Chapter 87 Susu, I miss you so much.
The next morning, Lou Xueying set off with the supply convoy.
She didn't take Cailing with her because she could tell that Cailing herself didn't dare to go to the front lines; she was only pretending to be willing to accompany her. Not wanting to make things difficult for Cailing, she ordered her to stay at the General's Mansion to help take care of Madam Lou and the others.
Wu Zhao and the others were very willing to go to the front lines, but their willingness didn't mean they were willing to let Lou Xueying go. What if something happened to her on the way? Wouldn't the general have their heads ripped off?
Lou Xueying, however, put on a stern face and questioned them in a deep voice: Didn't the general say that when he wasn't home, everything was done according to her wishes? Wu Zhao and the others thought that the general certainly didn't expect his wife to have this idea when he said that, but they could only remain silent.
Finally, under Lou Xueying's coercion, Wu Zhao and the others had no choice but to comply. Lou Xueying traveled light, dressed as an ordinary woman, and followed the caravan.
The supply wagon didn't move very fast, and by the time it joined up with the main army, Li Pan had already captured another new city.
The newly occupied city was still somewhat chaotic, with no civilians in sight. Only solemn-looking squads of soldiers patrolled back and forth, and notices could be seen being posted on bulletin boards.
Lou Xueying couldn't help but walk over for a closer look. The soldier turned his head, thinking that some woman had the audacity to come out. He frowned slightly, then asked, "Can you read?"
Lou Xueying paused for a moment, then nodded.
Soldier: "Since you can read, take a good look at what this says. Our general will not harm civilians. New recruits will be rewarded immediately; deserters who surrender will be forgiven; existing officials must report to the prefectural government within three days, and after an assessment of their abilities, they can continue to serve as officials with their salaries; those without official rank but who believe they are capable can also recommend themselves; but if anyone resists, don't blame us for being ruthless once discovered."
Lou Xueying glanced at the notice; the handwriting was neat and vigorous, it was Lou Boyu's handwriting.
After finishing their business, the soldier glanced at Lou Xueying again: "You're quite bold, daring to go out so soon. But it's good, when you get back, talk to your neighbors properly. As long as they don't have any wicked intentions, they can go out on the streets as before. If they find anyone taking the opportunity to burn, kill, or loot, they can report it to the state government at any time. The general will definitely deal with it seriously to uphold military discipline."
Wu Zhao, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye. He took out his general's token and held it up in front of the soldier.
The soldier was shocked: "You're the general's men?!"
Wu Zhao: "This is the general's wife, shall we not pay our respects?"
The soldier turned pale: "General's wife?! I... I was blind! I greet you, Madam! Please forgive me..."
Lou Xueying held Wu Zhao down and smiled at the soldier: "It's alright, you've worked hard. It's inevitable that the people will panic when the army enters the city, so we must carefully appease them."
"Yes, yes," the soldier replied hastily, "I will follow your instructions, Madam."
Lou Xueying asked, "Is the general currently at the prefectural government office?"
"Yes," the soldier replied. "Shall I lead the way for you, madam?"
"No need, you go ahead and do your work," Lou Xueying said to Wu Zhao. "Let's go."
The gates of the prefectural government office were heavily guarded by soldiers of considerable rank. Upon seeing Lou Xueying, they all showed expressions of surprise. They tried to go in to announce her arrival, but Lou Xueying stopped them.
Lou Xueying silently walked to the entrance of the council hall, pressed herself against the door, and wanted to hear what they were saying.
A few words drifted out from inside, something about government treasury funds and grain, household registration and land registers, etc. Before Lou Xueying could hear them clearly, the oil paper on the door suddenly tore open, and a dagger flew out, grazing her nose.
Lou Xueying was so frightened that she fell to the ground.
The door suddenly burst open, and a gleaming blade shot out, startling Wu Zhao, who quickly drew his sword to block it: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! This is the General's wife!"
The lieutenant wielding the sword was taken aback and quickly sheathed it: "How could it be the Madam! This..."
Lou Xueying sat on the ground, looking awkwardly at everyone in the council hall.
Sitting on the outermost side were the brothers Lou Boyu and Lou Zhongyan, who stared at Lou Xueying with their mouths agape and their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.
The other lieutenants gasped in shock.
Only Li Pan, who was sitting in the very center, had a gloomy expression. When he saw that it was Lou Xueying, he was immediately shocked and stood up abruptly: "Susu!"
He rushed out, helped her up from the ground, and exclaimed in shock, "It's you?! I thought..."
I thought some unsavory person was eavesdropping at the door, and I wondered if the guards outside were incompetent, letting people in in broad daylight.
Lou Xueying lowered her head and said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I disturbed you..."
Li Pan quickly cupped her face in his hands, touching it repeatedly, and asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"
Lou Xueying shook her head and whispered, "Let go of me, everyone's watching..."
Li Pan took a deep breath, his face showing lingering fear and anger: "Why did you come without saying a word? You came without letting anyone announce your arrival? Do you know that I thought you were a spy! I only held back because the figure looked like a woman, otherwise that dagger would have stabbed you right away!"
Lou Xueying wrung her hands and whispered, "I...I know I was wrong...Please don't be angry..."
Li Pan pinched his brow hard.
Wu Zhao carefully picked up the dagger from the ground, tucked it back into Li Pan's scabbard, and said respectfully, "General and Madam, please continue your conversation. This humble general will take his leave now."
"Get back here right now!" Li Pan roared. "Who told you to bring her here?"
"Don't blame him!" Lou Xueying quickly grabbed his sleeve. "I insisted on coming here. Wu Zhao tried to persuade me, but I wouldn't listen. If you want to blame someone, blame me!"
Li Pan frowned as he looked at her: "You—"
Wu Zhao quickly slipped away.
The people in the council chamber looked at each other and then stood up.
"It's almost time for the patrol again, General. I'll take my leave now."
"I heard that a batch of weapons has been damaged. I will go and check on the situation and report back to the general tomorrow."
"I wonder how many new recruits were recruited today, and what their qualifications are. I must go and take a look. I'll be going now."
The council hall was suddenly deserted, leaving only Lou Boyu and Lou Zhongyan staring at each other in bewilderment.
—Shall we go too?
—Huh? Shouldn't we ask our sister what she's doing here?
Is now the time to ask this?
Before the two could reach a conclusion, Li Pan pulled Lou Xueying inside and slammed the door shut.
Lou Boyu: "..."
Lou Zhongyan: "..."
It seems like we can't leave now.
"Shushu," Li Pan said in a deep voice, "Didn't you say you'd wait for me at home? Do you know how dangerous it is here? I'll let it go today, but I'll have Wu Zhao send you back tomorrow."
Lou Xueying pursed her lips: "I'm not going back. I'm here to do serious business."
Li Pan: "What important business do you have to attend to?"
Lou Xueying pointed to her brother sitting to the side: "Whatever important business they do, I will do the same."
Lou Boyu: "..."
Lou Zhongyan: "..."
The two of them could no longer sit still and stood up, covered in sweat.
Lou Xueying: "When you were away, I was worried that it would be cold and you wouldn't have enough clothes, so I collected a batch of winter clothes and shoes from the people. They were transported here with the supplies. They're just outside the city. You can go and see for yourself if you don't believe me."
Li Pan was taken aback: "You came up with this yourself?"
"Of course," Lou Xueying said. "When the people heard that it was to provide clothing for the soldiers, they were very enthusiastic, but I also paid them their wages."
Li Pan couldn't help but pat her shoulder and said, "Thank you, Susu, these things are indeed necessary. But why did you have to come all the way here?"
"Because I don't want to just stay in the General's Mansion doing these things! I want to know more information faster, I don't want to sit in the mansion every day waiting for messengers!" Lou Xueying said seriously. "I saw my mother, and she said that my eldest brother and second brother are now working for you, so why can't I? Don't say I'm a weak woman. I may not know martial arts, but do they? Don't use danger as an excuse. Do you think their lives are less important than mine? You can leave them here, but you wouldn't dare leave me here?"
Li Pan was taken aback: "That's not what I meant!"
Lou Xueying: "I'm asking you, I just overheard you talking about the treasury's money and grain. Are you short of money right now?"
Li Pan hissed softly: "It's not that we don't have enough right now, but we really need to use it sparingly."
Lou Xueying: "Didn't you intercept the trade routes in the Western Regions? What happened to those jade and jewelry items?"
Li Pan: "Those are things that only the rich can buy, but at this time, unless you are extremely bold, who would dare to buy these from me? I took them down and distributed them as rewards based on military merits, but it wasn't much, and there are still many left untouched."
Lou Xueying: "So that means the warehouse still needs to be guarded by someone. Aren't you afraid that someone might have ulterior motives?"
Li Pan frowned: "What are you trying to say?"
Lou Xueying: "What we need most right now is cash. We need to convert these things into cash as soon as possible to support your ever-increasing military expenditures. The silver in the treasury of the cities you've conquered can indeed be used, but it's still not enough. You're right, those buyers of jade and jewelry are all wealthy and powerful. With the situation still unclear, they certainly don't dare to buy directly from you. But you can completely entrust these goods to specialized merchants to manage. Don't worry about how they sell them; just make sure they're willing to buy from you. Once we have the cash, we'll immediately recruit more soldiers."
Li Pan became serious: "How do we get them to buy from me?"
Lou Xueying: "Merchants are profit-driven; they'll do anything as long as the profit is big enough. You should know that what you're intercepting are precious items that could be used as tribute; these things don't easily depreciate. Let's say a jade artifact is worth a thousand gold pieces on the market. Why not offer a discount and sell it to the merchant for seven hundred gold pieces? If that's too much trouble, you can go a step further and have the merchant directly exchange it for the equivalent of seven hundred gold pieces worth of grain. Admittedly, merchants will definitely lower the purchase price of grain to make a profit, but since you're the one who urgently needs money right now, and you don't have the energy to haggle, it's better to let someone more experienced do it. In the end, you get the grain directly, the merchant gets the jade artifact cheaply, and they can resell it and make a fortune."
Li Pan pondered.
Lou Xueying: "However, the goods you have were already halfway there before the war started, which is why you intercepted them. Now that war has broken out, trade routes are likely to come to a standstill. Your goods will eventually sell out. It would be best if you could gain the trust and support of merchant guilds in various regions so that you can purchase military supplies at a low price. Sometimes, the combined wealth of these merchant guilds is more than the silver in the treasury of a city. If you make them happy, they might even donate some of it to you directly."
Li Pan asked suspiciously, "Businessmen are the most shrewd. Given the current unclear situation, would they be willing to do this?"
Lou Xueying: "How do you know they're unwilling if you don't do it? For example, a thousand shi of grain might not be much money for these merchants, but if we make a promise that if they are willing to donate, a certain amount of tax will be reduced when the new dynasty is established, do you think they would be willing to take the gamble? If they lose, they won't suffer too much loss, and if they win, they can make more money in the future with the tax reduction. You have already proven your strength by taking four cities in succession, and this is a good time to negotiate."
Li Pan: "Who will talk about this? I don't have the energy or eloquence, and neither do my subordinates. I'm afraid your brother is also temporarily unable to do so."
Lou Xueying looked at him silently.
Li Pan: "..."
Lou Boyu and Lou Zhongyan couldn't help but exchange a glance.
Lou Zhongyan couldn't hold back any longer and quietly asked Lou Boyu, "Is Su Su really serious? I thought she was just lovesick and wanted to see the general."
Lou Boyu parted his lips slightly, his words concealing his teeth: "They came prepared; it doesn't seem fake."
Li Pan wiped his face.
Lou Xueying: "Don't you trust me? To be honest, I'm not entirely confident either, but right now you don't even have anyone around you who can give it a try, so why don't you let me try? I've always been in charge of the Marquis's money, and my mother has always managed all the land and houses in our Lou family. I've been by her side since I was little, so I've always picked up some things from her."
Seeing Li Pan hesitate, Lou Xueying pressed on, "If you can gain the trust of the merchant guilds, then private trade can continue, people's livelihoods will be stabilized, and the people here will no longer be afraid of you. And people in other places will find that your rule is peaceful, so they will not be too resistant to you."
After saying that, she turned her head and stared at her two brothers: "Tell me, do you think what I said makes sense?"
“Uh…” Lou Zhongyan scratched his face, “That does make some sense.”
Lou Boyu coughed lightly and said, "Susu, how long have you been thinking about these things?"
“I’ve been thinking about this for many days,” Lou Xueying said. “Actually, I’ve thought about many other things, but I can’t do them all by myself, nor can I think about everything in detail. So I definitely need to discuss them with others and find someone to share the burden. Wu Zhao said that if I have any suggestions, I can write to him. But do you think these things can be clearly expressed in a letter? If I don’t come in person, can I feel at ease?”
“My two brothers-in-law, please go down first,” Li Pan said. “I want to have a private talk with Su Su.”
Lou Zhongyan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately took his leave. Lou Boyu lagged behind, glanced at Lou Xueying a few times, and then stepped out of the door and closed it.
As the two brothers stepped out of the council hall, they felt that even the cold wind outside was much fresher.
Lou Zhongyan muttered, "Susu seems to have changed..."
Lou Boyu: "Has it gotten better or worse?"
"I can't say whether it's good or bad." Lou Zhongyan shook his head and said, "It just feels like she's suddenly become a lot more assertive, especially stubborn and opinionated. But then again, she was just as stubborn when she married the general. She didn't even tell us before she went to jump into the water to force him to marry her. Sigh, back then she was all tears and whining, but now she's able to argue her case."
Lou Boyu sighed sadly.
Lou Zhongyan looked at him: "What's wrong?"
Lou Boyu: "People always change. After so many things, if she were still crying and sobbing like before, how could she have written such a scathing article? Just like me, when I was studying, I thought that criminals should be educated and influenced. But after being a county magistrate for a long time, I also felt that education was a waste of my breath. Sometimes, I would just slap them twice and they would behave."
Lou Zhongyan: "..."
Lou Boyu: "We should change our mindset. We can no longer treat her as a younger sister who needs to be taken care of. If things succeed in the future, we will first be her subjects, and then her brothers. We need to get used to this process gradually."
Lou Zhongyan remained silent.
In the council hall, only Lou Xueying and Li Pan remained.
Without anyone else interfering, Lou Xueying immediately hugged Li Pan's neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his cheek.
Li Pan: "..."
Li Pan glared at her: "Are you trying to bribe me because you're afraid I won't agree?"
Lou Xueying looked at him innocently.
Li Pan said sternly, "This is a power-for-sex transaction, which violates military discipline. As the commander-in-chief, how can I lead the way in violating discipline?"
Lou Xueying: "If you don't agree, that's fine too. You can immediately remove Lou Boyu and Lou Zhongyan from all their positions. I will report them for getting promoted through nepotism."
Li Pan: "..."
He picked her up with one hand and placed her on the table.
He spread his arms and placed them beside her legs, looking straight at her, and sighed.
"You're determined to come here, aren't you?"
"Yes," Lou Xueying said. "Your mother has already promised me, you can't be unfilial, can you?"
“You have a whole set of fallacies.” Li Pan pinched her cheek hard. “You’ve prepared so thoroughly. If I were ungrateful and sent you back, you’d probably curse me for the rest of your life.”
Lou Xueying: "I've also prepared something else, not just about money. I also want to ask how you recruit..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Pan kissed him.
"We'll talk about those things later," Li Pan said, pressing his lips to hers. "Susu, I miss you so much."
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