General, your wife has gone to deliver another calf for your horse.

Chapter 629 Li Rong's Request

Jiang Nuanzhi glanced at the old Marquis over there, tears streaming down his face, and put away the silver needle in her hand. She nodded to the man in front of her and said, "It's alright. The old Marquis has spent his life on the battlefield and still cares about his country. He deserves everyone's respect."

Then, he turned around and entered the courtyard.

"Winter storage, bury the box." In the desolate general's mansion, Jiang Nuanzhi recalled Xiao Yuanshan's appearance just now, and her eyes turned cold.

Ah Rong is already training the troops, so she can't fall behind.

The man's face showed some embarrassment upon hearing Jiang Nuanzhi's words.

Outside the door, the man took a while to come to his senses after hearing Jiang Nuanzhi's words, but the person in front of him was no longer there.

The person pursed their lips and bowed deeply to the General's Mansion.

So, this is the wife of the God of War, Li Rong?

Outside the city, the shouts that resounded through the sky were endless, contrasting with the weathered east gate of the General's Mansion in front of me. In a daze, I recalled the woman's slender and straight back as she left, and I felt a strange harmony in the scene.

However, after taking one look, he sighed inwardly.

Pity.

Why did he go against the Regent Prince Xiao Yuanshan?

For so many years, what good has ever come of those who have opposed him?

He sighed to himself, but didn't linger at the door. He turned around and begged his father and servants to go home.

Outside the city, at the military camp, Xiao Yuanshan rode his horse to the foot of the mountain and tightened the reins. Looking into the distance, he saw a familiar tall figure standing high above.

That's Li Rong!

Li Rong stood tall and straight, without armor, and his few casual words ignited a fanatical light in the eyes of the soldiers below, as if they were looking at a god.

Even the leaders, such as Grand Tutor Fang and Wei Yong, whom he had tried to win over several times before, had all turned a blind eye.

Now that Li Rong is in charge, how come they look completely different?

As Xiao Yuanshan listened to the powerful bugle call and the endless shouts, he felt as if a fire was burning inside him.

God, you are truly unfair!

He stared at the person in front of him for a long, long time, until the person on the high platform looked over at him. In an instant, their eyes met from afar. Xiao Yuanshan's fingers unconsciously tightened slowly.

"Li Rong, don't be so smug! One day, I will make you fall from this high platform and bow down in submission!"

"All those who have betrayed me deserve to die!"

He clenched his fists, his eyes growing increasingly sinister. His gaze locked onto Li Rong with almost venomous intent.

Li Rong calmly withdrew his gaze. Although he was far away and could only make out a blurry shadow, Li Rong knew clearly that it was Xiao Yuanshan. He could also roughly guess what Xiao Yuanshan was thinking at that moment.

However, he was not in the mood to pay attention to him right now.

Li Rong glanced towards the city, then looked away and turned to Grand Tutor Fang, who was assisting him on his left, and said, "Grand Tutor, please come into my tent with me."

"Yes!" Grand Tutor Fang, surprised, followed Li Rong into the tent.

General Wan clasped his hands in a fist salute behind him. After Li Rong could no longer hear him, he turned around and shouted, "General, please enter the camp. All soldiers, please rest here for a quarter of an hour!"

"Yes!"

Amidst the thunderous roar of the soldiers, Li Rong and Grand Tutor Fang entered the camp one after the other.

Wei Zhong, the newly promoted deputy general, ordered tea to be served, and then he personally stood guard at the tent entrance, never leaving it for a moment.

Inside the tent, Li Rong gestured to Grand Tutor Fang to "please," then lifted his robe and sat down.

He personally poured tea for Grand Tutor Fang. "Commander, this is unacceptable."

Grand Tutor Fang hurriedly declined, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked at Li Rong sitting opposite him. He then spoke again, "I wonder what orders the Commander-in-Chief has summoned this old minister for?"

Li Rong lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the faint steam rising from the tea. After a long while, he finally spoke: "On this expedition, I, Li Rong, am not sure when I will return. There is something on my mind, and after much thought, I can only entrust it to the Grand Tutor. I humbly request that the Grand Tutor grant my humble request."

As he spoke, he stood up abruptly, lifted his robe, and knelt down on one knee.

"Coach!"

Grand Tutor Fang's pupils contracted, and he abruptly stood up to help the person.

However, the person in front of him was very strong, and he couldn't lift him up even with some effort, so he simply knelt down himself as well.

"Commander-in-Chief! You mustn't! Please speak your mind. You have accepted this mission for the sake of the nation and its people, disregarding your own safety. I will naturally grant your request, even if it means facing mountains of knives or seas of fire."

The howling north wind outside the tent seemed to release its pent-up emotions, whipping the commander's flag inside and causing it to flutter and rustle.

After a long while, Grand Tutor Fang's aged voice, tinged with regret, finally came from the commander's tent. He sighed deeply and said, "General, rest assured, I will do my utmost!"

"But, Commander, your subordinates will be waiting for your return in the capital. Only your return will ensure that the matter you entrusted to us is handled properly."

There was no sound from inside the tent for a long time, and then the door to the commander-in-chief's tent was finally lifted. Wei Zhongxian appeared, followed by Grand Tutor Fang, who looked preoccupied.

After emerging, Grand Tutor Fang abruptly stopped in his tracks. He turned back to look at the tent flap behind him, his aged eyes filled with complex emotions. After a long while, he clenched the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand and silently stuffed it into his robes.

He then turned and left.

In the Eight Great Hutongs, Jiang Nuanzhi, dressed in night clothes, carefully placed the sleeping Baozhu on the bed.

Then, she breathed a sigh of relief, carefully lowered the curtains on the bed, and let Baozhu sleep. Turning around, she went out and finally arrived at Linchun's side.

"Is everything packed?"

Lin Chun nodded with a strange expression: "It's all here, Master."

"How come there's only this little bit of stuff? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Lin Chun nodded firmly: "Master, Lin Chun checked three times and there are absolutely no mistakes. The jade ruyi, tiger tally, armor, and the imperial sword are the major items that have been identified. The rest are just these worthless ornaments. There are no real gold and silver jewelry."

Jiang Nuanzhi's face turned ashen with anger: "So, our Emperor isn't even bothering to pretend anymore?"

"I knew it! The only thing new about this general's mansion is the plaque; they didn't even bother with any repairs before bestowing it upon me! Are they trying to win me over, or are they just giving me something to do? It's such a huge place. How long will it take to clean up the entire courtyard? Besides, where am I going to get that much money?"

"Who says otherwise? Even if you spent all the thousand taels of gold you received today here, you might not be able to restore the General's Mansion to its former glory. What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

Dongzang frowned and said.

Seriously, I've never heard of a dilapidated mansion being bestowed as a reward before. And this is supposed to be the residence of a top-ranking general of the imperial court—is that even fair?

Seeing the two people around her looking worried, Jiang Nuanzhi rubbed her temples as well.

"Never mind, let's talk about this later."

Then he lowered his head to straighten his night clothes, put on a black veil, and turned to Dongzang, saying, "Dongzang, let's go, let's go to the prison first."

“Madam,” Lin Chun said solemnly, “the Heavenly Prison is no ordinary place. Otherwise, it would be better to inform the General in advance, just to be on the safe side.”

“No need.” Jiang Nuanzhi shook her head: “If your general comes along, will Zhao Xiuyuan dare to tell the truth? Dongzang and I are enough. She can protect me.”

Dongcang thumped his chest loudly: "Don't worry, Madam. As long as I'm with you, you can walk around the whole capital without any problems, including bringing you back safely."

Lin Chun frowned, looking at Dong Cang with a face full of disapproval.

Jiang Nuanzhi led Dongzang straight out, but after taking a couple of steps, she suddenly stopped, turned around and asked, "By the way, where is the Heavenly Prison?"

(End of this chapter)