Chapter 15. Ling Xun listened quietly from beginning to end…
At such a young age, with such achievements, and with such talent, if Ling Xun had been born earlier, or if he had lived longer, he would certainly have nurtured him properly. What a pity...
He had no time left, the Prince of Zhenbei thought regretfully.
No matter how hard he tried to appear strong to outsiders, the Prince of Zhenbei couldn't deceive himself. He could clearly feel his body gradually weakening, declining beyond repair.
Just then, someone came in and said that the Third Mistress of the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion had sent something, and the person insisted that the Prince take a look.
The Prince of Zhenbei frowned slightly. He was not very satisfied with this daughter-in-law and disliked women interfering in men's affairs. Yet she had sent the things directly to him.
The Prince of Zhenbei originally intended to send someone to find Ling Zheng, but then he remembered Ling Xun, and said that the Bai family general had taken good care of that child.
With that feeling of relief, he relented.
Soon, Bai Xuerou's caravan manager came in carrying a large bundle, head bowed and somewhat trembling.
The Prince of Zhenbei's gaze fell on the large package.
The two brothers outside were completely unaware of what was happening inside the tent. They walked and talked, but before long, someone from the tent behind them came out and stopped them.
Curious, the two turned around and went back.
"Try them all."
The two brothers entered the main tent and saw that the Prince of Zhenbei was wearing a short jacket, and then pointed to two other items on the table.
The Ling brothers went over to take a look, and then awkwardly put it on.
The two brothers lived in luxury and usually wore round-necked robes. Short jackets like these were mostly worn by commoners, so this was probably the first time they had ever worn them.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed a pair of thick trousers on the table.
Ling Xun knew immediately upon touching it that this was not the feel of kapok.
At that time, there was a lack of means of keeping warm, and not everyone could afford cotton-padded clothes. The army mostly used paper fur coats. This was also due to the winter ceasefire. In the cold and without good means of keeping warm, how could they march and fight? They would probably freeze to death before they even saw the enemy.
Compared to Ling Xun, Ling Zheng failed to notice for a moment.
He came from a wealthy family, and even during military campaigns, no one dared to mistreat him. He often saw cotton-padded jackets like these, which were only worn by ordinary soldiers, but he had never really had any contact with them.
"It's very light," Ling Zheng praised first, then his eyes showed surprise compared to the fur coat.
"It's so warm," he sighed.
Ling Zheng felt the warmth after only wearing it for a short while.
A smile appeared on the face of the Prince of Zhenbei.
"Father, this doesn't seem to be kapok? What is it, and what is the yield?" Ling Zheng quickly realized, while Ling Xun looked expectantly at the Prince of Zhenbei.
Both brothers knew that the Prince of Zhenbei must have a reason for bringing this out now.
Ling Xun thought even deeper: if there were more of these items, they could be used for winter warfare.
"You don't know?" Zhenbei Wang asked, looking at Ling Zheng.
Ling Xun also turned to look at his older brother beside him.
Ling Zheng was taken aback at first, then seemed to realize something, and suddenly remembered something.
"Cotton?" he asked in surprise.
"It seems your wife told you about this," the Prince of Zhenbei said, looking at Ling Zheng. "You married a good wife."
After saying that, he shook the letter in his hand and said, "That's right, this is a cotton coat made of cotton."
The two brothers looked and realized that they had seen the letter in the Prince of Zhenbei's hand when they came in, but neither of them had looked at it much to avoid suspicion.
Now, with the instruction of the Prince of Zhenbei, they could immediately recognize Bai Xuerou's handwriting.
Looking at the elegant small regular script, Ling Xun's gaze shifted slightly.
Cotton, is this what my sister-in-law has been growing on the farm?
"The estate I gave to your wife has been planted entirely with cotton these past two years, producing tens of thousands of cotton-padded coats." The Prince of Zhenbei put down the letter and looked at the two brothers. "I intend to send someone back to Yandu to escort these cotton-padded coats."
"Which of you will go?" asked the Prince of Zhenbei, leaving the choice to his two brothers.
If the purpose of escorting cotton-padded clothes to the front lines is to do so with such fanfare, it is inevitable that word will leak out.
Various forces have planted many spies in the north. This batch of cotton-padded clothes is enough to change the course of the war. Putting aside everything else, the fact that they can march in winter is a great advantage.
He could see this, and so could the spies.
Since ancient times, it has been difficult to accomplish anything, but easy to do something bad.
A single fire could destroy all these cotton-padded clothes.
Therefore, after experiencing the wonders of this cotton-padded coat, the Prince of Zhenbei made a decisive decision and sent people back to Yandu to oversee the situation.
Ling Zheng was briefly conflicted.
He naturally wanted to go back; after nearly a year apart, he missed Chunniang terribly. But he also knew the advantages of staying in the army.
This is the best time to build good relationships with the generals.
My father's health is deteriorating. What if something happens to him while he's away...? His brothers are all here.
Ling Xun wanted to speak immediately, but he held back and waited for Ling Zheng's response.
As expected, Ling Zheng's reaction did not disappoint him; he hesitated.
“Father, I’ll go.” Ling Xun volunteered.
The Prince of Zhenbei glanced at his two sons, his expression unreadable, and said with a smile, "Alright, then you go."
Ling Zheng felt a slight sense of relief, but also a little regretful.
He wanted to go back too, but...
Having settled the matter, the Prince of Zhenbei allocated three thousand elite soldiers to Ling Xun, instructing him not to delay and to set off immediately after everything was ready.
As for supplies, the entire journey back to Yandu from here is within the Ling family's territory, and supplies will be prepared by others.
Ling Xun agreed.
Ling Zheng suppressed his thoughts and smiled. After the Prince of Zhenbei showed some rare concern for Ling Xun, he acted like an elder brother and took Ling Xun out for a meal. After they finished eating and rested for a while, the elite troops were ready.
He then escorted Ling Xun to the outside of the camp and watched the group ride away on horseback. Back in his own tent, Ling Zheng was about to order someone to fetch Hou Feng, but after a moment's hesitation, he dismissed the others.
At that time, the Prince of Zhenbei's expression was somewhat subtle. He felt as if he had done something wrong. He wanted to ask Hou Feng to come and discuss it, but this matter was important. The Prince of Zhenbei had already sent Ling Xun back to pick him up personally, so it was best not to let the news leak out.
Although Ling Zheng trusted Hou Feng, the matter was to be carried out in secrecy, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
On the other side, Hou Feng had long been prepared for his lord's summons, but to his surprise, he waited and waited, and there was still no response.
Thinking back to Ling Xun, who had arrived that morning but left just now, he sensed something was amiss and knew that something unusual must have happened.
I don't know what it is.
The feeling of being out of control made Hou Feng, the strategist, somewhat uneasy. He wanted to investigate further, but Ling Zheng's actions clearly indicated that this was no small matter. If he were to investigate rashly, he feared it would cause trouble, so he repeatedly suppressed his desire to do so.
It's already October, and the weather is starting to get cold.
Ling Xun led his men on a non-stop journey, enduring nine days of arduous travel, before returning to Yandu.
It would be too ostentatious for three thousand elite soldiers to enter the city, so they stopped at the camp outside the city to rest. Ling Xun ordered his men to settle the people he had brought back. Just as he was about to enter the city to return to his residence, he was approached by people arranged by Bai Xue Rou, and instead went to the farm near Taoshan.
This estate, a full hundred acres in size, was given to Bai Xuerou by the Prince of Zhenbei after she was tricked into drowning by Ling Shujun during her wedding.
The field was vast, stretching as far as the eye could see.
After obtaining the cotton seeds, Bai Xuerou tried planting them the first year, but it didn't go very well. She planted more the second year, and this year, with the foundation laid by the previous two years, the harvest was even greater. She had all the cotton made into cotton-padded coats and carefully stored them away.
This wasn't Ling Xun's first time here. Last spring, Bai Xuerou had brought him here for a stroll.
At the time, he felt that the estate was very well guarded, with people patrolling back and forth on horseback from time to time. Although they looked like farmers, they were all quite capable. He vaguely sensed that there was a secret, and now he thinks it must be the cotton.
Bai Xuerou had arranged for people to greet her. They were her bodyguards, who were also agile. However, when they saw a group of black-armored knights galloping on horseback in the distance, their momentum as overwhelming as dark clouds that swept over in the blink of an eye, they subconsciously took a step back before they came to their senses.
Upon seeing the person, Ling Xun pulled on the reins, and without a word, the guards following behind him stopped.
Upon meeting the sharp, piercing eyes of the horse, the guard's heart tightened, and he felt a sense of fear. It took him a moment to react before he respectfully said, "Sixth Master, my wife instructed me to come and greet you."
"Lead the way," Ling Xun said.
He recognized most of the people Bai Xuerou usually used. Her most trusted confidant, Bai Shan, wasn't here, but this guard was someone she often used. His name seemed to be Guo Sheng.
"Yes." Guo Sheng responded, mounted his horse, and led Ling Xun to the other courtyard.
The deeper they went, the more pronounced the tense atmosphere became, and Ling Xun seemed to sense it.
The dozens of guards accompanying him were all elites, and they were already on high alert without needing to say a word.
Something has clearly happened in the village.
The villa is in a good location, right at the foot of the mountain, and it covers a large area, including the stream at the foot of the mountain and a grove of flowers.
Ling Xun dismounted, leaving his guards outside the gate. He only sent a few people inside, and as soon as they entered the courtyard, they sensed screams of pain and the smell of blood coming from somewhere far away.
"Sister-in-law." Ling Xun's eyes narrowed slightly as he strode into the house. Seeing Bai Xuerou sitting peacefully in the hall, he felt relieved, raised his hand to greet her, and looked at her face with the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
"You're back, come and sit down." Bai Xuerou couldn't help but smile and pointed to a seat.
"Sister-in-law summoned me urgently, what happened?" Ling Xun asked before even sitting down.
He was usually calm and composed, never in a hurry, so this rare display of eagerness made Bai Xuerou smile.
"It's nothing, just that some trouble has arisen at the estate, and I need your help," she said.
Knowing that she was alright, Ling Xun was already mostly relieved and patiently listened to her story.
Ultimately, it all comes down to cotton.
Such a large estate, no matter how careful she was these past few years, inevitably attracted the attention of others. It was only because Bai Xuerou repeatedly concealed it and had people carefully store the cotton she grew that it did not cause a big commotion.
This time, in order to make cotton-padded jackets, she bought a lot of fabric and used a lot of manpower. With such a large movement, it was impossible to hide it.
This time, she sent someone to deliver something to the Prince of Zhenbei, but someone in the manor was bribed to send a message out. Although it was discovered early, the message had already been sent out. Recently, the manor has been quite lively, with people trying to bribe others and sneak in by various means. There are even people who want to set fire to the manor.
If Bai Xuerou hadn't repeatedly instructed and made prior arrangements, there might have been some losses.
"The people we caught are still being interrogated," Bai Xuerou concluded.
Ling Xun listened quietly, his expression never changing from beginning to end, as if all the things that were giving Bai Xuerou a headache were just trivial matters. Seeing this, Bai Xuerou unconsciously relaxed and became less agitated.
A note from the author:
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That's probably the fun of raising a child...
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