How much strength could a small person have? Moreover, Yun Ye was already dressed thickly—at most she could only bite his thick cotton pants. Looking at the little girl clinging to his thigh and gnawing, Yun Ye’s heart filled with waves of bitterness. Once upon a time, there had also been a small woman who bit him like this—only she had bitten his armor.
The past couldn’t be recalled. Whenever Yun Ye thought of the past, he would continue reminiscing endlessly, always touching that softest part deep in his heart. He said hoarsely to Qu Zhuo, “Treat her well. If in the future you no longer like her, don’t hurt her either—just let her go. In a person’s lifetime, how many chances are there to escape great calamity? Those who survive have it hard.”
Qu Zhuo led the little girl away from Yun Ye’s side and said to him with a smile, “Marquis, this is my younger sister. As you know, this student’s position involves constant wandering—rarely gathering even once a year. Leaving my little sister by my old mother’s side to fulfill filial duty, I’ll have no worries in serving the Great Tang. Perhaps one day I’ll wear purple robes and jade belt. At that time, I’ll return to honor my mother.”
Yun Ye waved him off, preparing to return to the rear hall. The scene the little girl just performed had completely eliminated his interest in conversation. After walking two steps, he turned back to Qu Zhuo and said, “On this journey to Goguryeo, be careful in all things.”
Qu Zhuo watched Yun Ye enter the moon gate, bent down and bowed deeply, then led that little girl whose eyes kept darting around toward the Yun family’s main gate. Tonight, he would have a good talk with his mother.
Na Rimu had just put down the child and adjusted her clothing. She was about to see if her husband had returned when a pair of arms behind her tightly embraced her. She was startled at first and prepared to break free, but then softly leaned into that person’s embrace. That familiar soap scent—she wouldn’t forget it even down to the Yellow Springs.
Yun Ye didn’t speak, so Na Rimu didn’t ask. A woman’s tenderness was originally meant to comfort men. Huan Niang had already taught Na Rimu this lesson. Moreover, her husband was a great hero. To be liked by such a great hero as her husband—Na Rimu felt happy just thinking about it. In her most helpless, most unfortunate times, her husband would always appear, more efficacious than the spirits of the grasslands. Perhaps her husband was her own deity. She most loved the feeling of leaning in her husband’s embrace. Every time this happened, countless strange thoughts would surge through Na Rimu’s mind. She always imagined herself as a delicate little flower swaying in the wind and rain, or a pitiful little lamb separated from the flock, bleating while searching everywhere for the flock. She liked thinking this way, because as long as she became weak, her husband’s body would become tall, strong, and incomparably powerful…
Smelling the sweet milk fragrance on Na Rimu, Yun Ye’s mind was full of raging flames. He was going to Goguryeo specifically to set fires—burning cities, burning grasslands, burning forests, perhaps even making the great river burn.
Only by leaving his weakness and tenderness at home could he become a qualified commander. If thirteen thousand soldiers died in Goguryeo because of his cowardice, that was what Yun Ye could not forgive in himself.
Everyone was forcing him—almost everyone in the Great Tang was forcing him. Civil officials, military generals, and that lofty emperor above—without the emperor’s approval, who would dare so openly force a commanding general? The Great Tang deploying a thousand prefectural soldiers required the emperor’s approval. Very clearly, Li Er tacitly approved, or perhaps even encouraged those old commanders’ ambitions.
Goguryeo would eventually have to be fought. Finding someone to test their strength was also good. Counting through the court’s generals, Yun Ye was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate. Deploying elite land forces would first require large-scale preparations. Second, without logistical support, land armies couldn’t go far and couldn’t test effectively. Only Yun Ye’s subordinates were elite enough, and the commander was an inexperienced dandy. If even such a general could defeat Goguryeo and successfully retrieve those remains, then with one call to arms, soldiers throughout the realm would definitely gather like clouds following wind. No need to conscript on a massive scale like Yang Guang—just those soldiers willing to go pacify Goguryeo would be enough to win this battle. Yang Guang’s painful lesson—Li Er hadn’t forgotten.
Xinyue returned triumphantly. Today Madam Du had hosted guests and she was the guest of honor. She drank a few extra cups of grape wine and now her head was a bit dizzy. Originally she hadn’t planned to drink, but she really couldn’t refuse out of courtesy so she drank a little. Who knew that once there was a beginning, wanting to end it—that absolutely wasn’t something she could decide.
Everyone wanted to take advantage of her family. Xinyue waved her handkerchief, talking to herself. After all, the feeling of being flattered by others was quite nice—three parts annoyed, yet carrying seven parts pride.
Passing Na Rimu’s room, she saw candles lit inside but it was quiet, as if no one was there. This damned woman—no one here yet keeping candles burning, not knowing how to economize. Those who don’t manage the household don’t know the value of firewood and rice.
Just stepping through the door, she saw Na Rimu with eyes closed leaning in her husband’s embrace with a look of confused rapture, while her husband’s face also wore a solemn expression. It seemed neither had noticed her arrival.
Xinyue’s heart kept producing bitter water. This kind of intimate scene—she and her husband seemed to have never experienced it. But the scene was indeed very warm. Xinyue couldn’t bear to interrupt their exchange, only slowly moving closer. Just as she approached, her husband pulled her into his embrace with one motion.
Before Xinyue could react from her secret delight, her husband’s hand reached into her breast band. This was different—Na Rimu’s clothes were all properly worn, yet her husband was groping on her body. Shameless!
Seeing the situation wasn’t what she wanted, Xinyue pulled her husband’s hand out of her breast band and sat huffily at the head of the bed. When it came to her turn, it became naked carnal desire. This made her very dissatisfied.
Na Rimu was also dissatisfied. She had just been imagining the tense moment when the little lamb ran ahead and the big hungry wolf chased behind, when her beautiful dream was ruined by Xinyue, so she glared viciously at Xinyue.
A concubine dared to look at the principal wife like that? The furious Xinyue naturally wouldn’t miss this chance to unleash violence. She grabbed the oxtail whisk and fiercely struck Na Rimu twice.
Yun Ye’s mood today was not good at all. Adding a bit of petroleum to the gasoline had immediately greatly increased the incendiary bomb’s power, not to mention he planned to add some white phosphorus. The Liaodong expedition was destined to be a great massacre. He had no mood to manage battles between wives and concubines. He lay flat on his back on the bed, staring at the top of the canopy, continuing to be lost in thought.
Only then did Xinyue discover her husband seemed very despondent. She couldn’t help but worry. Letting Na Rimu go, she sat at the head of the bed, holding her husband’s head and asking softly, “Husband, what exactly has happened? You’ve been in a bad mood these past two days, constantly meeting with soldiers. Fast-horse dispatches have been sent out many times. Is there going to be war?”
“Yes, there’s going to be war. So from now on, don’t tell me about any household matters. When the second day of the second month arrives when the dragon raises its head, send Baobao and Yaya to Master Sun. Ask Master Sun to inoculate the two children with cowpox. Additionally, Xiao Ya, Di Renjie and the others must also go. Na Rimu and you cannot be absent either. Once there, listen to Master Sun—don’t ask reasons, don’t ask why. After the cowpox inoculation, there will be two days of low fever. Don’t worry—this is a side effect. Remember, from now on all Yun family children must be inoculated with cowpox.”
Xinyue immediately tensed up. Hearing her husband’s tone, it seemed before the second day of the second month he would leave to fight at the border. She hadn’t heard of any hostilities anywhere, yet his words seemed to be settling his affairs. Needless to say, this campaign would definitely be extremely dangerous.
Thinking of this, Xinyue was scared out of her wits. Trembling, she pulled her husband’s hand and stuffed it into her breast band, tears flowing uncontrollably.
In her daily dealings, she interacted with military families and knew their customs. Once major battles or fierce battles occurred, the male head of household would issue such commands to the family—setting aside all household affairs to focus wholeheartedly on war preparations…
“Husband, you’re just not someone suited for the battlefield risking your life. Why must the court send you? On the battlefield, spears and swords don’t have eyes. If there’s any mishap, how will this concubine live? We don’t want military merit, don’t want glory anymore. This concubine only wants you to stay home properly. Na Rimu and I will serve you to enjoy blessings. Even if others curse you as a coward, this concubine doesn’t care. Our family having a marquis title is enough. If it really won’t do, we’ll give up the marquis title too.”
Yun Ye kept wiping Xinyue’s tears—the more he wiped, the more flowed. He hooked her hanging hair behind her ear and said with a smile, “When has your husband ever been looked down upon? Some call me a spendthrift, some call me slippery, some call me a treacherous minister, some call me a vicious villain—but who dares call your husband a coward, a worthless wretch? Even the Emperor has no right to say so. My marquis title that shares the nation’s fortunes wasn’t obtained by flattery. Your husband exchanged it with auspicious potatoes and military merit. My Yun family enjoys our hereditary stipend justifiably and righteously. Why should we give it up?”
“Though this campaign differs from previous ones, so what? As long as I achieve the initial war objective, the Yun family’s title is ironclad. Your husband—who have I ever feared? Not to mention I have over ten thousand fierce soldiers under my command. When the time comes, I’ll poke a huge hole in the sky and let those eyeing the Yun family jealously open their dog eyes wide and watch. Your husband’s killing is equally unambiguous.”
“You stay home, honor Grandmother, care for the little ones. As long as you don’t see my corpse, don’t say I’ve died in battle. It’s not some mountain of knives or sea of fire. Your husband is going to meet the heroes under heaven and see who wins.”
“Na Rimu, at the end of February, immediately rush back to the grasslands. Yun Qi will bring some household guards to help you. The grasslands’ foundation cannot be lost. My Yun family must grow stronger, not decline. Once we pass this threshold, the Yun family will officially enter the ranks of nobility. Then people will only look up to us. At that time, even if your husband retires from military service, no one will dare say a word of disagreement.”
Yun Ye’s words were spoken with passionate fervor. Xinyue and Na Rimu bowed gracefully. Their husband would never disappoint them—this time would be the same.