Chapter 125 The Stove Overflows with the Fragrance of Tea, Standing Facing the Wind
After Yang Xiao had tied up the two horses, the old woman led the two into the house. As soon as they stepped inside, the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms filled the air, making the room feel especially warm and cozy in the cold winter.
The three sat around the fireplace, the firelight making the pair of jade carp pendants appear exceptionally red and translucent. The old woman poured some flower tea from the pot for the two of them and gently placed it on the table.
"General Yang may never have met me, but I have served you in some way." The old woman rubbed her cold hands and looked at Yang Xiao with kindness.
"Oh?" Yang Xiao looked at her with interest. "I haven't been here for very long, and you've never had any interaction with me before?"
“I wasn’t talking about now,” the old woman said with a smile and shook her head. “I was talking about the city of Jizhou.”
Yang Xiao was taken aback upon hearing this, then frowned slightly, waiting for the old woman to continue.
"I sell osmanthus cakes, and business is pretty good in Anping County," the old woman said, her face glowing red in the firelight, her eyes sparkling as she reminisced. "I remember one late autumn, General Yude personally came to my shop, saying he wanted to buy some pastries that girls like. At the time, I was puzzled, thinking, 'What ordinary girl is there in the army?' Later, he told me that those pastries were for General Yang and Miss Cen."
Yang Xiao sighed wistfully and said with a smile, "He just sent me some pastries and asked me for advice. The person he really wanted to send them to was Tongxi."
“Miss Cen is also an elegant and dignified person. Later, Jiangnan sent someone to deliver her dowry and arranged her marriage with the general.” The old woman shook her head with a smile. “That was several years ago. Back when you first came to Jizhou, you were just a fierce young girl. Now you have become a majestic general.”
The woman looked at Yang Xiao with emotion, "I haven't seen the general for a long time, and I haven't been back to my hometown for a long time. I heard that the general would pass through this place on his way back from his victory, so I have been waiting here. Now that I see you, it feels as if I have returned to Jizhou."
Yang Xiao smiled bitterly upon hearing this, glanced at the firelight, closed her eyes briefly, and then sighed deeply. She looked at the old woman again and asked, "Yu De told me before that your business has always been very good. Why did you leave Jizhou and move here?"
The old woman gave a bitter smile. "It's all for my sister. She married far away and her health has always been poor, and it's gotten worse over the years. I had no choice but to put aside my own responsibilities and come here to take care of her."
Yang Xiao was about to ask something when she saw the offerings on the table next to her and didn't ask any more questions.
"It's a pity that she passed away before I even arrived." The old woman shook her head as if she had seen through everything. "I thought that Jizhou and Bingzhou had always been at odds, and that I, a commoner, would definitely not be able to survive. But I didn't expect that there was no such thing as rampant taxation here. His Highness and Lord Lunhong love the people like their own children, which is why I can live alone. So," she smiled and pointed to the pastry oven next to her, "I'll still make a living by doing this."
"That's good then," Yang Xiao nodded, then looked at the woman and tentatively asked, "However, what will you do if the two armies were to fight here in the future?"
"Does the general mean that His Highness and Lord Lunhong will eventually fight?" The woman frowned slightly and looked at Yang Xiao. "I have lived on both sides and know that both armies are benevolent and righteous, and will certainly not make things difficult for us common people."
"But war inherently means the destruction of families and the loss of lives. Given this, would you still agree to a decisive battle between the two sides?"
"Throughout history, dynasties that have enjoyed long periods of peace and stability have all built their empires step by step. How could we, the common people, not support this?" The old woman seemed to see through the worry in Yang Xiao's eyes. "More than a decade of chaos and strife has finally settled between two factions. The current battle between the two is not about vying for power, but about fighting for the people's livelihood and for stability. Your Highness and Lord Lun Hong are both men of great principle. If a victor can be decided now, the world will surely be at peace for more than a hundred years. If we miss this opportunity for a battle between dragons and phoenixes, how many more centuries will it take to recreate the current situation?"
"This war, for us ordinary people, is only a temporary hardship. Regardless of which side wins, isn't it all for the sake of a better life for us ordinary people? We can't bring endless conflict to our children and grandchildren just for a moment of peace and enjoyment, can we?"
"So... that's what you were thinking." Yang Xiao looked down at the hot tea in her cup, letting the rising steam blur her vision.
The old woman gently patted Yang Xiao's hand, frowning as she looked at her. "General, we are deeply honored that you are so considerate of us. However, I... am more worried about the generals who are going to the battlefield. We hope that what happened to General Yude will never happen again."
“Auntie,” Yang Xiao sighed with her eyes closed, grasped the old woman’s hand, and gazed into her tearful eyes, “Yu De sacrificed himself for the country. He used his own flesh and blood to take over the entire Lujiang County. For a general, to die on the battlefield is to have no regrets in this life.”
“General Ke Yude is so young and vigorous, then…” The old woman sighed deeply, holding Yang Xiao’s hand tightly, “We common people can’t help much, we can only hope that you will all be safe and sound. You are so full of life, how can you entrust your lives to such cold swords and spears…”
Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then looked firmly at the old woman, "As long as the people approve and support us, we will have no worries." After saying this, she stood up, clasped her hands in a fist and said to the old woman, "I have benefited greatly from what you said today. Please rest assured, we will definitely give you an explanation and give an explanation to the people of the world."
“With such righteousness, General, you will surely be invincible,” the old woman quickly stood up as well. “You must take good care of yourself on the battlefield.”
"Don't worry, we will."
As if remembering something, the old woman bent down and went behind the table to take out a basket of steaming pastries. "Your Highness, General, these pastries are a small token of my appreciation. Although they are not valuable, please accept them." She then looked at Yang Xiao, her eyes filled with the joy of seeing an old friend. "General, these still taste the same as they did back then. They won't change."
Yang Xiao paused, then her nose suddenly stung with tears.
"Alright." She smiled and nodded, gratefully accepting the basket with both hands. "I'll take it, thank you, Auntie."
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. "In that case, we won't bother you any longer. Thank you for your hospitality, madam. We'll see you again another day."
"Alright, alright," the old woman said, seeing the two women to the door and waving goodbye. "See you another day."
Yang Xiao untied the two warhorses from the tree, held a whole basket of osmanthus cakes, and remained silent for a long time.
Snowflakes drifted down, landing on the white cloth covering the pastries, where they turned into water stains.
Xiao Yan took the reins from Yang Xiao, helped himself onto the horse, and then looked back at Yang Xiao, who was standing on the ground holding pastries and lost in thought. "Well, how much of what I said the other day do you believe?"
Yang Xiao looked up at Xiao Yan on horseback, her long, black hair fluttering in the wind and snow, falling onto her chest. She glanced at Xiao Yan's composed expression, sighed, and then raised the basket in her hand. "No matter how good I am at riding, I can't possibly mount a horse without using one hand, can I?"
Xiao Yan smiled, picked up the basket from Yang Xiao's hand, and without waiting for her, spurred his horse forward at a trot.
Yang Xiao frowned, mounted her horse, and caught up with Xiao Yan in no time. "What, does Your Highness intend to embezzle these pastries?"
“I didn’t say that,” Xiao Yan waved his hand and laughed, “I’ll give you whatever part of what you believe in me.”
Yang Xiao laughed and said, "Then you shouldn't eat any of it."
The two men joked and teased each other as their two warhorses, one white and one red, left a trail of footprints in the snow, stretching towards Chang'an. Amidst the swirling snowflakes, the air was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.
-
The heavy snow that had fallen for several days finally stopped, leaving the entire city of Chang'an covered in wet cart tracks and footprints. As soon as Xiao Yan and Yang Xiao entered the palace, they saw Lu Qi already riding a horse, waiting with a smile.
Xiao Yan glanced at the person in white robes and riding a white horse, smiling broadly and looking ethereal, and couldn't help but frown. "Why didn't you even prepare a carriage?"
“Your Highness,” Lu Qi chuckled and replied, fanning himself, “Didn’t you say you wanted to practice riding before you left? That’s why I didn’t prepare a carriage, so you could get used to it.”
Xiao Yan stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed helplessly. She turned to Yang Xiao and said, "Let me tell you, don't be fooled by his cheerful face. He's actually very cunning and annoying."
“Yeah,” Yang Xiao smiled and glanced at Lu Qi, “Don’t let his appearance fool you, he’s actually quite inhuman.”
Lu Qi was not angry when he heard this; he just chuckled and waved his fan.
"Wearing a fox fur coat and fanning yourself, I really don't know if you're cold or hot." Yang Xiao crossed her arms and chuckled, tilting her head at Lu Qi.
"Stop teasing me," Lu Qi closed his fan, his smile fading, and sighed as he looked at Yang Xiao. "You've turned my house upside down, and you still have the nerve to talk about me?"
Xiao Yan frowned upon hearing this, "What's going on?"
“Don’t worry too much,” Lu Qi shook his head. “The maid in Lingyu’s room was ordered by Xiao Yun to search the entire room, saying she was looking for evidence of treason, but after all that trouble, she found nothing.”
"You were right," Xiao Yan paused, then chuckled, glanced at Yang Xiao, and then looked at Lu Qi, frowning as he said, "Xiao Yun is really everywhere. What tricks is he up to now?"
Lu Qi twirled his fan and sighed, "He seems to have suddenly realized something and has started to value the Crimson Cloud Palace."
"What's going on?" Yang Xiao frowned and looked at Lu Qi. "Haven't he always been at odds with my family? Why is he suddenly taking this seriously?"
"Perhaps you won the battle and he lost the bet, so he wants to use this to get back at you." Lu Qi turned to look at Yang Xiao's worried expression, shook his head and said, "Don't worry, he didn't try to sow discord. He just wants to use the former prestige of Chixiao Prefecture and its relationship with the Northern Qiang to send someone to ask the Qiang King for help."
"He's managed to do both things now, guarding against me on one hand, and using my family's influence to call in reinforcements from the Northern Qiang." Yang Xiao sneered, pulling on the reins and urging his horse forward. "He's much smarter than before."
Xiao Yan frowned and looked at Yang Xiao, "Well, do you have a plan?"
Yang Xiao nodded and pondered for a moment, "Then let his cleverness backfire." She then turned to look at Xiao Yan, "Having been under your command for so long has not been in vain. Although I am not as good as you in dealing with cunning people, I am more than capable of handling him."
“Alright,” Xiao Yan nodded, “I’ll leave this matter to you.”
Yang Xiao nodded to Xiao Yan and then hurried to her residence.
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