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

That night, the boat traveled much slower than during the day.

The lanterns on both sides of the dragon boat appeared as two blurry red dots in the mist. The sound of water lapped against the deck, one steady beat after another, which was unsettling.

Qin An sat down outside Xiao Mei's door as usual, leaning against the wall with his sword across his lap.

Although he knew the chances of something going wrong on the ship were slim, he couldn't really relax because of his duty.

Anyway, he's gotten used to it all along.

Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Xiao Mei was being bathed by several maids.

Steam rose from the tub behind the screen, and a layer of tiny flower petals floated on the surface of the water.

Xiao Mei leaned against the edge of the tub, her eyes half-closed.

The warm mist moistened her skin, gradually evaporating the fatigue from the bumpy boat ride.

The maids knelt beside her and gently washed her.

When she got up, someone took a fine cloth and gently wiped the water droplets off her body.

The other maids were also busy, some unfolding her nightgown, others making the bed.

Xiao Mei stood on the soft carpet, letting her body be wiped clean, but her gaze unconsciously fell on the half-person-high glass mirror next to her.

The woman in the mirror had a voluptuous figure, and her skin was flushed and rosy from the steam.

Although her waist is not as slender as a young girl's, it has its own unique charm with flowing curves.

She turned her body slightly to the side, her gaze sliding from her shoulders and neck down to her waist and hips, before settling back on her face.

Her features remained exquisite, and her eyes still captivating.

But the thought that she was over thirty and no longer young made Xiao Mei suddenly ask softly, "Do you think I'm getting old?"

Upon hearing this, the maids were first taken aback, and then hurriedly shook their heads, all talking at once.

"Your Majesty is joking. You still look like a young woman in her late teens. How can you say you're old?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty, your skin is even more tender and delicate than ours, making us servants feel ashamed of ourselves."

Xiao Mei remained silent, only looking at herself in the mirror.

One of the bolder maids seized the opportunity to say, "Excuse me for speaking boldly, but Your Highness is such a beauty that every part of her is perfect. Just one glance at her makes us all feel pity for her."

Xiao Mei glanced at her, a half-smile on her face: "You're so good with words."

Seeing that she was in a good mood, the maid became even bolder: "This servant is not flattering you. Your Highness is already stunningly beautiful, with unparalleled elegance, and your figure is... absolutely perfect. With such mature charm, what man in the world wouldn't be moved?"

Xiao Mei didn't say anything more, but instead looked back at the mirror.

She turned to the side, slightly turned her head, and looked at the high, rounded curves of her back in the mirror.

The light shone from the side, making the rounded shape stand out even more clearly.

She subconsciously twisted her waist and nodded in satisfaction.

"Then tell me, where is my most beautiful feature?"

The maids exchanged glances, and this time they spoke in unison: "Of course it belongs to Her Majesty..."

Xiao Mei raised an eyebrow: "What?"

"Your Highness's... there." The bold maid blushed and whispered, "Your Highness's buttocks are so pert and round, the curves are absolutely beautiful."

With her taking the lead, and Xiao Mei clearly in a good mood today, the others also became bolder.

"That's right. In other aspects, there may be people who can compare with Your Highness, but in this aspect, Your Highness is absolutely unmatched."

"Hehe... This servant seems to have heard a saying somewhere: for men, a hip wider than the shoulders brings unparalleled pleasure. Just based on this alone, one can imagine Your Majesty's charm."

These words were undoubtedly a bit offensive, but Xiao Mei, who was hiding her thoughts and in a good mood, was not angry at all. Instead, she looked at herself in the mirror a few more times and smiled slightly.

Another maidservant hurriedly said, "With Your Highness's looks, only the most powerful man in the world is worthy of you."

These words were originally meant to flatter Emperor Yang Ming.

But as Xiao Mei listened, the image of a certain person unexpectedly surfaced in her mind.

She gave a soft snort and cursed inwardly, "Hmph, you're really getting off easy!"

But she didn't show it on her face, and simply let the maid dress her in a gorgeous silk nightgown.

After dressing, Xiao Mei took advantage of the fact that the maids were busy and not paying attention to her, and quietly took out a pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

After the maids had made all the necessary preparations for Xiao Mei's bedtime, they were about to leave.

The maid, unsuspecting, took a slender incense stick from a hidden drawer, lit it, and inserted it into the incense burner.

A very faint fragrance permeated the cabin, almost imperceptible unless you sniffed closely.

After doing all this, the maids retreated to the outer room in an orderly fashion.

But for some reason, even the maids who were used to keeping watch at night felt sleepy after only a short while.

Everyone tilted their heads to the side and fell into a deep sleep.

Xiao Mei lay in bed, listening to the sound of water and the night wind outside, but she couldn't fall asleep at all.

When all was quiet, she gently lifted the covers and sat up.

Qin An was dozing off against the wall.

Just as he was at his lowest point, the door behind him opened silently a crack.

He was sleeping soundly when he suddenly opened his eyes and tightened his grip on the sword hilt.

Seeing that there were no enemies in front of him, he relaxed, thinking that it was just a maid who had gotten up in the middle of the night.

Turning his head to the side, he saw Xiao Mei's head peeking out from the doorway.

Her long hair was loose over her shoulders, and her face was free of makeup. Only her eyes shone brightly in the dim light, and she was gently waving at him.

Just as Qin An was about to ask, Xiao Mei put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, then grabbed his wrist and led him into the cabin.

Qin An hesitated for a moment.

He knew, of course, that this ship was different from other places; Xiao Mei's cabin even had maids on night watch.

But seeing Xiao Mei's expression, which seemed to indicate that she had something urgent to attend to, he still followed her inside.

The cabin was much warmer than outside, and there was a very faint fragrance in the air, unlike the orchids and musk that I usually smelled.

Qin An glanced around without making a sound. The room was dimly lit, and the large bed behind the screen had its curtains half-drawn.

Several maids on night duty sat leaning against the corner of the wall, their heads tilted to the side, clearly fast asleep.

"They..." Qin An had just opened his mouth when Xiao Mei pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on tiptoe.

The fragrance grew clearer as she drew closer, as if it were a tangible part of his breath.

Qin An raised his hand to push her away, but his hand landed on her waist. Her waist was soft and warm, and through the thin silk nightgown, he could almost touch her delicate skin.

His breath hitched.

But after glancing at the maids in the room, Qin An still had great willpower to turn his head away, and Xiao Mei's kiss landed on his chin.

"Are you crazy?" Qin An asked in a low voice. "They're still inside."

Xiao Mei buried her face in the crook of his neck and chuckled softly, "Don't worry, they've already fainted. They won't wake up until late tomorrow morning."

Qin An was taken aback, then looked at the maids again.

Sure enough, those people's breathing was excessively even.

One of them even had half a rolled-up embroidered handkerchief in his hand, frozen in mid-air, clearly not the appearance of someone who had fallen asleep naturally.

Recalling the unusual scent of incense he'd smelled when he came in, he instantly realized: "You tampered with the incense?"

Xiao Mei had nothing to hide from Qin An.

"I haven't been in the palace for nothing all these years." She tilted her head up, her soft breath brushing against his throat. "In my spare time, I learned some perfumery techniques. Making some harmless incense isn't difficult at all."

Qin An's breathing became slightly heavier.

Along the way, Xiao Mei had teased him openly and subtly more than once or twice.

But today's display clearly indicates that it was prepared in advance.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Qin An asked.

Xiao Mei didn't answer, but instead took his hand and led him to the bed behind the screen.

Qin An remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.

He was still somewhat worried.

He was indeed very angry with Xiao Mei during this period, but he remained rational as long as he didn't lose his temper.

Even though he already understood what Xiao Mei wanted to do, he still thought it was too risky.

"Have you thought this through?" he said in a low voice. "We're on a ship, and the Emperor is right ahead. If we make even the slightest noise..."

"I'm not afraid." Xiao Mei interrupted him, turned around, and looked at him intently. "I've waited so many days for an opportunity to bring you in. Now that a crisis is looming, I can't wait any longer."

As she spoke, she reached out her hand directly to Qin An: "Don't tell me you don't want to; your reaction doesn't fool me."

Qin An wasn't driven by lust, but sensing Xiao Mei's determination, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"There's really no need to be in such a hurry..." He said this with a clear lack of confidence.

Since Xiao Mei has gone this far, she has clearly gone all out.

"Right now, we're surrounded by rebels in front and wolves behind. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. I don't want to die just as a 'Your Majesty' in your mouth."

Qin An felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.

He certainly understood what Xiao Mei meant.

This woman has been pushed to the limit.

Yang Ming was indulging in revelry at the bow of the boat, completely unaware that a knife was already at his neck.

Yuwen Hua always seemed to be smiling, but in reality, he could cause trouble at any moment.

The rebels outside are like a large net, tightening their grip more and more.

She wanted to stay firmly bound to herself until everything completely collapsed.

Qin An could understand Xiao Mei's feelings about this.

But while he understood, he still thought they should be cautious and patiently advised, "We've already come this far, you'll be mine sooner or later, there's no need to risk your life."

"I told you I would protect you, you don't need to do this."

"You say you'll protect me," Xiao Mei chuckled, raising her hand to press against his chest, her fingertips sliding inside the gaps in his nail plates. "But I don't feel at ease. What I want is for you to be unable to leave, even if you want to."

Before Qin An could say anything more, Xiao Mei leaned close to his ear, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of water.

"You'd better think this through. Didn't Yang Ming have designs on your woman before? If you take me tonight, you'll be cuckolding him and getting revenge on him."

"But if you wait until he dies before taking me in, you'll just be picking up his widow. You understand the difference better than I do."

These words were like a red-hot needle, piercing straight into Qin An's mind.

He just doesn't understand this principle at all.

He can still tell the difference between stealing and taking over someone else's business!