In the end, none of these mattered to them. The soldiers needed a competent commander, the emperor needed a general who could win battles, and he alone had been walking this path for ten years.
He knew what he would face when he returned this time. Perhaps he would end up just like his father, but he would never be willing to settle for that.
On the day the Tianqi Army returned to the capital, a heavy rain poured down on Shengjing City. The soldiers trudged on in the rain, the crowds holding umbrellas on the road scattered, leaving a wide avenue for them.
Qin Yuchuan originally wanted to go home first, but because of the rules, he had to meet the emperor first.
In Yangxin Hall, Emperor Xuanyuan Sheng was seated, with unreviewed memorials on his desk.
"Your Majesty, General Qin Yuchuan, the protector of our nation, has returned and is waiting outside the hall." The eunuch, Qi Tan, respectfully reported to Xuanyuan Sheng.
Xuanyuan Sheng's grip on his pen tightened, "Let him in."
After Qin Yuchuan saluted Xuanyuan Sheng, he reported on the situation of this war.
"You have already informed me of the specific situation, no need to elaborate further. Yuchuan, do you have any requests for your victorious return this time?"
Although Xuanyuan Sheng was wary of Qin Yuchuan, as an emperor, he would not blatantly show it. After all, he still needed him.
Northern Qi was at its end and posed no threat to Tianqi, but Nanling in the south was still eyeing them greedily.
There was no one suitable to send in the court, he still needed Qin Yuchuan to help him hold on to this kingdom. If Qin Yuchuan was sensible when the world was at peace, he could keep him. But if he coveted something that didn't belong to him, Xuanyuan Sheng would not be merciful.
Qin Yuchuan, of course, could guess what the person before him was thinking, "I have no requests, everything I did was my duty."
"Then I will reward General Qin with ten thousand taels of gold. You have worked hard on your journey. Your aunt must be waiting for you at home, you should go back and rest early." Xuanyuan Sheng said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will take my leave."
As Qin Yuchuan walked out of the Imperial Palace, the rain outside showed no signs of stopping. He took the umbrella handed over by his attendant and left the palace.
The General's Mansion was located in the easternmost part of Shengjing City. It would take about half an hour to walk from the Imperial Palace.
At the gate of the Imperial Palace, Yan Chi and Yan Yang had already prepared a carriage for Qin Yuchuan.
"General, please get in the carriage."
Qin Yuchuan got into the carriage, and Yan Chi drove the carriage towards the General's Mansion.
At this moment, a beautifully dressed woman was waiting at the entrance of the General's Mansion. She was Qin Yuchuan's mother, Xuanyuan Xi.
"Your Highness, when the general returns, he will definitely come to see you first. It's raining heavily today, please don't catch a cold." Xuanyuan Xi's maid, Bai Wei, said.
Xuanyuan Xi shook her head, "No, I want to wait for him here. I haven't seen Ah Chuan for three years. I wonder how he has been these three years."
Knowing Xuanyuan Xi's longing for her son, Bai Wei didn't try to persuade her further, only silently put a cloak on her.
"Your Highness, the general is back!"
With Bai Wei's voice, Qin Yuchuan got off the carriage. Xuanyuan Xi looked at Qin Yuchuan, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Mother, why are you standing here? It's windy here, let's go inside quickly."
As soon as Qin Yuchuan stepped off the carriage, he saw Xuanyuan Xi waiting at the door, looking somewhat worried. Her health was frail and a touch of cold could make her fall sick again.
Holding Qin Yuchuan's hand, Xuanyuan Xi said, "I'm fine, my health has improved a lot recently. I just wanted to wait here for your return, Ah Chuan. You've worked hard over the years. Let's go inside; I've already had a meal prepared."
Qin Yuchuan accompanied Xuanyuan Xi into the dining room. Among the table full of exquisite dishes, there were a few plates of slightly clumsy-looking dishes that seemed somewhat out of place.
At a glance, this was the work of his mother. Qin Yuchuan politely took some.
"Mother's cooking skills are getting better and better." Although the taste wasn't that good, Qin Yuchuan still complimented.
Xuanyuan Xi replied gently, "Ah Chuan, you don't have to flatter me. My cooking skills haven't improved much over the years."
"Indeed, there’s still room for improvement."
Bai Wei, standing behind Xuanyuan Xi, covered her mouth and chuckled secretly. It seemed that the general hadn't made much progress over the years!
Xuanyuan Xi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Wasn’t the main point that she had prepared the meal especially for him?
......
At the Feng family's house, Feng Qingyi was sorting out her clothes as she was heading to school the next day.
The black suitcase was stuffed full by Feng Qingyi with clothes and books. In addition to this suitcase, she also had a backpack.
Feng Qingyi put important items like her laptop, tablet, and wallet into the backpack. After everything was packed, she washed up, changed into her pajamas, lay down on the bed, and took out her phone.
She had already completed nearly one-third of her martial arts beginner course during this period and had accumulated 240 points.
Feng Qingyi thought for a while and decided to buy the remaining two items as well. She was curious about what the items in the level two shop would be.
Without hesitation, Feng Qingyi spent her points, and a pill appeared before her, which she ate immediately.
Then, she opened the virtual course, and as expected, a guzheng beginner course had been added. However, as it was already late, she didn’t intend to start studying it tonight.
Having purchased all five items on the first level, the level two shop of the mysterious store was now open. Looking at the ten items in the level two shop, Feng Qingyi fell into deep thought.
The items in the level two shop were much more expensive than those in the level one shop. The cheapest item cost 200 points, and the most expensive item even required 2000 points.
Among these items, eight were virtual courses. Feng Qingyi thought that the creator of this mysterious shop must be a top student, otherwise, why would all the items be courses?
Her beginner martial arts course was not even completed, and the intermediate martial arts course had already appeared in the shop.
In addition to the intermediate martial arts course, there were also intermediate chess, guzheng, and calligraphy courses, and even an advanced painting course.
If she remembered correctly, she had just bought the beginner guzheng course, and hadn't even started learning it yet.
Why are there no beginner courses for chess and calligraphy, and they directly jumped to intermediate level? Not to mention this painting skill which astonishingly bounced right to advanced level!
Could it be that this mysterious store even knows what she had learned before, and customizes courses according to her level?
Among the items in the second-level store, apart from these courses in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and martial arts, there are also language, etiquette, and embroidery courses. Depending on the level of these courses, the required points differ.
Other than the courses, there are two other items.
The first one is the advanced version of the Quick Wit Pill, promising a sharp memory for twenty days, a clear mind, and it specifically mentions that it will not affect sleep. The price is 200 points.
The second item is a villa in Capital City, priced at 2000 points.
