If something really happens to him, she really can't handle the current difficult situation alone.
He shouldered the danger, faced the difficulties head-on, and led by example.
But they hid her in a safe place to prevent her from being implicated.
It would be a complete lie to say she wasn't moved by this affection.
Despite his many flaws and unreliability.
Even amidst the chaos of war and instability, he remained so cheerful and encouraging towards her, and so thoughtful and caring towards her.
How could she remain unmoved?
They've been married for over a year, and they argue and separate frequently.
Most of the time, they are disloyal and alienated.
Despite all the ups and downs, their relationship still improved considerably.
"Alright, alright." Lu Xingjian used his rough hands to wipe away her tears, scraping her face until it stung.
His tone was indulgent: "I was worried about you, so I rushed over before you were all cleaned up, and ended up making you cry."
Su Wanwan also realized she was being a bit spoiled, so she wiped her face and asked about the important matter:
"How is the situation now?"
The smile on the man's face faded.
Su Wanwan's heart sank.
The man said dejectedly, "That old fox Dayan Khan didn't fall for it. He sent a son to lead the right wing, but only killed his second son."
Su Wanwan: "..."
She vaguely remembered that Dayan Khan's eldest son had died, and his second son had been appointed as Da Jinong, equivalent to a deputy Khan.
Killing the deputy Khan, and you still aren't satisfied?
Isn't that a bit too ambitious?
The man changed the subject.
"However, the hatred of killing one's son remains a hindrance, and the feud between the left and right wings of the Northern Yuan has been established. There will definitely be endless internal strife in the next few years, but it is not a serious threat."
He said with a touch of regret, "It was alright, but not a wasted trip."
That's a narrow victory.
It's not a bad thing.
Su Wanwan was more worried about something happening in the capital: "Then when are we going back?"
The men weren't careless either. "We'll set off after we finish the victory celebration banquet to boost morale."
...
The celebration banquet was scheduled for the next day.
Su Wanwan gradually learned the truth about what had happened in the past few days.
With the support of the Great Liang, the three tribes of the Mongol Right Wing killed the Great Jinong, who had been sent by the Khan to rule them, at the Suluding Assembly.
But the Northern Yuan people weren't fools; they pulled off a "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" tactic.
Taking advantage of the situation, they launched a surprise attack on Yansui City, intending to capture the Liang emperor who had personally come to Yansui.
They had just crossed the Great Wall when they were attacked by heavy artillery fire near Hongshixia, suffering heavy casualties and fleeing in panic.
To the west of Yansui City is a wide river, which prevents the Northern Yuan cavalry from crossing, while the steep Camel Peak Mountain to the east serves as a natural barrier.
As for the Loess Plateau to the south, with its crisscrossing gullies and strategic passes, it was a nightmare for cavalry.
Therefore, the cavalry of the Northern Yuan who secretly broke through the Great Wall were utterly defeated before they even reached the gates of Yansui.
The Northern Yuan spies in Yansui City also took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.
Many high-ranking officials' homes and ordinary residences suffered varying degrees of damage and killings.
Fortunately, they had made preparations in advance, and their families hid, so the damage was limited.
The wife of Wu Jiang, the General Commander of Yansui, came over to pay her respects to Su Wanwan.
The news of Su Wanwan's arrival in Yansui was kept strictly secret. Lu Xingjian only revealed it to Wu Jiang to avoid Su Wanwan being alone at the lively celebration banquet.
Madam Wu was respectful and warm, greeting everyone with a smile:
"Your Majesty, I was unaware that Your Majesty was coming here. Please forgive me for failing to greet you properly."
Su Wanwan couldn't help but think of Madam Yu, with whom she had sworn brotherhood but who later had to sever ties.
She kindly invited Madam Wu to sit down, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, asked, "Are the families of all the soldiers in the city well?"
Madam Wu sighed, "Anyone who gets targeted will inevitably have their family members implicated and suffer injuries or deaths. Our family is alright, though."
Her eyes flickered, and she lowered her voice:
"But Madam Ma, the wife of Commander Bi, is usually very flamboyant. This time, she was targeted by the Tatars and kidnapped."
"It's said that a letter was left, demanding a million taels of silver for ransom. Oh dear, although Commander Bi has some wealth, where would he get that much money?"
This statement is quite meaningful.
Commander Bi didn't have that much silver, but the emperor did.
The Tatars clearly wanted Lu Xingjian to pay silver to redeem Ma Ji.
After all, the Emperor risked traveling thousands of miles to Yansui for Ma Ji, showing his deep affection.
Spending some money to ensure the safety of one's beloved is probably something they'd be willing to do.
Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow.
A million taels of silver is no small sum.
Even for Lu Xingjian, raising so much silver would require some effort and skill.
In order to extort money from salt merchants in Jiangnan, Ma Yongcheng did not hesitate to set fire to hundreds of houses, resulting in many deaths and thousands of people being displaced.
She felt that if this money, stained with the blood of ordinary people, were used to build border towns or provide disaster relief, taking from the people and using it for the people, then it would be fine.
If Lu Xingjian were to use her to redeem Ma Ji, then he would be a complete and utter tyrant.
However, Lu Xingjian kept saying that he didn't like Maggie.
Whether he will do such a stupid thing remains to be seen.
Su Wanwan sighed softly, "Then the Bi family will really suffer. I wonder if his wife's family will offer any help."
Madam Wu was a shrewd woman, and her eyes flickered.
I always felt that the Empress seemed to be pleased about Ma Ji being kidnapped.
That's understandable.
A vixen who can lure her husband into this dangerous place should disappear as quickly as possible.
A woman like the Empress truly possesses both skill and courage.
Even if a man doesn't like a woman, he will eventually be moved when he sees her travel thousands of miles for him.
Moreover, Her Majesty the Empress is so beautiful and gentle, much better than that shallow-minded and ostentatious Ma Ji.
Su Wanwan had a meal with Madam Wu, and personally escorted her to the door.
Standing outside the door was a tall, imposing man dressed in the uniform of a military officer.
Su Wanwan's body stiffened for a moment, but the smile on her face remained unchanged. Only after Madam Wu got into the carriage and left did she look at that figure.
The man and she looked at each other across the distance.
The surroundings seemed to fall silent instantly.
Su Wanwan's mind went blank.
She never expected to run into Xiao Bin in Yansui.
She had sent a letter to Xiao Bin asking for help, but she left Beijing before receiving a reply, and she didn't know whether Xiao Bin had replied to her or how he had replied.
After a long while, Xiao Bin simply clasped his hands in a respectful greeting to her, then turned and quietly left.
Su Wanwan felt a void in her heart, a dull ache.
She took two steps forward.
The young eunuch behind her called out, "Your Majesty."
Su Wanwan stopped in her tracks, realizing her lapse in composure.
Su Wanwan asked the young eunuch, "Are there any government troops from Ningxia invited to this banquet?"
The young eunuch was specially assigned to her by Lu Xingjian; he was intelligent, quick-witted, and submissive.
"Yes, the elite troops from Ningxia have also been recruited."
No wonder Lu Xingjian exclaimed how regrettable it was.
Despite making so many preparations, including personally going to Yansui to act as bait, he failed to capture Dayan Khan.
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