Chapter 310 What She Can Do
"Alright, alright."
Wen Li'er smiled and reached out her hand, gently pinching Xiaoxiao's deliberately puffed cheeks, and tapping his little nose.
"If you keep eating, your father's teeth will break."
As she said this, the image of the young emperor with all his teeth broken automatically appeared in her mind.
Hmm…
Wen Li'er shuddered and signaled Qingmei to quickly take away the plate of melon seeds.
Xiaoxiao refused to give in, and twisted his little body in Yan Shixu's arms. He whimpered and tried to reach the plate, but Yan Shixu held him firmly.
"Be obedient and let your mother take a break."
He turned his gaze to Wen Li'er, his eyes reflecting the soft sunlight in the warm room.
The mountain-like heaviness that he had felt in the Golden Throne Hall seemed to have quietly lifted some of the weight, leaving only a slight sense of tiredness and wholehearted joy.
"Okay~~~" Xiaoxiao was a filial child. He listened to his father and soon calmed down.
Wen Li'er took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and naturally wiped the non-existent melon seed shell crumbs from the corners of Yan Shixu's mouth.
Yan Shixu shook her hand and asked gently, "Since you've left the palace today, why don't you have dinner at the Wen Mansion before coming back?"
Wen Li'er brushed her fingertips across the tense lines of his jaw before whispering, "On the way to the Liang Mansion, I encountered three groups of express messengers... I was worried, so I returned early. Your Majesty..."
"Don't worry." Yan Shixu's voice interrupted the worry that was about to come out of her mouth, with a strange, rock-solid power.
"War is coming! The Northern Di, Southern Zhao, and Japanese pirates are simultaneously invading Dayan's borders with great force. I have arranged for Uncle Wu to go north to defeat the Northern Di; the King of Linwangcheng to go to Guandong to clear out the rebellion; and Luo Yunzhen and Su Muyang to go to the southwest to stabilize the situation and put an end to the epidemic."
Seeing that he was talking to her about state affairs, Wen Li'er did not interrupt, but just listened quietly.
After he finished speaking, she continued, "Dayan is a loyal and devoted minister. Your Majesty has made wise arrangements and has pooled the wisdom and strength of all. I firmly believe that Dayan will be able to weather this disaster safely."
All she could do was to trust him, protect the child, and prevent him from being distracted by the rear.
Yan Shixu raised his hand and gently stroked her slightly furrowed brows with his fingertips, his action carrying a hint of soothing meaning.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Just a few simple words, but they carry a weight of a thousand pounds.
Wen Lier raised her eyes and met his deep eyes, which were like pools of water, where there was unquestionable confidence.
Wen Li'er curled the corners of her lips and nodded heavily: "Yes!"
Xiaoxiao seemed to sense the change in atmosphere. He raised his little face and looked at his father, then at his mother.
There was a hint of doubt in his ignorant big eyes, and his little hands unconsciously tugged at the golden dragon button on Yan Shixu's lapel.
Wen Li'er saw the faint trace of fatigue between the emperor's brows, so she leaned over and kissed her son on his soft cheek.
"Xiaoxiao, be good and let your father get some sleep, okay? Go and play with your brothers and sisters."
Xiaoxiao raised his little face and brought it close to his father's face, looking at him carefully with his big eyes, as if he really saw sleepiness on his father's face.
He nodded obediently and stretched out his little arms for Nanny Qin to take him away.
Only Yan Shixu and Wen Li'er were left in the hall, and Wen Li'er led him to the inner hall.
"Your Majesty, how about you lie down and rest? I will call you in an hour."
Yan Shixu hummed softly, and obediently let her take off his outer robe. He lay on her bed and closed his eyes.
But in a moment, he fell into a deep sleep.
Wen Li'er sat beside the bed, quietly embroidering a purse with a crimson satin pattern of Kuilong and vines.
The hall was so quiet that the only sounds were Yan Shixu's even and long breathing and the subtle sound of the silk thread in Wen Li'er's hand passing through the satin.
The midday sun shines through the window, coating everything in the hall with a lazy golden edge.
Wen Li'er lowered her head in concentration, the crimson satin turning between her fingers, gold and silver threads wandering between the Kuilong and vine patterns, the stitches fine and even.
An unknown amount of time passed before the last stitch was completed. She gently bit the thread and stroked the lifelike lines with her fingertips.
Wen Li'er looked up at the hourglass, then turned to look at the bed.
Yan Shixu was still sleeping, the deep weariness between his brows seemed to be smoothed out a little by sleep, but the lines of his jaw still showed a tense hardness, as if he had not completely relaxed even in his sleep.
Wen Li'er felt a sharp pain in her heart.
The Northern Di, Southern Zhao, and Japanese pirates...the three fronts of war weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Even though his trusted ministers have been scattered all over the country, he is still the ultimate pillar of support.
Wen Li'er carefully took out a small brocade bag that had been prepared long ago from her sleeve, which contained the calming incense prepared by the imperial physician.
She stuffed the brocade bag into the newly completed purse, bent down, and very slowly tied the crimson purse, which still carried the warmth of her fingertips, to Yan Shixu's jade belt.
The dark robe and the golden Kuilong pattern on the crimson purse do not appear out of place, but instead add a touch of calm and restrained nobility.
The sunlight shifted, and light and shadows flowed in the hall, illuminating his straight nose and tightly closed thin lips.
Wen Li'er did not pick up the needle and thread again, but just stood there quietly, guarding her emperor.
When the time came, Yan Shixu opened his eyes before Wen Li'er called him.
"Li'er, what time is it?" His voice was hoarse from just waking up.
Wen Li'er leaned over to help him.
"Your Majesty, it's the beginning of the afternoon, exactly one hour."
Yan Shixu turned over and got out of bed, and the sleepiness on his face disappeared in an instant.
Wen Li'er ordered the palace maids to bring water and personally helped him wash and change his clothes.
Yan Shixu lowered his eyes to look at the crimson satin embroidered purse hanging around his waist, reached out to touch it, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"I like it very much."
Wen Li'er also smiled: "As long as Your Majesty likes it."
She straightened his clothes and said, "Your Majesty is the sword of the country, sharp as a thorn, invincible. But even a sword must be sheathed. So, Your Majesty, no matter how busy you are, remember to eat and sleep."
Yan Shixu nodded in response.
But in the next few months, he slept later and later.
Mountains of military reports and secret letters, like an inexhaustible tide, poured in from the frost of the northern border, the malaria of the southwest, and the raging waves of the East China Sea, covering the imperial desk.
In the imperial study, ministers were summoned one after another, and then left in a hurry with solemn expressions.
Yan Shixu's voice became hoarse during the long meeting, but it was still clear and logical, and every instruction accurately pointed to the core of the problem.
He allocated food and fodder, sent reinforcements, investigated traitors, and appeased the people. He inquired about the availability of epidemic prevention medicines in the southwest, cared about whether the soldiers in the northern border areas had enough to eat, and even personally inquired about the compensation and resettlement of the attacked fishing villages along the coast.
Wen Li'er had never asked about the battle situation at the border, but she could hear fragments of information from Hua Zhan and Qiu Ying every day.
The situation is a bit bad, especially in Zhennan Pass.
Nong Zhigao, the 'Ghost King' of Nanzhao, was a complete madman. He continuously spread the plague, mostly through water and air.
Once infected, the disease progresses rapidly and almost no one can survive more than three days.
The elderly and the young could not even survive a day.
Even if the good doctor who went with them could quickly prepare the antidote, and there were the genius doctors Nangong Ziyun and Nangong Mu in charge.
But often during the short period of time it takes to prepare the antidote, a small number of people would die before the antidote is available.
The accumulation of minorities over and over again becomes the majority.
General Luo and Su Shaoyin gave chase many times but failed to kill Nong Zhigao.
The other party is good at expelling insects and poisons, is familiar with the paths in the deep mountains and old forests, and only moves in thick fog and miasma.
Killing him is as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Wen Li'er was worried about her sister-in-law, her brother who went with her, the thousands of people and soldiers in Zhennan Pass, and the war-torn northern border and the East China Sea.
But she never showed her worry or anxiety in front of the emperor. She just stepped into the imperial study every day and delivered soup for three meals a day.
She came every day and always saw the same scene.
The emperor buried his head in papers, his brow furrowed. His profile appeared unusually grim in the flickering candlelight, and there was a lingering faint blue shadow under his eyes.
The purse made of crimson satin with a Kuilong and vine pattern that she had embroidered herself hung next to his casual clothes every day, and seemed to have also been stained by the fatigue of its owner.
"Your Majesty, take a rest and drink some ginseng soup."
Wen Li'er spoke very softly, for fear of disturbing his thoughts as he wrote.
Yan Shixu looked up when he heard the voice, and the bloodshot in his eyes was clearly visible.
But when he saw it was her, the tense jawline softened slightly for a moment.
He took the bowl and drank it in a few gulps. The warm feeling slid into his throat, dispelling some of the dryness.
"Li'er is thoughtful."
He put down the bowl, his eyes swept over the pile of memorials waiting for approval on the table, lingering briefly on her worried face. He said softly, "I'm fine. Go check on the children and get them to bed early. You don't have to wait for me."
Wen Li'er knew that any words to persuade him to rest at this moment would be futile.
She just responded silently, took the empty bowl back, and glanced at the purse on his waist again, feeling an indescribable bitterness in her heart.
She quietly retreated, leaving him with the solemnity of the room and the ever-burning solitary lamp.
After returning to the Bixi Palace, she asked people to collect a large number of ancient medical books and folk methods of protection against malaria, poisonous insects, epidemics, water sources, etc.
Then he copied it down concisely and had someone send it to the Wen Mansion.
Hua Zhan said that there was no need to send it to the Wen Mansion, she had a way to send the letter directly to Zhennan Pass.
Wen Li'er then gave the task of delivering the letter to Hua Zhan.
She knew that her power was limited and all she could do was to try her best to pay attention to the details.
…
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