Chapter 84 She couldn't feel at ease at all. ...
It's snowing.
A vast expanse of white, thick and heavy, falling in large swaths from the sky with a whooshing sound.
Lou Xueying leaned against the window, slowly kneading a small cloth tiger in her hands.
The cloth tiger itself was nothing special; it was just that Li Pan had it brought over along with his family letter and delivered it to Lou Xueying.
The letter home was very brief, simply letting her know he was safe and asking her and Li's mother to take care of themselves. He also bought the cloth tiger from a local shop after conquering the city.
The messenger soldier said that during the days of the siege, the people were terrified and dared not go out. General Li wanted to buy something for her but couldn't find anyone to pay, so he had to leave the money on the counter. After a few days, the situation in the city stabilized, and the people, seeing that General Li was merely occupying territory and not harming civilians, became a little bolder and started to move around. The shop owner, being the shrewd one, seized the opportunity to claim that General Li's wife liked his dolls, and that if anyone bought the same style, General Li would spare them out of consideration for his wife. As everyone knows, in General Li's heart, his wife was more important than anything else, and the dolls indeed sold out quickly.
Lou Xueying, upon hearing this, was speechless.
Li Pan was most familiar with the Northwest region. With the sudden outbreak of war, other cities were caught off guard and Li Pan was able to advance rapidly. In just over a month, he captured three major cities and directly cut off the trade route from the Western Regions to the Central Plains.
The items that came from the Western Regions included not only food and horses, but also various kinds of jade and medicinal herbs, which were originally intended to be sent to the palace as tribute for the upcoming New Year. However, Li Pan intercepted them all.
However, the imperial court has now dispatched reinforcements, and it will not be long before they can confront Li Pan head-on. The closer they get to the capital, the more difficult the attack will become.
Lou Xueying couldn't help Li Pan with this, but she could do other things.
"Madam," Wu Zhao knocked on the door from the outside, "the first batch of winter clothes and shoes is almost finished being sewn and has been packed up. Would you like to come and take a look?"
Lou Xueying: "Okay."
Li Pan's uprising was hasty, and in the preparation of supplies, he focused his main efforts on the most urgently needed armor and weapons. Although clothing was not lacking for the time being, winter clothes were easy to wear thinner and thinner, and shoes wore out easily, resulting in too much wear and tear. Therefore, Lou Xueying encouraged the people to rush to make winter clothes and shoes and hand them over to the army. They were paid according to the count. This was to give the people something to do and prevent unrest, and also to demonstrate the army's discipline and benevolence.
This is Li Pan's territory, and the people's hearts are still with him. Not to mention, the General's Mansion is also giving money, so everyone is working very hard to make clothes, and the first batch was collected very quickly.
Wu Zhao was Li Pan's bodyguard, and by rights he should have gone to the front lines with Li Pan. He himself wanted to go, but Li Pan made him and several other bodyguards stay behind to protect his wife and mother. Although Wu Zhao felt a little regretful that he couldn't go into battle, he also knew the importance of his family to his master, so he obeyed the order.
He had initially assumed that the two ladies, the old lady and the madam, spent their days whiling away the time in the mansion, and that they, the guards, were essentially stuck in the general's residence with nothing important to do. However, to his surprise, just a few days after their mistress left, the madam emerged from her depression and began preparing winter clothes and shoes. This gave them something to do as well; although they couldn't go to the battlefield, they were happy to be able to do something for the army.
Lou Xueying boarded the carriage, and Wu Zhao drove it, taking her to the entrance of the military camp's warehouse where winter clothes and shoes were stored.
Lou Xueying entered the storeroom, checked the quality of some clothes and shoes, and looked at the list Wu Zhao had brought. She then asked, "Has the money been settled?"
Wu Zhao: "If the madam finds nothing wrong after the inspection, she will send someone to settle the account."
Lou Xueying hummed in agreement, then asked, "Can you transport this many at once?"
Wu Zhao: "We borrowed a supply truck to transport it together, so it's a bit tight. We'll probably have to make two trips."
"Is the car a military vehicle?"
"Exactly."
"Where is Changxingfang's carriage?"
"This... I don't know."
Changxingfang was a transportation office established by the Great Yue Dynasty in various regions, mainly responsible for the management of long-distance transport of goods and commodities. The officials there were all appointed by the imperial court. However, now that the Northwest has been cut off from the imperial court, the officials there have no idea what they are doing now.
Lou Xueying frowned slightly: "So you didn't borrow a carriage from Changxingfang?"
Wu Zhao scratched his head: "Well... I'm not entirely clear on the specifics either. If it's just transporting supplies, the carts in the military camp are sufficient, but now Madam also needs to transport clothing..."
Since it was everyone's first time rebelling, no one could have planned so thoroughly, and since they couldn't read each other's minds, information couldn't be shared in a timely manner. For example, Lou Xueying thought about winter clothes and shoes but didn't consider whether there were enough transport vehicles. Wu Zhao only knew that there might not be enough vehicles in the military camp, but he usually followed Li Pan and did whatever Li Pan told him to do. He never thought of taking the initiative to contact Changxingfang.
Lou Xueying: "Send someone to check if there's anyone left in Changxingfang. If there is, have them send a car over. If not, we'll just take it."
Wu Zhao asked cautiously, "What if the people inside don't comply?"
After all, the officials in Changxingfang were appointed by the imperial court, and what if there happened to be one who was stubborn?
Lou Xueying sighed softly: "If he just won't let us move the car, then we'll take it by force. If he tries to disrupt your operation... then we'll detain him temporarily."
Loyalty to the emperor is not wrong, but rebellion cannot tolerate obstruction. As rebels, not executing those who oppose them outright, but temporarily detaining them, is already considered merciful.
Lou Xueying wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and said, "I've finished the inspection. Let someone go and settle the payment."
"Yes." After a pause, Wu Zhao quietly gave Lou Xueying a number and said, "Madam, we can only collect one more batch of these clothes at most, and then we can't collect any more. The manor still needs to keep some money to purchase grain and other military supplies."
Lou Xueying: I know, thankfully winter was almost over by then.
Li Pan's savings were considerable, but not excessive. His salary was limited, and most of his savings came from rewards. Some time ago, they were busy selling off the silks, satins, gold, silver, and jade that had been given as rewards, without letting anyone discover that they came from the General's Mansion, which took quite a bit of effort.
When Li Pan was first enfeoffed as Marquis of Wu'an, he enjoyed the privilege of having a fief of a thousand households, which was a considerable income. But less than a year later, he rebelled, so it would be strange if the court continued to provide him with the fief.
Lou Xueying asked Wu Zhao, "General, you've cut off the trade routes to the Western Regions. You can keep the horses, medicines, and food for yourself, but what about other things like jade and artifacts?"
Wu Zhao looked at her with a bewildered expression again: "This humble general...does not know."
Lou Xueying sighed.
I should have asked the soldier who delivered the letter a few days ago. I didn't think of it then, and now I can't very well send someone to ask him.
Wu Zhao comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam, the General will definitely be able to handle this small matter."
Lou Xueying said, "He can definitely handle the war, but he and his people don't have much experience in things outside of war. And we don't know if the officials in the city are truly loyal to him or have ulterior motives. He has never liked dealing with people in a roundabout way. I'm worried that something might go wrong."
Wu Zhao scratched his head: "Then... should Madam write another letter to ask?"
"Forget it, I won't write anymore." Lou Xueying shook her head. "It's a waste of manpower, not to mention it will take several days to get back and forth. And now is not a peaceful time. The situation is changing rapidly. By the time the letter is sent back to me, it may be completely different from the actual situation."
When Li Pan left, all she could think about was that she would take good care of herself and Li's mother, so that he could fight on the front lines with peace of mind and not cause him any trouble.
But once he started fighting, she realized things weren't as simple as she'd thought. She didn't know if Li Pan was at ease, but she was anything but. She wasn't even worried about his safety; she was worried about other things. After all, if something happened to Li Pan, the news would definitely spread incredibly fast, but if other details went wrong, she might find out too late, or it might even have to remain hidden for a long time before it finally erupted and was too late to salvage the situation.
For example, the war funds were running out, and where would the new money come from? Or perhaps the local officials, who appeared to have surrendered, were deliberately concealing something, leading to chaos under Li Pan's command and causing public resentment? And so on… so many questions constantly weighed on Lou Xueying's mind. With each city Li Pan conquered, new worries arose within her.
Lou Xueying couldn't help but look at Wu Zhao.
Wu Zhao: "Does Madam have something to say?"
Lou Xueying pursed her lips and said softly, "Wu Zhao, do you think... if I want to stay by the general's side... is that possible?"
Wu Zhao was shocked: "Madam, you mustn't! The general is going to war. It would be too dangerous for you to go with him!"
Lou Xueying: "Of course I won't follow that closely. What I mean is, for example, he can take down a city first, and once the situation inside is stable, I can follow him. Is that not allowed?"
Wu Zhao asked in bewilderment, "Why does Madam want to go with you? The General won't stay in the city for long either. At most, he'll rest for a few days, replenish his supplies, and then set off for the next place. He may not be able to spend much time with Madam."
“I don’t want to spend time with him…” Lou Xueying said softly, “I’m worried that he’s too busy and I want to help him with some things.”
Wu Zhao advised, "If you have any suggestions, Madam, you can write them down. But it would be unwise for you to go there in person. Even though those cities have been captured, it's hard to say whether there are still dangers inside. It's safest for you to stay here."
“…Alright.” Lou Xueying sighed. “What you said makes sense. Perhaps I’m just too concerned and underestimate them. They can actually handle it.”
She pulled her cloak tighter, stepped out of the storeroom, and looked up at the huge snowflakes falling from the sky.
Before she raised an army, she didn't want to go out because of the cold weather and always wanted to stay in the room with Li Pan. Now that Li Pan is gone and the weather is even colder, she always wants to go out for a walk and doesn't mind the cold anymore.
"Madam?" Wu Zhao called out, "Shall we return to the manor?"
"……Um."
She withdrew her gaze, boarded the carriage, and was led back to the General's Mansion by Wu Zhaozai.
As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, she paused for a moment and asked Wu Zhao, "Where did this carriage at the gate come from?" Looking at the gate again, she saw that it was open. "Who came to visit?"
Wu Zhao was also puzzled: "I can't tell whose carriage this is... and the madam isn't here, could it be that the old lady received them herself?"
After saying that, his heart tightened, and he drew his sword, shielding Lou Xueying behind him: "Madam, please wait a moment, this humble general will go in and take a look first."
Before she could even step onto the steps, someone rushed out of the mansion. Who else could it be but Cai Ling?
"Madam!" Cailing exclaimed with delight upon seeing her, "You're back!"
Wu Zhao sheathed his sword.
Lou Xueying quickly asked, "Why did you come out? Did you time it perfectly?"
"What? I came out to get my luggage!" Cai Ling pointed to the unfamiliar carriage parked at the door and winked.
"Luggage?" Lou Xueying asked, puzzled. "Whose luggage?"
Cailing laughed and said, "Whose luggage could it be? Madam, why don't you go in and take a look for yourself!"
Lou Xueying paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening. She quickly lifted her skirt and took three steps at a time to climb the steps.
She stopped at the threshold, staring blankly at the person standing in the courtyard.
"Swish!" Mother Li spotted her first and immediately waved her over, "Come quick, who's here?"
Lou Xueying's tears welled up instantly.
She rushed into the courtyard, grabbed the familiar figure who had just turned around, and cried out, "Mother!"
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