Chapter 18 Si Yao Goes to Rescue General Su
"You go to the palace immediately and report this to the Emperor. The rest of you, come with me out of the city to rescue General Su!"
Si Yao mounted her horse with swift and decisive movements.
She wanted to transfer some of the soldiers guarding the city to rescue people, but the gatekeeper general disagreed.
"General Si, without orders from above, we will be punished if we go out with you!" the general said righteously.
Moreover, this is no ordinary city gate; it is the capital, the head of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the most important place in the imperial palace.
Wouldn't it be dangerous if enemies came in?
Snap—
Si Yao slammed the whip in her hand onto the ground.
The air swept across the general's face, carrying a hint of intimidation.
Si Yao shouted:
"What crime are you to be punished for? It is your honor to come with me to rescue General Su. If rescuing a meritorious official is also punishable, then I will take the blame myself. If you do not go, that is the real dereliction of duty!"
"Today, whoever is willing to follow me to rescue General Su will be credited with a merit and promoted one rank!"
These words were spoken.
The soldiers who had been guarding the city gates without moving began to waver.
The dark energy is not far from here. Even if they go to the battlefield and are killed, they may not be promoted or rewarded.
If we go with General Si now, we will be able to gain merit.
What a great opportunity!
"General Si, you are not qualified to award merits to my soldiers!" the general said sternly.
They are not under Si Yao's jurisdiction at all.
Why should Si Yao be credited for transferring his people?
“When General Su returns, I will be appointed as a seventh-rank general, a higher rank than you, a mere gatekeeper. How can I not be qualified?”
Moreover, the whole city knew about the military achievements of the couple.
Naturally, he/she should be rewarded.
“General Si, I am willing to go with you!” Immediately, a gatekeeper stepped forward.
The general ordered him to retreat.
However, following his lead, dozens of soldiers who wanted to take credit and advance their own way stepped forward and stood behind Si Yao.
Si Yao smiled smugly, "You don't have to listen to him. When I get promoted, I'll give you all extra credit."
"Yes, we are willing to follow General Si to rescue General Su."
After all, rescuing a meritorious official and returning to the capital is a great achievement.
Even if they are not rewarded, they will certainly not be punished.
Si Yao led a dozen or so people out on horseback.
The general's face darkened, and he yelled at them, "Your reckless abandonment of your posts is a major taboo on the battlefield. You will bear all the consequences yourselves!"
However, Si Yao and the dozen or so people didn't think there would be any consequences.
Their figures gradually disappeared from sight.
"Boss, what should we do?" Seeing that more than half of the defenders had been removed, the soldier who had just helped Si He out of the siege quietly came out and asked.
The general gritted his teeth inwardly, "Send one of your brothers to the government to transfer soldiers to take my place. I'll go to the palace right now and report this to the Emperor!"
"yes!"
*
Sihe led Qingbao to the edge of the old street and spent five coins to buy her a meat bun.
The meat bun was placed in front of Qingbao, and it was as round as her face.
Qingbao took a big, satisfying bite, chewing contentedly with a look of complete satisfaction.
"Mommy, have a bite too." She handed the bun to her mother.
Si He didn't refuse and took a bite.
In the past two years, they have rarely been able to eat meat in the village, so a meat bun in Beijing is a rare treat for the mother and daughter.
Qingbao chewed loudly, her cheeks puffed out, making her speech unclear.
"This is so delicious!"
Seeing her like this, Si He couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
Si Yao's daughter was pampered in the general's mansion every day, eating delicacies from land and sea, while Qing Bao suffered with her for two years.
She felt incredibly guilty for not being able to provide Qingbao with a better life.
"Qingbao, your mother has no home in the capital, but we still have to go back to that general's mansion, that cannibalistic place... Are you scared?"
Touching her daughter's round head, Si He felt even more heartbroken.
She didn't know if she had passed on her bad luck to her daughter, otherwise why would the old lady have identified her daughter as a jinx and wanted to get rid of her when she was not even a year old?
Even though she left with her daughter to avoid their sharp edge, she still couldn't escape their schemes.
"Qingbao isn't afraid, Qingbao has already died once." Qingbao smiled innocently.
What Si He saw brought tears to her eyes.
She composed herself, raised the baby's right hand, and called out along with the baby:
"Okay, let's face it bravely, Qingbao, let's go!"
Qingbao, chewing on a meat bun, frowned and shouted in a cute little voice, "Charge!"
As a result, the little baby's raised fist hit something soft.
Looking up, they saw a man with a cold expression, looking down at them.
"Si He, is this all you're feeding the child?" Si Ye's face showed a hint of anger.
Si He stood up and looked at him. "Qingbao, get to know him. This is my second brother."
The tone was neither warm nor cold.
Like strangers.
Qingbao greeted him politely, "Hello, Second Uncle."
"Don't call me Second Uncle." A hint of disgust flashed in Si Ye's eyes. "I only have one sister, Yao Yao. Only her daughter has the right to call me Uncle."
Qingbao was speechless, and retorted crisply, "Then why do you care about me? Are you sick?"
"How can you talk to your elders like that? I just can't stand that your mother feeds you such garbage."
"Doesn't she have a tael or two of silver on her? Is it so difficult for her to go to a restaurant for a good meal for the sake of the child?"
Who knows if eating such unclean food will harm the child?
Si Ye felt that Si He could never shake off her poor and shabby appearance.
That's true. What kind of good person is a woman who comes back and tries to steal Yao Yao's husband?
Si He ignored him. "If you've come here to question me over something so trivial, then I'll take my leave without further ado!"
That tael of silver was the living expenses for the mother and daughter for three months in the countryside.
How could he understand?
“Sihe, when you were recognized by the Si family, your grandmother gave you a sum of money, and your mother prepared a dowry for you. How could you let yourself get into this state? You not only made yourself suffer, but you also made your child suffer! You have really disgraced the Si family.”
Why not spend all that money and instead live such a miserable life? Who will pity you?
"Second Brother, have you forgotten? Three years ago, you lost a cricket fight and owed the Minister's son a sum of money, so you borrowed all of my money—five hundred taels of silver—which you still haven't paid back..."
At this point, Si He only regretted that she had been too naive back then.
At that time, she actually believed that her brothers would treat her well.
"Where would I get the money to pay you back? You still have your dowry, why are you living like this!" Si Ye frowned, looking at her coarse, tattered clothes with disgust, finding them somewhat dirty.
"What I do is none of your business. Qingbao, let's go." Sihe said unhappily, taking Qingbao's hand and starting to leave.
Oh.
dowry.
She didn't have any dowry; the dowry her "own mother" prepared for her was split equally with Si Yao.
Later, Si Yao locked it in the storeroom and said that no one was allowed to use it without her mother's permission.
"Of course it's related! Your shabby appearance is a disgrace to the Si family!"
At that moment, a woman's angry shout rang out.
Si He turned her head and saw Madam Si arriving with her maid.
Her head was adorned with jewels and her clothes were embroidered with gold thread, shimmering and dazzling.
Sihe is her biological daughter, but she is dressed in coarse cloth rags, a gray-blue village woman's outfit.
The two faced each other, creating a stark contrast.
"Tonight, General Su and Yao'er will enter the palace together to receive their titles. Your presence would only be a disturbance. Come with me back to the Si family; your grandmother wants to see you!"
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