Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 903: Chapter 903: Ms. Wang Comes to Visit
 

Dong first glanced at Liu Sisi, then immediately narrowed his eyes.

“Princess, do not worry! Once I the Official have investigated and understood the truth of the matter, I will naturally go to the rescue.”

“Rescuing people is like fighting a fire; those are tens of thousands of lives. I, Ruyu, cannot wait, and neither can they.”

Liu Sisi was burning with anxiety: “Lord Dong, I, Ruyu, am willing to stay here as a hostage. At the moment, my life is in your hands. If I were to lie, you could take my life at any time. I implore you to dispatch troops immediately to assist, to alleviate His Majesty’s worries, and to seek well-being for the common folk!”

“I have my own plan for this matter. Come, take them back to the hostel and take good care of them!”

Dong waved his hand and then turned to enter the inner chamber.

Liu Sisi was frantic: “Lord Dong! Lord Dong, listen to me…”

“Princess Ruyu, there’s no need to say more. Once our master has made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back. You should return to the hostel for now and wait calmly for the news,” replied the Deputy General, who had been the one to escort them into the city.

The Deputy General’s face wore a faint smile: “At present, the situation is chaotic. One wrong step could result in the deaths of tens of thousands. The Princess should feel this acutely. Since my master has said he will consider it, he surely cannot bear to see living beings suffer. Please return to the hostel for now.”

“Princess, let’s go back first.”

Zhang Peng gave her a meaningful look, signaling for Liu Sisi to swallow back her words.

“Very well! We will return to the hostel and quietly await the good news from Lord Dong.”

–

By the time they returned to the hostel, it was already past the end of 5 p.m to 7 p.m.

Qi Yuanzheng and several groups of horsemen who had left the hostel had all come back.

Upon seeing Liu Sisi and the others return, they quickly gathered around. After learning what had happened in the City Lord’s Mansion, Qi Yuanzheng actually breathed a sigh of relief.

“You need not worry, Princess. Although Dong is rigid, he is still a loyal patriot. Let us wait a bit longer; perhaps we will receive good news tomorrow.”

“I’m surprised that Lord Dong holds such a high regard in Lord Qi’s heart,” mused Liu Sisi with a sigh. “I just hope Ye Lei is alright over there.”

“Old Master Marquis was once able to lead three hundred iron cavalry through an ambush of tens of thousands of barbarians and come back unscathed. With Zhao Heng’s tens of thousands of horsemen and Marquis Yongwu’s tens of thousands holding them off, there shouldn’t be any major problems,” Zhang Peng said, purely to offer comfort.

Qi Yuanzheng thought for a moment: “Princess, didn’t we send out several groups of horsemen earlier to gather information? We did hear that around midnight last night, several troops of about two to three thousand horsemen secretly left the city from the north and south. They encountered and lost many men against the forces surrounding Yingchang City before retreating, but they managed to bring back a significant amount of grain.”

“Are you saying that troops left the city to get grain last night?”

Liu Sisi raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Indeed! Our people happened to hear about this. It’s said that with careful rationing, the grain they seized should last everyone for one more month.”

With grain secured, Liu Sisi inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Dong sends out the troops, everything could be resolved satisfactorily.

Liu Sisi had not expected that her wait would extend to two days, and yet she still heard not a whisper of Dong sending troops.

Her heart grew more and more anxious, wishing she could burst out of the hostel to have a proper talk with Dong.

However, before she even stepped out of the main entrance of the hostel, she was jovially barred by the smiling Post-house Minister.

“Princess Ruyu, initially, you had sworn in front of Lord Dong that you would willingly stay at the hostel until Lord Dong had determined the investigation results. Could it be that the Princess intends to go back on her word?”

Ever since she returned with the Post-house Minister that day, his demeanor had undergone a 180-degree change. No matter how Liu Sisi and others mocked or ridiculed, he always remained smiling. The first thing upon returning to the hostel was to send two military doctors to treat the wounded trusted soldiers, which also eased Liu Sisi’s mind.

As the saying goes, do not slap the hand that smiles.

Liu Sisi glared at the Post-house Minister and turned back to the small courtyard. Who would have thought that Dong would actually wait until the investigation was clear before considering a rescue? But what she said was true, she wasn’t worried about Dong sending someone to spy.

It was early the next day, just as Liu Sisi, who had just reverted to wearing women’s clothes, was washing up, that someone came to report.

“Princess, there is a Madam outside seeking an audience.”

“Which Madam?”

“It is Ms. Wang, the wife of Wang Ziyan, Lord Wang, who seeks an audience.”

Wang Ziyan’s wife? Wasn’t that Ms. Wang? Liu Sisi’s face darkened: “Let her in.”

Ms. Wang today was completely different from the lavish appearance they had seen the other day. She didn’t have even a single piece of head ornament today and, upon seeing Liu Sisi, her eyes bulged, and she clenched her teeth audibly. Thankfully, she had recognized her situation and gave Liu Sisi a slight bow.

“I’ve long heard that Princess Ruyu is as beautiful as a celestial being, yet now it seems that rumors don’t do you justice, not in the slightest.”

“Ms. Wang, are you insulting me or complimenting me?”

Liu Sisi spoke without any hesitation—Ms. Wang was notorious for her past misdeeds, and now she was a woman from a family that had to purchase their official titles; still, she had the audacity to approach Liu Sisi on her own accord. Liu Sisi couldn’t help but feel obliged to torment her!

“Oh Princess, even if you lent me a thousand courage, I would not dare to! I hope you see the truth, Princess,” Ms. Wang protested, feigning innocence, but her eyes kept darting around.

On that day, Liu Sisi was dressed as a man, her body covered in armor and a helmet, and indeed, she hadn’t noticed her. But Zhang Peng’s face, even after a few years of not seeing him, still lingered in her memory, and she recognized him with just one glance.

These past two days, the more she thought about it, the more it felt like a cat scratching at her heart. When she learned that Liu Sisi was here, curiosity overwhelmed her, and she hurried over.

Thinking about her own current situation, if she were to name the person she hated most for her downfall, it was likely nobody other than Liu Sisi!

“Enough with the nonsense! Spare me the pleasantries. Ms. Wang, what exactly brings you here today?” Liu Sisi said, waving the people in the room out and leaving just her and Ms. Wang alone.

If it were someone else who said that phrase, Liu Sisi might have believed it. But coming from Ms. Wang, Liu Sisi did not believe a single word.

Finally, Ms. Wang’s smile vanished, and she slightly curled the corners of her mouth: “Do you wish to know how I have survived these years, Princess?”

“I don’t want to know.”

How she had survived had nothing to do with her.

“Heh, if I, Ms. Wang, have come to this day, indeed I have to thank the Princess for your ‘kindness’,” Ms. Wang said through gritted teeth.

Back then, she had been captured by a few tramps. To save her life, she had to submit herself to them. When the war broke out, it presented her with an opportunity to escape. She took advantage of the tramps’ negligence to flee, only to be pursued by them and, as it happened, to be rescued by Wang Ziyan. At that time, Wang Ziyan himself was also hiding from the chaos of war and was nearly killed by the rampaging army. It was Ms. Wang who risked her life to save him, which led to the wealth and honor they had today…