of his body, warming his heart.
"Mm." A muffled sound escaped from his nose, "It’s fortunate to have you."
Truly, it’s fortunate he still had his little wife.
Otherwise, upon discovering his mother’s departure, he surely would have stopped her.
That would have... led to lifelong regret.
*
A few more days passed.
Yun Chunnuan’s condition was gradually improving.
Her husband, however, had become busy once again, often not seen for the entire day.
She had heard about the recent riots in the city while staying home, afraid of further disturbances.
But there was one thing that extremely frustrated her...
Yun Chunnuan had been experimenting continuously over the recent days, but to no avail.
Her Golden Finger... gone!!!
The blood no longer formed Blood Beads at her fingertip.
Even the blood had lost its catalytic effect...
She was hesitant about whether to tell the Barbarian General, but that evening, he returned early.
He seemed to have something to discuss with her, secretly observing her during dinner.
Naturally, he noticed her little hand full of scars...
’Clatter—’
He put down his chopsticks with a hasty and irritated motion, startling Qiao’er.
He pulled over the Little Princess’s hand that still held the chopsticks, "What’s happened here? Who hurt you?!"
Yun Chunnuan was startled, instinctively trying to retract her hand, and simultaneously hiding the other one as well.
But the man was quick-eyed and fast-handed, grabbing them both.
Both her small hands were covered in dense red cuts!
Yelyu Lie only needed a look to feel a stabbing pain in his heart, "Qiao’er!"
The young girl was startled, quickly putting down her bowl and chopsticks, and stood up nervously.
"Don’t scare Qiao’er, she doesn’t know." Yun Chunnuan signaled to Qiao’er, "Qiao’er, go eat with Aunt Ye, the General’s back and there’s not enough food."
"Princess..."
Seeing the General’s demeanor, Qiao’er was filled with fear, wanting to run away.
But she was afraid that the General might hurt the Little Princess.
"Go quickly!"
The Little Princess sternly urged, and Qiao’er, holding her bowl and chopsticks, quickly left.
As she reached the door, she couldn’t help but add, "General, you’re so scary when you lose your temper! The Princess is so delicate; she can’t handle your fright! Can’t you just say it nicely?"
"Damn it!"
Seeing the General about to throw a big sea bowl, Qiao’er immediately shut the door.
"You’re just being tough! Qiao’er was right; you’re terrifying when you’re angry, not cute at all! It’s not like I’m not going to tell you, so why are you in such a rush?"
"Damn it, I’m just worried!"
The Barbarian General’s fault was that he easily got hot-headed, losing his rationality when he did.
Seeing his little darling pouting with grievance, he felt he was too emotional.
But he was mad, and he wouldn’t admit wrongdoing!
The soft, white hands were covered with cut after cut, new wounds on top of old ones, causing him to feel both anger and heartache.
"Don’t tell me all of these are self-inflicted?"
Yun Chunnuan hesitated a bit, "I did cut them, but I didn’t mean to..."
"Damn it! You are not allowed to use that damned Golden Finger again! If you cut one more time, I’ll cut myself once!"
At the mention of the Golden Finger, Yun Chunnuan slumped, "Even if I wanted to use it, it’s no longer there..."