The army left the capital and headed north, its vast ranks stretching for miles.
That night, Qingying was about to retire for the night when she suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the window, which startled her. Remembering that Ashu had already gone to the northern border with Wei Huaixu, and that it was now the dead of winter, Qingying had long since ordered him to dismiss his personal guards. She couldn't understand who was outside.
She didn't open the window directly, but tiptoed to the window and listened carefully to the sounds outside.
Little did they know that their thieving actions were reflected in the window by the light inside the room, making them clearly visible to those outside.
The person outside couldn't help but laugh out loud. He leaned against the window, his long, clean fingers slightly curled, and he tapped the window frame with his knuckles, speaking lazily, "It's me."
Hearing the familiar voice, Qingying was slightly surprised, then immediately pushed open the window and leaned out, "Wei Dongchen, what are you doing here?"
"I've come to ask you something." Wei Dongchen was dressed in a dark black outfit, as deep as the night, which made him appear much more composed.
"It's freezing outside, why don't you come inside and talk about it?"
Wei Dongchen was about to refuse when a gust of wind blew by, and Qingying quickly wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. Seeing this, he nodded.
He approached, nimbly flipped himself inside, bracing himself against the windowsill, then turned and closed the window. But when he turned his head, he found Qingying standing several steps away from him.
Having indeed intruded into her private quarters, Wei Dongchen apologized.
"It's alright, just tell me what's on your mind."
He pursed his lips, looking somewhat uneasy and anxious, as if he had hesitated for a long time before asking, "Do you think a good man must achieve great things?"
"Hmm?" Qingying blinked, her eyes filled with clear confusion. "Why are you suddenly asking that?"
"Just answer me."
Looking at his serious expression, Qingying thought for a moment and said, "I think everyone has their own ambitions. It's not necessary to have particularly great achievements. As long as you take on the responsibilities you should take, have a clear conscience, and live an upright life, you can be considered a good man."
"You just prefer someone who's even more capable, right?"
Qingying looked at him with slight surprise, unsure how to answer for a moment.
But he said to himself, "That makes sense. Your father is a great general who commands 100,000 troops. How could you possibly tolerate mediocre people?"
Why are you suddenly asking this?
"It's nothing." He smiled, then suddenly pulled a small bamboo whistle, about the thickness of a little finger, from his sleeve, handed it to her, and said, "I made this myself, as a gift to you."
Qingying didn't reach out to take it; instead, she took a step back and asked, puzzled, "Why are you suddenly giving me this?"
"This whistle can summon my pet hawk. You can use it to send letters to your brother, the Crown Prince. It will be much faster than usual."
Qingying knew that Wei Dongchen kept two eagles. Liu Chengfeng once joked that he treated the two eagles like his own sons, feeding and caring for them so much that every feather of theirs was shiny and glossy.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't surprised. Qingying's eyes widened slightly. "You just gave me the eagle you raised?"
"I'm not giving it to you, I'm just lending it to you for a while."
Upon hearing this, Qingying reached out and took it, smiling as she said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I will definitely repay your great kindness in the future."
Wei Dongchen said helplessly, "There's no need for repayment. Just remember the good I've done for you. When you marry the Crown Prince in the future, just let me be the godfather of your child. After all, I've played a significant role in maintaining the friendship between you two."
She nodded in agreement, "Okay."
“I just came to see you… If there’s nothing else, I won’t stay long. You should get some rest.” With that, Wei Huaixu went to open the window and climbed out.
Qingying stepped forward, preparing to say goodbye to him.
With his back to her, he suddenly murmured, "Actually, I've never been a spoiled brat..."
"Huh?" Qingying asked, puzzled.
"Never mind, see you later." He raised his hand and waved, then walked away with a flourish.
Qingying stood by the window, watching him climb over the courtyard wall and disappear into the night. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the bamboo whistle in her hand.
After that day, Wei Dongchen suddenly left the capital with a handwritten letter, and no one knew where he went.
...
The two countries had not fought a war for many years, but the sudden outbreak of war resulted in an unusually fierce battle.
Although Qingying was in the capital, her heart was always with the front lines.
Over the years, Donglin has been expanding its territory westward, annexing many small kingdoms in the Western Regions. Liu Yu has been through countless battles. But war is always cruel, filled with killing, and it's still worrying. Besides, Wei Huaixu is going to the battlefield for the first time, so how can she be at ease?
Qingying began to go to the Buddhist hall with Madam Pan to copy scriptures and chant hymns, praying for Liu Yu and Wei Huaixu.
Lately, Liu Chengfeng has become much more settled. He no longer goes out to fool around so often, and he even actively goes back to the academy to listen to lectures.
Days passed uneventfully, and before we knew it, the new spring had arrived.
After months of fighting, most of the news coming back from the northern border was good news. The northern Vietnamese army had been decimated in recent years and was suffering repeated defeats.
"Just wait and see, the master will take back Yingzhou sooner or later," said Granny Zhang.
Qingying nodded. "Yes, judging from the current trend, the day when Yingzhou is recovered should not be far away."
Tong Xia walked in carrying a tray with a stack of clothes on it. She said, "The clothes I ordered from Jinxiu Manor at the beginning of the year for my coming-of-age ceremony have arrived. Please try them on first, and if there are any parts that don't fit, have them altered."
"Bring it here, let me take a look at the style."
Tongxia placed the clothes on the small table next to her. Qingying picked up an outer robe, looked at it, and then held it up against herself, saying, "This batch of fabric is quite good."
Tong Xia sighed, "They're all old models from two years ago, not even as good as the few bolts of Shu brocade you have in your warehouse."
She always felt that the most luxurious and beautiful clothes should be worn for her daughter's coming-of-age ceremony to match her beauty.
Qingying reprimanded, "Now that we are in the midst of war, everything must be done for the soldiers on the front lines. It is already difficult for us to live a peaceful life while hiding in the rear. How can we continue to live a life of extravagance as we did in the past?"
Tong Xia realized she had said the wrong thing and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
Qingying waved her hand, signaling her to get up. She then put down the clothes and sighed, "Thank goodness you reminded me how many bolts of fine cloth are left in the storeroom?"
"I checked last time, there are still twelve left."
Qingying thought for a moment and said, "Keep two horses, and exchange the rest for cash."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yue asked, "Are you sending supplies to the front lines again, Miss?"
"Um."
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang couldn't help but speak up: "In the past few months, the young lady has already exchanged all the cash she has saved over the past ten years for supplies. Now she's going to pawn her entire dowry too?"
"Don't worry, Granny, I know what I'm doing." She nodded slightly to Tong Xia and said, "Go quickly."
Tong Xia couldn't refuse, so she sighed helplessly and obediently replied, "Yes."
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