Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Missed Xie Yunting had been pushing north all the way, knowing full well he had no foundation to stand on and had made countless enemies. But like the Emperor, he harbored the dream of reclaiming the lost territories. After taking three cities in succession, Xie Yunting found himself stalled outside Bincheng, unable to breach its walls. The fighting had reached a stalemate. Gazing at the distant city walls, Xie Yunting returned to his tent to check on the wounded Shuanzi. "Alright, don't get up." Shuanzi had taken a slash to the back and a wound to his calf—he'd nearly died. "General, we've been outside Bincheng for over half a month now." Shuanzi was still fretting over the siege. "It was too cold before, but now the weather's warming up. I refuse to believe we can't take it." Xie Yunting asked, "Let me count the days—isn't your wife about to give birth?" "Heh heh, yeah." Thinking about becoming a father filled Shuanzi with joy. "Don't know if it'll be a girl or a boy. Either's fine, really. If it's a girl, I hope she's as pretty as her mother and not a rough brute like me. And if it's a boy, I'll bring him along to the battlefield with the General!" Xie Yunting smirked. "Enough of that. Look at the state you're in—I'm arranging for someone to send you back to Bianjing." "I'm not going back!" Shuanzi said he'd rather die than return. "General, I haven't done anything wrong. I've been wounded before too. Give me some time to recover and I'll be fine!" He couldn't understand why he was being sent back. Xie Yunting sat down. "That was then. Back then you were a lone man, just like me—keeping you by my side was the only way I could rest easy. But now you're about to be a father. Don't you want to go back and see your child?" "Of course I do, but I also need to protect the General!" Shuanzi started to rise. "Look, I can still walk..." No sooner had Shuanzi steadied himself than the General pressed him back down by the shoulder. "I said you're going back, so you're going back. With your leg in this condition, how are you supposed to fight? Am I supposed to carry you on my back to kill enemies and storm the walls?" Xie Yunting said in a low voice. "Besides, if something happens to me—I've got no wife or kids—won't I be counting on you to sweep my grave come Qingming?" At the mention of grave-sweeping, Shuanzi's eyes welled up. But before the tears could fall, Xie Yunting said with disdain, "What are you crying for? A grown man, how can you be so shameless as to shed tears? Enough. That's settled. Go home, see your child, recover properly, and I'll write to you when it's time to come back. Who knows—by then we might have taken not just Bincheng but other cities too!" With that, Xie Yunting went to find someone to arrange for Shuanzi to withdraw with the grain transport convoy. After seeing Shuanzi off, Xie Yunting let out a long breath. Right. He was a lone man. What was there to fear? Just keep charging forward. Maybe he'd even go down in history! But gazing at the distant city, Xie Yunting felt a sudden emptiness in his heart. That kid Shuanzi was about to become a father—and what about him? A person suddenly came to mind. He didn't care about worldly conventions. Xie Yunting would live his life however he pleased, wild and free. If he ever got the chance to return to Bianjing, he would indulge himself to the fullest. Xie Yunting took a deep breath. In that moment, he carried someone in his heart and a blazing ambition in his chest. He believed he had what it took to return in triumph. On the other side, Cui Lingrong and Nanny Qiu sighed together. The battlefield was merciless—there were too many people they had to worry about. Two days later, Du Cheng and Du Qian entered the Guozijian. It went without saying that County Princess Rongjia had arranged it. Cui Lingrong deliberately chose a fine, pleasant day to invite Mrs. He and her daughter over for tea. The garden of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion was grand and imposing. From the pavilion, one could see half the grounds. A gentle breeze drifted in, and looking out through the window was especially delightful. "Yinyin, go play with Sister Yu and have her teach you some chess." Mrs. He took the initiative to send her daughter off to play with Song Yu. Du Yinyin was young and curious about everything, especially Song Yu, the beautiful older sister. The little girl walked up to Song Yu and called out sweetly with a smile, "Sister Yu." Song Yu had always wanted a younger sister. Seeing how obedient and well-behaved Du Yinyin was, and knowing the adults had things to discuss, she took Yinyin's hand and led her behind the screen to play chess. Cui Lingrong invited Mrs. He to have tea. "You've been here for a few days now—I hope you're settling in, Sister He?" She had changed her form of address, signaling intimacy. Mrs. He naturally caught the closeness in Cui Lingrong's tone. During her days at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, she hadn't been able to uncover much, but she knew that Cui Lingrong and County Princess Rongjia were at odds. "It was a bit unfamiliar at first, but thankfully the Marquis Mansion has been most attentive. The children and I are quite comfortable." "Comfort is what matters. I heard the County Mistress is looking for a residence for you—do you plan to settle in Bianjing for good?" Such ordinary matters, Cui Lingrong could ask directly. Mrs. He said yes. "The Du family used to have property in Bianjing as well, but when the old master retired from office, the properties were sold off. Now that Cheng'er and the others are coming here to study, the old master thought—if they prove capable, they'll come to Bianjing eventually anyway, so it's better to come early and get accustomed. That's why he sent my husband and me to look after the children." After taking a sip of tea, Mrs. He added, "Originally, Yinyin and the other child weren't going to come, but I couldn't bear to be apart from the children. I argued with the elders for a long time before I could bring them along. After all, we can't spend all this time away and then become strangers to our own children, right?" "That's true," said Cui Lingrong. "We're all here for the children. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't..." She stopped mid-sentence. Seeing this, Mrs. He followed up, "Could it be that Sister Cui has some troubles?" "Ah, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. The year before last, I returned to Suzhou for a funeral. By the time I came back to Bianjing, I learned that the Marquis had taken County Princess Rongjia as his Equal Wife. Later, I found out that they were childhood sweethearts who had been about to marry, but fate separated them." As she spoke, Cui Lingrong dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her handkerchief, pretending to wipe away tears. Neither of these matters was something Mrs. He had known about. When County Princess Rongjia had married into the family, Mrs. He hadn't yet married into the Du family. By the time she arrived at the Du household, County Princess Rongjia and her eldest brother-in-law were still quite affectionate, and no one had ever mentioned that County Princess Rongjia had a childhood sweetheart. "Something like that actually happened?" Mrs. He thought to herself that this was a significant matter. Moreover, County Princess Rongjia had a history—after her eldest brother-in-law passed away, she couldn't wait to leave the Du family and married into the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion not long after. Could County Princess Rongjia have already been in contact with Marquis Song long before? But why was Cui Lingrong telling her all this? Mrs. He frowned in thought until Cui Lingrong called her several times before she snapped back to attention. "Sister Cui, what did you just say?" "I said, have some refreshments." Cui Lingrong had achieved her goal and said no more. "These are all words from my heart, and I have no one else to tell them to. It's only because I find you, sister, so warm and familiar that I shared my troubles with you. Please don't tell anyone else." Mrs. He assured her, "Don't worry. Even if it's my husband, I won't say a word!" That's what she said, but when Mrs. He returned home, she told Du Shinan about it right away. Meanwhile, behind the screen, Du Yinyin was also sharing something. "Sister Yu, you're so beautiful. My brother said he liked you the moment he saw you. My mother also wants you to be my sister-in-law. What do you think of my brother?" Du Yinyin was only seven or eight years old. Seeing that Song Yu was kind and gentle, she said whatever came to mind. Song Yu, however, was stunned. She thought to herself that the Du family had no sense of propriety, actually discussing such matters in front of the children. Moreover, Du Qian was younger than her. At that age, to be thinking about matters between men and women—how shameless! When Song Yu returned home, she immediately told her mother about it. After hearing this, Cui Lingrong said, "Then from now on, don't come with me to see Mrs. He. County Princess Rongjia won't let the Du family stay at Linglong Pavilion for long. Soon they'll move out." "I also dislike that Du Cheng very much. His gaze is dark and calculating, as if he's always scheming." Song Yu couldn't articulate exactly why, but that was the feeling she had. When Du Cheng was mentioned, Cui Lingrong called for Nanny Qiu. "Go deliver a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone to Du Cheng. Say that because of his connection to County Princess Rongjia, the marquis's household has prepared an additional set for him. Don't tell anyone else." Nanny Qiu immediately understood the eldest young mistress's intention. Du Cheng was to study together with Du Qian, and since the two lived together, if they used different supplies, Du Qian would inevitably notice. Even if it didn't cause an immediate conflict, it would plant a thorn between them. Since the Du family had their own designs, this was just the opportunity for the eldest young mistress to exploit.