There was no news from the front line, and the silence was unsettling.
Zheng Zhi did not go to Xinyuguan alone. The second prince sent his confidants to accompany him. Who would have thought that the arrangements made for his own selfish reasons could now come in handy in national affairs.
By now, the forty-nine-day period had arrived. This was a national mourning, and as long as the capital had not yet been reached, it was a major event that could not be ignored. The court was in a state of turmoil for several days, and the princes, princesses, and even dukes and ministers all suffered a lot before the matter was over.
The prince ordered Hua Zhi to stay at home and be a vegetarian on the grounds of poor health. This protection was very blatant, but no one stood up to object. Everyone could see how emaciated Hua Zhi was now, and knew why she became like this. Even if they didn't appreciate it, no one wanted to bother her.
Hua Zhi did not waste her efforts and exercised at home every day. Although outsiders could not see anything, she knew that her body felt more relaxed and her sleep was better. Doctor Yu encouraged her for this.
"Miss, Madam Yu and Madam Yuan are here, and the Fourth Madam sent someone to ask if you would like to come out."
During a funeral, people won't talk about marriage openly, but everyone knows what's going on. It would be fine if the couple isn't at home, but as the head of the family, they still need to show up to appear serious.
Seeing her appear, the two ladies' smiles became much more sincere. They were all smart people. As long as Hua Zhi spoke up, there would be no changes in the matter, even if the men from the Hua family came back in the future.
Madam Yu said with a smile, "I didn't expect that Mr. Xia would stay in Beijing. If that's the case, there's no need to rush. What do you think, Grand Tutor?"
"Just call me Miss as before." Hua Zhi smiled. "Nowadays, there is a lack of successors in both civil and military positions. Your Highness wants to train some young officials. You were chosen as the top scholar, which shows that Your Highness loves talents. But it's fine for you to stay in the Hanlin Academy now. You have to find another place in the future."
Mrs. Yu nodded repeatedly. She came here today with the permission of her father-in-law, hoping to find out about Xia Sheng from the eldest daughter. She didn't expect that the eldest daughter really treated her as her own and spoke so clearly. That's right, although the Hanlin Academy has always been known as the Hua family's territory, the Hua family has never sent all of their family members there. After they become in-laws, Xia Sheng will be one of their own, and it will naturally be inappropriate for him to stay there. She felt more at ease when the eldest daughter said it so openly.
"These matters are handled by people like the eldest girl who know how to handle them. I will just take care of the matter of finding a wife."
"Everything should be done according to the rules. Second sister goes first, third sister goes last. The schedules should be separated. There is no need to rush now."
Madam Yuan and Madam Yu nodded in unison, "That's right."
At this time, Butler Xu came in and reported, "Miss, Eunuch Lai Fu is here."
Lai Fu? Hua Zhi's heart moved, she stood up and looked towards the door, and everyone else in the room stood up as well.
Lai Fu walked in quickly and bowed, saying, "Master Taifu, there is an urgent report from the border. Your Highness invites you to enter the palace."
Hua Zhi walked out without saying anything. After crossing the threshold, she remembered that there were guests at home. She turned around and bowed, "Sorry for the inconvenience. You two can discuss the rest with my mother and Fourth Aunt."
The two dared not to keep her, and hurriedly said, "Young lady, go and do your work."
Hua Zhi nodded and left quickly.
The people in the room looked at each other, and Wu smiled with her hands covering her mouth, "Don't be surprised, ladies. Our eldest daughter never has time to rest."
"Don't blame me, she made us women very proud."
Regardless of the politeness of the people in the room, Hua Zhi quickly changed into her official uniform and got on the carriage. She asked Lai Fu, who was sitting on the outside, "Where did the urgent news come from?"
"North."
It’s Yinshan Pass!
Hua Zhi frowned, but did not ask any more questions. When she entered the palace, the prince handed Wu Yong's letter to her without waiting for her to greet him.
Hua Zhi didn't care about anything else and took it and read it thoroughly. As expected, the war broke out again, but she didn't expect Wu Yong to ask for reinforcements so quickly.
"What do you think, Your Highness?"
"Taifu has met General Wu. I wonder what his impression of him is?"
"Can you trust me?" The prince asked implicitly, and Hua Zhi answered directly, "The Wu family has guarded Yinshan Pass for generations, and that is their root. Since he said he wants reinforcements, it means he is really struggling. I fought with the people of the grassland tribe at Yinshan Pass. Although their fighting power is not as good as that of the Chaoli tribe, it is stronger than that of the Daqing tribe. If they attack by force, Wu Yong will have a hard time."
Hua Zhi looked at the map. "Last year there was a drought, and then there was a severe winter. Their livestock should have nothing left. The new food is still far away, and the old food has long been eaten up. In the past, if they had attacked the border to find grass and valleys, they could have survived for a while. But since my grandfather took over the defense, he withdrew the border residents to the rear and no longer gave them the opportunity to attack grass and valleys. This continuous fierce attack is understandable."
The prince's eyes lit up, "As long as Wu Yong holds Yinshan Pass, won't they cause chaos themselves?"
"Yinshan Pass must be defended. If we let a group of hungry wolves in, the consequences will be unimaginable." Hua Zhi bit her back teeth. She couldn't afford the consequences.
Taking the long pole from Xiao Shuang, the prince gestured on the map, "Now only the troops in Yuzhou can be mobilized."
Hua Zhi didn't say anything for a moment, she couldn't decide whether to move.
Yuzhou is closest to the capital, and can rush to help at any time if any changes happen in the capital. From this point of view, it is better not to move. However, the capital is guarded in the middle. If the capital is really attacked, it is because the border is not defended. If the capital is defended, it will be safe. What's more, the five camps in the capital are not for decoration.
"Whatever decision your Highness makes, I will support it."
The prince clenched his fists and nodded vigorously, "Then mobilize 70,000 troops from Qingliu Camp in Yuzhou to rush to help."
Hua Zhi bent down, feeling gratified in her heart that a king who had been tempered in this way would surely achieve something in the future.
It was as if a switch was turned on. Requests for reinforcements came in one after another from the north, west and south. The prince tried to dispatch as many as possible, but still had to reduce the number of reinforcements to three of the five battalions guarding the capital.
However, there was no movement at the pass that had been the focus of attention.
Gu Yanxi, dressed in military uniform, buried his head in front of the map, and tapped heavily on Xinyu Pass in the south. "Ask Wu Xing to come over."
Wu Xing came in with a smell of gunpowder on his body, "Master."
“How are they learning?”
"It's almost the same. As long as you know the quantity, it's not difficult to learn."
Gu Yanxi nodded, "Teach me the missing part, and take three people to Xinyuguan to find Shaoyao immediately."
Wu Xing left without saying a word.
Chen Qing was a little confused, "Isn't guarding the pass the most dangerous?"
"The Chaoli tribe is a group with strong self-esteem. They have been blocked outside the pass for nearly two hundred years. They will definitely break through this line of defense and enter the pass from here to regain their former glory. But now they have wise men here, so they will not fight us to the death here. I suspect that they killed General Sun first just to tie me up here and make me unable to move, so that they can attack somewhere else."