The General Is Seriously Ill

【Sweet, sunny, and slightly scatterbrained spy x cold-faced, love-struck general】 【Married first, fall in love later | face-slapping】 Ling Qing, the third son of the Duke of Zhenguo's household in the Northern Chi Kingdom, was strikingly handsome, with a jade-like face and a blade-cold gaze. Still young, he was already in command of the Imperial Guard, and the dream man of countless noblewomen in the capital. On the day the Duke's household chose a match for him, calling cards from noblewomen piled up like snow across the city. He glanced over them all, then pointed to the little matchmaker waiting below the steps, who had been delivering a client's card. Their betrothal shattered countless young women's hearts. Not long after Ling Qing's marriage, complaints began to spread through the capital. People said the general's wife had no interest in managing the household after the wedding, spending her days out and about and failing to behave as a proper wife should. She was no good wife at all. They couldn't understand why the young general never kept her in line. Qi Ying herself had this to say: Do you outsiders really not get it?! It's because your young general is a hopeless romantic!! Qi Ying: “Have you read ‘The Cold-Faced General Falls for Me’?! It's got the forced-marriage trope! He's totally smitten!” “You have no idea. When we first met on the frontier, I got out of my carriage and the way he looked at me, tsk, tsk, tsk, it was something else!” “He definitely fell for me at first sight!” On their wedding night, Qi Ying happily penned a letter: Senior Brother, I'm in Northern Chi, and my undercover mission has succeeded. I've confirmed that Ling Qing is deeply in love with me. We may be able to use his feelings to help with the organization's mission. P.S. Once I finish the mission and return home in glory, I'll come back and marry you properly, okay! * The world did not know that ever since his brother's death, Ling Qing had hated spies from the enemy kingdom of Southern Chi with every fiber of his being. So when his subordinate reported that a suspicious woman had been spotted near the border, he went there himself. Ling Qing smiled as he watched the woman step out of her carriage. With her flashy clothes and outrageous way of speaking, what could she be but a Southern Chi spy? Ling Qing had intended to interrogate her on the spot, but after investigating her background, he found no flaw in Qi Ying's identity. Grinding his teeth, he had no choice but to let her go. They met again when the Duke of Zhenguo's household began choosing a bride for him. Calling cards filled the entire residence, piled as high as a mountain. With old scores unsettled, how could he think of starting a family? Ling Qing grew irritable and was about to toss them all back when he spotted the little matchmaker waiting below. A cold smile flickered in Ling Qing's eyes. We meet again, little spy. Their eyes met. Qi Ying stared straight at him, bright-eyed and unflinching. After a long moment, she gave him a silly grin. Ling Qing slowly straightened up and changed his mind. This spy was so stupid that he might as well marry her and keep her close, letting her do as she pleased. That way, he could follow the trail and wipe out every Southern Chi spy in one fell swoop. * “The Young General's Observation Journal · Page One” On the first day of marriage, on our wedding night, I tested her. Her palms are soft and her movements clumsy, but she is exceptionally skilled at disguise. They say Southern Chi spies are uncanny. This retreat-as-a-feint tactic is indeed extraordinary! “The Young General's Observation Journal · Page Thirty-Seven” Today I pretended to teach the spy archery, hoping to probe her martial skills. But the moment I got close, my blood surged and my heart pounded, leaving me feverish. That Southern Chi spy must have cast a love spell on me. What impressive methods! “The Young General's Observation Journal · Page Eighty-Eight” The love spell's effects keep getting stronger. When I woke this morning and saw the spy sleeping, my blood rushed and an unbearable heat rose within me. The spies of Southern Chi are truly vicious! … “The Young General's Observation Journal · Page Seven Hundred and Eight” A Ying's senior brother came today, and she called him her husband… ? Wait. If he's her husband, then who am I?? Reader's guide / content warnings: 1. Both leads are sexually and emotionally faithful. The heroine and the second male lead were only betrothed and never married; she has no romantic feelings for him. 2. In the early and middle parts, the leads marry first and fall in love later. In the later parts, the brooding second male lead desperately tries to win her back. Both male leads are prone to convincing themselves of things. 3. A period-costume version of a breakup coach. Fictional dynasty with some original worldbuilding. Theme: Family, country, and the world.