According to normal practice, it was already late into the night; the Grand Madam should have retired long ago. The two men initially worried that they might disturb her, but to their surprise, the Grand Madam had not retired.
The Grand Madam sighed, "I cannot sleep.", then abruptly asked, "What brings you two here at this unearthly hour? Is it something to do with Xiaoqi?"
The two instantly understood; the Grand Madam was worry-stricken about Su Rong, to the point where she could not sleep.
The pair were at a loss as to whether they should inform her about Crown Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei leading an army of eight hundred thousand to invade Nanchu. If she found out, wouldn’t she be even more sleepless? However, if they did not tell her and the Crown Prince left the Capital City, along with the shifting of the city’s troops, would not the news spread unavoidably? She would still be worried either way.
As a result, the two exchanged a glance, and Jiang Xing began: "Madam Su, we are setting off tomorrow for the border of Dawei. We are expected to meet Brother Xingze, so we came to ask if there is any message you would like us to pass on?"
The Grand Madam invited them into the front hall, her heart in her throat. "Why are you heading to the Dawei border? Just a few days ago, the Duke himself went too. Is it because a war is imminent?"
Jiang Xing nodded his head and briefly explained Dawei’s mobilization of troops against Nanchu, Daliang’s plans to wage war against Dawei for the sake of Zhao, and the Crown Prince personally leading the attack on the border city.
"Eight hundred thousand Dawei troops are attacking Nanchu?" The Grand Madam’s face blanched. "Where does Xiaoqi find the troops to resist an army of that size? No wonder I have not received any letters from her recently. She promised to write to me every month, but I have not received anything for two months."
Madam Su, rest assured. It is said that Miss Su has five hundred thousand troops at her disposal. In addition, the second and third sons of the Duke Residence have prepared in advance and stationed two hundred thousand troops at the Nanchu border. They’ve likely already received the news and left for reinforcement. In total, they have seventy thousand troops. The disparity in number is not too great. With Miss Su’s ability and Brother Zhou Gu present, along with a number of capable personnel by her side, there should be no cause for danger," Jiang Xing assured her.
The Grand Madam drew a long breath of relief, softly patting her chest, "That’s good, that’s good."
Jiang Xing also heaved a sigh of relief; his mind clear that there was no harm in putting it this way to avoid causing the Grand Madam any further worry. They decided not to mention the fact that it takes a half month’s journey from the Nanchu border to Heiya Pass. Neither did they bring up the information that the Crown Prince of Dawei is being guided by a member of the Nangong Family, who is very familiar with the geography and landscape of Dawei.
When the fighting had begun, Dawei had indeed fielded an army of eight hundred thousand. As for Su Rong, she barely had five hundred thousand troops, and whether she was able to hold Heiya Pass, they could only wait for further news from Daliang.
Chen Zhou thought: Jiang Xing was much better at this than he was - having him explain things was indeed a better choice. The man added: "Madam Su, please, set your mind at ease! Do you not know who Su Rong is? Her abilities are extraordinary and she never allows herself to be taken advantage of. Besides, isn’t Master Xie with her? Master Xie is intelligent and resourceful, he will definitely help her as well."
The Grand Madam nodded, "You’re not wrong. Xiaoqi has always been a tough cookie. When she was three years old she was already able to fight with older children."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Chen Zhou confided that he was one of those ’older children’ that Su Rong used to fight with.
Remembering the squabbles between those two when they were younger, the Grand Madam laughed, "Think about those years in Jiangning County. The younger generations, as they grew up, were constantly bickering and arguing. Back in the day, they used to fight each other, but now, they take care of each other. The last time Xiaoqi wrote, she was asking about all of you. I informed her that all of you are doing fine - one joining the Ministry of War, the other the Ministry of Housing. Neither of you was bullied thanks to your connections with the Eastern Palace and Jiangzhou. Everything has been going smoothly."
Chen Zhou laughed awkwardly, "Indeed, indeed. After all, we have been blessed by Su Rong’s good fortune. We became part of the Eastern Palace faction from an early age. Ever since we became court officials, no one dared to mess with us because of the Eastern Palace’s influence."
When Crown Prince Yan ascends to the throne in the future, they will become loyal supporters of the emperor.
The Grand Madam nodded, overcoming her amusement. Aware that it was too late into the night and that it wasn’t easy for the two men to have made the journey for her, she realised that they both had baggage that needed to be sorted and prepared. So, she rose from her seat: "Thank you, my dear nephews. I have already prepared knee-pads and armor for Xingze that I meant to send to him through a courier station. Now that you’re here, I’ll ask my maids to fetch it and you can just take it with you."
The two men nodded immediately.
So, the Grand Madam instructed her maids to pack up.
In the meantime, the Grand Madam took up a brush and wrote a letter to Su Xingze. Mother and son typically wrote short and concise letters. In this one, the Grand Madam implored him to inform her as soon as he received any news from Su Rong. Not just herself, but his father in Jiangzhou had also sent few inquiries, asking why they hadn’t received any letters from Xiaoqi in such a long time.
Before long, a wet nurse had already prepared a package. The Grand Madam handed the letter to Jiang Xing and instructed the two of them, "You must be careful. On the battlefield, blades and weapons do not recognise faces. You two are not martial artists by nature, do not attempt to charge onto the battlefield and act recklessly."
Upon receiving their consent, the two men advised the Grand Madam to take care of her own health and then left East Fourth Hutong.
After seeing them off, the Grand Madam sighed, "With the outbreak of this war, the people suffer."
The Grand Madam was well aware of Daliang’s national strength over these years. If they really went to war with Dawei, it would likely be against the Crown Prince’s better judgement, leaving him no alternative than to fight Dawei in order to save Nanchu.
The next morning, Crown Prince Yan Huisheng, Young Master Zhou Wei of the Duke Residence, Young Master Xie Lin of the Rui’an King Residence, Lu Fengyan of the Hanlin Academy, Jiang Xing from the Ministry of War, and Chen Zhou from the Ministry of Housing, and a host of others set off to the border between Daliang and Dawei.
Upon hearing the news, Duanhua hurriedly left the city. Before the Crown Prince’s departure, she stopped them and provided him with five hundred personal guards from Princess Qingping’s Residence.
Yan Huisheng was surprised, "Why are you giving me so many people?"
Duanhua immediately responded, "The warfront is dangerous. My mother asked you to accept these men to ensure your safety and that of Su Xingze. If anything happens to Su Rong’s elder brother, she will undoubtedly be devastated."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Alright, I will accept them."
Duanhua breathed a sigh of relief, whispering, "Actually, I wanted to go to the battlefield too, but I know no martial arts."
Yan Huisheng chuckled warmly, "You just stay in the Capital City. I will forward any news on Su Rong to the Princess Residence."
Duanhua showed her candid agreement. She was as worried about Su Rong as Su Rong herself was; a bright smile bloomed across her face, "Thank you, Crown Prince, and my cousin, Xie. I’m sure you will be victorious."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Thank you for your kind words, cousin."
Upon the Crown Prince’s departure, only a few officials remained in the Capital City. Most of the remaining ones had arrived early outside the city to see him off.
After the officials had seen off the Crown Prince and returned to the city, Duanhua looked quite dispirited as she walked back to the city. When she reached the city gate, she noticed Qin Luan standing there, staring blankly, "Qin Luan? What are you..."
Upon seeing Duanhua, Qin Luan knealt to pay her respects, "Princess," and answered her question, "The Crown Prince left something behind in his hurry, and I came out to pass it on to him. Thankfully, I managed to give it to him in time."
Duanhua responded with a simple "Oh", and after thinking for a moment, she realized that Qin Luan, as a palace maid from the Eastern Palace, took care of the Crown Prince’s matters. It was only natural for her to realize that the Crown Prince had left something behind and came to deliver it. So, she nodded to Qin Luan and said, "Let’s go! It is freezing out here, you should not be standing in the cold any longer."
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