As the moon rose to its zenith, just as Mingzhu was about to doze off, she suddenly heard Yuwen Chu say, “Today, Old Nine also got drunk. He asked me to tell you something.”
Mingzhu’s drowsiness was instantly dispelled. Yuwen You had a tangled mind; she hoped he wouldn’t blurt out something he shouldn’t say.
Yuwen Chu made a hint but didn’t say anything more, leisurely waiting for her to ask.
Mingzhu felt a surge of anger. She had never seen anyone so petty. Sometimes she acted as if she were generous, and other times she was as petty as a shrew. What else could she and Yuwen You have between them? Based on their past grievances, the fact that she hadn’t relentlessly pursued Yuwen You could already be considered extremely magnanimous. Yet, would she still be entangled with Yuwen You? Her mind wasn’t filled with mush! So she decided to pretend to be asleep and ignore him. If she didn’t want to accompany Yuwen Chu to play, he could play by himself! She had run out of patience and dared to play tricks on her!
With this thought, she relaxed. Coupled with the alcohol, she soon fell asleep. She even comfortably placed her leg on Yuwen Chu’s stomach. Yuwen Chu had been waiting for her to ask questions. He knew her temperament: she couldn’t keep calm and couldn’t hold back words, so he could pry deeply, even if there were just the tiniest hints, he would extinguish them.
But to his surprise, as he grew drowsy, Mingzhu didn’t make a sound. The one who couldn’t hold back became him. He turned to look, and Mingzhu had already fallen asleep. He grumbled in frustration as he moved the leg she had placed on his stomach. “She can actually sleep.”
He wondered if she had heard him but ignored it or if she had become more perceptive and pretended not to hear. Yuwen Chu almost wanted to shake Mingzhu awake and ask her. Then he thought how silly he was. Since she no longer liked him or loved him, why did he always bring up Old Nine in front of her, repeatedly making her think of him? He found himself quite foolish.
At the fifth watch, Mingzhu woke up on time. The couple lingered in bed for a while before getting up, preparing to start a busy day. After breakfast, Mingzhu saw Yuwen Chu off, and he casually mentioned, “From now on, the Wusun Princess will be alone at home. She has truly repented, and it’s a sensitive time for Wusun and us. You should take care of her more. Next time there’s a gathering or a banquet, invite her along so that Ninth Brother won’t worry while he’s away.”
This was probably the message Yuwen You wanted him to convey to her, but he decided to add his own twist. The way he put it was so tactful, pointing out clearly the mutual affection between Yuwen You and the Wusun Princess, leaving no room for anyone else. Mingzhu disdainfully agreed, “Okay, I’ll remember.”
Yuwen Chu noticed her disdainful expression and pretended to be tough, “What’s with that look of yours?”
Mingzhu raised an eyebrow, “It’s a look of admiration. Your Highness is truly intelligent and capable. I can’t compare.”
Yuwen Chu blushed slightly, a rare occurrence, “You talk too much. Just know in your heart that I’m intelligent and capable. You don’t have to keep praising me like this; others might laugh when they hear it.” With that, he hurriedly left.
Mingzhu watched him leave and sighed softly, remembering that Fu Mingzheng and the others should have received her letter by now.
In Danzhou, Fu Mingzheng stood on the city wall, gazing towards Tongzhou City in the distance. Although Tongzhou City was too far away for him to see clearly, a few days ago, he had ridden there at night and witnessed the gruesome scene of Tongzhou Prefect Gu Ruliang’s decapitated head and the heads of several brave defenders hanging from the city gate. He had also seen the walls stained black with the blood of Tongzhou’s soldiers and civilians.
The Xiongnu didn’t bother to bury the dead, and the stench spread for miles. Even the wind smelled foul. To prevent disease, the soldiers of Zhongshan Wang piled up the bodies and burned them with oil. The fire burned for several days and nights, with thick smoke rising and spreading everywhere. The oil smoke was so thick that even the water in the water tanks and lakes within ten miles was covered with a layer of oil droplets.
The brutality of the battlefield far exceeded his imagination. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t even drink water, and felt nauseous whenever he saw food. He hated his Second Brother for making such a foolish mistake. Even if someone schemed against him, it was because his weaknesses were exploited, because he failed to uphold his beliefs and forgot what was more important, love or duty.
Over thirty thousand lives lost, no reason could justify their loss. If the commanding general had been there to oversee things, to deploy troops rationally, even if they were ultimately doomed to lose due to the overwhelming enemy forces, it wouldn’t have ended so disastrously, so completely.
Fu Mingzheng closed his eyes in pain. Shame must be washed away with blood. The Fu family finally produced a general, but it ended like this. His older brother and third brother were not suitable for this, and the next generation of children didn’t join the military. So let him step up, for the Fu family, for his Second Brother, to wash away this shame.
Han Cheng, who was following closely, hurriedly approached him and respectfully handed him a letter, “An urgent letter from the capital. From Wangfei.”
Fu Mingzheng took the envelope and felt slightly relieved when he saw the familiar handwriting. Mingzhu’s letter was concise. The first sentence mentioned that everything was fine at home, but the tensions between the Regent Mansion and the Great Empress Dowager were escalating. The second sentence said that she had secretly asked Shen Ruilin to help her search for Second Brother since the incident had occurred, and they had found him. The third sentence instructed him to quietly take Second Brother away from Shen Ruilin and then send him to Princess Changhua of Ji Country. She also told him to inform Yuwen Chu that Second Brother hadn’t been found.
Fu Mingzheng sorted out the connections in this and silently burned the letter, then went to find Shen Ruilin.
Shen Ruilin was currently discussing military affairs with a group of generals in front of a sand table. Upon hearing that Fu Mingzheng had arrived, he abandoned the generals and warmly invited him inside, “I know you can’t stomach meat, so I had someone prepare some boiled eggs with deep well water for you. They’re peeled, so there’s no impurities.”
Fu Mingzheng smiled bitterly, “Do you really see me as a pampered noble from the capital? Where did you get the idea that I’m picky? I’m just overwhelmed by the deaths of over thirty thousand people. I see them when I close my eyes, all asking me, ‘Where is General Fu?'”
Shen Ruilin averted his eyes guiltily, managing to force out a pitiful smile, “Isn’t it all clear now? Second Brother was framed, and he didn’t want this. He’s suffering more than anyone.”
Fu Mingzheng said lightly, “The way you speak, it’s as if you’ve seen him yourself. Otherwise, how would you know what he’s thinking?”
Shen Ruilin didn’t argue, “Did you receive Mingzhu’s letter?”
“You received it too? Did she tell you to hand him over to me?” Fu Mingzheng’s eyes reddened as he glared at him, “You’ve kept it from me for so long, watching me search everywhere for him every day as if I’ve gone mad, and you remained indifferent. You’re truly ruthless.”
Shen Ruilin sighed, “What else could I do? Follow me, and you’ll understand.”
