Two people had been playing around in bed for a long time.

Yang Haiyan was pressed down so much that her whole body ached.

Unable to endure it any longer, she protested, and only then did Qin Fang let her go.

Although he released her, Qin Fang turned over and hugged her tightly: “Yanyan, you’re seventeen this year.”

He had always remembered that by this time next year, they would be able to consummate their marriage.

Just thinking about it made him feel uncomfortable below.

This little girl was born to torment him.

After lying in bed for a while, once Qin Fang had calmed down a bit, they slowly got up.

For breakfast, they had fish porridge.

The fish was a New Year’s gift from Han Zhen and Yang Dahua that they had brought the day before.

It was quite a feat to have fish on this day; it wasn’t bought at a high price but was likely caught by Han Zhen himself from the river after breaking the ice, though it was probably the latter.

They brought quite a few fish and a chicken, both as a New Year’s gift and to thank Yang Haiyan for taking care of Yang Dahua during those days.

Among friends and family, one must value reciprocity and not just take advantage of others.

After breakfast, Yang Haiyan began to make a plush toy of a tiger.

She first had to draw the shape of the tiger on the fabric and then embroider it.

She couldn’t draw a real tiger; she didn’t have that skill, so she took a shortcut and drew a chibi version of a little tiger.

Once she finished drawing the tiger, she started embroidering.

After both sides were embroidered, she stuffed it with cotton.

In ancient times, cotton was expensive and hard to buy.

Therefore, she made a small tiger toy, about forty centimeters tall, using only a small amount of cotton, which wouldn’t seem extravagant.

After finishing it, she thought about modern-day backpacks, which are essentially book baskets carried by scholars in ancient times.

So, she added two straps to the tiger’s body, making it suitable as a decorative backpack for young boys.

By the afternoon, Yang Haiyan had finished.

While Yang Haiyan was making the toy, Qin Fang was reading nearby.

Seeing her massaging her neck after finishing, he got up and went behind her: “Let me do it.”

Yang Haiyan relaxed her hands: “Thank you, husband.”

It was Qin Fang’s first time giving a massage, and he wasn’t sure about the pressure, so he started off gently: “Is this okay?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Too light, a bit harder.”

“How about this?”

“A little heavier.”

“Like this…”

“It hurts! Be gentler… Ah, that feels good. Yes, yes, just like that. You’re great, husband.”

Outside, several older women, including Granny Lian, heard the somewhat suspicious sounds from inside.

Even though they were all older, they couldn’t help but blush.

They thought to themselves that at least there were no young maids in the house, just them older women.

After a while, Yang Dahua arrived, accompanied by Han Zhen.

Yang Dahua showed her embroidered flower toy to Yang Haiyan, seeking her opinion.

Yang Dahua’s flowers were quite nice; in fact, simple flowers like that don’t reflect a person’s embroidery skills too much.

Of course, if someone had exceptional skills, that would show.

Yang Dahua didn’t focus on the embroidery skills, but her flowers were vividly embroidered, showcasing her effort.

She embroidered the branches and leaves as well, making it look a bit more exquisite.

When Yang Dahua saw Yang Haiyan’s little tiger plush toy and the two straps, she decided to make two as well: “These straps resemble a scholar’s book basket.”

Yang Haiyan responded, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

In the County Town, the Yonghe Marquis Mansion.

“The marquis has returned… the marquis has returned…”

The heir saw his father return and was filled with joy, rushing out to greet him: “Father is back.”

The Yonghe Marquis was forty-two this year, and having a twenty-six-year-old heir at his age showed that he married and had children quite early.

The marquis married and had children early because the old madam of the marquisate was worried about his offspring; if something were to happen on the battlefield… thus, the Yonghe Marquis married and had children early.

The Yonghe Marquis was quite sturdy, unlike the refined heir, who resembled the marquis’s wife.

He had just hurried back from the capital, looking weary.

As soon as he arrived, he said to the heir: “Come to the study.”

On December 23, when something happened at the marquisate, the heir had sent someone to notify the Yonghe Marquis in the capital, who rushed back upon receiving the news that very night.

He had never anticipated that such a significant event could occur during his absence from Yongzhou.

Once the father and son entered the kitchen, the Yonghe Marquis said, “Sit.”

The heir sat down somewhat nervously and replied, “Yes.”

The Yonghe Marquis glanced at him.

He had put in much effort to educate this son, who was skilled and upright, never timid on the battlefield, and was already able to kill enemies at the age of twelve: “Regarding the matter of the barbarians kidnapping Wang Tao, what exactly happened?”

Wang Tao was the name of the little master.

The heir replied, “It was my failure to manage the household that allowed the barbarians to infiltrate.”

The Yonghe Marquis shook his head: “If the barbarians want to infiltrate, they will have countless ways; you cannot prevent it. Tell me about the details of this incident.”

The heir recounted, “It was… the matter is as follows…”

After listening, the Yonghe Marquis did not speak for a long time.

Just as the heir was about to ask, he finally spoke: “You did not make a mistake in this matter. As a commander on the border, no matter what happens at home, you must not neglect the military.

You instructed the household to conduct a thorough search, which made the barbarians nervous, and secretly sent General Ao and that Qin Fang to investigate while you went to guard the military camp; this was indeed correct.”

Hearing this, the heir was pleased to receive his father’s approval: “So, does this mean…?”

The Yonghe Marquis continued: “And then what happened?”

The heir elaborated, “The barbarians stayed in the county town for three days before leaving. During those three days, Wang Tao was in constant danger, so…

I remember you taught me that in warfare between nations, we must not harm the elderly, weak, women, or children.

However, I cannot just wait and watch while Wang Tao is in danger.

Therefore, I sent trusted individuals to the barbarian camp. If Wang Tao is indeed captured, threatening the border, I would have hostages in hand. Although this approach is somewhat unscrupulous, it is a way of retaliation.”

“However, I did not mention this to General Ao or Qin Fang, after all… it’s not a glorious matter.”

The Yonghe Marquis nodded: “Returning what they have done to them is appropriate, and being prepared for a counterattack is also correct. What else?”

The heir replied, “Secondly, I hung the head of a barbarian at the entrance of the military camp. It seemed as if this matter had already concluded, making everyone believe I had vented my anger.

But actually, I have sent a portion of people to secretly approach the barbarian camp. To the barbarians, it seems we are celebrating the New Year, but on the other side… they are just waiting for the new year to act upon my orders. I intend to catch them off guard.”

The Yonghe Marquis listened and nodded, then shook his head: “Actually, there is an even better plan regarding this matter. Of course, this is just my idea; perhaps my plan is not as good as yours. Do you want to hear it?”

The heir was curious: “I’m all ears.”

The Yonghe Marquis said, “My plan is to capture the barbarians without them realizing it. At this time, if you disguise yourself as a barbarian and carry their identity documents or symbols and infiltrate the barbarian camp at night, it would be much more convenient to launch an attack.

However, this also carries danger; if discovered, it would be difficult for those individuals to escape.”

Nonetheless, the Yonghe Marquis was known for his toughness and ruthlessness.

If it were him, he would choose his plan, which, if successful, could inflict significant damage on the barbarians.

The heir said, “I will consider your plan as well.”

The Yonghe Marquis added, “There’s one more thing. I met with the new emperor this time. Although His Majesty did not take away my military token or mention anything about it, he subtly brought up that he would send a few people to Yongzhou.

By then, the sergeants in the military camp will definitely move. As for who to move, we will discuss it together when the time comes, and we will wait for the emperor’s edict.”

Upon hearing this, the heir frowned: “Is the emperor intending to place his people in Yongzhou?

If the emperor sends people, it is hard to say how manageable they will be. They will likely infiltrate the military camp gradually, and at that time… the Yongzhou military camp will belong to the emperor.”

The Yonghe Marquis sighed: “We all understand the emperor’s intentions. This is also good; at least he hasn’t taken back military power, preserving the face of our marquisate.

Our Ni family has guarded this place for generations, and because Yongzhou is quite far from the capital, we have never participated in the struggle for the throne. Perhaps making some moves could allow our Ni family to return to the capital.”

The heir thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea: “If the emperor intends to send his people to infiltrate Yongzhou and gain control over its military, then let Wang Tao handle the civil matters.”

The Yonghe Marquis hesitated for a moment: “Let’s wait until the emperor’s people arrive before deciding.”

The Yonghe Marquis was somewhat reluctant to abandon martial affairs for civilian matters. “Alright, you may leave now.”

“Understood.”

The heir returned to the courtyard and saw the heir’s wife and children talking.

In an instant, he tucked away his feelings of frustration.

As long as his wife was well, that was enough for him.

After the first day of the new year passed, the second day soon arrived, and before they knew it, it was the third day.

On this day, Qin Fang and Han Zhen rode horses, while Yang Haiyan and Yang Dahua sat in a donkey cart, with Granny Lian following behind.

The donkey cart was driven by Kunshi.

As they approached the Yonghe Marquis Mansion, Yang Dahua grew increasingly nervous.

In the past, when she was still at the Yang family, she wouldn’t feel nervous visiting others.

Back then, she was just a servant girl, so she only needed to follow along.

However, she hadn’t had the opportunity to visit other families.

Now, as Han Zhen’s wife, she worried about embarrassing him, which made her anxious.

Yang Dahua glanced at Yang Haiyan beside her, only to see her with a calm expression.

Yang Haiyan indeed was not nervous.

After the banquet at General Ao’s mansion, she felt no anxiety about visiting the Yonghe Marquis Mansion.

However, she didn’t particularly like going there, or rather, she disliked moving around.

She was not fond of the ancient bureaucratic practices, the class distinctions of the old days, or the system that required people to bow to one another.

This was also the reason she hadn’t found any of the palace maids appealing while at the tea house.

She was not an ancient person and had no desire to associate with the ruling powers.

It was better for Qin Fang to be a steady thousand-man commander; in Yongzhou, that counted as a bit of power.

When the time was right, he could retire and return to his old home, living comfortably like a local elder.

For someone like him, who had retired from the border and once held court ranks, returning to the countryside would be quite pleasant.

The donkey cart came to a stop, and a stranger’s voice called out, “Commander Qin, Commander Han, you’ve finally arrived.”