Chapter 253 Military News

"I respect your choice!" Lu Jing was silent for a long time, staring deeply into Su Qingwan's eyes, then he gently raised the corners of his mouth and smiled with a little helplessness, "Huainan, it is your hometown, and it is also the sad place where you and your people were separated. If I were in your position, I might find it difficult to give up my concern for Huainan in this life. But... Xiaowu, people have to move forward after all. You want to save Huainan and break free from the painful shackles of being exterminated, but you can't be trapped in the shadow of seven years old for the rest of your life."

Su Qingwan tilted her head slightly, her eyes full of curiosity, staring at him without blinking, and asked: "Lu Jing, do you have any regrets in your life?"

Regret? Lu Jing asked himself in his heart.

"Yes!" He said without any hesitation, his voice low but firm.

"What is it?" Su Qingwan asked.

Lu Jing pondered for a moment, his thoughts drifting back to many years ago, and he slowly said: "It was the year my father passed away. At that time, my essay was rated as A, and my father was very happy and promised to take me to the suburbs to ride horses. We packed everything and were about to go out, but who would have thought that something suddenly happened on the river bank. He was just a ninth-rank official, not the local governor. At that time, so many people rushed to the river bank to rescue the disaster, and his absence was not a big deal. My father was busy with official duties on weekdays, and he hadn't been with me for a long time. If I had been a little willful and had a bad temper at that time, and insisted that he accompany me to ride horses, my father would definitely have agreed to my request because of his love for me. But unfortunately... although I was unhappy in my heart, I still pretended to understand. Later, I asked a group of brothers to go out of town to play. I had a great time that day and told Zhou Jingming that my father didn't come to accompany me. I was more comfortable with my brothers. As a result, the bad news about my father came soon after. This should be the most regrettable thing in my life. Sometimes I often think that if fate can have mercy on me once and give me a chance to start over, I will stop my father from going to the riverbank at all costs. But I also know in my heart that all this is unsolvable. It was simply a long-planned killing. No matter how hard I tried or how regretful I was, I could not change the outcome of my father's departure. In the final analysis, I was too weak when I was young and had no ability to protect my father. "

Su Qingwan listened quietly, feeling a strong resonance in her heart. She felt the same sense of powerlessness and pain.

Just like the day when Huainan's family was exterminated, she had imagined countless times that it would be great if she had the power to destroy the world, so that she could save her people. But at that time, she was only seven years old. Facing the tragedy, she could only cry, hide, and secretly survive in fear.

They all experienced separation and death at the most powerless and tender age, and all of this was caused by man-made disasters, not natural disasters. Such regrets and pain, like an unhealable scar, will follow them throughout their lives and become the source of dull pain in their dreams at midnight.

"It's good now. You got the power as you wished. From now on, you will never lose what you cherish!" Su Qingwan forced herself to suppress the uncomfortable emotions in her heart and deliberately made her tone sound as cold as possible. She knew too well that she must not give Lu Jing any unrealistic hope. Because once you give hope, but fail to fulfill the promise in the end, that would be the cruelest thing. Recalling that when she was in Kyoto, she had promised to marry him. Three points of that were sincere, but more of it was to use him to achieve her own goals. Doing such a thing was not authentic.

Moreover, now that their identities are different and many things have been laid out, she can no longer do things that take advantage of other people's feelings.

Lu Jing locked his eyes on her and asked, "I'm leaving Beijing tomorrow, Xiao Wu, are you really unwilling to give me even a promise? Even if it's just a thought for me, it would be fine."

"Nianqing hasn't come back yet. I can't promise you now!" Su Qingwan said, pouring herself another glass of wine, her face calm, "If Nianqing doesn't want to return to his ancestral home and doesn't want to be trapped in Huainan, I will respect his choice. By then, I will stay in Huainan for the rest of my life. In this way, there will be no fate between you and me. Even if you force it, it will not work. If you insist on taking me to Kyoto, we will only become a couple who hate each other in the end."

"Don't threaten me with this. Are you really so sure that I dare not do that?" Lu Jing's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a smile, "You have been governing the southwest since you were a teenager, traveling all over the country, dealing with various forces, and dancing with long sleeves. But in front of me, you like to leave no room for maneuver. The reason you do this is because I like you and will indulge you again and again!"

After hearing this, Su Qingwan was speechless and didn't know how to respond.

"But, Xiaowu, my patience is limited." Lu Jing's tone gradually became calm, but there was a hint of unquestionable toughness. "Maybe it's because we have spent too little time together, and you don't know me well enough. But you should know that if I decide I want something, I will do everything I can to get it." Su Qingwan heard this and felt an ominous premonition in her heart. However, Lu Jing poured her a glass of wine as if nothing had happened, and then said: "Now is the period of national mourning, I have plenty of patience to wait for you. After the national mourning is over, the matter between us should have a clear ending."

"Okay!" Su Qingwan suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and agreed reluctantly.

The next morning, Lu Jing, Li An and a group of Jinyiwei, prepared to leave Huainan.

Su Qingwan went to see him off and accompanied him all the way to the city gate. As the saying goes, even if you travel a thousand miles, you must still say goodbye. At this moment, looking at Lu Jing's departing back, Su Qingwan felt an inexplicable melancholy in her heart.

Is this a farewell? Logically, she should be used to parting.

After her clan was exterminated, she was raised in the southwest and left her hometown at a young age. When she was ten years old, she followed the guards of the Huainan Palace to the south of the Yangtze River to learn how to negotiate the construction of the grain and horse road from the south of the Yangtze River to the southwest. She also negotiated with the governor of the south of the Yangtze River in the name of the princess of the southwest. This trip lasted for several months, and during that time, she never really missed home.

After returning to the southwest, the princess felt sorry for her for being so tired at such a young age. She hugged her and asked her softly if she missed home. At that time, Su Qingwan just followed the princess's words and responded with a "yes". In fact, deep in her heart, she was very afraid of establishing an intimate relationship. Because she was afraid that once an intimate relationship was established, it would be ruthlessly cut off in the end. Because of this, when she went to Jiangnan, even if she secretly saw Xie Zhaolan, she never had the courage to recognize her.

In the following years, she often traveled outside. Even in the southwest, she would leave early and return late, busy with various affairs all day long. She rarely felt attached to a person or a home. After so many years, thinking carefully, only the Huainan Palace still carried her old dreams and could be regarded as the home in her heart.

Similarly, it was difficult for her to feel attached to or dependent on anyone. But now, watching Lu Jing's back gradually going away, she felt a little bitter in her heart. She couldn't help but secretly think that if Lu Jing was willing to give up the power of the regent and come to Huainan, she might really marry him without hesitation, start a family with him, and settle down in Huainan from then on. Unfortunately, she also understood that this was just her wishful thinking.

This kind of thing is simply impossible to happen. After all, if Lu Jing is not the regent, the situation in Huainan will not be stable at all. And if she becomes the king of Huainan, although Nian Qing is a direct descendant, her status is awkward, and Lu Jing is no longer the regent. In this way, there will definitely be a bloody battle between Huainan and the court. This is undoubtedly an unsolvable dilemma. In fact, Lu Jing sees the future more than her, and this is also a tacit fact between them.

"I'm leaving!" Lu Jing turned his head and looked at Su Qingwan deeply.

"Okay!" Su Qingwan responded. As soon as she said this, she felt that her answer was too cold, and she couldn't even say a gentle word.

"Will you write to me?" Lu Jing asked again.

"Do you want it?" Su Qingwan asked back.

"want!"

"Okay!" Su Qingwan nodded in agreement.

"One letter every three days?" Lu Jing pressed the issue, as if he was getting more demanding.

Su Qingwan couldn't help but complain in her heart after hearing this. What kind of letter needs to be written every three days? It takes more than ten days to write a letter back and forth. How can you have time to reply a letter if you write a letter every three days? However, she just thought about it in her heart and didn't say it out loud. Instead, she nodded gently and responded again: "Okay!"

Seeing her agree so obediently, Lu Jing felt a little suspicious and couldn't help asking, "Are you lying to me?"

"If you don't believe it, forget it."

"I believe it!" Lu Jing was afraid of upsetting her, so he said quickly, "We agreed to send you one letter every three days, you must keep your promise."

"Okay!" Su Qingwan agreed again.

Lu Jing resisted the urge to hug her, and suddenly, he took out a jade hairpin from his arms.

The jade hairpin was warm and translucent, and it was obvious that it was worth a lot. Lu Jing raised his hand and carefully put the jade hairpin into Su Qingwan's bun. Su Qingwan was slightly startled. In Dayuan, a man giving a hairpin as a gift had a special meaning. It represented the marriage of life together, a token of love, and a promise for a lifetime, which meant that he was determined to marry her as his first wife.

Moreover, a man can only give a hairpin as a gift once in his life. Su Qingwan had seen this jade hairpin before. It was originally used by Lu Jing to tie his hair. It was of great significance. Now, he gave it to her.

Su Qingwan felt a sharp pain in her heart, and for a moment, she remained silent. Lu Jing waited quietly for a moment, and when he saw that she did not refuse, he could not help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, forming a beautiful arc.

Then, he jumped onto his horse and said loudly, "Xiao Wu, I'm leaving now. See you in the capital!"

After saying this, without waiting for Su Qingwan to reply, Lu Jing slapped the horse's hips fiercely, and the horse neighed and galloped away. The hot wind blew up his robe, and his posture was upright and open, showing his high spirits. Su Qingwan subconsciously touched the hairpin on her head, and for some reason, she smiled softly.

See you in the capital? Is he so sure that they will meet in the capital?

After Lu Jing left, Yongxuan from the southwest also had to say goodbye and leave the next day. Su Qingwan and Yun Zhizhou sent them out of the city gate together. After leaving the city gate, heading west, it was the territory of Xilin. This time, Yongxuan from Xilin came to negotiate, and the results were very fruitful. When he returns to the country, he will definitely win the hearts of the people.

His elder brother was weak and sickly, and the border military power was in the hands of Xilin Yongxuan. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be the next emperor of Xilin. As long as he ascended the throne, Xilin and Huainan would be able to usher in decades of peace.

"Second Prince, I wish you success and success!" Su Qingwan expressed her sincere wishes, "Huainan will always be your solid support. May our two countries form an alliance forever!"

Xilin Yongxuan smiled and said softly, "As the princess wishes, we will be forever allied. Princess, just wait for my good news."

"Okay!" Su Qingwan responded.

In just two days, she first sent Lu Jing away, and then sent Xilin Yongxuan away. With their departure, the palace returned to its former tranquility.

Next, they had to prepare for the wedding of General Xiaoning and Zhang Huaining. This wedding was a marriage between the mountain bandits and the Huainan Palace, and Su Qingwan and Zhang San both attached great importance to it. Su Qingwan specially invited the best embroiderer in the city to work day and night to embroider a wedding dress for Zhang Huainan.

General Xiao Ning has been in high spirits recently, with a cheerful smile on his face all day long. Su Qingwan felt happy when she saw this.

The weather in June is like a child's face, changing at any time. After Xilin Yongxuan left, the weather was gloomy for two consecutive days, as if a thunderstorm would pour down at any time.

Su Qingwan never liked thunderstorms, because every time she saw this kind of weather, she would involuntarily think of the tragic incident that happened on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. But unfortunately, what you fear will come true!

That night, everything was quiet and Su Qingwan had just fallen asleep. Suddenly, a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats broke the tranquility of the night. A blood-stained warhorse rushed to the gate of the Huainan Palace like crazy. A cavalry guard in light armor fell heavily from the horse, his arm was bleeding, and the blood from the wound was still gushing out.

"Report, Princess, urgent news from the border!" He used up his last bit of strength and raised high the military newspaper in his hand that was already stained with blood. As soon as he finished speaking, he fainted.

When Su Qingwan was woken up, she had a splitting headache. She had not slept well to begin with, and it was a thunderstorm, so she was in a bad mood. But after Lu Zhu finished speaking hurriedly, she woke up completely.

"Military report from the Light Cavalry Guard?" Su Qingwan's heart sank. Something happened at the border.

Two in one.