Chapter 278 I Won't Admit My Mistake
Her voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Meng Shilan's heart sank suddenly.
She calmly put down her needle and thread and handed the embroidery hoop to Shuang'er.
"Shuang'er, take Fu'er and Xiao Pangxi to the back for some snacks."
Shuang'er understood, took the two children's hands, and quickly retreated.
Inside the warm pavilion, only the two of them remained.
Meng Shilan personally poured He Ran a cup of hot tea and handed it to her cold hands.
"What's wrong?"
"Why are you running in this heavy snow?"
He Ran held the teacup, but her fingertips were still icy cold. She opened her mouth, and her eyes suddenly reddened.
“I…I received a letter from my father.”
Meng Shilan's heart jumped into her throat instantly.
He Ran's father, He Wenting, was the commander of the Southwest Battalion.
"What did the letter say?"
Her voice was very steady, so steady that you couldn't hear a single ripple in it.
He Ran took a deep breath, as if using all his strength.
"Yumen... won a great victory."
"The Ule coalition was routed, and the new leader, caught off guard, was also seriously wounded and fled in disarray."
Meng Shilan's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
A victory is always a good thing.
But looking at He Ran's expression, she knew that things were not that simple.
"But what about it?" she asked softly.
"However... Ule did not suffer any fundamental damage. Instead, those wavering allies were thoroughly enraged by this defeat and all reinforced their troops."
"The Northwest Camp is now almost completely surrounded on three sides by troops from the entire territory of Ule."
"Being attacked from both sides."
“Father said that my eldest brother has been in the Northwest Camp for more than two months, and now my second brother is needed to come to his aid again.”
Meng Shilan's face also turned pale instantly.
He Xun, the eldest son of the He family, has been recruited, and now the second son, He Xuan, is also needed to provide reinforcements.
This illustrates just how dire the situation had become.
"Did the letter mention him?"
Meng Shilan finally couldn't hold back and asked the question.
He Ran shook his head, his eyes full of apology.
"My father's letter was very brief and did not mention Prince Zhou."
Meng Shilan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow beneath them.
She received no letter, not even a single piece of news.
He could only piece together the perilous situation he was in from snippets of conversation from others.
That feeling of helplessness was like countless cold hands tightly gripping her heart.
The warm room was burning with the finest silver charcoal, yet she felt a chill all over her body.
Zhou Congxian was escorting military supplies into the pass, which was not considered dangerous compared to the soldiers who were charging into battle.
But no one knew that he was now wearing a mask as "General Meng," acting as Meng Yushan's shadow to stabilize morale.
Therefore, he cannot write letters.
We can't let people know that the "Meng Yushan" who raised his arms and rallied the masses is a fake.
After a long silence.
Meng Shilan suddenly raised her head, gave He Ran a very faint smile.
"In military campaigns, no news is the best news."
She spoke slowly and clearly, word by word.
It was as if he was trying to persuade He Ran, but it was also as if he was trying to persuade himself.
Upon hearing these words, He Ran's tears fell down with a "plop".
She lunged forward and hugged Meng Shilan tightly.
"Shi Lan!"
"I'm so scared..."
“Every time my father and brother went to war, my mother would kneel in the Buddhist hall for several days, unable to sleep all night long.”
"I didn't understand before, but now... I finally understand how unbearable that feeling is."
Meng Shilan gently patted her back, as if comforting a frightened child.
"I understand."
How could she not understand?
From the moment he stepped out of the capital, her heart never settled back into her stomach.
During the day, she had to manage the vast Duke's mansion, oversee the grain business, raise her two children, and present a calm and collected demeanor to everyone.
Only in the dead of night, when all is quiet, does that agonizing worry overwhelm her like a tidal wave.
She's afraid too.
I'm afraid he'll get hurt, afraid he won't be able to come back.
"Ranran."
Meng Shilan helped He Ran up and wiped away the tears on her face.
Her eyes regained their usual clarity and composure.
"Sitting here and getting anxious won't solve anything."
"I've heard that the incense at the White Horse Temple on the outskirts of Beijing is not only very popular, but also quite efficacious."
"Let's go to the temple together, light an everlasting lamp for them, and pray for their well-being."
For those soldiers fighting abroad.
He was Zhou Congxian, his maternal grandfather, and also He Ran's father and elder brother.
A glimmer of light rekindled in He Ran's eyes.
Yes, we have to do something.
Even if it's just for peace of mind.
She nodded emphatically.
"good!"
"Let's go now!"
...
The road to Baima Temple was already covered in snow.
The wheels rolled over it, making a "creaking" sound.
Inside the carriage, incense burned, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The carriage curtain swayed slightly, and He Ran happened to turn her head to look, pausing for a moment.
"What's wrong?" Meng Shilan noticed.
He Ran's brows furrowed tightly.
"Just now... it seems like a carriage passed by."
“I see that emblem; it belongs to the Chen family.”
Meng Shilan's gaze sharpened slightly.
The Chen family.
He Ran's maternal uncle's family had a history of misconduct. They had failed to harm He Ran last time, which allowed Zhou Congxian to take the opportunity to discipline them, and they behaved themselves for a while.
What were they doing at the White Horse Temple?
"more than."
He Ran lowered his voice even further.
"The moment the curtain was lifted, I think I saw... a figure."
"That profile, that figure..."
He Ran's breath hitched!
She turned around abruptly, looking at Meng Shilan with shock and disbelief in her eyes.
"It's Xiao Shu!"
"I can't be wrong! It's definitely him!"
She hadn't met He Ran and Xiao Shu often, but his ambition left a deep impression on her.
A prince dared to privately amass troops and even besiege an official appointed by the imperial court.
Their ambitions should not be underestimated!
A prince is not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict, so how dare Xiao Shu show up here!
Meng Shilan's heart sank to the bottom.
A chill, more biting than the wind and snow outside the car, instantly spread throughout her body.
Even a man like Song Jiyun, whose home was confiscated, was able to stir up trouble in the capital.
Now, Xiao Shu, who has been away from the capital for three years, is coming back...
Meng Shilan's fingertips unconsciously tightened, digging into the soft flesh of her palm.
The bandits at the border have not yet been driven out.
Is the capital about to descend into chaos?
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