A guard outside the tent shouted, "My lord, a large group of barbarians is attacking the camp!"
Li Laosi disregarded everything else, immediately slung his longbow over his shoulder, gripped his longsword, mounted his horse, and led his men out to fight the enemy.
He was neither familiar with nor good at the intrigues and power struggles in the court, but he was a master at killing enemies!
Complex matters should be left to a clever person like the Marquis.
Leave the task of killing the enemy to him.
Perfect timing! He hadn't encountered any barbarians for over ten days since he went out to greet the grain transport team, and his longsword was already thirsty. Tonight, he would drink the blood of the barbarians to quench his thirst!
Mu Xu suddenly appeared, also clad in armor and wielding a long spear. He rode swiftly beside his future father-in-law and shouted, "Fourth Master, I've come to lend you a hand. Let's see who kills more barbarians tonight!"
"Good lad, you've got guts, but I wonder how good you are?" Old Li laughed heartily. "Let's go, let's see who's the real deal on the battlefield!"
The two charged out of the military camp one after the other, leading five hundred vanguard soldiers into the night...
The sky was too clear during the day, and the stars were everywhere at night.
Perhaps they didn't want to see war raging on earth at this moment, so the stars all closed their eyes...
In less than half an hour, the barbarians had lost about a hundred lives and then retreated.
Li Laosi and Mu Xu also led their soldiers back to camp. Thirty-five were killed in battle, and more than twenty were wounded, some seriously and some lightly. Even Li Laosi had a cut on his arm.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng personally delivered the medicine to the main tent and said with a smile, "The princess is so thoughtful. This time, five carts of medicinal herbs were hidden in the grain carts, and there are more than 20 catties of finished medicine, enough to last us for two months."
Li Laosi didn't care about such a small wound. After washing the bloodstains in the basin, he was about to put down his sleeves and said, "Leave the medicine for the brothers. This little wound of mine will heal in three to five days without treatment."
“That won’t do!” Jiang Cheng disagreed, advising, “The princess sent the medicine mostly because she was worried about you and the marquis. If she knew you wouldn’t use it, she would be both angry and anxious.”
Li Laosi smiled as he recalled how his daughter had repeatedly reminded him of her duties before he set off.
Mu Xu quickly applied the medicine to his arm and then wrapped it with a white cotton bandage.
Li Laosi breathed a sigh of relief and praised, "My daughter is really amazing. She figured out this medicine so that the burning pain won't be so bad after applying it."
Mu Xu laughed and said, "Fourth Master is mistaken. This is a prescription devised by Physician Zhang, and it will be prepared by the Princess's pharmacy. If Physician Zhang finds out, he will probably be furious again."
"Haha," Li Laosi laughed, "Don't worry, Old Master Zhang is my daughter's mentor, and his prescriptions are my daughter's. He just knows that I can settle things with two jars of good wine for him."
Everyone laughed.
After a short while, Li Laosi and Jiang Cheng went down to rest.
Jiang Cheng then called out to Mu Xu, "My tent is bigger, why don't you share it with me tonight?"
Mu Xu shook his head and replied, "I'll stay here with the Marquis. I can just throw a cushion at the door and take a nap. If the barbarians launch another night attack, I'd like to go and fight them again."
"This kid, he's young, but he's got quite the bloodlust!" Jiang Cheng chuckled, patting his shoulder. He didn't insist any further. "Alright then, you can sleep here. Try our camp's vegetable porridge tomorrow morning!"
After saying that, he left with Li Laosi.
The Marquis went around behind the curtain, took out a wolfskin rug, and threw it to Mu Xu.
Mu Xu slipped through the curtain, spread the wolf-skin rug on the edge of the bed, lay down, and let out a big yawn. Just when the Marquis thought he was going to sleep, he suddenly spoke.
"My lord, there is no good end to being too powerful. What if that person... can't tolerate you? I think it wouldn't be a bad thing to lead the troops back to Jiangnan and let Tianwu change its master."
"At least you won't have to worry about someone giving the order to kill all your loved ones. Only when the butcher's knife is in your own hands can you truly feel at ease, right?"
The Marquis reached out and lifted the covers, lay down on the bed, and remained silent for a long time before responding.
"As long as the northern expedition is victorious and the Jiangbei region is recovered, my wish will be fulfilled. If that person wants unparalleled achievements, eternal fame, or even my life, let him have it, it doesn't matter."
"If it weren't for that fortuitous encounter back then, I would have died on the road long ago. The rest of my life has been a gift, and I'm not greedy."
"As for the Li family and other close relatives, if I don't die, they may be in danger, but if I die, they will be extremely safe and even continue to enjoy honors and favors."
"Tianwu has suffered from war and slaughter for more than a decade. I don't want Jiangnan to be stained with blood again because of me. One person's grievances or resentment are insignificant compared to the peace and tranquility of millions of people."
Mu Xu felt a lump in his throat as he listened. "Before I came here, I mentioned these things to the princess, and she said that you would not agree to fight your way back to Jiangnan. I was still unconvinced, but now it seems that the princess understands you best."
The Marquis smiled silently, feeling gratified as he thought of his daughter who was thousands of miles away.
"That girl is too clever; nothing can be hidden from her. When you get back, don't say too much, lest she worry. No one can predict what will happen in the future, but as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will do my best to get back safely. I still want to personally see her off on her wedding!"
Mu Xu remained silent, knowing that further persuasion would be useless.
"My lord, you are the only hero I have ever met in my life."
The Marquis turned over, his voice calm, and replied, "Heroes are revered by the world, but they are destined to be worthy of the people, only failing the expectations and concerns of their families. That is why I chose you to be the princess's husband."
"It's precisely because you're unconventional, unbound by worldly conventions, and only care about your loved ones, not about grand principles, that I feel most at ease entrusting my daughter to you as a father."
Mu Xu choked for a moment, but accepted the "praise" for the time being.
"Rest assured, my lord, the princess will always be my number one priority. Even if it means you are in danger with her, I will save her first."
"Always remember what you said tonight, go to sleep."
The Marquis remained silent, and the tent fell quiet, save for the occasional sound of patrolling footsteps outside...
No matter what happens in the darkness, whether it's sorrow or joy, the sun will still rise.
As a new day dawns, the poor toil to make a living, while the rich rack their brains to preserve their wealth.
At another grand court assembly, the court officials, led by the Minister of Rites, once again kowtowed to the Emperor, requesting that he establish a Crown Prince as soon as possible.
The Emperor remained noncommittal, smiling as he asked, "I am aware of your thoughts, my esteemed ministers. Dozens of memorials are already piled up on my desk. I will make a decision soon, so please wait patiently."
The Minister of Personnel was a cunning old fox. For some reason, seeing the Emperor like this, he always felt uneasy.
So he decisively changed the subject and brought up the matter of the rain-praying ceremony. The Minister of Rites still did not give up and immediately followed up, saying, "I urge Your Majesty to establish a Crown Prince as soon as possible. When the Crown Prince presides over the rain-praying ceremony, he will surely move Heaven and bring down sweet rain."
The emperor, still smiling, got up and went back to the inner palace, thus ending the court session.
The Minister of Personnel gave the Minister of Rites a cold glance, said nothing, and led the way out.
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