"In terms of martial arts, I know I am slightly inferior, but in terms of hunting, I am better than him!" The Ninth Prince was confident.
Prince Li felt a headache as he looked at his brother's confidence. He wanted to give him a blunt lecture, but then he thought better of it and asked, "Have you ever competed in martial arts with Guo Honglei?"
"We've fought three times in total, with one loss, one win, and one draw!"
The Ninth Prince took after his mother, with large, round eyes that curved into a smile. Reminiscing, he spoke with high spirits, cheerfully revealing, "Back then, it was on the hunting grounds that I discovered that boy's remarkable skills. We both had our eyes on a deer, and fighting over it led to a fight for no apparent reason. In our first encounter, I was unfamiliar with the area and lost. Unwilling to accept the defeat, we agreed to a date for two more matches, which ultimately ended in a draw."
"A draw?" Prince Li resembled his father, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and fierce eyes. He had finished his meal and put down his bowl and chopsticks. The attendants immediately brought him a towel and a rinsing bowl. He rinsed his mouth, wiped his hands, and picked up the teacup.
"right!"
The ninth prince was not used to the simple meals and ate only half full. When he saw his elder brother put down his chopsticks, he pushed his bowl away as well.
Prince Li took a sip of tea and shook his head. "First, your mother was worried and never approved of your hunting trips. Yet, not only did you go secretly, you even challenged someone to a duel. Second, during our first encounter, Guo Honglei must have been unaware of his opponent's identity and had no scruples. But in the remaining two bouts, he likely knew he was the prince and was wary, so he deliberately arranged for a 'draw' to save your face."
"My Royal Brother is wise! Well, actually, I rarely leave the city, only occasionally to go hunting. You must not tell Mother, or she will be angry."
The Ninth Prince was young and competitive, and still refused to give in. He sighed and said with emotion, "Alas, I understand Guo Honglei's concerns. I've always wanted to compete a few more times, but he refused to agree. He insisted on 'a gentleman should use words, not fists' and only wanted to compete in hunting, not fighting."
"Later, later...unexpectedly, his eldest brother was implicated in a case of embezzling military funds, which led to the exile of the entire Guo family. I knew he was a decent person, but I couldn't plead for him."
Prince Li seemed to be lost in thought, but he asked sternly, "The state has its own laws. Since his surname is Guo, he must accept the punishment of the court according to the law. What injustice has he suffered?"
"The evidence is conclusive. The families involved in the corruption case are not innocent at all. I just feel it's a pity. With that kid's talent, if his family hadn't been implicated, he would most likely have passed the imperial examination." The Ninth Prince felt very sorry.
Prince Li seemed puzzled, but asked knowingly, "You keep calling him 'that kid'. How old is Guo Honglei?"
"One year younger than me." The Ninth Prince was a little embarrassed.
"oh?"
Prince Li lowered his head, savored the tea, and said slowly, "I thought you were ten or eight years older than him."
"How is that possible? If I lose to a child in a duel, wouldn't that bring shame to the royal family?"
Prince Li looked up, frowning, and said, "In the previous duel, I thought you were young and ignorant. From now on, please don't show off your fists and feet. It's disrespectful!"
The Ninth Prince replied angrily, "I understand. He has been in the army for a long time and his martial arts skills have probably become even more powerful. I will not rashly challenge him. If I am defeated in public, it will be so embarrassing."
"I'm glad you know." Prince Li smiled.
The Ninth Prince was naturally talkative, and he continued to sigh and say with pity, "The woman I met on the official road that day was none other than his wife. She was six months pregnant, and she was out in public with her big belly, working in the fields. She was truly pitiful. It is said that Jiang had just married when her husband's family committed a crime and their property was confiscated. She was quite innocent."
"Humph." Prince Li knew what was going on and pointed out firmly, "You said 'I just happened to run into a prisoner being paraded through the streets'. That was a lie. You must have come here on purpose."
"My royal brother is so wise, I can't hide anything from you!"
The Ninth Prince smiled, his eyes narrowed, and he spoke frankly, "Due to the law, I cannot help him, but we are acquaintances after all, so I will quietly send him off." He raised his sleeve to cover his mouth, yawned, and casually said:
"Also, there's something strange! While the other women were either angry or wailing, Jiang, leading the way, managed to hold on. She didn't cry or get angry. She didn't look like she was being paraded through the streets, but rather like she was leisurely strolling in the garden. It was astonishing."
Prince Li paused while drinking his tea. "Maybe he was just frightened."
"No. I observed carefully, and her eyes were very bright. She wasn't scared, but was born with courage—"
Prince Li could no longer bear it and interrupted, asking, "Ninth brother, why are you so concerned about a female prisoner?"
"I, I..." The Ninth Prince was stunned for a moment, then sat up straight. "I'm curious, just curious! What are you thinking about, brother?"
Away from the palace, Prince Li felt obliged to remind her, "Jiang is Guo Jiang, a married woman. We are not related. How can you talk about her like this?"
"Just chatting casually." The Ninth Prince replied hesitantly.
Prince Li looked at his brother, feeling a headache. He said sternly, "Father is merciful and compassionate to the descendants of meritorious officials. He only ordered the stripping of titles, the confiscation of property and exile, not the execution of the entire family. If Guo Honglei has real talent and knowledge, he can certainly atone for his sins. As for his specific future, it all depends on his ability!" After speaking, he waved his hand and warned:
"Okay, go and rest for a while. Don't forget to discuss military affairs at 4:45 PM."
The Ninth Prince thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Alas, the war situation is complicated. I've been listening to it for half a month, sitting there all day without getting a word in. Can I—"
"cannot!"
Prince Li put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the desk. He asked in a deep voice, "Who was it that repeatedly begged the emperor to allow me to go on this 'training'?"
"I will definitely rush to the conference room on time at 4:15 PM!" The ninth prince immediately changed his words. He had always respected his elder brother since he was young.
"Well, that's good. Go and rest."
"Then I won't disturb you from studying military intelligence." The ninth prince yawned and went to take a nap in disappointment.
A few close confidants were used to it, so after the meal, they stayed in a corner, concentrating on analyzing the battle map and discussing in low voices.
Prince Li sat upright, watching his brother being escorted away by his attendants. He laughed in anger again and sighed, "Ninth Brother is too playful. He transported the military rations to Xicang and left the rest to himself? Just listen, he actually wants to go into battle and kill the enemy!"
The trusted aides were all amused and said one after another, "Your Highness is young and this is his first time going out for training. He is inevitably unskilled and needs your guidance."
"Yes. This mission is not an easy one. Your Highness the Ninth Prince has done his best."
"Every profession has its own expertise. On the battlefield, you have to persuade him to stay calm."
"His Highness the Ninth Prince is pure and kind. His playful nature is harmless."
…
As the eldest prince, Prince Li has ten younger brothers, many of whom are smart and capable. However, "there can't be two tigers in one mountain", so he naturally prefers to support his younger brother who is "kind and pure, and has no scheming."
"Going into battle to kill the enemy is simply nonsense. I will never allow it! If something goes wrong, I will be too ashamed to see my parents." King Li smiled and had no time to rest. He began to discuss military intelligence with his confidants.
At four quarters past noon, all the generals in the camp gathered in the meeting room of the commander's tent to offer suggestions and carefully discuss the matters concerning the siege.
During this period, several generals who had always been at odds with each other spoke harshly and almost got into a quarrel, arguing until their faces turned red and their necks became thick.
Prince Li remained calm throughout, only talking about military affairs and not caring about military discipline; Dou Yong was in charge of the overall situation, was not surprised by anything he had seen, and remained calm and stabilized the situation.
At 5 p.m., Fang Sheng and Zhou Yan bowed their heads to express their gratitude and accepted the reward.
"I wonder which sir should we thank for the reward?" Zhou Yan asked.
The familiar military doctor frowned and answered awkwardly, "Well...according to the rules, Lord Wang can do it, Lord Li can do it too, but unfortunately, the generals are in a meeting, so no one can be seen."
"Then, when will the relevant adults be free?" Zhou Yan asked again.
"At least at twilight hour, when they have some free time before dinner, I'll take the opportunity to inform them."
Fang Sheng and Zhou Yan discussed it briefly and then said solemnly, "Then we'll wait until the evening hour! It would be rude to accept a reward without thanking it."
So, the two of them waited patiently until the evening hour. The acquaintance dutifully inquired about the meeting room door and immediately rushed to answer.
Unexpectedly, although everyone paused their meeting, they still stayed in the hall and talked about other things.
The old doctor in charge of the medical tent hesitated for a moment outside the hall door. Seeing that it was almost dark, and military regulations forbidding outsiders to stay overnight in the camp, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and ask someone to inform them.
After a moment, Dou Yong asked, "What's the matter?"
The old doctor bowed and replied respectfully, "At the beginning of the month, the medical staff was ordered to Liu Village on a mission. The Guo family donated half an acre of ginger, which was successfully made into a cart of wound medicine. It has now been transported back to the camp, and as previously instructed, the Guo family has been rewarded. Now, they would like to thank them in person for the reward. What do you think, General?"
"Just get the job done." Dou Yong said with a pleasant expression, "They deserve the reward. We're busy right now, so tell them to go back. No need to thank them for the reward."
"Yes." The old doctor breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to take his leave.
The Ninth Prince was curious after hearing this and asked, "The Guo family offered medicine? Which Guo family? What medicine?"
Dou Yong answered calmly and gently, "Guo Honglei's family. His wife, Jiang, stumbled upon a medicinal herb while farming in a mountain village. She named it 'Jiangjun', and it's a great hemostatic. I was once seriously injured and nearly died, but the Guo family gave me this medicine in time, saving my life."
"I see." The Ninth Prince nodded happily and without hesitation, suggested, "Since it's a good medicine, wouldn't it be even better if it could benefit the entire world? Brother Royal, don't you agree?"
Prince Li agreed and replied, "Indeed."
Dou Yong explained, "Your Highnesses are absolutely right. I have already instructed the Guo family to prepare some seedlings for the camp next spring, and for the medical tent to try planting them. Perhaps in two years, they will be able to benefit more people."
Prince Li nodded and said with a smile, "That's very good."
At the end of October at the border, it gets dark early and the evening breeze makes people shiver with cold.
Fang Sheng and Zhou Yan only left with peace of mind and hurried home after learning that the general had said "no need to thank for the reward".
The acquaintance was kind and managed to ask the general to send soldiers to escort his friend to prevent him from encountering any accidents on the way.
When the two men knocked on the gate of the courtyard with the rewards, it was already the end of the Xu hour and the night was as dark as ink.
Jiang Yushu rushed out upon hearing the noise, a huge weight lifted off her chest as she said joyfully, "Oh? You're finally back! We were so worried for so long, we mistakenly thought you were being held captive in the military camp."
"That's right!" Cuimei patted her chest, "Why is it so slow?"
"We also wanted to go home earlier because we waited for a long time to thank you for the reward."
Fang Sheng and Zhou Yan spoke back and forth, carefully explaining the reason. Then they said, "The rewards we received this time are similar to the last time, also in the form of silver and furs. Please review them, Madam."
Jiang Yushu took the list, glanced at it briefly, and handed it back to Zhou Yan, saying, "It's getting late. We don't have time to sort them out tonight. Put the skins aside for now and sort them out tomorrow. You've worked hard all day, so go have dinner!"
Everyone was talking and laughing, the yard was bustling with activity, and they worked together to move the heavy leathers into the wing room, each hoping to get an extra winter coat.
It's already November.
Early in the morning, Jiang Yushu was sleeping soundly on her side, but was suddenly woken up by the cold. She opened her eyes and saw that her left arm was resting on the quilt and her fingers were frozen stiff.
"Hiss, no wonder it's so cold." She murmured, quickly shrinking her arms and hiding them in the warm quilt. It was a rare moment of leisure, and she was about to take another nap when she heard a shout outside the window:
"It's snowing!"
"Tsk, so cold."
"This year's snow came earlier than last year."
"About three or five days early."
…
It's snowing?
Jiang Yushu was startled and opened her eyes suddenly, her sleepiness vanishing without a trace. She thought to herself: Once the snow starts, the water will soon freeze over. The Mu River and the Cang River will gradually freeze over, and the ice will be several feet thick, enough to ride on. Only then can the Western Cang border troops launch a large-scale attack on the city and recapture Yongzhou.
Now, with not only a military order but also the prince supervising the battle, the soldiers had no choice but to charge forward bravely. In the twelfth lunar month, they were bound to fight a decisive battle with the Northern Qi.
Will he be safe?
Jiang Yushu was filled with worries and was deep in thought. She didn't get up until Cuimei pushed the door and urged her to have breakfast, then she got up, dressed and washed.
"It's snowing, and it's so cold outside. You need to wear more clothes." Cuimei rolled up the tent and asked as usual, "How are you feeling today? Is the child well behaved?"
Jiang Yushu immediately smiled and proudly replied, "Good girl, very good! I guess she's probably a gentle and quiet girl."
"He might also be a well-mannered young master!" Cuimei said seriously.
"Well, of course it's possible."
Jiang Yushu felt guilty and said sincerely, "I've been so busy that I've never had time to rest, but this child has hardly ever bothered me. He's been sensible since he was in the womb. This makes me feel really guilty."
"Oh, why feel guilty? Once the child is born, as a mother, won't it be enough for you to love him more?"
Jiang Yushu answered happily: "That's right."
Snow was falling on the border, the north wind was howling, and the temperature was biting. Every household in the village started to heat their kangs, otherwise they would be too cold to sleep at night.
The next evening, the Guo family received several letters in succession. The messenger apologized repeatedly, "My family is sick, and I'm busy and late for a few days. Please don't blame me."
The doors and windows of the east room were closed, the kang was lit, and it was warm.
Cuimei and Xiaotao were sitting on the kang, sewing winter clothes. They asked with concern, "Whose letter is it? What does it say?"
Jiang Yushu read through the three letters in one breath and slowly replied, "They are from your Second Young Master, Cousin Pei, and the County Magistrate's wife. The letters all say the same thing: it's dangerous here, and they all want me to leave as soon as possible to celebrate the New Year in the county."
"ah?"
Cuimei and Xiaotao looked at each other, stunned for a moment, and then agreed: "Good idea! I'll pack my luggage right away and leave early tomorrow morning so that the snow won't block the road."
"Last winter, bandits attacked the village quite often. Madam, with your body, if you encounter danger, you won't be able to run or escape. Wouldn't that be terrible?"
"We're actually really worried. It would be great if we could go to the county to take shelter for a while!"
They put down their needlework, jumped off the kang excitedly, and packed their luggage quickly.
"Why--"
Jiang Yushu hesitated to speak, lowered her head and stared at her belly, gently stroking it. After a long silence, she finally said, "For the sake of the child, we should find a safe place. Let's go to the county to take shelter."
At the same time, Heqin County Government
Pei Wenfeng frowned, his eyes fixed on the room as he inspected it inside and out. He instructed, "She'll probably be here in a few days. Be sure to take good care of everything in this room, especially prepare plenty of charcoal. Sister Shu is always afraid of the cold."
"Yes." Cai Chun and Wu Liang were busy decorating the bedroom.
Pei Wenfeng felt bitter, but still secretly hopeful. He thought, "According to the date, Sister Shu will have to stay until at least the end of March next year. She must not suffer any grievances in terms of food, clothing, and daily life."
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In a few more chapters, the Guo family will be able to get rid of their status as exiles!
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