On the second day, Sima Hong failed to accompany Mingyu for a walk as he had promised. They were about to move to Gaoping, and Sima Hong was busy going to the camp to preside over the army's departure. Mingyu stayed at home to pack up the boxes and cages. The two of them had packed a lot of things.
In the afternoon, Mingyu took Sister Liu to say goodbye to Madam Li and Madam Zhang. Their two families were not among the officers who moved to Gaoping with the army this time. Since Mingyu came here, he has received a lot of guidance from the two ladies, and he went to say goodbye with gratitude.
When coming out of Madam Li's house, Mingyu heard hurried footsteps and shouting. Looking back, he saw a team of hundreds of people marching forward in neat steps. Mingyu hurriedly took Sister Liu to the side of the street. On the opposite side of the street, Baihao was loudly counting the number of people.
Next to Baihao stood a tall and strong young man, who was Sima Hong.
Sima Hong saw Mingyu at the same time. Mingyu couldn't help blushing when she thought of what happened last night when their eyes met. Through the gaps in the crowd, Sima Hong's eyes were fixed on his petite and slender wife, and his eyes were fiery and full of gentle smiles.
After the troops passed by, Mingyu nodded to Sima Hong and walked home with Sister Liu. Sister Liu looked at the sweet love between the couple and joked, "Madam, the general is so good to you. I envy you so much!"
Mingyu blushed, waved her hands and smiled, "I'm also very nice to him!"
Sima Hong led his troops to Gaoping first, and after two days, when everything was settled, he took Mingyu there. Gaoping was just a town, not as good as Xi'an Prefecture. It was close to Tianshui, and when the Tartars looted and burned and killed people in Tianshui, it was also affected. Many houses were burned to ruins. Sima Hong sent Baihao to search for a long time before he found a relatively complete and clean second courtyard.
After settling down, Sima Hong got busy again, leading his troops to attack Tianshui. The night before the expedition, Sima Hong looked normal, but unlike in the past when he hugged Mingyu and smiled and acted unruly. After washing up, Mingyu untied his bun and combed his scalp gently. Sima Hong leaned back in his chair with his eyes slightly closed, enjoying himself.
"Are you nervous?" Mingyu suddenly asked with a smile.
Sima Hong opened his eyes, shook his head and smiled, "It's just leading troops to war. It's something I'm used to doing. Why would I be nervous?"
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Mingyu said nothing more, combed his hair, and began to massage his scalp. When they got into bed, Mingyu heard him tossing and turning in bed for a long time. At night, with the moonlight projected from the windowsill, Mingyu could see that Sima Hong was sleeping very restlessly. His brows were furrowed, and his hands were clenched into fists, as if he was sleeping with great anger.
Seeing him like this, Mingyu's heart suddenly ached.
She was not a native of Tianshui, and she had never considered the Anxi Marquis Mansion in Tianshui as her home. She only felt regret when Tianshui fell. But Sima Hong was different. Tianshui was his hometown where he was born and raised. This time he had to take back his hometown that had suffered from war from the Tartars, and he could not avoid the tension and anger in his heart.
Mingyu gently turned over, and in the moonlight, she stretched out her hand to smooth Sima Hong's frown, then leaned over and kissed Sima Hong's forehead, silently saying "Sima Hong" in her heart. She suddenly missed the time when people just called Sima Hong Bao Erye. At that time, his biggest worry every day was that he could not complete the homework assigned by the Marquis, instead of being a general above ten thousand people, working hard on the battlefield like today.
Gaoping is very close to Tianshui, so close that Mingyu, sitting at home, seems to be able to hear the shouts of killing coming from afar.
Mrs. Liu originally thought that Mingyu would be scared, so after finishing her housework, she came to the backyard specifically to accompany this seemingly timid and delicate young lady. However, she did not expect that Mingyu acted as if nothing had happened, sitting calmly in the yard sewing a summer shirt for the general.
Mrs. Liu was stunned, rubbing her hands and laughing, "Madam has such courage, the general is very lucky."
Mingyu smiled. If it was her first time experiencing a battlefield, she would definitely be scared to death. However, after she had the experience of escaping from the Tartars' whizzing arrows with Lixiang in Tianshui a few years ago, she didn't find it scary anymore.
"There's nothing to be afraid of." Mingyu smiled with a firm smile, "We will definitely win."
"That's right." Sister Liu agreed, and she chattered with a smile: "With the general on the scene, the Tartars will be wiped out completely, leaving no one alive! When the general returns victorious, the emperor will definitely reward him, and then Madam will also be honored!"
Mingyu listened to Mrs. Liu's words with a smile, but she did not stop sewing. She was not a good worker and could only make a close-fitting casual shirt for Sima Hong at best. She did not ask for Sima Hong to be promoted, but only hoped that he could be safe.
When Sima Hong came back, it was already two nights later. The blood on his face and body had turned black, and his hair, which he had washed before leaving, was tangled in tangles, as dirty as if he had been a beggar for many years. Mingyu was shocked to see him like this, and her heart sank until Sima Hong strode over and kissed her hard, and then she came back to her senses, and her eyes were filled with tears in an instant, and she wanted to hug him.
Sima Hong smiled and dodged, saying that he was dirty and would hug Ming properly after washing himself.
After he went into the house to take off his clothes, Mingyu quickly looked at Baihao, who smiled at her with his lips: "Master is not hurt." Mingyu then breathed a sigh of relief and hurried in to help Sima Hong take a bath.
Despite Baihao's assurance, Mingyu was still worried. She used loofah to rub Sima Hong's body and carefully checked him over. She was relieved when she found that there were no new injuries except for the previous scars.
"Silly girl." Sima Hong smiled as he watched her little movements. Everything caught his eye, and his heart felt soft and warm. "How can I be so easily hurt?"
"I didn't say you were injured." Mingyu smiled slyly.
Sima Hong moved closer to Mingyu. There were still tiny drops of water on the little girl's eyelashes. Thinking of Mingyu's tearful eyes when she was about to throw herself into his arms, he couldn't help but teasing her, "If I get hurt and lie on the bed unable to move, what will you do?"
"Of course I will serve you." Mingyu smiled in a very fawning manner, "I will serve you tea and water. I will make whatever you want to eat and feed it to your mouth. I will ensure that I will serve you attentively."
Sima Hong lazily lay on the bathtub and said with a smile: "I thought you thought I was a burden to you and would leave and go back to the capital!"
Mingyu smiled and twisted Sima Hong's ear, but ended up twisting off a handful of black ash and oil. She wet her handkerchief with water and roughly cleaned Sima Hong's ear, snorting, "Am I that kind of person in your eyes?"
Sima Hong chuckled. He thought, even if he was really injured and became a disabled person, Mingyu would not leave him. But if he dared to have another woman, Mingyu would definitely divorce him without saying a word. Well, she might cry for two days, and then happily marry again after her emotions stabilized. Didn’t this heartless girl always want to marry an honest and loyal man with no ability before...
But he would not give Mingyu any reason or opportunity to leave.
After taking Tianshui and Longxi, Sima Hong first sent troops to clear the streets and city walls of Tianshui and Longxi, while resting and waiting for news from the court.
The two of them found a free day and rode to Tianshui together. After entering Tianshui City, Mingyu was surprised even though he was mentally prepared. It had been several years since the Tartars burned the city, but now you can still see the charred marks. There are not many houses in the whole Tianshui City that are intact. As summer approaches, weeds grow among the broken walls, and lush plants almost cover the entire Tianshui.
"The Tartars only know how to herd animals, and they don't know how to farm. They occupied the rivers and mountains of our Great Chu, and only wanted to burn down all the farmlands and towns, turning them into grasslands to graze their cattle and sheep." Sima Hong sighed, his regret evident in words.
The two of them walked slowly hand in hand in the former Anxi Marquis Mansion. Looking around, there were only weeds and burnt bricks. The layout of the courtyard could be determined by the surviving trees.
Sima Hong hugged Mingyu and said with a smile: "Just wait patiently. In less than ten years, no, five years, I will be able to rebuild a Tianshui that is no less beautiful than the one back then!"
The golden sunlight at noon shone on Sima Hong's face, giving him a layer of golden light. In the golden light, Sima Hong's proud and confident smile was so dazzling. Mingyu smiled and nodded, hugged Sima Hong's waist, and put her face on Sima Hong's chest. With a husband like this, what else can a woman ask for
The two rested in Tianshui for one night. On the way back the next day, they rode on a horse. Mingyu deliberately walked the country road that she and Lixiang took when they escaped. However, she could not find the place where she and Lixiang threw the iron pot. She remembered that there was a big locust tree there, but the country road had many forks. She directed Sima Hong to drive the horse, and they searched back and forth several times but could not find the place they remembered.
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to find it in the future." Sima Hong comforted her, "I will issue a reward notice when we return to Gaoping. Whoever finds the iron pot of the Marquis' wife will be rewarded handsomely!"
Mingyu was amused. "Nonsense, it's been exposed to the wind and rain for so many years, maybe it has already rusted away." As he spoke, his voice became lower. "I just wanted to take another look..."
Sima Hong hugged Mingyu tightly, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart. He bent down and kissed the top of Mingyu's head. Even if he died in the future, he would never leave Mingyu alone.
At this time, the letter Mingyu had sent a few days ago had already arrived in the capital.
When Miao received the letter from her daughter-in-law for the first time, she couldn't help but feel surprised and happy. Nanny Wei and Nanny Tan flattered Miao from both sides and praised Mingyu for being sensible.
However, after reading the letter, Miao slammed the table, her eyes blazing with fire, and angrily cursed: "The Lu family is too much! Do you think our Anxi Marquis Mansion is a poor family? What kind of messed-up woman's daughter is also trying to give us? No way!" To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian... Vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. PS: Thanks to Zhang Kewei's book friend... Shunying... for the pink votes~~Ub Thanks to raxchan for the amulet~RS