Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Fang Ying doesn’t want Hong’er and Iris…
Upon hearing this, Li stopped worrying about anything else and only asked Ji Yanlang, "Are they going to ask you to go again?"
Ji Yanlang replied, "That shouldn't happen. Yinzhou, like Xiazhou, has a large military presence. It won't get to the point where we need to send troops from the capital to quell the rebellion."
Fang Ying and the couples of the second and fifth wives were present when she said this. Li said nothing more, but left her youngest son alone and warned him, "If anyone is ever sent to Yinzhou, no matter what the mission, you must refuse it and not go."
Ji Yanlang was surprised: "Why is mom..."
"You're asking me why I haven't calculated how many full years you've spent at home since returning home in the fourth year of Longxing?" Li stretched out her hand and counted carefully. "That year, I went on the expedition against Northern Zhao, and was gone for five months. Later, I accompanied the imperial guard on the western tour, and it took another five months. Last year, I went to Xiazhou, and it took me over four months to return."
Ji Yanlang smiled apologetically: "Isn't this a military order..."
"I'm only counting the long years," Li said, ignoring her son's words, continuing her own story. "This year, there was Sanlang's funeral. And the year before last, you came to Luoyang before Ying'er. And before that, the year Hong'er was born, you even sent me to Zhenzhou. And the year the King of Chu was deposed, you were there to escort him. I'm talking about several whole years, but there's not even a single one."
“…” It was indeed the case. Ji Yanlang had never thought about these things before. Now, after listening to his mother recounting them one by one, he was suddenly speechless.
He returned to the room full of guilt. Fang Ying and Hong'er were playing with the ibis. When she saw Ji Yanlang come in, she didn't intend to get up, but she could tell at a glance that something was wrong with his expression.
"What's wrong?" She was afraid that it would be difficult to explain in front of the child, so she went up to ask.
Ji Yanlang said it was nothing, took her hand and sat back down with the children.
Fang Ying didn't ask any further questions. She waited until they were alone in the inner room at night before asking, "What did mother say? I saw you looked worried when you came back."
"I'm not worried," Ji Yanlang shook his head, "but I've heard you talk about how I've been running around all these years, and how there hasn't been a single year where I could be with you from beginning to end."
"Mom doesn't want you to go to Yinzhou, right?" When Li asked Ji Yanlang to stay, Fang Ying guessed that she was going to talk about this.
Ji Yanlang sighed, "Yes, I told you that the capital won't send troops, but mother is still worried."
"Because mother knows, just like me, that although you are at home, your heart has already flown to Yinzhou." Fang Ying smiled and tapped his chest.
Ji Yanlang held her hand and cried out, "My heart is clearly tied to my wife, how could it fly to Yinzhou?"
Fang Ying spat at him softly: "Don't try to fool me with that. Tell me honestly, if the higher-ups order you to go, do you want to go?"
"Of course I want to go." Ji Yanlang said frankly, "But I'm not going for merit or promotion. I..."
Fang Ying took over the conversation, "I know you're anxious. You want to do your part to ensure that the five states of Dingnan can truly submit to the throne like the other nations, and then conquer Youyun in the north and unify the world."
Ji Yanlang actually felt that Fang Ying should be able to understand his ambitions, but he remembered that he had always talked about fighting for an imperial edict for her, and when he came back from Xiazhou last year, he told his third brother all about making meritorious service and receiving rewards. He was afraid that she would think that he only cared about fame and fortune, so he couldn't help but explain.
I didn't expect that she not only understood, but also saw it so clearly. I was shocked for a moment and couldn't help but hold her hand tightly.
"I won't stop you," Fang Ying said with a chuckle, looking at their clasped hands. "You don't have to stay home with me all year round. What if you get tired of me?"
Ji Yanlang was smiling unconsciously after hearing the first half of her words, but he didn't expect her to change the subject at the end. He was suddenly amused and angry: "I finally understand what it means to be the first to complain. When have I ever been annoyed with you? It was always you who was annoyed with me..."
Fang Ying reached out and covered his mouth with her hand: "You're still criticizing me? You're slandering me. When did I ever get tired of you?"
Ji Yanlang took a bite of her hand and said vaguely, "You are confusing right and wrong."
Fang Ying wanted to argue again, but Ji Yanlang didn't give her a chance. He turned over and pressed her down, sealing her mouth with his lips.
The next morning, they both woke up a little late. Thinking of the nonsense that happened at night, Fang Ying's face turned red. She thought that it would be better not to mention who was annoyed with whom in the future.
After breakfast, Ji Yanlang went to the cavalry camp as usual. After finishing his duty, he did not linger outside and went straight back home to take Hong'er and his sister to play. When he entered the room, he found Fang Ying and the children were in the study.
"What is this for?"
He walked in and saw several stacks of papers on the desk. Fang Ying was sorting them out. Hong'er was reading a piece of paper next to him. When he saw him come in, he immediately put down the paper and ran over to him, "Daddy is back."
Ji Yanlang held her hand and replied with a smile: "Yeah, I'm back."
"I want to sort out my pregnancy notes. I'd like Aunt Wang to take a look at them, re-edit them, and make a few copies."
In recent years, Fang Ying and Zhou Congshan both gave birth to their second children, and they added a lot to the Miscellaneous Notes on Pregnancy. Fang Ying also showed it to her fifth sister-in-law Gao and fourth mother Lanjun. Ji Lanjun didn't dare to read it when she was pregnant with her first child, but after giving birth, she plucked up the courage to borrow it from her. When she returned it, she also talked about the pain she had not been able to get over after giving birth.
Although Fang Ying wrote them all down, he only attached them to the back and did not compile them together with the previous records.
"Have you written so much?" Ji Yanlang held Hong'er's hand and did not walk over immediately. Instead, he teased He'er who was leaning on the wet nurse's arms watching the fun.
Fang Ying raised her head and glanced at him: "Take another look."
Before Ji Yanlang could get closer to take a closer look, Hong'er said, "There's also something written by Daddy."
"I wrote it?" Ji Yanlang walked to the desk in confusion, picked up a page of paper, and took a closer look, only to find that it was a record of the general situation of the Dingnan tribes by him.
"They can't tell the difference and have mixed yours with mine." Fang Ying pointed to the two stacks of papers on her right. "These are all yours. I've flipped through them. I think you should compile all your stuff into a book for easy reference later."
Although Ji Yanlang's handwriting was good, his notes were all in colloquial language. He felt a little embarrassed when he heard this: "No need, I've memorized most of it anyway."
"What about these?" Fang Ying handed over the two pages of paper at hand.
Ji Yanlang took it and looked at it. It was his own opinion on how to recruit foreign soldiers, expand the cavalry, raise horses and train them in the five states of Dingnan to coordinate the attack and defense of the fortress.
"I wrote these last year. After my father came back, I talked to him about it, and some of my views have changed." Ji Yanlang put the two pages aside. "I had originally planned to submit a memorial to the emperor offering suggestions, but the delay in my third brother's funeral put it aside."
"It's not too late to submit a petition now." Fang Ying picked up the two pages and placed them on top of the thickest stack. "It might even be a better time than at the beginning of the year."
Ji Yanlang was stunned for a moment, remembering what she said last night, "I won't stop you", and immediately understood her painstaking efforts.
But his mother had just warned him yesterday, and he couldn't just go back on his word so quickly. So he said, "Let's talk about it in a couple of days. Today is a rare day to get home early, and the weather is nice, so let's go for a walk in the garden."
Fang Ying didn't say much. She asked someone to put the manuscripts away and went to the garden with him, Hong'er and Ying'er to play.
When the children had gone to bed that night, Ji Yanlang brought up the matter again. "I know you're thinking of me, but if I submit this petition at this critical moment, and the emperor reads it and orders me to go to Yinzhou, wouldn't that mean I can't fulfill both my loyalty and filial piety?"
"You told me several times before that others submitted memorials to the emperor to offer suggestions on border affairs. After reading them, did the emperor always send them to the border towns?" Fang Ying asked in return.
"Those people are civil officials who know nothing about border affairs. Why would the emperor order them to go?"
Of course Fang Ying knew, because every time Ji Yanlang talked to her, he would call those people nonsense.
She smiled and asked, "So, since you understand border affairs and have been to Yinzhou and Xiazhou, the government will definitely send you there?"
"That's not the case. I mean, what if..."
"Are you the kind of person who gives up on your ambitions and doesn't do what you should do just because you're afraid of what might happen?"
Ji Yanlang was speechless.
Seeing that he had listened, Fang Ying said no more and asked the maid to fetch water and make the bed. After soaking his feet, he went to bed.
Although Ji Yanlang lay down as well, he couldn't fall asleep at all. From Fang Ying's words, he had already thought of how to write the memorial, and he wished he could take the manuscript to discuss it with his retainers.
Fang Ying had no worries and fell asleep quickly. When she woke up in the morning, Ji Yanlang was no longer by her side.
She stood up and dressed, then looked into the yard, but saw no one, so she asked Lichun, "Have you finished your boxing practice, my dear?"
"I'm done practicing. Today's practice was short." Lichun said, pointing to the east. "I'm reading a manuscript in the study now."
Fang Ying laughed. How come this man's patience didn't improve at all despite his age? She thought he would need at least another day to ponder it and only look at the manuscript after returning from duty.
But even though she laughed, Fang Ying ignored him until two days later when Ji Yanlang himself said, "The memorial is finished and will be submitted tomorrow. Do you want to take a look?"
"OK."
After listening to him so much, Fang Ying also wanted to know how to truly conquer the five states of Dingnan, instead of being like now, with rebellions here and uprisings there.
Unexpectedly, the memorial began by saying that the rebellion in Yinzhou was rooted in the accumulated problems of past dynasties. If one wants to govern the five states, one should not be impatient for success.
Fang Ying didn't rush to ask questions. He read it all in one breath before saying, "According to your strategy, it will take at least three to five years to see results. Can the government wait that long?"
The emperor's eagerness to recover the lost territory of Youyun was well known to everyone, from the court to the people. Last year, when the five states annexed Dingnan, many speculated that the emperor would launch a northern expedition within two years. Now that a year had passed, he feared he wouldn't have the patience to wait another three to five years.
"I was also anxious, wishing I could win the battle and drive the Hu people back to the grasslands to starve."
Ji Yanlang shook his head and sighed, "But the Hu people's cavalry is strong. Whether it's Youzhou or Yunzhou, they can rush to support us at high speed. If Hexi is not peaceful, not only will we be unable to raise horses and strengthen the cavalry in peace, but we will also have to worry about our rear. We must leave a heavy garrison."
What he said was more or less mentioned in the memorial. It was not that Fang Ying didn't understand, but he was worried that the emperor in the palace would not listen.
Sure enough, after the memorial was submitted, there was no movement for several days. In front of his mother and children, Ji Yanlang could still act as usual, but when he returned to the room, when it was just the two of them, he could not hide his loss.
Fang Ying comforted him: "The government is very busy, so maybe they haven't seen it yet."
"I hope so." Ji Yanlang replied, then couldn't help but laugh at himself, "But at least I don't have to worry about not being able to fulfill both loyalty and filial piety."
Fang Ying couldn't help but laugh and said jokingly, "Now you know what I really feel?"
Ji Yanlang was startled, then he couldn't help laughing and sighed: "The one who understands me is my wife."
Although his mother's words touched him for a moment, they were not enough to shake his desire to realize his ambitions.
Fang Ying smiled. In fact, Li knew very well what he was thinking. She only stopped him out of love for her son. Although she also loved Ji Yanlang, she did not want to restrain him because of this - not to mention that she could not restrain him anyway - she hoped that he could get what he wanted and realize his ambitions.
Moreover, she often heard Ji Yanlang say this, and knew that if they could not truly recover Hexi, they would not be able to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Now there are still elite soldiers and generals in the court who can resist the Hu cavalry, but what about the next generation?
Fang Ying doesn't want Hong'er and Ying'er to grow up and still fight every year like they do now.
She told Ji Yanlang about her wish, and Ji Yanlang held her hand and said, "I have the same wish." Only if their generation lays a solid foundation for Dachen, can Hong'er, He'er and even the next generation truly usher in a prosperous era.
"How about asking the Crown Princess?" Fang Ying asked.
Ji Yanlang thought about it and shook his head: "Wait a little longer."
With her advice, he was no longer so anxious and felt that it would be okay to wait a few more days.
So he waited patiently for another two days, and finally was summoned by the government.
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The author has something to say: Although it is indeed written as one chapter, it gets longer and longer as I write. After thinking about it, I decided to publish it in two chapters [laughing and crying]
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