Cui Hao smiled.
Guo Sheng didn't speak, but scoffed inwardly, thinking to himself, what's the use of asking? What kind of solution could a woman like her possibly come up with?
While pondering this, Wei Hong had already dismissed the messenger. He took out the letter and scanned it from beginning to end. The more he read, the slower he became, and the gentler his expression grew, even revealing a faint smile.
Cui Hao was curious about what the letter contained that would make the prince show such an expression at this critical juncture, but since it was a family letter, he didn't feel comfortable asking too many questions. So he simply stood quietly in the tent and didn't say anything more.
But soon Wei Hong told them the contents of the letter himself. After listening, not only was Cui Hao surprised, but even Guo Sheng was incredulous.
"Is the Princess going to Cangcheng?"
Cangcheng connects several important border passes, making its geographical location extremely important. However, precisely because of this, it is also very dangerous if the border passes are lost.
Last year, although Wei Hong took Yao Youqing to live there for half a year, it was because he personally oversaw the border to ensure its stability. Even if a war broke out, he could immediately transfer Yao Youqing to a safe place.
But he's not here right now, and the Jurchen army is pressing in. Even if the main force of the Jingyuan Army is still there, how could a girl like her know about these military and political matters? How could she be sure that the border wouldn't fall?
Even so, she still wrote to tell him that she was going to Cangcheng.
“She knew I was trapped in Hengshui and couldn’t leave. Although the Jingyuan Army was stationed in Shangchuan, the people were used to me being there. Now that I’m not here, and the Jin army has sent an unusually large number of troops, even though the Jingyuan Army has declared that the border is safe and secure, the people are still anxious. So… she went to Cangcheng in my place to reassure the people.”
Wei Hong once told her that the reason he personally went to Cangcheng every winter was to quell any unrest and to reassure the people when there was no unrest.
Now that there is chaos, the people need stability even more. Since he cannot go, she, as his wife, will go in his place.
The girl's delicate handwriting was as soft and gentle as she was, seemingly without much strength. Yet every word she wrote in the letter seemed to be engraved directly in Wei Hong's heart, making him unable to forget a single word. It was like a supple reed, tightly binding him and enveloping him, making his whole being soften.
"The princess is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside; she is a rare and wonderful woman."
Cui Hao praised him sincerely.
Wei Hong smiled and nodded, changing his previous decision.
"Ziqian, you take your men back. Ziyi, stay with me."
Guo Sheng's eyes widened upon hearing this: "Why?"
We were just telling him to go back!
Moreover, the task of leading troops into battle has always been entrusted to him!
Wei Hong ignored him and looked down at the letter again, as if he would never get tired of reading it.
Cui Hao lowered his eyes and agreed, then pulled Guo Sheng out and said to him, "The princess has gone to Cangcheng. Whoever returns will inevitably have to deal with her. Even if she can't help with the border war, she will definitely have to be informed in time. You and the princess have always been at odds, so why would the prince let you go?"
Guo Sheng understood, feeling both angry and helpless.
He was indeed not good at dealing with women, let alone the princess, so he could only frown and mutter a few words before giving up.
Inside the tent, after Cui Hao and Guo Sheng left, Wei Hong read the letter over and over again. After reading it, he glanced towards the tent flap and, hearing that no one was approaching, he lowered his head and, like a thief, took out a sky-blue undergarment from his bosom and sniffed it.
His young wife was not only born with a fragrant scent, but also had the world in her heart. Despite being so timid, she was still willing to go to Cangcheng in his place at this time.
He suddenly felt a pang of wonder at the unpredictability of the world. Who would have thought that the woman he had married, who was originally the daughter of his enemy, was now the apple of his eye, and that just thinking about her would warm his heart, like the winter sun melting his heart of iron?
Wei Hong buried his face in the bodice, a slight smile playing on his lips, and murmured softly, "Ning'er, my Ning'er..."
Chapter 77 Taking the Blame
After sending the letter to Wei Hong, Yao Youqing set off for Cangcheng, accompanied by Li Tai and his wife.
Before leaving, she repeatedly tried to persuade Song and Li Tai to stay, but neither of them agreed.
“Our home is in Cangcheng. There’s no reason for us to stay here while you leave, Ning’er.”
Song's Way.
“Yes,” Li Taiyi said from the side, “with the Jingyuan Army guarding the area, Shangchuan will be safe. You don’t need to worry about any danger if we go back with you.”
"Besides, we've been staying in Hu City for so long this time, and those who know us well know that we've been with you and the Prince. If you go back by yourself and leave us here, others will become even more suspicious, which would be counterproductive."
Yao Youqing hesitated for a moment, but seeing their insistence, she finally agreed to set off with them, though they did not travel together.
The distance between Hucheng and Cangcheng is not far; if they traveled overnight, they would arrive in a few days. However, Li Tai and his wife were old, and Yao Youqing did not want them to suffer on the road with her. So, she insisted that they rest at a post station along the way, and she went ahead to Cangcheng.
Mr. and Mrs. Li originally wanted to follow, but after her repeated persuasion, they finally agreed to stay and continue their journey at dawn. So the group parted ways here.
…………
Yao Youqing ate and slept entirely in the carriage the whole way, only stopping to rest when the horses were too tired to run. She hardly stopped for a moment.
After traveling for another four or five hours that day, the group took a short break by a river. Yao Youqing got off the bus with Zhou's mother and Qiongyu to relieve the numbness in her legs from sitting for so long.
"Now that the border situation is stable, there is no need for Your Highness to rush there so much."
"That's what Zhou's mother said from the side."
It's not that she can't endure hardship, it's just that she can't bear to see Yao Youqing suffer.
These days, Yao Youqing is constantly jostled in the car and can't even sleep well at night. She's rushing around even more than when she first married into Shangchuan from the capital.
She could clearly tell that she wasn't feeling well; her complexion had been poor for the past two days, but she kept quiet and insisted on getting to Cangcheng as quickly as possible.
Yao Youqing stretched her stiff arms and said to Zhou Mama, "You met the person who came to report the news a few days ago. Although the war situation is temporarily stable, the fact that the Prince is not in Shangchuan makes many people uneasy. Some merchants left Cangcheng immediately after hearing that tens of thousands of Jin troops were pressing on the border."
These merchants are often most sensitive to war and other things that may affect their business. When there is profit to be made, they will flock to one place like bees returning to their hive. When a disaster may strike, they will scatter and leave faster than anyone else.
Unlike the local people, they often don't have any relatives, friends, or ancestral property that they can't bear to leave behind. For them, packing their bags and going elsewhere to make money is the same.
“There are many merchants in Cangcheng. More than half of the people who enter the city every day are merchants. Once they leave, Cangcheng will be half empty. The once bustling streets and alleys will be much emptier. The local people will be even more anxious when they see this situation, and more and more people will leave. So I must get there as soon as possible.”
"Although I cannot fight in place of the prince, I am still his princess. My status is there. As long as I am here, they will know that Cangcheng is safe, and they will not be in a hurry to leave."
If the war situation were truly critical, she would certainly immediately order the evacuation of the people to a safe place.
But everything is under control right now, and it's far from the point where we need to abandon Cangcheng. Moving the people away in panic would not only be useless, but would also cause even greater panic, making people think that the Jingyuan Army has already lost control of the border.
“I know that this war came suddenly and is illogical, but I can’t help the prince much. I can only move to Cangcheng to stay. At least... it will keep the Shangchuan official granary that he has been working so hard to maintain from being affected for the time being.”
The city of Cangcheng is full of granaries and warehouses. If things get chaotic here, it will definitely have some impact on Wei Hong.
Yao Youqing didn't want him to return to a desolate city with half its population gone, and she didn't want him to be troubled by the imperial court while also worrying about things here.
Mrs. Zhou sighed, "Then you should at least rest a bit more now, otherwise you'll get sick before you even get to Cangcheng, wouldn't that be even more troublesome?"
Yao Youqing nodded and walked with her along the riverbank, stretching their muscles. The entourage and Jingyuan Army were scattered around, seemingly wandering around casually, but actually surrounding the area.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out in the distance. It sounded like there were quite a few people, and the scattered Jingyuan soldiers all pricked up their ears and looked in the direction of the approaching people.
Once the group came into view, someone recognized the leader as somewhat familiar, having seen him before alongside Liancheng.
The group also saw them, and as they approached, they reined in their horses and stopped. The two sides greeted each other.
"Brother Zhou," the leader said, lightly tapping his horse's flank as he approached a Jingyuan Army leader standing next to Yao Youqing, "it's been a long time."
The team leader looked up at him, nodded slightly, and seemed a little more relaxed but still somewhat wary.
"Zhao Wu? Weren't you left next door by Young Master Lian? What are you doing here?"
The neighboring country refers to the Southern Yan, although it was not explicitly stated, both sides knew it.
Zhao Wu smiled wryly: "Don't mention it. Young Master has been missing for some time now, as you all know."
“A few days ago we found out that he was being chased all the way to the border of Daliang, but we didn’t know where he had gone or whether he was dead or alive. We could only send out a lot of people to search for him. That’s why I was sent out too.”
Liancheng has been missing ever since, a fact known to many people around Wei Hong.
The team leader thought that if he had escaped into Shuozhou, he would definitely be safe. Even if he didn't contact the prince, he would definitely contact his own people as soon as possible. If he didn't contact them, then either he hadn't escaped here, or he was dead, or the so-called disappearance was all made up by himself from beginning to end. This time, the trouble that Nan Yan caused in Hengshui was his master's doing.
But it was obviously inconvenient to say the first part in front of the other person, and it wasn't his place to say the second part either.
Since the prince has not yet suspected Young Master Lian and has even allowed his men to remain in Shuozhou, they, as his subordinates, should simply follow his instructions. There is no need to say anything unnecessary or do anything extra. So he just muttered a few words to himself.
"In that case, I won't keep you from getting on with your business. You can continue on your way. We'll rest for a bit before we leave."
Zhao Wu nodded and cupped his hands in greeting from horseback: "Let's drink together again another day when we have time. We won't leave until we're drunk."
The team leader returned the greeting, stepped aside to make way, and watched him lead his group forward.
Just as the group was about to leave, they suddenly stopped as they passed the spot closest to Yao Youqing, drew their weapons, and quickly surrounded her.
The team leader was shocked and drew his sword, rushing over while shouting, "Protect the Princess!"
At this command, the Jingyuan Army, who had been momentarily surprised, came to their senses and rushed over. The two sides clashed, and the sounds of weapons clashing and blades cutting flesh filled the air.
Yao Youqing had faced fighting before; when Wei Hong took her to suppress bandits, the Jingyuan Army had clashed with mountain bandits, but that was completely different from now.
At that time, the mountain bandits were nothing more than a rabble who had just learned to use knives to the Jingyuan Army. Moreover, with Wei Hong protecting her, she didn't even see any blood, let alone corpses.
But in just a short moment, several corpses appeared around her, some of the enemy's and some of her own, their bodies mangled and their deaths gruesome.
Mother Zhou and Qiongyu were also terrified, stumbling and protecting her as they retreated. The leader, while fighting the enemy, shouted, "Take the princess and go first!"
Several soldiers from the Jingyuan army immediately escorted Yao Youqing toward the carriage, but before they could get close, one of them stabbed the horse pulling the carriage in the rump. The horse, in pain, neighed and galloped away, taking the carriage with it.
The Southern Yan man who had driven away the carriage turned and headed towards Yao Youqing. However, after taking only a few steps, he was knocked down from behind by a black horse. The horse's raised front hoof landed directly on his thigh, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground, unable to get up again.
"Your Highness, mount your horse!"
The Jingyuan Military Road protects Yao Youqing.
Yao Youqing grabbed the reins of the little darling and looked back at Zhou Mama and Qiongyu who were following her. Before she could speak, she heard them say, "Your Highness, hurry up!"
"But what about you?"
Yao Youqing was filled with fear and tears.
"You should leave now, don't worry about us!"
Qiongyu and Zhou's mother said anxiously.
The Jingyuan Army soldiers, who had already mounted their horses, urged: "Your Highness, please leave with us quickly. These people are after you. Once you leave, they will naturally stop bothering you here."
Yao Youqing wiped away her tears, mounted her horse, glanced at Zhou Mama and Qiongyu one last time, and rode away with several Jingyuan soldiers.
…………
"Who did you say sent people to kidnap the Princess of Qin?"
In a small town bordering Daliang and Nanyan, Liancheng suddenly stood up from his chair.
The servant said awkwardly, "You."
"Pah!"