Chapter 44 Mother, who is that?
The heir apparent of the Prince Huan's household.
Xiao Mingzhang.
How long has it been since Yunzhu heard from him? She held the writing brush in her hand for a long time before turning back to Ayan and calmly asking, "Why did the Prince Huan's mansion lead the troops?"
Ayan shook her head; she didn't know either.
Living in this remote town is good; it's secluded and you don't have to worry about the world. However, the downside is also obvious: you're not very well connected with the outside world. Apart from news about the Western Regions, it's almost impossible for any news from the Central Plains to reach this place.
Since no messages could be sent in, Yunzhu had to figure it out herself.
She has lived here for three years. During those three years, no matter how the war went on, the emperor almost never sent any more troops from the Huan Prince's Palace to the Western Regions.
Even though they were renowned for their bravery and skill in battle, and even though they had long ago driven away formidable enemies for the Central Plains, the emperor was unwilling to let them drive away enemies again.
Yunzhu was unaware of the reason, but she lived a carefree and peaceful life on the frontier for three years.
She had thought that perhaps the emperor would never send the Huan Prince's army to the border again, but unexpectedly, they came again, and Xiao Mingzhang himself led the troops.
Yunzhu didn't have time to dwell on her past with him; instead, she was pondering what the Central Plains emperor's actions meant.
Was Xiao Mingzhang deliberately sent to the Western Regions, or was power gradually being delegated to the Huan Prince's Mansion?
It should be the latter, right?
Even though she hated Xiao Mingzhang, Yunzhu couldn't deny his abilities. He and his father wanted to be emperor so badly, and she had been gone for three years. During those three years, they must have been putting all their effort into preparing for the succession.
Perhaps by now, the emperor has already intended to make Prince Huan the crown prince, and Xiao Mingzhang is no longer the so-called heir apparent of Prince Huan, but the son of the crown prince.
Son of the Crown Prince.
Ah, the crown prince's son...
Yunzhu blinked before continuing to speak calmly to Ayan: "It's alright. I've thought about it, and even if he comes to Liangzhou, it shouldn't concern us. He doesn't know we're here. This isn't a wealthy place; it's just a remote horse-breeding town. Even if they need horses, a normal commander wouldn't personally go to the grasslands to choose horses. We won't run into him."
What Ayan was actually waiting for was just one sentence from Yunzhu.
Now that Yunzhu had said those words, Ayan felt as if she had taken a reassuring pill and breathed a sigh of relief.
If she could, Ayan really wouldn't want to tell Yunzhu anything more about Xiao Mingzhang. This time, however, she had no other choice.
Over the past three years, Ayan has heard some news about the Huan Prince's Mansion, but most of it has nothing to do with her or Yunzhu anymore. Even if she did hear about it, she didn't tell Yunzhu.
But this was the first time Ayan had heard Xiao Mingzhang so close to them.
She was really worried that if she didn't tell Yunzhu, what would they do if Xiao Mingzhang suddenly came to this town one day?
Like Yunzhu, Ayan had lived in this small town for so long. Three years of peace and stability made her reluctant to move, but Xiao Mingzhang's sudden arrival made it impossible for her to remain on guard.
"That's good. Then we'll try to stay home as much as possible in this town and not go anywhere else until their army leaves!" Three years have passed, and Ayan has become much more composed than before.
"good!"
Yunzhu nodded and agreed to Ayan's suggestion.
—
The next day, Yunzhu went to teach the children as usual.
Who would have thought that the princess from the Western Regions, whose handwriting was still crooked and messy just a few years ago, could now become a teacher for children.
Yunzhu walked into the school with a stack of homework corrected by Danzhu, and listened to the children whispering among themselves.
She didn't know exactly what they talked about, because as soon as she approached the school, someone tipped her off and notified all the students in advance, and the children immediately quieted down.
Although it was only for Yunzhu to teach that old scholar for a month, she did not dare to be careless with these children. She carefully corrected every assignment and studied each student's work diligently.
She didn't care what secrets the children were talking about that they couldn't tell her. After returning the homework to everyone, she commented on each of their strengths and weaknesses one by one.
However, when it was the turn of a child named Zhang Helai, the other child was not there.
A child exclaimed, "Master! A high-ranking official from Liangzhou came to Zhang Helai's house today to buy horses. His father wanted him to stay and broaden his horizons, so he didn't come!"
Yunzhu paused for a moment, but accepted the answer after a short while.
She nodded, but as she turned around, she heard another child calling her.
"Master Mu!" the child who raised his hand asked, "Can we... finish school early today?"
Hanze Town is really small, and there is only one school. The children in the school are all different ages. As long as they reach the age where they can talk and sit, their parents usually send them to school to learn from the scholar.
The child who raised his hand to speak this time was just over three years old, about the same age as Mu Zhaozhi, still very young and innocent.
Yunzhu looked at the child curiously and asked, "Why do you want to leave school early?"
"We also want to see the high-ranking official from Liangzhou!" The child spoke in a childish tone, but at least Yunzhu could understand him.
Yunzhu was taken aback again, then smiled and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. The school has taken money from your parents, and since they've taken the money, they have to teach you properly. They can't teach you haphazardly or let you drop out early."
"Ah..." The child was extremely disappointed. She looked around and seemed to have suddenly lost interest in going to school.
Seeing this, Yunzhu looked around at the children and found them all wilted like flowers and plants. She wondered why these children all wanted to see the high-ranking official from Liangzhou.
Then she absolutely couldn't let them go see it.
Although she fully understood the children's interest, Yunzhu also had her own considerations. Calling the children over would not only be noisy, but Ayan had just told her about Xiao Mingzhang leading his troops. If the high-ranking official from Liangzhou happened to be one of Xiao Mingzhang's men and someone she knew before, and if he accidentally let something slip and exposed her whereabouts, her peaceful life would be completely ruined.
Now that she can no longer stop Zhang Helai's child, she certainly won't let the rest of them go.
She then walked back to the front of the school and said to the children, "Although we can't end school early, I've prepared a fun game for you today. Shall we play a game before we go to school?"
"A game?" Upon hearing "game," the children, who had been listless, finally perked up and perked up their ears, eager to hear Yunzhu explain the specifics of the game.
Yunzhu then smiled and began explaining the rules of the game to the children...
When the time for school to end finally arrived, Yunzhu collapsed onto a chair in the classroom like a salted fish that had lost all its strength.
Leading a group of young children was already exhausting enough, but today she also had to maintain a high level of vigilance, fearing that something unexpected might happen. She barely had a moment to relax throughout the entire day.
Now that the last student has left the school, she can finally close her eyes for a while and breathe slightly.
The little girl, Mu Zhaozhi, packed her backpack and went to her mother's side.
“Mother, let’s go home!” she said.
Yunzhu didn't open her eyes, but instinctively took her daughter's little hand and pulled her into her arms.
Mu Zhaozhi was somewhat surprised, but she always appeared mature for her age, so she let her mother hold her.
Although Mu Zhaozhi was only three years old, Yunzhu, like other parents in the town, sent her to school to be taught by an old scholar as soon as she was able to sit up at her desk and begin to speak.
She has been studying at the school for half a year now.
Half a year is neither long nor short. Since arriving at the school, Yunzhu discovered that Mu Zhaozhi had developed an amazing learning ability. She could learn almost anything the teacher taught in one go. When the scholar taught them to write, although she could not hold the pen very steadily, she could already clearly understand the basic strokes, far surpassing her peers.
Yunzhu couldn't say for sure who she inherited such learning ability from.
However, she knew very well that she did not have such abilities when she was young.
"Mother, why aren't we going home yet?" After holding Mu Zhaozhi quietly for a while, Yunzhu heard her daughter ask a somewhat strange question.
Yunzhu then opened her eyes and glanced at the sky outside. The sun had already set, and the area outside the school was a blend of orange and yellow hues. Normally, she would not let the school end so late; she would usually send the children home in the late afternoon. But today was an exception.
There shouldn't be any problems...
Yunzhu gazed at the scenery outside the window and thought to herself.
She then took her daughter's hand tightly and walked with her home.
Since taking over the teaching duties from the old scholar, Yunzhu has made it a habit to take her daughter home by the hand while asking her about things at school.
Today was no different. As the mother and daughter walked, Yunzhu asked, "Did you recognize all the words Mother said today?"
"I've recognized them all," Mu Zhaozhi said. "Mother taught me so simply; I learned it in one go!"
Yunzhu was helpless. It was always like this. If this continued, she thought that in a few years, she would have nothing left to teach this child.
In the end, it's best to leave it to the scholar. After all, she has only studied the Central Plains language for a few years and is not proficient in the culture of the Central Plains. The scholar knows much more than she does. Or, if Mu Zhaozhi really has no one else to teach her, she will consider moving to another place with Ayan...
Legend has it that Mencius' mother moved three times to find a better environment for her son. If it were for her daughter's sake, Yunzhu would also be willing to leave her current environment.
I just don't want to for now...
She and Mu Zhaozhi walked slowly, the yellow mud under their feet hard, raising a little dust that stuck to the hems of their clothes.
The moon is bright and clear tonight.
"Oh dear, Mother, there's someone over there!"
When they finally arrived near their home, at the entrance of the alley, Mu Zhaozhi stood still and suddenly pointed at the figure in front of her.
Yunzhu looked up and saw that the direction she was pointing was none other than their front door.
There indeed stood a figure there, facing away from them, as upright as a pine tree, tall and graceful. A handful of moonlight poured down, and the frost on the ground seemed to become mere embellishments.
"Mother, who is that?" Mu Zhao's childlike voice still rang in her ears.
The moment Yunzhu saw that figure, all her reactions froze completely.
It was only autumn, but Yunzhu felt as if she could already smell the scent of ice and snow.
She stood there, like a mute, unable to answer a word for a moment.
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