Chapter 270 The Second Prince Dies, Maidong Arrives in Mobei
Mobei Wing City.
By the time Yun Qiao received Mai Dong's letter, Mai Dong and Lu Yu, who were in charge of two caravans, had already set out from Kyoto to Mobei Yicheng.
The Second Prince encountered trouble while fighting in Nancheng. The army originally belonging to Meng Liang could not hold Nancheng at all. However, the Second Prince listened to some military advisor and ordered the original soldiers of Nancheng to serve as the vanguard. As soon as the battle started, they were defeated.
After Nancheng suffered a defeat, the blame was put on Chen Jingyan, who was blamed for killing Meng Liang, causing the soldiers of Nancheng to lose their morale, which led to Nancheng's defeat.
The second prince proposed to send soldiers from Mobei to support Nancheng.
The commander of the Mobei army was a confidant trained by Chen Jingyan. He was good at using troops, but he was unwilling to support Nancheng.
Because the Nancheng incident implicated Chen Jingyan, Emperor Showa also made Chen Jingyan suffer in prison, and Gao Zhan was unwilling to help Nancheng.
Yun Qiao specially invited Gao Zhan as the commander and two other deputy generals.
We were discussing this matter.
"Your Highness, this cannot be agreed to. If we agree to this, the Second Prince will definitely let our people go first. As for whether their people will go or not, no one knows. Besides, I feel that the Second Prince is a bit stubborn and conceited, and he will not easily listen to others' opinions."
Gao Zhan spoke calmly.
Yun Qiao nodded and looked at the other two deputy generals.
"Deputy General Jiang, Deputy General Ma, what do you think?"
"Your Highness, we will obey Lord Gao. However, if we don't send troops, will the loss of Nancheng benefit the Manchu nation?"
Yun Qiao was also wondering, what would Chen Jingtan do if he were there?
No matter how dissatisfied he was with the Second Prince and how much he said he would abandon South City, when a war really broke out, he would still choose to send troops.
"If your commander were here, what would he do?"
"Actually, there's a lot I don't need to say; you all understand. I called you here today to make it clear to you: regardless of whether or not Nancheng can be defended, we from Mobei must send troops to support it, because we are all from the Great Zhou."
"But, on the prince's side, Emperor Showa doesn't take us seriously at all..."
Yun Qiao said calmly, "This can only be said to be Emperor Showa's problem. No matter what, South City must be defended."
"General Gao, I want you to take half of your troops to support South City, and the remaining half to defend Mobei. As long as South City is not taken, Mobei will be safe. I'm worried that they might take South City and then, while the prince is away, launch an attack on Mobei."
After hearing Yun Qiao say this, Gao Zhan understood in his heart.
"Your Highness, you are also of royal blood. Why don't you raise an army and rescue the prince directly? I believe that as long as you are willing, the Marquis will naturally help you."
Yun Qiao knew what Gao Zhan meant without having to read his thoughts.
"How dare you say such outrageous words, General Gao?"
"I dare not."
Whether he dares or not, he has already said it.
Yun Qiao really wanted to ask Chen Jingyan what she should do in this situation.
But the mountains are high and the roads are long, and Mobei and Kyoto are thousands of miles away.
Finally, it was decided that Gao Zhan would lead people to Nancheng for support. It was just as support. Our troops from Mobei had arrived, but Yun Qiao did not interfere in how to fight the enemy together with the soldiers in Nancheng, and left it entirely to Gao Zhan.
He was brought up by Chen Jingyan, and he has some of Chen Jingyan's ruthlessness.
Even the deployment of troops is the same.
Yunqiao was also relieved.
He let Lieutenant General Jiang go with him, while Lieutenant General Ma stayed in the Mobei military camp. Yun Qiao had been secretly training a group of archers for several months, and their skills should have reached her requirements.
She thought that since Chen Jingyan was not around, she had to help him protect the safety of Mobei.
In July of the same year, Nancheng launched another war.
Fortunately, Gao Zhan led his troops there in time and defended the second attack of the Manchus on Nancheng.
But unexpectedly, the second prince was shot and killed by the enemy while watching the battle.
The crossbow arrow hit his heart and he died instantly.
Yun Qiao was also quite shocked when she learned about this.
She never thought that the second prince would die, let alone die so hastily.
South City was temporarily saved.
The deputy general who accompanied the second prince to lead troops to the South City returned to the capital to report. Now the South City is temporarily under the charge of Gao Zhan.
Gao Zhan told Yun Qiao the details of the matter in the letter.
Yun Qiao held the envelope, and the complicated feeling in her heart could not be calmed for a long time.
Having eaten little all day, the maid brought the food outside, and Yun Qiao's voice was not heard when she knocked on the door.
Little Nian Nian stood at the door.
"I'll call my mother, you all go down."
Lily was a little worried and asked softly, "Little Miss, are you okay?"
"I'll give it a try."
Lily watched Nian Nian enter the house. She turned and left, muttering, "The young lady is too calm. It really makes me feel distressed."
"The Marquis is imprisoned in Kyoto, and Your Highness is here managing military affairs. How can they take care of three children?"
"Fortunately, the three little masters are all well-behaved and sensible."
Nian Nian heard what the maids said to each other, and Yun Qiao who was in the room also heard it.
When she stood up, she saw Nian Nian striding towards the house.
"Mom, I'm here to bring you food."
Yun Qiao chuckled, "I just have a poor appetite, I didn't say I didn't want to eat."
"Don't worry, mother. My father will be fine. Mother, do you want to be the empress?"
Nian Nian's words surprised Yun Qiao for a moment, and then she said, "I don't want to."
"Mother just wants to live a good life and become rich. She doesn't want too much power."
Nian Nian also laughed.
"You can have whatever you want, as long as you want it."
Yun Qiao thought that Nian Nian was trying to cheer her up, so she took the child's hand and walked inside. Then she called the maid to bring the food and made the pickled fish she wanted to eat again.
"Are your two brothers studying hard? Are they practicing martial arts?"
“Both of them work very hard.”
Nian Nian placed the fruit she had taken out of the space in front of Yun Qiao. "There are a lot of fruits this season. Don't worry, mother. You should eat more."
"Mother remembers it."
Yun Qiao ate the pickled fish, and perhaps because she felt her daughter's care, she gained some strength.
"The Second Prince who led the troops to fight in the South City has died. Mother is very worried about your father now..."
What will Emperor Showa do when the second prince dies?
He killed Chen Jingyan to vent his anger.
Or should we release Chen Jingyan and let him return to Nancheng to take control of the military power and fight against the Manchu enemy forces?
How could Yun Qiao not be worried?
While she was worried, Maidong and Lu Yu arrived at Mobei Yicheng with two caravans full of goods.
When they arrived, Yun Qiao was still worried about Chen Jingyan who was imprisoned because of the death of the second prince. Suddenly, she heard someone coming to the door and introducing himself. Yun Qiao could not sit still anymore and immediately asked someone to invite Mai Dong and Lu Yu in.
"When I received your letter, I was worried about your safety as a woman carrying so much cargo. Thank you for your safe arrival in Mobei."
"Sister-in-law, I told you in the letter that there is someone with you."
Lu Yu stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Her Royal Highness the Princess."
"You're welcome." Yun Qiao looked at Lu Yu. "Have you recovered from your old illness?"
Lu Yu said, "It's gotten much better, but it's still a little blurry from a distance. I think if I take more medicine in the future, it will definitely be fine. I asked the doctor, and he said the old illness was caused by external factors. If I get married in the future, it won't affect the next generation..."
Yun Qiao smiled as she looked at the two people in front of her.
They look quite compatible.
"Since you all came together and brought goods to Mobei, you can stay in the palace for the time being. I've asked the servants to arrange for the other courtyards."
"Lu Yu, are you staying here too, or do you have other plans?"
Lu Yu quickly said, "I will obey your Highness the Princess."
He was eager to live with Maidong so that she could get to know him better.
Maidong has always been calm and composed, and did not feel uncomfortable because of Lu Yu's words.
Let them rest first.
Yun Qiao went to the kitchen personally to keep an eye on things. Many of the cooks and handymen in the kitchen were from Mobei, but because Yun Qiao loved Kyoto cuisine, over time they were influenced by her diet and could cook some Kyoto cuisine, but it was not very authentic.
Maidong and Lu Yu's yards are separated by a garden. They look close, but they still live some distance apart.
The two of them went back to their rooms. Maidong first fetched some water to wash up, then changed his clothes. After he had finished tidying up, he didn't even ask for a rest.
She wanted to meet the three children, who were her nephews and nieces.
Lu Yu needed a good sleep because of his eye problems. He hadn't had a good sleep on the road for a long time. Now that he had arrived at the Mobei Palace, he naturally needed to have a good rest.
Maidong took the things she had prepared and went to see the three children.
Although they haven't seen each other for a while, the three children are still very close to her.
"Your aunt is here today, so I've specially allowed you to skip your afternoon classes. I'm also giving you three days off. You should spend more time with your aunt during these three days."
After Yun Qiao finished speaking, the two children smiled.
But he said, "Mother, thank you for your kindness. We can accompany Auntie without asking for leave."
Chaochao spoke very precociously.
Mumu looked at Maidong and asked her softly, "Aunt, how is my father now?"
All three children miss their daddy very much.
The smile on Maidong's face seemed a little stiff because of Mumu's words.
Her brother's condition was naturally not good, and she felt heartbroken when she saw it. How could she tell the children now?
Mai Dong could only whisper, "Your father is doing fine, don't worry, we are all thinking of a solution."
She turned to look at Yunqiao, asking her how she could tell a child about adult matters.
Yun Qiao knew what she wanted to say.
Let the three children play with the toys brought by their aunt, and Yunqiao and Maidong went together.
"I originally wanted to keep it a secret, but I found that the less I said, the more worried they became. So I might as well just tell them directly."
"Third brother's child is very sensible, and I am very relieved."
"Maidong, there's something I want to tell you. The second prince is dead."
Mai Dong was also surprised when he heard this. "The Second Prince is dead? Our freight caravan passed through the towns below Nancheng, and we only heard that Nancheng had won a victory. We had no idea that the Second Prince had died."
"I didn't tell anyone for fear of disrupting the army's morale. The person who told me this news was one of your brother's men, and also his confidant. He must have been telling the truth."
"I'm just particularly worried about your brother right now."
When Maidong heard Yunqiao talk about this, she didn't dare to tell Yunqiao the truth.
The third brother looked miserable in prison. He was shackled and couldn't walk for long. He could only sit in one place. The meals he ate every day were ordinary, and his hygiene was beyond words. He was as poor as a beggar.
Mai Dong, however, held back his tears and said to Yun Qiao, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. My brother is fine. My second brother has sought help from Lord Pang Zheng and Prince Ming Yu, and I have also sought help from Lord Zhao Xuan. Lord Zhao Xuan still has some influence in the court. With him around, he will definitely be able to protect my third brother."
Yun Qiao nodded.
"Maidong, since you've come to Mobei, stay a little longer."
"Lu Yu is actually a very good man. Perhaps you can try to get to know him a little better."
Maidong thought Yunqiao believed the reasons he gave.
She listened to what Yun Qiao said to her, which sounded like a sister-in-law talking to her sister-in-law about some daily things, and she didn't think much about the changes that had taken place in Yun Qiao's heart at this time.
She couldn't wait passively any longer.
The second prince brought most of his troops to Nancheng. Emperor Showa must have a lot of troops under his command. Yun Qiao didn't know if she could come back alive if she went to Kyoto.
Fortunately, Ophiopogon japonicus arrived at this time.
If she were there, she could leave the three children to her with peace of mind.
But Yun Qiao said this in a vague way, and Maidong didn't understand.
Yun Qiao originally didn't want Mai Dong to know what she was about to do.
That night, Yun Qiao took her three children to have dinner with Mai Dong and Lu Yu. The next day, she took them to the largest trading warehouse in Yicheng, where their goods could be stored for free.
Explain everything that happened here to Maidong and Lu Yu.
In the following days, Yun Qiao rarely showed up and asked Maidong and Lu Yu to familiarize themselves with the transactions in Mobei. Lu Yu had been here once and was quite familiar with the place.
He brought Maidong with him and told her everything seriously.
"Lu Yu, have you noticed that my sister-in-law has been acting strangely these past few days? She always comes to me with her three children."
"Perhaps it is to make the relationship between you aunt and nephew closer."
Lu Yu said, "Did you find something wrong?"
"Maybe I'm overthinking it." Maidong always felt something was wrong.
Even if the sister-in-law wants them to have a good relationship as aunt and niece, she doesn't have to push her own children away, as if she wants to hand over all three children to her.
Yun Qiao is the mother of three children, and she is just their aunt.
"There's something I still want to tell you." Lu Yu hesitated, then looked at Mai Dong, "Her Royal Highness the Princess came to me privately, and she said something to me."
He didn't think it was strange before, but now after hearing Mai Dong's words, Lu Yu also felt that something was wrong.
"What did my sister-in-law tell you?"
"She told me to be nice to you. She said you're a sensitive woman, and if I want to pursue you, I can't act rashly. I need to be gentle and subtle. I thought she was teaching me how to pursue you, but she didn't tell you..."
"Could it be that my sister-in-law is going to Kyoto?" Maidong suddenly said.
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