The flames of war suddenly ignited (Part 2)
Wang Pan'er was physically in Bianjing, but her heart followed Mu Chuan towards Jinzhou Prefecture.
She sat there blankly for the entire afternoon, and became even more absent-minded after nightfall.
The kitchen, contrary to usual, was brightly lit with candles.
A person whose heart is filled with emptiness cannot bear the loneliness of the long night, so he puts on his coat and enters the kitchen.
The kitchen staff were working busily. Half of them were baking jerky, and the other half were kneading dough to make naan. When they saw her arrive, they all greeted her, "Good night, Your Highness."
With the fireworks and the lively atmosphere, Wang Pan'er regained some composure and asked, "What are you all doing?"
As the cook punched holes in the strips of meat and threaded them with string, she replied, "Making jerky and naan."
Wang Pan'er was puzzled. These were all dry rations, and Mu Chuan had already set off, so the manor didn't need them. Why did they continue to make them?
The cook noticed Wang Pan'er's confusion and explained, "His Highness arranged it, saying that it's prepared in advance in case it comes in handy."
Wang Pan'er was confused, but she wanted to do something to distract herself, so she found a spot to light a fire, sat down, and said, "I'll join you."
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of noodles and meat, and the firewood crackled and popped in the stove. The intense heat from the flames dispelled the damp unease in Wang Pan'er's heart, and her mind, which had been clouded by anxiety, began to function again.
She stood guard by the stove, skillfully adding firewood and occasionally pulling the bellows. She controlled the heat while pondering the situation.
The Jinzhou Prefecture area is in the midst of war. I wonder if Wang Xiaoyao, Wang Chengxi, and the girls in the shops are all safe and sound?
Will the expeditionary force be able to arrive smoothly and successfully suppress the rebellion?
As time passed, the deeper into the night, the clearer her mind became. She found the source of her anxiety and unease.
Not only did Mu Chuan leave with the army, but her younger sister in Jinzhou Prefecture, as well as all the women under her command, all evoked lingering feelings in her heart.
She looked at the bustling kitchen and laughed out loud.
It's time to leave the capital and return to Jinzhou Prefecture.
The next morning, Wang Pan'er, who hadn't slept all night, waited at the door of the princess's room before she went to court.
The princess pushed open the door and, seeing Wang Pan'er's worried expression, understood why she had come.
"Want to go back to Jinzhou?"
The princess asked directly, and Wang Pan'er answered without hesitation, "Yes."
She took Wang Pan'er's hand and patted it gently: "For your safety, I shouldn't let you go."
Upon hearing this, Wang Pan'er became anxious and explained, "My mother knows that I have some basic medical knowledge. If I go back, I can help treat some injuries. I would never seek my own death or cause unnecessary trouble."
“That’s not what I meant.” The princess released her hand and gently flicked away the ash that had been on her at the stove the night before. “You are a good child who knows your limits. Although you shouldn’t have let her go, it would be too cruel to separate you from your family and friends at this critical juncture.”
She beckoned to Hongxiao: "I anticipated that you would want to return to Jinzhou. I have other matters to attend to, and I have already instructed Hongxiao to arrange the relevant matters."
It turns out that the dried meat and naan bread that the kitchen made overnight were really for her.
This was a kind of care from elders that Wang Pan'er had never experienced in either of her two lifetimes.
Her eyes welled up with tears. She wanted to cling to the princess like Mu Lan and act coquettishly, but she was also a little timid and hesitant. She just took a step closer and called out softly, "Mother."
"Oh, our Pan'er is also a mother's precious treasure." The princess took the initiative to put her arm around Wang Pan'er, patted her head like a child, and then stroked her back. "Go do whatever you want to do. Chuan'er will support you, and the Princess's Mansion will also protect you."
Wang Pan'er nodded, raised her hand, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and then watched the princess step into the sedan chair to go to court: "Thank you, Mother."
The eldest princess lifted the sedan curtain and waved to her: "Go in peace."
When Wang Pan'er returned to her and Mu Chuan's courtyard, Hong Xiao was already waiting for her, and two guards stood behind her.
Upon seeing Wang Pan'er, Hongxiao immediately stepped forward and said, "I am martial, and His Highness specially assigned me to accompany the Princess. The two guards were also appointed by His Highness to protect the Princess's safety."
Wang Pan'er indicated that she knew, and said to them, "You should also pack your valuables, and we'll meet at the gate of our mansion."
The three men clasped their hands in a fist and bowed in unison: "Yes."
Wang Pan'er returned to her room and reopened the wardrobe.
Yesterday she tidied up Mu Chuan's things, and today she's tidying up her own.
Compared to Mu Chuan's flashy style, her dresses were much simpler; she only picked out two or three thick ones, packed them up, and that was it.
In the wardrobe, the clothes left behind by the two hung empty, and Wang Pan'er felt a pang of sadness as she looked at them.
She turned her head, pointed to the newly acquired clothes in Mu Chuan, and said to the maid sent by the princess to serve her, "Have someone make the corresponding women's versions of these sets. I want to wear them with your prince when I come back."
The maid's eyes lit up: "The Prince originally intended to wear matching robes with the Princess, but he didn't mention it to you because the Princess doesn't like complicated clothes."
Wang Pan'er could almost picture Mu Chuan's regretful expression, and chuckled, "Then let's go and get it done."
When she arrived at the gate of the mansion carrying her bundle, not only Hongxiao and the guards were there, but Mulan and Lüyi were also there, directing the servants to add things to the carriage.
Upon seeing Wang Pan'er, Mu Lan immediately stepped forward warmly: "It has always been the rule of the Great Xia Dynasty that women do not serve in the army. Since your mother cannot enlist you in the army, I have specially prepared a carriage and guards to escort you."
Then she pointed to the neatly stacked boxes in the space behind the carriage and said, "These are the dried meat and naan bread that Mother instructed the kitchen to bake overnight. All the internal medicines for anti-inflammatory and hemostatic purposes, as well as those for wind-cold and wind-heat, are also stored here."
Wang Pan'er was too moved to speak as she watched the entire household busy working for her.
Luyi added, "His Highness said that there is war in the Jinzhou area and supplies are bound to be scarce. Princess, please buy as much as you can from the grain stations and pharmacies you see along the way. Young Master has already engraved the seal of Tiancheng Yuan for you. If you don't have enough silver notes, please feel free to withdraw them."
Wang Pan'er nodded repeatedly, and after loading all the supplies, she boarded the carriage.
Green Ripple and Red Silk rarely separated, and the two sisters chatted for a while about everyday things.
Finally, Hongxiao also climbed into the carriage.
It was a mild autumn noon. The carriage windows were rolled up, and Wang Pan'er looked at Mu Lan, who was making a megaphone shape with her hands. She called out to them with concern, "Safety first. Do your best and don't do anything foolish."
Wang Pan'er nodded to her and waved for her to return to the mansion.
The guard raised his whip and lightly lashed the horse. The horse reared up, and the wheels began to turn.
When she arrived at the border, the weather was hot, and she was escorting prisoners, a journey that took eight or nine days. This time, on the return trip, the journey was smooth and she knew the roads well, arriving at the territory of Jinzhou Prefecture in just five or six days.
The situation in the Jinzhou Prefecture area is not optimistic. They had just crossed the border of the prefecture when they began to see refugees.
Wang Pan'er ordered the guards to intercept the refugees, hand them dry rations, and inquire about their situation.
Before the main army arrived, the Northern Barbarians had already captured Jinzhou Prefecture. Many people fled with their families to seek refuge with relatives and friends in other places.
The news of the fall of Jinzhou Prefecture struck Wang Pan'er like a heavy hammer, making her gasp for breath.
Her palms were sweating, she bit her lip, and her heart was filled with unease.
Seeing this, Hongxiao ordered the guards to speed up the carriage's journey.
The closer they got to the prefectural capital, the more displaced people there were.
They huddled together in small groups, staring at Wang Pan'er and her companions' carriage like hungry wolves eyeing a piece of meat, causing widespread unease.
Fortunately, the guards were armed and clearly skilled in martial arts, so they dared not approach rashly.
Seeing this, the guards dared not stop the carriage easily, for fear that they would be surrounded and unable to escape.
Wang Pan'er and Hongxiao could only scatter some food along the way, and upon seeing this, the people immediately began to scramble for it.
A fight broke out in the crowd, and blood splattered everywhere. Wang Pan'er felt like she couldn't breathe, so she simply lowered the curtains.
The guard suggested, "We can deter groups of three or five, but if we encounter a group of a hundred or so, even if we are skilled in martial arts, we will be no match for them. Could we slow down and drive around the crowd?"
Wang Pan'er, her face pale, responded.
By avoiding the throngs of refugees, the feeling of being crammed in by the crowds lessened considerably.
Wang Pan'er took a sip of the water, which was still warm from being covered by red silk in the mattress, and felt a little better.
The guards drove the carriage erratically, managing to avoid the crowd, but the carriage's bumpy ride on the stones and mud made Wang Pan'er carsick.
With periods of good and bad, Wang Pan'er was completely castrated.
They would occasionally encounter women who had been abandoned and were left alone. Wang Pan'er could only vaguely sense that the carriage had stopped, and then Hongxiao would hand them pieces of dried meat and naan bread.
They all had relatives in other places, but on their way to seek refuge, they were abandoned as their food supplies dwindled and their strength gave out.
Hongxiao, who had been abandoned by her own parents, empathized deeply with them. Whenever she encountered these abandoned women, she would stop her carriage, distribute rations, and patiently tell them again and again that the army was approaching and that they could turn back, maintain a safe distance from the prefecture, and that the army would surely recover the lost territory.
Some of them believed it, swallowed their rations to regain their strength, and began to walk back. Others gave up completely, thinking that if their men could abandon them, what could the army do?
At this point, the individual makes the decision and bears the consequences; no one else has the right to interfere.
However, his contact with many women and children yielded some useful information.
After Lord Zhao was arrested and escorted to the capital, a new local official has not yet been appointed.
Wang Pan'er overheard Mu Chuan telling the Princess about the reason behind it. Apparently, the border was not peaceful, and the prefecture bordered the Northern Di. They were afraid that the officials they had sent there would take advantage of the chaos and put the people of Jinzhou Prefecture in danger.
Rather than using suspicious individuals, it would be better to wait for the army to suppress the rebellion, and after the autumn imperial examinations are over, the emperor can select his own men from among the commoners.
At present, the upper echelons of the Jinzhou government office have been completely wiped out. According to seniority, the one temporarily in charge of the government office in place of the prefect is an unknown clerk.
There's a reason why someone is unknown or obscure.
He may have some knowledge, but when it comes to real problems, he immediately turns into a hopeless case.
When the Northern Barbarians entered the city, the advisor couldn't hold out for even a day, and the Northern Barbarians broke through the city gates, forcing hundreds of thousands of people in the city to flee in panic.
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