Sentimental General

This night, De Ruo Qing and his disciples did not attend the banquet that He Mu Li specially prepared for them. He did not even allow De Xue to leave the courtyard and also prevented her from returning to Hou Mansion.

From that day onwards, De Xue stayed in the same courtyard as her Father and was unable to return to the courtyard where she lived with He Mu Li.

After hearing that De Xue was detained by her Father, He Mu Li felt very unhappy but there was nothing he could do. If he were to forcibly take back De Xue, he would offend De Ruo Qing and as a result, his kitten would feel sad which would make the situation worse for her.

He promised her that he would respect her Father but even though he showed De Ruo Qing respect, De Ruo Qing was not receptive. De Ruo Qing purposely did not attend the banquet to make him look bad.

But what made him feel bitter was that according to the spy he planted in the courtyard, De Ruo Qing had already told her everything about them secretly taking care of De Xue all these years.

After getting to know how Su Yi had silently taken care of De Xue, He Mu Li could not calm down. He was afraid that De Xue would soften since he knew she is a very simple and affectionate person. Otherwise, in the beginning, Hu Ma's convincing power would not be so great.

This method when he was using it, it was considered very pleasing but when the enemy used the same method, it had turned very disgusting.

According to the spy's report, De Xue did not put up any reb.u.t.tals and allowed De Ruo Qing to tarnish his feelings for her and her att.i.tude towards Su Yi was also very unclear. In addition, De Ruo Qing was always trying to push them together which made him feel anxious.

He has the feeling that his kitten is about to be s.n.a.t.c.hed away!

Xiao Xue! Don't turn soft, don't forget me, ah! He Mu Li felt very upset and anxiously shouted in his heart.

Moreover, he did not get to see her at all. De Ruo Qing hid De Xue very well and even when he repeatedly went to see the Elderly, he was unable to see her. In addition, he and De Xue were not related to each other and according to propriety, he could not request for De Xue to come and see him.

The feeling of missing her turned into madness. Actually, both of them were lovers who accompanied each other every day and every night.......then suddenly his lovely, gentle beauty had disappeared. Looking at the empty bed, He Mu Li was overwhelmed with loneliness and bitterness.

If they were separated in two different places and was sure of their feelings for each other, it would be better than now when his heart is full of uncertainty!

After De Xue had heard about how Su Yi had taken care of her during that period of time, what will she think? Will she start to have feelings for Su Yi?

He Mu Li had to admit that Su Yi's conditions were not bad either. Su Yi had grown up with De Xue since she was a child. In the beginning, his encounter with De Xue was very unpleasant and although later he had sincerely pursued her and the time they spent together was nothing compared to Su Yi's long years with her ever since their childhood.

He knew Su Yi was very good to De Xue and also knew how much De Ruo Qing wanted his daughter and Su Yi to be together. He also knew how much De Ruo Qing dislike him and he understood De Xue respected her father very much. All these conditions, each and every one of them was detrimental to him.

He Mu Li had never felt so unsettled before. He really wanted to see his kitten, he wanted to make sure of her feelings for him, he wanted to hug her and take possession of her!

If this carries on.......he is going to be crazy!

However, he was unable to stay long in Hou Mansion. In order for him to receive and play host to De Ruo Qing, he had instructed his deputy to temporarily guard the desert for him so he could rush back to Haizhou City. But now he received news that Xia Country's soldiers disguised as horse thieves were planning to strike within the next few days. There was also additional information that they may launch a big a.s.sault before the onset of mid-winter.

The people who lived outside of Haizhou City would normally move to the city before mid-winter to avoid the freezing cold. As a result, the horse thieves of Xia Country would not be able to plunder anything. Therefore, they would usually plan one or two strikes at the beginning of the winter season. Hence, he must rush back to take charge and guard the borders.

In the midst of such restlessness and anxiety, He Mu Li also unexpectedly received a piece of important information from the Capital saying that an Imperial Censure was being prepared against him, accusing

Quickly, He Mu Li could detect a conspiracy being plotted against him by someone who wanted to take the opportunity to attack him!

He Mu Family had led the state of Haizhou safeguarding the border from generation to generation which had actually incurred a lot of people's displeasure and these few years the muddled-headed old Emperor was not very happy with him. The old Emperor had felt that He Mu Li possessed too much power. He Mu Li had always been very careful and made sure he did not make any mistakes that could be used against him. In addition, the Mohan Sea of Sand needed a powerful General to fight against Xia Country's hara.s.sment so that was the reason why the old Emperor had never given him any trouble.

But this time, if he was really charged for the crime and at the same time someone used the opportunity to attack him, the old Emperor might not let him off so easily. If the Emperor was desperate enough to summon him back to the Capital for trial, Xia Country would certainly not be sitting idle and they might decide to seize the chance to attack Haizhou.

Who actually wants to create a big issue out of this? What is their purpose for summoning him at this crucial time? Are they planning to lure the tiger from the mountains*?

(Luring the tiger from the mountains means to trick someone into leaving his territory.)

A dark light flashed in He Mu Li's sharp eyes. He deduced it could not be De Ruo Qing. If De Ruo Qing wanted to do this, he would have done it already.

He quickly wrote a letter and sent his Housekeeper to see De Ruo Qing. It was necessary for him to have a good talk with De Ruo Qing.

When De Ruo Qing received the letter from He Mu Li, he was very shocked.

This is the situation he has been trying to avoid!

In the beginning, he could have directly appealed to the Imperial Court and force He Mu Li to hand over De Xue. However, he was concerned about Mohan Sea of Sand which has always been guarded by the He Mu Family for generations and he also knew about the yearly hara.s.sments from Xia Country. All these years, the attacks had been blocked and the borders were kept safe by this General who had kidnapped his daughter.

De Ruo Qing was not willing to mix state affairs with private matters and knew that once he was to report this matter to the Imperial Court, it would attract the attention of the He Mu Family's enemies or the people who have ill intentions towards He Mu Li. That time, those people who purposely wanted to create a big issue might even cause a political storm which was something that De Ruo Qing did not want.

If He Mu Li was caught in the storm and unable to get out of it, regardless of the final result of this matter, during this period of time, Xia Country or other countries might seize advantage to invade and destroy Lan Country.

He hated He Mu Li for kidnapping his daughter but he also has a lot of appreciation for General He Mu who had safeguarded and defended Lan Country. Therefore he did not come aggressively at He Mu Li and he had always relied on the Imperial Ministers' pressure and persuasion hoping that He Mu Li would surrender De Xue.

However, He Mu Li had not been tactful and even prevented Su Yi whom he had sent to bring De Xue home from leaving with her.

Although De Ruo Qing had refused to meet the people that He Mu Family sent to propose marriage, he had read the letter personally written by the person who had kidnapped his daughter. In the letter, He Mu Li had stated that he really likes De Xue and De Xue also feels the same for him. He also said that since they have mutual feelings for each other, he hopes their wish will be fulfilled.

Humph! The man who kidnapped his daughter wants him to agree to the marriage? De Ruo Qing nearly exploded with anger but then his first disciple Su Yi sent a letter back to him which also stated that De Xue was unwilling to return and insisted on staying with the He Mu Family.

So, he decided to go to Haizhou personally to find out more about his precious daughter.

But he did not expect that after he had taken precaution to settle this matter on a low-key basis, someone would still seize this opportunity to create chaos! This matter had great implications which De Ruo Qing could not ignore.

That night, the two people on opposing sides held a secret meeting.

He Mu Li gave a detailed a.n.a.lysis of the current situation in Haizhou to De Ruo Qing and hoped that De Ruo Qing could help him suppress this matter. It would be best to resolve this matter before he was summoned back to the Capital for trial so that he did not have to worry that he would be called back thousands of miles from the Capital. He could also concentrate on defending the state of Haizhou and blocking the hara.s.sment of Xia Country.

This is the first time he is holding a discussion with a Head of State and brus.h.i.+ng aside the dissatisfaction for this man who had kidnapped his precious daughter, De Ruo Qing appreciated the insights and bravery of He Mu Li in the use of his soldiers. He also took the opportunity to test him on some military strategy questions but seeing He Mu Li could very quickly a.n.a.lyze clearly the questions and put forward his opinions on the appropriate ways of responding, De Ruo Qing was very pleased.

He Mu Li is indeed worthy of being a great General and the He Mu Family is very capable.

Although in his heart, De Ruo Qing felt his impression of He Mu Li had improved but he still loved his first disciple more. He believed Su Yi was absolutely sincere to his daughter but He Mu Li seems to be very good too......

De Ruo Qing thought deeply. This matter still depended on his daughter.

During this period of time, he could see his daughter felt very unhappy, looked pale and had lost a lot of weight.

Although when facing him, she will always smile at him but she is his daughter, so he is very clear that even if she is smiling, she is feeling bitterness in her heart.

He had never thought his daughter who has always been arrogant and fearless, one who is pure and true will also have such a sad and gloomy time.

Even when she left home to set up her own business, even when at night, she felt sad and cried because she was homesick, she was never depressed for long. She had always been happy, lively and carefree but now there is something bothering her. She had lost her appet.i.te, unable to sleep well and lost her high-spiritedness. Her present state of mind is all because of this tall man in front of him.

De Rou Qing did not have any good feelings for He Mu Li but his heart ached for his daughter. After these few years, his daughter really had grown up. She was concerned about her father's mood and always smiled at him but he could not bear it. His only hope is for his daughter to be happy for the rest of her life. He actually wanted to hand her over to Su Yi but since she feels so sad, should he think this over again?

De Ruo Qing decided to test He Mu Li.

"If you want this old man to solve this matter, it can be done. As long as you let this old man leave with De Xue and from now onwards, don't get entangled with her, this old man will promise you that no one will give General He Mu any trouble. You can stay on in Haizhou continue being Hou-ye and everything will be fine. Otherwise, if this old man really wants to make a report to the Imperial Court, there are many people who may take up this matter with the intention to curry favor from me. Not to mention that He Mu Family also has a lot of enemies, so you should know what will happen. General He Mu, please reconsider!"

After listening to De Ruo Qing's words, He Mu Li could not help but sneer.

He had thought that this De Ruo Qing is a great Sifu, naturally broad-minded and able to distinguish the seriousness of a situation but now it seems he is just a narrow-minded petty old man!

"Master De, I respect you because you are Xiao Xue's father. I had promised her that I will respect you but now I may have to offend you. I am the General of Haizhou. Naturally, I must protect the people of Haizhou but I had also promised Xiao Xue that I will take care of her for the rest of her life. I will not betray her and will definitely not allow her to marry someone she does not love. If you want to report to the Imperial Court, you may do so but I will also appeal to the Imperial Court and request the Emperor to decree a marriage for me and Xiao Xue. I will never give up on her!"

He Mu Li tossed these words at De Ruo Qing, shook his sleeves and then left.

De Ruo Qing lifted his eyebrows and slowly stroked his beard.

This young man is really arrogant and does not even know how to show respect to an old man!

However, the corner of his lips curved slightly and he began to think deeply.