Chapter 111 Zhou Congxian's woman? It doesn't matter, she'll be his in the future.
"Ah Xun, calm down!" Shuang'er hugged his waist.
"Where's the ginseng soup?"
"I'll go get the one simmering on the stove!" Jiang Xingyao strode out, almost bumping into his sister at the door.
Yao Shisan gripped the door frame tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
Zhou Congxian, how could you die like this?
Do you want her to feel guilty for the rest of her life?
Ignoring the blood covering his body, Dr. Tang cut open all of Zhou Congxian's clothes.
Open the acupuncture kit, and with extremely fast movements, place the needles down one by one, pressing on the acupoints.
Everyone in the house was evacuated.
"grown ups!"
Officer Shi returned, dragging his injured leg.
"Sir, bandits have infiltrated the city! They're killing anyone they see! The local militia are no match for them!"
The bandits caused widespread panic, and all the nearby villages flocked into Dingxian County.
That's probably when they snuck in.
Wei Xun walked out with a sullen face.
Just then, a bandit walked right into their trap. The bandit had barely raised his knife when Wei Xun struck him with a single sword stroke, decapitating him.
The bandit's head rolled to the feet of a villager, who screamed in terror.
Wei Xun mounted his horse and killed any bandits he encountered.
There weren't many bandits who had infiltrated to begin with, and their indiscriminate killing was simply to instill panic in everyone in Ding County.
When there are fewer and fewer bandits in the city.
Realizing something was wrong, they quickly threw away their knives and turned to blend into the panicked crowd.
"Damn it, there's a master in Yuzhou City, and now there's one in Ding County too!"
"What should we do? Should we still proceed according to plan?"
"No need, we've already achieved our goal. We'll sneak out after dark."
*
"Your Highness, news has come that more than 2,000 villagers have been arrested in Ding County, causing panic in the city."
"Should we continue towards Yuzhou?"
A hint of excitement flashed in Xiao Shu's eyes.
"Zhou Congxian, I even told him about Yao'er's whereabouts. He's been in Ding County for so long, are you still unmoved?"
Steward Qing shook his head. "No order from Lord Zhou has been issued yet."
"On the other hand, Magistrate Jiang has already sent three letters seeking help."
"Lord Liu also wrote a letter to the Prince of Han in Linzhou."
Xiao Shu said, "Wait a few more days. If Zhou Congxian still makes no move, then write to the Prince of Han again."
Chief Steward Qing asked, "What if the King of Han agrees to lend us troops?"
After all, their goals were twofold: to sow discord and to recruit the enemy.
Xiao Shu raised the corner of his eye slightly, "There are no perfect things. It doesn't matter who sends troops; the priority is to secure amnesty."
For example, the woman he set his sights on happened to be Zhou Congxian's woman, and she even bore him two children.
But what does it matter? He'll be his from now on.
"Where are Yao'er and those two little brats?"
Chief Steward Qing said, "They are all at the Dingxian County Government Office."
Xiao Shu gave a soft "hmm".
"Your Highness, Lord Liu requests an audience."
The guard reported this from the doorway.
"Let him in."
Liu Minghan has been in Yuzhou for so long, but he has never visited the Prince Cheng's residence once.
Xiao Shu was not only his former rival, but he also knew that Xiao Shu was far from being as peaceful and harmless as he had imagined.
Xiao Shu, as a prince, had no troops or power. Based on his understanding of him, he would not sit idly by and wait for his death.
But he watched coldly as Xiao Shu simply stood by and watched the bandits invade his fiefdom, remaining indifferent.
Liu Minghan had a gut feeling that the Prince Cheng's residence was not as peaceful as it appeared now.
"Master Liu, you are fine."
King Cheng waved his hand, and immediately servants brought tea.
Liu Minghan glanced at it and then said, "The situation in Ding County is urgent. We should send a letter to His Highness Prince Cheng requesting that Prince Han send troops to suppress the bandits."
Xiao Shu glanced at him and said, "The Prince of Han is only my cousin. I have never met him more than three times in my life."
"Where did you learn, Lord Liu, that the King of Han would definitely send troops?"
Liu Minghan said, "I don't know if the Prince of Han will send troops, but he is the closest. The people of Ding County cannot wait any longer. I urge Your Highness to give it a try."
"Moreover, the duty of a vassal king is to protect the safety of the local people."
Xiao Shu scoffed, "The responsibility of a vassal king? His Majesty hasn't given me a single soldier, so how can I be expected to bear the responsibility of a vassal king!"
"Is Your Highness not planning to get involved?"
"Lord Liu, as the Prefect of Yuzhou, holds a second-rank official position and receives a salary from the imperial court. Are you simply shifting the responsibilities of the Prefect onto my shoulders?"
Xiao Shu's eyes swept over him, then he said lazily, "Lord Liu, have you not read the local gazetteer?"
"Since the founding of the nation, Yuzhou has suppressed bandits countless times, but they have never been eradicated and always reappear."
"Lord Liu is a pillar of the nation, possessing wisdom comparable to Zhuge Liang. Although the matter of Yuzhou will not shake the foundation of the country, if you can alleviate the pain in Yuzhou, you can advance further when you return to the capital."
Liu Minghan suddenly looked up at Xiao Shu.
What cannot be eradicated will spring up again with the spring breeze.
He scoffed inwardly, "What a fine Prince Cheng."
To achieve one's goals, one will stop at nothing.
He slowly stood up. "Since Your Highness has no other solution, I have no choice but to find another way."
Liu Minghan left the Prince Cheng's residence with a sullen face.
"My lord, what should we do now..."
The servant noticed that his master's expression was not good upon returning, and he became anxious as well.
The adults have only been here for a little over two months, and then bandits attacked the city. If this matter is not resolved...
This will be a major stain on the adults' political achievements in the future!
A hint of coldness flashed in Liu Minghan's eyes.
"He had no soldiers, so he wanted to recruit a group of bandits to serve as his own troops."
"I am determined to wipe out this bandit gang!"
The servant said, "But how can we suppress the bandits without soldiers..."
Liu Minghan smiled at him, "Besides the Prince of Han's vassal troops, there is also General He's southwestern camp."
"Although it's a bit farther than the garrison troops in Linzhou, given General He's marching speed, we can wait a little longer."
The urgent report from the governor's office had just left the city.
Someone from the Prince Cheng's study reported this.
"General He of the Southwest Camp?"
Xiao Shu paused in pruning the bonsai plants, then laughed.
"That would be even better; it's easier to get things done if you know someone."
As he finished speaking...
With a "snap," a side branch that had just sprouted new buds was cut off.
*
The county government office in Ding County was quiet.
The patrolling officers and soldiers dared not slack off in the slightest, and Yao Shisan also took out all the money he carried, and with the generous reward, he recruited another batch of militiamen.
The number has now increased by more than one hundred.
But it's just like a fragile egg.
Neither Jiang Xingyao nor Wei Xun were at the county office.
"Mother, is Father awake?"
Fu'er gripped her mother's sleeve tightly.
No matter how sensible and precocious she is, she is still a child after all.
Her father helped her vent her anger a couple of days ago and bought her a monkey toy car.
Now he lies silently on his bed.
She doesn't understand life and death yet.
But she was very scared.
She was afraid that her father would never open his eyes again and call her "Fu'er".
Yao Shisan bent down and kissed his daughter's forehead. "Yes, Father loves Fu'er so much, he won't be reluctant to wake up."
Fu'er nodded, "I like Daddy too."
Finally, she added, "Little Fatty likes Daddy too."
Yao Shisan tucked the blanket around her and said, "Go to sleep."
Fu'er obediently closed her eyes, but her hand did not loosen its grip on her mother's sleeve.
Yao Shisan leaned against her, gently patting his daughter while gazing at the flickering candlelight.
She didn't even know what she was thinking.
It seems like I've thought about a lot of things, yet it also seems like I haven't thought about anything at all.
Until the child beside her began to breathe slowly and gently.
She carefully got up and tucked her slightly cold, chubby little hands under the covers.
The room next door was brightly lit.
Doctor Tang would come every two hours to give Zhou Congxian acupuncture.
Shuang'er was skillfully assisting Doctor Tang.
Dr. Tang put away his acupuncture kit. "Call me in two hours."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "If it still doesn't work after I treat him, I... I'm powerless to help..."
Yao Shisan had just reached the door when he heard this sentence.
Shuang'er couldn't help but wipe away her tears.
Yao Shisan acted as if she hadn't heard anything. She came in, wrung out the towel from the washbasin, and hung it on the rack.
"Shuang'er, go and rest for a while, I'll take care of things."
After glancing at the two of them, Dr. Tang sighed softly and left with his medicine box.
Shuang'er said, "I'm not tired yet. It's you who works hard during the day, Sister Mubing, running up and down with me. I'll stay here and watch over things. You can go and get some sleep."
Yao Shisan smiled at her. "He ended up like this because he saved me. If I don't do my part, when he wakes up, he'll probably say, 'Jiang Shiyao has left the capital. Not only is she sharp-tongued, but she's also as hard-hearted as a rock!'"
Shuang'er's eyes reddened slightly, and then she nodded firmly.
"Yes! The young master doesn't hold back when he speaks, so sister mustn't give him any ammunition to use against you!"
"I know, you go and rest. My brother is so stingy, he won't even buy a maid. You have to help out in the kitchen tomorrow, there's food for so many people!"
Yao Shisan kicked her out.
Close the door.
The room was completely quiet.
After squatting in the corner with her hands covering her face for a while, Yao Shisan slowly stood up.
She threw the handkerchief she had just hung out to dry back into the warm water.
The night was chilly, but Zhou Congxian still had a high fever and needed to be wiped with warm water frequently.
“Zhou Congxian, I’m not your maid. You’ve been lying here for three days, and I’ve served you several times. That’s enough.”
Yao Shisan's voice was soft.
"Back in the capital, Song Jiyun framed me in many ways because of you, but not only did you not help me, you also told me to tolerate it."
"How can I tolerate this? I'm about to lose my life, what can I tolerate?"
“Now that you’ve taken two arrows for me, we’re even. Once you’re better, go back to your Duke of Ying’s mansion, and I’ll stay in Ding County and be Mrs. Yao, who sells grain.”
After she poured the water in again, she continued to rub his elbows repeatedly.
"Although I've only been away from the capital for a few months, I find being Lady Yao more interesting than Lady Jiang."
"You have lofty ambitions and are destined to soar through the heavens, while I am just a little sparrow content in a corner."
"You were so badly injured this time, and you haven't woken up for so long. That makes me realize that all those things before didn't matter. At least I'm still alive."
So that's why.
She took a deep breath before speaking solemnly.
"Zhou Congxian, wake up quickly. I don't hate you anymore, and I don't hate anyone else. You can go back to Beijing in peace now."
Her hand, which was wiping, was grabbed instead.
The next moment, a slightly hoarse voice sounded in her ear.
"Jiang Shiyao, you've even changed your name, can't you change your personality too?"
“They are vengeful and cannot be forgiven so quickly.”
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