033
"Love..." Qi Man chewed on these words, "Is the young lady referring to General Yu, or Brother Shi Yu?"
Song Ling was suddenly drawn to her words, and her expression turned slightly strange. "Why would you say that?"
"Come on, girl," Qi Man said casually, sitting down opposite her. "The moment they come here, their eyes are glued to you. Anyone who's seen enough of this can tell you're not ordinary."
"What's more, Shi Yu is more restrained, but General Yu doesn't hide anything at all. In the past few months, he has sent people to deliver any good things he can use, and it's almost filled a room."
Song Ling: How come I didn't know about this?
"I haven't had a chance to tell you yet. A few days ago, before you even returned, he sent people with lots of silk, jewelry, porcelain, and other things. I don't know where he got all that." Qi Man's eyes flickered slightly as she pondered for a moment. "Although I certainly didn't think much of our general at first..."
"But now that I think about it, I still think he's better than Shi Yu."
Song Ling chuckled, "Why?"
"Back when Shi Yu was in Huailai, he won the hearts of countless girls. To put it bluntly, he had a lot of bad romantic entanglements." Qi Man curled her lips. "The most typical example is Sister Sui Yan. She followed him around all day, but since he didn't like her, he never made it clear to her."
"Then he rejected Sister Suiyan, and Sister Suiyan rejected Brother Zhaoyan. The three of them have to put on a show every few days." Qi Man rolled her eyes and continued to complain: "If it's said that Brother Shiyu is in love with you, then he followed Sister Suiyan down the mountain not long after she came down. I don't believe there's nothing fishy going on."
“I told my mother about this, and she gestured that I shouldn’t keep a man like that, no matter how skilled he is in medicine.”
Qi Man leaned closer and carefully examined Song Ling's face. "Look at yourself, young lady. You're skilled in medicine and martial arts. Apart from your slightly weaker constitution, you excel in everything. There are plenty of people who like you... Why be confused here?"
Song Ling's lips twitched slightly. "I only asked you a question, who knew you would go on and on like this."
"Uh..." Qi Man pouted, "Anyway... I'm just analyzing it for you. Looking at these two, General Yu may be a bit slow, rough, and not very educated... but he listens to you more. Besides, Brother Shi Yu is almost ten years older than you, which is a bit too old..."
Song Ling's original thoughts vanished, and she felt speechless.
"I heard that girls down the mountain get married at fifteen, and the girl is indeed about that age." Then Qi Man was suddenly shocked. She had completely forgotten about this. Wouldn't the girl also get married in the future?!
No, if Song Ling gets married, wouldn't I have to go back to Huailai and never see her again?!
Huh? Back to Huailai...
In a flash of inspiration, she suddenly had a great idea.
“If we’re talking about people who know you inside and out…we’re the most reliable people in Huailai,” Qi said, a hint of something brewing in his eyes. “The men down the mountain are all fickle and half-hearted. Why don’t you take a look at the people in our sect, young lady?”
"How about Shijiu!" Qi Man clapped his hands suddenly. "He's only two or three years older than the girl, handsome, and has superb martial arts skills."
Then his image flashed into her mind, and she suddenly frowned, "Besides always dressing like a black ghost in those tattered clothes..."
"Bang--"
"well!!"
A small pebble pierced through the half-open window and struck Qi Man precisely on the forehead. Even without using internal force, it still hurt terribly, and his forehead turned red.
Who else has such a perverse sense of humor besides Tokugawa?
"You filthy dog! Eavesdropping on my conversation with the girl!" Qi Man roared at the window, only to be hit on the shoulder by a pebble, which made her even angrier.
"No, he must have flown up the tree to hide again. I have to bring that bastard down. I won't be satisfied until I kick him to death."
Before Song Ling could even speak, she watched helplessly as the woman stormed out of the room in a huff.
So, Qi Man still didn't answer her question...
Sigh.
***
The next day, at the training ground.
"Everyone, perk up!" Yu Baizhou walked through the ranks, carrying a long sword and instructing them on their movements.
It's not yet autumn; it's the hottest time of year in southern Xinjiang. The soldiers are all tanned dark and drenched in sweat.
"General, a convoy of men has arrived outside. The military advisor requests your presence."
"Who's here?" Yu Baizhou wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Wei Yan, who was directing the moving of things.
He was so busy taking inventory that he could barely lift his head. "It's Miss Song."
"She's here?!" No one noticed the sudden gleam in Yu Baizhou's eyes. "Where?"
"Huh?" Wei Yan suddenly looked up. "The strategist didn't come. Oh no... the strategist sent a whole convoy of meat and reunion cakes, saying he would try to improve the soldiers' meals tonight."
"How much silver must this cost..." Deputy General Wang swallowed hard. "I haven't had any meat for months."
For some reason, Deputy General Wang suddenly became sentimental, raising his sleeve to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "The strategist is truly my benefactor... Only my mother would remember to write to me every year to ask if I ate the reunion cake on the fifteenth..."
"When will this war ever end? I miss my parents... Waaah!"
Yu Baizhou suddenly flicked him on the forehead, "What are you crying about, you grown man? Why don't you go and keep an eye on the unusual movements in the south? If the southern barbarians don't know what's good for them, let's see if you can still enjoy this reunion cake."
Deputy General Wang said with a mournful face, "Oh, no... I'll go right now."
"General, don't forget to save me a couple of cakes..."
Meanwhile, Su Duan, who was still handling official business in the governor's study, and Shi Qing, who was still stationed in the Guangping County prefectural governor's office, felt a surge of comfort after receiving reunion cakes and peach blossom wine secretly delivered by Song Ling.
"Our soldiers are practically worshipping Miss Song, everyone's eager to see her. The strategist is truly a rare gem," Military Advisor Wei said with a smile, shaking his head. "General, you'd better step up your game... otherwise, tsk tsk tsk..."
Yu Baizhou understood the hidden meaning in his words, and with a smile, he was about to kick him, "Get lost."
After the girl left, the smile on his lips slowly faded. But what could he do if the girl didn't like him? He couldn't just keep pestering her; that would only make things worse and upset her.
This is really... annoying.
But Yu Baizhou clearly didn't expect that this wasn't the worst part. When he received the message from Vice General Wang, he felt like the sky was falling.
The southern barbarians were making restless moves, mobilizing their troops and seemingly intending to take advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the southern border region to launch an attack on the city.
Lieutenant Li, with his fiery temper, exploded at the slightest provocation: "Jimu... that bastard! Why did he have to cause trouble today of all times? He's just being disgusting."
Yu Baizhou's face was tense. Li Fuzhi's words hit the nail on the head. It seemed he wouldn't be able to go to Song Ling's place to celebrate the festival tonight...
Military Advisor Wei frowned slightly. "This... the food has already started cooking, but the reunion cakes haven't been distributed yet. Are we still going to celebrate this festival?"
"Pass!" Yu Baizhou said decisively. "Why would I pass if I'm afraid of his grandfather?"
"Pass down the order to be on high alert at all times. Our lieutenants will take turns leading troops to guard the city walls, rotating every hour."
"Alcohol is forbidden in the camp tonight, but the soldiers are allowed to eat and drink as much as they want."
"yes!"
………
Wu Sheng took the fluttering carrier pigeon, removed the note tied to its leg, and handed it to Song Ling. "Miss, it's a letter from the military camp."
Qi Man brought out the prepared food. "What happened in the military camp?"
Song Ling frowned slightly, "There's some minor movement in the south, so the general won't be coming to keep Zhi Ning company."
"The south?" Qi Man rolled his eyes. "I think they're just deliberately trying to annoy us. Those barbarians know that today is our day of reunion, so they're deliberately doing some dirty tricks to make things difficult for us."
"This is truly infuriating!"
Song Ling shook her head slightly, "The Southern Barbarians are cunning and we must be wary. Since the general can't come, we won't wait for him. You all eat first."
"I'll go write a letter."
Qi Man knocked on the door and came in. Song Ling was still holding an envelope in her hand, seemingly lost in thought.
"Hey girl, won't you go eat with me?"
"I'll go in a bit."
Qi Man didn't leave. Instead, she gently closed the door and sat down next to Song Ling. "Whatever you want to do, Miss, go ahead and do it."
"And who can say anything?"
Song Ling looked hesitant. "But I don't know if this is the right thing to do, and I don't know... I don't know if there will be any results."
"I think it's probably going to be fruitless."
"What does it matter what the result is?" Qi Man tilted her head and smiled, "You're smart all your life but foolish for once. Only by doing it will there be a result, right?"
"Let fate decide the outcome. All we need to do is try our best. Follow your heart and have a clear conscience. That's the lesson you taught me."
In the dim light, the faint candlelight cast flickering shadows on her face as she murmured, "Follow your heart..."
Without knowing what decision she made, she raised her hand and placed the letter on the candle flame to burn it out.
Qi Man tentatively asked, "So, young lady, now..."
“Go and fetch a food box,” Song Ling said, his eyes brightening as he looked at her. “Then prepare my horse.”
Qi Man stood up with a smile, "Yes, sir!"
***
military camp
“Speaking of which…” Lieutenant General Li took a big bite of chicken leg meat, “isn’t it a bit unfair to send Lieutenant General Wang to guard the city wall first…”
"What?" Lieutenant Zhang said, munching on his cornbread while eating the vegetables and meat. "Who told Brother Dongsheng to have such bad luck, drawing the first lot..."
"Besides, didn't we already give him a bag of reunion cakes? He won't go hungry. We can leave him a piece of meat later."
"Isn't that right, General!"
Yu Baizhou glanced at it dejectedly and replied with a "Hmm".
"Why are you so listless?" Deputy General Zhang quickly stuffed his big chicken leg into Yu Baizhou's bowl. "Eat more meat and you'll have more energy."
He had barely finished speaking when he looked up and saw Wei Yan walking towards him. "Where have you been, Advisor? Come and eat some meat!"
"Coming right away!" Wei Yan called to Yu Baizhou. "I need to speak with the general about some military matters."
"Military affairs?" Yu Baizhou frowned as he stood up, pushing his bowl away before leaving. "You guys eat first."
"Sigh, if the general isn't going to eat, then I won't be polite!" A guard licked his lips and was about to snatch the chicken leg when Deputy General Zhang slapped his chopsticks away, and the chicken leg was back in his hand. He said fiercely, "Isn't there enough meat for you? Why do you have to steal my one and only chicken leg!"
"Oh, it was you who didn't want to give it to the general..."
Not far away, Yu Baizhou accompanied Wei Yan to a corner. Wei Yan whispered something to him, and he suddenly perked up, his eyes seeming to light up.
"Really? Then here..."
Wei Yan patted his chest: "General, go ahead, I'll handle things here."
Yu Baizhou grinned as if he didn't care about money, and patted Wei Yan on the shoulder, "Thanks, Jinghe."
In the blink of an eye, the person disappeared without a trace.
Wei Yan shook his head helplessly and entered the crowd.
"Oh, strategist, sit down and eat."
"Where is the general?"
Wei Yan: "He said he's full and has to take care of some official business. He told us to eat in peace and not to disturb him."
Guard: "You're full after eating so little?"
Wei Yan raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you go and ask?"
The guard shook his head violently. "No, the general seems to be in a bad mood tonight. I don't want to go looking for trouble."
"Let's just eat our own food."
"Exactly, he's a big guy, he won't starve."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
