Jiang Yushu turned around upon hearing the voice and hurried over to greet him. "Are you done?"
"Captain, Captain?" Mei Tianfu shrank back in fear, then shut up with a reluctant smile, saying, "Sit down, please. I'll make some tea."
Guo Honglei, neatly dressed in military uniform, stood tall and straight, blocking the door tightly. He asked sternly, "What nonsense were you just talking about?"
"Little one, little one..." Mei Tianfu shrank back and stammered.
Guo Honglei walked over with a stern face and asked, "Changxing, why didn't you stop Mei Tianfu?"
"Sir, please calm down." Peng Changxing said decisively, kneeling on one knee. "I know I'm wrong. I shouldn't have gossiped. Please punish me, sir!"
Jiang Yushu hurriedly whispered, "Well, I asked them, they didn't report it on their own initiative."
"Well." Guo Honglei nodded at her and taught her seriously:
"Don't gossip from now on. This won't happen again!"
"Yes." Peng Changxing and Mei Tianfu breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Zou Gui and Lao Meng stood outside the door in a daze, not understanding what was going on.
Guo Honglei waved his hand and said, "Go and prepare the horses. I'll go home later."
"Oh, yes, yes." Mei Tianfu felt as if he had been pardoned. He bowed to Jiang Yushu with gratitude and hurried away.
"Thank you for your forgiveness, sir." Peng Changxing closed the door considerately.
In a blink of an eye, the couple were the only ones left in the barracks.
Jiang Yushu couldn't wait and asked first, "Has your team already made a decision on digging the river?"
"Yes, madam is really smart."
"That--"
Guo Honglei raised an eyebrow, gestured for silence, and interrupted, "This involves military secrets, and leaks are strictly prohibited. But don't worry, this matter has been resolved, and the general will no longer suspect us. In future communications, the camp will claim that it was for farmland irrigation."
Jiang Yushu suppressed her curiosity and asked, "Also, what's going on with Captain Tong? Why has he been giving you a hard time?"
"Don't listen to Mei Tianfu's nonsense. He's a loose-lipped man, and neither is Changxing," Guo Honglei said as he poured himself a cup of tea. "I'm thinking of a way. I need to strictly discipline my men to prevent them from speaking out of turn."
Jiang Yushu patted the fallen snow on him and said, "Isn't it inappropriate to be too strict?"
"Without rules, there is no order, especially in the military. Only by clearly distinguishing rewards and punishments, and applying both kindness and severity, can we train an orderly and elite force!"
Guo Honglei slammed his teacup down, then said with a headache, "How can a man be so nagging as a housewife? If gossip gets out, it might cause unnecessary arguments."
Jiang Yushu looked up, "Hey, am I an outsider? I swear I won't tell anyone what they told me!"
"Of course you're not a stranger." Guo Honglei held her shoulders, looked down, and whispered, "I just don't want my wife to worry."
"But... you always report good news but not bad news, and deliberately conceal troubles. This makes me start to overthink things and get even more worried." Jiang Yushu sighed secretly.
Guo Honglei was young and full of vigor. He said nonchalantly, "Why are you imagining nonsense? I can handle the situation. In the officialdom, everywhere there's struggle for power and gain. It's perfectly normal. Even in a temple, where one is pure in the six senses and empty in the four elements, one still strives to become an 'enlightened monk' or 'abbot'."
"It's not surprising to have conflicts occasionally." Guo Honglei was calm and composed.
Jiang Yushu burst out laughing and said angrily, "Stop interrupting me with the monks!"
"Alas, I just found out today that Tong has been targeting you in every possible way. I feel really bad and upset."
"It's just trivial matters, not worth your worry. So, I'm too lazy to tell you some meaningless things." Guo Honglei smiled, strode around the screen, took off his cloak, raised his hand and threw it onto the screen.
Yes, is that so?
Am I worrying about nothing?
Jiang Yushu reflected seriously and was almost convinced. She came to her senses and followed him, saying seriously, "How can this be called 'trivial'? It's obviously a big deal!"
"Tong is going too far. In the military, strength is everything, and first come first served is the norm. He was just transferred from the south this year, has a shallow foundation, and hasn't made any significant contributions, yet he wants to gain the upper hand over you? He's simply dreaming!" Jiang Yushu was furious, and she glanced around the room.
There was a bed, a chair, and two cabinets, one tall and one short. Apart from that, there was no other furniture.
The curtains, quilts and blankets were brown and blue, neatly arranged.
Guo Honglei opened the tall cabinet, lowered his head and searched, then said with a fierce face, "Yes, it's just a dream. Tong Jing wants to be the deputy commander, and he thinks I'm blocking his path to promotion. He's so angry that he's jumping up and down."
"Hmph, he actually dares to make things difficult for you? He doesn't even consider his own weight! Is General Song biased towards his cronies?" Jiang Yushu naturally defended her husband. She was so angry that she wanted to kick Tong Jing back to his original garrison in the south.
"It's human nature to be more or less partial to one's closest associates. But the general is fair, otherwise Tong Jing wouldn't have to be so anxious."
"Fortunately, the general is fair!"
Jiang Yushu felt relieved, approached the bed, bent down and touched the bedding, "Your room is very clean and tidy."
"Someone is responsible for cleaning up every day. It's unlivable if it's in a mess." The cabinet was open, and Guo Honglei rummaged through it.
This was a rare opportunity. Jiang Yushu carefully examined the bedding and blankets, feeling even more upset. "In the cold winter at the border, almost every household has a kang. Why doesn't the camp have one?"
"A kang? Not to mention the soldiers, there are quite a few generals, big and small. It won't be built in a short time. Let's just put it aside and focus on the important things first."
Jiang Yushu asked in a hoarse voice, "How can you sleep at night, Leng Bingbing?"
"It's okay. The quilt and mattress are full of wolf skins. Add the blanket and charcoal basin, it will be warm enough." Guo Honglei took out a wooden box, threw it on the low cabinet, and then continued searching.
Jiang Yushu felt very uncomfortable, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Guarding the border has always been difficult, and no one is exempt. Even General Song didn't have a kang. The general was from the south, and during his first battle after winter, he was worried that his ears would be frozen off. Isn't that funny?" Guo Honglei downplayed it. He always reported good news but not bad news, and never complained about the word "hard work."
"……funny."
Jiang Yushu couldn't laugh at all. She took a deep breath, leaned closer and asked, "What are you looking for?"
"Medicinal herbs." Guo Honglei took out another wooden box.
"What medicinal herbs?"
"Snow lotus and ginseng." Guo Honglei pulled out a piece of cloth. "Tuning is rich in precious medicinal herbs. The snow lotus comes from the snow-capped mountains deep in the grasslands, and the ginseng comes from Yilian Mountain. They are said to be very nutritious. I'll give them to you."
"I'm fine, no need to mend it. Give it to the old lady and my third brother." Seeing that he was clumsy, Jiang Yushu hurriedly took over, "I'll pack it!" She deftly tied the two wooden boxes into a small bundle.
Guo Honglei didn't allow any arguments, "This is for you. I've prepared some for home."
"You always look so frail. I'll ask the imperial physician to take your pulse and prescribe a medicinal recipe to help you recuperate."
Jiang Yushu felt warm in her heart, and she couldn't bear to reject his loving gesture, so she followed his advice and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you!"
Guo Honglei nodded in satisfaction, grabbed his cloak, and walked out with her in his arms, "Let's go back to the city."
"When will you return to camp?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Jiang Yushu felt disappointed for a moment, but then she cheered up, "Okay! Let's go home and talk about Tong Jing's matter in detail."
Guo Honglei sighed, "I rarely go home, why would I talk about him? It's just a bummer."
"Let's discuss countermeasures and be on guard against plots by villains." As soon as he went out, the wind and snow hit him in the face. Jiang Yushu came close to tie the belt of his cloak for him. The couple led their entourage and walked towards the camp gate.
Unexpectedly, when passing by the training ground, Tong Jing happened to be competing with someone in martial arts.
The two factions in the north and south had been fighting openly and secretly for a long time, and they were both unhappy when they met.
"Hey? Look, isn't that Captain Guo?"
"Captain Guo, where are you going?"
"Come on, let's have a fight?"
…
The southern faction started to talk at once and make a fuss.
Tong Jing defeated his opponent, panting, his face flushed, and white air spurting out of his mouth and nose as he spoke. He shouted, "Tsk, you guys are so tactless! Hong Lei is in a hurry to send his wife back to the city, how can he have time to play with us?"
"Hahaha, a short absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?"
"Look, he forgot his brothers when he got a wife."
"It's still early, why are you in such a hurry? Come on, let's have a fight before we go!"
…
In the wind and snow, a group of men were making a lot of noise on the training ground. Jiang Yushu listened carefully. Although she couldn't hear clearly, she could hear a strong sense of provocation.
Guo Honglei protected his wife on the inside, shielding her from the wind and the gazes of outsiders. He remained calm and answered in a clear voice, "It's getting dark, so it's hard to travel. I'll show you another day!"
"Huh?" Tong Jing laughed and sighed loudly, "'Some other day'? As expected, 'some other day' again! Every time I invite you to a fight, you always refuse. Sigh, maybe it's because you grew up in a noble family and look down on a rough guy like me."
His friends kept on teasing him, saying, "We're all in Tuningwei together, how can you look down on others?"
"Actually, I can completely understand Honglei. After all, he was once a nobleman from a wealthy family and is not used to dealing with rough people."
"Don't you want to try it?"
"Forget it, forget it. He doesn't want to do it. Don't force him. It's pointless."
"Okay! Captain Guo, please leave quickly. Be careful not to let your wife get frozen."
…
The servant of the Guo residence could hardly hide his anger. "Are they considered men? They are a bunch of chatterboxes, more annoying than old women when they start gossiping!"
Peng Changxing's face darkened. "You deserve a beating, you're so sarcastic."
Jiang Yushu was always protected and comforted him, "They are just bored and are deliberately provoking us. I guess they will get more and more excited as they make a fuss. Just ignore them."
"Well, let's go." Guo Honglei showed no emotion and left along the training ground path.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Tong Jing suddenly shouted: "Brother Honglei!"
"Take it easy tonight, be careful not to hurt your back, and remember to return to camp on time tomorrow morning!"
In an instant, a group of men burst into laughter and began to make fun of each other.
Jiang Yushu gritted her teeth in anger and was about to curse when Guo Honglei suddenly stopped and asked in a low voice, "If we had to travel at night, could you bear it?"
Their eyes met, and Jiang Yushu understood instantly. She replied nervously, "I can bear it, but you'd better not—"
"No problem!"
This was intolerable. Guo Honglei quickly took off his cloak, wrapped it around her, and ordered his attendants, "Take good care of her. There are so many people here, be careful of the crowd. I'll go find Tong Jing and talk to him."
"Yes!" The servants and personal soldiers solemnly surrounded and protected the lady immediately.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Before he finished speaking, Guo Honglei strode straight towards Tong Jing.
Jiang Yushu immediately became anxious! She was wrapped in two cloaks, the outer one dragging on the ground, and she almost tripped and fell. She grabbed the hem of her skirt and hurriedly chased after him.
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