Chapter 54: Awakening

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Shen Ruojin had finally returned home.

Qin Lang guided the somewhat dazed Shen Ruojin inside.

The corpses and bloodstains that had once cluttered the hall had been cleared away by the guards. The snow had melted, and plum blossoms drifted gently to the ground.

Bit by bit, the scene overlapped with the home she remembered.

That day, Shen Ruojin had fought with all her might to open the gates of Xizhou City, bringing home fifty thousand soldiers of the Shen family alive.

Qin Lang had dealt with the remnants of chaos within the city, erased the Protectorate Office, and restored the General’s Mansion to the Shen family.

After so long adrift, Shen Ruojin could finally come home.

“I’ve never liked that Protectorate Office from the start—it’s finally torn down!”

“Well done!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

General Li had not stepped through these gates once since the General’s Mansion was turned into the Protectorate Office.

Today truly felt like a turning point, everything falling into place.

The group strode inside confidently.

The soldiers carried the elderly General Shen back to his former main residence, and Shen Ruojin followed.

Her grandfather had yet to awaken, and she could not bring herself to relax.

She had to stay by his side.

Qin Lang said nothing to dissuade her but warned, “You smell of blood and sweat—don’t let that disturb Grandfather.”

In truth, he wasn’t much cleaner himself. After ordering hot water and food to be brought in, he went to wash up first.

Shen Ruojin had intended to stay by her grandfather’s bedside but, smelling the stench clinging to herself, hurried to bathe and change clothes before returning.

When she came back, a bowl of noodle soup and steamed buns were already laid out on the table.

The buns were the same as those handed out to soldiers at the city gates—made with chicken broth and filled with meat. Shen Ruojin was ravenous and devoured them quickly.

Even eating so fast, the aroma was intoxicating.

She sent someone to prepare some porridge, not knowing when her grandfather would awaken. He must be starving if he hadn’t eaten.

Better to have it ready.

Shen Ruojin took a soft cushion, placed it beside the bed, and sat cross-legged, resting her forehead against the edge of the bed, settling in to wait.

That way, if her grandfather woke, she would know immediately.

“Grandfather, I’m really… so tired. I’ll just rest a while. You mustn’t oversleep—wake up quickly. There are still so many matters in Xizhou City waiting for your decisions.”

As she spoke, she slowly drifted off against the bed’s edge.

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After all, she was neither a favored general of the emperor nor a man; if she hadn’t miraculously captured the military token and apprehended Yang Wanxiong last night, she would never have been able to command the Xizhou garrison.

Today, she could only mobilize these commanders because the Xichang army was at the city gates. If they did not heed her, there would be no better options at hand.

If the old General Shen failed to awaken, the situation in Xizhou City remained precarious.

Only with her grandfather awake and commanding from the city could the army be steadied. Even if he did nothing else, as long as he lived, it was a huge relief to her.

As Shen Ruojin slept, these thoughts haunted her dreams.

After Qin Lang finished dressing and bathing, he entered the room and saw her curled up like a cat beside the old general’s bed.

On such a cold day, she hadn’t even covered herself with a blanket.

Annoyed at her lack of self-care, Qin Lang quickly approached, intending to wake her. His hand nearly touched her shoulder but then he turned to fetch a cushioned chair from the outer room, placing it beside the bed.

He gently lifted Shen Ruojin and laid her across the chair.

She was exhausted, sleeping deeply. Suddenly sensing someone near, she instinctively reached out to strike, but upon opening her eyes groggily and seeing Qin Lang, she withdrew her hand.

“You sleep. I’ll watch over Grandfather,” Qin Lang whispered, pulling a blanket over her.

“Mm…” Shen Ruojin mumbled in response.

Had anyone else said they would watch over her grandfather, she would have worried. But somehow, hearing it from Qin Lang allowed her to continue sleeping.

Qin Lang tucked the blanket neatly around her, spread the cushion on the floor wider, and sat cross-legged between the bed and the chair.

With his back leaning against Shen Ruojin’s chair, he glanced at the old general before closing his eyes to rest.

The room was silent.

Outside, however, footsteps echoed as General Li and others tried to enter and see the old general but were stopped by Wei Qingshan.

“Miss Ten and your husband are inside. What are you doing coming in? Dr. Lu said the old general must rest quietly—no disturbances.”

Wei Qingshan sent them away and quietly peered through the window for a long moment before leaving.

Time passed swiftly into the afternoon.

Qin Lang had watched over General Shen for hours without him waking. He then sent for hot water to cleanse the general’s grime and helped him change into fresh clothes.

When Shen Yi opened his eyes, he saw the young lord gently wiping his hands.

“Grandfather’s awake,” Qin Lang smiled warmly. Seeing the old man’s dazed expression, he called out again, “Grandfather?”

“Little Ten…” Shen Yi’s voice was hoarse and barely audible.

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He gripped Qin Lang’s hand tightly. “If I’m dead, then so be it… but how did my good Little Ten become a man?”

The old general had once said, “If our Little Ten were a man, he would certainly surpass your uncles and brothers.”

But he had never thought it was a bad thing that Little Ten was a girl.

That had just been praise.

This hell truly was hell—good girls turned into men.

Seeing the old general so confused and frightened upon waking, Qin Lang quickly reassured him, “Grandfather, you’re not dead, and Little Ten hasn’t turned into a man. You just woke up, so take it easy. I am Little Ten’s husband.”

“Little Ten’s… husband?” Shen Yi’s mind cleared suddenly.

Of course.

Little Ten had married.

From now on, there would be one more person in the world who called him “Grandfather.”

But how had Little Ten’s husband come to be here?

Before he could ponder further, the old general grasped Qin Lang’s hand and asked anxiously, “Little Ten, my Little Ten?”

“She’s asleep right over there,” Qin Lang said, gesturing toward the chair. “You’re both fine.”

The old general gradually calmed, his voice hoarse as he asked, “The Shen family army…”

Qin Lang replied, “Yesterday she captured Yang Wanxiong, took the military token, opened the city gates, and brought the Shen family army inside.”

The room fell into quiet, their voices low.

This was not Qin Lang’s first meeting with the old general, but they had little interaction. The old general was more familiar with Qin Qi and did not know Qin Lang well.

His vision still blurred, he focused on the two concerns most dear to him, then lay back to rest without asking Qin Lang’s name.

He simply assumed him to be Pei Jing, the top scholar from the capital who had come with messages days before.

Shen Yi’s voice was weak as he said, “Little Ten was taught to be too headstrong by me, causing you to follow her all the way to the western frontier…”

Qin Lang said, “Family matters are not for outsiders to discuss. Grandfather just woke up—don’t trouble yourself with unnecessary worries. Rest well; I’ll fetch Dr. Lu and the physician.”

“Thank you,” Shen Yi whispered. “Little Ten is exhausted. Let her sleep as long as she needs. Don’t wake her.”

Qin Lang nodded, about to reply, when Shen Ruojin suddenly sprang up from the chair with a lively flip, eyes still half closed but rushing to the bedside.

“Grandfather! You’ve finally woken!”