Chapter 117

Chapter 117

Tong Sui had been busy at the military camp until dusk yesterday before returning home.

Zhou Qing accompanied her daughter back. Knowing that her daughter was physically exhausted and likely emotionally drained as well, she asked her to rest in the East Wing Courtyard first while she reported today's battle situations to the Hes and others.

Mrs. He was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! We won, and everyone is safe and sound!"

Xiao Yuchan and Liu Chu each held their children, looking agitated, while only Lin Ningfang smiled calmly.

Aunt Xiao noticed that Zhou Qing's dress was stained with some kitchen soot, and even blood on her shoes. Guessing that Zhou Qing must have been quite tired from helping at the camp, she interrupted Mrs. He's further inquiries and advised Zhou Qing, "After a tiring day, Sister, you should go back and rest early too. Rest well, and come here tomorrow for a celebratory meal."

Zhou Qing smiled, "We will definitely celebrate, but Aman shot many arrows this morning and her arms are sore. I thought it would be good for her to sleep at my place tonight. I can massage her frequently, and her aunt can give her acupuncture to relieve her fatigue."

Mrs. He was surprised, "Her aunt knows acupuncture?"

As soon as she said this, she suddenly remembered that Jiang Shi was an abandoned infant found by the Zhou family's matriarch and raised within the Zhou household. She had plenty of opportunities to learn medical skills from the Zhou family men. Initially, she might have been raised as a little maid, but her fortune changed when she married Zhou Yuanbai and became a proper city lady.

Aunt Xiao sympathized, "That's right. Aman wasn't injured, but seeing her covered in blood, she must have been scared. At such times, having her mother around will make her feel better."

Zhou Qing felt that ten Mrs. Hes combined were not as considerate as Aunt Xiao.

"Then you stay here; I'll go find Aman. I won't come to say hello later; I'll go straight through the back."

In the East Wing Courtyard, Tong Sui looked at the bloodstains on her clothes and didn't want to bring this blood-soaked aura into her small home.

When Zhou Qing arrived, she saw her daughter standing dazedly by the wall, and her eyes welled up. She forced a smile, "Why aren't you going inside?"

Tong Sui walked to the bare osmanthus tree, retrieved the key hidden in a small hole, and handed it to her mother, "Mother, could you get me a change of clothes? They're in the wardrobe."

Zhou Qing understood, took the key, unlocked the door, and quickly brought out a set of clothes.

The mother and daughter went next door together. When they reached the front yard and met the maidservant, they learned that Jiang Shi, Zhou Gui, and Tong Shan had heard the commotion in the West Court and couldn't resist going to look for them. One group went through the front gate, while the other circled through the back, leading to a missed connection.

Tong Sui smiled.

Zhou Qing asked the maidservant to heat water and fetched an old set of cotton clothes. When Tong Sui stood at the main room's entrance to take off her blood-stained clothes, Zhou Qing quickly wrapped her up and helped her sit down inside.

Soon, Jiang Shi and the others caught up. All were Tong Sui's closest relatives, showering her with concern, leaving her no time to dwell on negative thoughts.

Once the hot water was ready, Jiang Shi went to the medicine room, selected some herbs, and turned the ordinary hot water into a medicinal bath.

Zhou Qing personally helped her daughter bathe, especially washing her long hair three times.

Finally, Tong Sui, now wearing warm clothes and carrying a faint scent of herbs, sat on the warm kang in her parents' room.

Zhou Qing and Zhou Gui sat on either side of her, talking and massaging her arms. Afterward, Jiang Shi prepared her needles and skillfully gave Tong Sui acupuncture.

"Your aunt will give you another treatment tomorrow morning. While you may not be completely fine, you should at least be able to hold a bowl."

Tong Sui: "Thank you, Aunt."

Jiang Shi, holding a needle, glared at her, "If you keep being so polite, I'll stick this one near your mouth."

Tong Sui laughed.

That night, Tong Youyu slept at the military camp outside the city, where over twenty thousand surrendered soldiers resided. The city guards remained vigilant.

Zhou Qing specially brought out a new quilt, and the mother and daughter shared the same bed.

Holding her daughter, she sighed, "How long has it been since we last slept together? In the blink of an eye, my little girl has become someone else's wife."

Tong Sui: "Not someone else's."

Zhou Qing: "Right, wherever you are, you're still my daughter."

While massaging her daughter's arms, she reminisced about her childhood, both the obedient and mischievous moments, sharing whatever came to mind.

Tong Sui fell asleep without realizing when.

Several times during the night, she woke up from nightmares, only to be comforted by her mother singing gentle lullabies.

Drowsily, dawn approached.

The mother and daughter got up. Jiang Shi came to give her niece another acupuncture session. Afterward, Tong Sui moved around, and indeed, she could hold a bowl at breakfast.

Just as they finished eating, Xiao Mu sent someone to fetch her. The messenger observed Tong Sui closely and then smiled, "Second Lady, Commander Xiao said if you are feeling well, please meet him at the South Camp."

Zhou Qing worried, "Is there trouble with the surrendered soldiers?"

The soldier shook his head, "The surrendered soldiers are behaving. Commander Xiao needs your help with something."

Tong Sui told her mother not to worry and quickly followed the soldier out. Outside, she discovered that her grandfather had arranged a carriage for her.

Recalling how they used to ride horses at dawn, today's carriage was clearly prepared because he was concerned about her sore arms. Tong Sui smiled, feeling much better than yesterday.

At the South Camp, as soon as Tong Sui stepped out of the carriage, she saw Zhang Wengong coming out with two clerks, discussing something.

Tong Sui wanted to greet Zhang Wengong, but he glanced at her and walked past as if he didn't recognize her.

Tong Sui: "..."

The soldier guiding the way chuckled, "Second Lady, don't take it to heart. Lord Zhang has been poring over accounts all night; he might only recognize the ledgers now."

He had barely finished joking when Zhang Wengong suddenly realized and turned back to look at Tong Sui, hurriedly bowing in apology, "Second Lady, I... "

Tong Sui smiled, "We're all family, no need for formalities. Go ahead and finish your work."

Zhang Wengong breathed a sigh of relief.

Tong Sui went to the old man's side.

The old man was in the study, standing by the map of Wei County hanging on the wall, holding a ledger in his hand.

When he turned around, he looked spirited, with bright and clear eyes.

Tong Sui asked with concern, "Grandfather, have you had breakfast?"

Xiao Mu: "I ate at dawn. How is Aman? How long did you sleep last night?"

Tong Sui smiled, "My mother stayed with me all night. I slept well."

Xiao Mu nodded, gesturing for her to come over to the map. "The rebel king's army of fifty thousand faced our Wei City forces. We lost over three hundred soldiers and had eighty severely injured. The losses were minimal. The families of those who sacrificed themselves should be compensated, and all the survivors deserve rewards. Aman, what do you think we should give them as a reward?"

Tong Sui was surprised that the old man would ask her about this.

Xiao Mu gave her an encouraging look.

Tong Sui thought for a moment and tentatively suggested, "Silver or land?"

These soldiers were all young men from the county, and she was also a commoner. What commoners cherished most were money and land.

Xiao Mu smiled, "I thought the same. For silver, we will double the monthly pay for all the soldiers of Wei City this month. Then, we'll distribute land according to their military achievements. The more significant their contributions, the more land they get. Even if someone didn't contribute much but just followed along, they will still receive at least two acres of land."

Tong Sui looked at the map and understood. "Grandfather, are you pondering how to distribute the land? Does our county have enough land to distribute?"

Wei County hadn't slaughtered all the wealthy households within its jurisdiction like the rebel king did.

Xiao Mu sighed and handed the ledger to his granddaughter-in-law.

Tong Sui took it and found it listed the lands owned by the corrupt official Liu Ying and the four powerful families, scattered across the county, often amounting to hundreds or thousands of hectares, which was shocking.

Peasant families cherished even one or two acres of land, while corrupt officials and powerful families owned hundreds or thousands of hectares and still coveted more from the common people.

With nearly seven thousand soldiers across six battalions, even giving each person the minimum of two acres would only amount to 14,000 acres, not even finishing off the land of one powerful family.

After a long silence, Tong Sui remembered something and asked, "Grandfather, we are only temporarily managing Wei County. The four powerful families are imprisoned awaiting judgment from the court. Their assets should be confiscated. If we distribute their land to the soldiers, will the court punish us afterward?"

Xiao Mu laughed, "The soldiers fought for the court to eliminate a rebel king. They deserve rewards based on their merits. If rewards and punishments are unclear, the soldiers won't have the morale to protect the borders and ensure peace. If public resentment rises and another rebel king emerges, the court will suffer greater losses. The court understands this better than we do; they aren't that petty."

Tong Sui nodded.

There were many ledgers on the desk, all prepared overnight by Xiao Mu's son-in-law with Sun Wei, Zhang Wengong, and Qiao Changan. They detailed weapons, provisions, horses, and lists of surrendered soldiers categorized by age, health, injuries, and deaths.

Xiao Mu let Tong Sui take her time looking through them before leaving to attend to other matters.

The battlefield was indeed cruel, but when Tong Sui saw the large quantities of weapons, provisions, and horses seized from the rebel king, she felt a sense of joy.

As she was reviewing the statistics of the surrendered soldiers, someone came to inform her, "Madam, the official from Ding County, Mr. He, has arrived. The commander requests your presence in the meeting hall to welcome him together."

Tong Sui instinctively looked at her clothes—a seven-tenths new blue short jacket and green skirt, which were decently presentable.

She followed the soldier to the meeting hall and could hear the old man and He Lianqing praising each other from outside—one complimented the other's military prowess, while the other credited Ding County for providing copper, iron, and reinforcements.

When Tong Sui entered, He Lianqing's eyes lit up, and he asked the old man, "Is this the heroic Madam of Wei City?"

Xiao Mu stroked his beard and said, "Indeed, my granddaughter-in-law is named Tong Sui. She is wise, quick-witted, and an extraordinary archer. Though she may not achieve the fame of Hua Mulan, her actions yesterday will certainly earn her a place in the annals of Wei County."

He Lianqing scrutinized Tong Sui for a moment and then expressed his admiration to the old man, "You truly are remarkable. Not only have you taught your grandchildren to become tiger-like generals, but even your granddaughter-in-law is a true gem among people."

Xiao Mu laughed, "If you were only praising my grandchildren, I would humbly decline. But regarding my granddaughter-in-law, she truly deserves the title 'gem among people,' so I will accept it with pride."

Tong Sui: "..."

After exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Mu asked Tong Sui to stand beside him and began discussing business with He Lianqing.

The main topic was how to handle the forty thousand surrendered soldiers from the rebel king.

He Lianqing spoke more earnestly to the old man, requesting him to serve as the commander of the seven counties.

Xiao Mu and his grandson both felt that He Lianqing was more suitable for the position.

Tong Sui watched as the two of them passed the responsibility back and forth until He Lianqing knelt down, tears streaming down his face, pleading with the old man to save the people of the seven counties. Only then did the old man reluctantly accept the responsibility.

Tong Sui: "..."

So, the old man called her here to... learn how to act?