Chapter 1443: Chapter 1443: Fearful and Overcautious
The great victory in Dongbei, Prince Liang was severely injured and fell into a coma. General Qian took over command of the army to counterattack, while Prince Liang was left in Yangzhou City for treatment.
The Retired Emperor set aside the victory report he was holding and fell silent, the Emperor watched his father, his fingertips twitching slightly, "I will send Dr. Li to treat Prince Liang."
The Retired Emperor looked up, meeting the Emperor’s gaze, "Good."
The Emperor thought to himself, Prince Liang is after all his father’s son, his father is becoming more tender-hearted, yet he remained skeptical about the incident of Prince Liang’s severe injury. It wasn’t necessary for Prince Liang to be in the front lines given his frail health; regardless of whether it was a calculated move by Prince Liang to exchange a severe injury for safety, he would not make things difficult for Prince Liang Residence in the future.
The news of the great victory spread, filling the entire capital with jubilation. The news spread quickly; the previously anxious citizens felt like they had been given a shot of adrenaline, and their panic slowly dissipated.
Xue Mei heard the news and couldn’t believe it, so she personally went back to her parental home to verify, "Mother, did we really achieve a great victory in Dongbei?"
Zhulan smiled and nodded, "Really, a great victory in Dongbei, Pingzhou will be safe, and Zhou family village will be fine."
Xue Mei still held the Buddha Beads in her hand, continuously chanting Amitabha.
Zhulan stared and asked, "You’ve been offering prayers to Buddha?"
"Yes, if I don’t find something to put my mind at ease, I really can’t withstand the worry."
Her daughter told her the reasons for not returning to the capital, what could she do but support her daughter? She was happy and aching for her daughter, who did this for the sake of her grandfather; all she could do was pray, pray that they would not bring the battle to Pingzhou.
Zhulan, "This time you can also be relieved. Your father mentioned Jiang Miu to the Retired Emperor last time, and the Retired Emperor said you and your husband could raise the child well."
Xue Mei was surprised, "The Retired Emperor actually praised us."
"He said you both have a good temperament. Your father said that since the Jiang family supported Jiang Miu this time, the Retired Emperor has somewhat changed his view of the Jiang family."
Xue Mei didn’t expect this additional benefit, "My husband was secretly worried that the in-laws might affect Mufan, but now we don’t have to worry anymore."
Zhulan, "Your mother-in-law is waiting at home for news, you should head back too."
A smile spread across Xue Mei’s face, her daughter wasn’t returning to the capital, so her brothers had written letters. This time her mother-in-law was being reasonable, telling the brothers that Miumiu had to return before they could come to the capital; it’s safer for them to travel together.
She didn’t care about her mother-in-law’s ulterior motives; at least verbally, it sounded pleasant to her.
"Mother, then I’ll head back first."
"Good."
In the main house, upon hearing the news, Lady Li didn’t just lie in bed moaning anymore; she suddenly sat up and said to her two daughters-in-law, "I want to eat pork knuckles, also roasted chicken, and yes, bring me a whole watermelon."
Ran Wan and Lau Jia were startled, but after recovering, Ran Wan, who knew her mother-in-law well, smiled and said, "Alright, I’ll have the maids go to the kitchen right away."
Lady Li lifted her arm and looked at her much thinner arm. She had always been plump, and losing weight made her skin look unpleasant, and she intended to nourish herself back to health, lifting her hand to rub her belly, "You have been aggrieved these days."
She had been drinking bitter medicinal soups every day; even the water tasted bitter.
Lau Jia, following her sister-in-law out, worriedly said, "Mother’s illness isn’t cured yet, will eating so much be bad for her?"
"Our mother’s illness is of the heart; the news of the great victory is the best medicine. Just you watch, by tomorrow morning mother will be fine."
Lau Jia was still a bit worried but had to suppress her concerns, she hadn’t been married into the family as long as her sister-in-law had.
In Zhou family village, Jiang Miu was under great pressure. Because she chose not to leave, every day people came to her home seeking reassurance, her words could soothe them.
As time passed, the pressure in her heart grew, but with the arrival of the news of the great victory, she finally slept soundly.
Jiang Mufan entered the yard to find his wife asleep on the bench, approaching quietly under the sunlight which accentuated the dark circles under her eyes.
Jiang Miu woke up halfheartedly and asked, "When did you come back? Why didn’t you wake me up?"
"Seeing you sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t bear to disturb you."
Jiang Miu took a towel from the maid and wiped her face, "Without the burden, I finally feel relaxed."
Mufan thought of Ming Qing and said: "Today the County magistrate summoned Clan Leader Zhou to the yamen, the magistrate’s wife sent you a gift, and the Clan Leader asked me to bring it back."
Jiang Miu then noticed a box on the tea table, opened it, and exclaimed, "This is too luxurious."
It was a set of gemstone head ornaments. It wouldn’t sell for less than two hundred Silver.
Mufan said, "This is the County magistrate’s way of thanking you. Without you, the magistrate wouldn’t have been as stable, and I heard from the Clan Leader that Pingzhou is the most peaceful prefecture."
Jiang Miu closed the box, "I didn’t expect that before leaving, the County magistrate wouldn’t let his son and my second uncle go."
Mufan remarked, "Your uncles should be returning by now, right?"
Jiang Miu chuckled, "To flee to the capital as soon as possible, my eldest uncle spent a lot of Silver to hire the Armed Escort Agency. They’ve spent a lot of Silver this time."
It’s not easy to save family wealth; this time, it might be painful enough to kill a few uncles.
As for continuing to the capital, huh, her parents wouldn’t let anyone in; they ran away abandoning her. Counting the days, her letter should have reached the capital by now.
Inside the Palace, the Retired Emperor was playing chess with Zhou Shuren. Now that Prince Liang was severely injured, the Retired Emperor missed his youngest son even more, "Counting the days, my personal soldiers should soon meet up with the Rongchuan couple."
Zhou Shuren looked up, "The Retired Emperor sent personal soldiers for the rendezvous?"
The Retired Emperor nodded, "Yes, the military forces of various prefectures have already been secretly mobilized by the Emperor, leaving only enough to guard the Prefecture City. Of course, I don’t trust the military leaders of the various prefectures either. When Rongchuan returned to the capital, we redeployed some mansion troops, but few were left after being attacked. If it hadn’t been for the soldiers sent by the Emperor’s arrival, Rongchuan would have faced great peril."
Zhou Shuren felt relieved, knowing the personal soldiers of the Retired Emperor were all elite experts.
The Retired Emperor sighed, "Rongchuan went to the southernmost edge, and it’s a long journey back to the capital. When the Emperor dispatched the loyal soldiers, I should have sent my personal soldiers too, but I hesitated; I was afraid...forget it."
Zhou Shuren understood the unspoken words of the Retired Emperor. Since the Emperor had already dispatched loyal soldiers for the escort, it would seem like the Retired Emperor didn’t trust the Emperor if he made further arrangements, fearing that the Emperor might resent Rongchuan.
As the Emperor’s royal presence grew stronger, Rongchuan’s power gradually increased, and the Retired Emperor wasn’t as overtly biased as when Rongchuan initially rejoined the royal family.
The Retired Emperor hoped the Emperor and Rongchuan, his direct sibling, could support each other, hoping for the Emperor’s trust in Rongchuan, hence he hesitated.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Shuren spoke, "Does the Emperor know about the personal soldiers?"
The Retired Emperor nodded, "Yes, which is why the Emperor didn’t continue to redeploy military forces from other prefecture cities."
Moreover, the Emperor trusted the loyal soldiers more, even dispatching the leader of the loyal soldiers.
Zhou Shuren said, "It’s not possible to redeploy military forces from the governor cities anymore."
After the war started in Dongbei, the Emperor had been transparent with him; apart from the disaster-stricken areas, ports, and a few cities in the southernmost, military forces had been secretly redeployed from every prefecture. The quick deployment in the Northwest was completely orchestrated by the Emperor in secret.
Thinking of the Northwest battlefield, Zhou Shuren’s corners of his mouth curled up. The Grassland tribes couldn’t comprehend why the military forces in the Northwest were assembled so swiftly.
The next day, Jiang Miu’s letter arrived in the capital, and Xue Mei, after reading her daughter’s letter, was so angry she slammed the table. Xue Mei either doesn’t get angry, but when she does, it could scare people to death.
Old Mrs. Jiang trembled with fright and didn’t dare to make a sound for a long time.