Chapter 53
Yue Mingming had the medicine given by Uncle Dong with him. He did not bother to diagnose the problem at this moment and stuffed it all into General Mu's mouth. He pinched his Ren Zhong and stroked his back, which made Yue Mingming's forehead sweat. Finally, the old man slowly opened his eyes.
"Take the token from my waist... and go... to the jail to release him." General Mu's lips trembled, but the first thing he said was this.
He has been strong all his life, and even in this situation, he never wants to owe anyone a favor.
Yue Mingming took off the token and put it in his arms, but he didn't leave in a hurry: "Old General, do you have any health problems? Do you have any medicine at home? I just gave you Yulu Pills, Yangxin Pills, and Qingqi Powder... I don't know if they are suitable for you."
General Mu reluctantly waved his hand: "It's nothing, just an old problem. Go quickly, don't worry about me!"
"Why are you in such a hurry? You can't run away!" Yue Mingming smiled and poured a bowl of water to his mouth: "If I leave you here and don't care about you, Zhao Congyun will divorce me when he finds out!"
General Mu had a complicated expression. He lowered his head and took a sip before slowly saying, "I'm blind... You're the newly married princess, right? I originally thought you..."
"Me what?" Yue Mingming saw that he was about to speak but hesitated, so he interrupted, "Little vixen? Or a beauty who brings disaster?"
She smiled and said, "To be honest, I'm used to hearing these words, especially after that idiot Zhao Congyun set off those fireworks. He always gets pointed at and criticized when he walks on the street... We were wrong about this. He's been in the capital for a long time. After all, he's still a playboy. He doesn't even know how to write the word 'low-key'... It makes me feel better if everyone scolds me a few times. I don't mind."
She raised her sparkling eyes and said, "But... if you completely deny him because of this, then you are really wrong! No one is perfect. I don't believe that you have never made mistakes in your life."
General Mu's expression turned stern: "...The biggest mistake I made in my life was not letting go and allowing that little bastard to dominate the border!"
Seeing that his anger was about to rekindle, Yue Mingming hurriedly offered him another sip of water. After hesitating for a while, he couldn't help but say, "Actually... I think his behavior is understandable."
General Mu raised his eyebrows: "Huh! You actually speak for him?!"
Yue Mingming weighed the situation in his mind and was convinced that General Mu was not a gossiper and would not go to Zhao Congyun to complain. So he mustered up the courage to ask, "I want to ask you, now that there are enemies outside who are eyeing us covetously, and comrades inside who are starving and on the verge of death. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"
"I..." General Mu was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, he said, "A gentleman should do what he should do and not do what he should not do. Even if the world is difficult, he should never use such despicable means!"
Yue Mingming nodded. "As the victim, I admit your grandson is a bit immoral, but if I put myself in his shoes... I would agree too! Do we have to let the entire army pay for his own morality and let us all starve to death?"
"Old General, do you know what? When I was hunting a few years ago, I met a few soldiers. They had families and newborn children. To save their lives, they came to steal my pheasants even though they knew they couldn't beat me... Not everyone is willing to sacrifice their lives for justice. There are many ordinary people who just want to survive."
Seeing that General Mu was silent, Yue Mingming was a little arrogant: "You want to be the white lotus that is untainted by the mud, and your grandson fulfilled your wish and became the villain for you. I think he is quite remarkable!"
"You've fought your whole life. You should know that it's always harder for those who survive than for those who die. It's harder to take responsibility than to do whatever you want."
General Mu listened silently, pondered for a long time, and his expression changed several times: "I didn't expect that you, at such a young age, would have such insights. I am really ashamed..."
Yue Mingming asked with a smile, "Does the old general admit...that he was wrong?"
General Mu snorted coldly, which was considered as his agreement.
Yue Mingming said hurriedly, "Zhao Congyun was wrong first, and the old general was also wrong once. I'll make the decision on his behalf, and we're even on this matter! When he's released, you can have a good meal together and listen to his thoughts. What do you think?"
General Mu's stubborn temper was finally smoothed over by her, and he sighed, "...it's a blessing for that kid named Zhao to marry you."
"I think so too!" Yue Mingming agreed deeply.
She thought secretly, this old man is not as difficult to deal with as Zhao Congyun said. Why couldn't he deal with him before?
*
On the city gate tower, Mu Yun's face was slightly swollen as he listened silently to the scout's report, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
According to information from spies, the grassland suffered a heavy snowstorm that was rare in a century in the winter, and many cattle and sheep were frozen to death. The foreign tribes should have been recuperating and avoiding war at this time, so how dare they take the initiative to attack?
While he was thinking about it, another scout came running to report that a group of enemy cavalry, numbering hundreds, appeared less than ten miles outside the city. Judging from their equipment, they looked very much like the enemy's elite "Red Armor Army".
"Young Marshal! Should we leave the city to meet the enemy?"
Mu Yunqing thought quickly in his mind. Since he was able to plant spies in the enemy army, there must be spies from the enemy in his own army. Then the enemy should know that our army has sufficient weapons and food supplies recently, and it is absolutely not suitable for a sneak attack.
His intuition, honed from countless battles, told him that the enemy had chosen this moment to attack, and must have come prepared.
Why are they so confident?
"What is the young marshal hesitating about?" the deputy general was puzzled.
Mu Yunqing didn't hide it: "I can't understand...why did they choose this time?"
The deputy general laughed and said, "Those barbarians must be starving and planning to come and steal our food! They suffered a snowstorm last year, which decimated their troops and livestock. Now that they hear we have plenty of food and fodder, how could they not be tempted?"
Mu Yun nodded slightly. He was not the type of general to act arbitrarily and respected the opinions of his subordinates. Hearing what his deputy general said, his doubts were slightly alleviated. "Tell me what you think. Should we send troops?"
"I think... this is a good opportunity! The enemy is weak and we are strong. If the Red Armor Army really comes, we can wipe them out in one fell swoop and put an end to the trouble forever!"
Mu Yunqing's heart moved slightly. He was thinking the same thing!
"Young Marshal! This opportunity cannot be missed!" The deputy general's face was full of eagerness to try.
Mu Yun clenched his spear tightly and steeled his resolve: "Pass on my military orders! All troops, stand by and prepare. The Vanguard Battalion and the Flying Cavalry Battalion will follow me out of the city to meet the enemy!"
*
Yue Mingming rushed into the prison with the token.
The soldiers along the way looked at each other in bewilderment, and no one dared to stop them. Some of the smart ones secretly ran to report to their superiors, but Yue Mingming was too lazy to pay attention to them. It was not until he saw that Zhao Congyun and the other two were safe and sound that the tension that had been taut for several days finally relaxed.
She opened the cell door and reached out to pinch An Nian's face: "How are you? Are you all right? Did Mu Yunqing abuse you?"
Zhao Congyun didn't shy away from the others and stepped forward to touch her hair: "We are all fine. It must have been very hard these past few days, right?"
Yue Mingming's throat choked for a moment, and he said in a muffled voice, "I'm fine...Did you apply the medicine properly? Let me see!"
The light in the cell was dim. Yue Mingming was worried and went closer to take a look. His shallow breath just happened to fall on Zhao Congyun's neck, causing Zhao Congyun's back to tingle. His body was a little stiff, and he silently lowered his eyes, trying to calm his mind.
Fortunately, Yue Mingming quickly retreated: "It is indeed a little lighter, you are obedient!"
Uncle Dong laughed and said, "Your Highness applies the medicine on time every day and never dares to miss it."
Yue Mingming nodded and briefly recounted what had happened in the past few days, omitting the embarrassing incident of himself leaning on the wall and eating frozen pancakes. The focus was of course on the transaction between Mu Yunqing and Mr. Fan.
Uncle Dong sighed, "It seems the prince was right! Lord Fan has already won over the Mu family before us! Fortunately, the old general can distinguish right from wrong!"
Zhao Congyun's face showed no joy. "I understand why Mu Yunqing chose Lord Fan. If it were me, I'm afraid there would be no way to have the best of both worlds... The court owes them too much."
Yue Mingming was concerned about another question: "Uncle Dong, with your skills, how could you be caught? You can't be defeated by Mu Yunqing, right?"
Uncle Dong was startled and said truthfully, "If we're just talking about martial arts, I'm not ashamed to say that guy is no match for me! But that day he set up a strange formation in the military camp. I tried many times, but I couldn't break out of the encirclement, so I was captured by them..."
Yue Mingming was curious and wanted to ask more questions, but Zhao Congyun changed the subject: "Uncle Dong, I don't believe that Lord Fan will keep his promise. He gave Mu Yunqing so many things in advance without even getting my head... I need you to follow the food and grass transportation route and investigate the origin of these things!"
"Will there be any problems?" Although Zhang Duo and his friends had lied to her, Yue Mingming still started to worry about them.
"It's still unknown... but I have a feeling something's not right. We can't stay here for long. Let's go back to the mansion first. I'll change my clothes and go see General Mu, and then we'll make a decision."
Several people hurried out of the cell, but were stopped by a small group of soldiers.
The leader was Zhang Duo.
"The young marshal has ordered that they are not allowed to leave! My lady has offended me!" Zhang Duo waved his hand, and a team of archers immediately took their positions with their bowstrings fully drawn, waiting for Zhang Duo's order.
"You are shameless!" Yue Mingming cursed angrily, "I have the token given by General Mu! Are you going to disobey my orders?"
Zhang Duo said, "Everything in the army is subject to the orders of the young commander. This is also the order given by the old general!"
Yue Mingming was about to rush over and beat the man up, but Zhao Congyun gently held her back and exchanged glances with Uncle Dong. Uncle Dong whispered, "It's too close, and with Ah Nian here...it's too risky."
Ah Nian suddenly said, "I'm not afraid! Let's rush out!"
Yue Mingming turned his head in surprise, and suddenly realized that after not seeing An Nian for a few days, his chin had become sharper and his body seemed to have grown taller. The soft and sticky ball had grown into the appearance of a young boy without him knowing when.
For the first time, she realized that the person in front of her was not an ordinary child, but the future young emperor.
"No—" Yue Mingming blurted out, wanting to refuse, but Ah Nian interrupted her, his tone more firm than ever: "I don't want to be a burden to you!"
Yue Mingming was choked for a moment, not knowing what to say, when he heard Zhao Congyun directly order: "Uncle Dong, just protect Ah Nian and don't worry about us."
He smiled at Yue Mingming: "Don't worry, I'm not as useless as you think... Take care of yourself later and don't distract me."
Yue Mingming felt a surge of emotion in her heart: "Don't be so stubborn!" She looked at Anian again worriedly, but Anian turned his face away stubbornly. Yue Mingming said nothing in the end.
By the time Zhang Duo noticed, several people had already taken action and rushed straight towards him.
"Shoot!" Zhang Duo gritted his teeth.
A row of arrows rained down, Uncle Dong protected Anian and walked at the end, Yue Mingming and Zhao Congyun stood on the left and right, resisting and covering them as they moved forward.
Zhao Congyun was the first to notice something was wrong——
The arrow was broken by his light push!
Zhao Congyun is not Yue Mingming, so of course he would not think that it was due to the sudden burst of his good character or that he had acquired supernatural powers quickly.
There is only one explanation: there is something wrong with the arrow!
Looking at the broken bows and arrows scattered on the ground, the soldiers were stunned and at a loss, their attacks coming to an awkward halt. Yue Mingming picked up one and carefully examined the broken end and the tip. He muttered, "This is a low-quality batch. The material used is questionable. Look at this iron, it's clearly adulterated!"
She was also stunned after she said this.
Uncle Dong said, "My lady, do you understand these things?"
Yue Mingming then remembered that she had unlocked two incredible skills a long time ago: blacksmithing and horse breeding. She hadn't expected them to come in handy right now...
Zhang Duo was immediately shocked when he heard this: "You...are you serious?"
Yue Mingming disliked him and said unhappily, "Can't you see the broken arrows all over the ground?"
"I... I don't understand..." He slumped to the ground, nearly crying. "This is the newly arrived batch of weapons! The young marshal... the young marshal is leading his brothers out of the city with these weapons to meet the enemy!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
