Chapter 640: Chapter 412: Deputy Minister of War
Because of the trouble she caused recently, Xiaomi is being obedient now. Seeing that Wei Ziang is mostly recovered, she dutifully returned to Anning Village, and after counting five days on her fingers, she couldn’t wait to leave.
The last time the two left the pass, Jiang Yu had the informed helpers keep it a secret. Aside from informing Commander Yang, the informed Forbidden Army members didn’t tell anyone else.
So when Xiaomi stayed in Anning Village for a few days and then wanted to return to Lishi City, no one was suspicious. They just thought she was bored and that Lishi City was more fun.
When Xiaomi returned, Jiang Yu instructed her to take good care of Wei Ziang. He himself packed up to prepare to return to Anning Village.
By this time, it had been half a month since the two came back from outside the pass, and the external injury on Wei Ziang’s buttocks had almost healed.
However, General Song suggested he recuperate for another half month to properly recover, avoiding any hidden ailments at such a young age.
As soon as Jiang Yu left, Xiaomi secretly put Wei Ziang into the spatial realm, and asked Ling’er to help fill a large tub with water for Wei Ziang to sit and cultivate in the Spiritual Spring water.
This allowed him to absorb Spiritual Energy faster to heal his internal injuries, much better than taking medicine.
As a result, Wei Ziang’s condition visibly improved day by day.
However, in others’ eyes, it seemed like after Jiang Yu left, Wei Ziang shut himself in his room every day, forbidding anyone from approaching, and Xiaomi rarely visited him.
The first time Xiaomi heard others gossiping in secret, she was torn between laughter and tears.
It was just short of calling her a cold-hearted, ungrateful person.
Fortunately, Xiaomi didn’t care, and Wei Ziang was unaware of it.
Luckily, she went to Wei Ziang’s room at every meal time to call him out for meals, which didn’t arouse suspicion.
That evening, after dinner, the two were about to go collect their things; Xiaomi would sneak into Wei Ziang’s room and take him to the spatial realm.
But before they could leave the dining table, a Forbidden Army member jogged in.
"Third Young Master, Fourth Miss, someone from the General’s mansion has come, saying it’s urgent, and requests both of you to go over immediately."
The two exchanged glances, roughly understanding what it was about.
"Xiaomi, let’s go."
Wei Ziang pulled Xiaomi outside, and sure enough, a carriage from the General’s mansion was waiting at the front gate. Seeing them come out, they hurriedly set down the carriage stool.
"Chiliarch Wei, Miss Jiang, visitors from the Capital City have arrived and are eager to meet both of you at the General’s mansion."
Indeed, that was the matter. The two were not surprised at all.
Wei Ziang first helped Xiaomi onto the carriage, then leaped up lightly himself, not needing the carriage stool at all.
The visitor was a close guard of General Song, who was momentarily surprised: "Chiliarch Wei, is your health better?"
Wei Ziang nodded: "My brother prepared excellent medicine, and I’m mostly recovered."
"Oh," the guard nodded, then added,
"But Chiliarch Wei, when I left, the General told me that you were seriously injured after being punished and have only recovered halfway now, so take care."
Wei Ziang instantly understood: "Thank you for the reminder."
Once inside the carriage, Xiaomi quickly took out makeup products and swiftly dabbed them on Wei Ziang’s shoulders under his puzzled gaze.
A moment later, Wei Ziang’s face turned several shades paler, even dabbing on his neck; after setting it, you couldn’t tell at all.
Not just the face, but the wrists were not spared either.
Xiaomi was still unsatisfied, letting Wei Ziang’s hair loose, spraying lots of dry shampoo onto it, making it look quite dry.
After finishing, Xiaomi nodded in satisfaction. This post-illness makeup look was simple yet effective.
The carriage just happened to stop. Xiaomi quickly packed all the items, then assisted Wei Ziang out of the carriage.
At this moment, the General’s mansion was brightly lit, with several guards at the door, lanterns illuminating the entrance.
The guard driving the carriage took a moment, nearly asking aloud when he saw Wei Ziang.
The lantern light was certainly not as bright as daylight, plus with Xiaomi’s modern makeup products, the complexion matched Wei Ziang’s original skin tone well.
Thus, after setting, there were hardly any flaws visible. He looked so pale as though he was sick, with even his lips appearing white.
His hair was also dry, entirely different from the energetic Chiliarch Wei who had boarded the carriage.
The guard quickly recovered: "Chiliarch Wei, Miss Jiang, please come inside; the General and the guests from the Capital City are waiting for you."
"Alright."
Wei Ziang nodded slightly, even his voice lacked vigor, sounding weak.
Xiaomi might not notice, but Wei Ziang could tell at a glance that the guards at the door included strangers aside from the General’s mansion staff.
Most likely, the strangers were the visitors’ guards from the Capital City.
The three proceeded directly to the study of the General’s mansion, with the guards occasionally reminding Wei Ziang to be careful as if they didn’t know he was pretending.
The guards escorted them to the study’s entrance: "Please enter on your own; the General and the others are inside."
As soon as the words were spoken, the study door was opened from inside by General Song.
Upon seeing them, General Song quickly stepped aside: "You two finally arrived. Officer Xie originally wanted to find you personally. I was worried you had returned to Anning Village, so I sent someone to check first."
"I initially wanted to visit my parents, but my brother feared my condition would frighten them, so I’ve been recovering in the city."
Wei Ziang offered a brief explanation and then curiously asked: "General, who is Officer Xie?"
Xiaomi considered herself slow to react, with limited thoughts, so she obediently supported Wei Ziang, determined to speak less to make fewer mistakes.
"He’s Officer Xie from the Ministry of War in the Capital City. Last time you siblings discovered the secret of Shilin, and the Deputy Minister of War personally came to the border."
While speaking, General Song had already led them into the study, closing the door tightly behind, not even needing guards nearby.
The two also saw Officer Xie, dressed in regular attire, dust-covered, with visible fatigue on his face. A simple meal was placed on the table, seemingly recently finished.
With no one else in the room, this must be Officer Xie.
The two quickly saluted: "Greetings, Officer Xie."
Officer Xie had already risen when they entered, hurrying to support them.
"There’s no need for such formalities. It’s my fault to call you so late when Chiliarch Wei is unwell."
Officer Xie appeared to be in his forties, with a gentle demeanor and amiable speech. However, neither of them believed he was truly as nice as he seemed.
The Deputy Minister of War, a high-ranking third-class official, comparable to a senior official in the Ministry of Defense in Xiaomi’s understanding.
To reach such a position at a young age, he couldn’t possibly be genuinely good-natured.
Indeed, as soon as they stood up, Officer Xie smiled and asked: "I heard Chiliarch Wei was punished for taking his sister out beyond the pass just for fun? General Song was a bit too harsh, wasn’t he? It wasn’t a major issue; why was the penalty so severe?"
Clearly, he wanted to ask why they had gone beyond the pass.