The two left the mansion hand in hand.
Ling Xiao's residence was just across the street from where A Hao and Zhang Yu lived, very close by. As dusk approached, there were still many people outside; lanterns were hung, illuminating the entire long street. Under the paulownia trees, the shouts of vendors rose and fell, creating a lively atmosphere.
In less than fifteen minutes, Ling Xiao brought A-Hao to her place. Ling Xiao lived in a three-courtyard house, which looked newly renovated, and it was more than enough for her to live alone. As they passed through the courtyard, A-Hao noticed a medicinal smell emanating from it, perhaps from herbs that had been drying in the sun during the day.
There were few servants in the mansion. When they saw Ling Xiao, they all greeted her with a smile, showing little fear of her but rather a sense of closeness. They didn't know A-Hao's identity, assuming she was just Ling Xiao's friend, and smiled warmly at her. A-Hao felt that Ling Xiao's interactions with them didn't give off a clear sense of master and servant.
Dinner was already laid out in the dining hall, and the plum wine that Ling Xiao had mentioned he wanted A-Hao to try was also brought over. Ling Xiao invited A-Hao to sit down, poured her a glass of wine, and grinned, saying, "A-Hao, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Tonight, let's drink until we drop."
"Don't you have business to attend to tomorrow? You should drink less." Seeing Ling Xiao's high spirits, A-Hao advised her while also smiling, "I heard you can drink three jars of wine without getting drunk, I'm not going to compete with you in drinking." Ling Xiao scoffed. Amidst the laughter and chatter, the two enjoyed their meal and drinks quite pleasantly.
From Ling Xiao, A Hao learned that she was now working in the military camp. However, she wasn't just acting as a doctor or physician; she was mainly responsible for temporarily organizing a group of people to learn first aid techniques.
If war were to break out, death and injury would be unavoidable. Many soldiers, even if not seriously wounded, might die due to lack of timely medical assistance or be abandoned on the battlefield.
There were doctors and physicians in the army, but they were insufficient in number, and often they were only responsible for the injuries and illnesses of soldiers of certain ranks. The problems of ordinary soldiers were likely to be overlooked.
Another critical situation is the sudden outbreak of an epidemic within the military. Military camps are densely populated, and once an epidemic occurs, the spread is extremely rapid, and if not properly controlled, it can easily cause significant losses.
Ling Xiao also needs to lead a team to patrol the army every day, checking for any unusual behavior among the soldiers and keeping detailed records. Ling Xiao said that her team consists of a group of women, most of whom are women whose relatives died in previous wars, and some are orphaned girls with no one to rely on.
Ah Hao listened intently to these words. According to Ling Xiao's meaning, when the war really started, she would also go to the battlefield. Ah Hao was very curious about this women's army and felt admiration for it. The army was mostly composed of men, and it was not easy to do things smoothly in the military camp.
"As long as your man agrees, I can take you to see the military camp tomorrow." Seeing the amazement in Ahao's eyes, Lingxiao said to her with a smile.
For Yu Lingxiao, coming to Tongcheng wasn't primarily about saving her life; what Zhang Yu wanted her to do there was far more important. It was a job where one wrong move could cost her her life, and her willingness to come stemmed more from her own conscience.
Ah Hao remembered Ling Xiao's words and planned to go back and mention them to Zhang Yu, hoping she could help as well. Ling Xiao said that those people didn't really understand it, but it wasn't that difficult to learn. Since that was the case, she could learn it too.
Once they arrived in this city, if war really broke out, could she really hide behind Zhang Yu every day? She had thought this through clearly before coming. Even if she could only do a little bit, it was better than doing nothing at all.
Ah Hao and Ling Xiao chatted until late into the night, only realizing it was past midnight when they heard the sound of a gong. Ah Hao got up and said to Ling Xiao, "I should go back now, you should get some rest too." After a pause, she added, "Before I came, His Highness Prince Ning instructed me to remind you to send him a message to let him know you are safe."
Ling Xiao grumbled for a while, then reluctantly nodded. Then Zhang Yu arrived. He didn't come in, but simply called out from the entrance of the dining hall, "Hello."
Ah Hao didn't see him, but hearing his voice was enough. Ling Xiao glanced at her with a sly smile. Ah Hao walked out of the dining hall with an air of nonchalance and saw Zhang Yu standing there in a black robe.
"Why has His Majesty come?" A-Hao asked with a smile. She thought Zhang Yu might be having a long talk with General Fang. She didn't expect him to finish earlier than her and Ling Xiao.
Zhang Yu had been drinking and smelled of alcohol, but he never smelled bad even when he was drunk. He gave a faint reply, which he took as an answer to A-Hao's question, and then took her hand and prepared to leave.
Ling Xiao followed A Hao out. Seeing that they were about to leave, he was not surprised. He waved his hand and said, "Respectfully seeing off His Majesty and the Empress!" Zhang Yu did not react at all. A Hao turned around, waved to Ling Xiao, and said goodbye.
Leaning against the wall, watching Zhang Yu lead Ahao out of the courtyard, Ling Xiao thought about Ahao's words for a moment, then finally pursed his lips, found paper and pen, and wrote the three big characters "Still alive" in a flamboyant style. He then folded the letter paper, stuffed it into an envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, and told someone to remember to send it out the next day before returning to his room to rest.
Zhang Yu took Ahao back to the mansion. It was already late at night, and the long street was no longer as lively as before. Zhang Yu had gone to pick up Ahao alone, so there was no one else besides the two of them. Lanterns illuminated the way, which saved them a lot of trouble.
The paulownia tree stood silently, a gentle breeze carrying only the fragrance of its blossoms. Looking up, one could see a vast starry sky, a breathtaking sight. Ah Hao had a feeling that Zhang Yu was acting differently than usual, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She secretly glanced at him, but still felt something was off.
Back in the room, before even washing up, Zhang Yu pinned Ahao down on the bed. He seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds, and Ahao couldn't push him away. Zhang Yu leaned down and kissed her collarbone, leaving a long, delicate kiss. His hands quickly unbuttoned her clothes, finding her soft spot and gently kneading and caressing it.
Ah Hao breathed softly, pulling her mischievous hand away. Seeing the fleeting look of sorrow in his eyes, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She nudged Zhang Yu again and asked, "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"
"You ate your meal until the third watch of the night, and I've been waiting for you for ages without seeing you return," Zhang Yu said slowly, but the resentment in his eyes seemed even deeper than before.
Unexpectedly, it was because of this. Ah Hao chuckled and apologized to him, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have gone for so long and not come back, making His Majesty wait."
Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Yu pressed closer and whispered, "I want compensation." He was still adept at securing his own benefits.
Ah Hao was at a loss again.
·
After inquiring about Zhang Yu's opinion that night, Ahao went to the military camp with Ling Xiao the next day. Knowing the military camp was a serious place, Ahao wore a plain, narrow-sleeved robe and no jewelry. Ahao thought that in such a place, even a little dressing up would easily make her look gaudy.
Zhang Yu said he had other things to attend to and didn't go with Ahao, but asked Ling Xiao to take good care of her. Ahao didn't think much of it, but when she came out of the mansion, she noticed a new plaque on the gate with three large gold-lacquered characters: "Qiwu Mansion." Although she only glanced at it, Ahao thought it looked very much like Zhang Yu's handwriting.
She and Ling Xiao rode their horses to the military camp. Ah Hao remembered that Ling Xiao didn't seem to know how to ride a horse during the winter hunt, but now he rode very well. After arriving at the military camp, they dismounted. Soldiers came up and led the horses down with expressionless faces, while others checked their identities before letting them into the military camp.
Soldiers patrolled the military camp, nodding to Ling Xiao when they saw her, indicating they all recognized and accepted her. Ah Hao, visiting the camp for the first time, followed Ling Xiao without looking to the side, appearing even more obedient than she had been in the palace.
Ah Hao couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was filled with awe for this place, perhaps because he thought that without these soldiers fighting to the death on the battlefield, there would be no peaceful days. Ling Xiao led Ah Hao directly to a large tent, where they could hear laughter and conversation from inside.
Without much effort, one can discern that the voices coming from the tents sound like either an older woman or a young girl, but they are all exceptionally cheerful and give off an air of absolute authority.
Ah Hao remembered what Ling Xiao had said: most of the women in the Women's Army had experienced life and death separations because of the war. Sadness did not defeat them; instead, it made them stronger.
Ling Xiao lifted the tent flap and walked in. The people in the tent immediately fell silent, but everyone smiled when they saw Ling Xiao. It didn't seem like they were in awe, but rather out of habit and respect. A-Hao glanced at the people in the tent. There were more than ten people there, ranging from an old woman who looked to be over thirty years old to a girl who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen.
Upon seeing Song Shuhao, everyone's faces showed curiosity. Among them, a more unpretentious older woman asked, "Lord Ling, who is this beautiful young lady? She walked in so suddenly, I thought I had seen a fairy!"
The old woman showed kindness, which made Ah Hao relax a bit. Ling Xiao clapped his hands and laughed, "Aunt Li, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You see a pretty girl and you want to play matchmaker. We do have many excellent soldiers in our camp, but this Miss Song is no good. She's already taken!"
Everyone burst into laughter. This Granny Li must have been involved in matchmaking in the past. Ah-Khao looked at her and indeed seemed quite kind-hearted. Granny Li, upon hearing Ling Xiao's words, didn't seem embarrassed at all; on the contrary, she laughed even more heartily than the others.
"What is Miss Song doing at the military camp? Looking at Miss Song's thin arms and legs, could it be that she is also going to work with us?" Another old woman leaned forward and asked, and the others stopped laughing and waited for Ling Xiao's answer.
"Don't let Miss Song's appearance fool you, she's my direct superior. She's here to inspect the work today, so everyone should behave well and not embarrass yourselves." Ling Xiao didn't specifically mention A-Hao's identity, nor did he make any definitive statements. Many people, considering her status as the General's wife, clearly lost their curiosity.
Ah Hao laughed and said, "Don't believe her. I have to call her Lord Ling. How could I be her superior? Nobody calls me Lord Song." Ah Hao was very approachable, and everyone in the tent laughed at her words.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ling Xiao turned to business, "Have you patrolled today? How's it going?" His earlier frivolity vanished as soon as the topic turned to serious matters. It turned out that the people in this tent were responsible for checking the soldiers' physical condition that day.
Aside from Ahao and Lingxiao, there were sixteen people in the tent. These sixteen people were divided into four groups, each responsible for a specific area to check whether the soldiers were healthy or not. Afterwards, the group leader would report the patrol situation of their assigned area to Lingxiao.
Ah Hao listened from the side, thinking that it didn't seem like a fixed group of people were in charge of this task. Today it was these people, tomorrow it might be someone else; they would keep rotating. Ling Xiao sat behind the desk in the tent, listening, asking questions, and taking notes.
After dealing with these matters, everyone in the tent went about their own business. Ling Xiao specifically dispatched doctors to check on any soldiers who had headaches, fevers, or other physical ailments. Her authority also included the deployment of the doctors maintained in the military camp.