Upon seeing Su Wanyan, Yu Nanqing seemed to come alive again. Not only did he come alive, but he also felt as if he had found a lifeline, his eyes filled with nothing but Su Wanyan.
Su Wanyan quickened her pace excitedly: "Have you finished discussing it?"
Approaching the two men, Su Wanyan lowered her eyes to Lü Cezhong and said, "Greetings, General Lü."
Lu Cezhong immediately knelt on one knee and bowed: "This humble general greets Your Highness the Princess."
Su Wanyan quickly stepped forward and offered a gesture of support: "General Lü, please rise. There's no need for such a grand gesture in the future."
General Lü rose and clasped his hands in greeting: "The proper etiquette must not be disregarded."
In his heart, Su Wanyan deserved the highest treatment. Not only should she be treated with the utmost courtesy, but he would also consider her safety as his top priority from now on.
Is General Lü leaving?
"Yes, there are important matters to attend to in the army, so this humble general cannot stay here any longer."
The Dragon Banner Army's camp was located on the border, thirty miles away from Wengcheng. There, the first checkpoint guarding the Great Jin Dynasty was set up. In addition to the Dragon Banner Army, there were also the city guards who were originally stationed on the border.
The situation in the capital is different now than before, and it is unknown whether the decree issued by Emperor Yuanhe before his death is still in effect.
Lu Cezhong had no idea what complications might arise. He was the only veteran left in the Dragon Flag Army, and it would take time to train new generals, so he tried his best to be thorough in every aspect.
As he spoke, Lü Cezhong seemed to remember something and said to Yu Nanqing, "Your Highness, in our several battles with Donghai, I promoted a few vanguards. In my observation, they are all capable talents. Your Highness should come and examine them."
Su Wanyan was slightly surprised and looked at Yu Nanqing.
Yu Nanqing simply nodded slightly: "Okay."
"Yes, there is one more thing."
Yu Nanqing: "..."
Lu Cezhong didn't seem to talk this much before.
He used to be impulsive and fierce, but now... he's become so long-winded.
"Your Majesty," Lü Cezhong said, looking at Su Wanyan, "I heard that Your Majesty intends to renovate your residence."
"Yes." Su Wanyan thought Lu Cezhong was worried that she would cause trouble and waste money, so she quickly explained, "I just want to repaint the main gate and the plaque. I want to keep the rest as it is..."
She should have realized that there would definitely be objections to repairs at this time. War is the most expensive thing, and she could have figured that out even if she didn't have a concept of it.
But then Lu Cezhong said, "This humble general has a suggestion. Why don't we take this opportunity to change the General's Mansion into the Prince Gong's Mansion?"
Su Wanyan was stunned. Wait, wasn't she said to be wasting people's time and money?
"Your Highness rose to fame at a young age and was bestowed the title of Prince by the late Emperor. A Prince’s Mansion should have been built for you in your current location long ago. This General’s Mansion was rebuilt under the name of General Yan. Now that Your Highness is leading the Dragon Banner Army to garrison Wengcheng, you should have a proper residence. It can’t be that the Prince lives here but still calls it the General’s Mansion."
General Yan was the old general who first led Yu Nanqing into battle, and he was also the one who appreciated and recognized Yu Nanqing as soon as he entered the army camp.
For Yu Nanqing, General Yan was like a mentor to him.
"Yes." Su Wanyan nodded quickly: "General Lü is right."
For some reason, the feeling Lu Cezhong gave him before was one of sorrow and resentment, as if he were trapped in a cage and unable to break free, and was crying out in despair.
Now, standing in front of Su Wanyan, he is completely unrecognizable from his former self. His tone of voice and the aura he exudes are both utterly dignified.
Su Wanyan no longer felt any warmth from Lü Cezhong, whereas she had always felt very warm towards him before.
Despite her sighs, Su Wanyan knew that this was the true nature of Lü Cezhong. Which veteran general who had fought on the battlefield was easy to deal with?
If it weren't for protecting Yu Nanqing, why would he have had to endure three years of torture at the hands of the court?
"In that case, I shall take my leave."
Su Wanyan hurriedly instructed, "Qiuye, escort General Lü."
Lu Cezhong waved his hand: "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite. Farewell."
After saying that, he turned and strode away.
Su Wanyan watched his figure disappear. After he was completely out of sight, she raised her hand and leaned on Yu Nanqing's arm, on the verge of tears, "General Lü is so imposing. He wasn't like this before."
“Hmm.” Yu Nanqing agreed; he hadn’t been like this before.
"Who is this General Yan he just mentioned?"
"..." It seemed to touch a chord in Yu Nanqing's heart: "He is the former commander-in-chief of the Dragon Flag Army..."
"So he retired and returned to his hometown?"
"...died in battle."
“…” Su Wanyan immediately shut her mouth.
Yu Nanqing took Su Wanyan's hand and squeezed it gently: "These are all old stories, Yan'er, you don't need to worry about them."
Su Wanyan quickly changed the subject: "I just heard General Lü say that he's going to send troops to protect me?"
"Yes." This is necessary.
"I still have the ability to protect myself." She can drug people.
"But there are many maids and servants in the mansion. Even with guards, we might not be able to manage everything. For safety's sake, Yan'er, would it be better if you didn't argue with me about this?"
"There's no argument, it's just a discussion, a discussion with you." She dared not have any objections; she was terrified of causing them trouble.
Suddenly, he asked again, "General Lü just mentioned several encounters with Donghai. What do you mean? Does it mean that Donghai and Dajin have already fought? During this period? When we were in the capital?"
"Yes, that's right."
Su Wanyan covered her mouth slightly in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Yu Nanqing asked curiously.
Su Wanyan shook her head repeatedly: "I just feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or unease). The border is already at war, but I'm in the capital and feel nothing at all. I thought the East Sea was held back by information and hadn't attacked the Great Jin, but I never expected..."
Didn't they say that Emperor Yuanhe died and the information chain with the East China Sea was broken?
She assumed that Donghai wouldn't dare to act rashly, and Yu Nanqing said the same thing.
"It's just that the time for the decisive battle hasn't come yet." A war cannot be won in one battle. Testing troop strength, probing the enemy's strategy, and sending spies to infiltrate the enemy's ranks all require small-scale battles to cover up the true situation.
Of course, even small skirmishes are war, not child's play, and casualties are inevitable.
It was because of these several games that Yu Nanqing had gathered most of the information about Donghai, which is why he summoned Lü Cezhong today.
Su Wanyan held his hand tightly: "General Lü just said that this plan is dangerous, but what is your plan?"
She looked at Yu Nanqing, her heart pounding with worry: "Don't make me a widow so early."
Yu Nanqing's heart tightened slightly. Suddenly, he grabbed Su Wanyan's small waist and picked her up.
"Ah!" Su Wanyan exclaimed softly, yet relaxed as he lifted her up and gently lowered her into his arms.
He rubbed his chin against her forehead: "No, I can't bear to."
"When are you leaving? You haven't told me at all."
“…” Yu Nanqing pursed her lips: “Tomorrow.”
"..." Su Wanyan gritted her teeth and clicked her tongue, then clenched her fist and punched his chest: "You did this again! You told me at the last minute again! I wasn't prepared at all! Ugh! I'm so angry!"
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