"Our little flower is really one of a kind, isn't she, General? General Gong?" Madam Gong looked Little Flower Gong up and down with a grin stretching from ear to ear. This was the first time she had heard someone address her daughter by her military title, and it sounded even better than when she had first heard that her daughter was made a general.
"Mother, stop teasing. Let's go in," Little Flower said.
"Alright, alright," Madam Gong replied.
"Mother-in-law," Qin Chuyuan called out when he saw Little Flower and her mother arrive. He made to get up and bow.
Madam Gong quickly went over to stop him. "We're all family. No need to stand on ceremony. Be careful of your injury."
"Thank you for your consideration, Mother-in-law!"
"No need, no need."
Madam Gong felt rather awkward interacting with her son-in-law, who was so polite and proper in his speech that she sometimes didn't know how to respond.
Qin Chuyuan looked at ChunYun, who was standing behind Little Flower holding a brocade box. "A gift of thanks from the Crown Prince?"
"Yes, a fine dagger," Little Flower replied.
"He really knows your tastes, even sending someone to personally deliver it to you," Qin Chuyuan said, a hint of jealousy in his tone.
Little Flower didn't respond. She only instructed ChunYun to put the dagger in her armory, where she liked collecting weapons. Even Qin Chuyuan often helped her collect rare and coveted arms for her collection.
The Crown Prince had likely learned of her hobby of collecting such things through Qin Chuyuan before deciding on the gift.
Although Madam Gong usually behaved rather coarsely, she was perceptive enough to see what was going on here - the gentleman was jealous! She quickly hinted to Little Flower to smooth things over with a few words.
"It's best to keep your emotions stable while recovering so as not to slow the healing," Little Flower said.
Her words only made Qin Chuyuan feel more bitter.
Madam Gong looked at her daughter, exasperated that she couldn't understand a man's feelings at all. At least she was married off now. "Oh, Sir, what Little Flower means is that she cares about you and hopes you recover soon, right Little Flower?"
Little Flower looked at her mother. When had she meant anything like that?
Madam Gong glared at her fiercely.
"Er, yes, that's right," Little Flower stammered.
Qin Chuyuan finally smiled again.
These newlyweds really were hopeless.
After sitting for a while, Madam Gong said she should head back home as she was worried about leaving Little South alone.
Little Flower accompanied her mother on the Qin family's carriage back to the Gongs' residence. On the way, her mother lectured her nonstop - don't focus only on your work, spare some thought for what your husband might be thinking from time to time too; that's how a marriage lasts, and so on.
Upon returning to the Gong residence, Little Flower immediately went to check on Little South's condition, hoping to escape her mother's relentless marriage advice.
Little South's wounds showed some minor signs of infection. Little Flower administered another dose of antibiotics.
"Mother, Little South's injuries aren't serious, just a bit infected. I'll come by every day to give him his medication. He'll recover in no time," she reported.
"That's good, that's wonderful," her mother said with a smile. "Keep Little South company and chat with him. I'll go make lunch for you two." With that, she happily headed out.
"Big sister, can I come with you to the barracks after I get better?" Little South looked hopefully at his sister with wide eyes.
"Why do you suddenly want to go to the barracks?"
"I want to train myself under your guidance, and hope that one day I can build achievements to protect the people I want to protect."
"Life in the barracks isn't that simple. And is this your idea, or Father and Mother's?"
"It's just my idea. I haven't discussed it with Father and Mother yet."
"Then you'll need their consent before I can take you to the barracks."
"But big sister, you went without discussing it with them either!"
"How can you compare yourself to me?"
"I'm only two years younger than you! And I'm taller and sturdier than most boys my age."
"No matter how big you are, you're still underage. Father and Mother need to agree."
"Oh, alright," Little South said, somewhat dejected.
After lunch, Little Flower headed back to the Qin residence.
That afternoon, Little Flower handled military affairs in Qin Chuyuan's rest area. The previous evening, her uncle had come by with some documents needing her decision. He also updated her on the situation in the barracks over the past couple days.
Some of the troops had started acting out again after she disappeared for two days. Things only settled down a bit upon her safe return. However, there were still some debauched young masters taking advantage of Little Flower's absence from the barracks to make trouble.
Without thinking twice, Little Flower knew it must be He Lianyu's bunch - stir up trouble after three days without a beating.
But from another perspective, it was no wonder the Daye Empire practiced hereditary succession. With such eminent statuses, not only were laws more lenient towards them, their social standing also deterred subordinates, making people hesitate to oppose them.
Take the Xiyuan Army for example. As a prince, He Lianyu had a status second only to the prince and princess. No one in the army aside from Little Flower dared to truly discipline him.
As someone from the modern era, Little Flower could take a god's eye view of things. Such a system was undoubtedly deeply flawed. But for the current rulers of the dynasty, it was a tradition passed down over hundreds of years that they never thought to change.
Moreover, those families enjoying the greatest privileges were even less likely to propose reforms, and would definitely not tolerate such ideas being brought up at court.
That didn't mean, however, that hereditary families could randomly appoint one of their own with no assessment or accountability. Even those appointed to important posts couldn't completely disregard laws and military regulations. It was just that most people didn't want personal retaliation, so they turned a blind eye.
Aside from the anomaly that was Little Flower, no one in the Xiyuan Army had dared oppose He Lianyu and his band this year. With Little Flower briefly absent, this group immediately slackened again.
Since that was the case, why not make good use of He Lianyu and groom him? Based on the days she had paid him "special attention," the prince did seem rather undisciplined, but he wasn't truly malicious and had some intelligence and vigorous health. With the proper cultivation over time, he could become a fierce general.
After two days of sick leave, Little Flower resumed her duties in the barracks. On her first day back, she fiercely punished those debauched young masters again. As for He Lianyu, she kept him by her side for intense personal training, tormenting him to the point of speechless misery. Unable to complain or vent his frustration, he could only diligently practice his martial arts in hopes of defeating Little Flower one day.
With Little Flower's return, the entire army snapped back into various intense training regimens and drills, interspersed with solo and group spars at regular intervals, as well as simulated squad battles.
For every competition, each placement earned a commendation. After accumulating ten commendations, fifty commendations, a hundred commendations, and so on in turn, promotions would start from Corporal up to Centurion. Outstanding battle achievements could even result in memorials submitted to His Majesty petitioning appointments as Captain, Major, and so forth.
This order electrified the troops, who no longer worried that Little Flower was painting them a pipe dream. After all, hadn't she herself risen from a minor official to General? In their eyes, she was a miracle.
