"The number of border guards has been reduced again and again, and those who can take on important responsibilities are not available, so it is easy to cause chaos."

Yan Qing solemnly told Yan Zhongqi, "When the country is in crisis, I still hope that the general will put himself first. Only by protecting his life can he defend his country."

Looking at his nephew, who was more than ten or twenty years younger than him, earnestly and earnestly admonishing himself, Yan Zhongqi seemed to have seen Yan Kangming, who was swearing an oath in front of the army formation.

Regardless of their age and status, at this moment, the two of them are just looking for each other.

Yan Zhongqi pulled his lips together in a rare move: "To each other."

After saying that, the three of them made detailed arrangements for their subsequent suspended animation, escape, and subsequent control of the Northland until the moon was at the top of the sky.

On February 27, the fourth year of Qianyuan, Yan Zhongqi led more than a hundred people from the capital of the North to Yikou Pass to conduct border inspections.

Before setting off, Yan Zhongqi took a rare seven-day break and stayed at home to accompany his elders and eldest sister.

Yan Qing mentioned to General Qin that he would be promoted to the defense envoy of the three regions and go to the northwest joint defense camp. He originally wanted to set off with Yan Zhongqi and others, but Mrs. Qin was reluctant to leave.

"My dear grandson comes here only once. He will leave in less than a month. Now that he is gone, he doesn't know when he will come back again."

Mrs. Qin held Yan Qing's hand and talked, her eyes full of reluctance, "Grandma knows that you soldiers must obey orders and should not delay you, but you are leaving now..."

Mrs. Qin looked at Yan Qing and then at Yan Zhongqi. She was speechless for a moment. She couldn't let go but she couldn't stay. "Anyway, you'll stay until you're done with hairpin ceremony and then leave?"

Mrs. Qin looked at Yan Qing longingly.

Yan Qing's face turned pale.

There are still about ten days before the First Festival on March 3rd. The situation is changing at the moment, and it is difficult to send outside intelligence to the Northland. If there is a difference of one day, you don’t know what will happen. In the next ten days...

There are too many variables.

"You don't have the handwriting of Zhenbei Marquis at the moment. If you want to go to the joint defense camp, you must at least get the passage order."

Yan Zhongqi, who originally came to chat with the old lady but didn't say a few words, gave a rare helping hand when the old lady Qin asked to retain someone, "Even if the adoptive father doesn't block you, the government will help you."

The approval process takes almost seven or eight days. One day more and one day less is not much different."

Yan Qing looked at Yan Zhongqi, but Yan Zhongqi was drinking tea, lowered his eyelashes, covering his thoughts, and lowered his voice and said, "It's rare to have free time, so it would be good to stay a few more days..."

Yan Qing narrowed her eyes.

Yan Zhongqi is admonishing himself that he wants to support his son but refuses to be taken care of by his relatives. He should not find out in the end that they can get along with each other within a few days and regret it later.

"good."

Yan Qing raised a faint smile and agreed to Mrs. Qin's request to stay, "We'll leave after we've passed."

Mrs. Qin was overjoyed, hugging Yan Qing's beloved son and laughing.

Yan Qin's eyes fell on Yan Zhongqi.

When will my younger brother start advising others that petty feelings are better than righteousness?

When will your daughter listen to others' advice like this again?

After leaving Shoukangyuan, Yan Qin sent Yan Qing out, but found Yan Zhongqi alone.

"Aqi, tell the truth to Sister. Are you and Qing'er hiding something from Sister?"

As soon as Yan Zhongqi entered the hall, Yan Qin looked over with stern eyes and asked sharply, leaving no room for Yan Zhongqi to think, "Is it dangerous for you to patrol the border this time?"

Looking steadily into Yan Qin's eyes, Yan Zhongqi seemed to have gone back to the time when his sister asked him about his homework when he was a child.

"Why would sister think so?"

Yan Zhongqi bent his knuckles, put his hands behind his back, and smiled slyly at Yan Qin as before, "Since it is a border patrol, there are dangers, but it is much better than going to the battlefield. I have experienced so many battles.

I'm alive, but I'm just patrolling the border, what can I do? Sister, you just like to worry a lot."

Yan Zhongqi spoke calmly and freely, even complaining that Yan Qin was looking down on him, but Yan Qin just looked at him steadily.

This made Yan Zhongqi a little panicked.

Ever since he was a child, what he was most afraid of was his sister looking at him intently with a calm eyebrow, as if she could see through all his thoughts.

In the past, he could not hold out for long under such eyes.

But this time it was different, he couldn't confess to her.

Yan Zhongqi tightened his knuckles and his palms were sweating, but he asked Yan Qin with a puzzled smile: "Why can sister look at Aqi like this? Is it possible that Aqi can still deceive sister?"

Yan Qin pursed her lips, and her eyes showed a bit of disappointment: "Aqi, do you know that every time you lie, you like to put your hands behind your back and explain a lot?"

The smile on Yan Zhongqi's face froze, and his clenched fingertips almost dug into his flesh.

After a long time, Yan Zhongqi was finally defeated and looked at Yan Qin dejectedly.

"As expected, I have never been able to hide anything from my sister."

Yan Zhongqi lowered his eyes, but his eyes were always chasing the person not far away, and his tone was soft but firm, "But I can't confess this matter to Sister. Sister, please don't ask."

Hearing this, Mrs. Yan Qin clenched her handkerchief tightly, and her breathing was stagnant.

"But... lives are at stake?"

When Yan Qin asked this question, her voice was trembling.

She knew Yan Zhongqi very well. If it was really nothing serious, he would definitely not look like this.

Yan Zhongqi did not answer, but just lowered his eyes and looked at Yan Qin carefully, as if he had done something wrong when he was a child and tried hard to please her and ask for her forgiveness.

This silent reply made Yan Qin's heart tighten. Her straight back was bent a little, and her beautiful eyes were slightly lowered, and they fell into the air in confusion.

Looking at Yan Qin's dazed expression, Yan Zhongqi pressed his lips and teeth tightly, feeling a sharp pain in his heart, but in the end he just turned his eyes away and stood there with his feet rooted, like a child who made a mistake and was waiting to be punished.

.

He would rather Yan Qin scolded him like he did when he was a child.

She could scold him for being ignorant, scolding him for being cruel, whatever she wanted was fine, as long as she didn't remain silent like this, keeping the words in her heart to torture herself.

However, Mrs. Yan Qin did not scold him, she just asked: "Dad and grandma, do you know about this?"

The slightly trembling voice, mixed with hoarseness and overflowing with exhaustion, hit Yan Zhongqi's heart word by word, and stopped him in place. He could only look at her from a distance not too far or too close as he did when he was a child.

Yan Zhongqi lowered his head and muttered: "I don't know."

There was another moment of silence.

After a long time, he heard a deep breath, which seemed like a sigh, like mourning.

Then came Yan Qin's voice: "No wonder you had to take a rest before leaving. You had made up your mind not to come back."

Yan Zhongqi bit his lips and teeth, and retorted with forbearance and reluctance: "I will be back."

Yan Qin looked over.

Yan Zhongqi raised his head to meet Yan Qin's gaze and repeated clearly: "As long as I am still alive, I will definitely come back."
Chapter completed!