As he spoke, he began to walk inside.
Madam Zhou quickly stopped her, saying, "Your Highness, please don't force yourself."
Yao Youqing stubbornly shook her head: "I really can, I definitely can!"
After saying that, he insisted on going inside.
Liancheng followed behind her, watching her go in and come out again. Now that she was going in again, he sighed silently and followed her.
A moment later, Yao Youqing ran out again while another injured person was having their dressing changed. She stood under the eaves, sobbing and choking, tears streaming down her face.
"I can't, what should I do... I can't."
Liancheng: "..."
The author has something to say: [Note 1] "Young men of the Five Mausoleums, east of the Golden Market, ride silver-saddled white horses through the spring breeze"—Li Bai, "Two Poems on the Journey of Young Men"
Chapter 97 Living
Liancheng really didn't know what kind of wife Wei Hong had married. She was timid, but even when she was kidnapped, she could calmly find a chance to escape on her own. She was brave, but she could be scared to tears so easily that it was like a dam bursting open, making people worry that she might cry her eyes out.
Madam Zhou felt it was inappropriate to let Yao Youqing cry there, so she asked Mr. and Mrs. Li to keep a close eye on her. She then helped Yao Youqing into the carriage and returned to the mansion.
Liancheng always went out with Yao Youqing, so he went back with her as well.
He thought that after what happened that day, Yao Youqing would probably not go again, and would simply send someone to visit on his behalf from time to time.
But the next day, after walking around the soup kitchen, Yao Youqing went to the place where the wounded soldiers were being housed and tentatively went inside.
Wounded soldiers don't have their bandages removed and dressings changed every moment. Yesterday, because they had just arrived, their dressings, which hadn't been changed for a long time, really needed to be changed, which is why there were so many horrific scenes.
Today, most people are just lying quietly, while the few seriously wounded who need to be watched at all times are gathered together in one place.
When Yao Youqing went in, the people lying down greeted her, and some even tried to sit up, but she quickly stopped them.
"Since you are injured, there is no need for formalities. Otherwise, if it aggravates your wounds, I will become the sinner and dare not come again."
The wounded soldier smiled and lay back down, thanking her for arranging such good accommodations and for having someone to take care of him. He said that when he left the border, Lord Cui told them that the princess was kind and would take good care of them, and after arriving, he found that it was indeed so.
Yao Youqing shook her head: "No need to thank me. You are all the prince's subordinates, and you were injured while fighting for the country. As the Princess Consort of Qin, this is what I should do."
The wounded soldier's smile became more genuine, and he hesitated before asking, "Your Highness... I have a favor to ask, and I wonder if Your Highness could help me?"
Yao Youqing nodded: "Tell me, as long as it's within my power, I will do my best to help you."
The wounded soldier said, "It's nothing serious, but... I can't write. I wonder if Your Highness could find someone who can write to write a letter home for me and send it to my family so that my wife and children can rest assured that I am still alive."
"I haven't sent them any letters since I got injured, because I'm afraid they'll worry."
It wasn't very convenient to exchange letters at the border. In the past, when there was no war, they could send letters regularly, but after the war started, it was no longer as stable as before. The post stations were too busy sending war reports, so how could they have time to send letters home at any time?
The reason why Yao Youqing's family letter was delivered to Wei Hong on time was that there were many matters in Cangcheng that needed to be reported to him at any time. Sending the family letter along with these documents was sufficient and did not require any extra manpower.
But this wasn't the case for ordinary soldiers. If they wanted to send letters home, they would have to send someone individually. With so many soldiers at the border, if everyone had to write a letter and send it on time, it would be a huge waste of manpower and resources.
Yao Youqing understood that he was thinking about his family, so she nodded and said, "Of course, my maid can write. Just tell her what you want to write, and she can write it down and give it to me along with your home address. I will then send someone to deliver it to you."
After saying that, he looked at the others around him and said, "If you have anything you want to write, you can write it down now, and I'll have someone send it to you later."
These words made the eyes of several people who had been listening intently light up, and they all said that they also wanted to send a letter home.
But some people still lay motionless in bed, their eyes glazed over.
A fine young man suddenly becomes disabled, and there may be no hope for his future. Even if he writes to his family, what good will it do? Let them know that he has become disabled, that he can no longer fight on the battlefield, and that he may even have to rely on them for support?
If that's the case, it would have been better to have died on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide.
Some were happy while others were sad, but the oppressive atmosphere in the room eased somewhat. Some even dared to ask Yao Youqing if they could have another man write the letters for them.
Yao Youqing asked in confusion, "Why? My maid's handwriting is also quite good."
The man's face flushed slightly, and he scratched his head, saying, "There are some things... that are inconvenient to say to women."
Yao Youqing thought he was talking about some private matters between husband and wife and was about to agree when she heard someone laugh from the side: "Old Cao, are you afraid that your wife will see that the letter you sent has a woman's handwriting and come over here with a club to beat you up?"
The man who had been replaced by Old Cao spat and said, "My wife is wonderful! She always listens to me without question, so stop talking nonsense!"
Their conversation drew another burst of laughter from those around them. Yao Youqing couldn't help but laugh as well, saying, "Then I'll have Steward Zhou find a servant who can write to help you write the letter."
Old Cao thanked her repeatedly, while the others kept egging him on, saying that the princess shouldn't have indulged his bad habit; it was already good enough that she helped him write the letter, yet he was still being so picky.
The person who had first inquired about writing the letter asked again amidst laughter, "Your Highness, I wonder... how long will it take for this letter to arrive?"
With so many people writing letters, if we had to deliver them one by one, it would take who knows how long it would take before it reached our own family.
If the letter hasn't arrived by the time they've recovered and can go home, then it's pointless.
Yao Youqing had already thought it through, and replied, "Don't worry, there are many caravans in Cangcheng, and they haven't stopped operating even now."
"Once you've finished writing your letters, I'll have someone roughly divide them according to your addresses, and then I'll go into the city to find a caravan that's going the same way to deliver them to you. That will definitely be much faster than sending people through the post stations one by one."
"If there are really no caravans that can reach the area, I will send someone to deliver it to you separately."
"But remember, you absolutely must not mention the battle situation at the border in your letters, otherwise I won't be able to send them out."
If these family letters were intercepted by someone with ulterior motives and they were able to glean anything from them, Yao Youqing would be guilty beyond redemption, even if he were to die a thousand deaths.
Fortunately, their letters were all written by servants she arranged. The servants naturally knew what they could and could not write. She was just giving them a heads-up in advance so they wouldn't feel that the servants weren't doing their best to help.
"Your Highness, rest assured, although we are rough men, we still know these things."
Old Cao said in a gruff voice, a smile on his face because he could write a letter to his wife.
Yao Youqing nodded and was about to send someone to find Steward Zhou to arrange the matter when she suddenly heard a scream coming from the place where the seriously wounded were being treated.
She was startled. The wounded soldiers who had been chatting and laughing on this side all looked over there nervously, with concern and worry.
The doctor on duty here that day immediately picked up his medicine box and went over, lifted the curtain and sat down in front of the injured man's bed to carefully examine his wounds.
The injured person was probably uncomfortable from lying down for too long, and couldn't help but move around, which accidentally reopened the wound, causing blood to gush out again.
Yao Youqing took a few steps forward, but stopped again in front of the curtain.
Through the gap in the curtain, Yao Youqing could see the blood-stained bandage being quickly removed by the doctor and tossed aside. The bloodstains on it made her afraid to go any closer.
The number of wounded soldiers who can be sent to Cangcheng will only increase. If she leaves every time she encounters such a situation, what will people think?
She forced herself to stand still, not allowing herself to turn and run away like she had yesterday.
But the painful cries of the wounded and the glaring crimson blood on the ground made her face turn pale, and her clenched fists trembled slightly.
Just as she was wondering what to do, the mute Ashu, who had been following behind her, suddenly lifted the curtain and went in. He helped the doctor hold down the injured person's body, which was struggling in pain, and also blocked the blood-stained rag on the ground, thus blocking her view.
Yao Youqing breathed a sigh of relief, pursed her lips, and stood outside the curtain, secretly annoyed at herself for being timid.
Hearing the commotion inside, the other wounded soldiers sighed and said, "Xiao Jiu's older brother just died on the battlefield a few days ago, and now he's like this..."
He frowned and shook his head, unable to continue, but Yao Youqing had already heard him and turned to look at him.
"His older brother...is dead?"
“Yes,” the man said, “Luckily, he has a younger brother at home, otherwise… how would he manage in the future?”
One son died in battle, and another was crippled. Two pillars of the family collapsed at once. If no other son could stand up, what would become of this family?
Upon hearing this, Yao Youqing's eyes dimmed slightly: "I also have two older brothers...and they are both dead."
These words silenced everyone again. For a moment, apart from the injured man's cries of pain and the doctor's busy voice, there was no other sound in the room.
Old Cao and the others glared at the man who had spoken earlier, blaming him for saying something wrong that upset the princess. Just as they were thinking about how to comfort her, they heard her murmur again, "If they were still alive, even if they were missing an arm or a leg, as long as they were alive... I would be happy."
As long as the family is alive, they can at least stay together. No matter how difficult things get, they can always find a way to get through it.
But she no longer has that chance...
As she spoke, she looked up at the curtain again, wondering if her brother were injured and lying inside, would she be too scared to go in?
No, it definitely won't.
So what is she afraid of now?
Yao Youqing took a deep breath and took a step forward.
After taking that first step, the rest seemed to go much more smoothly.
She lifted the curtain and went inside, choosing a quiet corner to stand in. She watched as the doctor stopped the bleeding and changed the dressings for the injured man, even helping to hand him a medicine bottle. She never turned away out of fear again.
Outside the curtain, a wounded soldier who had been lying motionless on the bed sat up at some point, and after a long while, he spoke in a low voice: "I also want to write a letter."
Then someone else chimed in, "I want to too."
Disability is terrible, but at least they can still live to see their families, and their families must want to see them too.
Even if they lose an arm or a leg, as long as they are alive... they would certainly be happy.
Chapter 98 Threat
Another rain fell on Beijing. Yao Yuzhi's legs would ache terribly in this kind of weather, so she stayed indoors and didn't go out.
Chen Tian stood motionless at the doorway like a wooden stake until he saw his younger brother walk in. Then he took two steps forward and asked in a low voice, "How is it outside? Is there any noise?"
Chen Miao shook his head, put away his umbrella, and was about to speak when the door suddenly opened. Butler Chang stood inside and said, "Young Brother Chen, the master invites you in to speak."
Chen Tian nodded, handed the umbrella to his elder brother, stepped inside, and bowed to Yao Yuzhi, who was resting on the bed.
"What are your orders, sir?"
Yao Yuzhi waved her hand: "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if anything happened outside?"
Chen Miao paused slightly, but didn't speak immediately. Yao Yuzhi said, "You've been going out a lot lately, so something must be wrong outside?"
"If something is really wrong, don't hide it from me. If I know, I can help you think of a solution. After all, I'm in the capital now, with you all watching me in the courtyard and His Majesty watching me outside. I can't run away, so what are you afraid of?"
Chen Miao said, "Sir, you are overthinking it. The reason I didn't tell you is because I didn't know what had happened. It's just that recently there have been more and more sentries guarding your courtyard, and I felt something was wrong, so I went out to check a few more times."
Yao Yuzhi frowned: "The number of hidden sentries has increased?"
"Yes, more than double, it's like... it's like they're preventing you from escaping from here."
Wei Chi had been keeping an eye on Yao Yuzhi leaving the capital, a fact they had known for a long time.