687 Preparation (Part 1)

Xu Lingyi saw that Shiyi Niang's eyes suddenly filled with tears while she was talking. He was stunned and then laughed softly.

"Silly girl!" He held her in his arms lovingly. "You want me to go to the battlefield. But there must be a war to fight!"

Eleventh Lady was slightly stunned.

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "Your Majesty is a man of both military and civil skills, and his mighty reputation is known far and wide. Compared to the Jianwu years, the world is much more peaceful. Even in Fujian, although the court suffered losses in recent years, it was not under siege like it was more than a decade ago. As for the northwest and Miao border, there were occasional robberies. The troops of each guard were dispersed, and there was no need for the court to issue an edict to mobilize the generals of the Five Armies Commandery. Where can we fight the war?" He sighed slightly, half relieved and half emotional.

I feel relieved because the common people no longer have to suffer from war; I feel sad because such passionate days will never come back again!

Eleventh Lady's expression eased slightly, and she struggled to sit up. She said seriously, "I don't know about other ways to delay. But the northwest has been peaceful for more than ten years. The land there is poor and the food is barren. Life is hard. They look at Jiayuguan as if it were a piece of fat meat in their mouths. It's impossible for them to just watch and not take a bite... One year, two years, ten or twenty years?" Counting the days, it would be the time when Jiange'er would be of age. She said with a bit of displeasure, "The Marquis is an important official of the court. Even a lady like me knows about it, so you can't be unaware of it, right?"

Xu Lingyi was surprised. He looked at Shiyi Niang with a smile and said, "I can't believe you are so ignorant. You are much better than me!" He teased her in a teasing tone, trying to ease Shiyi Niang's tense mood.

If it were normal times, Eleventh Lady might have joked with him. But this was related to Jiange'er's future... Eleventh Lady glared at Xu Lingyi: "Young Master Hou, are you kidding me?"

Xu Lingyi looked at her face which was stern but not even a hint of ferocity, and burst into laughter.

Eleventh Lady frowned slightly.

Xu Lingyi saw that she looked even more unhappy, and knew that she was serious. He slowly put away his smile and pondered for a moment, then whispered, "The emperor is in his prime. I can eat and sleep well. If another twenty years pass... or a new emperor comes... then you don't have to worry!"

Eleventh Lady understood immediately.

The war Xu Lingyi waged against the Northwest thirteen years ago left a deep impression on the Northwest. As long as Yan Shang and he were still alive, the former, as a decision-maker, would not tolerate the invasion of the Northwest. The latter, as an executor, could still go to the battlefield to kill the enemy and lead the army, while those people would only dare to make small troubles at the border.

But everything is time-limited. A few years later, it will be another generation. Xu Lingyi is also old. He is not so afraid of the legendary war. Or the emperor died. The new emperor was not able to command his officials. It was the time of the northwest invasion...

From what we can see now, the emperor hasn't even had a cold or a cough, and the prince doesn't know how long he has to wait. Twenty years... is still a long time.

Despite this, she still heard something else.

In the military camp, the strong are respected. It doesn't matter if you have strategy or talent. As long as you are strong enough.

Xu Lingyi's training of Jiang'er is aimed at this direction.

"Have you decided to let Jian go?" she asked Xu Lingyi, "But have you ever thought that the northwest will be in chaos one day? Even if he is in the Xishan camp in the future, if the emperor wants to lead the army in person, he will have to go with him." At this point, she pursed her lips, "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. I don't care what the marquis thinks, I will never agree!"

She has never been so determined before.

"Eleventh Lady!" Xu Lingyi smiled and hugged her, "Don't be like this!"

Eleventh Lady pushed him away and said, "My Lord, don't say any more. I will go to my eldest brother tomorrow and ask him to find a teacher for Jin'er. Jin'er will study with the new teacher in the future. With his intelligence, he may be able to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi or something like that!" Then she turned her back and crawled into the quilt.

"Eleventh Lady!" Xu Lingyi moved closer. "If you have anything to say, let's talk it out, ok!" He gently shook her shoulders.

"What is there to say!" Eleventh Lady was angry, "If we are not on the same path, we will not plot against each other. Eleventh Lady!" Xu Lingyi stroked her long black hair that was scattered on the pillow, "I know you are worried about Jian Ge'er. Don't I worry? I have thought about what you said carefully. If Jian Ge'er does not have the talent to be a general, and I am willing to drag him to the barracks, it is not loving him, but harming him." At this point, he couldn't help but get excited, and his voice became a little higher. " Eleventh Lady, you don’t know how amazing our Jian’er is. When he was six years old, I just said a few words casually, and he could understand the map of the world. I have led troops for so many years, but I have never seen such a thing. When I was six years old, I would get lost when I went to the palace with my mother to pay my respects to the Empress... And Master Pang told him to practice internal martial arts. Others couldn’t figure out where the Dantian was for a long time, but he knew it after listening to it once... Eleventh Lady, our Jian’er has a talent..."

Eleventh Lady turned around suddenly.

Xu Lingyi was unable to avoid it. Cha Ji was hit on the chin.

"Everyone said Zhao Kuo was gifted before he went to war!" Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi coldly, "Before Huo Qubing went to the battlefield, everyone also said he was gifted! The former died in battle because of his armchair military strategy, and the latter was a genius who died early."

"Eleventh Lady!" Xu Lingyi smiled bitterly.

Eleventh Lady snorted coldly and turned away again, leaving him with her back again.

Xu Lingyi looked at the exquisite curves, smiled helplessly and touched his head.

After a while, he probably thought she had calmed down a little, so he gently dragged her over and whispered her name.

"Silence! Silence!..."

Eleventh Lady remained silent.

Xu Lingyi's hand gently fell on her shoulder.

Eleventh Lady did not move.

Xu Lingyi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Moyan!" He whispered in her ear, "I have fought in many battles and witnessed countless tragic events. Who knows the ruthlessness of war better than me? At first, I would not have led the army south and would not have made a living, but I would rather risk my life to have a future. I just want to make life easier for my family. My children will not have to work as hard as I do and can live a comfortable life by relying on the merits of their ancestors. Jian Ge'er is the son we have been looking forward to. I have watched him grow up little by little. When I see him unhappy, it makes me more upset than when I am unhappy myself. When I see him happy, it makes me happier than when I am happy myself." How can I bear to let him suffer the same hardships I have suffered? . "

As he spoke, Xu Lingyi felt Shiyi Niang's tense shoulders gradually relax.

He perked up.

"You also said that we have a longer road ahead of us than our parents, and our children have a longer road ahead of us. When they were young, we were in our prime and could protect them from the wind and rain. When we are old, even if we want to protect them, we no longer have the energy and ability to do so. So we must teach them the skills to survive while we are still young. When we are old, they will not be destitute because they have no one to protect them."

"I agree with what you said."

"So you said my brother wanted to take the imperial examination and hired a teacher. I hired Mr. Chang according to Mr. Zhao's tuition."

"Brother Jian has been active and lively since he was young. After you taught him a lesson, he suddenly became timid and unhappy. I just wanted to let him relax. I took him out for a walk on the pretext that I had something to do at the Baoding Horse Farm." He paused as he spoke, "You don't know, the farther he got from Yanjing, the more he became like a young seedling withered by the sun, which became more energetic day by day after encountering rain. In my heart..." He didn't know how to describe it and fell silent.

Eleventh Lady didn't say anything, but her shoulders, which had already relaxed, became stiff again.

"Moyan!" Xu Lingyi's large, warm hands reached into the quilt and held her hand. "That's our son..." His voice was a little choked up. "I don't want to see him hanging his head and looking depressed... I want him to live with his head held high, unrestrained and uninhibited... Even without my protection, he can still withstand the wind and rain, and not be afraid of the snow and frost. Stand tall and proud!"

Eleventh Lady's body was trembling slightly.

Xu Lingyi hugged her from behind and kissed her temples as if she were a treasure.

"Moyan, you have to believe me. I won't do anything rash. Now that Jin Ge'er is still young, let's lay the foundation first. When he grows up, I will send him to the barracks. If he can do it, we will make plans. If he doesn't like it, well..." At this point, his voice suddenly lowered, as thin as a mosquito's whisper, "When the new emperor ascends the throne, he will definitely confer a title on my mother's family... Moyan, when the time comes, I will also fight for a title for Jin Ge'er... Don't worry!"

The house was filled with tiny whimpering sounds.

"Moyan, Moyan..." Xu Lingyi's voice was a little panicked, "Don't cry, yeah, don't cry." He turned her body, "Trust me. I have arranged everything."

Do you believe it?

She was worried because she believed in Xu Lingyi.

His forbearance, his perseverance, his decisiveness, his calmness, and his foresight are all necessary conditions for the success of a thing.

If he sets his mind to it, nine out of ten times he will succeed.

But she didn't want her brother to be in any danger.

"I don't want to rely on my brother's kindness. I don't want to rely on my brother's kindness." She knew that this was a bit unreasonable, but she just wanted to be unreasonable for once. "Anyway, I don't agree. Why does my brother have to take the path of kindness? Can't he just do whatever he wants..."

"Okay... okay... okay," Xu Lingyi coaxed her like a child, "We can do whatever our brother wants. Don't cry, okay! Be careful not to hurt your eyes."

It would have been better if he didn't say it. As soon as he said it, Shiyi Niang felt even more wronged and burst into tears.

The next day, Jianger and Guier went to greet Shiyi Niang and Xu Lingyi happily. The atmosphere in the room felt strange. Mother didn't even look at Daddy. Although she smiled when she talked to them, it seemed a bit forced. Daddy sat aside, glancing at Mother from time to time, as if he had something to say but couldn't find the opportunity to say it.

Chen Ge'er quietly pulled on Qin Ge'er's sleeve and said, "Fourth Aunt and Fourth Uncle are almost done talking..."

"Impossible!" Jian Ge'er's eyes widened. "My father and mother never shut up!"

"Hehehe!" Chen Ge'er laughed confidently, "You don't know this. My father and mother were like this when they were talking..."

There was a hint of confusion in Jiange'er's eyes: "Really?"

"Really!" Chen Ge'er assured, "However, it is usually my father who talks to us with a smile, and my mother watches my father's expression from the side."