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

Seeing Xiao Mei being taken by everyone, Qin An's rationality told him that this was wrong. At this crucial moment, he must not make a mistake and give others a handle to use against him.

But he had to admit that this feeling was indeed very exciting, making his blood boil.

He glanced around first, then looked down at Xiao Mei.

Her eyes were still brimming with tears, but her gaze was unusually stubborn, as if she were demanding an answer she absolutely had to get.

Seeing that Qin An didn't move, a hint of disappointment flashed in Xiao Mei's eyes, and she subconsciously asked, "Are you even a man...?"

Before the words could be fully uttered, they were completely blocked.

Xiao Mei first widened her eyes, then closed them and wrapped her arms around Qin An's neck.

She pressed herself even closer into his arms.

The kiss progressed from light to heavy, and their breaths soon mingled together.

For a moment, the two were entangled together like lovers in the throes of passion.

Xiao Mei's charm needs no further explanation.

Her behavior was even bolder than last time; if Qin An hadn't been wearing armor, she probably would have stripped him naked.

As the atmosphere heated up, Qin An was truly driven to the brink of madness by this deadly woman.

Fortunately, although Xiao Mei was indeed a little insecure, she was also very bold in her actions.

But she didn't completely lose her senses.

Just when Qin An was so aroused that she was about to disregard everything, she decided to stop after confirming that he really had strong feelings for her.

She held onto Qin An tightly, preventing him from going any further, and said in a low breath, "Don't move."

"So you're scared now?" Qin An asked, his tone slightly provocative.

"If you move again, I'm afraid you won't be able to take it," Xiao Mei chuckled.

First, she straightened the disheveled clothes, then she pulled down the skirt armor that she had lifted up for Qin An.

When she spoke again, she had completely regained her composure: "Do you really want to make our affair known to everyone right now?"

Xiao Mei calmed down, but Qin An, who was caught in this predicament, was furious.

This woman really is only responsible for starting fires, not putting them out.

Seeing Qin An's unsatisfied and frustrated expression, Xiao Mei chuckled and comforted him, "There's no need to rush these things. I'll be yours sooner or later. Do you think I'd run away?"

After being persuaded by her, Qin An regained some of his rationality.

Looking at the alluring Xiao Mei, he hesitated for a moment before finally asking a question.

"There's something I've never understood: how did you come to be interested in me?"

Now that they had reached the point of being frank and open with each other, Qin An stopped hiding anything, but looked at Xiao Mei with a puzzled expression.

Although he considered himself to be quite good, he was not so arrogant as to think that he was universally loved.

As the Empress, Xiao Mei possessed such astonishing charm that even if something were to happen, Qin An did not believe that her fate would be too tragic.

She could have had a much better life.

Why did you choose to believe in yourself?

After all, there is indeed an age gap between the two.

Xiao Mei didn't mind Qin An's bluntness. She turned around, walked to the table, poured herself a cup of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp to cool herself down.

"To be honest, I don't fully understand either." With her back to Qin An, her voice had regained its usual composure. "Perhaps this is fate. My intuition tells me that you are the best choice, and only you can provide the sense of security I want."

Qin An walked two steps behind her, waiting for her to continue.

"There's a secret I've never told anyone: I seem to have been born with an extraordinary intuition."

Xiao Mei's gaze fell on the river outside the window, her voice so soft it seemed to drift from a great distance.

"Many years ago, when I was still an unmarried girl, I caught a glimpse of His Majesty, who was then a prince, in a crowd."

"He was very young then, riding on horseback, he looked like a sword drawn from its sheath. I only glanced at him and thought to myself that he was destined for great things. And it turned out that after I married him, he really did ascend to the throne."

She paused, then continued, "At first, I could always sleep soundly at night when I was by his side, but ever since he ascended the throne, he has become increasingly arrogant and self-willed. I can no longer find that sense of security I used to have with him."

Xiao Mei turned around and looked at Qin An: "I had long lost all hope in him and was almost ready to give up until I met you. Your appearance filled this void in my heart."

Qin An remained silent for a moment after listening to her heartfelt monologue.

Although at first glance, it feels like you're being used as a backup option, or a sucker who ends up being dumped.

But that depends on who you're comparing it to.

"You're overestimating me, aren't you?" Qin An said with a wry smile.

He is still self-aware, even though he is becoming more and more capable and his status is constantly rising.

But he knew very well that no matter how capable he was, in this chaotic world, he could only achieve so much at most.

As for reaching the summit, that's something I wouldn't even dare to dream of.

In response, Xiao Mei said seriously, "You don't need to belittle yourself. My intuition is never wrong. You are my best choice."

She spoke frankly, and the seductive allure of before was gone from her eyes, replaced by a serene calm.

Qin An stepped forward and reached out to tidy up the stray hairs around her temples: "Since that's what you think, then rest assured and relax. I'll take care of things outside."

Xiao Mei looked at him and suddenly laughed: "You always manage to make sweet talk sound like a military order. But I love hearing it."

Qin An couldn't help but smile: "Then let's rest. I'll keep watch outside."

Xiao Mei nodded, went behind the screen to change into some light clothes, and then came out again.

Qin An helped her close the window halfway, then checked the cabin inside and out again to make sure there were no problems before preparing to leave.

"Don't go far." Xiao Mei lay on the bed, looking at him sideways. "You promised me all this way."

"I'm not leaving," Qin An said.

He turned and left the cabin, closing the door behind him.

The maids were still standing with their hands at their sides in the outer corridor.

Upon seeing him emerge, they all lowered their heads, not daring to look at him for even a second.

Qin An stood by the door, leaning against the deck, gazing absently at the white waves churning at the stern.

The boat had left the shore, and the green mountains on both banks slowly receded into the distance. As dusk approached, a thin twilight mist rose over the river, enveloping the entire dragon boat in an unreal, warm yellow hue.

Qin An glanced back at the tightly closed cabin door, then looked towards the main cabin in the distance.

The place was brightly lit, and the faint sounds of string and wind instruments drifted on the river breeze.

Yang Ming's laughter occasionally escaped, sounding particularly jarring amidst the music.

……

The rest of the voyage was surprisingly calm.

The waterway from the capital to Luoyang was fought hard by Qin An and his men during their previous campaign to quell the rebellion.

The towns and passes along the way had already been cleared, and government troops patrolled every ten miles along both banks. Not to mention the rebels, even ordinary river bandits dared not show their faces.

This was also one of the important reasons why Qin An had previously suspected that the rewards for suppressing the rebellion last time were exceptionally generous, and why he and his men had quelled the rebel forces along the way and recaptured Luoyang.

After all, if Luo City were still under someone else's control, the emperor's grand plan to tour the south would be impossible.

As a result, the fleet sailed very smoothly, amidst a great commotion of drums and music.

Yang Ming spent his days feasting and making merry on the boat, treating the cruise as a fairyland on the water.

Upon reaching Los Angeles, the fleet docked for supplies.

Yang Ming only had a local official summoned aboard the ship for a few questions, and without even entering the city, he ordered the ship to continue south.

Qin An saw this and was not surprised.

Although Los Angeles has a rich history, it has only recently been ravaged by war and is no longer what it once was. The docks are poorly maintained and the streets are deserted, so there's not much to see.

Moreover, Yang Ming's heart had already flown to the prosperous Jiangnan region.

The fleet traveled south along the newly dug canal at a very high speed.

This river was built by Yang Ming using up all the national funds.

The river is wide and the current is gentle, allowing large ships of several hundred tons to sail steadily on it as if on flat ground.

The laborers on both sides of the river were still repairing sections of the embankment. When they saw the dragon boat, they knelt down in a dense mass.

But the further south you go, the more different the smell in the air becomes.

The ease on everyone's faces on the boat seemed to be slowly eroded by something unseen.

In fact, apart from Yang Ming, who was kept in the dark, everyone else knew the truth.

The current state of Daxing is not as peaceful as Yang Ming had imagined.

The rebels were not completely wiped out; instead, the situation escalated.

The closer they got to the south, the more rampant the rebels became.

Now that the emperor is on a southern tour, the rebels will definitely not miss the opportunity and will surely come to ambush him. There will inevitably be a battle between the court and the rebels.

Qin An naturally dared not be negligent.

Wherever he went, he would first send out scout ships thirty miles ahead, and then personally inspect the area around the fleet.

At night, he almost never returned to his cabin, but instead spread a felt mat outside Xiao Mei's door and dozed off against the wall.

After traveling for eight or nine days, the fleet was no more than a hundred miles away from Jiangcheng.

Logically, the closer you get to your destination, the more relaxed you should be.

But Qin An's heart sank deeper each day.

Seemingly sensing Qin An's nervousness, Xiao Mei deliberately sent all the maids away again that day, leaving Qin An alone.

She sat directly in Qin An's lap, stroking him with one hand, and asked with puzzlement, "Shouldn't it be a good thing that there are no rebel attacks? Why do I feel like you're not so happy?"

Qin An was already used to Xiao Mei's affectionate gestures.

He didn't care about Xiao Mei's mischievous little hands. While one hand roamed over Xiao Mei's body, he explained in a deep voice.

"It's too quiet! We've traveled south without a trace of the rebels; this is illogical. How could these rebels possibly ignore the emperor's grand southern tour?"

"Unless, they are brewing something big."

Qin An did not look at Xiao Mei, but instead gazed at the misty river outside the window with a solemn expression.

The thought of that possibility made him uneasy, and he unconsciously increased the pressure on his hand.

Xiao Mei didn't care about her own pain, but after hearing Qin An say that, a sense of urgency flashed across her face.

She looked up at Qin An, her eyes flickering with struggle before she seemed to make a decision: "Perhaps, it's time to tie him down completely!"