No way (minor repair)
In the winter of the tenth year of Chongren, snow fell heavily.
"The young general is amazing! He led a few hundred men and routed a two-thousand-strong army of southern barbarians, forcing them to flee back to their homeland!"
"Exactly! Like father, like daughter! The young general and the general are both children of the great general, how could they be inferior!"
The young girl was surrounded by a group of soldiers. They were grilling fish and drinking wine, having a great time. They had just won a battle and were about to return to the capital to reward their merits.
The girl surrounded in the middle was only twelve or thirteen years old, but her baby fat had already disappeared from her face. Her figure was like a tall sapling standing in the wind. Her hair was tied up in a crown, and her tender eyebrows and eyes were full of determination.
It took a long time for the soldiers in the army to go from initially disregarding this young general to now being completely in awe of her. After all, they naturally didn't take a young girl raised in seclusion seriously. But after one highly skilled general after another was defeated by the girl, and after she led a small group to victory against overwhelming odds time and time again, they had no choice but to admire her.
The Zhao family has a daughter named Zhao Youyi, who is an extraordinary woman who is stronger than men and possesses both agility and military leadership skills.
"Niao Niao." Zhao Youli walked over and patted his sister's shoulder. Zhao Youyi looked up and hit him lightly. "I told you, call me Young General in the army!"
Zhao Youli reached out and tapped the little girl's head: "Don't be so disrespectful. I'm your older brother, I can call you whatever I want."
Zhao Youyi glanced at him, magnanimously deciding not to argue with this man who loved to act like an older brother. "Brother, do you think the emperor will appoint me as a general this time we return victorious? Then I'll be the youngest general in the Jin Dynasty!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youli's smile faded slightly. He patted his younger sister's head and said, "Niao Niao, you should stay in Shenjing this time. The battlefield is a place where swords and spears have no eyes; it's not suitable for you."
Zhao Youyi stared at him in confusion, wanting to ask him why, but she couldn't catch his back no matter what she did. She could only watch him walk further and further away until he was no longer visible.
"Miss, we've arrived at the General's Mansion." The maid gently woke the girl who was resting in the carriage. The girl slowly opened her eyes. Her long, straight eyelashes fluttered like butterflies. She had a pair of bright almond-shaped eyes with drooping corners, which conveyed a sense of pitifulness without her saying a word. Because of her illness, her lips were much paler than those of ordinary women, and her skin color almost blended into the snow fox fur blanket she was using as a pillow.
Zhao Youyi lowered her eyes, pulling herself out of her dream. Her gaze fell on the jade bracelet on her wrist, which the Empress Dowager had put on her wrist with a smile not long ago, her attitude both warm and authoritative.
Since returning to Shenjing, she followed her brother's advice to stay at home and keep a low profile. Rumors about her being frail and sickly and unfit to be a military man's daughter seemed to be guided and spread like wildfire. In the streets and alleys of Shenjing, people were saying that the Zhao family's daughter was a sickly woman with no military bearing whatsoever, which was a disgrace to the Zhao family's reputation.
Zhao Youyi didn't care. The more rumors and gossip there were, the better. Only if the emperor knew that the Zhao family posed no threat and that she posed no threat would the emperor tolerate the Zhao family, which held military power.
For the sake of her brother and the future of the Zhao family, she could endure it.
Zhao Youyi stepped down from the carriage. Snowflakes covered the lintel of the General's Mansion gate. Noticing her gaze lingering on the lintel, the steward, Uncle Zhao, carefully explained, "Miss, the snow has been too heavy these past few days..."
It had been snowing almost nonstop for nearly half a month, not just for two days. Zhao Youyi naturally wouldn't make things difficult for the servants in such extreme weather. "It's nothing. I just wonder when my brother will be able to return home with such heavy snow."
The Zhao family rose to prominence in the previous dynasty. Their ancestors were civil officials, and one of them was a top scholar who married a princess. However, they fell into poverty in the later years. It wasn't until the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty launched a rebellion that the Zhao family ancestor abandoned his literary career to join the military and achieved great military exploits. He was appointed as the founding general. The Zhao family has been heroic for generations, and most of its members died on the battlefield. In Zhao Youyi's lineage, only she and her brother depended on each other for survival.
The Zhao family has fought against the Southern Barbarians for generations, and countless Zhao family members have died under the iron cavalry of the Southern Barbarians. She never expected that the royal family of Jin would send her to marry a foreign ruler. Even though her brother had won a battle not long ago, she couldn't understand why the Zhao family, who had been loyal to the emperor for generations, had ended up like this.
When she heard the Empress Dowager say that the Southern Barbarian prince was dashing and handsome, had long admired her, and sincerely wanted to marry her, she wished she could turn around and leave immediately. Her parents and uncles had all died at the hands of the Southern Barbarians, how could she marry a Southern Barbarian? And how dare the Southern Barbarian prince make such an unreasonable request?
Zhao Youyi was young and couldn't hide her thoughts. The Empress Dowager saw through her thoughts as soon as they were revealed on her face. The Empress Dowager held her hand affectionately and said that the Southern Barbarian prince sincerely wanted to marry her. As long as she was willing to marry him, the Southern Barbarians would pay tribute every year, and her brother would no longer have to fight outside. He could take a leisurely position in the capital and live a life of wealth and leisure.
She had never heard anyone beautify the act of taking away military power—a classic case of discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose—in such a pleasant way. Tribute? She had neither signed an agreement to not invade Jin nor to become a vassal state of Jin when she married into the Southern Barbarians. It was simply that the Jin royal family wanted to discard her after she had served her purpose. Now that both sides were severely weakened, they had to cease hostilities to prevent Liang from taking advantage of the conflict. It was illogical for the emperor to be so eager to discard a useful tool after it had served its purpose. After all, it wasn't like there would be no more wars in the future. What was the real reason for this?
As Zhao Youyi walked into the mansion, she was planning her next move in her mind. Before she could come up with a plan, the sound of horses' hooves rang in her ears.
Is it my brother returning?
She couldn't help but run out of the mansion. Amidst the falling snow, a fine horse carrying the Zhao family army flag galloped towards her. The horse was pure white and belonged to her and her brother when they were young. Her brother liked to call the horse "Yunpian Gao" (Cloud Cake), while she liked to call it "Baiyu" (White Jade). The two of them used to argue about this endlessly.
Zhao Youyi opened his eyes wide to look, but there was no one on the horse, only his brother's favorite red clothes.
Amidst the blanket of white snow, that patch of red was so dazzling, just like her brother's unrestrained and dashing departure from the city years ago.
The maid ran out and, upon seeing the scene before her, felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had shattered.
An old horse knows the way, so Bai Yu probably rushed to the general's mansion as soon as he entered the city. But why is there no general on that horse?
She realized what was happening and quickly helped Zhao Youyi up, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"girl……"
Zhao Youyi felt her vision blur, her legs went weak and she couldn't help but fall. Perhaps the wind and snow were too strong, she couldn't hear or see. It was as if as long as she didn't listen or look, her brother would come in red, just like always, with her favorite candied hawthorns hidden in his arms, his eyes and brows smiling freely, "Niao Niao, brother is back."
His blood surged, and a mouthful of blood gushed out, staining the snow red.
The scene before Zhao Youyi's eyes suddenly became clear.
Bai Yu stopped in front of her, letting out a mournful cry, and her blood-stained red clothes fluttered down.
The snow has fallen heavily again.
The soldier galloped over and, seeing her fall to the ground, immediately dismounted and bowed. "Miss... the general was attacked by the enemy in Yunzhou three days ago, and was poisoned with no cure. He passed away yesterday!"
With a loud bang, Zhao Youyi felt her mind go blank, and a feeling of dizziness followed. No, she couldn't faint!
She gripped her palm tightly, her voice trembling with grief, "How could there be an enemy attack on the way back to the capital? What poison did my brother suffer from? Why is the news only now reaching the capital?"
Enemy attack? Poisoning? Her brother retreated safely from the battlefield, without being attacked in the midst of the fighting. Why then was he attacked in Yunzhou, not far from the capital? Why is it only now that news of what happened three days ago has reached the capital? Why didn't the emperor send a royal physician?
The soldier stammered, downplaying the seriousness of the matter, and said, "The general's coffin will be arriving in the capital in an hour. Miss, you can have things prepared."
Zhao Youyi struggled to her feet, and a maid quickly helped her up, her voice filled with concern: "Miss..."
Zhao Youyi was already too distraught to deal with the situation, but she couldn't afford to collapse. She first thanked the soldier, then called Uncle Zhao to lead Baiyu into the mansion. Uncle Zhao looked at her with pity, "Miss... don't worry, I'll take care of the general's funeral arrangements."
A maid helped Zhao Youyi into the mansion and hurriedly called for the family physician, but Zhao Youyi shook her head, saying, "No need, I'm fine."
"But young lady, you've vomited blood!" The maid's eyes were filled with worry, and her voice was trembling with tears. "The general is gone... but he wouldn't want to see you like this!"
Zhao Youyi tried to force a smile to comfort her, but he couldn't manage to.
Another maid went to find the royal physician. Zhao Youyi forced herself to stay calm and orderly arrange her brother's funeral. These things had been prepared long ago. On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. She didn't want this day to come and was afraid of it. But her brother said that this day would come sooner or later. The sooner they prepared, the less panicked she would be when that day came.
Unexpectedly, my brother did not die on the battlefield, but died on the way back, his death shrouded in mystery.
She didn't believe it was an enemy attack. Her brother was always cautious and prudent. How could someone not close to him have hurt him so easily? Moreover... thinking about what the Empress Dowager said in the palace today, she couldn't help but suspect that it was all at the Emperor's behest.
"Imperial edict arrives—"
Zhao Youyi suddenly raised her head. The eunuch had already entered the mansion, and she had no choice but to force herself to go and receive the imperial decree.
"Miss Zhao, listen to the imperial decree: Zhao Youli, son of the Zhao family, is dictatorial, has delayed the war effort, disobeyed the imperial decree, and plotted rebellion. Although he has rendered meritorious service in resisting the south, his merits and demerits do not offset each other. He is stripped of his position as Grand General. However, in consideration of his family's generations of heroic deeds, his General's Mansion will be preserved." The eunuch's voice was shrill and cold. "Miss Zhao, His Majesty, considering that you are an orphan with no one to rely on, will disregard past grievances and bring you into the palace. The imperial decree will arrive in three days. Miss Zhao, prepare for your marriage in peace."
His gaze fell on the general's mansion, which had already been changed to mourning banners. "Miss Zhao, your brother originally should not be buried because he intended to rebel, but the emperor will not hold it against you because you are about to enter the palace. So take down the mourning banners, they are not auspicious."
Zhao Youyi stared intently at the eunuch's sinister face. Seeing that he was about to order the funeral banner to be torn down, she said, "Stop! Didn't the Emperor summon me to the palace? I will be a master no matter what. The Emperor didn't say that funeral rites were forbidden. Are you sure you want to make this decision on your own?"
The eunuch's gaze swept over her stunning face. With such a face, Zhao Youyi might be able to win the Emperor's favor. To leave room for maneuver, he waved his hand, signaling the others to leave. "However, the funeral should not be too elaborate. Once the imperial edict is issued, no one will dare to come to offer condolences."
Zhao Youyi nodded, suppressing her tears and grief, and only collapsed after everyone had left.
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