Chapter 131 Letter from My Son

Xue Yucheng felt sad when he recalled it. His brother was only seventeen years old at that time, the same age as Yun Jin in front of him, but he had so many responsibilities on his shoulders.

Yun Jin didn't know what Xue Yucheng was thinking, but after he sneezed because he was so cold, all he could think about was this year's winter clothes.

"General, do you think the winter clothes can be delivered smoothly this year?" Yun Jin's tone was a little worried.

Last year, not only was the winter clothes sent by the court late, but the material inside was not thick enough and the workmanship was crude, and they would fall apart if torn.

The soldiers were wearing shoddy winter clothes, blowing in the northwest wind as they opened their mouths and cursed the court for being incompetent.

Fortunately, the Hu people only caused minor trouble on the border once or twice last year. If they had invaded the border on a large scale, many soldiers of the Xue family army might have been injured and frozen to death.

Xue Yucheng and a group of deputy generals also cursed the ancestors of those who cut corners in the tent.

This year, Xue Yucheng submitted three memorials to the court asking for winter clothes. If the court did not respond, Xue Yucheng would send his deputy general to Chang'an to urge for them.

Fortunately, I finally got a reply on the third time. I heard that this year's cotton-padded jackets would be made in Lingnan and sent from Lingnan.

Yun Jin had never been to Lingnan, but he felt that something was amiss.

"Didn't the military uniforms used to be made in Jiangnan Province? Why did it change to Lingnan this year?"

Xue Yucheng stared, unsure of how things would turn out and what the court meant.

Yun Jin suddenly slapped his head, then took out a letter from his pocket:

"I almost forgot. I got this from the tavern owner in Jinman County this morning."

The seat of Tingzhou was located in Jinman County, which was dozens of miles away from the military camp and was the largest county town nearby.

There is a tavern in Jinman County that has been open for many years. The owner behind the tavern is a close confidant of the Xue family, and this tavern has become a meeting point.

Xue Yucheng's eyes suddenly lit up and he couldn't wait to take the letter and read it.

[Father, I respectfully report:

My son's illness has healed, and his health is gradually returning to normal. He can now practice with a sword and run across the wilderness. The chills and fevers he once suffered no longer plague him... The village is bustling with activity, with thousands of craftsmen working together to make winter clothing to protect him from the harsh cold...

As he watched, Xue Yucheng's usually stern face suddenly broke into a big smile, and even the wrinkles between his eyebrows smoothed out.

Yun Jin's scalp tingled. "General, what are you doing? If you have something to say, talk to me nicely. Don't scare me."

Xue Yucheng didn't glare at Yun Jin, but laughed out loud:

“Okay… okay… hahahahaha…”

Thanks to the blessings of the Xue family’s ancestors, Che’er’s illness was cured!

He had worried that Che'er would not live past adulthood, but now, Che'er said that he was in good health.

What’s more, the army’s winter clothes were actually produced in a workshop in Liangmin Village.

Zixin does things, and he is trustworthy.

“Okay, okay!”

Great joy, great joy!

Xue Yucheng read the letter three times, then laughed and burned it by the candlelight.

When the letter was completely burned to ashes in the flames, he walked out of the tent carrying a pot of wine.

Yun Jin followed him out: "Hey General, it's cold outside, don't take your body for granted."

The stars are shining and the moon is bright in the sky.

Xue Yucheng faced the moon and poured a glass of wine on the ground.

The moonlight is as bright as a silver thread.

With tears in his eyes, he poured himself another glass of wine.

May God bless you.

My son has recovered.

It's time to grow up.

…

Chang'an, the imperial city.

The weather was so hot that it was unbearable, but fortunately, after a few days of heat, there was a heavy rainstorm.

There were lightning, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain.

A bolt of lightning struck from the sky and hit a locust tree in the palace.

It was not the dead locust tree in Myeonghye Palace, but the one not far from Ganyang Palace.

The flowers and plants near Ganyang Temple are well taken care of, with lush branches and leaves and clusters of flowers.

The crown of the locust tree was covered with small yellow and white flowers, but a thick bolt of lightning fell and hit the top of the tree, emitting a brief and dazzling light.

The trunk of the tree was instantly charred black, and the petals and leaves fell down burning under the lightning strike, with broken branches and leaves scattered all over the ground.

"My queen, that thunder must have been struck by the thunder god with a hammer." Dongyue exaggeratedly recounted the description she had heard from others.

In Minghui Palace, Pei Shu and Dong Yue, the master and servant, were sitting in the house putting dried locust flowers into jars.

A layer of flowers, a layer of sugar.

Fill it until it is 80% full, then pour in the wine.

The grown-up Chujiu squatted at the door, looking left and right vigilantly.

"Fortunately, I was smart and had already put in a lot of locust flowers." Dongyue happily spread the locust flowers in.

After she learned that Pei Shu was very good at brewing locust flower wine, she went around the palace "stealing flowers" and was busy for many days.

Finally, he collected several sacks of locust flowers in Minghui Palace, which made Pei Shu laugh and cry.

"You talk as if you saw it with your own eyes." Pei Shu sprinkled a layer of sugar evenly on the petals.

Dongyue ran to the door and looked at the empty courtyard, then walked back and said:

"I didn't see it, but many palace servants did. I heard that when the lightning struck, the big yellow dog was passing by that place, and sparks were splashed on his body. Maybe the lightning was meant to gouge him."

Dongyue used "big yellow dog" to refer to a man in the palace who was wearing a bright yellow robe.

Pei Shu couldn't help but smile faintly.

She was obviously in a good mood these past two days, and she would even respond to Dongyue's chatter.

One reason was that she was brewing locust flower wine, and the other was that she received a letter from Murong Di written back from Lingnan.

When Murong Di submitted the memorial to the emperor to pay his respects, he also attached a letter to Pei Shu.

It is normal for a son to report his safety to his biological mother when he is away.

When the letter was handed to Pei Shu, Pei Shu saw traces on the envelope, as expected, it had been opened.

The letter contained a few brief sentences, which basically said that he was safe outside.

The handwriting is very ugly, just as ugly as the one on the memorial.

Pei Shu looked very pleased and read it several times before putting it down.

"These jars have been packed and buried in the corner of the backyard in the next two days."

Pei Shu filled all the wine jars, and then went to tear some ribbons to embroider.

I still embroidered casually, but I embroidered a lot of them and put them all in the box.

Dong Yue rubbed her shoulders and said, "Then we have to dig a hole again. Before I came, did Your Majesty dig the soil with her own hands?"

Pei Shu smiled again:

"Not only me, Di'er will help. He was also noisy when he was a child and liked to dig things in the ground to play with."

Dongyue couldn't imagine Murong Di squatting on the ground playing with mud, but she thought of another thing:

"Your Majesty, I heard that the imperial court ordered Lingnan to make winter clothes for the Northwest Army. I wonder if this has anything to do with our prince."

"Xue's army?" The needle in Pei Shu's hand suddenly became slanted.

Dongyue: “It seems so.”

Pei Shu lowered her head to embroider the ribbon: "The decree should have nothing to do with Di'er, but this matter is very serious, Di'er will not stay out of it."

The shadow of the tree shines through the window lattice and falls on the needle and thread in my hand.

Dong Yue saw the smile on Pei Shu's face disappear, and hurriedly said: "The prince is so smart, he will definitely find a way to do this."

Pei Shu was silent for a while.

Making good military uniforms is just the first step.

Mistakes may occur at every step of acceptance, escort, and distribution.

She lowered her head, then suddenly raised it and asked:

"Who can the court order to be sent to inspect and escort the shipment?"