Chapter 107
After Gongsun Yin left, Xie Zhengcai sat silently in front of a low table.
He didn't dry his hair after taking a shower, and the wet hair was scattered in clumps on his forehead. His tall nose cast a shadow under the candlelight, and his thin lips were slightly pursed, revealing a bit of stubbornness and wildness.
He picked up the ugly and arrogant doll with his long fingers, looked at it for a long time, and then gently rubbed it twice with his fingertips.
There was also a large package placed under the low table, which was brought from Yanzhou by the personal soldiers.
He untied the knot and found two sets of clothes, a pair of unworn double-line short boots, and a bag of stale candy.
It was exactly the package that Fan Changyu asked Carpenter Zhao to bring to him.
The humidity rises on rainy days, and everything inside has a slightly damp feeling.
Xie Zheng opened the oil paper package of Chenpi candy. Some of the candy inside had melted, and some were still stuck together.
As if he didn't see it, he picked up one and put it into his mouth. Instead of holding it to let the candy slowly melt, he chewed it directly between his teeth and swallowed it.
He swallowed one, then picked up the next one and put it in his mouth to continue chewing.
The sweet, sour and bitter taste of chenpi candy spreads across the tip of the tongue.
By the end of the meal, I could hardly taste the sweetness anymore, only sourness and bitterness.
-
Chongzhou.
It was raining heavily at night, and the light of a small lamp blocked the cold air outside the tent.
Fan Changyu sat cross-legged on the military bed, staring at the empty box beside him in a daze.
She had taken out all the clothes and laid them on the bed, but she still couldn't find the puppet she had crudely carved.
Although she was the only one living in the military tent, she would occasionally call the sergeants and corporals under her to come over to discuss matters. She always kept her personal belongings well.
She packed her clothes in boxes, and when she had free time, she would take out the puppet and carve it, then put it back in her clothes box.
She hadn't noticed it when she had just changed into some random clothes to meet He Jingyuan.
It was late at night and everyone was asleep. I wanted to find the puppet and carve it more finely, but I couldn't find it.
There were footsteps outside the tent, followed by the sound of an oil-paper umbrella being folded. A moment later, Aunt Zhao came in, holding the oil-paper umbrella with water in one hand and a medicine bowl in the other, and she pushed open the tent curtain with her elbow, muttering, "This rain is so heavy that it's scary!"
He placed the oil-paper umbrella next to the tent and walked towards Fan Changyu with the medicine bowl in his hand. Seeing that she had taken out all the clothes from the box, he could not help but ask, "Why did you take out all these clothes?"
Thinking of how Aunt Zhao had been taking care of him during the two days he was unconscious, Fan Changyu asked hurriedly, "Aunt Zhao, when you were packing my clothes, did you see the wooden doll in the box?"
Aunt Zhao shook her head and said, "I didn't see any wooden puppets."
Seeing that she was distraught, he asked again, "What's wrong?"
Fan Changyu just shook his head, his pair of bright black apricot eyes showing a bit of confusion and indifference under the candlelight.
How come the doll suddenly disappeared?
Although Xie Wu was her personal soldier, he never dared to touch her personal belongings.
During the two days when he was unconscious, the only person who had entered the military tent was Xie Zheng, who was disguised as Xie Wu.
Did he take the doll?
Aunt Zhao said, "Drink this medicine while it's still hot. I have to go back to your uncle Zhao and make him some more medicine."
The wound on Fan Changyu's hand has not healed yet, so she has been staying in the military camp to take care of her daily life these days. When she is free during the day, she goes to the military doctors to help decoct medicine, or wash the clothes of the seriously injured soldiers.
There were many casualties in the army after this battle. Even Zhao Mujiang, a veterinarian, was called in to bandage and treat the wounded soldiers.
He was originally worried that his medical skills were not good enough and he might harm the wounded soldiers. But then he discovered that the newly recruited military doctors who were responsible for treating the wounded soldiers did not understand the various pharmacological properties of the medicines when they wrote the prescriptions.
Upon asking, he found out that they were all country doctors, some of whom were even just herbalists who knew about herbs. Carpenter Zhao couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
But we also understand that there is no way around it. There are thousands of wounded soldiers, but only a few military doctors. Many injuries require timely treatment, so how can the military doctors handle it?
All they could do was to gather anyone within a hundred miles who had some knowledge of medicine and pharmacology and bring them to the army to treat the wounded soldiers.
No matter what the medical technology is, it is better to have medical treatment than to have no medical treatment.
With his experience in treating Xie Zheng's serious injuries, Carpenter Zhao successfully rescued many wounded soldiers and was promoted to a formal military doctor.
The army has always treated military doctors with courtesy. Carpenter Zhao no longer had to do the work of a carpenter and a veterinarian, and he even had his own separate military account.
Fan Changyu came to her senses. She had been unconscious for the past two days, and Aunt Zhao had been watching over her at night because she had no other options. Now that she had woken up, Aunt Zhao no longer needed to take care of her. After taking the medicine bowl, she said, "It's raining heavily, and it's dark in the camp. I'm afraid it's hard to walk. I'll ask Xiaowu to take you there. When you're done, just stay at Uncle Zhao's place. Don't come back to my place."
Her military tent was still some distance away from the wounded soldiers' tent, and it was tiring for the old lady to run back and forth.
Fan Changyu understood Aunt Zhao's desire to do something for the wounded soldiers.
The son of Aunt Zhao and her husband died on the battlefield in his early years. When she came to the army and saw the soldiers in the wounded camp, she probably thought of her own son who died in the battle and cried. She treated those wounded soldiers as her own children, running around and never having a moment to rest.
Perhaps they wanted to make up for the regret that they only knew that their sons died on the battlefield but could do nothing about it.
Aunt Zhao was a little worried, "Is it convenient for you to be alone at night?"
Fan Changyu held the bowl and said, "My hand was only injured in the flesh and meridians, the bones are fine, it's nothing serious."
Aunt Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "That's fine. If you need anything, just ask Xiaowu to come and call me."
Fan Changyu agreed and called Xie Wu to take Aunt Zhao to Carpenter Zhao.
After the curtains were closed again, blocking out the rain and the endless darkness, Fan Changyu finally calmed down.
She held the medicine bowl in her hands, and when she lowered her head it seemed as if water fell into the black medicine, creating ripples.
She drank it all in one gulp, not caring that the medicine was so bitter that it made her stomach cramp. After putting the medicine bowl on the stool at the head of the bed, she stuffed the clothes on the bed back into the box, shook out the thin quilt, wrapped herself in it, and went straight to sleep.
-
Half a month later, the battle report of the killing of Prince Changxin was sent to the capital, and then the imperial edict of reward arrived in Chongzhou by an imperial envoy.
When the imperial messenger entered the camp, Fan Changyu was the only one whose military rank was below that of a colonel but who was in the team welcoming the imperial messenger.
When the imperial edict arrives, it is as if the emperor is present in person, and all civil and military officials must wear official uniforms.
He Jingyuan was still seriously injured, but he forced himself to put on his heavy armor and led his troops to greet the imperial envoy at the gate of the camp. His face was so thin that his cheekbones protruded, his cheeks were sunken, and even had a gray tint, which made his troops feel sorry for him.
Fan Changyu also felt heavy in his heart. He Jingyuan was not only wounded by arrows, but also had to block a lion-head spear for Tang Peiyi during the fight with Prince Changxin, which damaged his weapon. His condition had not improved since then.
When He Jingyuan wrote the memorial to the capital, he had already stated that he was seriously injured and was afraid that he could no longer serve as the main general in the attack on Chongzhou. It was unknown what the imperial edict brought.
She stood at the back and saw a group of people marching towards the camp in a mighty procession. The man leading them was wearing an official uniform she had never seen before. He did not look like a civil official, nor a military general. His face was so old that it was full of wrinkles, but he was white and beardless, which was indescribably strange.
When the other party saw He Jingyuan, he said with his eyelids lowered in pride: "He Jingyuan, the governor of Jizhou, has received the order——"
The voice is high-pitched and shrill.
Fan Changyu then realized that this person should be the eunuch who served the emperor in the legend.
He Jingyuan led everyone to kneel down. Fan Changyu was afraid that his impoliteness would bring him trouble, so he did not dare to look at the eunuch who announced the decree. He just lowered his eyes and looked at the piece of land in front of him.
"The Emperor, in accordance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: The rebels in Chongzhou have disturbed our country and bullied our people. The governor of Jizhou, He Jingyuan, has helped the country and killed the rebels. I am very pleased. Now I know that you are seriously injured. I hereby appoint you as the general of Huaihua, reward you with 1,000 taels of gold, and temporarily hand over the military power to the general of Xuanwei, Tang Peiyi, and allow you to return to Jizhou to recuperate."
As soon as he finished speaking, the people kneeling at the entrance of the camp had different expressions on their faces.
This imperial edict conferred a higher honorary military title on He Jingyuan, but stripped him of his military power.
Tang Peiyi was kneeling on the left rear side of He Jingyuan. He was promoted by He Jingyuan and had great respect for him. He was obviously anxious when he heard the imperial edict. He wanted to say something to He Jingyuan, but the eunuch had not finished reading the edict yet, so he could only kneel there anxiously.
The eunuch continued to read, "General Tang Peiyi of Xuanwei built a dam to intercept the rebels and made great contributions. The right wing army he trained on the battlefield of Chongzhou won a surprise victory. He has the talent of a great general, so he is specially appointed as the General of Yunhui and awarded 500 taels of gold."
"The generals under his command are also very brave. Wang Daqing killed the vanguard of the rebels and was specially appointed as the general of the cavalry and rewarded with 100 taels of gold; Gu Si killed the captain of the rebels and was appointed as the captain of Zhiguo..."
This imperial edict was very lengthy, and it almost rewarded all the generals kneeling at the gate of the camp. Only then did Fan Changyu realize that he was also called here to be rewarded together.
He Jingyuan wrote all the battle reports about the military achievements and submitted them to the emperor. He probably had an idea of who the emperor would reward, so he called all of them over in advance.
But Fan Changyu's name was not mentioned for a long time.
When her knees were numb from kneeling, she finally heard the eunuch's words: "The commander of the right wing army is Fan Changyu..."
Fan Changyu was startled and subconsciously looked at the eunuch, but unfortunately he was also looking at her.
The look in his eyes seemed to be smiling, but it inexplicably made Fan Changyu shudder. She couldn't describe the feeling, but she just felt uncomfortable all over, so she quickly lowered her head.
The eunuch continued to read: "For killing Prince Changxin, you have achieved extraordinary merit, and you are awarded the title of Valiant Cavalry Commander and three hundred taels of gold. I am grateful for this!"
Fan Changyu didn't know how high a rank this Cavalry Commander was, but when he heard that the reward was three times more than that of Wang Daqing, a general under Tang Peiyi, he thought to himself that this position must be quite high.
After the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict, the arrogant look on his face disappeared, and he looked at He Jingyuan with a smile and said, "Master He, accept the edict."
But he glanced at Fan Changyu out of the corner of his eye.
Even though He Jingyuan was ill, his voice was still sonorous: "He Jingyuan accepts the order!"
The eunuch handed the imperial edict to He Jingyuan, with a smile that seemed friendly but made people feel uncomfortable, and said, "Congratulations, sir. Congratulations, sir."
He Jingyuan looked at the imperial edict in his hand, his eyes showing some sorrow, and said with a smile: "It is your Majesty's mercy."
Tang Peiyi immediately clasped his fists and said, "Sir, I am not worthy of being the commander-in-chief. Please continue to lead the army!"
He Jingyuan shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Are you trying to disobey my order?"
Tang Peiyi wanted to say something, but looking at the eunuch who was watching the show with a smile on his face, he finally held it in.
He Jingyuan then said to the eunuch who announced the decree, "You have come a long way and must have worked hard. The army has prepared a tent for you. If you don't mind, you can go down and rest for a while."
The eunuch laughed and said, "It's not hard, it's not hard. Only ministers like you who work hard on the front line feel hard. But whether it's you as a minister or me as a servant of Your Majesty, we have to share the worries of the emperor if we eat his salary."
He Jingyuan understood the eunuch's implication, but his expression remained calm, and he only said, "You are right, eunuch."
The eunuch looked at He Jingyuan, and the smile on his face deepened: "It's good that Master He understands."
After the eunuch who announced the decree walked away, Tang Peiyi could no longer hold back and spoke up for He Jingyuan: "Sir, how could His Majesty directly seize your military power?"
He lowered his head half in frustration and half in anger: "I don't have the ability to take your job! I can't manage this stall in Chongzhou!"
He Jingyuan just said: "Confused!"
"grown ups……"
Tang Peiyi wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by He Jingyuan, who said, "The military power will either fall into your hands or someone else will be sent by the court. Compared to the latter, I would rather you take over the Jizhou Army."
As he spoke, he patted Tang Peiyi on the shoulder.
Tang Peiyi, a tall man, also had tears in his eyes. He said, "If you hadn't saved me that day..."
He Jingyuan suddenly sighed and said, "Peiyi, I am indeed old."
Tang Peiyi looked at his hair which had turned quite gray in the past half month and his thinner figure, his eyes were filled with sadness, but in the end he could no longer say a word of refusal.
Fan Changyu also felt unhappy about this.
Since ancient times, the fate of military generals seems to be that their bows are put away after all the birds have been killed.
Because she had something on her mind, she was not at all happy even though she was given a military position and received a bonus.
He Jingyuan asked everyone to go their separate ways, but she didn't know why she stayed where she was.
He Jingyuan didn't seem surprised to see her and said, "Come for a walk with uncle."
Fan Changyu said "hmm" and followed He Jingyuan half a step behind.
He Jingyuan walked slowly because of his injury, but even in full armor, his elegance and gentleness could not be suppressed.
After walking for a while and finding it quiet all around, he said slowly, "I didn't hide the fact that you killed Prince Changxin. Now the whole government knows about you. From now on, you have to be more vigilant. I don't know how many eyes are watching you in the dark."
Fan Changyu said: "Changyu understands."
He Jingyuan sighed, "The Prime Minister has already disliked me. I don't know when he will attack you and your sister again. You can't hide from him. If everyone knows about you, the Prime Minister will be afraid to attack you again."
He paused, and then said, "Teacher Li and his group have already found out about your parents. He wants to overthrow Wei Yan, and will protect you at all costs. Li Huaian stays in the army as a military commander. Although this boy is humble and polite, and has a good character, he is still a member of the Li family. Don't trust him."
Fan Changyu could sense the good intentions of the elder in front of him, and was grateful in his heart. He said seriously: "Changyu has remembered it all."
He Jingyuan then looked at her and nodded slightly, his eyes revealing a bit of the kindness and pity of an elder towards the younger generation: "It's hard for you to take this path."
Fan Changyu thought of the death of his parents, the seventeen years of abuse from his grandfather, and the day Xie Zheng said goodbye to him. His black almond eyes were silent but dancing with fire. He said firmly, "It's not bitter."
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