The end of the year is approaching and this year will soon be over.
After the heavy snow came the cold winter, and when the snow stopped, the north wind began to blow again in the green frontier. The wind blew in from the Sanmu Pass, often howling from day to midnight.
The Sun Mansion was built remarkably solidly, its northern walls several inches thicker than those on the south, preventing even the cold winter wind from getting in. But when Xiao Nanhui woke in the middle of the night, he often imagined he was still in the desert, surrounded by coyotes. He would often get up and light a lamp before regaining consciousness, then sit alone by the window until dawn.
Her injuries healed quickly, and within a few days she was able to move freely. She'd considered rushing to Bijiang to reunite with Xiao Zhun several times, but firstly, Subei's camps were constantly being broken up, and she might follow the military reports and find him gone the moment she arrived. Secondly, she now held a formal official position. Upon returning to the camp, she would be in charge of three divisions according to regulations. She was no longer a mere sergeant, free to go wherever she pleased. Without a suitable excuse, she couldn't act on her own.
The third reason was that the emperor had allowed her to temporarily stay at the camp, citing her injuries as a pretext for recuperation, but he had sent two personal guards to her, stating that it was a rule and she couldn't refuse. She was used to being alone, and could only tolerate a shrike that jumped around and was often nowhere to be found. Staring eyes at those two all day was truly awkward.
And she didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that these two people were her guards in name, but were actually the emperor's spies.
But why would the emperor look at her? She had never been someone worth his attention.
After much thought, she couldn't find an answer. She didn't dare to openly rebuke them, so she simply found an opportunity to hand them over to Wu Xiaoliu for "dealing." The so-called "dealing" was simply to give them something to do, at least so they wouldn't be constantly watching her during the day. After all, she wasn't afraid of these two people, but the person who sent them.
After returning from the so-called conference room that day, she began to pay attention to the movements in the vicinity whenever she had time. She did not miss any important military reports, and for the first time ever, she received a verbal message from Lu Songping that came with the military report.
She was relieved to learn from the letter that Mo Chunhua was doing well, but also felt it was to be expected. In the early morning hours of Xiaoxue, she solemnly instructed Lu Songping to consider Mo Chunhua's life amidst the chaos. She lacked the shrewdness of a powerful civil servant, and getting to know someone often required sparring with them through numerous exchanges of martial arts. Lu Songping was naturally feminine and meticulous, and while cunning, he wasn't incapable of being trusted with important tasks.
If there was anyone in this world who could have protected Mo Chunhua during that chaotic time, it was undoubtedly him. Sometimes she felt a resemblance between Mo Chunhua and herself. They were not rare flowers, but they could take root and thrive wherever they were found. And precisely because of this similarity, she felt a closeness to her, yet she wondered if she would ever see her again.
Perhaps because of her close relationship with the emperor, Lu Songping didn't say much in her letter, but she felt that some things should be handled separately. After returning to Quecheng, she should probably send a thank-you gift in the name of the Marquisate. Of course, this time, she absolutely couldn't let Dujuan interfere.
The good news came to Xiao Nanhui's ears one after another. Many of the familiar place names were written down and drawn on the blueprints by her.
On the coldest day of winter, she heard from the military newspaper that six of Bai He's seven sons had been confirmed dead in battle, and the youngest was only six years old. He was captured by the people of Guangyao Camp when he was escaping with his wet nurse and was now being held in a prisoner camp.
The emperor reacted very coldly to this. He only instructed someone to take good care of him, without saying a word about how to deal with him.
In fact, apart from his meticulous attention to detail in deploying the troops, others could hardly see any concern in the emperor, nor did they feel any joy at this great victory.
In the past, Xiao Nanhui would have been puzzled. But now, after spending some time with that man, she felt the emperor's mindset was easy to grasp. Reclaiming the Green Frontier might simply be a necessary evil, not unlike his actions that day, when he left the imperial city with only a single guard and ventured deep into the north, seeking clues to the secret seal.
The heart of an emperor is somewhat equivalent to the heart of his family and country.
For Tiancheng, retaking Bijiang was just a power struggle that was bound to happen sooner or later, but for the people of Bijiang with whom she once lived, the whole world had changed.
She felt a little complicated, but more of it was the relief and joy that a big thing was about to be resolved.
To some extent, she had confidence in the emperor. He had the ability to recover the lost southwestern land and make it better.
She had already begun to imagine what a different scene the Qinghuaihou Mansion would look like when the war was officially settled.
Xiao Zhun had no lingering attachment to power, and he had long since grown weary of the business of killing. As long as the extermination of his family was fully investigated, he could submit his request for retirement to the Emperor. He might then have to surrender his title of Marquis of Qinghuai, and according to regulations, his monthly income would naturally be significantly reduced. But that didn't matter; what mattered was Xiao Zhun's happiness.
She had already decided that if they stayed in Quecheng, she could consider taking a sinecure in Guangyao Camp. While the salary wouldn't be much, it would be more than enough for her to live in the Marquis's mansion. If she followed Xiao Zhun back to his mother's hometown, she would resign her official position and find a job running an escort agency, enough to support them. She would use any remaining money she had every month to support Dujuan and hire a few more servants so she could be a hands-off manager. Uncle Chen's legs had been getting weaker in recent years, so she could take this opportunity to return home early and enjoy a more leisurely life.
These things go through her mind almost every day, and now she is so familiar with them that she can make up a big drama out of them.
She would occasionally chat with Shrike, but he would just scratch his ears and look not very interested.
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