070
"Yes, it's best to send more people here, so that we can cope if we have to cross the river."
"How's the situation over in Zhejiang?"
“He’s gone to investigate,” Wei Yan said, glancing at the message that had been sent to him. “He should be back by Shenshi (3-5 PM) today.”
"Alright, thank you for your trouble." Song Ling coughed lightly and subconsciously moved her left shoulder. "What time is it?"
"It's almost noon, isn't it?" Wei Yan looked up from a pile of documents, his eyes dark and swollen. "Isn't it time for lunch? Strategist, you should go back and rest."
Just then, a soldier came to report: "The general summons the military advisor to discuss matters."
"Okay, I understand."
Before leaving, Song Ling couldn't help but advise Wei Yan, "Take good care of yourself and don't overwork yourself."
After all, there's no end to reading all the documents.
Wei Yan felt quite resentful. It wasn't because of Song Ling, but because of their petty-minded general! He'd only said a few words to the other party, and the next day he was surrounded by officials half a head taller than him…
Looking down, the distorted ink stains seemed to transform into gloating faces.
Wei Yan: ...I laughed in exasperation
*
"You arranged those temporary duties for him when he joined the army, didn't you?" Song Ling stopped and looked at the person beside her with a smile. "And what did he do to offend you this time?"
Yu Baizhou's eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their upright posture: "The capable are often given more work. Jinghe used to do this, so it's like he's going back to his old profession."
Song Ling shook her head slightly, indicating that she did not believe him.
"Why care so much about him?" Yu Baizhou lowered his eyes and raised his hand to adjust the woman's cloak: "You might as well care more about me."
All around was quiet. Looking into the distance, Song Ling saw that the once turbulent Zanjiang River was now covered with a layer of ice of uneven thickness. The ice surface shimmered faintly in the warm sunlight, scattered and empty.
“It’s because Ling didn’t do a good enough job,” she said with a slight smile. “It seems the general has some reservations about it.”
"No..." Feeling a slight breeze, Yu Baizhou stepped aside to shield her, his voice soft: "Just saying."
If he were to say it out loud, it would make him seem petty and calculating. But deep down, he knew that sometimes he really couldn't be magnanimous towards the woman in front of him.
"But I like the general like this."
"What?"
Song Ling reached out from under her cloak and gently took his hand. Unsurprisingly, he immediately grasped her hand back, and she smiled slightly.
"This morning, the military advisor told me that the general had asked him to buy another house a few days ago."
Feeling the pressure on someone's hand tighten unconsciously, Song Ling couldn't help but laugh out loud: "He said that the general's pockets are emptier than his face right now, is that true?"
"Why don't you let me take a look?"
"I..." Before Yu Baizhou could even finish thinking, his body had already bent down on its own: "What do you want to see?"
An arm gently stroked the back of his neck, pulling him a little closer. Although it wasn't the first time he'd experienced it, touching that softness still made Yu Baizhou's heart pound like a drum.
As he hesitated to leave, the woman stepped back slightly, looked up into his somewhat dissatisfied eyes, and said with a smile, "I want to see more closely whether the general's face is really that clean."
“I washed my face,” the man added hesitantly, as if thinking of something, “and also took a bath.” He was completely clean.
Yu Baizhou hadn't planned to tell Song Ling so soon, but since she already knew and he was afraid she would misunderstand, he immediately took out the house deed and handed it to her: "I was planning to give it to you tomorrow."
"Hmm?" Song Ling pretended not to have guessed, staring at the land deed with some surprise: "It's much bigger than the previous one, where did the general get the money?"
It's not just big, it's almost as big as the governor's mansion. Considering its location, it's something that money can't buy.
“Yu Jiujiang did some work,” Yu Baizhou said nonchalantly. “It was a small token of appreciation from his governor’s office. But I didn’t treat him unfairly either, so you can just stay here in peace.”
Song Ling: "Why did you suddenly decide to buy another house?"
“I know you’re worried about the battle and don’t want to go back to Shannan Prefecture.” Yu Baizhou squeezed her hand and said seriously, “But the army doctor also said that it’s really not suitable to recuperate in the military camp. This mansion is in the city but it’s closer. If you want to come to the military camp, I will send someone to pick you up.”
Most importantly, I want her to be more comfortable.
"Tomorrow, Qin Jiu and Mu Yuan will bring Qi Man and the others over here. I'll take you there."
Mentioning Qin Jiu, Song Ling couldn't help but picture the disheveled but bright-eyed young master. "Has anyone from the Ji family come to ask about that young master?"
“I’ve looked for him several times, but he’s always gone without a trace.” Yu Baizhou shook his head. “He’s probably forgotten about him now. I saw Young Master Ji once when I went to Shannan Prefecture. He looks completely different now, at least his spirits are much better.”
Yu Baizhou remembered the rumor that the young master would not live past the age of fifteen. It seemed that the young master had just celebrated his birthday not long ago.
"If it weren't for you, he might not have made it through this year."
"Me?" Song Ling smiled slightly: "Actually, it's because he didn't want to die; otherwise, even a god couldn't save him."
"However, he has good talent, so our harvest next year should not be bad."
“If we can finish the war before the new year, we’ll have to ask the soldiers to help the farmers with spring plowing while they’re training.” Song Ling stopped beside him and sighed, “Next year will probably be even more difficult than this year.”
"But it will all pass."
...
"I really miss that little Zhi Ning a bit. I wonder if I can finish what I'm saying right now."
Yu Baizhou paused slightly, then sighed helplessly, "These days they just like to grab people's hair, you'll see when you see it..."
*
"I heard you always grab people's hair?" Song Ling washed her hands and picked up the rather large girl. "Do you still recognize me?"
"That girl is really something, she just said she was going and she really went. She hasn't come back for almost half a year." Qi Man grumbled as she went to pour water: "If the general hadn't sent word that you're back, we might still be living in fear."
Although Wu Sheng didn't say anything, his expression showed that he was silently standing on Qi Man's side.
"But this is also for important business," Song Ling casually mentioned, "Has your mother left?"
Qi Man, oblivious to anything, didn't realize that there was anything wrong with Song Ling's tone: "You stayed for about half a month after you left, and then you went back."
However, Wu Sheng, who was standing nearby, keenly noticed the unfamiliarity in Song Ling's words. In the past, Song Ling had always called Qi Ying "Aunt Ying".
The child didn't understand these intricacies; she simply thought the woman at the head of the table was beautiful and had a pleasant voice. Now, she could already speak many broken words, "Mother, Mother?"
Everyone present was startled by her childish words.
Yu Baizhou, who had been silently watching Song Ling from a short distance away, paused for a moment, then immediately picked up his teacup and drank some tea to conceal his upturned lips and reddened ear tips.
"You're only going to pick out the words and phrases you want to hear?" Song Ling gently stroked her cheek with her finger. "When you get older, you'll have to learn everything from me and call me 'teacher'."
Unfortunately, Xiao Zhining seemed to be tired, as she closed her eyes and ignored everyone.
"She must be tired from playing." Wu Sheng took the child. "Qi Man and I will take her to rest."
"Sigh, you take her with you, I want to talk to the girl." Qi Man reluctantly followed.
With one arm holding the child and the other hand helplessly pulling her along, Wu Sheng said, "Miss, you must be tired from your long journey. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
"oh."
"Don't you want her to call you mother?"
Yu Baizhou stood behind her. "Actually, she's quite obedient, but I've come here many times and she's never called me once."
Song Ling knew what he cared about, so she pulled him back to sit down: "It's not that I'm willing or not, but I hope that she can choose in the future."
"What's the meaning?"
"The Ning family was wronged, and their entire clan was wiped out. Only these two children survived."
That is, Ning Yunqi and Ning Yao.
“I cannot guarantee whether Ning Yunqi will be able to retire completely in the future, but the Ning family must be exonerated. This is a useful pawn I left for the general.” Song Ling smoothed his sleeves. “If Ning Yunqi does not return, I hope Xi Rong can take on the responsibility for the Ning family.”
To put it bluntly, what she wanted was not just the gratitude and loyalty of the brother and sister, but also to use the Ning family to attack the new dynasty.
Every new emperor needs his own power base upon ascending the throne; those who later pledge allegiance can never compare to those he raised himself. Even if Yu Baizhou is no longer needed, there's always the next emperor, and the one after that…
A strategist should plan ahead and make full use of everyone's resources.
Song Ling certainly liked Zhi Ning quite a bit, but that didn't excuse her from scheming against her. People are complex, and she herself was one of them.
Yu Baizhou hadn't expected that while they were still in the southwest, Song Ling was already thinking about such a distant and unknown future, and a pang of heartache welled up in his eyes.
"I thought the general would say I was heartless for this." Song Ling leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples. "But it's too late for the general to regret it. That's just the kind of person I am."
Suddenly, rough fingertips covered his forehead and began to press slowly: "I'm just worried that you're overthinking things and it will hurt your health in the end. Didn't you get enough rest last night?"
"Whether Ling is resting well or not, who knows better than the general?"
Without her saying a word, someone would automatically enter her tent as soon as night fell. He was becoming more and more like her lover.
Song Ling chuckled: "But the general's embrace is as comfortable as ever."
A flush rose on her face, and Yu Baizhou fell silent. After a while, he reminded her again, "Don't forget to change your dressing tonight. Light a charcoal fire early in the night and have them put on a thicker mattress for you. The blankets in the closet have all been aired out. Remember to close the windows tightly before you go to sleep, otherwise you might catch a cold..."
As Song Ling listened to their usually taciturn general's unusual rambling, she glanced out the window and remarked, "It's getting dark."
"Yes, it's getting late." Yu Baizhou withdrew his hand, picked up the short blade beside him, and put it back into his waistband. "Take care of yourself."
Before he could take a step, the woman tugged at his sleeve and asked in a nonchalant tone, "How many more days until the war?"
Seeing the question in her eyes, Yu Baizhou looked away with some reluctance: "Two days."
"In that case, the general will not be able to come for many days... That must be the case, after all, the war is the most important thing."
“So,” she approached, her delicate hand tracing the lines of his shirt lapel, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, “stay tonight?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up, and their eyes met.
Song Ling saw the surging, yet suppressed, desire in his dark eyes. It showed that he was not indifferent after all.
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