The God of War Who Protects the Nation: Starting with Saving a Mother and Daughter in Distress

The entourage left the capital and headed south along the official road.

Qin An stayed close to the Empress's carriage, but his gaze would occasionally sweep towards the imperial palanquin further ahead.

Yang Ming seemed to be in a very good mood, repeatedly lifting the curtain to look outside, and even had his musicians brought to the front of the carriage to play a tune.

After traveling for about two hours, they could faintly hear the sound of water ahead.

The dock has come into view.

The shore had already been cleared out, with guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps. The city's defense troops and imperial guards had surrounded the entire dock like an iron barrel.

On the river, a three-story dragon boat is steadily moored.

With its hull painted in gold and its banners fluttering, the ship looked like a small palace floating on the water from afar.

This tour will proceed by waterway, directly into Los Angeles, and then south along the canal from Los Angeles.

The imperial carriage stopped at the dock.

Yang Ming was the first to disembark from the imperial carriage, with Yuwen Rong following closely by his side.

Qin An walked to the Empress's carriage and waited for Xiao Mei to get out before following her two steps behind.

The boarding planks were very wide, with vermilion railings on both sides.

Yang Ming walked very slowly, stopping every now and then to point out the scenery on both sides of the river and exchange a few words with Yuwen Rong.

The closer the emperor appeared to him, the more somber Yuwen Rong's expression became.

Although Qin An was protecting Xiao Mei, his gaze would occasionally drift towards Yuwen Rong.

"What choice will you make? Will you be filial to the disloyal one, or loyal to the unfilial one?" Qin An murmured to himself.

He was now absolutely certain that this tour would be the end for Yang Ming.

As for Yang Ming's ultimate fate, the biggest variable is Yuwen Rong.

Having already made his choice, Qin An was most worried about this top warrior of Daxing.

If he firmly stands on Yang Ming's side, I'll be in a very difficult position.

Fortunately, it was too early to say anything, and Qin An quickly put all these distracting thoughts aside.

Once aboard the dragon boat, Yang Ming became even more excited and immediately ordered a banquet to be prepared in the main cabin.

Xiao Mei sat beside him for a while, and seeing that Yang Ming had already drunk three cups with Yuwen Rong, she stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I am a little tired. Please have General Qin escort me back to my room to rest."

Yang Ming put down his wine glass, glanced at her, and said, "You're already tired after just coming out today?"

"I rarely travel by boat, and the ripples on the water make me feel a little dizzy," Xiao Mei said, her eyes half-closed and her expression languid.

The emperor didn't think much of Xiao Mei's decision to bring Qin An with her once she got on the ship.

He thought that Xiao Mei was just feeling insecure in a new and unfamiliar place.

Qin An is also the husband of Yang Yuyan, Xiao Mei's best friend, so it's understandable that she trusts him a lot.

Therefore, Yang Ming did not force Xiao Mei to leave; in fact, he was more than happy to see her go.

After all, with her around, he couldn't really let loose and indulge in revelry.

He finally nodded in agreement and said, "Then go ahead!"

After saying that, he looked at Qin An and instructed him, "Qin An, escort the Empress back to her room. For the next few days, stay by her side and follow her orders. Yuwen Rong is enough for me."

Seeing that Yang Ming was still pushing him towards Xiao Mei, Qin An was already somewhat speechless with frustration.

He had no choice but to step forward, clasp his hands in greeting, and say, "Your subject obeys."

Xiao Mei turned and walked towards the cabin.

Qin An followed behind her, three or four steps behind. The dragon boat was enormous, with winding corridors and carved beams and painted rafters everywhere.

The two walked one after the other to the stern of the third deck. Xiao Mei stopped in front of a cabin and said to the maids following behind her, "You all wait outside."

The maids exchanged glances, then looked at Qin An, their expressions hesitant.

With everyone else gone, only Qin An and Xiao Mei remained. A lone man and woman alone in a room was, undeniably, a bit inappropriate.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Mei's face darkened: "General Qin was personally appointed by His Majesty as my personal guard. What kind of looks are those? Are you afraid he'll eat me alive? All of you, get out of my sight!"

Seeing the Empress's anger, the maids dared not say another word and all bowed their heads and retreated to the outside of the corridor.

The hatch opened and closed, and Qin An followed Xiao Mei inside.

This cabin was decorated with great elegance. Although it was not as spacious as the palace bedroom, it was fully equipped with a table, chairs, and a bed.

On the low table by the window sat a small gilded incense burner, from which wisps of smoke were being emitted.

Qin An stood by the door, like a guardian deity.

Xiao Mei walked to the window and pushed it open slightly. The river breeze blew in, causing the hairpin in her hair to sway gently.

"Why are you standing so far away?" Xiao Mei turned her head to look at him. "Come closer."

Qin An didn't move: "Your Majesty, you went a bit too far in front of the Emperor today."

"Where did you go?"

"You shouldn't have asked me to come before His Majesty in public," Qin An said. "The Purple Feather Guards don't really trust me to begin with, and if you do this, there will only be more gossip outside."

To be honest, he was also a little surprised by Xiao Mei's boldness.

Nowadays, this woman seems to no longer hide her favoritism and closeness to herself.

This is a very dangerous sign.

If Yang Ming were to discover the subtle ambiguity between the two, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xiao Mei turned around, leaning against the windowsill, a half-smile on her face: "Are you afraid of gossip, or are you afraid of me?"

Qin An did not answer.

Xiao Mei stared at him for a while, then suddenly said, "Qin An, tell me honestly, do you think I'm becoming increasingly shameless and lacking in self-control?"

Qin An frowned: "That's not what I meant."

"Then why do you always try to distance yourself from me?" Xiao Mei slowly walked up to him and looked up at him.

She wasn't wearing heavy makeup today, only a thin layer of lip rouge, but her eyes were already red-rimmed and her lips were slightly pursed, as if she was trying her best to hold back tears.

"In the palace, you kissed me and hugged me. We had physical intimacy and were just one step away from taking the final step. But now that we're on this ship, you keep calling me 'Your Majesty' and don't even dare to look at me twice."

Xiao Mei looked away, her voice growing softer and softer, "In your heart, you still look down on me."

Qin An felt a throbbing sensation in his temple.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but saw Xiao Mei suddenly turn her back, her shoulders trembling slightly.

She didn't cry out loud, but just trembled slightly, like a flower that was being blown about by the wind.

Qin An ultimately softened his heart.

He took two steps forward, stood behind her, and whispered, "Your Majesty, please don't do this. I really didn't mean it that way. It's just that there are many people around, and if even the slightest hint of it gets out, neither of us will have a good ending."

Xiao Mei did not respond; instead, she trembled even more violently.

Qin An sighed inwardly, then reached out his right hand and gently placed it on her shoulder.

Xiao Mei stiffened, then turned around and buried her face in his chest.

She didn't say anything, but just gripped Qin An's robe tightly with both hands, like a drowning person grabbing the last piece of driftwood.

It seemed that having someone to rely on made Xiao Mei cry even more bitterly.

But she dared not make a sound, only sobbing continuously.

Qin An hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and gently patted her back.

After being comforted like this, Xiao Mei's emotions calmed down after a while.

"I didn't sleep a wink last night," she said, her voice muffled before his armor. "The moment I closed my eyes, I felt like the ship was going to sink."

"Yang Ming thought he was just out for a stroll, but I could tell that Yuwen Rong's smiles these past few days were fake. The more he acted like that, the more scared I became. The Yuwen family was definitely going to make a move."

Qin An was a little surprised to hear Xiao Mei's words.

This woman is definitely something.

They were able to see things so clearly from the small details; they were able to determine that the Yuwen family was about to make a move simply by observing some of Yuwen Rong's unusual behavior.

Qin An said in a low voice, "Now that you've seen through all this, you should be more cautious."

"How can I be cautious?" Xiao Mei raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed.

"I don't want to be so blatant, but I'm really scared. My premonition is getting stronger and stronger. This time, his desperate tour is probably a one-way trip."

"If he dies, I can only imagine what will happen to me as the empress. Now, the closer you are to me, the safer I will feel."

Having said all that, Xiao Mei had completely given up.

He blurted out everything that was on his mind.

"Yes, you said you would stand by my side and protect me, and I'm willing to believe you have that ability. But when it really comes down to it, would you be willing to risk your life to protect me?"

The closer I get to you, the more you push me away. How can I believe you would really risk everything for me?

"To be honest with you, I just want to take this opportunity to get closer to you, increase my leverage, and then completely tie you down."

As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks again, one after another falling onto Qin An's breastplate, shattering into tiny watermarks.

Seeing Xiao Mei's frail appearance, Qin An finally realized what was happening.

Under these circumstances, Xiao Mei was no longer the high and mighty empress she once was, but a weak and helpless woman who had completely lost her sense of security.

Qin An was at a loss as to what to do about this.

He finally said firmly, "Don't worry, I will do everything I can to protect you and prevent what she's worried about from happening."

Xiao Mei didn't rush to say anything after his promise; she simply leaned against his chest and cried silently.

After a long while, she slowly stopped, her voice hoarse as she said, "You make it sound so nice, but a man's words are just that—words. I still don't quite believe you."

Several black lines instantly appeared on Qin An's forehead.

She's already made her stance clear, what more does she want?

Qin An asked instinctively, "How do I prove it...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Xiao Mei already posing as if she were ready to be taken.

This immediately made Qin An involuntarily swallow hard: "Here? Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Although I had a premonition that I would be on tenterhooks along the way, I did not expect this moment to come so soon.

The thought of Emperor Yang Ming indulging in debauchery on the ship while he and the Empress were about to be all lovey-dovey here made Qin An's heart pound.