Chapter 118 Letter: Frost gathers on the green leaves, please add warm clothes.
The fruitwood charcoal was burning brightly in the bronze furnace, and looking through the openwork patterns, the heat was just right. A leg of lamb, fresh from the fire, lay across the iron rack, oil droplets constantly seeping from the knife cut.
The mutton fat dripped onto the charcoal with a sizzling sound.
Chen Liangyu sliced the lamb leg meat, dipped it in coarse salt, and placed it on a ceramic plate in front of Yan Nian, saying, "Sister-in-law, have a taste."
A few slices of honey-colored roasted lamb leg meat on a ceramic plate.
Yan Nian thought about what outrageous things Chen Liangyu had said that afternoon, and now she had no appetite to eat.
Seeing that she wasn't eating, Chen Liangyu said, "Sister-in-law..."
"Shut up!"
When Yan Nian thought Chen Liangyu was about to bring up the old story, she picked up a piece of meat from the ceramic plate and stuffed it into Chen Liangyu's mouth, silencing her.
Chen Liangyu was enjoying her food when Yan Nian said again, "You really dare to say anything outrageous."
"This is not idle talk."
Chen Liangyu placed the knife and chopsticks on the dining table, stopped joking, and solemnly said, "Every word I said to my sister-in-law was from the bottom of my heart."
"I also want to have a selfish desire, to love the one I love, to give all my affection to her alone, to stay with her forever, and never leave her side."
A loud crackling sound came from the furnace.
The warm dining room was instantly enveloped by an invisible, suffocating silence.
"If even a tiny bit of this gets out, and reaches the Emperor's ears, or the ears of those censors and officials... will the Emperor still feel at ease having the command of the three northern prefectures in your hands? Have you thought about how the Princess will be dragged down?"
Yan Nian sat upright; this was the first time she had ever acted like the eldest sister-in-law.
Chen Liangyu said, "I've thought about it. I didn't bring this up because I'm not planning anything immediately. Since you asked about the iron-tipped letter tube and my future plans, I'll tell you the truth."
Yan Nian couldn't argue with her so eloquently, nor could he persuade her otherwise.
Does my father know?
When Yan Baizhang was mentioned, Chen Liangyu fell silent for a moment.
"Let's keep it a secret for now," Chen Liangyu tilted his head slightly, his heroic brows revealing a lingering attachment to the world. "If Uncle Yan finds out now, one of us will die."
Either she was beaten to death, or Yan Baizhang was angered to death.
Now that she holds a high position in the government, even though Yan Baizhang is her elder and mentor, he absolutely cannot punish her again. Besides, she is getting old, and the latter is more likely to happen.
Even if he didn't die of anger, Yan Baizhang would definitely be bent over.
Yan Nian: "Pah!"
Halfway through the meal, the sound of a bull horn emanated from the arrow tower of Dingbei City, startling the entire city.
Chen Liangyu and Yan Nian both turned to look out the door and window.
"The bugle call sounds, there's enemy activity."
The two walked to the corridor of the dining hall, where the horn blared on.
Jingming had already ridden back from the Suzhou camp at full speed. "General, Madam, urgent report from the front! Our spies have sent back a secret report that Bei Yong is mobilizing troops at Jingzhe Lake and is transporting grain and supplies twenty li towards Dingbei City."
Chen Liangyu asked, "Is there any news about where this batch of grain and supplies is hidden?"
"Yunya Military Town".
Chen Liangyu's lips formed a cold, hard line as he said, "The troops must move first, then the supplies must go. Jingming, order the soldiers of Suzhou to launch a rapid attack on Yunya tonight and subdue their troops."
"yes."
The successor of Chen Liangyu led the jade lion over, turned to Yan Nian and said, "Sister-in-law, I have to go."
There's no need for formalities between them.
Before she could say anything more, Yan Nian said, "Go ahead, and take good care of yourself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Liangyu summoned Lin Yin, hurriedly took the Lancang Sword and headed out of the mansion. As he turned the corner and passed a side gate, the gate was opened from the inside with a gust of wind.
Upon hearing the horn's cry, Bu Ping'er had already changed into her battle armor. Zhao Guzhi was still following closely behind, urging her to rest for a while longer. Bu Ping'er wouldn't listen to a word and stubbornly rushed to the front courtyard to see Chen Liangyu.
As soon as the side gate opened, Chen Liangyu handed the military tally of the Yunhui Army to Lin Yin, saying, "Ping'er is still seriously injured, so you will lead the Yunhui Army for now."
Zhao Gu sighed helplessly and stepped back.
Chen Liangyu looked at Bu Ping'er in armor and said, "You can't push yourself when your injuries haven't fully healed. Listen to your second sister's advice this time and rest well."
Bu Ping'er still looked somewhat haggard. "General, I heard the horn sounding from the city wall. Has Bei Yong attacked?"
"Their troops haven't moved yet. You should go back first."
Bu Ping'er looked at the military tally of the Yunhui Army in Lin Yin's hand, paused, and said, "General, my injuries have healed and I can lead the troops."
Chen Liangyu said, "Zhai Ji has amassed 400,000 troops by the Jingzhe Lake. We must fight this battle first. We need to recover our health. There's no need to rush."
"General, this humble general truly can."
"This is a military order."
There was no doubt about it. Chen Liangyu couldn't delay for a moment, so she turned and walked out. Lin Yin told Bu Ping'er, "Take care of your injuries," and then ran after Chen Liangyu.
"But……"
She was unhappy. Whether or not she could win fame and fortune was secondary. Her two older sisters had not yet been freed from their lowly status. She secretly thought that if she could achieve military merit, she could bring blessings to her family and remove her two older sisters' lowly status.
Let them be human again, not slaves.
Having suffered such a serious injury, it's uncertain whether she can recover. It's also unknown whether she'll have another chance to achieve military merit after the Yunhui Army has lost its command.
Chen Liangyu hadn't walked far when she turned around and saw Bu Ping'er still standing there, enjoying the breeze.
She suddenly remembered the two bags of cotton seeds that Shen Yan had painstakingly purchased from Dongyin, and her steps faltered.
Lin Yin almost crashed into it because he stopped so suddenly.
Seeing Chen Liangyu turn back and walk towards her, Bu Ping'er was overjoyed and stepped forward to greet him, "General, please let this humble general go!"
"You are not ready to go to the battlefield yet," Chen Liangyu said sternly.
Bu Ping'er felt a moment of disappointment.
"But I have other things for you to do."
Bu Ping'er said, "This humble general will obey your orders."
“Go see your sister-in-law. She has two bags of cotton seeds. In the meantime, find a piece of land, get people to cultivate it, and plant it in the spring. If it survives, it will be a great achievement for generations to come.”
Cotton seeds.
It's not a rumor, there really is cotton. And the seeds are there.
Bu Ping'er turned to look at Zhao Guzhi, and as expected, her second sister's face was filled with joy, her light-colored eyes brighter than ever since their reunion.
Bu Ping'er hurriedly said, "General, I am not good at farming, but I can recommend someone." She pushed Zhao Guzhi forward, "My second sister is capable of taking on this important task."
"Alright, then we'll leave it to Miss Zhao."
The area between Dingbei City and Jingzhe Lake in Beiyong was barren and yellow for a hundred miles, during the dry season. Zhai Jiji was transporting provisions for 100,000 troops to Yunya Town on the east side of the lake, which was the outermost military town of Beiyong.
Behind the crenellations of the city wall, Chen Liangyu wore a fine iron helmet with a half-face covering, the edges of which were outlined with gilded metal, ear guards on both sides, and sharp eyebrows extending from the front.
An eagle's head stands on the shoulder, connected to the armor.
She pressed one hand against the cold brick wall, held a telescope in the other, and gazed northward, her dark cloak unfurled behind her.
The bugle calls echoed continuously from Dingbei City, as soldiers gripped their spears and moved through the city. At the Suzhou military camp's drill ground, armored soldiers stood in formation, ready for battle.
Beiyong guards Jingzhe Lake, and Yunya Military Town, where Zhaiji stores grain and fodder, connects to the grassland east of the lake. In spring and summer, the pasture there grows best, but right now, as far as the telescope can see, it is all withered and decaying.
The withered grass lay flat on the ground, then was violently swept up by the wind.
A faint, cold smile appeared on Chen Liangyu's lips.
Jingming said, "Miss, in your opinion, when will Zhai Ji send troops?"
"at any time."
Chen Liangyu put down his telescope and said, "Zhai Yu's due date is next April. I suspect that Zhai Ji's original intention was to secretly manipulate Lu Guangrong, the leader of the Xiling rebels, to rebel and disrupt our national destiny. Once Zhai Yu gives birth to the prince, Lu Guangrong and his gang of rebels will have gained power. At that time, Bei Yong will send troops to join forces with the rebels to encircle and break through the northern border, and then march on Yongdu to establish the prince born to Zhai Yu as a puppet emperor."
A swaddled baby is the easiest thing to handle.
Jing Ming said, "Zhai Ji wants to use a child still in the womb as a shell to gain entry into the stage?"
"Zhai Ji has finally grown up."
Chen Liangyu raised his eyebrows in approval, saying, "His father attacked Da Lin with brute force, waging war for more than ten years, but ended up being defeated. Zhai Ji is a little smarter than his father."
Lin Yin disagreed, saying, "Why are you praising him? Is it a good thing that he's smart?"
"Being clever is one thing, but plans can't keep up with changes. A major epidemic broke out in Xiling, and several prefectures and counties were completely overrun. It's true that fortune and misfortune are intertwined. The plague also scared away the rebels led by Lu Guangrong. Zhai Ji's plan backfired, and all his efforts were in vain. Now he's in a hurry, and he's busy garrisoning troops and transporting grain."
Jingming said, "Miss, since you knew what Zhai Ji had been planning these past few days, why didn't you say so sooner?"
"I only just figured out the trick behind it."
Jingming asked, "How can we know that the child in Consort Shu's womb is definitely a prince?"
Chen Liangyu said, "The imperial physician Ye who examined Zhai Yu's pulse and helped her with the pregnancy is no ordinary person; he is quite skilled."
It's likely that the child Zhai Yu used to frame the Empress and Princess Roujia for not being a boy, which is why all those troubles occurred. If that's the case, Zhai Yu's methods are far too ruthless.
Lin Yin nodded and said, "Doctor Ying also said that Physician Ye is very talented, and neither she nor that Master Pei can compare to her. However, Doctor Ying seems to be quite afraid of Physician Ye."
"What else did Zhu Ying say?"
"Doctor Ying also said that Physician Ye is even more skilled with poisons, and told us to stay away from her. I asked her why she knew so much about Physician Ye, but she wouldn't tell me."
Over the years, Chen Liangyu had never inquired about the grudges between Zhu Ying and Ye Weiwan. She could roughly guess that the two were twin sisters who were forced to separate for some reason. Half of Zhu Ying's face was burned, but the eyes, figure, and even the gestures revealed by the veil were too similar to Ye Weiwan's.
Everyone has their own difficult hurdles to overcome.
Zhu Ying remained silent on the matter, claiming she was an orphan whose household registration was with her deceased maternal grandmother. Chen Liangyu only knew that she came from a respectable family and had a heart set on practicing medicine; that was enough for her.
"Jingming".
"Your subordinate is here."
"The messenger sent word to Xinyongdu, urging the Princess to be extra wary of Zhai Yu. With spies in the court, the news of Yunya Army and the 400,000-strong army of Beiyong is hard to verify, so we need to be extra vigilant."
Jingming responded, saying, "The situation is complicated, and there's a risk of errors if we send a message verbally. It's safer to send a letter."
Chen Liangyu said, "Go... never mind, I will write the letter to the Princess myself."
"The frost has frozen the green leaves; please put on warm clothes."
"Pass on the order!"
Chen Liangyu said, "Prepare kerosene, dry firewood, and wet mud! Wrap hoof cloths and prepare three days' worth of dry rations. Send out all scouts to keep a close watch on the shores of Jingzhe Lake and Yunya Military Town! Any unusual activity should be signaled with a beacon fire!"
As the order was given, barrels of pungent-smelling kerosene were carefully loaded onto makeshift wooden carts; bundles of dried, easily ignited shrub branches and withered grass were piled up like small mountains; more soldiers were digging and shoveling in low-lying areas outside the city, carrying out baskets of damp soil and piling them on open ground; water bags were filled to bursting, and tough linen was cut into strips…
In winter, the days are short, and by the early afternoon, night has already fallen.
Three days later, late at night, just past midnight.
Scouts reported that the news of Yunya military town stockpiling grain and fodder was true.
That night, there were no stars or moon, only wind. The wind came from the northwest, making a fire attack unfavorable. Fortunately, the desert and sandy land separating Beiyong became a strategic stronghold, preventing the flames from spreading.
The east gate of Dingbei City opened quietly. There was no fire, no command, only a moving shadow that was more unsettling than the night itself.
The cavalrymen were covered from head to toe in a thick layer of cold, sticky, wet mud, with only their eyes showing. The warhorses were also smeared with mud, and even their mouths and noses were covered with soaked coarse linen.
Three thousand light cavalrymen, gagged and horses with hooves wrapped in cloth, quietly made their way towards the shores of Jingzhe Lake and the Yunya military town.
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!
Thanks to Tom Mud Duck for the deep water x2, and thanks to Gu Ji for the shallow water!
Please add my second treasure, "Youthful Resignation Literature," to your favorites! [Please!]
A story about a couple who reconcile after a breakup, a happy ending, and absolutely no typical teenage angst, no melodrama, no melodrama at all!!!
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