Su Wanying was carrying in the soup when she heard this and was so startled that she dropped the bowl on the ground.
Xiao Bin reacted quickly, standing up and taking long strides to catch the soup bowl that had fallen into the air, then placing it on the table.
"Impressive skills!" Su Nan exclaimed, giving Su Wanying a deep look.
Su Wanying's eyes were red, she stood there with her hands in her sleeves, head down and silent.
They clearly didn't want to.
Xiao Bin said calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Su."
"It is only because I have no intention of starting a family in this life that I have failed your kind intentions. I am truly ashamed and will punish myself with three cups of wine."
Su Wanying secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew Xiao Bin was a good person.
He is outstanding in appearance, ability, and temperament.
Although he has scars on his face, they only add to his masculinity.
But the woman he loved was his older sister; she was his whole heart.
She couldn't possibly compete with her sister for a man and hurt her sister's feelings.
She actually greatly admired Xiao Bin.
For so many years, they have waited hopelessly, day after day.
This steadfastness and purity gave her a lot of courage.
Moreover, she has someone she likes in her heart.
It was precisely because she held onto her unrequited love that she hesitated to get married.
My second uncle is just randomly pairing people up, arbitrarily matchmaking them.
Su Nan sighed deeply.
"It's Wanwan's fault for wronging you."
In his opinion, Wanwan went too far.
If you cannot marry Xiao Bin, do not give him hope and let him suffer in vain.
When he was seriously injured and his life was hanging in the balance, I shouldn't have come to see him, and I shouldn't have cried so much.
This will only make it harder for Xiao Bin to let go.
Just like him.
He knew perfectly well that his wife had only faked her death to complete the unfinished work of the person she admired.
He promptly severed his ties with his lover and decisively married and had children.
Did he never have any feelings for Zhou Xiuyu?
Xiao Bin spoke sincerely as he filled Su Nan's glass with wine: "No, she did not wrong me."
She quietly held his little finger; their promise about the next life was what sustained him.
He just happened to appear late in this life.
Otherwise, every night she would be completely satisfied with him, not someone else.
Su Nan picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"I first met your father at a post station."
"He had just fallen out of favor and was transferred from Datong to Nanjing to work at the Imperial Horse Administration. While he was still at the post station, an imperial edict arrived, and he was demoted to Nanjing Fengyu."
"The eunuch who delivered the decree was accompanied by a young girl dressed in men's clothing, smiling broadly, who said that the Empress Dowager had ordered her to come and take a look."
Su Nan paused for a moment.
"That was the first time I met Wanwan's mother."
Xiao Bin looked down at his wine glass, his eyes slightly warm.
This was the first time in so many years that an outsider had discussed his father in front of him.
Su Nan was immersed in her memories, filled with regret and admiration: "Back then, I admired your father to the extreme."
"He was clearly a eunuch, yet he could impeach officials with his literary skills and trample the Northern Yuan Khanate with his horse."
"At a young age, he wielded immense power, striking fear into the hearts of all civil and military officials."
"Yet they can also gracefully retire from the limelight, disappearing into the background and becoming just another ordinary person."
"I only regret that I only know how to study, and have never learned the skills of riding a horse to govern the country and bring peace to the people."
"I didn't realize he wasn't a eunuch until I saw you."
Su Nan poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.
Who was the man who was raised in the palace, deeply trusted and favored by Emperor Xianzong, appeared as a eunuch, and yet fathered a son?
The answer is obvious.
Su Nan frowned, a trace of sorrow appearing between her brows.
He only learned after marrying Zhou Xiuyu that his wife's heart belonged to that infamous eunuch, whom the world regarded as a jackal and tiger.
Logically speaking, Xiao Bin is the son of his love rival, so he should dislike Xiao Bin.
But he didn't.
Because his marriage to Zhou Xiuyu was arranged by imperial decree, they did not have a deep emotional bond.
Furthermore, he had always admired Xiao Bin's father.
Therefore, when Zhou Xiuyu insisted on faking her death to take over the overseas fleet from Xiao Bin's father, he was very shocked, but he still expressed his respect and support.
Apart from Wanwan, their brief marriage left little trace.
Wanwan was taken directly into the palace by the Empress Dowager Zhou to be raised, and he didn't even have the chance to meet or visit her.
The ill-fated relationship between Wanwan and Xiao Bin seemed to be preordained by fate.
Wanwan's mother dedicated her life to the cause left behind by Xiao Bin's father.
In the next generation, however, the opposite happened.
Xiao Bin will dedicate himself to Wanwan instead.
If Empress Dowager Zhou were to see this scene, I wonder what she would think.
Xiao Bin remained silent for a moment before changing the subject: "In the books left behind by Doctor Luo, there is a record of a Mongolian doctor. I wonder if there is any trace of this Mongolian doctor?"
He didn't want to interfere in the feuds between his elders.
No matter what, Wanwan needs him.
“Toghtotai was treated as a surrendered captive and incorporated into the Imperial Horse Stable as a warrior to cover his tracks. He has already entered the palace and met the Emperor.”
Doctor Luo is dead, but there is still no antidote for the poison in Lu Xingjian's body.
Now, the only one we can count on is that Mongolian doctor, Toqto'a.
He had promised Wanwan that he would help the emperor find an antidote.
Even if I feel resentful, I will still do my best.
Su Nan didn't say that it was because Tuotuo Tai's visit to the palace to meet the emperor had aroused protests from many civil officials.
The Minister of War, in particular, cited a number of ancient examples, saying that allowing surrendered captives to enter and leave the palace would inevitably lead to them spying and overstepping their bounds, and could easily give rise to contempt.
If the Northern Yuan Khanate sends spies to feign surrender, the consequences could be dire.
The Minister of War suggested that the surrendered prisoners be sent to Guangdong for resettlement, in accordance with custom, to prevent the cunning infiltration of the barbarians.
Xiao Bin frowned.
Whether that Mongolian doctor can truly detoxify is hard to say.
Fortunately, the remaining poison in Wanwan's body has been cleared. As for other matters, he can only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
...
In the stillness of the night, the entire Forbidden City was shrouded in darkness.
A series of urgent knocks on the door startled Lu Xingjian awake from his sleep.
He quickly got up, covered Wanwan with the blanket, and went to open the door.
Meng Yue handed over an urgent military report: "The Tatar army has invaded Datong, and three forces have surrounded Deputy Commander Shen Zhou at Caoduo Mountain!"
Lu Xingjian quickly issued an order: "Order the officials of the Ministry of War to go to the Imperial Study immediately for a meeting."
The Imperial Study has a sand table, but it is quite far from Qingning Palace.
Lu Xingjian was asleep last night, and he should have returned by the time she woke up.
When Lu Xingjian arrived at the Imperial Study, dressed neatly, several officials from the Ministry of War had just arrived.
The group quickly agreed on a strategy: the General Commander of Datong would decide whether to fight or defend, while the troops in Xuanfu, Yansui, and Shanxi would urge their own troops to be on high alert and ready to provide support at any time.
The Xuanfu Army was stationed at Tiancheng, the Yansui Army at Qingshui Camp, and the Piantouguan Army at Shuozhou City.
In addition, 20,000 officers and soldiers from the Beijing Garrison were selected to await deployment.
Having just completed several years of campaigns to suppress bandits, the imperial army's operational capabilities had been well-trained, and they were confident in the face of the Tatars' provocations.
Minister of War He Jian said with great concern: "Dayan Khan is really cunning. While our Great Liang was busy dealing with the bandits, he broke through the right wing forces in one fell swoop and finally unified the grasslands."
"If we cannot subdue them in one fell swoop, I'm afraid they will keep harassing our border."
Lu Xingjian's eyes turned cold.
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