"Mother, Father has sent a letter!"
Feng'er ran from the side hall to the main house shouting all the way, and the whole East Palace heard it.
Lin Qingwan put down the storybook in her hand, calmly straightened her clothes, opened her arms, and skillfully hugged the person tightly.
Before Zhao Cong was gone, the Eastern Palace was as dull as an ice cellar. Now, Qingwan is here, and her embrace is softer and warmer than her father's.
Feng'er felt that even if her father went away for a year or two, he wouldn't be sad.
"Father is asking if you're doing well." He held up a letter in his little hand, the handwriting strong and vigorous, carrying a faint scent of kapok flowers.
Lin Qingwan thought of Zhao Cong's tall and imposing figure, and the way he spoke to her, and her eyes softened even more, "Give it to me..."
She wants to see it.
But Feng'er was waiting for her to ask for the letter, his eyes darting around, full of traps. Lin Qingwan knew how many surprising things this boy could say, so she changed the subject and said, "Read it to me."
Feng'er was surprised that she had predicted her prediction, and immediately felt it was pointless. "Why don't you see for yourself?"
Lin Qingwan said matter-of-factly, "There are some characters I don't recognize."
Feng'er has become clever too, "When you were reading the storybooks, how come you didn't encounter any unfamiliar words?"
Lin Qingwan couldn't answer, so she deliberately said, "Good Feng'er, read it to me."
Don't let Feng'er's cleverness fool you; she has plenty of ways to manipulate and coax Zhao Cong. But she loses when it comes to Lin Qingwan.
She's being coquettish!
Feng'er cleared her throat, mimicked her teacher's manner by shaking the letter, then frowned slightly, looking very serious and composed.
"Having been away from the capital for many days, and with the initial victory, I finally have time to inquire about Wan'er's well-being. Is she comfortable staying at the Eastern Palace? Is the food in the small kitchen to her liking?"
"It gets chilly in the main house at night, so have the maids add an extra blanket. Has anyone made things difficult for you while I've been away? And Feng'er, that boy is cunning and hard to discipline. If he makes you angry, have Shen Xu give him a beating."
"If he is really naughty, let him stay at the Imperial Academy, and I will deal with him when I return to the capital."
By the end, Feng'er couldn't say she was gritting her teeth; she could only say she was heartbroken and shed tears.
"My father wrote back from afar, but didn't ask me a single question. He even had Guard Shen beat me and made me stay at the Imperial Academy?"
"Father didn't say that before he left! Besides, when have I been cunning? How did I upset Mother?"
Feng'er's little face was puffed up with anger, and Lin Qingwan couldn't help but laugh. Just as she was about to persuade her, the letter was stuffed into her hand.
"I'll go write a reply!"
Lin Qingwan could tell from his expression that the letter was bound to contain something unpleasant.
Mu Xue laughed out loud, "The Crown Prince has raised the young prince so well. The young prince is not afraid of the Crown Prince at all. Although he looks angry, he is just jealous that the Crown Prince only speaks well of you and is annoyed that the Crown Prince speaks ill of him in front of you."
Lin Qingwan's eyebrows curved into crescents. Every day after marrying into the Eastern Palace was leisurely and interesting. She thought of how she had once hoped that one day she could be like the Crown Prince and the Little Prince, able to remain calm and peaceful even amidst the hustle and bustle.
Unexpectedly, it actually came true.
It seems that of all the countless wishes she had in her life, only that fleeting thought came true.
Then it wouldn't have been a wasted life.
"Make some of the little prince's favorite snacks and send them over. Once he finishes writing, tell him I want to read the storybook with him."
Mu Xue: "This will definitely appease the young prince."
Zhao Cong thought that Feng'er's reply wouldn't be very kind, so he opened the envelope with a smile, and then... his smile vanished.
Cang Ying and several deputy generals were all waiting to see the young prince's letter and have some fun, but they saw the crown prince's expression harden.
"Your Highness, has something happened in the capital?" the deputy general asked anxiously.
Cang Ying said, "Since Guard Shen is in the palace, he will definitely send an urgent message to the Crown Prince if anything happens."
"Was Lady Wan bullied?" the lieutenant asked again.
Cang Ying didn't respond this time.
Zhao Cong suddenly spoke up, "She wasn't bullied, she's doing quite well."
The lieutenant breathed a sigh of relief. "What did the letter say?"
Zhao Cong used to enjoy sharing with them, firstly because Feng'er's letter could ease everyone's mind for a moment, and secondly because he wanted to show off how well he had raised his child.
This time, the letter was folded neatly, which was unusual. "It's nothing, everyone go and rest."
Several lieutenants and Cangying left the camp together. They hadn't gone far when the crickets started chirping. But no matter what they thought, they could never guess what Feng'er had written.
Zhao Cong's eyes flickered between light and shadow, and the curve of his lips appeared and disappeared intermittently.
The boy said he spent every day with Lin Qingwan, and that she even held him while he slept on rainy nights. He also said that although he was cunning and mischievous and didn't study hard, Qingwan still liked him.
The most crucial sentence is: "Father sent so many greetings in his letter, but she didn't want to read them herself and made me read them!"
She even acted cute and affectionate with me!
She's being cute!
Have you seen Father before? Oh, Feng'er remembers, Qingwan has never hugged Father, let alone acted coquettishly with you.
Zhao Cong read it several more times, then laughed in exasperation.
He wanted to return to Beijing even more.
In the afternoon, the crown prince made a decision that surprised the border soldiers: to pursue the Xiongnu for thirty li and drive them back to the west of Cangning Mountain.
The Xiongnu and Da Ning have been locked in a stalemate for nearly twenty years. This war will be difficult, but if successful, it could ensure Da Ning's safety for a century.
Their descendants will also be able to enjoy peace and tranquility.
The capital city, the Eastern Palace.
"What did Your Majesty say? If we are to fight this war, we must mobilize the entire nation to support it. Both military supplies and equipment must be provided."
When Lin Qingwan learned of the Crown Prince's decision, her first reaction was to worry that the Emperor would not be supportive.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xu looked on with great respect, "His Majesty has always insisted that the Crown Prince inherit the throne. At this critical juncture, he has no choice but to accept it, whether he likes it or not."
"That's true, but he did tacitly approve of the Ning family framing the Empress back then. If it weren't for that incident, the Xiongnu would probably have been driven away by the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather long ago." Lin Qingwan was cautious and didn't have much faith in the Emperor.
"How is Prince Jing?" She was still afraid that the emperor would stab Zhao Cong in the back.
“He’s acting crazy. I heard he started vomiting blood a couple of days ago. I’m afraid it won’t last long,” Shen Xu replied.
Zhao Yan was poisoned by Lin Qingwan, and Physician Zhu wouldn't actually treat him, so there's no need to worry.
Seeing that her brows were still furrowed, Shen Xu said again, "The Crown Prince has people in all six ministries of the court, and the border soldiers also follow the Crown Prince through thick and thin. Madam, you don't need to worry too much."
Lin Qingwan nodded, "The Tang family, the Vice Minister of War..."
Shen Xu said solemnly, "The Crown Prince left his subordinates in the capital to keep an eye on the Tang family."
Lin Qingwan wasn't afraid of Tang Yun causing trouble, but she was afraid that Su Yun would instigate Tang Yun to make trouble for her at this time.
The Tang family already felt wronged, and at this critical juncture, they absolutely could not cause trouble for the Crown Prince.
"Okay." Lin Qingwan instructed, "I can take good care of myself here, Guard Shen doesn't need to worry too much."
"By the way, I made clothes for His Highness the other day, and I also made new ones for the Crown Prince. Please send them out."
Shen Xu's eyes lit up.
Later that evening, Lin Qingwan called Qiu Hong over and asked her to keep an eye on Su Yun.
This person has been ill and hasn't come out these past few days; I wonder what mischief he's up to now.
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