Qi Hanguang stood there in a daze.
He thought he had misheard, “What did you say?”
Zong Yuan had no intention of repeating it. He pulled out the bandaged hand and said, “It seems like those two little rascals are awake.”
It was only after Zong Yuan had left that Qi Hanguang realized. The attendant who was called in by Zong Yuan to help the two young masters get dressed cautiously asked, “General, are you feeling unwell?”
Qi Hanguang touched his face and finally realized that his cheeks were burning.
General Qi, who guards the northern frontier, rushed out under the stunned gaze of the attendants, looking completely at a loss.
What’s wrong with General Qi?
Zong Yuan watched his retreating figure and smiled. As Qi Dongjun and Qi Dongjing, who had just woken up, rubbed their eyes, they asked, “Where’s father? We want father.”
Zong Yuan approached and picked them up, taking the clothes from the attendants. “Come, let Daddy dress you up.”
The two children were incredibly well-behaved, willingly raising their arms to be dressed. When they couldn’t stand steadily, they would discreetly hold onto Zong Yuan’s clothes. They asked in soft voices, “Daddy, do you like us?”
Zong Yuan replied with a question, “Do you like me?”
The two brothers nodded. Qi Dongjing, with childlike innocence, said, “Daddy is so tall! You must be really healthy and able to stay with us for a long time.”
The attendant’s expression changed, and he cautioned, “Young Masters!”
Zong Yuan gently removed their hair from their clothes, appearing calm. “Jing’er, did you spend very little time with your birth mother before?”
Qi Dongjing pouted, “Yeah, very little.”
Qi Dongjun chimed in, “The shortest time was when we hadn’t even seen our birth mother’s face, and she was gone.”
The attendant was flustered, “Sir, please don’t take the Young Masters’ words to heart. They’re just children.”
Zong Yuan was speechless. “Do I look angry?”
On the contrary, he had a smile on his face and appeared quite content.
He helped the two children put on their shoes one by one and chatted with them. He asked straightforwardly, “Which wife was your birth mother?”
Qi Dongjun raised his head in thought, “The first one!”
Qi Dongjing’s bright, innocent eyes widened, “Jing’er doesn’t know! How does Big Brother know!”
Qi Dongjun proudly raised his head.
Zong Yuan ruffled his little head, “Indeed, you’re the eldest who has eaten for two more years.”
Qi Dongjing leaned his little head forward and acted cute, “Daddy, can you ruffle my head too~”
Adorably cute!
…
Qi Hanguang had stopped in the corridor, and there were servants and maids who greeted him as they passed by, but he was too preoccupied to respond. He felt uneasy.
“I consider you my wife.”
Bold! Audacious!
But why was his heart still beating rapidly?
“General, it’s time for breakfast.”
Someone reminded him, and Qi Hanguang composed himself. “Yes.”
He proceeded towards the main hall. After a few steps, he had regained his composure, maintaining the dignified and imposing appearance of the Northern Frontier War God.
The hall was filled with many people, and his trusted aides and Zong Yuan were sitting at a table, engaged in a lively conversation. They were quite bold, and they were genuinely curious about Zong Yuan’s strength. “Has the Madam had such great strength from a young age?”
Zong Yuan felt the need to clarify because it sounded awkward, “Don’t you find it awkward calling me ‘Madam’?”
To be honest, it was very awkward.
A person who was almost as tall as their general, with a physique almost as robust, and significantly stronger than their general…
A person who appeared even more masculine than their general!
Qi Hanguang reached the entrance of the main hall and heard that one sentence. His earlier anxiety instantly plunged into an abyss, and his eyes turned cold. Without much thought, he blurted out what was on his mind, “You don’t want to be called ‘Madam’?”
No man wants to be addressed as “Madam”, and Zong Yuan was candid about it, “I don’t want to.”
Qi Hanguang’s nails, hidden in his sleeves, dug deeply into his palm. His tone was icy, “Instruct them not to address Zong Gongzi1I think this refers to Young Master. Or was it gentleman? Hmm… as ‘Madam’ from now on.”
No one dared to respond to this command, as it was evident that the General was angry.
Zong Yuan added in a leisurely manner, “I only want the General to address me as ‘Madam’. If the General is unwilling…”
With a single sentence, Qi Hanguang’s previously icy heart suddenly thawed. He couldn’t help but let a smile play on his lips, “I naturally respect Madam’s wishes.”
He carefully enunciated the word ‘Madam’ on his lips, feeling an overwhelming tenderness emerging from these two words.
A sentence remained unsaid in Zong Yuan’s heart, ‘Qi Hanguang’s voice sounded wonderful, deep and resonant. In comparison to ‘Madam’, he was more suited to say ‘Husband’.’
He was itching to say it.
After breakfast, Qi Hanguang initially had tasks to attend to, but he overheard a conversation between Zong Yuan and Yang Zongshan. He planned to take a ride along the border.
Qi Hanguang sat firmly in his chair, waiting for Zong Yuan’s invitation. If he asked, Qi Hanguang would push his duties for the day and accompany him.
Zong Yuan looked at him, “General, are you not busy today?”
However, Yang Zongshan intercepted and replied, “Old buddy, the General is quite busy!”
Zong Yuan regretted, “Then, I won’t be able to see the General all day.”
Is it really such a pity if you don’t see me for a day?
Qi Hanguang suppressed a smile and said, “I’m not very busy today. Yang Zongshan, did you handle the matters I discussed with you yesterday? If not, you better get to it now.”
What did you discuss with me yesterday?!
Oh, this General!
Zong Yuan caught a glimpse of his bewildered expression but chose to ignore it, indulging in Qi Hanguang’s little scheme. “Since the General isn’t busy, how about accompanying me?”
Qi Hanguang nodded with a hint of dignity.
The staff at the General’s residence acted swiftly. By the time they left the gate, two sturdy and majestic horses were waiting outside.
Zong Yuan asked the person holding the reins to take one horse back. “General, my equestrian skills aren’t good. How about the two of us sharing one horse?”
The horse had already been taken away, and now you ask?
Qi Hanguang blushed, unsure of what he was thinking. He couldn’t meet Zong Yuan’s gaze and simply replied, “Sure.”
This innocent appearance was enough to attract the attention of the big bad wolf. Zong Yuan squinted his eyes, and gracefully mounted the horse first with a textbook-perfect technique. Once seated firmly, he turned and extended his hand toward Qi Hanguang. “General, come on.”
Qi Hanguang had a complex expression. “You can ride a horse.”
“Yes, I can,” Zong Yuan nodded and sighed softly, “But I need the General to accompany me. The General wouldn’t want to leave me alone, would you?”
Qi Hanguang’s heart softened completely. He sighed and extended his hand to Zong Yuan. He had initially intended to sit behind Zong Yuan, but after a moment of dizziness, he found himself sitting directly in front of Zong Yuan?!
With the warmth of a body in front of him, Zong Yuan chuckled softly, causing Qi Hanguang to feel every tremor he generated. Stiffly, Qi Hanguang said, “Madam, sit properly!”
The young horse let out a high-pitched neigh and galloped toward the desolate border area.
With the horse’s back bouncing up and down, Qi Hanguang leaned into Zong Yuan’s arms without any ability to control his position. Zong Yuan held the reins with one hand and unabashedly wrapped his other arm around Qi Hanguang’s waist, pulling him closer. “General, get closer to me.”
Qi Hanguang felt the hand on his waist was scorching, causing his face to turn red. He stammered, “You, you, you…”
Zong Yuan leaned against his shoulder, facing him. “What did the General want to say?”
Their faces were mere inches apart, and Qi Hanguang could see everything clearly. He dared not move and spoke softly.
Zong Yuan didn’t hear him clearly and shouted into the wind, “What did you say?”
Qi Hanguang finally lost his temper, “You’re poking me!!!”
In broad daylight!
Under the clear sky!
Zong Yuan, feeling feisty, curled his lips and moved a bit closer. He pretended not to hear and asked, “General, could you repeat that?”
The friction between them grew even stronger.
If they were on the ground, Qi Hanguang would have jumped up and said, “You—”
The horse beneath them suddenly leaped, and Qi Hanguang crashed into Zong Yuan’s embrace. Zong Yuan held him and finally spoke the words he had been contemplating for a long time, “General, call me ‘husband’ once.”
Husband…
No way! Absolutely not!!!
