Old Lu rarely gets involved in affairs; Sun usually makes the decisions. However, when it comes to important matters, he is usually the one who steps in to make the decisions.
At this point, everything Sun said was opposed, and Jiang Jiuniang was not going to back down either. It was unclear how long the stalemate would last, so he stepped forward to make a decision.
When Sun heard that Old Man Lu had agreed, she was a little angry, but then she realized that she couldn't really stop him, so she didn't say anything.
Old Lu continued, "When you're away from home, you can't lose contact with people. No matter how troublesome it is, you have to find a way to send a message home so that we can know how you are doing and feel at ease."
As the patriarch, Old Man Lu considered things quite comprehensively. Agreeing to their going did not mean he didn't care about their safety; sending a message was absolutely necessary.
Jiang Jiuniang nodded vigorously: "I know, Father, thank you!"
Old Lu nodded and then asked, "Since it's to deliver supplies to the army, why didn't the Emperor send someone to escort it, instead sending a weak woman like you?"
It was supposed to be a two-horse carriage, but they didn't even bring a driver. They just spliced the two carriages together, tied four horses to them, and set off. How dangerous is that!
Jiang Jiuniang explained, "The Emperor arranged for someone to transport this goods, but I refused. These goods are not ordinary, and I don't trust anyone else. Moreover, I kept the production process a secret. This technique is only known to our family."
Old Man Lu then said, "Then I'll send someone from home to you, or I'll have your elder brother take you there. That way we'll feel more at ease."
Jiang Jiuniang shook her head again: "No need. It's best to keep my departure a secret. The fewer people who know, the better. It's also good for our family. My elder brother will soon be appointed as an official through imperial favor. He's too busy studying to stay here for so long."
As she spoke, she took out a string of small medicine bottles, placed them in front of everyone, and said, "With these things, no one will dare to come near me, so you can rest assured."
The group looked at the medicine bottle and exchanged glances, but ultimately said nothing.
They absolutely trusted her when it came to using drugs.
After everyone agreed, they busied themselves preparing things for her and the dog, from clothes and food to daily necessities, filling every nook and cranny of the carriage.
Fortunately, this black lump needs sufficient strength to react; otherwise, being pressed down by these things might have caused serious injury.
Jiang Jiuniang accepted everything her family prepared without any hesitation. She listened obediently to all their instructions without arguing. However, before leaving, she reminded her family to be careful and not to be harmed by others.
Although she had asked the Empress in advance to help protect her family members, it had to be done in a reasonable way, and she must not do anything wrong.
The family members all agreed and said they would be careful.
To keep a low profile, Jiang Jiuniang didn't ask her family to see her off. In the evening, she took her dog and drove out of the city.
The dog was very excited the whole way. He sat outside with Jiang Jiuniang, enduring the cold wind, but his face was full of smiles.
"Mother, what do you think Father is doing right now?"
The dog clung to Jiang Jiuniang's arm, its mind racing with thoughts of what the border was really like.
"Right now, they should be eating, looking at maps, studying battle plans, or gathering troops to prepare for a night raid."
A few days ago, she received a letter from Lu Baichuan saying that he had arrived at the border and that the situation was indeed not optimistic.
Because Feng Cheng died in battle, all the soldiers he led were handed over to Prince Jing. However, those soldiers had served Feng Cheng for a long time and were not convinced by Prince Jing. Although they did not cause any major incidents, there were constant minor incidents, the morale of the army was not united, and there were conflicts every day. In addition, the Eastern Court was pressing forward step by step, and the border defense line was forced to retreat by one kilometer. The people had no choice but to follow suit and suffered greatly.
What Lu Baichuan needs to do is not only move the border defense line forward and restore the normal lives of the people, but also defeat the Dongting people and preferably weaken them so that they will not dare to offend him again in the next few years.
So, they've been planning all this time, with constant minor skirmishes but no major battle yet. However, Lu Baichuan feels that a major battle is not far off.
"Mother, when will we be able to see Father again?"
He asked this question because he knew his mother's secret.
Last time, he traveled from Jingzhou to the capital in just one night's sleep. He thought his mother was a fairy who possessed magic, which was why she could travel so quickly, and his mother admitted it.
This time, Mother insisted on not taking anyone with her, probably so that she could use her magic to travel faster.
He's a smart kid; he understands the道理 (principles/reasons), but he doesn't ask questions easily.
“If we go normally, we can arrive first thing tomorrow morning, but Mother wants to take a detour to do a great good deed for the people, so it may take a day or two to arrive.”
Now that she had already brought him along, Jiang Jiuniang didn't intend to hide it from him. She couldn't let him stay asleep forever; it would be bad for his health.
"Wow! I want to do something great with Mommy too!"
The dog got even more excited, waving the little bamboo stick in its hand and shouting, "Giddy up, giddy up!"
Seeing her son show such a childlike side, Jiang Jiuniang's mood improved. This was more like a normal child.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Jiang Jiuniang immediately stored the carriage and horses into her spatial storage right in front of Gou'er, and then took out the helicopter.
The dog stared in disbelief; its mother was truly an angel!
That's amazing!
Jiang Jiuniang felt a little uneasy, worried that he wouldn't be able to accept it, and asked, "Are you scared?"
The dog shook its head vigorously: "Mommy, I'm not afraid!"
He spoke quite loudly, as if to prove that he wasn't a coward.
"It's good that you're not afraid. Let's go."
Jiang Jiuniang pulled him toward the helicopter, lifted him up with one hand, and sat in the cockpit to start the engine. The helicopter slowly rose into the air.
This was the first time the dog had seen itself leave the ground so clearly; it felt weightless and a little nervous.
Jiang Jiuniang reminded her, "Relax. If you feel tinnitus, pinch your nose and blow air out. You'll get used to it gradually."
"Um!"
He nodded, said nothing more, and simply did as instructed.
After a while, the flight stabilized, and his condition gradually improved, so he dared to open his eyes and look at the surrounding scenery.
"Mommy, we're flying in the sky!"
"Mother, are these clouds?"
"Mother, the mountains below look so small!"
"Whoa, whoa, I'm flying!"
...
He chattered away like a happy little bird, and Jiang Jiuniang responded to every single one of his words, explaining anything he didn't understand.
There wasn't much to see at night, but he was very happy and excited for a long time until late at night when he couldn't stay awake any longer and finally fell asleep.
Just moments before he fell asleep, he was thinking how warm it was inside. It was so warm in this cold weather, and the seat beneath him was so comfortable, much more comfortable than a carriage!
And, Father, we'll be able to meet soon!
Seeing that he was asleep, Jiang Jiuniang slowed down, pulled a small blanket over him, and then continued to speed up her journey.
Nighttime is the best time to travel, while daytime is somewhat risky.
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