Farewell
Although the fire caused by the lantern festival was quickly extinguished by heavy rain and did not cause major damage, it was not a good sign. Fortunately, the weather was good in the following months, and although the war in the north was at a stalemate, the city was not lost.
The top priority in the court right now is the imperial examination in half a decade.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen have lived a very peaceful life in the past few months, fully preparing for the imperial examination. They have turned a deaf ear to the outside world and focused on reading the books of sages.
On this day, the two of them had a rare opportunity to have some free time and went to Wangjing Tower for a meal. When they talked about the current political situation, they couldn't help but feel worried.
While the court appeared calm on the surface, undercurrents surged, all awaiting the outcome of the northern battlefield. In the northeast, Xiao Luochen's second brother led the troops, while in the northwest, Marquis Wu'an was the commander. While he wasn't affiliated with the Grand Tutor's faction, Princess Jingyang was, after all, the Empress Dowager's legitimate daughter. Therefore, in the general perception, Marquis Wu'an was tacitly assumed to be a force controlled by the Grand Tutor.
"Judging from the current situation, Marquis Wu'an should be waiting for winter to arrive, when Qingning runs low on food and grass, to launch a decisive battle. However, your second brother's side is in a tense situation, with both sides evenly matched. It's a stalemate, and victory will be difficult."
Although Su Musong did not know the specific situation on the front line, based on the current leaked information, this speculation would not be too far off.
"Yesterday I received a letter from Sixth Brother. He had previously been to the place where Second Brother was currently facing Qingning while investigating a case. He is familiar with the terrain, so he is planning to go there to help Second Brother."
Xiao Luochen's second brother was leading troops in the Northeast, so the Xiao family was naturally more familiar with the battle situation there. Although Xiao Luoyao left a letter to sever ties with the Xiao family, he still couldn't let go of his second brother on the front line.
"Isn't it said that my sister-in-law is pregnant? Calculating the date, I'm afraid she'll be giving birth soon. Can he rest assured that she's going to the battlefield at this time?"
"Of course he was worried, so he asked me to go to Luzhou to help take care of him after I finished the exam."
After Xiao Luoyao arrived in Luzhou and settled down, he got in touch with Xiao Luochen, and the two had been exchanging letters. If there was anyone he could still entrust his wife and children to, it would surely be Xiao Luochen.
"In that case, I will go with you."
"Of course you have to go with me. Do you think you can escape?"
Before the dishes were even served, someone from the Anguo Mansion came to ask Su Musong to return home, saying that his wife was anxiously looking for him. This was the first time someone had been sent from outside to look for Su Musong, and it seemed that the matter was truly urgent. Su Musong did not dare to delay and hurriedly said goodbye to Xiao Luochen and rushed home.
When he returned home, he saw that all the servants in the house were in a hurry and running around. Su Musong became even more confused when he saw this, so he went straight to the backyard to look for Changsun Qinan.
"Mom, what happened?"
Changsun Qinan was packing for Su Mufeng and Su Muliu. When she saw Su Musong coming back, she handed the items in her hand to the maid beside her.
"We received a letter from Wanhua Castle saying that your grandfather was injured and is not doing well. Your father and I are going to visit him with Mu Bai, Mu Feng, and Mu Liu. Steward Su will take care of all the family affairs. If you want to stay and take the exam, just relax. If you want to come with us, pack your clothes and we will leave today."
Wanhua Fort was a powerful force in the Shenghuang martial arts world, cultivating countless rare medicinal herbs. They also had their eldest grandson, Chen Qian, a student of the Divine Doctor Valley. If Grandfather's injury had been minor, Mother wouldn't have been so worried. So, it seemed likely that they had to be prepared for the funeral. Thinking of this, Su Musong's answer was clear.
"I'll go with you."
The journey to Shenghuang is long, and I don’t know how long I will have to stay in Wanhua Castle. I will definitely not be able to catch up with the imperial examination. I am afraid that accompanying Xiao Luochen to Luzhou will have to be put aside for the time being.
After making up his mind, Su Musong did not start packing his luggage, but rode a fast horse to the Prime Minister's Mansion to say goodbye to Xiao Luochen.
"So urgent? Are you leaving today?"
"Well, I've never seen mother so anxious. Grandpa's injuries must be very serious. Maybe this trip is the last time I'm going to see him."
Speaking of this, Su Musong couldn't help feeling sad. Although he was not Changsun Qin'an's biological son, his grandfather treated him no differently from Mu Feng and Mu Liu, and loved them equally.
"No, Shenghuang has many talented people, and there will be a way to cure grandpa's injury."
Although he knew that there was little hope, at this moment Xiao Luochen could only comfort Su Musong in this way.
"I hope so. The journey is long, and I won't be able to come back in time to go to Luzhou with you. You go first, and I will go to Luzhou to find you when grandpa's injury recovers."
"Well, I can handle Luzhou. Although Sixth Sister-in-law has no relatives there, it's just a matter of spending money to hire two more people. You don't have to worry."
The Huo family's escort agency was burned down, and all the Huo family members were killed, leaving only Huo Yanran as the sole heir. Fortunately, in addition to the escort agency, the Huo family also ran a tea shop. After Xiao Luoyao and Huo Yanran returned to Luzhou, they relied on this tea shop to make a living. Xiao Luochen naturally helped to take care of the affairs at home and in the shop, but he didn't need to take care of Huo Yanran personally.
The goodbye words had already been said, but Su Musong did not want to leave. He held Xiao Luochen's hand tightly and refused to let go, but did not say anything.
"Musong, what's wrong with you?"
"I don't want to be separated from you."
"It's okay, it's only a few months, maybe even less. When Sixth Brother returns to Luzhou, if you're still in Shenghuang, I'll come find you, okay?"
Although he was trying to comfort Su Musong, Xiao Luochen also thought so. If Sixth Brother went to the front line and everything went well, the war should be over soon. In this way, Sixth Brother would be able to return to Luzhou in no time. By then, he would be able to retire and go find Su Musong.
"It's a deal."
Su Musong stretched out his little finger and asked Xiao Luochen for a promise. Xiao Luochen reluctantly stretched out his little finger and hooked it.
"Childish ghost."
“It hasn’t been stamped yet!”
"That's enough for you."
Xiao Luochen said he was disgusted, but still smiled and leaned forward with his thumb, ready to complete the "stamping" process, but Su Musong suddenly exerted force, and with the help of their hooked fingers, he suddenly pulled Xiao Luochen into his arms, then lowered his head and kissed Xiao Luochen on the forehead, leaving a sentence "Stamping is completed, wait for me to come back" before turning around and running away.
Xiao Luochen didn't come back to his senses until Su Musong disappeared from his sight. He quickly looked around and confirmed that no one was around before he felt relieved. He felt a little regretful when he thought about how he hadn't had time to tell him to stay calm and not to get too sad if his grandfather really passed away. But then he thought about how he was traveling with his family and that his parents were taking care of him, and he felt that all his worries were unnecessary.
Young people always think that the future is long, but they haven't yet understood the impermanence of life...
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