Qi He saw that whenever his father was present, his wife had no way to deal with their son. He smiled, took his son from his father's arms, and handed him to his wife with a chuckle.
Qi Muchen was secretly laughing while holding his grandfather's clothes, only to be lifted into the air by his father the next moment.
Little Bun: All that laughter was for nothing.
He was angry and decided to sleep with his grandfather tonight, ignoring his parents. Hmph!
Bun's Father: Couldn't ask for more.
Tonight… he could do whatever he pleased.
The next day, Bun's Mother woke up late again and was teased by Little Bun.
That evening, Bun's Father was made to stand.
Another half a month passed in this calm, placid life. One morning, as Qi Yuanshan arrived at the Thousand Household Office, General Liu's personal guard came to invite him to the General's mansion.
In the side hall of the General's mansion, General Liu's figure, now showing signs of age, was stooped. Qi Yuanshan saw this and felt a pang in his heart.
Was this still the general who led the soldiers of the Northern Frontier and charged across battlefields?
General Liu did not notice Qi Yuanshan's sorrow and spoke of his decision as if to himself.
"Yuanshan, I have submitted a memorial requesting to retire from military service."
"General." Qi Yuanshan had not expected General Liu to say such a thing. The mere two words carried a deep sense of reluctance.
"Sit down, Yuanshan. Listen to what this old general has to say."
"Yes."
"This old general has been stationed in the Northern Frontier for over twenty years and has many attachments. But I am old now, and I no longer have the energy to lead you into battle."
General Liu looked up at the roof as he spoke.
"I want to thank the soldiers of the Northern Frontier, the people of the Northern Frontier, and your daughter-in-law. If not for the cooperation of everyone, the military and the populace, how could we have had so many years of peace? Perhaps I, Liu Chenglin, would have already died on the battlefield."
"General."
"Originally, you were the successor I most favored in the Northern Frontier, and I had already submitted a memorial recommending you."
General Liu fell silent for a long time at this point, then continued with some anger, "But the Ministry of War did not approve, and neither did the Emperor."
The more General Liu thought about it, the angrier he became. After a pause, he said sarcastically, "Because the Northern Frontier has been peaceful these past few years, some people have forgotten their surnames and are openly trying to place their people here."
"General?" Qi Yuanshan did not care whether he became the general or not. He cared about whether the new successor could get along with them, the officers and soldiers, as harmoniously as General Liu had.
He did not want a decadent noble who only knew how to eat, drink, and play. He did not want the soldiers of the Northern Frontier and the common people to suffer.
"The one who will succeed me is the fourth son of the Lei family."
"Is it the former Lei Thousand Household?"
"The Lei Thousand Household is from a collateral branch. This Lei Fourth Son is from the direct lineage."
"The collateral branch of the Lei Thousand Household has been transferred back to the capital. This one…"
"This is military power. How could the Lei family let go of it?"
"Then before…?"
"When I was still here, they had no opportunity. Now that I am old, they have more ideas. Fortunately, although this Lei Hu lacks strategy and is a bit greedy, he is still better than those truly wicked men."
Qi Yuanshan could hear the forced reasoning. If Lei Hu was also greedy, he couldn't help but worry for the soldiers. Not for any other reason, but because he feared the soldiers would revert to their old ways, going hungry and cold.
"General, what should we do? This subordinate does not want to repeat the old path."
General Liu: Attend to one's duties while in office, and fulfill one's responsibilities while holding a position.
After he left, he could say that distant help could not quench immediate thirst, and that the hand of authority was too short to reach.
Alas, he was also worried about these soldiers who had fought alongside him, which was why he wanted Qi Yuanshan to succeed him.
It is said that having connections in court makes things easier. Qi Yuanshan was of humble origin, with no background in the imperial court, and had not allied himself with anyone. Who else in the court would speak for him besides their Liu family?
However, their Liu family was also in decline and had little influence. He, a third-rank military general, was the highest official in the Liu family at present.
Originally, according to his elder brother, he should have stayed in the Northern Frontier for a few more years until his nephews grew up, and then returned home to enjoy his retirement.
But now, not to mention his body was no longer what it used to be, and even lifting a spear and mounting a horse was difficult.
And most importantly, there had been no war in the Northern Frontier for five years. If he didn't take advantage of this good opportunity to retire, would he wait until war broke out?
It wasn't that he was afraid of death, but that his Liu family couldn't afford any more turmoil.
He was also a grandfather. He did not want his old wife and his children and grandchildren to worry for him, to be troubled by him day after day.
He only wished to return home peacefully, enjoy his grandchildren, and live out his twilight years.
After a long while, neither of them spoke.
Everything was understood without words.
After returning from the General's mansion, Qi Yuanshan first went to the Meng family courtyard and told Uncle Meng about what General Liu had revealed.
"General Liu's intention is for you to be more adaptable in the future and not to be so rigid."
"Yes, I'll listen to you, Uncle."
"Uncle is also old now."
Thinking of the past few years, the old men of the Meng family, except for him, Eleven, and Thirteen, had all passed away one after another.
He felt disheartened.
Qi Yuanshan also knew that Uncle Meng was old and not suited for hard work, so he chatted about family matters for a while before taking his leave.
As soon as Qi Yuanshan left, Grandpa Meng called his son over.
"Yu'er, gather all the valuables and silver in the house and put them with Ci'er. Also, just leave some presentable furnishings in a few rooms."
"Father?"
"General Liu has submitted a memorial requesting to retire from military service. If someone else takes command here, the rules might change from what they are now."
"Father, what should we do then?"
"We'll take it one step at a time. In the end, there are only a few outcomes. At worst, we'll just move somewhere else."
"Move somewhere else?" Fu Yu was truly reluctant to leave this place; he had grown accustomed to living here. Thinking of his house and land being here, Fu Yu's face instantly fell.
After Qi Yuanshan returned home, he also told his son and daughter-in-law about General Liu's matter.
After hearing his father's words, Qi He fell into thought.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "Father, what should we do from now on?"
"What else can we do? We'll just have to see!"
"Xin Ci is right. We must be more vigilant from now on. According to General Liu, that Lei Fourth Son is greedy. We must be on guard against him in the future."
"Yes, at worst, we can move to Longcheng."
Upon hearing his son mention Longcheng, Qi Yuanshan immediately agreed. "Xiao He's idea is good. Longcheng is a good place, allowing for both offense and defense."
The first time Qi Yuanshan went to Longcheng, he fell in love with the place.
If, one day, their family could no longer stay here, moving to Longcheng would be the best outcome.
Fu Xinci: She also agreed. Being able to spend time with her little friends was something she couldn't wish for more.
Then she could bring her grandfather, parents, and younger brother along. Perfect.
With the whole family having made their plans and their minds at peace, the following days became easier.