Chapter 5 Shallow Battle

Du Jingyi got up on her own, put on her outer garment, and sat down on the bed. Then she cleared her throat and spoke.

"Who is making noise outside?"

Upon hearing movement inside the room, the commotion outside suddenly quieted down.

Soon after, the sound of the door being pushed open was followed by a group of people entering.

At the forefront were Cherry and Lijiu, both of whom had somewhat unpleasant expressions but were holding it in.

Following them was a sharp-faced woman dressed in green silk and satin, named Jiao Mama. She was the trusted maid by the side of Lady Wei, the current Duke's consort.

It could be said that in the grand Duke's residence, she held a prominent position.

Having managed the household for many years under Lady Wei's command, she had long cultivated the ability to speak differently to different people. So, even before Cherry could speak, she took two steps forward.

Standing in front of Du Jingyi, she spoke as if respectfully, "Madam, we disturbed your sleep early in the morning. It's my fault. Today is the first day the general returns to the residence, so everyone in the house is waiting in the Yunjin Courtyard to see the general. That's why we came early to disturb you. Please forgive us, Madam."

Du Jingyi glanced at her and didn't speak immediately.

Instead, she looked at the time outside and realized it was already past the hour of "si zheng."

Normally, the time for paying respects should have been "chen chu." She was almost two hours late, so it was no wonder the people from the Yunjin Courtyard had come to "deliberately" disturb her sleep.

It was her fault for oversleeping, so she couldn't really get angry.

She put on a polite smile and said to Jiao Mama, "The general returned late yesterday and had quite a bit to drink, so it took some time to attend to him. This delayed the greetings to my father and mother-in-law today. It's my fault."

"Madam, you're too kind. Lady Wei has always been kind-hearted. We didn't intend to disturb the general and Madam. It's just that there were too many people waiting in the front courtyard, so I came to inquire," Jiao Mama said.

Inquire?

If it was just an inquiry, it wouldn't have caused her to be awakened like this.

This Jiao Mama was a perfect example of the ability to speak differently to different people.

Du Jingyi didn't want to get entangled with her, so she spoke, "Lady Wei, please don't blame her. After I and the general freshen up, we will go to the Yunjin Courtyard immediately."

"Alright, then I'll go back and wait," Jiao Mama said before leaving. She even glanced at the bed before leaving. Although there were some signs of having slept, there was no sign of a consummated marriage.

It seemed that Du Jingyi, who had been in the residence for three years, was still a virgin.

She felt a bit disdainful, but she maintained a respectful demeanor.

After leaving the Xitang Courtyard, Jiao Mama sneered and returned to the Yunjin Courtyard.

Her good mood for the day was ruined by this.

"Where is the general? Is he still resting in the study?" Du Jingyi wasn't foolish. These people weren't here for her; they clearly wanted to see her husband, the great general.

So, whether she went or not didn't matter, but the great general had to go.

Lijiu brought warm water and handed it to Du Jingyi to calm her nerves, then said, "The general got up early and went to the martial arts training ground in the back. He's probably practicing some martial arts to clear his head."

Early?

Judging from his drunken state yesterday, Du Jingyi thought he was still asleep like her.

She didn't expect him to be so diligent.

It made her, the "idle" Madam, seem lazy.

"In that case, send someone to inform the general..." Du Jingyi's words were interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside, followed by a somewhat deep but clear voice asking, "What do you want to inform me?"

It was General Shang Jilong striding in.

He was wearing a dark blue embroidered brocade robe, which accentuated his tall and handsome figure. It seemed he had already freshened up; the stubble on his lips was smooth, with only a faint hint of blue. His deep eyes looked at Du Jingyi with a hint of confusion.

Du Jingyi had just gotten up and naturally had no makeup on, but she exuded a natural, unadorned beauty, with a hint of weariness from lack of sleep compared to the night before.

Seeing Shang Ji walk in, she didn't show any hesitation and immediately got up from the bed.

"I greet the general. Jiao Mama from Lady Wei's side sent a message, saying that everyone in the house is waiting to see the general. They want us to go and pay our respects."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ji's expression remained unchanged, as calm as ever. However, Du Jingyi noticed that the ink color in his eyes deepened slightly when he heard Lady Wei's name.

After a moment of silence, Shang Ji said, "Since they've come to invite us, let's go and pay our respects. You freshen up first."

Then he looked around, seemingly looking for a place to sit.

After getting drunk yesterday, he naturally lay wherever he felt comfortable. Now that he was sober, he realized something: he felt a bit unfamiliar with the main room where he had lived since childhood.

Three years had passed.

Everything here had changed drastically.

The stone-blue curtains had been replaced with autumn-colored moonlight gauze.

The small table made of yellow pear wood that used to sit on the heated brick bed had been replaced with a precious and intricate mahogany table inlaid with plum blossoms.

Especially the screen that served as a partition.

He remembered it used to be a cloth curtain, but now it had become an embroidered screen, with delicate embroidery of blooming begonias.

It looked quite valuable.

It's indeed the daughter of a merchant! It looks like the Du family has prepared quite a few good things for her.

Turning to look at Du Jingyi with a calm expression, he then spoke.

"Do you really like begonias?"

Du Jingyi was slightly surprised.

Truly a general who can win back thirteen cities, he may look rough, but in reality, he is as sharp as a needle, and observes carefully.

It didn't take long after entering the room for him to notice her preference, which was quite impressive.

Du Jingyi didn't feel the need to conceal this matter, so she nodded.

After that, the two fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat cold.

It was like the autumn rain that fell yesterday, bringing a chill to the bone.

Coughing twice, it was still Shang Ji who first broke the silence. Du Jingyi thought that this general would have a lot to say.

But unexpectedly, he spoke of something else.

"I'll go to the study to read the military report for a while. When you're ready, someone will come to fetch you."

"I understand."

After Shang Ji left, Du Jingyi let out a sigh of relief. She had to admit that her husband's imposing manner was truly awe-inspiring.

Accustomed to giving orders as a general for years, even when he spoke softly, it felt like a military command coming from his mouth, making it impossible not to obey.

"Bring water to help me wash and dress."

"Yes, Madam."