498th post-blessing
The group quickly returned to the city.
The King of Chu was growing impatient, glancing out of the tent every now and then. At the slightest sound, he would quickly stand up and ask the people beside him if A Rong and Chang Ning had returned.
After nearly a day of this, those close to the King of Chu felt immense pressure. One of them wiped away his cold sweat and looked at the King, who was sitting upright with his hands clasped and hadn't touched a bite of food, and advised, "Your Highness, shall I take the food away and reheat it? Please eat something; you haven't eaten much all day."
The King of Chu looked at the somewhat cold food on the table and waved to the people beside him: "Yes, yes, go and clear all this food off the table, heat it up and bring it back. The children need something hot to eat when they come back. What kind of behavior is it to serve them something cold?"
As he spoke, the King of Chu gestured to the people beside him to remove the food and drink. He then poured himself a cup of tea, drank it down, and continued to gaze at the doorway.
Suddenly a commotion came from outside. King Chu stood up abruptly. Whether it was because he had been sitting for too long or because he stood up too suddenly, his vision went black and he staggered.
After being supported by the person beside him, the King of Chu paused for a moment, then waved his hand away, saying, "No need to help me. Go and see if A Rong and the others have returned."
The guards received the order and quickly prepared to head out of the camp to inquire whether the heir apparent and the vice commissioner had returned.
Before they even stepped out of the tent, they heard a guard outside shouting excitedly in their direction.
"Your Highness! Your Highness! The Commander and the Assistant Commander, they're back! They're back alive!!!"
The King of Chu could not hide his joy and strode towards the outside of the tent.
Almost as soon as they stepped out of the tent, they saw Li Mingde supporting Lin Changning, and Li Mingxiu supporting his second son and several children as they walked towards his tent.
Seeing the King of Chu withdraw his hand from beside them, Qi Rong and Lin Changning quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and clasped their hands in greeting:
"Greetings, Father!"
"Greetings, Uncle!"
Lin Changning looked at the dark circles under Chu King's eyes and his obvious fatigue, and felt a pang of sadness. He glanced at Qi Rong and then spoke.
"I have caused my father great worry!"
Seeing the King of Chu's exhaustion, Qi Rong felt a pang of pity: "Uncle, it's our fault for causing you worry."
The King of Chu suddenly laughed, patted the two men's arms, helped them up, and said with emotion, "We're all family, no need for formalities. It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
As he spoke, the King of Chu glanced at Li Mingxiu and Li Mingde behind him: "What are you standing there for? Come into the tent quickly! Someone, bring up the heated food!"
As he spoke, the King of Chu grabbed one of them with each hand, pulling Lin Changning and Qi Rong towards the tent. Lin Changning's shoulder was pulled so hard it hurt, and the King of Chu gripped their hands tightly.
After arranging the two men's seats on either side of him, Wei Qing glanced at him with a hint of surprise. Li Mingxiu usually sat on either side of the King of Chu, but this time the King of Chu had arranged the two men to his left and right.
For a moment, he was a little embarrassed. Li Mingxiu didn't seem to mind. He smiled and watched the two of them sit down next to his father. He then sat down next to Qi Rong.
The guards glanced at their young master and silently retreated. If their young master didn't mind them becoming his subordinates, why were they worrying about it?
Li Mingxiao was about to grab the seat next to Lin Changning when Li Mingde pushed him aside and sat down next to Lin Changning first, then gave him a smile.
Li Mingxiao ground his back teeth. How come he never noticed how annoying the myna bird was before?
After the King of Chu and his children took their seats, he looked at Lin Changning and Qi Rong with satisfaction and sighed, "You've suffered these past few days, haven't you? How are your injuries?"
Lin Changning looked up at the King of Chu and smiled, "The medicine has been applied, Father, there is no need to worry."
Qi Rong took a cup of tea from the table, drank it, and nodded: "Mine has also been treated with medicine."
The King of Chu looked at the two men and asked again, "What happened to you two after you fell into the water that day?"
The King of Chu was somewhat curious. Logically speaking, the flood season had just ended, and the Yellow River was at its most turbulent. To be injured and fall into the Yellow River and still survive was nothing short of a miracle.
Moreover, the two of them returned alive together.
Qi Rong fell into the water and lost consciousness. He didn't know much about what happened afterward, but he did remember that Xiao Liu brought him ashore and carried him to the people's homes.
“Uncle, after I fell into the water that day, I don’t know what hit my head, and I immediately passed out. It was Xiao Liu who pulled me out. He was injured, and he carried me all the way to a villager’s house, where I was finally saved.”
The King of Chu's gaze softened as he looked at Lin Changning: "Little Six, very good."
Lin Changning looked at the King of Chu and, seeing a hint of doubt in his eyes, began to explain:
“I was wounded in the shoulder that day, and my second brother was more seriously injured than me. After I fell into the water, the arrow was carried away by the river, but my second brother’s arrow broke off and was embedded in his flesh. He was indeed unconscious for a moment when he was first drowned, but he woke up quickly. Luckily, there was a piece of dead wood next to him, so he grabbed the dead wood and floated down. My second brother was not far from me at the time. I took off my armor and used the dead wood to grab my second brother. We pulled my second brother ashore at the place where the river changed course. It took us a whole day to find a fisherman.”
Lin Changning took the warm tea that the guard had just poured from the table, took a sip, and continued speaking while meeting the somewhat surprised and puzzled gazes of the people at the table.
“The uncle and aunt were both good people. When they heard that we were soldiers under my father’s command, they said that my father distributed grain to the people of the world and was a good prince. Naturally, the soldiers under his command would be good too. They called a doctor for us overnight. Later, in order to help us avoid the court’s pursuit, they sent us to the Dragon King Temple to recuperate. They also brought us food and prepared medicine for us every day. If we were to say that we survived this time, besides being lucky, we should also thank my father for his benevolence. He has a great image in the hearts of the people, which is why he was willing to save us.”
The King of Chu raised an eyebrow, surprised that his act of distributing grain to the people in the previous cities had won him the hearts of many. He felt comforted by Lin Changning's words.
His kind gaze swept over the two men before he said, "May God protect you. Go and pass on my order to proclaim to the world that every time they conquer a city, any surplus grain they have should be distributed to the people."
The group exchanged glances, and led by Li Mingxiu, they quickly set off on the hunt, kneeling before the King of Chu and saying in unison, "Father is wise!"
"Uncle Jiu is wise!"
"Uncle is wise!"
The King of Chu waved his hand, signaling the group to rise. He glanced at his personal guards, who helped Lin Changning and Qi Rong to their seats and then continued speaking.
"Consider this a good deed for you all. You've survived this ordeal; good fortune is sure to follow!"
Li Mingxiu and Li Mingde exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of joy in each other's eyes.
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