The sky was just beginning to brighten, and in this chilly early spring, all the windows of the study were drawn up, letting in the cold air, which brought with it a refreshing smell that invigorated the mind.
The "Map of Kyushu" treasured in a camphorwood box was taken out and spread on the large yellow pear wood desk. Xu Lingyi, wearing a half-new dark blue Hangzhou silk plain jacket, stood in front of the desk with his hands behind his back, his head slightly lowered, staring at the map without blinking, his expression extremely serious.
Eleventh Lady looked at it and paused.
Hearing the noise, Xu Lingyi raised his head and said, "You're here!"
Being suddenly called into the palace, Eleventh Lady would definitely be very worried. Knowing that he was back, she would naturally come to see him as soon as possible.
Why should you read "Kyushu Map"?
Eleventh Lady has a bad feeling...
"What happened?" she asked as she walked to Xu Lingyi's side.
Mountains, rivers and streams are all within sight.
Xu Lingyi hesitated for a moment and pointed to the location of Xuantong Prefecture on the map: "The Tartars have gathered troops from thirteen tribes, bypassed Jiayu Pass, and are now outside Xuantong Prefecture."
Eleventh Lady's heart skipped a beat, her face changed drastically, and she said in a lost voice, "How could this happen?"
Xuantong Prefecture is the barrier of Yanjing. Once the barrier is removed, Yanjing will be in danger!
"Last winter was very cold, and this year's spring came late. Even the grass roots and tree barks are gone. We have no choice but to enter the pass to rob!" Xu Lingyi's voice was very calm. "Looking at this situation, I'm afraid we have to mobilize the Five Military Commandery!"
"Will anything happen to Jin'er?" Eleventh Lady was more concerned about this.
"He will be fine!" Xu Lingyi looked at her. "Shiyang is very remote, far away from Xuantong. Even if those Tartars took the wrong path, they would not go there. The situation is tense now, and the Five Army Governor's Office must use troops swiftly. They will not leave the troops of the Rear Army Governor's Office closest to Xuantong unused and transfer the troops of the Right Army Governor's Office from a faraway place. Don't worry, he is safer than us!" At the end, he showed a gentle smile with a comforting taste.
Sichuan was under the jurisdiction of the Right Army Military Governor's Office, and Shanxi was under the jurisdiction of the Rear Army Military Governor's Office.
Eleventh Lady breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked, "Why did the Emperor ask the Marquis to come to the palace?"
"The court has not used military force in the northwest for more than ten years. The emperor is unsure and asked me to question him." When Xu Lingyi said this, his tone was light, but his eyes and eyebrows revealed a strong self-confidence, which made him suddenly stand up a lot more upright, with a kind of solemnity and dignity.
This is what he looks like in the military camp!
Eleventh Lady suddenly felt as if she had accidentally seen another side of Xu Lingyi that was hidden.
"The emperor only asked you about the northwest. Didn't he say anything else?" she said hesitantly.
Xu Lingyi was silent for a long time before he whispered, "The emperor also asked me if I had any intention of going to the northwest to quell the rebellion..." He paused, "I, politely declined!" His voice was very smooth, like silted river water.
If it weren't for political considerations, he would have been eager to conquer the northwest again, right?
When Eleventh Lady thought of the strong self-confidence he had revealed just now, she suddenly felt a little suffocated in her heart. She gently placed her hand on his clenched fist on the desk: "Jin'er is in Sichuan. If you go to the northwest again, it will be empty here... It's better for you to stay at home!" The look in her eyes was as gentle as spring water, which flowed to the tip of his heart, making him a little disappointed.
She said these words to comfort him!
If it weren't for this situation, it would be great...
Xu Lingyi shook his head gently.
Young couples will be companions in old age, you think too much.
He smiled and patted Eleventh Lady's hand: "It's so early, you haven't had breakfast yet?" Then he turned around and called Denghua, "Close all the windows and let the maids prepare breakfast!" and changed the subject.
There was a sense of coolness between the two of them.
Eleventh Lady was stunned.
Xu Lingyi had walked to the big kang next to the window, picked up the teapot on the kang table and poured a cup of tea: "Come, sit down and have some hot tea."
The smile is still gentle, but lacks the original warmth.
Shiyi Niang walked over silently and sat down. She took the teacup and talked about family matters, trying to break the coldness between them. "On the way back yesterday, Ying Niang and I discussed for a long time. We wanted to plant some water chestnuts in Liufangwu, but we were afraid that the water chestnut seedlings would grow too densely and we wouldn't be able to row a boat..."
How could such a small matter be difficult for Eleventh Lady?
Seeing a hint of uneasiness in her eyes, Xu Lingyi couldn't help laughing.
I am too petty.
Eleventh Lady has a calm temperament and comes from a wealthy family, so she is used to being reserved. Thinking of her as being gentle and affectionate... I am really greedy!
Thinking of this, he put his arm around Shiyi Niang's shoulders and kissed her cheek affectionately: "If the water chestnut seedlings grow too densely, ask the manager to invite the women on the farm to cut them. I remember that water chestnuts are only available in May and June. In May and June, the weather is hot and no one would go boating. It won't delay anything..."
Feeling his warm breath and listening to his mellow voice, Eleventh Lady couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and felt relieved as if the huge rock pressing on her heart was suddenly lifted away.
When Xu Lingyi heard her breathing softly in his arms, the smile on his face grew wider.
Eleventh Lady, seems to have become very attached to me.
Since when did it start… All those warm, charming, annoying, and angry scenes in life kept turning around in his mind like a revolving lantern, but he could never find the source…
Denghua came in and saw the two of them sitting together affectionately. She quickly lowered her eyelids and whispered, "My Lord, where is the breakfast?"
Eleventh Lady struggled to sit up, but Xu Lingyi exerted force with his hand and she had to lean on his shoulder again. Her face turned a little red, but she stopped struggling.
Xu Lingyi smiled slightly and told Denghua: "Just put it here!"
The lantern flowers disappeared in response.
Xu Lingyi kissed her forehead and then let her go.
Eleventh Lady sat up.
After receiving the instructions, the old woman came in with her head down, tiptoed to move the kang table away, and replaced it with the kang table with breakfast on it.
The couple sat opposite each other and had breakfast.
From time to time, the room could be heard with the sound of porcelain being knocked against each other, as well as the sound of someone drinking soup and chewing something.
When she was a child, her mother was always busy. When they occasionally took time to eat together, she would chatter about what happened around her, as if this could make up for the days when she was not with her mother. But there was still a hole in her heart, and no matter how loud she spoke, it could not fill it, and she felt even more lost. Later in Yuhang, people paid attention to "not talking while eating and not talking while sleeping", and she felt depressed at that time... Since when did she get used to eating in silence, but her heart felt calm and at ease.
Eleventh Lady couldn't help but look up at Xu Lingyi opposite her.
He was picking up some food, his expression was calm, his movements were steady and powerful... just like the night when he was called into the palace by the late emperor... He had gently embraced her, his arms were steady and powerful, and he calmly arranged for her to take the children away... She still remembered the smell when he embraced her...
She was a little dazed.
When she saw him again, why didn’t she ask him why he arranged for her to take the child away… She was the wife of the Marquis of Yongping… If the Xu Mansion was raided, she would be the first one in the inner courtyard… Unlike the Second Madam, the Second Master had passed away for more than 20 years, and she was a widow and had not been out for a long time, living in a remote courtyard… If she had to leave, it would be easier for the Second Madam… Moreover, the Second Madam had experienced the rise and fall of the Xu family, and her loyalty, willpower, and coping skills were more reassuring than hers… Xu Lingyi was a cautious person, not to mention that he was facing the moment of the family’s survival…
It seemed that it was from then on that she truly realized the burden that Xu Lingyi had been carrying alone all this time. It was also from then on that when he was unhappy, her heart would tighten, and then she would want to say something, do something, to make him feel relieved, to make him happy...
"What's wrong?" Xu Lingyi saw the man opposite him counting rice grains while eating porridge, and asked with a smile, "Is your breakfast not to your taste?"
He ate simply, she ate complicatedly…often on a large table, hers accounted for two-thirds. I didn’t expect her to come, and I could tell that the kitchen had rearranged the breakfast, but the time was still too tight, so it was mostly noodle soup and steamed buns, with only a few stir-fried vegetables and a bowl of millet porridge.
"No!" Eleventh Lady smiled, "Very good!"
Xu Lingyi nodded.
A servant ran in and said, "My Lord, Lord Ma from the Five Military Commanders' Office wants to see you!"
The five adults are in charge of the central army of the Five Military Commandery.
Xu Lingyi did not show any surprise, but pondered for a long time before ordering the servant: "Please ask him to sit in the hall!"
Eleventh Lady hurriedly got up to help Xu Lingyi change his clothes.
"Wait for me for a moment, let's go pay our respects to the lady together." Xu Lingyi said, turning around and walking out the door.
He said he would come back in a while, but after waiting for almost an hour, Xu Lingyi finally came back.
"Let's go!" he said calmly, "so as not to keep mother waiting!"
The current lady has to see Xu Lingyi every morning and evening to feel at ease.
Eleventh Lady followed him out the door.
Halfway through the journey, she hesitated and asked, "Master Ma, is there something urgent that needs to be discussed with you?"
Xu Lingyi did not say anything until he entered the Madam's courtyard, then he whispered, "The Emperor has recruited people from the Five Military Commanders' Office to enter the palace. He came to ask me, if the Emperor wants him to recommend a general to lead the troops, who should he recommend?"
Eleventh Lady was surprised.
Xu Lingyi has been away from the military camp for more than ten years, and a governor in charge of the central army of the Five Military Governors' Office still came to ask Xu Lingyi who to recommend as the general... You know, if the war fails, the recommender will also be responsible and may even be implicated... Or, living together without distance, some things are ignored?
She really wanted to ask him what happened during the suppression of the rebellion in the northwest? Why, after so many years, there were still people who were so respectful and trustful to him!
But thinking of his nonchalant tone just now, Eleventh Lady swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
The old lady took Xu Lingyi's hand and asked him with concern where he had eaten yesterday, whether he had drunk any wine, and what Zhou Shizheng asked him to do... Xu Lingyi responded with a smile and read a passage from the Heart Sutra to the old lady. Only then did the old lady let him go with a smile.
The second lady sent them to the door on behalf of the lady-in-waiting.
"Fourth Uncle!" She said with a hint of meaning, "If you agree, I want to go to the West Hill Villa with mother and live for a few days. That way, when Fourth Uncle has guests, he won't have to bring them to mother to greet her, and mother won't have to cheer up to deal with these people. What do you think?"
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O(∩_∩)O~
One update today.