Zhao Jiaqi stroked her chin, pondering for a long time, unable to comprehend where such a small country could muster fifty thousand elite soldiers and generals!
The Axi tribe were herders, and their cattle, horses, and sheep were indeed robust; she could believe they could gather fifty thousand livestock. But for these barbarians to assemble fifty thousand troops, were they perhaps throwing their entire nation’s strength to attack their Yun Kingdom?
Anyone with common sense knew that one shouldn't pit an egg against a stone.
Fan Zehao, upon his return, heard that his wife had already obtained a map of the Cangyi Continent. He asked Mengmeng and Yao Yao to play for a while, and they could join them at dinner.
Yu Meng, knowing why her father had rushed back, nodded obediently, "Tell Mother I miss her!"
Fan Zehao smiled and ruffled her hair bun, "I'll definitely bring her back, or you'll be jealous again!"
He embraced her.
Seeing her husband return, Zhao Jiaqi knew her daughter must be back too. She was about to shake him off and go downstairs to see her daughter!
He stopped her with a hand, smiling, "The siblings just met, let them have some time to chat. You'll see them at dinner!"
"The child said to bring you a message, she misses you!"
One sentence almost brought tears to her eyes, "This child, usually so cheerful, how has she grown up and learned to say such sweet words to make me happy!"
"Our eldest daughter has grown up, she knows how to care for us. But as children grow older, they don't always tell us everything. Everyone has their little secrets. You have to get used to it, children will spread their wings and fly away one day!"
Zhao Jiaqi shot him a glare. He was grown, yet he didn't know how to comfort someone. She wasn't worried in the first place, but now he'd practically encouraged the children to fly away!
"With your words, our three children have only been with me for a few years. But for the children to leave me so young, wouldn't they miss me? Even if they don't say they miss me, when they arrive, I still want to see them first!"
She wasn't made of stone, how could she abandon her children?
Fan Zehao squeezed her shoulder and gave her a silly grin. At this moment, he understood perfectly. He joined the army to give his wife a better future!
But after becoming a father, and his wife a mother, hadn't they both wished for a stable future for their children?
Fan Zehao: "I heard you got the map. What did you find out? Any tricky details?"
Turning to serious matters, Zhao Jiaqi was not to be trifled with. She pulled him to the table, pointed to a place that was barely worth mentioning, and said, "How does such a tiny place have the courage to contend with a major power!"
Fan Zehao also looked at the map. It was densely covered with rivers and the geographical locations of various countries. If his wife hadn't pointed it out, he might have spent a long time searching.
Seeing the two small characters on the map covering their entire country, it truly didn't seem like they could sustain a prolonged war.
"Could their current actions be a feint for the Axi tribe? Making them think the barbarians are attacking us, when in reality, they are targeting the Axi tribe?"
He felt his own reasoning was sound. This tactic of feigning an attack in the east while striking in the west was truly impressive!
Zhao Jiaqi's thoughts aligned with his, but without concrete evidence, neither dared to definitively state the true target of the attack.
After a long period of contemplation, Fan Zehao was still unsure. To ensure no stone was left unturned, he said, "However, we must still make preparations for defense."
The Axi tribe had signed a hundred-year friendship pact with them, and offered substantial tribute annually, showing great respect for their Yun Kingdom. Even if the barbarians didn't attack their Yun Kingdom in the end, their soldiers would ultimately become the backup for the Axi tribe. Of course, sending troops was unrealistic; at most, they could offer advice.
After the couple finished discussing the matter, Zhao Jiaqi eagerly went downstairs to see her daughter, only to find no one there. Yu Meng had taken Fan Yao shopping, making her stomp her feet in frustration!
One is troublesome, the other is troublesome. Only the elders of this family were easy to deal with.
When Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu saw her coming down, they sauntered over with grins. At this moment, only she could quell Fan Zehao's anger.
To leave safely and live a carefree life, they had to rely on this person before them.
Huangfu Xian grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. She could clearly see even a blade of chives stuck on his gums.
"Sister-in-law, long time no see, I've missed you dearly. This reunion after a long absence, we must have a good drink together later to celebrate our... chance encounter!"
He spoke eloquently, yet his words were quite clumsy. Celebrating a chance encounter with a whole jar of wine was a bit too perfunctory.
In her opinion, these two never wanted to see them again in this lifetime, but fate had it that they ran into each other here.
Zhao Jiaqi glanced at Huangfu Xian's lower half and asked calmly, "I heard that your... equipment is no longer fully functional?"
These blunt words shocked not only Huangfu Xian but also Huangfu Xu, who had walked up beside them, looking awkward.
"Ahem... wife, could you please be a bit more tactful? These two fools might not understand!"
Fan Zehao coughed lightly to remind his wife that she should be more reserved. They weren't at the royal palace, where whatever his wife said would definitely not be spread outside.
One with incomplete functions, one a fool – this was like a stab to the heart!
Huangfu Xu touched his chest, feeling as if he'd been stabbed while lying down. He immediately jumped out, raising his hand to declare, "I can understand! Sister-in-law's words are already quite tactful. If I couldn't understand this, I would truly be a fool!"
Zhao Jiaqi frowned and said displeasedly, "Who is your sister-in-law? Don't claim kinship so casually!"
He blinked aggrievedly. His brother called her sister-in-law, so wasn't it okay for him to call her that based on his brother's address?
Claiming kinship so casually, as if he couldn't become a direct relative!
"Do I have to marry Yu Meng and call you Mother to become your relative? A relative closer than a brother-in-law."
These three sentences completely stunned Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao. They remained dumbfounded for a good ten seconds. The surrounding guards saw this and automatically retreated to a safe distance before stopping.
The guards and maids all shook their heads. Their masters usually seemed quite intelligent, but whenever they encountered the retired Emperor and Empress, they became foolish and spoke nonsense!
Given the eldest princess's formidable might and her indiscriminate eating habits, let alone marrying her, it was unthinkable.
Everyone knew that the eldest princess's mother, Zhao Jiaqi, was capable of taming the ruler of this world. Taming a petty prince would be effortless. Moreover, the eldest princess's personality had completely inherited her mother's shrewish nature.
This wasn't marrying a wife; it was like sending oneself to one's death!
Yu Meng, who had walked to the doorway, heard Huangfu Xu actually say he wanted to marry her. Her face instantly turned as red as a cooked shrimp!