After a long while, the family finally calmed down and sat down to talk and ask each other about their situations.
The little boy and girl, however, were at a loss as to what to do. They hid aside and watched with strange and confused eyes.
"Everything is fine at home. If the weather is good, we can have enough to eat."
Duan stared at her daughter without blinking, as if wanting to memorize her appearance. She wiped away her tears, forced a smile, and pointed at the little boy, "This is your younger brother Bosheng. He was only three years old at the time, and he didn't even come over to call me sister."
The runny-nosed little kid has grown into a teenager. The image in Zhang Yuer's mind gradually became clearer, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Sister." Zhang Bosheng had no place to put his hands and feet, so he slowly moved over and called out in a foolish voice.
Zhang Yuer smiled and nodded repeatedly, saying, "You've grown up now. I remember you were still running around in open-crotch pants back then."
Zhang Bosheng grinned, revealing a smile that was unclear whether it was shyness or embarrassment.
"That's your second brother Zhongsheng." Duan extended her hand and introduced them, "and your younger sister Wan'er."
Zhongsheng half lowered his head and hid behind his father, not daring to come out. He just stole a glance at the strange sister who suddenly appeared.
Zhang Yuer and Hexi smiled, and turned their gaze to the little girl, as if they saw the shadow of their own childhood. They stretched out their hands and beckoned, "Wan'er, come here and let me take a good look at you."
Wan'er held tightly to her mother's skirt, neither hiding nor crying out, her big eyes fluttering as she stared at her. After a while, she raised her little hand and gently held her index finger in her mouth.
"Here are some snacks!" Zhang Yuer then understood the emperor's thoughtfulness and asked her to bring some snacks.
This plate of dim sum is not like the ones placed here casually. It has color, fragrance, taste and shape, and it looks tempting.
Wan'er swallowed hard and was led over by her mother, a shy smile appearing on her little face.
When Wan'er started eating the snacks, Bosheng and Zhongsheng also got some. The atmosphere in the room became more intimate, and the gap caused by the long separation became a little shallower.
"Yu'er, are you doing well in the palace?" Zhang Shideng felt sorry for his daughter and spoke carefully, feeling even more guilty.
Zhang Yuer pursed her lips and said, "I'm doing fine in the palace, you don't have to worry about me."
Duan looked at the gold bracelet on her daughter's wrist, nodded repeatedly, and said, "Looking at Yu'er's clothes and the gold bracelet on her hand, I can tell that she is living a good life. This, not every palace maid has it, right?"
Zhang Yuer smiled and said, "This was given by the Emperor. I don't know if anyone else has it."
"It's a reward from His Majesty!" Duan was still thinking of reaching out to touch it, but upon hearing this, she quickly retracted her hand, clasped her hands together and bowed several times.
Zhang Yuer was also quite proud. She had just heard about how her family arrived. Knowing that it was the emperor's grace, she felt even more grateful.
"The government registered us in Shuntian Prefecture, gave us a piece of land on the outskirts of the city, and even awarded us a small courtyard," Zhang Shideng said idly. "Now that we're close, maybe I can come visit you more often."
Zhang Yu'er quickly shook her head and said, "That won't do. There are rules in the palace. This time, the emperor has shown mercy, so we dare not push our limits."
After a pause, Zhang Yuer felt around her body. Apart from the purple gold bracelet, she had no money. Then she realized that even if she returned to the palace, she would still have no money.
"We have land and a house, and the government has given us money to settle down. We have everything we need." Duan said quickly, "The official who just came with you even gave us 20 taels of silver!"
What is Wang Ti doing? This favor is not easy to ask for.
Zhang Yu'er didn't like Wang Tigan, or rather, she didn't like those eunuchs who were domineering, harsh to ordinary palace servants, and then turned around and fawned on the emperor.
"Give me the silver and I'll pay him back." Zhang Yu'er then explained, "Since my family doesn't need anything, I can't just take other people's money and things for free and make it difficult for me to stay in the palace."
Duan was a little hesitant. Twenty taels of silver was not a small amount.
Zhang Shideng was quite happy. He took out some silver from his pocket and handed it to his daughter.
Zhang Yuer smiled, put the silver in her pocket, and said, "When my daughter saves up enough money, I will ask the emperor for mercy and have someone send it home."
"Yu'er, can you see the Emperor often?" Duan felt very sad, but didn't say anything. She asked with some curiosity.
Zhang Yu'er nodded, reached out to take another piece of dessert, and handed it to Wan'er with a smile, saying, "I get to see her every day! The Emperor's favorite, Lady Bai, is the one I serve. Lady Bai is so beautiful and very smart, and her two eyes..."
Oh, so my daughter is serving the Empress. His Majesty is very kind to her and wants to see her every day. But why is one of her eyes yellow and the other blue? It's so strange!
………………
Under the city of Guangning, the main camp of the Later Jin army.
The atmosphere in the old slave's tent was somewhat depressing.
"Is Xiong Manzi in Youtunwei City?" The old slave reached out and gently stroked his forehead, still unconvinced. He asked in a questioning tone, "Old Five, Old Eight, what do you think?"
Manggurtai smiled and said, "Father Khan, this is perfect. Let's first attack Guangning City and kill Wang Huazhen. Then we will attack Youtunwei and kill that barbarian Xiong Tingbi. One governor and one general will be enough to scare the emperor and officials of the Ming Dynasty."
The old servant rolled his eyes weakly, knowing that his fifth son was completely confused and it was pointless to ask him.
Huang Taiji pondered for a moment before saying, "According to the urgent report sent by the Great and Second Beile, I believe Xiong Tingbi is most likely in Youtunwei City."
"When our army was besieging Xiping Fort and preparing to defeat the Ming reinforcements in a field battle, Xiong Tingbi may have left Shanhaiguan and rushed to Guangning City. On his way, he learned that the Ming army had suffered a disastrous defeat at Shaling, so he sent orders to all directions, converging troops at Youtunwei City to protect the stored food and supplies."
After a pause, Huang Taiji continued, "At the same time, Xiong Tingbi also reported the news to Wang Huazhen. Wang Huazhen knew that Xiong Tingbi would not lead his troops to Guangning. He was deeply afraid of being guilty of losing the city, so he simply sought survival by relying on the high walls and deep trenches of Guangning City and defending it with his life."
The old slave did not comment, just nodded and fell into deep thought.
I agree with my eighth son's analysis and judgment. Only in this way could the situation in Guangning have become what it is now.
Now there is only one question left, which one is easier to take, Guangning City or Youtunwei City.
Wang Huazhen did not understand military affairs and was timid and afraid of death, but the solidity of Guangning City made up for this shortcoming to a large extent.
Moreover, judging from the defense of Guangning City, it seems that there is a general who is familiar with combat in command.
This is not surprising. When it comes to defending a city, the tactics are basically fixed and require relatively low technical skills. It does not require a famous general to be in charge, and it is not so easy to break through.
The Youtunwei City is the opposite. The city is small and cannot compare with Guangning City in terms of height and strength.
But with the Xiong Manzi in charge, the defenders seem to be quite large, and there are an incredible number of artillery pieces, so it is not so easy to break into the city.
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