The prince planned to fight the barbarians now because of his son's matter. Another reason was military merit. His status was already high enough, so this military merit was not for himself, but for the people below.
The new emperor wanted to take back the military power after ascending the throne. Although he did not explicitly take back the military power of Yonghe Marquis' Mansion, his intention to send people down was obvious. In this way, after the people sent by the new emperor arrived, it would be difficult for other soldiers to earn military merits. Because the new emperor's people need to be promoted, they need military merits to win people over. Therefore, this action also gave the original soldiers in the palace an opportunity to earn military merits.
The war in the military camp is about to break out.
Yang Haiyan asked Uncle Hong and Huang Huzi to go to the county town to buy two more horses, one of which was converted into a carriage, and the other was given to the private guard.
Embroidery Room
Yang Haiyan embroidered a handkerchief with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water. After embroidering, she put the handkerchief on the platform. As a result, she found that the ancient embroidered handkerchief was so valuable. A handkerchief with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water was worth 800 platform coins. You should know that the pure silver on the platform is 5 platform coins per gram, and 800 can buy 160 grams, which is more than 3 taels of silver. However, the cost of the thread and cloth is not even 1 tael of silver, so it is easier to make money.
Besides, she doesn't need to buy pure silver now. If she buys silver with a purity of 70 grams, 800 platform coins can buy more than 160 grams.
Moreover, it wouldn't take her too long to embroider such a handkerchief. Even if she did it slowly, a month would be enough. So now, Yang Haiyan planned to embroider the handkerchief slowly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
According to Qiguo's custom, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the day to eat glutinous rice balls. Although the Qin family is bustling, Qin Fang has not come yet, and Yang Haiyan can't help feeling a little lonely and missing him.
From the fourth to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Qin Fang had not come back, nor had he brought back any news. Not only Qin Fang, but also Han Zhen, Lu Baifu and others had not come back. Yang Haiyan knew that he was definitely not in the barracks. If he was in the barracks, he would definitely ask Kun Shi to pass on a message to his family. So since he was not in the barracks, there was no way to pass on the message.
As soon as the fifteenth day of the lunar month came, the Yongzhou military camp sounded the drums of war to attack the barbarians. The war between Yongzhou and the barbarians had begun.
If there was any movement in the military camp, the people of Yongzhou would know it immediately. Because of the war, the gates of the county town were closed. The county town was the second checkpoint of Yongzhou and was closed every time there was a war. People outside could not enter and people inside could not leave.
The family housing was outside the county town. When the county town gates were closed, people from outside could not enter the city. However, the people in the family housing stocked up on cabbage and radishes, so they rarely went into the county town anyway.
Yang Haiyan hadn't been in the mood to embroider handkerchiefs for a few days because the war in the military camp made her uneasy. According to the plot, Qin Fang would be fine and he would be able to complete his military service here safely. However, she was still uneasy.
Nanny Lian came into the embroidery room with a bowl of soup: "Madam, the kitchen has just made some Tremella soup, it tastes just right, come and try it."
Yang Haiyan: "Thank you." She took a sip. The Tremella was cooked soft and glutinous, and the sweetness was just right, but she was not in the mood to eat it. After drinking half a bowl, Yang Haiyan stood up and asked, "Mammy, do you have a lot of Tremella cooked at home?"
Aunt Lian: "There's still some, but not much." The kitchen only cooked enough for the madam, so it wasn't much.
Yang Haiyan: "Go and get the rest and put it in the lunch box. I have to go to Lu Baifu's house."
Aunt Lian: “Yes.”
Yang Haiyan went to Lu Baifu's house with Tremella soup in her hand: "Is Sister Lu here?"
Mrs. Lu was at home with her two children. The children were studying, and Mrs. Lu was learning to read and making clothes. She had never thought of learning to read with her children before, but Yang Haiyan lived next door to them at that time, and she was also influenced by her and realized that it was good for women to know a few more words. After a while, she heard Yang Haiyan's voice, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Yes, yes, Haiyan is here." As she said that, she quickly put down her things and went out.
Yang Haiyan came here alone. It would be inappropriate to bring Aunt Lian with her to Lu's house. It would make Lu feel distant. "I'm here to see my sister-in-law."
Mrs. Lu: "Come and sit inside. It's sunny today, so it's not cold."
Yang Haiyan: "That's right. I made some Tremella soup at home and brought it to the children to try."
Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite? It's useless to give it to those two little brats. It's rare for them to eat such good food there."
Yang Haiyan also smiled when she heard this.
Mrs. Lu poured out the Tremella soup for the child to drink, and washed the lunch box. Then the two of them basked in the sun in the yard. "Haiyan, why are you here today?"
Yang Haiyan expressed her worries: "Sister-in-law, when there was a war in the military camp in the past, did they often not come?"
When Mrs. Lu heard this, she understood what she meant: "Are you worried about Lord Qin? Don't worry, this is your first time encountering a war. In fact, there have been no wars in the past two years. In the past, there would be a war every month throughout the year, so we have long been accustomed to it."
Yang Haiyan was puzzled: "Why do you have to fight once a month?"
Mrs. Lu said, "We are testing each other. My husband said that if the barbarians want to test our situation, we should also test their situation. However, the battle two years ago was very fierce, and the military camp and the barbarians suffered heavy damage, so the war started in the past two years. Speaking of which, Lord Qin and Han Baifu were promoted to centurions after that battle. The original centurion died in that battle."
It was normal for soldiers to sacrifice their lives. Even if they were sad, they would accept it quickly. But Yang Haiyan felt sad. In modern times, few soldiers sacrificed their lives unless something special happened. But it was different in ancient times. In ancient times, human life was particularly worthless.
After chatting with Lu's wife for a while, Yang Haiyan felt better. When people are upset, they especially want to talk to others. There is no detailed description of these situations in the book because they are all with Yang Dahua. Now listening to Lu's wife, Yang Haiyan has a deeper understanding of these situations.
In the blink of an eye, it was early January. The two-month winter disaster was over, and the town began to return. Shops also opened one after another, and people began to sell all kinds of meat and vegetables.
Yang Haiyan's dim sum shop also opened. As soon as the dim sum shop opened, Aunt Fan and Aunt Hong went there.
"Madam." One day, one of the private guards came to see Yang Haiyan. The private guard's name was Meng Ping. "Madam, I want to take a leave and go home. I have been serving in the army for five years and have never been home."
Yang Haiyan said: "Of course you can. How many days do you want to take off?"
Meng Ping calculated: "About half a month."
Yang Haiyan said: "Be careful on the road."
Meng Ping: "Thank you, Madam."
Military Camp
"Sir, those barbarians have been driven back. The captains of each army are ready to bring their men back. The military doctors have counted the number of injured, and it's better than we expected." Chief Guard Cheng said, "This battle is really gratifying." After fighting for more than 20 days, the barbarians were forced to retreat hundreds of miles. If the prince hadn't said that they should not be forced to death, he would really want to order people to continue fighting.
The prince couldn't help but smile after hearing this: "We grasped the timing of this battle well and made preparations in advance. General Ao led his men to raid the barbarians' lair in the back, how could they not be anxious?"
The prince was a general, stationed in the rear. In fact, he also wanted to go to the battlefield. After all, waiting for news in the barracks was not as exciting as fighting on the battlefield.
Chief Guard Cheng: "It would be great if we could just take down the barbarian tribe."
The prince shook his head, "No. The Manzi tribe is a nomadic tribe with no fixed territory. It's just that in the past few decades, they have lived next to Yongzhou. They are different from our Qi Kingdom. Our Qi Kingdom's territory is here and there is no way to move it. If they are forced into a corner, they will leave here. They have no feelings for the territory outside Yongzhou. They attacked Yongzhou and tested it again and again because they had their eyes on the supplies of Qi Kingdom. If they are forced into a corner, they will leave here, and then break up into small groups to retaliate against us, hiding their identities and coming to the county town, then Yongzhou will suffer.
This is also the reason why our Ni family has been guarding here for decades but has never really started a massacre with the Barbarians. The Barbarians' repeated attempts are nothing more than trying to cause trouble for us, so that we compromise and hand over half of Yongzhou's rights to them."
Chief Guard Cheng said in a cold voice: "This is just a foolish dream. They want half of Yongzhou, but what they want is the territory of our Qi Kingdom. The barbarians do not understand etiquette and have no idea what territory means to us." Handing over half of the territory would be a shame for the court and the emperor.
The prince nodded and said, "Originally, we could get along well and Yongzhou could open up to the outside world as long as they paid appropriate taxes. However, they disagreed and felt that paying taxes was a scam."
Chief Guard Cheng: "They are indeed barbarians. One day they will regret it."
Family Room
Uncle Hong shouted at the door with full energy: "The master is back... The master is back..." The voice spread throughout the whole house.
Yang Haiyan also heard Uncle Hong's voice, and she hurried out of the main courtyard. Aunt Lian followed her and joked: "Uncle Hong's voice is really loud." Uncle Hong's son is already ten months old. It has been three months since he came to the Qin family last year. In the past three months, his body has been well taken care of. A bowl of goat milk every day has made the little boy fatter. Since he got better, he no longer followed Aunt Hong to the snack shop. He stayed in Qianfu's house and was taken care of by Uncle Hong. If Uncle Hong went out to cut grass, he would send the child over.
Yang Haiyan: "Yes, Uncle Hong's leg is almost healed. The doctor said that he is recovering well and will be fully recovered in two more months." But he still cannot do hard work. The couple worked for three months in total, and they paid 200 wen a month. They usually didn't buy anything except clothes for the children, and they were very frugal.
Qin Fang gave the horse to Uncle Hong and went to the main courtyard, where he met Yang Haiyan on the way.
Yang Haiyan was shocked when she saw Qin Fang. His face was dirty and messy, with a little beard. His clothes were torn, and what was worse was that the color of his clothes looked like there were water stains.
Of course, Yang Haiyan knew that water stains would not remain on this kind of clothes, because there would be no traces after the water dried. Besides, the man was going to the battlefield, so... it could only be blood stains. She hurriedly asked: "Are you bleeding? Or are you injured somewhere? Aunt Lian, go get a doctor."
Aunt Lian: “Yes.”
Qin Fang held Yang Haiyan and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just a minor injury. The blood is from someone else."
Nanny Lian looked at Yang Haiyan.
Yang Haiyan said, "Go and ask Doctor Wang to check on the master, regardless of whether he is injured or not."
Aunt Lian: “Yes.”
As soon as Aunt Lian left, Yang Haiyan took him to the main courtyard, still worriedly asking: "Are they really just minor injuries? Those bloodstains are not yours? Take off your clothes and let me see." The man left for a month, and she felt uneasy every day. After all, he was just a passerby, and an accident could happen at any time. Although in the plot, the male protagonist is still alive when he is old, but now it is different from the previous plot, who knows...
Qin Fang comforted her: "Really, I swear, I'm really fine, these are just minor injuries, and the bloodstains are from the barbarians. I'll go take a shower first, and I'll show you later."
Seeing that he was tired but not pale, Yang Haiyan thought that maybe he was telling the truth: "Then be careful when you take a shower, don't let the soapy water touch the wound, just wipe it gently with warm water." Although alkaline can eliminate some toxins and bacteria, it can also have a stimulating effect. And the wound has not healed, so you can't take a shower.
Qin Fang: "Well, I will pay attention."
In fact, Qin Fang didn't pay any attention. He hadn't showered for a month, and his body had already smelled. He wanted to wipe his whole body with soap to prevent his wife from being irritated by the stench. However, as his wife said, it really hurt when the soapy water touched the wound, a kind of piercing pain.
When Qin Fang came out of the shower, Yang Haiyan frowned: "Why do you look so pale after taking a shower? Is it because your face was dirty just now and I didn't see your complexion clearly?" His face was obviously not pale just now.
Qin Fang: "..." His heart was pounding, and he was worried about being scolded. His face was pale, which was caused by the pain of being stung by the soapy water. Although he didn't have any serious injuries, he had many minor injuries on his body.
Yang Haiyan stopped him and said, "Sit down and take off your clothes so I can see. You must have a big wound on your body. Did you hurt it when you were taking a shower?"
Qin Fang quickly shook his head. He felt like he was doomed.
Yang Haiyan moved her nose and asked, "Did you use soap?" She smelled so good, what else could it be but soap? Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Didn't you say not to use soap? Soapy water will irritate the wound."
Qin Fang looked at her innocently: "I forgot."
If he hadn't just said that, and he had solemnly promised to pay attention, she would have really believed him. But this innocent look made Yang Haiyan feel pitiful and cute.
At this time, Nanny Lian's voice rang out in the yard: "Madam, Doctor Wang is here."
Yang Haiyan: "Take Doctor Wang to the study."
Aunt Lian: “Yes.”
There was a long wooden couch in the study room for Qin Fang to rest. When Doctor Wang came in, Yang Haiyan said enthusiastically, "Doctor Wang, I'm really sorry to have you come here."
Doctor Wang hurriedly said, "No, no, madam, you are too polite." He was just a commoner, how could he dare to ask the wife of a seventh-rank official to be so polite. However, he felt comfortable because this Madam Qin was always polite every time they met. "Madam, sir, I will check it for you."
Qin Fang: "Thank you for your help."
Doctor Wang first felt Qin Fang's pulse, and then asked Qin Fang to take off his clothes to check his wounds. In fact, when he felt Qin Fang's pulse, he had confirmed that Qin Fang's body was fine except for being a little tired, and he just needed to have a good rest. After a while, he looked at his wounds again, and there were indeed no major wounds on his body, but there were several minor wounds.
Yang Haiyan: "Doctor, is his wound inflamed? It looks a little red."
Doctor Wang: "No, the wound is not inflamed. The master's wound is red, probably because he took a bath too vigorously. I will prepare some liquid medicine for the master, and Madam, you can apply it on him for a few days and it will be fine."
Yang Haiyan: "Thank you, doctor. Aunt Lian, please send someone to go with Doctor Wang to get the medicine."
Qin Fang nodded, feeling very puzzled. It turned out that the pain in his wound was not caused by the soapy water, but by his excessive washing. But... he had to wash himself clean, right
Aunt Lian: “Yes.”
Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan were the only ones in the study. He immediately stood up from the long wooden couch and said, "Um... I'm a little hungry." It was not a glorious thing to tear the wound by taking a bath too vigorously.
Yang Haiyan wanted to laugh at him, but thinking that he must have been very tired after not coming back for a month, she could only say, "You take a rest. I'll go find some food."
Qin Fang: “Yeah.” Go quickly and let him calm down.
Aunt Fan was in the dim sum shop, and there was no one in the kitchen, so Yang Haiyan had to do it herself. When Aunt Lian came back and saw that Yang Haiyan was not in the main courtyard, she went to the kitchen again and saw that she was busy. Aunt Lian hurriedly said, "Madam, I am here."
Yang Haiyan: "No, I haven't cooked for him for a long time. I'll do it myself."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Lian went to light a fire.
Yang Haiyan kneaded the noodles, cut some pickled cabbage and bacon, and fried two eggs. Half an hour later, the noodles were ready. She took the noodles to the study and saw Qin Fang dozing off. There was a bottle of liquid medicine on the desk beside him.
Qin Fang said: "Doctor Wang's liquid medicine has been delivered."
Yang Haiyan put the noodles down: "Take off your clothes, I will apply it for you."
Qin Fang: “Yeah.” He took off his top and ate while enjoying his wife’s care. It felt really good.
Yang Haiyan applied the medicine on him, sat next to him and asked curiously, "How was the battle last time?"
Qin Fang: "It went very smoothly. We were well prepared, so there were few casualties. We taught the barbarians a lesson this time. I believe they won't be tempted again in the short term. However, due to the young master's incident, the guards in and out of the county will be more strict."
Yang Haiyan: "It's better to be more rigorous. It has nothing to do with us anyway."
Qin Fang thought so too. It would be convenient for them to enter and exit the county with their identities.
Yang Haiyan looked at his profile, his mouth bulging as he ate. She thought for a moment and asked, "Husband, do you like the military camp? Do you like being a military commander?"
Qin Fang didn't know what she meant by asking this and thought she was just chatting, so he said frankly: "I didn't like it when I first came to serve in the army. I thought about leaving home every day and even felt that the military service was ruining us. In fact, it's not just me. I think most people don't like military service. After five years of military service, many people are determined to go there without hesitation." So when he left home that year, he found his second brother and had a good talk with him for the whole night.
Yang Haiyan: “What happened later?”
Qin Fang thought back to the past five years, then chuckled, "I found it quite interesting later. If I hadn't come to serve in the army, I would probably have been farming or hunting in that village. But after I came here, my thoughts gradually changed, especially after I went to the battlefield, I felt like I had grown up all of a sudden and became more sensible."
Yang Haiyan: "I understand." So now, he likes to join the army. Yang Haiyan once thought a few days ago that he should not join the army. After the five-year military service is over, they will go back to Qin Fang's hometown. For the two of them, it is still simple to live a stable life in Qin Fang's hometown. They have money and are not brainless people. They don't ask for great wealth, but only for health and happiness.
However, after hearing him say this now, she couldn't say that. Because everyone has the right to pursue power, she couldn't let him give up his pursuit because of her.
Yang Haiyan breathed a sigh of relief.
Qin Fang was sensitive enough to notice that she was a little disappointed: "What's wrong with you? But what did I say was wrong?"
Yang Haiyan smiled and shook her head: "No..." After a pause, she continued, "I'm just afraid that you'll be in danger. I'm very worried."
Qin Fang put down his chopsticks after hearing this, and then held her hand: "Don't worry, no matter what the situation is, I will keep my safety in mind. I still want to have a baby with you."
Yang Haiyan didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she heard this. Man, did he just remember giving birth to a child
When Qin Fang came back this time, he rested at home for several days, and then returned to the military camp. Until the end of February, his five-year military service was completed, which brought him a one-month vacation.
Yang Haiyan was in the room at this time, looking at the boxes of things that had been sorted out, and asked Aunt Lian to open them again: "Aunt Lian, take another look, is there anything missing?"
Nanny Lian said, "You are just too concerned and therefore confused. All the things are here. One box is full of furs, one box is full of cloth, one box is your things, and one box is for the adults' things. If you need anything else, after you get there, you can take the Qin family to the county town to buy them." After all, no one has seen them before, and many things are hard to buy.
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "Before, I thought that an ugly daughter-in-law would have to meet her parents-in-law, what's the point? But now that the time has come, I am really nervous."
Aunt Lian also laughed: "Looking at your calm and composed appearance, I always forget that you are only seventeen years old. Now you look like a seventeen-year-old girl."
Yang Haiyan also let her joke: "Next time you go back, I won't bring any servants with me. I'll leave the house to you. If the family members of the private guard come, they will be arranged in the newly built servant suite over there. Then, you can help me observe them."
Nanny Lian: "Don't worry, I understand and I promise I won't let you down."