Su Xiaoxiao picked up the ginger soup and took a sip, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Jing Yi asked.

Su Xiaoxiao suppressed the sudden discomfort in her stomach and said, "It's nothing. I probably haven't had it for a long time. I'm a little uncomfortable."

When she drank again, the nausea and retching feeling was gone.

She drank the ginger soup in one breath, broke out in a sweat, and felt much better.

The next morning, she was awakened by a loud noise. It was the county magistrate of Jia County.

The county magistrate's surname was Yuan. He was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and had attracted the attention of Xiao Duye due to his outstanding performance. He was personally received by Xiao Duye. Unfortunately, he was an alcoholic and was demoted to a cold and bitter place after only a few days on duty in the Hanlin Academy.

He happened to go to Suibei Pass yesterday for something and saw two carriages parked beside the official road.

The carriage was not the point. He recognized the attendant who always accompanied Xiao Duye in the eldest prince's mansion.

The attendant pretended not to know him, but he was sure that he was not mistaken, so he came to the post station today.

After Su Xiaoxiao finished washing and dressing, when she walked out of the room, Jing Yi was already waiting in the corridor with a sword in his arms.

"Have you been waiting for a long time?" Su Xiaoxiao asked.

"No, I just got here." Jing Yi said, "There is a situation. The magistrate of Jia County came and asked King Liang to go to the county government office to recuperate."

Su Xiaoxiao said: "Restoration means——"

Jing Yi said calmly: "Oh, Prince Liang is sick."

Xiao Duye was frozen in the snowy mountains. He started feeling uncomfortable in the middle of the night and had a high fever this morning. County Magistrate Yuan came to pay his respects to him and was frightened to death by his pale face. But since he was already there, he could only bite the bullet and invite Xiao Duye to go to the county government office to recuperate.

"Let him go?" Jing Yi asked.

Su Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, "Let him go. We have to go buy food and grass these days, so we can't take care of him. Let the county magistrate take care of him, he will be more attentive than us."

At this time, in the next room, Xiao Duye sat cross-legged on the bed wrapped in a thick quilt, and said to County Magistrate Yuan in a hoarse voice with a strong nasal tone: "This time, I am traveling incognito. Remember, do not reveal my identity."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Magistrate Yuan responded hastily, "I just said you are a distant relative of mine."

Xiao Duye gave him a weak, harmless, cold look.

Magistrate Yuan lowered his head.

Xiao Duye said: "I am a businessman, you can just call me Boss Xiao."

County Magistrate Yuan hurriedly said, "I obey your command."

Su Xiaoxiao and Jing Yi came over.

Su Xiaoxiao took Xiao Duye's pulse.

County Magistrate Yuan looked Su Xiaoxiao up and down and said, "Who is this——"

Xiao Duye said calmly: "My daughter, the doctor, is surnamed Qin."

"Miss Qin." County Magistrate Yuan bowed.

The female doctor had a low status in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but as the saying goes, a seventh-rank official is in front of the prime minister, and the female doctor in the Prince of Liang's mansion is not someone a county magistrate like himself can neglect.

He looked at Jing Yi who was standing beside him. He had not spent much time in the capital and had never met Young Marquis Jing.

Xiao Duye added: "My bodyguard's surname is Jing."

Qin and Jing are both well-known surnames in the capital.

However, the two of you should have no relationship with the Huguogong Mansion and Weiwuhou Mansion, otherwise how could you be the doctor and guard beside the King of Liang? "Jingyi and I are going out for a while." Su Xiaoxiao said to Xiao Duye.

Xiao Duye asked cautiously, "What are you doing?"

Su Xiaoxiao said seriously: "Get some medicine for His Highness."

Xiao Duye snorted: "You have some conscience."

Xiao Duye was taken to the county government office by County Magistrate Yuan.

Su Xiaoxiao took Jing Yi and Fusu to purchase food and fodder.

Jing Yi took out all his belongings, not even a small piece of silver was kept for himself.

Fusu was poor, so he had no money.

"It seems that this is still not enough." Young Marquis Jing had no idea about the price of grain, but he felt that a few hundred taels seemed a bit too little.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled: "Jingyi, you take the banknotes and silver back, I took the military pay."

She did this not for the court, nor for Emperor Jingxuan, but because if a war really broke out, it would be Qin Canglan, Su Mo, and their soldiers who would go to the battlefield on an empty stomach.

"I'll give it to you anyway." Jing Yi insisted on giving it to her.

Su Xiaoxiao had no choice but to accept it first.

The three of them first purchased goods in Jia County, but they couldn't buy out all of them, they had to leave some for the people.

Fusu looked at the sparse five carts of food and grass and said: "These are not enough."

Su Xiaoxiao asked, "Which county town next door is relatively prosperous?"

Fusu exclaimed, "Chong County! There are many caravans stationed there all year round, some from the Great Zhou, some from the Western Jin, and some from the Northern Yan. We can buy food and fodder from the caravans."

Su Xiaoxiao asked: "How far is Chong County?"

Fusu, like Wei Ting, had the habit of carrying a map with him. He spread it out and pointed to Su Xiaoxiao, saying, "One hundred miles to the west."

Su Xiaoxiao made a prompt decision: "Okay, let's go to Chong County."

Before leaving, she got some medicine, left a letter saying that she was going to Zibo Town to visit Qin Canglan, and asked a clerk in the pharmacy to deliver it to the county government office.

"Ask Boss Xiao for the money for the medicine."

She would never give money to Xiao Duye.

The three of them immediately set off for Chong County.

…

There is a military camp fifty miles east of Suibei Pass. At this time, the soldiers were training on the parade ground. Su Mo picked out a few soldiers to fight with him.

Qin Canglan and General Liu watched from the side.

General Liu smiled and said, "General Su's martial arts have improved again. When I saw him a few years ago, he didn't seem to have such skills."

Qin Canglan had long since resigned from his military post and was no longer the Duke of Protectorate, but Liu Ren still respected him as the Grand Marshal in his heart.

Qin Canglan put his hands behind his back, looked at Su Mo and said, "This kid hasn't shown his true ability yet."

"Oh?" Liu Ren was surprised.

Su Mo knocked down two soldiers with a swing of his spear, and then made a counterattack, knocking away the attacker behind him with the butt of his spear.

He showed mercy when fighting with his own people, otherwise, with those two moves just now, these people would have been killed. And the Marshal said that he did not show his true strength?

"What's the situation with the military pay of each camp?" Qin Canglan asked.

Liu Ren sighed, "Alas, the military pay has not been paid yet, and the soldiers are very dissatisfied. You know, most of these soldiers are from poor families. They joined the army to exchange their lives for food and surplus food for their families, but now-"

It was only when Qin Canglan arrived at the border that he realized the situation here was worse than he had imagined.

If this continues, the soldiers will have no morale to fight.

"There is something I don't understand."

"you say."

"Your Majesty, since you sent the Grand Marshal and General Su to escort the weapons here, you must have guessed that a war would break out at the border. Why didn't you send more food and fodder?"

Food and fodder must be sent ahead of troops. This has been the principle of marching and fighting since ancient times. Your Majesty has been the emperor for so many years after all, you should not be so ignorant of this.

Qin Canglan sneered: "Your Majesty, you have no intention of starting a war."

Emperor Jingxuan only wanted to use Qin Canglan's reputation to intimidate Northern Yan so that it would not dare to invade.

But he underestimated Beiyan's evil ambitions. When Qin Canglan and Wu'an Jun were stationed at the border together, Beiyan was still unwilling to give up, not to mention that now that they have lost Wu'an Jun.

Beiyan has tasted the sweetness from this, and I’m afraid that this time Qin Canglan will not be able to return alive.

The last soldier was also knocked down by Su Mo.

Qin Canglan took a big step forward and grabbed a red tasseled spear from the shelf: "Mo'er, fight with your great-uncle!"

Su Mo said: "Okay!"

I'm a little confused because of the fever. What should I say? Just leave a paw print.

(End of this chapter)