The embroidery needle suddenly pricked her hand, and a bright red drop of blood appeared. Li Huaiyu frowned, gazing deeply at the gloomy sky outside the window, and murmured, “People often say that injuring your hand while embroidering is an ominous sign.”
As if to echo her words, a bolt of lightning split the sky with a crack, and a fierce wind swept in through the window, sending the silk threads on the table flying. Huaiyu watched, her face growing more worried.
Beside her, Qingsi could no longer hold back and said, “Your Highness, for others, injuring their hand might be an ominous sign. But for you, every time you pick up an embroidery needle, you always prick your hand. It has nothing to do with omens.”
The air in the room froze for a moment. Li Huaiyu coughed lightly, wiped the blood from her finger, and chuckled, “Is that so?”
Indeed, whether she was embroidering a handkerchief or a robe for the Lord, one out of every ten stitches would inevitably hit her finger. At first, Qingsi was worried, but now she was used to it.
Xu Chuniang, standing nearby, gave her a comforting smile and said softly, “I heard from Lord Chijin that there have been continuous victories at the front. Madam, you need not worry too much about the Lord.”
“I’m not worried about him,” Huaiyu said, resting her head on the table. “It’s just that I haven’t seen him for 368 hours, and I wonder how he’s doing.”
Xu Chuniang: “…”
To count the hours so precisely, must be hard for someone usually so carefree.
“Your Highness,” Chijin entered from outside, bowing, “there’s movement around the main city of Ziyang.”
Li Huaiyu returned to her senses and smiled lightly, “I knew they would use these tactics. Proceed as planned, and don’t disturb the Lord.”
“Yes.”
Amid the battle between the two armies, if it were a fair fight, Jiang Xuanjin would have a significant advantage in both manpower and strategy. Therefore, Huailin and Liu Yunlie would inevitably target the people at the rear. She had already fended off several waves of assassins, and the Jiang residence was not spared either.
Despite old grievances, Huaiyu felt she couldn’t let Jiang Jie be attacked from both sides.
The fire started in the main courtyard of the Jiang residence, and the servants were banging gongs and shouting, “Fire!” The Jiang family members hurriedly ran outside. Jiang Chong had just helped the old master through the moon gate when he saw a dozen men in black jump over the wall, surrounding them aggressively.
“Yan’er!” Jiang Chong shouted, “Take the old master out through another door!”
Jiang Yan obediently came to support the old man, retreating while instructing Suojiu to report to the authorities.
The Jiang residence was always heavily guarded, but today these attackers were fierce, clearly having planned this for a long time. Jiang Yan wanted to get the old master out of the residence, but no matter which way they went, they were blocked. Helpless, he could only settle him in a side hall and protect him with Jiang Shen and the servants.
The authorities arrived quickly, but they couldn’t drive away the masked men. Jiang Chong roughly counted, and there were at least a hundred masked men he could see, not to mention those in other directions.
The Jiang residence was in grave danger.
“Father, I am not skilled in martial arts. I fear I will bring shame to the Jiang family,” Jiang Shen knelt before the old master, bowing his head.
The old master sighed deeply, “What shame? You are skilled in literature, not martial arts.”
Jiang Shen bowed again, then stood up, gripping the sword in his hand.
Even without martial skills, he had to protect his family.
“Shen’er,” the old master couldn’t help but ask, “I never asked you what happened in Yixian City. You’ve been sullen since you returned.”
Jiang Shen paused, lowering his eyes, “Father, there’s nothing wrong.”
Is this what he calls nothing? The once cheerful person was now rarely seen smiling. Although he was willing to enter officialdom and strive for progress, Gu Luan had come to him crying several times, saying the second young master always looked gloomy while holding the child. It was a boy, after all, so what was he dissatisfied with?
Listening to the deafening sounds of battle outside, the old master gripped his dragon-headed cane, speaking softly, “I’ve spent my life worrying, always hoping you would bring glory to the family. But in the end, what I truly wish for is your peace and well-being.”
Jiang Shen was silent for a long time, then asked, “So it doesn’t matter if the third brother stays in Yixian City and doesn’t return?”
The old master’s hand, gripping the dragon-headed cane, suddenly showed two bulging veins. His previously kind face twisted, and he slammed the cane on the ground, “Who said it doesn’t matter? Ten family letters a month! Telling him to come back every day, and he doesn’t listen! Who does he think gave birth to him, talking about world affairs? When he comes back, I’ll break his leg!”
The thunderous roar even quieted the sounds of fighting outside.
Jiang Shen rubbed his ears, amused, “Peace and well-being?”
“Does a rebellious son deserve peace and well-being?” The old master glared, his neck stiff.
Jiang Shen: “…”
The second young master of the Jiang family thought his father was quite endearing. He had been praying for the third brother in the ancestral hall all this time, yet he couldn’t stop scolding him. This puffing and glaring looked like a child throwing a tantrum, wanting someone to coax him.
A loud crash sounded as the door was hit.
The people in the room fell silent.
The old master stared at the door, speaking seriously, “If we fall into the hands of bandits, endangering the world, I will take you to meet the ancestors of the Jiang family.”
He then turned to Jiang Yan, “Yan’er, are you afraid?”
“The men of the Jiang family do not fear death.” Jiang Yan, now a year older, had more defined features and a firmer expression, “To live and die for the country and the people is Yan’er’s blessing.”
The old master smiled, patting his shoulder.
The officials were driven back by the masked men, and the situation around the mansion was tense. Inside, the masked men had the upper hand. Jiang Chong fought and retreated, and by the time he reached the side hall door, he was covered in wounds.
“Why bother?” a masked man sneered, “We’re just inviting you for tea, not taking your lives. Why get so injured?”
Jiang Chong spat, standing firm with his long knife, showing no intention of surrendering.
The masked man was annoyed and signaled his companions to attack.
“Kill—” The deafening shout made everyone inside tense.
Judging by the sound, there were too many people for his father to handle alone! Jiang Yan, anxious, grabbed the sword from Jiang Shen’s hand and opened the door to help.
However, when the door opened, Jiang Chong was standing unharmed by the threshold, while the courtyard was a scene of chaos.
“What?” Jiang Yan was dumbfounded.
A group of people, dressed in dark red coarse cloth with peonies embroidered on their shoulders, had appeared from nowhere. They fought fiercely, smashing the masked men with sticks and shovels, leaving blood and brains splattered.
The once aggressive masked men were quickly subdued by this group.
Jiang Chong frowned, “They don’t look like officials.”
Nonsense. Could officials fight like street thugs? Jiang Yan watched in shock as wooden sticks and iron shovels flew through the air, suddenly realizing that the phrase “hoes and rakes, not spears and halberds” wasn’t absolute. The hoes in these people’s hands were deadlier than the weapons of the masked men, killing with each strike!
The situation changed rapidly. A black mass of peony soldiers climbed over the walls into the Jiang residence. The masked men either fled or died, and a few hours later, the Jiang residence was a mess, blood flowing like a river, but it was finally calm.
“Thank you, brave warriors, for your help,” the old master bowed to the leader, “May I ask your name?”
The leader was a young man. Hearing this, he looked at the Jiang family with a complicated expression but said nothing.
“Do you have difficulties?” the old master asked, “I just want to know your name to repay you.”
“Father,” Jiang Shen said after staring at the man for a while, “he’s not in difficulty; he’s afraid we’ll be embarrassed.”
“Why?” the old master was puzzled.
Jiang Shen replied, “His name is Sihai, a consort of Feiyun Palace, under the command of the Grand Princess.”
Having lived in the Princess’s residence for so long, he recognized most of the consorts. This man wasn’t as favored as the four main consorts but held an official position in Yixian City.
Hearing this, the Jiang family indeed felt embarrassed.
A consort of the Grand Princess?
Jiang Yan and Jiang Chong exchanged glances, both looking uncomfortable.
Previously in Yinping, they had insulted those consorts in front of the Grand Princess. They hadn’t expected to owe their lives to one of them now.
It was quite awkward.
Lin Sihai glanced at them, cupped his hands, and said, “The assassins have been captured. Just strengthen your defenses. Farewell.”
“Lord Lin,” Jiang Shen called after him, “The Jiang family always repays kindness. If you leave like this, we won’t sleep well.”
Hearing this, Lin Sihai smiled, “The Grand Princess said she wants you to feel uncomfortable for not being able to repay the favor.”
With that, he turned and left the Jiang residence with his men.
Jiang Shen: “…” That was indeed Li Huaiyu’s style, a bit wicked.
The old master’s face turned green, and he asked, “What does she mean by that?”
Jiang Yan chuckled awkwardly, “Probably holding a grudge.”
Jiang Chong surveyed the mess in the courtyard and looked at the trembling city guards coming to apologize, whispering, “That man was skilled. So many city guards were helpless, yet they turned the tide.”
“The entrance was blocked, so the city guards couldn’t get in,” Jiang Yan said, “But those people climbed over the walls directly.”
With strategy and agility, one had to admit that the people under the command of the Grand Princess of Danyang were indeed formidable.
The old master silently looked at the bright red blood on the ground, his expression complex.
Li Huaiyu, while writing a family letter, didn’t mention this incident. She bit her pen, looking at the little troublemaker and little rascal in the cradle, writing a thick stack of letters until the letterbox was truly full.
Jiang Xuanjin and Liu Yunlie had fought from Yongxia to Cangju Mountain, each side having victories and losses. Overall, Ziyang had the upper hand. But Jiang Xuanjin’s face was not looking good as he sat in the tent, making the dozen generals nervous.
“The ambush earlier was due to the scout’s negligence. I’ve rearranged the personnel, and such incidents will not happen again.”
“The supplies have arrived in Yongxia and will soon meet the army’s needs.”
Afraid of being reprimanded, the generals reported good news one after another. When it came to the last person, the general had nothing to say and reluctantly said, “There seems to be a letter from Yixian City.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuanjin relaxed his brow, “Thank you for your hard work. Go and rest. The next battle must not have any mistakes.”
“Yes!” Relieved, the generals quickly saluted and left the main tent.
Chengxu brought in the letterbox, sighing, “Others use envelopes for their letters, but our Madam has a whole box of things to say after not seeing you for a month.”
With a slight smile, Jiang Xuanjin opened the box, pulling out a stack of letters.
“My dear husband, seeing this letter is like seeing you!”
The messy eight characters jumped into his eyes as if he could see her rushing over, kissing him on the face, then lying on his chest, clutching his clothes, and murmuring, “Recently, Yixian City has warmed up, and there was a rare spring rain. Everyone in the city was so happy they ran around the streets. I didn’t go, after all, as your wife, I must maintain my demeanor!”
His expression softened, and Jiang Xuanjin rested his chin on his hand, staring at the letter with eyes full of laughter.
“The little rascal and little troublemaker is eating more now, but the other day, when I was holding the little rascal, he peed all over me. It made me so angry, but I couldn’t hit him, so I just punched the pillow. You know what? It relieved my anger!”
“Chijin and Chuniang are close now. Although Chuniang hasn’t realized Chijin’s feelings, they are always together. Chijin is so gentle and considerate to Chuniang that even I find it rare. I wonder when this silly girl will notice.”
“Lord Baihua is staying in Yixian City and seems to have had some conflict with Lu Jingxing. I asked Lu Jingxing, and he said it was karma. I feel like I’ve heard that word somewhere before, but I can’t remember. However, Lu Jingxing seems to be in a better mood lately, not as gloomy as before, so I can relax a bit.”
Squinting slightly, Jiang Xuanjin set this letter aside, placing it far away, and continued reading.
“I embroidered a little outfit for the little troublemaker. Qingsi says my skills are poor, but I think, as her mother, she has to wear it no matter how bad it is, right? I found a nice piece of fabric the other day and embroidered a cloak for you. When you come back, can you exchange it for a treasure for me?”
His fingers gently caressed the letter, as if caressing her eyebrows, Jiang Xuanjin chuckled, looking at his robe.
The crooked patterns were eye-catching wherever he went, but he wore it all the time, and the people in the army were used to it.
“Yesterday, when I went out, I heard people in the street praising you. They were piling all sorts of good words on you, and some girls said they would be willing to be your maid or concubine when you return victorious. Guess how I persuaded her? Yes, that’s right! I went up and fought her. She lost and gave up the idea. You’re still mine alone!”
His heart stirred, and Jiang Xuanjin turned to the attached drawings.
The first was of two familiar little figures, one tall and one short, with the short one jumping up to hug the tall one. The second showed the short one squatting, digging furiously under a melon.
So she had heard back then? Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips, his ears reddening.
The last drawing showed the two little figures each holding a baby, their mouths drawn in wide smiles. The tall one bent slightly, while the short one, holding the baby, stood on tiptoe to kiss his face.
“I miss you,” she wrote in her most proper handwriting beneath it.