Chapter 171: Troops Deployed to Qiuping Prefecture!
"Mother, what's wrong? Mother, don't scare us!"
Old Madam Shen clutched her chest and fell straight backward.
Shen Congli pushed Shen Congwen aside and rushed forward.
Shen Congyi angrily accused, "Brother, are you trying to drive Mother to her death by having the people in your room act like this?"
Shen Conglian was also terrified.
"Quickly, go and fetch a doctor..."
Shen Congwen, who was pushed to the ground, turned pale with fright.
"Mother, I'm not..."
Shen Congyi: "You're not bad at all. If it weren't for the people in your room always causing trouble, would Mother have been so angry?"
Old Master Shen was slowly helped to sit up by his maid, and let out a long sigh.
"Most of our sons have joined the army to make a living. Your mother can't sleep at night. She's not a Buddhist, but these past few days she keeps asking Buddha to come to our home to bless our descendants. Your mother and I have watched you grow up, and I know you're all good children!"
Shen Congyi: "Brother, if you're not going to help the family, at least you should keep an eye on the people in your household and not let them drag our family down!"
Shen Congwen panicked.
"I haven't seen her for a long time!"
Liu pouted: "I saw you coming out of her room yesterday."
Shen Congwen froze, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Old Madam Shen slowly recovered, panting heavily.
"Alright, eldest son, stop talking. Mother knows what you want to say. All I can say is that everything is impermanent, and everything is fate!"
“Our family is now in the same boat as Lanxi, so we have to work together towards the same goal. We can’t let anyone give up, you understand?”
Shen Congwen was simply furious; the anger in his heart was something he couldn't calm down.
"Mother……"
"My good child, don't I know you? You are honest and kind, but things are not peaceful everywhere right now. To put it bluntly, we are just trying to survive one day at a time!"
Shen Congwen lowered his head and remained silent.
The three Shen brothers glanced at Shen Congwen. The eldest brother was so lucky. He relied on the princess for the first half of his life and on his children for the second half. Why didn't they have that kind of luck?
Grandpa Shen: "Alright, eldest son, go and take care of the people in your room. Your brother and the children are all out there managing things. Your mother and I are old and don't have the energy anymore. This whole family still depends on you to support them."
"Your mother and I just hope that before we close our eyes, we can see that you are all well and safe, that our whole family is safe and sound."
The grievances, frustrations, and helplessness of the past few days, coupled with Old Master Shen's words, caused Shen Congwen to finally break down and cry.
He had never suffered such a great injustice since he entered officialdom, and to make matters worse, this injustice was inflicted by his own daughter.
Good heavens, what did he do wrong in his past life that he has to be punished by his own daughter in this life!
...
Everyone thought that Shen Lanxi would bide her time and wait for news after sending troops to Xiyue Prefecture, but unexpectedly, after only a few days of calm, she ordered people to summon the remaining subordinates for a meeting.
"Take down Qiu Pingfu!"
When her subordinates on both sides heard what she said, they all stared wide-eyed in astonishment!
That's Qiuping, with a larger population and greater prosperity than Suiyuan. If they really touch Qiuping, their encroachment on the Eastern Liao King's fiefdom will no longer be a secret.
"My lord, we can take Changning Prefecture first, as it's closer to Suiyuan!"
Shen Lanxi: "We don't need to take Changning at all. Once we take down Qiu Ping, Changning will naturally submit!"
Xiao Fang was worried about the troop strength.
"We only have less than six thousand troops right now, Qiu Ping should have more!"
Shen Lanxi's eyes were sharp: "So my plan is to have the female guards infiltrate the city first, and then we can coordinate an attack from the inside!"
Female guard?
It is indeed easier for men to enter the city than for women.
But those female guards have never experienced a real battlefield. Are they up to the task?
Shen Lanxi: "I will personally lead the female guards on this mission!"
Xiao Fang: "..."
Cheng Zheng quickly wrote: "Absolutely not!"
Sang Guo: "My lord, you must not put yourself in danger!"
"We can't be without a leader!"
Shen Lanxi: "If we're going to fight, we must catch the King of Dongliao completely off guard! You all don't need to try to persuade us anymore, just cooperate with all your might!"
~
Liu Bochang had his family cook prepare several famous southern dishes over several days, pack them in insulated food containers, and urged his daughter to deliver them to the health center as soon as possible.
“Bao Dai, several days have passed, and Lord Lan has not summoned us. We can’t just have the title of adopted daughters; relationships are built through connections. There are female guards in the garrison; if you go to the garrison, no one will say anything.”
"Hurry up and go, or the food will get cold."
Liu Baodai said helplessly, "I know, Father, you've said it more than ten times already!"
These past few days, Liu Bochang has been fawned over wherever he goes, thoroughly enjoying the treatment he's received since becoming a godfather. As a businessman, he knows best to strike while the iron is hot; even the best relationships will cool down if not maintained.
"Go quickly!"
...
Zhang Zifen was confined to her quarters again. Considering her pregnancy, she was not reprimanded, but the maids and servants who served her were dismissed, and her two daughters were asked to take care of her.
Seeing that her son had handled the situation this way, which had silenced the family, Madam Shen stopped pressing the matter with Zhang Zifen.
"Boss, Lanxi is a woman, so we absolutely cannot reveal this."
Shen Congwen frowned: "Mother, those who were exiled with us all know that Lanxi is a woman. The fact that she is a woman will eventually come out!"
"The later the better, at least the children need to gain a foothold," said Madam Shen in a serious tone.
Shen Congwen was still pessimistic: "Mother, they are just a disorganized bunch right now. If they encounter a real army, they won't stand a chance against them!" If his son and brothers hadn't been in the garrison, he would definitely have called them a bunch of rabble!
Madam Shen gave her son a deep look: "Congwen, what can I say about you? You haven't forgotten that your son and brothers are all in the garrison, have you?"
Shen Congwen was startled and quickly explained, "Mother, I also hope they are doing well. But Lanxi's identity is always a hidden danger. Once it is discovered..." the consequences would be unimaginable!
“…Congwen, you’ve always thought of Lanxi as a woman, but you’ve never considered that Yuanjing and the others are men!”
Just as the mother and son were talking about Shen Lanxi's female identity, Shen Lanxi, dressed in red and holding a long staff, sat down domineeringly on the tiger-skin throne.
"All soldiers, listen to my command! We will march on Qiu Ping's residence immediately. Xiao Fang will lead 5,000 troops to meet us outside the city. I will lead the female guards ahead. Use Kongming lanterns as a signal. When dozens of Kongming lanterns fly up to Qiu Ping's residence, that will be the time for you to charge!"
Xiao Fang: "Your subordinate obeys!"
The garrison soldiers stared intently at the woman, whose beauty seemed otherworldly.
How come she looks so much like Lord Lan?
Lord Lan looks so good dressed as a woman!
She doesn't look like she's pretending; she looks like a real woman!
Good heavens, could Lord Lan really be a woman?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
