Yumen Pass, the border between Song and Xia.
In the sunlight, the armor shone like golden fish scales, dazzling. On the thirty or forty-foot-high city wall, Ye Yunlu looked at the fleeing Xixia soldiers, a broken and disorganized army. He smiled with satisfaction and said to the soldier beside him, "Sound the horn to withdraw the troops."
The soldiers struck the gong, and the loud sound spread. The officers and men holding their tasseled spears laughed and walked towards the city gate with Zhou Fuqin.
Zhou Fuqin walked up to the city wall, patted Ye Yunlu's armor and said happily: "I felt so good after the fight. If these Xixia barbarians come again, I will make sure they never come back!"
Ye Yunlu looked at the Song and Xia soldiers lying in all directions, with a trace of regret in his eyes, and his heart was full of complicated emotions.
Zhou Fuqin dismissed the soldiers beside him and said in a consoling tone, "Su Qing, those spies deserve death. If they leak military secrets, our soldiers and the people will suffer. The old general once said that being merciful to the enemy is cruelty. We have fought against the Western Xia for many years, and you were taught by the old general and the general. You should understand this principle."
Ye Yunlu lowered his gaze and said to Zhou Fuqin, "Brother Zhou, I understand everything you said. Captain Xia deserved death, but Wang Chuncheng, Zhong Erzhu, and Jin Long were only suspects. There was no solid evidence, so I let them die. I just felt that I was a bit mean. I could have chosen others, but I deliberately chose them."
Zhou Fuqin said, "You are not wrong. Regardless of whether they are suspicious or not, it is the duty of the soldiers of the Song Dynasty to serve the country with all their heart and soul until their death."
He also looked at the corpses of the Song and Xia soldiers. "Su Qing, you have everything you need, so you tend to overthink things. You say you're despicable, you're a mean person, but those Xixia barbarians and Tubo people who infiltrated our army to steal military intelligence weren't mean and mean? Xia Hanzhang used Qian Dayi to pass on intelligence and then killed him, wasn't he a mean person? Aren't those who, under the guise of doing good deeds, seek wealth and kill people also mean people?"
Ye Yunlu said with disdain: "Brother Zhou, you are so long-winded. I was just talking casually."
Zhou Fuqin smiled and said, "Alright, I won't nag you any more. You're both an old general and a great general in commanding troops and fighting, but you lack the old general's fierceness and the great general's decisiveness. Don't think too much, or you'll become an annoying old man and even Lady Lonely won't recognize you."
Ye Yunlu clenched his fist and hit Zhou Fuqin on the shoulder, "Zhou Fuqin, are you itching for trouble?"
Zhou Fuqin pressed his shoulder and yelled, "Su Qing, why did you hit him so hard? We are brothers after all!"
Ye Yunlu laughed and said, "Zhou Fuqin, I didn't use any strength in that punch. Who was I showing off to?"
Zhou Fuqin stood up straight and said, "I'm just pretending for you to see. Besides you and me, is there anyone else here?"
Ye Yunlu said: "Brother Zhou, I won't think too much."
Zhou Fuqin got back to the point and said, "There may be other spies in the army. What are your plans next?"
Ye Yunlu said, "I was ordered to patrol the border. I've been at the border for over a month now. The Xixia barbarians are severely weakened and won't be attacking Yumen Pass again in the near future. My arrest of the spy may have made other spies more vigilant. Catching them won't be easy, so it's better to let them go for now. Qian Dayi died in battle, and Yumen Pass cannot be without a commander. I will write to His Majesty to have you guard Yumen Pass, and I will also request that Xia Hanzhang be promoted to general. The families of those soldiers who died in battle need to be comforted."
Zhou Fuqin said, "Don't worry, return to the capital. Old Lu, Old Liang, and I are here on the border. Asking for a title for Xia Hanzhang will also dispel the suspicions of the other spies. We don't suspect them."
"I will return to Beijing in a few days." Ye Yunlu said.
Zhou Fuqin and Ye Yunlu simultaneously looked towards the golden sun in the distance, watching it sink...
The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as Double Fifth Festival and Ruiyang Festival. As it is approaching, Madam Ouyang and Gu Du Lanxi, who usually don't take care of the affairs in the mansion, become busy.
Gu Du Lan Xi was in charge of arranging the trivial matters in the mansion and the various festival items for the Dragon Boat Festival, while Madam Ouyang prepared generous gifts to visit Tai Qi, the folk painting master in the East Market, to ask for a few paintings of Zhong Kui. It was said that his paintings of Zhong Kui and Tianshi were the most lifelike. Every Double Fifth Festival, from high-ranking officials to ordinary people, they would go to him to ask for a painting of Zhong Kui or Tianshi to take home and paste on the door.
Hua Fushu was so focused on studying with Doctor Li that she was oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the mansion. Shortly after dinner, she prepared to leave for the Xinglin Clinic. Sanqiao fetched a crabapple-red short-sleeved shirt and put it on her. "Miss, would you like me to go with you to the Xinglin Clinic?"
Hua Fushu tied the belt of his shirt and said, "Qiao'er, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll go by myself."
She adjusted her sleeves and thought of something. "Oh, right? Use that piece of Tianshuibi fabric to make me a skirt to wear when the weather gets warmer. I've been short on money lately. The dyeing workshop I opened with Qin Youran in Qinzhou hasn't made any profit yet, so I don't have the money to buy you more clothes for now. The yellow fabric I chose is perfect for you. You can use it to make yourself a dress. When the dyeing workshop is profitable, I'll buy you a few more."
Sanqiao said, "Miss, I have no shortage of clothes. The maids and servants in the mansion have two sets of clothes every season, and Sister Liuzhi, who is with Lady Dugu, also sent me two sets."
Hua Fushu pretended to be unhappy, "Just take what's given to you. If you don't appreciate my kindness, you're insulting me. You don't even want the monthly allowance, so why bother with all this nonsense about buying you some clothes?"
Sanqiao was apprehensive, "Girl, can't I just ask for it?"
Hua Fushu smiled and said, "That's more like it." He ordered Sanqiao, "Bring me my cloth bag."
Sanqiao walked to the dressing table, took out a half-worn cloth bag and asked Hua Fushu to carry it, and then sent Hua Fushu to the door.
Seeing Hua Fushu coming out, Side hurriedly greeted her, "Young lady, the carriage is ready."
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