Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1759 Thoughts
“However, Miss Ouyang is far from being comparable to Lord Fang…” The woman sitting opposite them was interrupted by Madam Chen as soon as she opened her mouth, “What do you mean by far? You don’t know, do you? Miss Ouyang is very capable. She has already gotten close to Lord Fang. It’s hard to say whether she will step on Lord Fang to advance further in the future.”

Madam Ouyang's smile was almost broken. "Madam Chen is really overestimating my daughter. She usually likes to make some trinkets, but they are all things that are not presentable. How can they be compared with Master Fang? It's frightening to hear. Please stop talking."

"What is Madam Ouyang afraid of?" the woman opposite her laughed. "Who doesn't know that the next head of the Ouyang family will be your son? Now even your daughter is about to be given an official position. With such a pair of children, we can only dream of it."

Madam Ouyang was embarrassed by everyone's comments, but Ouyang Zirou, who was sitting in the lower seat, was eating and drinking without realizing it, until Fang Zitong next to her pushed her, "People are trying to bully you, and you can still eat?"

"What fire?" Ouyang Zirou looked blank, then said nonchalantly, "With my mother here, even if there's fire, it won't burn me."

Fang Zitong glanced at Madam Ouyang's pale and ashen face, and shook her head helplessly.

Ouyang Zirou pushed a pastry in front of Fang Zitong, "Try this, I bet it was made by the chef of Sufangzhai."

“You’ve always been particular about food and drink, so you definitely wouldn’t be wrong.” Fang Zitong picked up a piece and sighed, “Zirou, when will you ever learn to be more mindful?”

"What kind of snack?" Ouyang Zirou hadn't swallowed the food in her mouth yet, and her cheeks were bulging like a little hamster, making her face look even rounder.

Fang Zitong blocked the view from the side and whispered a reminder, "Eat first before you talk."

Ouyang Zirou half-covered her face with a silk handkerchief, quickly swallowed what was in her mouth, then picked up the teacup that Fang Zitong handed her and took a small sip.

The woman sitting on Ouyang Zirou's other side couldn't help but ask curiously, "Zirou, I heard you're about to get an official position, is that true?"

"What official position?" Ouyang Zirou waved her hand innocently and said, "It's still far from being confirmed, don't talk nonsense."

"I've come today to be your confidante," Ouyang Zirou said, taking Fang Zilan's arm without any hesitation. "Doesn't Lord Fang want to know what has happened in the past month? How is the war going?"

Fang Zilan nodded slightly, "I would like to hear the details."

As Ouyang Zirou helped her walk, she said, "Actually, the biggest problem for our Great Capital in this battle was the lack of money. Therefore, His Majesty exchanged silver with the Fang family as a royal merchant. However, time was of the essence, and the Fang family sold all their jade mines to raise money. I heard that they were sold to the Persians, right? I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but in any case, the head of the Fang family, Fang Lihui, still managed to raise all the money on time."

"The Fang family..." Fang Zilan's expression was inscrutable. Ouyang Zirou chuckled, "Does Lord Fang think the Fang family's immense wealth is too ostentatious?" Fang Zilan lowered her eyes and remained silent, seemingly in agreement. Ouyang Zirou said, "His Majesty personally promised, the Empress Dowager vouched for them, and the Ministry of Revenue oversaw the process. The Fang family has rightfully become a great imperial merchant serving the country and its people. It can't be considered ostentatious. Moreover, if we're talking about ostentation, it has to be the Huangfu family in the Northern Border and the Dugu family in the Western Border. After receiving His Majesty's decree, these two families quickly organized two armies and rushed over. They even declared that they would ensure the people of Miluo never returned. That's true ostentation."

As Ouyang Zirou spoke, a hint of shyness flashed in her eyes, "General Dugu Ming of the Dugu family is really amazing. Not only is he handsome, but he was also the first to lead his troops to arrive before the supplies even arrived."

Fang Zilan asked in confusion, "Why haven't I seen General Dugu Ming leading troops to provide reinforcements?"

“Lord Fang, you don’t know, Qiluo City was besieged and almost isolated. The Miluo people took the opportunity to extend their battle line to the north. If it weren’t for the bravery of General Dugu Ming, who held off the Miluo people for several days until reinforcements arrived, I’m afraid…” Ouyang Zirou didn’t finish her sentence, but Fang Zilan understood, “I might not have been able to hold out in Qiluo City for so long, right?”

Ouyang Zirou pursed her lips, not answering directly, "How can General Dugu Ming be compared to Lord Fang? He knows he has reinforcements behind him and is fearless, but Lord Fang, you..."

She paused abruptly, then changed the subject almost abruptly, "And in the southeast, I don't know why Prince Rong'an suddenly stepped forward to help settle the refugees and quell the riots, which allowed the troops from the southeast camp to arrive in time to join us."

"I don't know why?" Fang Zilan repeated softly. Ouyang Zirou nodded. "Yes, but as His Majesty's uncle, it's only natural that Prince Rong'an would prioritize righteousness."

Fang Zilan didn't reply. She knew exactly what kind of person Prince Rong'an was. Prioritizing righteousness? He was utterly unworthy. There must be some hidden reason behind this.

Ouyang Zirou didn't notice the frost in her eyes and continued, "But if we're talking about the most capable one, it has to be Lord Wei. I heard from my father that before His Majesty announced his personal campaign, the pro-war and pro-peace factions were practically tearing the golden roof off the main hall. The pro-war faction felt that Lord Fang had suffered heavy losses in defending the city because of the grain raid, while the pro-peace faction said that you were just stalling for time, and how could you stall for time with such heavy losses? It would be better to seek peace as soon as possible. It was at this moment that Lord Wei stepped forward."

Ouyang Zirou said with a face full of longing, "Lord Wei said, 'The battle between our Great Capital and Miluo is inherently extremely dangerous. No matter who goes to war, there is no certainty of victory. Lord Fang is in the same boat, and so am I. Now, Lord Fang is still fighting for her life on the battlefield, yet you all in the hall are gossiping and criticizing her behind her back. Since you all in the hall are all resourceful and decisive, and confident in defeating the people of Miluo, why not replace Lord Fang with her? And who is capable of doing so?'"

She finished speaking in one breath, then sighed and said, "Lord Wei is truly amazing. After he finished speaking, the entire hall was silent. Then His Majesty said that since no one was confident, he would personally lead the expedition. The fate of the capital would be decided by him."

Fang Zilan's lips curled slightly, a gesture that suited Li Shengxuan's style. The Li Shengxuan she knew was never one to submit to injustice or be easily bullied. Therefore, she firmly believed that Li Shengxuan was determined to win this battle.

"His Majesty personally led the expedition, with Lord Wei as the vanguard and Young Master Zhuge as the strategist. My brother and I accompanied the army to escort military supplies, while Lord Pei and Lord Wang escorted the grain supplies, which arrived in the past few days." Ouyang Zirou became more and more excited as she spoke, and her tone became much higher. "With the full strength of the capital, the recovery of lost territory is just around the corner. This time, the people of Miluo will surely come begging us for peace."

(End of this chapter)