Chapter 75 Gu Huizhou is dead: His Majesty has...has passed away!
"You left without even telling me. I'm not going to stop you from leaving."
"When are you coming back? I asked Fourteen, but he doesn't know either. I see that historical battles are counted by year, so I wonder if there will be fireworks to watch on my birthday next year."
“I’ve written this letter, but I won’t send it to you yet. Sending too many would only bother them. Thirteen and Fourteen are already very busy.”
"Xu Yi and Lord Xue governed the court very well. There were ministers causing trouble in the court. Fourteen and I took advantage of the night to beat them up, and then things quieted down for a long time."
"I was all alone in the bedchamber. My legs hurt a little after riding the horse, but the ointment you left behind isn't burning anymore. I hope it stays like this from now on."
"Have you been eating properly? I feel like you haven't been eating since you left. If I see you've lost weight when you come back, I'll have the imperial kitchen add chicken legs to your meals every day. Pork is delicious too, but I still prefer chicken."
...
There were twenty-four letters scattered throughout, each containing very little text, but each with a date written on it.
Yao Ruyi needs to write a letter every two or three days.
The man's heart softened drastically, but this was followed by heartache. He had left that foolish mushroom alone in the ruthless capital city. But...
Thinking of how he and the Fourteenth Prince had beaten up the ministers who were causing trouble, Gu Huizhou smiled and said, "You were taught well by me."
The candlelight burned all night, and the man read each letter hundreds of times, wondering again and again where Yao Ruyi was when she wrote it, whether she was wearing her undergarments, what pastries were beside her, and whether she was living comfortably.
Gu Huizhou relaxed and leaned back in the wooden chair, murmuring softly, "Yao Ruyi."
As dawn broke again, the sounds of soldiers clamoring outside the tents filled the air. Han Jiqing's voice rang out, "Has His Majesty awakened?"
Gu Huizhou said loudly, "Come in."
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects," Han Jiqing said solemnly. "Your Majesty, shall we attack the city today?"
Gu Huizhou carefully folded the letter page by page, placing it under his pillow like a precious jewel. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fists clenched so tightly that his bones cracked. He lightly touched his lips and said, "Attack the city."
"yes!"
The war raged for several months, and before they knew it, summer had arrived. The Northern Yuan army captured two cities in the Xiao Kingdom, and the somber atmosphere in the capital eased considerably, with even the court gradually showing signs of joy.
Yao Ruyi also received a message from the Fourteenth Prince while in the main camp.
Throughout the entire military camp, he was the only one whose clothes remained spotless. Even though he was wearing armor, his snow-white, clean robes were still visible, leading many to wonder who General Han's deputy was.
He killed even more fiercely than General Han on the battlefield.
"You're telling me! Last time, we really had to rely on Deputy General Yao. If it weren't for him, I, Qin, would have been done for!" Qin Linshan would tell everyone he met about this incident. At first, he thought Yao Ruyi was a young master from a noble family, but after seeing his archery skills, he only thought he was a trained fighter.
But the truth will be revealed on the battlefield. He may have a handsome appearance, but he is definitely a killing machine.
"Just two days ago, your Deputy General Yao received a message from the capital while he was in the camp, so he was a few steps behind. As a result, when he caught up, he happened to see an enemy soldier with a sword preparing to ambush me, Old Qin. Without thinking, Deputy General Yao grabbed his bow and arrow and shot, and just now, he collided with the enemy soldier's arrow!"
Qin Linshan was talking to a bunch of soldiers around him in a rambling manner. He pointed to the side of his neck and said, "I'm not kidding, it's right here on my neck! If it weren't for Deputy General Yao, I wouldn't be here talking to you guys!"
A group of soldiers stared wide-eyed and echoed, "Lieutenant General Yao is truly a god!"
Some people said, "This is just like General Han back then."
"Yes! I think so too."
...
Not far away, Han Dahai watched with amusement. He smiled at Yao Ruyi beside him and said, "He's just a talkative person, it's not a bad thing. Please bear with him, sir."
Yao Ruyi didn't know why Han Dahai always called him "Master," but fortunately, he only did it when no one was around. "It's nothing."
Qin Linshan's words helped establish his authority; otherwise, with an extra deputy general, how would the soldiers be convinced?
When he first arrived, people challenged him to duels every day. It wasn't until a month or two later that things calmed down, and he actually became their deputy general.
After months of fighting against the grasslands, neither side could gain an advantage. Yuan Liao found someone who had a thorough understanding of Han Dahai's tactics, and only by using new tricks could he narrowly win.
Han Dahai suddenly sighed and said, "My lord, please come with me to the tent to talk."
Yao Ruyi nodded and went to the camp with Han Dahai. There was only one command tent, but Han Dahai still helped him get a single tent, which was talked about by the soldiers for a long time.
"My lord, the capital is now out of food, and the remaining provisions in the camp are not enough to last for the next month."
Yao Ruyi understood that what was left was not entirely what they had brought back from the capital. Just five or six days after they arrived, Han Dahai had returned to the capital alone to see Han Jiwen one last time, and brought back provisions with him.
But now, the bulk of the supply has to come from the Northern Yuan. He frowned slightly, though it was barely noticeable from a distance. “What you say is true, sir. In this situation… we should get grain from the grasslands.”
Upon hearing this, Han Dahai leisurely replied, "We will obtain supplies from the enemy."
That's what I mean.
A few days ago, Yuan Liao led a surprise attack, but was blocked by Yao Ruyi and her men. The two sides fought fiercely. Taking advantage of the chaos, Yao Ruyi stabbed Yuan Liao in the left leg with her sword. She wanted to capture him, but the other side had too many people, so she rescued him instead.
A truce was finally reached in the last few days.
Yao Ruyi said, "Yuan Liao is seriously injured, which is also an opportunity for us."
Han Dahai fell silent upon hearing this. He thought for a while, but was still uneasy. "This method is too risky. Let's wait and see. If there is really no other way in the future, then we can use this method."
Before the two could finish speaking, a soldier suddenly appeared outside the tent, his voice filled with joy, "General! General! The provisions, the provisions have arrived!"
It felt like a dream; someone had just given them a pillow after they'd dozed off. Han Dahai and Yao Ruyi exchanged an incredulous glance, then immediately stood up. "Let's go!"
The courtyard was already piled high with supplies, and several soldiers were beaming with joy. "Yes, it's grain!"
"My God! There really is so much food!"
"Who brought it here?"
The soldier quickly called over the men escorting the supplies. Upon seeing the man, Yao Ru exclaimed with delight, "Xunyang?"
"Brother Yao!" Xunyang smiled and bowed halfway down, "This humble subject greets the general."
He was nervous and stammered.
Han Dahai had never met this person before, but seeing that Yao Ruyi knew him, he felt relieved and smiled, "Come, let's sit down and talk."
Xunyang was quite excited to see Han Dahai, and he quickly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, General."
Jiangzhou City is nearing a bumper harvest, yet the price of the first batch of grain remains high. Even though the Siyun Chamber of Commerce controls Jiangzhou City's grain supply, with the three kingdoms at war, there are always those who want to profit from the national crisis.
"It's Chairman Han. Chairman Han took some time to return to Jiangzhou City and bought up all this grain at a high price. I had nothing else to do, so I volunteered to deliver it. It's just a small matter, nothing serious," Xun Yang said with a smile, blushing at Han Dahai's grateful gaze.
He originally longed to enter the court as an official, but deep down he also harbored a passion for fighting on the battlefield.
"How could this be a small matter?" Han Dahai stood up and cupped his hands in thanks. "Young Master has had a long journey and needs to rest well in the camp. When we return to the capital, the Han family will certainly repay you handsomely!"
This made Xunyang even more uncomfortable. "No, it's nothing. Chairman Han has already paid the compensation."
Han Dahai paused, then said, "This time it's even better."
Xunyang turned to look at Yao Ruyi, appearing flustered in the presence of such a high-ranking official, "Brother Yao..."
The mushroom understood.
He suddenly said, "General Han, I am acquainted with Xunyang, I will accompany him for a stroll."
Han Dahai understood. He got up and saw the two out. "Alright, but I still have to thank you. Young master, you brought us supplies from afar. You've been a great help to us. It's no exaggeration to call you our savior."
"General, you're too kind."
After bowing, Xun Yang finally left with Yao Ruyi. Xun Yang let out a long sigh and chuckled, "I still get weak in the knees when I face such important people, just like the time I was in prison the year before last, I was so scared I was dumbfounded."
Yao Ruyi smiled and said, "You'll get used to it."
At first, he thought Gu Huizhou would do something to him, but now he's fine.
"That won't do. If I stay with these people all the time, I'll be exhausted in a few days." Xunyang said, wiping the sweat from his brow. The two walked towards the back mountain as they talked, a place that was much more pleasant than the main camp.
The air itself feels much fresher.
Yao Ruyi had just wanted to ask, "Aren't you running a school with Zhu Yue? How can you be so idle?"
Xunyang had already known he would ask this question, and shook his head helplessly, "That's how it should be. But after the New Year, Chen Zhuyue disappeared. He was the one who contacted those scholars in the school, but after a while, they all left."
“If we don’t even have a scholar, how can we open a school?” The two of them swayed and sat down on a rock. Xunyang was wearing a light green outer robe, which was the favorite style of young masters from aristocratic families in Jiangnan, so he followed suit.
“Since the school is closed, I’ll work for Chairman Han at the Chamber of Commerce and earn some wages.” He finished with a smile, “I’m thinking that I’ve learned a lot by following Chairman Han around these past two years. Once the war is over, I might be able to become a manager.”
He hadn't forgotten his promise to buy the same fabric as Yao Ruyi for his brothers. He tugged at his own clothes and said, "Brother Yao, look, isn't the fabric I'm wearing now much better than it was two years ago?"
Yao Ruyi reached out her hand, "That's good. Yes! It's good."
“Brother Yao, you’re right that it’s good material, but it still can’t compare to what you’re wearing.” Although Xunyang said this, he didn’t seem discouraged. “When I become the manager, I can buy something like this.”
Yao Ruyi nodded, "Yes, we'll be able to buy it soon."
Xunyang smiled.
The two felt a sense of comfort as the breeze blew by. Yao Ruyi asked, "Have you seen Brother Gao and Brother Zhang since we last parted?"
Xunyang shook his head, "No, actually I was quite shocked to see Brother Yao again."
Yao Ruyi nodded; he hadn't expected to see him again either. The two talked for quite a while, never realizing that they had known each other for almost two years.
"Let's go back and try the food in our camp."
"Alright!" Xunyang was actually looking forward to it. He had brought quite a bit of food, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Maybe it would taste even better cooked in the big pots in the military camp.
The two strolled leisurely towards the military camp, but before they even got close, they suddenly heard a commotion inside. Yao Ruyi immediately placed her hand on her sword, her eyes sharp and serious. "Xunyang, stand behind me."
Xunyang's expression changed instantly; he hadn't expected to be caught in the enemy's surprise attack.
"good!"
But the two walked for a while without seeing anything unusual. Yao Ruyi frowned. He sensed something was wrong and quickened his pace toward Han Dahai's command tent.
Dead? Who died?
But the closer he got to the commander's tent, the colder his heart became.
Yao Ruyi always had a better ear than others, and he could hear everything being said inside the command tent before he even entered.
"What did you say! Say it again!" It was Han Dahai's hoarse roar.
"Reporting to the General! It's a letter from the Northern Yuan, Your Majesty! Two days ago, Your Majesty led troops in a surprise attack on the Xiao Kingdom's camp and had already won, but on the way back to camp, you were ambushed by the Crown Prince of Xiao and his men!"
The soldier trembled and choked with sobs, “By the time General Han arrived with his men, His Majesty had already… had already passed away!”
Qin Linshan was also in the command tent. He couldn't help but shout, "You're talking nonsense! Where did this news come from? I don't believe it!"
The blood in her body suddenly froze at that moment, and Yao Ruyi's mind went blank with a "buzz!"
Gu Huizhou is dead?
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