Hudong Mountain is relatively close to Longhua Mountain, but unlike the popular Longhua Mountain, the terrain here is steep and desolate, with no one else except the families of the Qi family’s garrison troops.
The Qi family army camp is at the top of the mountain. Qi Yuning goes up the mountain almost twice a year. The mountain road is difficult to walk on. You can still see the mountain road in the winter when the branches are dead and there are no leaves. If you go up the mountain in spring and summer, you have to bring a machete and cut off the branches that block the way.
The weather is cold. It snowed on Hudong Mountain last night, making the mountain road very difficult to walk on.
Lingling said in Lu Ze's arms, her little face flushed, "There's so much white snow!"
Qi Yuning said: "It's really a bad day with the snow. It's freezing."
Seeing Qi Yuning shivering with cold, Lu Ze stepped forward, held Qi Yuning's hand and said, "Your hands are so cold, I will help you up the mountain."
Qi Yuning said: "You should hold Lingling tightly with both hands! We are almost there."
Lu Ze said: "One hand is enough to hold Lingling."
The mountain road was difficult to climb and it took almost an hour to reach the top of the mountain.
The terrain at the top of the mountain is flat, and there are many wooden houses built along the mountain. In front of the wooden houses, every household raises chickens and ducks and cultivates vegetable fields. It is much more lively than the foot of the mountain.
When Qi Yuning reached the top of the mountain, a woman in armor walked up to Qi Yuning, half-knelt and said, "Your subordinate greets the princess.
"Aunt Ren, please get up."
Lu Ze saw the woman in armor in front of him and asked, "Is this the star-chasing female general from back then, General Ren Yaoren?"
Ren Yao looked at the young man, at the little girl in his arms who looked like him, and asked, "Who are you?"
Lu Ze put Lingling down and bowed, "I am Lu Ze, the eldest son of Duke Lu and Princess Pingrou."
Ren Yao said: "So it's Master Lu. Is this Master Lu's daughter?"
Qi Yuning stepped forward and said with a smile: "Aunt Ren, Lingling is also my daughter. I have been thinking about bringing Lingling to see you for a long time. I have been busy with official business and have never had the chance to come. Lingling, call me grandma."
Lingling called out sweetly, "Grandma."
Ren Yao asked, "When did the princess marry Prince Lu?"
Qi Yuning said: "Although I have a child, I am not married yet."
Ren Yao's brows furrowed even more, and she looked up at Lu Ze with displeasure.
Lu Baoshuang even pulled Lu Baoxue forward and saluted, saying, "General Ren, I, Lu Baoshuang, have heard that General Ren is a heroine. I admire you very much and would like to serve under you with my sister!"
Qi Yuning said, "Aunt Ren, your health has been getting worse in recent years. It's time for you to go down the mountain to enjoy your retirement. The two sisters of the Lu family want to be female generals. I think it's better to let them lead the troops and give it a try."
Ren Yao said: "As the princess ordered, I have prepared the banquet, please take a seat and eat."
Qi Yuning climbed the mountain for an hour and was hungry. When they got inside and sat down to eat, Lu Ze sat next to Qi Yuning.
Ren Yao looked at Lu Ze with displeasure in her eyes and said, "Since Prince Lu and Princess have a daughter, why don't they take responsibility?"
Lu Ze said, "General Ren, I will be responsible for the princess. When the princess and I get married someday, I will definitely invite General Ren to have a glass of wedding wine."
Qi Yuning also chuckled and said, "Aunt Ren, the past between Master Lu and I is a long story, and he is not irresponsible."
Ren Yao knew Qi Yuning well and knew that she had never suffered any loss since she was a child, so she was relieved.
Lingling was eating very obediently at the table. When Ren Yao learned that Lingling was Qi Yuning's child, there was more loving eyes when she looked at Lingling.
"Princess, what is the name of this child?"
Lingling held the chicken drumstick and said, "Lingling's name is Lu Yiling!"
"Lu Yiling...Yiling!"
Ren Yao heard this with tears in her eyes, "When General Liu left, Yi Ling was almost born. If she hadn't been plotted against..."
Qi Yuning asked, "Being schemed against? Aunt Ren, you mean being schemed against?"
Ren Yao wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, "No, that's not the case."
Qi Yuning looked directly at Ren Yao and said, "Aunt Ren, what do you mean by being plotted against? Not long ago, I met Wang Tao, and he said that Uncle Huo An is not dead, but is hiding in the Shu Palace under a given name. Is this related to being plotted against?"
Ren Yao was secretly annoyed that she had said the wrong thing, and repeatedly said, "Princess, there are outsiders here."
Qi Yuning said to Ren Yao: "Come with me outside."
Qi Yuning walked to the edge of the cliff, from where he could have a panoramic view of the entire Shengjing City.
"Aunt Ren, you also know that Uncle Huo An is still alive and lurking in the Shu Palace, right?"
Ren Yao nodded and said, "Yes, this matter started thirteen or fourteen years ago. At that time, General Qi led us to attack Beimo, and we were sure of victory.
But there were problems with our military rations. We were running short of military rations and medicines, and our every move was leaked to the people of Northern Desert.
At that time, General Qi had guessed that there was a traitor inside the military camp.
It was also a snowy day like this. When the Northern Desert troops were at the gates of the city, the soldiers' cotton clothes for keeping warm were torn at the slightest touch. They were all made of reed fluff, which was completely incapable of keeping warm in the Northern Desert.
Most of Qi's army died of starvation, cold, freezing, and due to medicine shortage!
We tried our best to defend the city. General Qi discovered that there was someone in Beimo who was colluding with the Dasheng Dynasty. He led his troops to pursue the Beimo bandits and wanted to find out who in the Dasheng Dynasty was colluding with the Beimo bandits. However, he fell into Beimo's trap. General Liu went to rescue General Qi while pregnant, but was also killed by the Beimo bandits.
Even so, there were people who said that General Qi risked his life to attack Beimo because he was greedy for military merit. But at that time, General Qi just wanted to give an explanation to the dead Qi family soldiers.
Later, the old prince's troops arrived. With the grief of losing his son, the old prince attacked Beimo and turned Beimo into Beicheng, making the subjects of Beimo submit to me. I finally avenged my great hatred, and General Qi did not have to bear the infamy after his death.
But Huo An and I have never dared to forget the tragic deaths of General Qi and General Liu.
At that time, Huo An realized that it might be related to the Shu Palace, so he has been in the Shu Palace all these years, trying to find evidence of collusion between the Shu Palace and Beimo.
Unexpectedly, he died two years ago, and his death was very strange."
Qi Yuning asked: "Uncle Huo's death was indeed strange. Since he suspected the King of Shu, he shouldn't have taken Princess Shan's body out of the King of Shu's mansion.
If he lets someone find Princess Shan's body in the Shu Palace, then the Shu King will be in trouble. Why would he take Princess Shan's body out of the Shu Palace?"
Ren Yao nodded and said, "Huo An is an upright and stubborn person. I think the real murderer of Princess Shan was not the King of Shu, so Huo An took Princess Shan's body out of the King of Shu's mansion. But the person who colluded with Beimo at the beginning is very likely the King of Shu..."
Qi Yuning clenched her hands, she had always thought that her parents had only died at the hands of the Beimo villains, she never expected it was a conspiracy, with the Dasheng villains as the accomplices.
The entire Qi family protected the peace of Dasheng and became heroes, but there was such a traitor in the court of Dasheng!
How unjustly her parents died, and how unjustly did the little sister in her mother’s belly die?
"Princess..."
"Aunt Ren, let me be alone here for a while."
Ren Yao sighed and glanced at Qi Yuning worriedly.
They had been hiding the fact that a traitor in Dasheng murdered General Qi from Qi Yuning. Firstly, they thought the princess was too young, and secondly, they were afraid that the princess would be sad and carry hatred in her heart.
Qi Yuning said: "Aunt Ren, let me take a break alone."
How could she accept that her parents were killed by people from the Dasheng Dynasty?
She always thought that her parents died on the battlefield killing enemies of Beimo. Beimo no longer existed and her parents' revenge had been avenged long ago.
But not only did their parents die at the hands of the enemies in Beimo, they also died at the hands of the officials of the Dasheng court whom they tried so hard to protect.
Ren Yao left, looking back every few steps.
Qi Yuning looked at Shengjing City in the distance. From the top of the mountain, he could see the entire Shengjing City at a glance.
Whenever she came to Hudong Mountain in the past, she liked to overlook the entire Shengjing City. She could see the peaceful country that her Qi family had guarded, and the people living and working in peace and contentment. She knew that the heroic souls of the Qi family did not die in vain.
It turns out...the heroic spirit of the Qi family was killed by the people of Dasheng.
“Princess.” Lu Ze took off his black cloak and put it on Qi Yuning. “It’s cold and windy here, and it’s snowing. Let’s go inside.”
Lu Ze looked down at Qi Yuning's tearful eyes and felt a pain in his heart.
Lu Ze had never seen such a sad look in the eyes of the arrogant Qi Yuning. "Princess, what did General Ren say to you?"
Qi Yuning threw herself into Lu Ze's arms, sobbing and crying.
Lu Ze slowly placed his hand on Qi Yuning's back and patted her gently to comfort her.
(End of this chapter)
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