Although he hadn't seen the outermost part of the garden, Xu Yixing could tell immediately that it was both a residential and military base. If it stored enough food, it could be used to defend itself in the event of an emergency. It was indeed a good place. He hadn't expected a small town like Sijiabao to have such a garden. It really wasn't what you saw.
"Empress, His Majesty has personally ordered you to stay in the White Garden. You don't need to leave unless necessary." The speaker was the leader of the eight long-sword guards, named Qiu Ling. It was the first time Xu Yixing had heard this surname, and this obviously feminine name, combined with the guard's burly appearance, was hard not to laugh.
"I see. What kind of place is this, and how can there be such a fully functional garden?"
Qiu Ling didn't know much about the Empress, but he knew she was the daughter of a military family, so it wasn't surprising she could see through the garden's intricacies. "There are many forts in the northern border. In peacetime, they're located on important transportation routes for trade. In wartime, they become garrisons for troops, like Sijia Fort.
There are also some wealthy and powerful people in the fort, or the goods and caravans of those big merchant families gather here, so they always need a safe place, so they are happy to build some gardens like this."
Xu Yixing thought it was a pity that some unfortunate rich man surnamed Bai had his garden confiscated by Lu Anyuan. But then he thought, if the emperor had confiscated it, the owner would probably jump for joy and give it to him personally.
"This garden doesn't look big. I and the prince live here, so where do you guards live?" When she said it was small, it was only compared with the outer residences in the capital that often occupied half of a mountain. Compared with the small courtyard she lived in before, it was simply a palace.
"The eight of us will be accompanying Her Majesty. The Imperial Guards outside will be stationed at the Garrison Station next to the garden. We will take turns on duty, so there won't be any accidents."
"Oh." Xu Yi walked into the main room that had been prepared for her. The furnishings inside were mostly in the style of the Northern Territory, rough and elegant, but clean and a pleasant place to be. "Thank you, maids, for taking good care of Xiaobao for me. When we return to the capital, His Majesty will definitely reward you for your meritorious service."
"Thank you, Queen!"
After settling everything, Xu Yixing had a good sleep, but he was worried about something in the middle of the night and was always awakened by nightmares. He dreamed that Lu Anyuan was either ambushed by Hu cavalry or shot through the heart by an arrow from Wangzhang Khan. As a result, he woke up the next day feeling listless and without energy.
After walking around the White Garden with a nanny, Xu Yixing finally understood the terrain here and felt calm.
"Qiuling, have you received any information from the army?"
"His Majesty has only been gone for less than a day. There's no way there'll be news this soon." Qiu Ling spoke in a muffled voice, and Xu Yixing couldn't help but laugh at his own impatience. It was strange, too. He'd been gone for the past six months and there had been no news, but now it felt like every day was a year.
She felt that it was Lu Anyuan's fault. When he was staying in the imperial palace in the capital, nothing would have happened. Now that he was on the battlefield, everything was unknown. How could she not worry?
"I am just too nervous. Never mind. If you have any news, please inform me in time." But after thinking about it carefully, even if there is something really happening, Lu Anyuan should report it to the governor of Miaozhou. He can't let the soldiers think that the emperor is a tyrant who indulges in women.
"yes."
After five days, life in the garden became really boring. When I was in Miaozhou, I could still receive some new and interesting gadgets every day to relieve my boredom, but in Sijiabao, the war had started and the fort was closed. The people on the street had already closed their doors and retreated into the garden, not to mention this iron-clad garden.
Xu Yixing felt that she was about to molder from idleness, but it was probably like this after being lonely in the palace. She definitely didn't want to go through this.
"Mammy, are you from Miaozhou?" Xu Yixing would find a nanny to chat with every day to pass the time. Except for the mute slave brought from the palace who could not communicate, most of the others were locals.
Sure enough, this one was no exception: "That's right, I'm from Hegu Town, which is under the jurisdiction of Miaozhou." This nanny is only less than 40 years old, but the wind in the north is strong and the weather is vicissitudes of life, so she actually looks much older.
"So, when wars like this usually break out, how do you survive and pass the time?"
"This..." The nanny smiled shyly. Although she was afraid of the Queen, she had discovered in the past few days that the Queen was just a child, not much different from her own daughter. So she was happy to say a few words: "Hegu Town is not like Sijiabao. We are west of Miaozhou, and the Hu people generally can't attack there. So I have never experienced this before."
"Oh!" It turned out that her town was within the defense of Miaozhou City. As long as Miaozhou did not break the city, the Hu people would naturally not be able to cross and harass. Unlike this Sijiabao, it stood alone in the Gobi Desert.
"Actually, if Her Majesty the Queen feels bored, she can find some fun."
"What do you mean?" Xu Yixing's eyes lit up. Now, as long as she could find something to do, she would be happy to do anything.
The nanny scratched her head uncomfortably. "Well, I've only heard about this. Think about it, even though no one goes out during the lockdown, the high-ranking officials and wealthy people still have to go about their lives, right? So they probably aren't as bored as we are."
Xu Yixing scoffed. Sure enough, this nanny came from the countryside and, like Junhe, harbored some resentment towards the nobles. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spoken so earnestly to him. Her implication was that the rich and powerful had their own ways of entertaining themselves, unlike the queen, who was practically going mad with idleness.
"Qiu Ling! Come in!" Xu Yixing half-lay in front of Xiaobao's bed and called in the head guard.
"What are your wishes, Madam?"
"I've been in Sijiabao for five or six days now. I'm locked up in Baiyuan every day. I don't know what's going on outside. Is the street cleaning order still in effect?"
"The street-cleaning order... is still in place, of course." Qiu Ling stumbled. His orders had been to watch over the Queen and prevent her from leaving to avoid danger. This street-cleaning order had only been issued once, on the first day of the Queen's arrival, to avoid conflict, and it had long been lifted. But since the Queen had asked, he was afraid she might want to leave, so he had to lie for now.
"Hmph!" Xu Yixing's eyes turned cold. Anything else would be fine, but if he was lying to keep me under house arrest, what difference would that make him any different from Mr. Yao's claim of being seriously ill on the first day? "I should have thought of this earlier. If Sijiabao were to remain sealed off for ten days or half a month, I'm afraid those families without food would starve to death. What are your intentions in deceiving me like this?"
Qiu Ling knelt straight on the ground, not making any excuses for himself, but simply lowering his head, waiting for the Queen's decision. However, if the Queen asked to leave Baiyuan for this reason, he would not agree. Fortunately, Xu Yixing did not have such an idea.
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