Chapter 449 A Mother's Worry When Her Son Travels Far Away
After speaking with the King of Chu, Lin Changning left the military headquarters and prepared to go home.
I'm about to set off, so I really need to spend more time with my family these next few days.
Perhaps because she recently got married, Lin's mother would occasionally feel a little melancholy. Staring at her face in a daze, he could roughly guess what Lin's mother was thinking.
Lin Changning watched her own mother sigh countless times as she watched her daughter-in-law, who was from a prestigious family.
She felt a sense of helplessness. She was afraid she could no longer live like an ordinary woman in this era. Now that she had the ability to protect her family, she also had a new goal.
With war imminent and the prospect of being ennobled and appointed prime minister not far off, the higher he rises now, the better his family will live in the future. Zhiyuan is currently studying far away, and if she can be ennobled and appointed prime minister in the future, Zhiyuan's official career will be much smoother.
Then there's Lin Xi, whom my second sister-in-law has adopted. She's a natural-born civil official with a photographic memory. In the future, she'll pave the way for her younger brother and Xiao Xi, ensuring that her two nieces find happiness and marry their ideal husbands. But a fourth-rank official position is probably out of the question right now.
We still have to climb higher, high enough to become a large umbrella that shelters the people behind us.
Lin Changning sorted out his thoughts and slowly walked out of the gate of the military headquarters. The two soldiers guarding the gate quickly clasped their fists and saluted when they saw him.
A man looked down at him and said, "Minister, the princess is waiting for you in her carriage at the gate."
Lin Changning glanced at the guards at the gate and nodded: "Okay, I understand. I'll go over now."
Having said that, he quickened his pace and headed towards the door.
As soon as they arrived at the gate, they saw Li Mingshu's private carriage quietly parked in front of the commander's office, and the sounds of Yue'er and Li Mingshu playing and laughing could be heard from inside the carriage.
Qi Rong, Li Mingxiu, and the other two were standing at the door watching him walk quickly toward them.
Li Mingxiu couldn't help but roll his eyes when he saw Lin Changning walking over: "They're newlyweds after all, look how lovey-dovey they are. Alright, Shu'er, Xiao Liu is here too, your second brother and I will be leaving now."
Lin Changning smiled at the two men, then climbed onto the carriage: "Eldest brother, second brother, then I won't see you off."
Sitting in the carriage, Li Mingshu lifted the curtain and smiled gently at her two older brothers: "Then we'll go home first, eldest brother, second brother."
Li Mingxiu waved to the man, then he and Qi Rong mounted their horses and galloped towards the Prince's Mansion.
After Lin Changning got into the carriage and climbed inside, he casually pulled Yue'er over and sat down beside Li Mingshu, asking, "Why did you come here today?"
Li Mingshu smiled at Lin Changning: "I took Yue'er shopping and bought some hairpins and rings for my mother and two sisters-in-law. I heard that Father gave everyone a day off to finish their shifts early today, so I came here to wait for you. Let's go home together."
Lin Changning frowned and asked, "Where are the maids? I haven't seen any maids. Last time, the assassin was clearly targeting you, so we still haven't found anything. But it's still a bit dangerous for you to go out alone. Next time, bring all the maids with you. They can help you if something happens."
The maids beside Li Mingshu were all secret guards assigned from the Prince's mansion. They could hold off ordinary assassins for a while. Lin Changning couldn't help but feel a little worried when he saw that Li Mingshu came out without anyone with her.
Li Mingshu chuckled softly: "I'm not used to having people following me, so I had them change their clothes and stay by my side. Don't worry, they're all here, just disguised and staying close to me."
Lin Changning nodded to indicate that he understood, and the two returned home together. As soon as they arrived home, before they even reached the main hall, they heard Lin's mother's excited voice.
Lin Changning and Li Mingshu exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat puzzled.
Li Mingshu, arm in arm with Lin Changning, entered the room with a smile and asked, "Mother, what makes you so happy?"
Lin's mother held a letter in her hand, her eyes filled with uncontainable joy. When she saw the two of them return, she couldn't hide her happiness.
“Zhiyuan wrote a letter saying that he will be able to go home in a few days. The institute has given him leave, saying that he will go back to Taiyuan to stay for a while.”
Lin Changning was stunned for a moment before remembering that the academy gives students a vacation period every year. Seeing her mother's happy expression, Lin Changning hesitated to speak.
She's about to go to war. It's good that Zhiyuan is back, but she's leaving soon. The letter should have just arrived today. It'll probably be some time before Zhiyuan returns, and we might not see each other again.
Thinking of this, Lin Changning smiled and said, "That's great, Mother. Then you can bring Zhiyuan to our new mansion and take him to Taiyuan for a good tour. The courtyard we've reserved for him hasn't been named yet, so this is a good opportunity for him to come back and inscribe it himself."
Lin's mother keenly sensed the unusual tone in Lin Changning's words, and her joy was somewhat dampened. She suddenly turned her head and asked, "Xiao Liu? Have you been busy lately?"
Lin Changning and Li Mingshu exchanged a glance. Seeing Lin's mother's somewhat uneasy expression, they sighed softly. Li Mingshu stepped forward, took Lin's mother's arm, and whispered, "Mother, my father has confirmed today that he will set off for the expedition in three days. My husband will be going with him."
Lin's mother seemed dazed for a moment, then remembered the no fewer than ten scars, large and small, on her daughter's body. She wanted to say something, but suddenly shut her mouth and sighed after a long while.
"Oh, Mother, Mother understands. Then Mother will prepare some food for your journey these next two days. Don't you like dried meat? Your sisters-in-law and I have already made quite a bit before, so we'll bring you more this time. Last time you said your comrades in the army also liked it, but you didn't get to eat much, so your sisters-in-law and I made extra this time..."
Lin Changning pursed her lips and glanced at Li Mingshu: "Ashu, why don't you take Yue'er to your sister-in-law's place first? Didn't we specially choose hairpins and rings today?"
Li Mingshu glanced at Lin's mother with some concern, nodded, took Yue'er from Lin Changning's arms, and walked out of the main hall.
Lin's mother sat silently in the chair, looking somewhat dazed. When she saw Lin Changning's face, she suddenly got up and walked out.
"I'll talk to your sisters-in-law and we'll try to make you a few more pairs of shoes today. You wear out your shoes on the road, and you got blisters on your feet last time you came back. This time, I specially chose soft-soled ones. If you and your sisters-in-law work together, we should be able to make a few more pairs."
Lin Changning pressed his mother, who was about to get up, back down, squatted on the ground, and looked up at his loving mother: "No need to bother, Mother. After we return from this campaign, we'll be able to enjoy a long period of peace. I'll spend more time with you these next few days. I'm afraid Zhiyuan won't be able to come home in time. Mother, please give my regards to Zhiyuan..."
Lin Changning talked on and on, and as he spoke, he felt a few tears fall onto the hand he was holding his mother's.
With tears in her eyes, Lin's mother suddenly pulled her hand away from Lin Changning's and wiped her face.
"mother?"
"Mother is alright, Changning. Your official position isn't low now, do you really have to go? Can't you stay home? The battlefield is dangerous, Mother, Mother is really, really..."
"Mother, it's alright. Father secured the vanguard position for me in this campaign. If we succeed, our family will be able to completely change its status, and Zhiyuan and Xier's future will be much easier..."
"Mother knows, Mother's heart aches for you. A mother worries when her son travels far. Mother doesn't expect you to be outstanding, she only hopes that you will all be safe and sound. You are the one Mother worries about the most..."
"I promise, Mother, I promise I will come back safely."
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