Li Langhuan: "???"
What is all this about?
However, Li Langhuan quickly realized that Tao Yingshi probably thought they were both dead. She couldn't help but chuckle and tapped Tao Yingshi's forehead: "What nonsense are you talking about? Doctor Zeng went through a lot to save you, not to let you spout nonsense."
Tao Yingshi gradually came to her senses and realized that she had just made a stupid mistake. Her face turned slightly red. She was about to speak when she couldn't help coughing, as if she was about to cough up her lungs.
Li Langhuan quickly patted her back: "Don't talk, just focus on getting your health back."
Tao Ying nodded weakly, then started coughing again.
Just then, Zisu returned with the medicine. When she saw that Tao Yingshi had woken up, her eyes immediately reddened. She quickly went over and knelt at Tao Yingshi's feet: "My wife is awake? Is there anything wrong?"
Tao Ying forced a smile and said, "I'm fine, Zisu, you can go out first. I have something to say to my cousin."
Zisu was very obedient. She quickly wiped away her tears and said, "Then this servant will go out first. If you feel unwell, please remember to call this servant."
Tao Ying nodded.
After Zisu left, Tao Ying looked at Li Langhuan with teary eyes again: "Mother... General, you saved my life again."
Li Langhuan shook his head and chuckled, "I have never truly saved you—whether it was last time or this time, it was only because of your strong will that you survived."
Tao Ying stared blankly at Li Langhuan for a long while before tears slowly streamed down her face. She cried and laughed at the same time, saying, "The general always manages to bring me back to life."
...
Northwest, Shuocheng.
Since the Western Turks were driven back and the Shang army captured two cities that belonged to the Western Turks, the lives of the people of Shuocheng have improved.
They no longer had to worry about Western Turks breaking into the city to burn, kill, and loot, nor did they have to worry about their families being destroyed. Many people who used to live in Shuocheng and later had the means to move away also returned—after all, in this era, people valued their hometowns highly and believed in "returning to one's roots," and no one wanted to leave their homeland.
They all knew that these were brought by the Princess of Heyang County. They all respected Shang Shaoyan very much, and they offered her a longevity tablet and built a shrine for her, which was very popular.
Therefore, when Shang Shaoyan asked the people to plant cotton, although they didn't quite understand, they were still willing.
"The soil in the Northwest is barren and not suitable for growing crops like vegetables and rice; cotton, on the contrary, is very suitable." Shang Shaoyan placed a handful of cotton seeds in front of Mo Xing and said with a smile, "I have already tested it in the fields behind my mansion. Not only can it grow, but it is also growing very well. With cotton, our people can be self-sufficient and our soldiers can wear warm clothes. This is the best thing ever."
Mo Xing felt a lump in his throat and bowed deeply to Shang Shaoyan in gratitude: "You are so kind, County Princess."
Shang Shaoyan looked at the soldiers outside the tent—even though the Western Turks had been driven back, they still persisted in their daily training, which made Shang Shaoyan very gratified.
She said to Mo Xing, "This is not only the most precious legacy left to me by my parents, but also a sharp weapon of the Southern Chen. Now that I have taken it over, it is mine, and I will naturally protect it well."
Mo Xing didn't think there was anything wrong with what she said—in his opinion, Princess Heyang had always been domineering, so this was probably what she thought.
The saying goes, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king." Shang Shaoyan's domineering attitude and the strength that matches her attitude are very convincing, and people are willing to follow her.
Mo Xing saw a mature monarch with amazing charisma and convincing charm. This was not something that could be brought about by a face alone; it was something deeper and more intrinsic. The longer one spent with her, the more one would overlook her stunning beauty.
The two were talking about cotton when Qiao Xiuyu came over.
Shang Shaoyan no longer lives in the military camp; he only comes to inspect it once a day and will return soon. Qiao Xiuyu must have something important to discuss with her at this time.
Sure enough, Qiao Xiuyu hurriedly walked into the tent, her face showing slight anxiety: "An'an, come with me quickly."
Shang Shaoyan was a little confused, but she believed that Qiao Xiuyu was not someone who couldn't distinguish between what was important and what was urgent. After saying goodbye to Mo Xing, she left with Qiao Xiuyu.
On the way back to the manor, Qiao Xiuyu was preoccupied and not in a good mood. Shang Shaoyan was worried when he saw this and wanted to say something funny to cheer him up. Qiao Xiuyu was very accommodating, but the worry in his eyes just wouldn't go away.
Shang Shaoyan had known Qiao Xiuyu for so long, but he had never seen him like this before.
Once inside the mansion, the two sat down. Qiao Xiuyu poured Shang Shaoyan a cup of tea and told her to drink it while she listened to him say, "An'an, my father has passed away."
Shang Shaoyan choked on her tea and nearly died, coughing incessantly. Qiao Xiuyu patted her back in a panic. Shang Shaoyan looked at Qiao Xiuyu with a hint of resentment: "You want me to choke to death while you're drinking tea?"
Qiao Xiuyu was distracted and calmed down a bit. She continued, "My brother, the Emperor, has suppressed this matter. He is currently overseeing the country, but some ministers have already raised doubts. He only told me about this matter and asked me to return to Northern Zhou as soon as possible."
As he spoke, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Shang Shaoyan.
Shang Shaoyan read the letter carefully, pondered for a moment, and then said, "This matter... is too much of a coincidence."
Qiao Xiuyu was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What... what do you mean?"
Shang Shaoyan unfolded the letter and said, "Emperor Chen has just arrived in Hangzhou. At that time, the Southern Chen Dynasty was without anyone to hold the fort. It was only by the Crown Prince's reckless actions that it was barely holding on. This is known throughout the land."
She paused, then said, "Just then, your brother sent word that your father had passed away. This means that both Southern Chen and Northern Zhou are now leaderless. As for this letter, I can determine that it is fake because I saw a very familiar trace on it."
Shang Shaoyan smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Her fingers traced the lines of characters—Xie Huayin had once mentioned in class that she had a habit of unconsciously adding a slight hook to the "捺" (na) stroke when writing, which she found quite cute.
The strokes in this letter, though seemingly restrained, actually have a slight upward curve. Given that Shang Shaoyan already suspected Xie Huayin, it's now almost certain that this was Xie Huayin's handwriting.
“But that doesn’t make sense.” Qiao Xiuyu said, puzzled. “If my father didn’t die, then why would they say there’s no leader?”
Shang Shaoyan smiled casually: "It's true that your father has passed away, but the reason he wants you to go back is just a pretense."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
