Sit back and wait
"The Concubine Dowager is fine. She was a little worried and couldn't sleep or eat for a few days after the general left. She kept asking about the general's recent situation. After hearing that everything was fine here, she gradually felt relieved." Zhong Yujing washed the teapot, put the tea back in, and filled the teapot again.
"Thank you, Prime Minister Jing, for always accompanying the Concubine Dowager and comforting her." Shangguan Yichen said sincerely.
"General, you are too kind." Zhong Yujing lowered her head to make tea and smiled. Then she remembered something, "The Concubine Dowager also recites scriptures and worships Buddha every day, and she recites the Ksitigarbha Sutra the most."
Shangguan Yichen paused tapping the rim of the teacup with his index finger, his expression slightly restrained, and he just nodded lightly without saying anything.
During the few days that Zhong Yujing visited Prince Xian's Mansion, she discovered that the Concubine Dowager had the habit of worshiping Buddha every day. If she happened to see her in the Buddhist hall when she went there, Zhong Yujing would wait in the main hall until the Concubine Dowager came out of the Buddhist hall.
According to the servants at Prince Xian's residence, the Concubine was not a Buddhist before. About a decade ago, she met a highly accomplished monk and, after hearing Buddhist teachings, suddenly attained enlightenment. Upon her return, she built a Buddhist temple and has since devoted herself to vegetarianism, chanting Buddhist scriptures daily. The Concubine often recounted the story of Emperor Yao's wars, which resulted in heavy slaughter. She then recited the Ksitigarbha Sutra daily to pray for the souls of the deceased and to accumulate merit for him. The servants also reported that, recently, since Prince Xian's expeditions, the Concubine has been spending more time in the temple.
Shangguan Yichen watched the tea leaves in the cup float up and down in the water, gently turning the cup in his hand and asked, "What does the Prime Minister think of the war?"
Zhong Yujing walked over slowly, carrying a freshly brewed teapot. She filled Shangguan Yichen's cup with tea and poured herself another. Putting the teapot down, she said, "For one's own country, conquest is called strength. For another country, slaughter is called aggression. Different perspectives, different essences."
Shangguan Yichen's eyes were deep. "I thought so too at first." He moved his gaze forward, stopping at the topographic map. "If war is used as a weapon to quell conflict and stop the killing, then this war becomes a feat of extraordinary significance."
His eyes were firm. "You traveled all the way from Qi to Nansai, passing through several countries. You had to undergo inspections and exchange certificates of ordination along the way. In each country, you had to adapt to a new language, and you had to exchange banknotes for residence and purchases. Each country defended its homeland and set up checkpoints against other countries. This may seem the safest, but it actually fostered their own selfish desires. Over time, every country wanted to plunder the territory of others. Once greed arises, internal strife and external conflict will continue, just like Qi and Dan before them, and just like Nansai today."
He stood up calmly and drew a large circle on the topographic map with his index and middle fingers. "If the entire territory could be demarcated and merged into one country, ruled by one regime, these hidden dangers of conflict could be completely eliminated."
His eyes were blazing, and he seemed to see a brand new realm in them, where his ideal lay. "In this country, there are no barriers between people, no plundering and fighting, no disputes of mutual deception, no language barriers, no need to exchange currency or silver bills, unified laws and standards, and all the people of the land, under heaven, are united as one.
"If you have to fight for such a world, are you willing?" Shangguan Yichen fixed his eyes on Zhong Yujing's face and asked her.
Zhong Yujing suddenly recalled the image of Shangguan Yichen at the enthronement ceremony, wearing the imperial crown and robes. She had only sensed that he exuded the aura of an emperor, but she had never imagined that this was simply the grace that emanated from him from within. It turned out he had long harbored such ambitions, such lofty aspirations.
"If one day I can witness such a world, would you be willing to join me?" Shangguan Yichen leaned down and looked into her eyes.
Zhong Yujing naturally felt obliged to do so.
That night, elite soldiers who were waiting at the southern border sent back news that suspicious people had landed at the ferry, but did not enter the miasma forest. They only camped outside the forest, as if waiting for someone. Seeing that the other party had not revealed their whereabouts, the soldiers kept their troops in place and did not act rashly.
When Shangguan Yichen received the news, he immediately took off his military uniform, changed into dark casual clothes, grabbed his sword, and left the tent, "Prepare the horses!", intending to head towards the southern border.
Zhong Yujing chased after him and stood beside Ben Lei, looking up at him. "General, please allow me to go with you."
He looked down at her. Although she looked handsome in men's clothing, she never gave people a sense of weakness. Ever since she appeared in the military camp, he felt that even though the outcome of the battle in front of them was uncertain, her heart was as calm as iron. Just like now, no matter how dangerous or difficult the road ahead was, she was determined to go with him.
Shangguan Yichen leaned over, put his arm around her and mounted her on the horse, placing her in front of him. He pulled the reins in his hand, and with a thunderous whistle, they galloped into the night.
The cool night breeze blew her hair against his face. Her body was in his arms, just an inch away. He had never felt so at ease. Even though the situation ahead was critical and seemed extremely dangerous, he did not feel anxious at all. He only heard her turn her head slightly and whisper to him, "General, don't worry. I will hide my identity and not expose myself to Setuyi."
His heart was itching, his body was a little stiff, and his breathing was a little disordered. Could it be because of the galloping horse? He couldn't help but tighten the reins in his hands.
He should have been eager to reach the southern border immediately, but now he felt a little resentful that Ben Lei was running too fast...
When they arrived at the border of Nansai, Shangguan Yichen dismounted and stretched out his arms. Zhong Yujing was skilled in horse riding, but he did not dismount by himself. He leaned towards him and was held firmly by him, with his feet firmly on the ground.
A soldier came quickly to report, and Shangguan Yichen just let go of the hand that was holding Zhong Yujing, calmed his expression, turned around and asked, "What did you find?"
The soldiers bowed their hands and knelt on the ground. "General, we've spotted dozens of people at the ferry crossing. They're all dressed in Nansai clothing, but they're speaking the Qi language. This strikes me as suspicious, so I ordered everyone to hide in the woods under cover of darkness and keep a close watch. After landing, we saw they didn't enter the miasma forest, but camped at the edge, seemingly waiting for something. So, we didn't act rashly."
Shangguan Yichen asked, "Does the visitor have anything with him?"
The officer said, "They only had their personal weapons, nothing else."
Shangguan Yichen pondered for a moment and said, "Hold the troops still and continue to monitor."
The soldiers obeyed the order and returned to their positions to continue guarding.
Shangguan Yichen turned to Zhong Yujing and said, "These people won't stay here for long. They wear Nansai clothing to hide their identities. They want to pretend to be locals, but they have entered the miasma forest and entered Nansai. In addition, their accents will reveal their presence when they speak, which will easily arouse suspicion. They must be waiting for supplies and food. Once they receive the supplies, they will try to connect with the people sent by the Setu tribe. We will guard here and we will definitely find something soon."
Zhong Yu Jingshen agreed and nodded.
Shangguan Yichen's face suddenly darkened. "It's just... you've been traveling all the way here, and you haven't even had a good rest yet, yet you have to stay here with me. Do you feel uncomfortable?"
Zhong Yujing smiled brightly and shook her head, saying, "No! I slept in the barracks last night, with the soldiers guarding me. It was very peaceful. It was the best night of rest I've had since I set out on this journey. My fatigue has long since vanished. General, don't worry."
Shangguan Yichen smiled widely and hid in the forest with her. Not far away, the lights in the tents of dozens of people were still on. Zhong Yujing's mind suddenly drifted back to her home far away in Qiguo. Her parents and uncle must be lighting lamps and missing her at night, hoping that she would return home safely day and night. Unfortunately, her trip was confidential and the letter did not explain the details. She didn't know how the three elders at home were worried about her. Thinking of this, she couldn't help feeling sad.
Shangguan Yichen noticed that she seemed to be worried and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhong Yujing pondered, "How do soldiers explain things to their families before leaving for battle?"
Shangguan Yichen said, "Most people will explain to their families how to take care of their elders, wives, and children if they cannot return alive, or entrust them to trustworthy people to take care of them."
Zhong Yujing said sadly, "I haven't had time to explain my situation to my family yet... Because the emperor forbad our operation to be public, I kept it a secret from everyone." She paused, then smiled and said, "If I had known this would happen, I would have explained it in the letter I left for my family." She said sheepishly, "This is my first time going out on a campaign, and I'm still inexperienced. I was really careless." She looked up at the full moon again and said leisurely, "If anything happens to me, I hope my family will never know. Just think of it as me running away and never returning."
Shangguan Yichen suddenly grabbed her arm, pulled her back, and said to her, "With me here, you still dare to have wild thoughts and worry about your own safety. What is your intention in not taking me, the Great General, seriously?"
He stared at her with an unquestionable look and a slightly reprimanding tone, but Zhong Yujing's heart was suddenly covered with a layer of hard armor, thick and impenetrable.
Suddenly, I heard the soldiers next to me whisper, "There's a ship approaching!"
The two men then looked towards the lake, and saw several ships loaded with wooden boxes slowly approaching the shore.
"Something's coming!" a soldier whispered, "General, shall we take action?" He turned his head and looked at Shangguan Yichen.
"Wait a minute." Shangguan Yichen stared at the boat with a stern expression, "Make sure you see who's coming before you take action."
After the ship slowly approached the shore, all the people stationed in the tent came out, and several people also got off the ship. These people were not wearing the clothes of the Nansai people. They were all wearing black clothes, but they were not masked. They met with the Qi people wearing Nansai clothes on the shore. They seemed very familiar with each other. After just a few words, people from both sides got on the ship and began to unload the cargo. They were obviously well-trained and this was not their first time.
Shangguan Yichen watched from afar and saw that all the wooden boxes were moved into the tent of the group setting up camp. Then the black-clothed men on the boat entered the tent with the group setting up camp. About half an hour later, people from both sides came out of the tent. The lights in the tent were extinguished, and the tents were dismantled and put away one by one. Then they packed and tied them up, as if they were going to take them away. What surprised Shangguan Yichen and the others was that the wooden boxes on the boat were gone!
Shangguan Yichen suddenly stood up, grabbed the tree trunk, and looked over there with a frown. Zhong Yujing was shocked. The soldiers whispered, "Could it be that there is a mechanism on the ground? Did they hide the wooden box underground?"
Shangguan Yichen said nothing and continued to watch calmly. He saw that after the two groups had packed up, they returned to the shore where the ship was docked. One of the men in black got on the boat, but after a while, he bowed and led someone off the boat.
The man was wearing a well-fitting brocade robe and had a thin figure. He wore a dark wind cloak. After stepping off the boat, he took off the fox fur hat on his head, raised his head to look at the two groups of people under the boat, nodded, and everyone packed up and prepared to set off.
Before Yifei left, he glanced over here vigilantly with his pair of almond-shaped eyes. Seeing nothing wrong, he quickly followed the group away.
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