After hearing that Guo Sheng and others were besieged at Hutou Village, he realized that Wei Chi was eager to take action against him.
But he didn't understand why the Southern Yan troops hadn't returned to Liancheng's control yet, which caught his Jingyuan army off guard.
Blindly trusting Liancheng was not an option. He had already prepared for the worst, a plan he was unwilling to make but had to: facing the armies of Nan Yan, Da Jin, and even Da Liang simultaneously.
The Liang court has no reason to send troops against him at present, especially when both the Southern Yan and the Jin Dynasty are at war with him.
If Wei Chi were to openly attack Shuozhou at this time, he would be joining forces with outsiders to destroy the Great Liang. There would be no need for him to fight or seize the throne; his position would be unstable, and he would surely be infamous for eternity.
But that doesn't mean he won't sabotage him openly or secretly. For example, this time he pretended to fail to defend the border, allowing the Southern Yan troops to enter and kill Guo Sheng and the Jingyuan Army he led.
Cui Hao and Guo Sheng were Wei Hong's right-hand men, a fact that was common knowledge. Killing them would not shake his foundation, but it would still be a significant blow to him. If he could also weaken some of his troops, it would be a win-win situation.
However, Wei Chi was still wary of Southern Yan, so he didn't dare let them venture too deep into their territory. He simply allowed them to enter Guo Sheng's group's return route. The number of Southern Yan troops allowed in was small, presumably calculated to be just enough to kill Guo Sheng and his men.
He just didn't expect the Jingyuan Army to be far more difficult to deal with than he imagined, and in the end, Guo Sheng and his men still won, although at a very heavy cost.
However, the Southern Yan troops were almost wiped out, and were routed by Guo Sheng and his men who fought desperately. This gave Guo Sheng an excuse to stay in Tongfeng Fort, occupy the location, and take over the troops and soldiers inside the fort.
Wei Hong originally intended to send troops from a nearby area to provide reinforcements, rescue Guo Sheng and the others, and then leave them there. He would then use the same reason to send other troops from Shuozhou to take control of the entire surrounding area, so as to prevent the court from taking the opportunity to stab him in the back.
Unexpectedly, Guo Sheng had the same idea as him. He risked his life to seize the initiative and, after occupying Tongfeng Fort, he used coercion and inducement to persuade several other forts, making it easier for his troops to enter.
Now the imperial court is in a passive position because of the previous incident of allowing the Southern Yan troops to enter the country. The troops in Shuozhou refuse to retreat on the grounds that the local garrison is incompetent, and are determined to defend the territory of Daliang.
Wei Chi's attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly. He was frustrated by the incompetence of the Southern Yan troops and secretly resented Wei Hong for taking the opportunity to send troops. However, he was helpless for the time being and could only wait for another opportunity.
...
In the first month of the third year of Chongming, before the Lantern Festival had passed, the Jin people launched a large-scale attack on Shangchuan. The Southern Yan seized the opportunity and launched a war from the south of Shuozhou, which was then surrounded by the forces of both sides.
Fortunately, Wei Hong had already stationed troops at various key passes near Shuozhou, and Guo Sheng had remained there to oversee the situation, so Shuozhou did not suffer any losses under the siege of Southern Yan and Jin.
The war remained deadlocked until March of the third year of Chongming without any change. Although Wei Hong could barely manage, he was indeed very tired from supporting both sides at the same time.
He had not returned to Cangcheng for a long time due to the war, nor had he seen Yao Youqing. It wasn't until three months later, when he saw that the war situation should not have changed for the time being, that he hurriedly went back to see her.
At that moment, Yao Youqing was embroidering something in her room. She didn't hear him when he returned, remaining focused until he approached, at which point she looked up in surprise: "Your Highness!"
Wei Hong pulled the girl into his arms, buried his face in her neck and took a deep breath of that familiar fragrance, before saying with a mixture of helplessness and grievance, "It's been so long since I've seen Ning'er. The bib I brought before doesn't smell like you anymore."
Yao Youqing stood up, blushing, and playfully punched him. The man smiled, took her small fist, pulled her back to sit on the edge of the bed, and asked, "What are you embroidering?"
The piece of cloth in her hand was quite large, unlike ordinary clothing; it looked more like a cloak or something similar, but this material didn't seem quite suitable for making a cloak.
Yao Youqing smiled and picked up the piece of cloth, saying, "I've only just started embroidering. Can you guess what it is?"
As she spoke, she showed him two inconspicuous corners that she had already embroidered, one on each side of the cloth. One corner had a small "victory" character embroidered on it, and the other had a "peace" character embroidered on it.
Not wanting to spoil his fun, Wei Hong picked it up and examined it carefully.
After unfolding the fabric, he looked at its color and estimated its size. A sudden feeling welled up inside him, and a sense of warmth seeped into his limbs and bones.
"This is... the commander's flag?"
Yao Youqing smiled and nodded: "Your Highness has not returned for a long time, and I am really worried. I don't know what I can do for you, so I thought I would embroider a banner for you, hoping that Your Highness will be safe and sound and win every battle."
The exhaustion of the past few months and the resentment towards the court became insignificant at this moment. Wei Hong put down the unfinished banner, hugged the girl in his arms again, and gently kissed her forehead: "Good Ning'er, with you waiting for me at home, I will definitely return safely."
Chapter 90 Red Beans
The room was warm and cozy. Wei Hong held Yao Youqing and kissed her for a while. Unable to contain himself any longer, he whispered something in her ear.
Yao Youqing's hand tightened slightly on his collar, and she lowered her head and whispered, "Your Highness, you...you came back on time, didn't you?"
Wei Hong chuckled softly, his voice hoarse.
"Then it seems I've returned just in time?"
As he spoke, he began to unbutton the girl's clothes.
He hadn't touched her since their last time consummating their marriage, and heaven knows how unbearable it had been for him to think of her these past few days.
The girl was not wearing much in the room, and he quickly stripped her clothes off, leaving marks on her shoulders and collarbone. He then picked her up and carried her from the daybed to the couch, and lowered the bed curtains.
A rustling sound came from behind the bed curtains, and several pieces of clothing slipped down from the gaps, including men's outer and inner garments as well as women's skirts and bodices.
He eagerly covered her with his body, and when he pressed down heavily, the girl let out a soft gasp and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
The girl was as tight as ever. He kissed her breathlessly for a long time before he could ravage her. It wasn't until noon that he carried her to the pool in the bathroom to give her a quick wash.
When she came out, the servants had set out lunch and left, but Yao Youqing stayed in bed, not wanting to eat at all, and just wanted to lie down and take a nap.
Fearing she would go hungry, Wei Hong insisted on pulling her up, holding her on his lap, and feeding her bite by bite.
Yao Youqing turned her head: "No, I'll just sit down and eat by myself."
She may not want to move, but she shouldn't be so weak that she doesn't even have the strength to eat.
Wei Hong held on tightly, refusing to let go: "I'll feed you."
"Your Highness, I'm not a child!"
The two were reluctant, but Wei Hong's shamelessness prevailed in the end. He insisted on holding her on his lap and feeding her a meal. After he finished feeding her, she kept pestering him to feed her.
Yao Youqing deliberately held the chopsticks a little off-center, smearing oil all over his mouth. Seeing the oil glistening on his lips, she couldn't help but giggle.
Wei Hong wasn't annoyed. He turned around and ate the meat he had picked up with his chopsticks, then suddenly leaned in and started kissing her all over the face.
Laughter filled the room. After the meal, both of them had oily faces. They washed their faces and took a leisurely stroll in the garden before resting for lunch.
The bedding on the bed had been changed. Wei Hong held Yao Youqing in his arms, inhaling her fragrance with longing, and listening to the girl whisper in his ear.
"Your Highness, now that you're back, I wanted to ask if you could consider canceling the wedding date for Doctor Dou and Qiongyu?"
"Dr. Dou is an orphan who was raised by his uncle and aunt. We originally planned to set their wedding date after the New Year, but who knew... the war started before the New Year was over."
"Your aunt and uncle are afraid you can't be without someone by your side, so they don't dare to make decisions easily, therefore..."
"There's nothing I can't live without; I can do it anytime."
Wei Hong said.
"Although the war is intense, there is still time for marriage. Besides, Douzi is already so old. Although his uncle and aunt are not his biological parents, they are more like biological parents to him. They must also hope that he can get married, start a family, and leave an heir."
"Get married and have a child as soon as possible, so that even if something happens to me on the battlefield..."
"Your Highness!"
Yao Youqing covered his mouth, preventing him from saying anything more.
Wei Hong looked at the girl's furrowed brows, her expression one of worry and displeasure, as if she thought he had said something unlucky. He smiled and gently bit the fingertip she had placed on his lips.
The girl's fingertips tingled, and she instinctively tried to pull them back, but he held them and kissed all her slender fingers before pulling them back to his chest.
"If you don't mind the time being too tight, just pick a date nearby to hold their wedding. I'll try my best to stay, but it's okay if I can't. As long as Douzi, the groom, stays."
"There are so many military doctors in the army, it doesn't matter if he leaves for a while. Anyway, his aunt and uncle have already prepared the betrothal gifts for him, and Qiongyu's dowry and house have also been prepared. All that's missing is the wedding. It's the same if we send Douzi to the border after they get married."
"Or we can just wait until Qiongyu has a child before we go. It's up to them. I have other military doctors to take care of me, so it won't be a problem."
Yao Youqing nodded: "Then I'll ask Qiongyu later, Your Highness, you should also ask Doctor Dou. Let them decide this matter themselves."
Wei Hong agreed, saying she would ask around for her later.
Yao Youqing had nothing else to say, so she closed her eyes, curled up in his arms, and fell into a deep sleep.
The room quieted down. Wei Hong stroked the girl's shoulder, wanting to ask her a few questions before she fell asleep, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them.
The situation is now volatile, and a war between him and the imperial court is inevitable; all that's needed now is a suitable reason and opportunity.
Yao Yuzhi was a veteran of three reigns of the Great Liang Dynasty. He was loyal and upright, but also stubborn. Even if the late emperor had arranged for his daughter to marry him, he would never betray the court and join his camp.
If that happens... if a conflict arises between him and her father, what choice will she make?
If she had to choose between the two of them, who would she choose?
Wei Hong couldn't bear to ask, nor did he dare to.
Not wanting to put Yao Youqing in a difficult position, he dared not listen to her answer.
That was her father who had raised her for over a decade, and she was always filial; she would get upset even if he said a bad word about him, let alone…
Wei Hong closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the girl's arm.
He knew that since she had already married him, she was his for life. No matter what happened between him and Yao Yuzhi in the future, or what choices she made, she would eventually stay by his side.
But he didn't want to drift apart from her, and he didn't want there to be any indelible barrier between them.
The thought of her looking sullen and forcing a smile next to him made him feel like a stone was pressing on his heart, making it hard to breathe. He only managed to temporarily put aside those wild thoughts after she woke up and he pestered her for a while.
...
After finally getting out of bed, Yao Youqing called Qiongyu in and asked her what her plans were.
Qiongyu blushed and said, "This servant...this servant will listen to the Princess."
“I can’t make that decision for you,” Yao Youqing said. “It would be unfair to you if the wedding were to be arranged too soon, and it would seem disrespectful to you.”
"But now that war has broken out on all sides, the situation is special. If we delay, I don't know how long it will take, and it might delay you. So you'll have to make the decision yourself."
Qiongyu lowered her head: "This servant...this servant is not wronged."
Yao Youqing nodded: "If you don't want to suffer, then just postpone it..."
“No,” Qiongyu quickly said, “What I mean is… I don’t feel wronged. I know what kind of people Lord Li and his wife are, and I also know… I know what kind of person Doctor Dou is. They… would not deliberately wrong me or look down on me.”
Yao Youqing chuckled and looked at Zhou's mother beside her.
“Look, Aunt Zhou, she clearly already has a plan in mind. She even asked me for advice just now!”
Mother Zhou chuckled softly, and Qiongyu realized she had been tricked and blushed deeply.
"Your Highness, you're teasing me!"
After saying that, she turned and ran out, leaving Yao Youqing and Zhou's mother behind her laughing.
But neither of them expected that while Qiongyu agreed, Li Dou on the other end did not.
Wei Hong felt somewhat embarrassed when he talked about this with Yao Youqing, while Qiong Yu turned pale.
Why didn't he agree?
Yao Youqing asked on behalf of Qiongyu.