Chapter 160: Great Victory

Chapter 160: Great Victory

The sudden change from expecting a single child to a likely twin pregnancy was both a delightful surprise and a cause for concern for Qiu Huanian. Besides the challenges of raising and educating children, another major challenge was undoubtedly the medical conditions.

Though Qiu Huanian's pregnancy had been smooth and uneventful, twins inherently meant increased risks.

Fortunately, he had managed to produce alcohol and iodine tincture, significantly reducing the risk of wound infections in ancient times, thus adding a strong layer of protection for himself.

After the first batch of iodine tincture was prepared, Sixteen tested it on a group of injured guards, including himself, proving its miraculous efficacy.

The Crown Prince and Du Yunse took over the next steps. The Crown Prince kept it under wraps, covertly setting up a larger iodine production facility elsewhere and sending a letter to Wu Shen at the border through a secret channel.

"The earlier border smuggling case involving grain and ironware only exposed some small-time merchants; the mastermind behind it remains at large. There are likely still court officials secretly aiding the Tatars. Iodine tincture is a strategic move; we must keep the information tightly sealed to achieve a surprising victory."

Hearing this, Qiu Huanian clenched his teeth in anger.

While countless soldiers, laborers, farmers, and officials worked hard, sacrificing their homes and lives to protect the country, some were colluding with the enemy for personal gain.

"I remember that the imperial investigator sent to look into this case was Zhao Tianyu, a man of the second prince?"

"Correct. After reaching Liaozhou, he leveraged the second prince's connections to cut off several smuggling lines. But until the mastermind is caught, we can't let our guard down."

"Who is the one secretly colluding with the Tatars?"

Du Yunse shook his head, "It might be Prince Jin, other factions, or even the second prince’s group playing the blame game to cover their tracks... The truth is still unknown."

Qiu Huanian sighed, deciding not to dwell on these complex political struggles, "Will the iodine tincture I developed be used correctly?"

"Wu Shen now leads his own army. We’ll covertly send the iodine to him, and he’ll deploy it to surprise the Tatars."

"That's good." Qiu Huanian stretched out, asking Du Yunse to rub his stiff, cramping leg.

Qiu Huanian knew Wu Shen's capabilities and character well; he believed Wu Shen would not disappoint those eagerly anticipating his success.

...

As autumn deepened, the days grew shorter, and the desolate air swept across the land, stripping away the last hints of green. Along with the endless falling leaves, one after another battle report from the border drifted into the capital.

The Yu Dynasty was strong and prosperous, with the grain and ironware produced in the central plains far exceeding that of the nomadic tribes of the grasslands. The soldiers' disadvantage in adapting to the severe cold of the northeast was this time compensated by an abundance of cotton. The Yu Dynasty's army was almost continuously victorious, and good news kept spreading in the capital.

After the second prince Jia Hongyi arrived at the border, the old general commanding the three armies dared not assign dangerous tasks to the prince, only allowing him to handle mop-up and rear-guard actions, thus accumulating some merit.

However, these merits were like fireflies compared to the bright moon when set against Wu Shen's achievements.

Wu Shen's father, Wu Dingshan, had once made significant military achievements at the northeast border, remembered and revered by countless common people even twenty years later. Wu Shen came to the border from the capital three years ago, starting from the lowly position of a centurion, step by step proving his capabilities to those observing and scrutinizing him, and gaining the recognition of his father's old subordinates.

After the campaign began, he was appointed as commander of the guard, quickly assembling his own army that charged forward as the vanguard on the grasslands. Rumors even claimed they were impervious to blades and immune to illness, becoming the nightmare of the grassland enemies.

To set it apart from Wu Dingshan’s Wu Family Army, Wu Shen’s troops were now known as the "Little Wu Family Army."

The first major snow of Emperor Yuanhua’s 23rd year blanketed the capital in a pure white robe.

As December approached, marking the end of another year, the residents of the capital all stayed in their warm homes, and the broad streets were sparsely populated.

A cavalry unit rode into the capital’s inner city through the Great Ming Gate. Once the guards checked their IDs, the horses galloped through the snowy streets toward the city center without stopping, their breath visible in the cold air.

This was a team delivering urgent dispatches from the border, arriving every few days in recent months, to which the guards had become accustomed.

"I heard that young General Wu is now leading his troops to chase down the Tatar tribes. A big win must be close, don’t you think?"

"The bitter cold makes fighting so harsh, but thankfully this year we have plenty of cotton. It's all thanks to the Qishu County Princess!"

"How on earth did the princess manage to grow so much cotton? It's like she's some kind of celestial being."

"Don't say that, but I've actually heard such a story. One Qishu County Princess, one Du Yunse, and one Wu Xiaojun, in their previous lives, were the stars of the harvest, literature, and war! These three stars came down to earth together to guard the Crown Prince. It's a sign that heaven is blessing Great Yu, heralding the unification of the four seas and the coming of all nations!"

...

After more than half a year of hard work, Qiu Huanian is now nearly eight months pregnant, officially in the late stages of pregnancy, and could go into labor at any moment.

The west wing of the inner courtyard has long been prepared as a delivery room. All the furniture has been moved out and rearranged, every nook, cranny, beam, and crevice checked, and the entire room was fumigated with mugwort to ensure no pests or drafts remain.

Every morning, Mumian and Grape, the two uncles, supervise the servants in stoking the newly built heated kang and floor heating in the delivery room, then warming the bedding with a fumigation cage. This way, if Qiu Huanian suddenly goes into labor, she can be moved in without any chaos.

They say twin pregnancies are shorter than single ones, so the birth could happen at any time. Qiu Huanian is now the darling of the family. The imperial physician, who was invited to the residence, takes her pulse twice daily, and Jiu Jiu, Chun Sheng, and others visit the inner courtyard several times a day to check on her. Du Yunse is so anxious that he'd rather skip work just to stay by her side.

Last night, a heavy snowfall blanketed the capital, not stopping until well past ten in the morning. After lunch, a group of children, led by Min Leyi who had come to visit, played in the inner courtyard, building snowmen. Qiu Huanian watched them from the warm pavilion, the room was filled with warmth.

Today is a day of rest, but Du Yunse had to leave early in the morning. Fortunately, Min Leyi came to visit in the afternoon, keeping Qiu Huanian entertained.

The snow in the courtyard was nearly half a foot deep. The main paths, shaped like a cross, had been cleared, but the areas with flowers and trees were specifically left for the children to build snowmen.

Jiu Jiu, Chun Sheng, Cun Lan, Yun Ying, and Yuan Ruo were all in the courtyard, wearing thick cotton gloves, they dug into the snow, working in small groups to create their "masterpieces."

Chun Sheng, with his little follower Yun Ying, built a large, unrecognizable mound, insisting it was a steed, which caused Cun Lan to laugh so hard that she doubled over. Unwilling to admit defeat, Chun Sheng pulled Yuan Ruo to his side, but Yuan Ruo shook his head, saying he couldn't in good conscience call a spade a spade.

Chun Sheng let out a shout, scooped up a handful of snow, and threw it at Yuan Ruo. Before Yuan Ruo could react, Jiu Jiu, the older sister, stepped in to "punish" her brother. Cun Lan cheered while launching a sneak attack, and Yun Ying, unsure whether to help his sister or his good buddy, spun around in a panic...

Seeing the children turn their snowman-building into a snowball fight, Min Leyi, the adult, felt it would be unfair to bully the kids, so he decided to take a break inside.

He entered the main house, took off his snow-dampened cloak and hood in the hall, changed into lightweight slippers warmed by the brazier, and then went into the warm pavilion on the east side.

Wrapped in the warmth of the pavilion, Min Leyi suddenly felt thirsty.

"Brother Hua, do you have any hot water for me? I'm parched!"

Qiu Huanian had Xing Mi pour Min Leyi a cup of warm jujube and goji berry tea with rock sugar. Min Leyi plopped down on the soft couch beside Qiu Huanian, gulped down the tea, and let out a long sigh.

Through the slightly open window, Chun Sheng, under the combined attack of Jiu Jiu and Cun Lan, was losing ground. Just as he was about to retreat while fighting, someone dumped a pile of snow on his head from behind.

Chun Sheng turned around, glaring, but Yuan Ruo, who had seized the moment to claim victory, was grinning so widely his eyes turned into crescents. Chun Sheng, unable to catch his breath, glared at the beaming Yuan Ruo, then pounced on him like a hungry tiger.

The "steed" snowman was half crushed, and Chun Sheng and Yuan Ruo were buried in the snow. Jiu Jiu and the others quickly dug them out, laughing, their joyful voices echoing over the small courtyard.

"These kids are so mischievous!" Min Leyi said with mock seriousness.

"Really? I think it's Young Master Min who's the most mischievous." He was the one who started the snowman-building.

"Ahem!" Min Leyi cleared his throat. "That was before. I've grown up now!"

Qiu Huanian raised an eyebrow, her silent "I don't believe you" response clear.

Min Leyi thought of something, sighed, and crossed his arms. Qiu Huanian asked with concern, "Has your grandmother sent another letter urging you to marry?"

Min Leyi puffed out his cheeks. "Grandmother says I'll be eighteen after the New Year, and that's not young anymore. I can't delay any longer. She wants my brother and sister-in-law to look for a match for me, but in the capital—"

Min Leyi left the sentence hanging, but the implication was clear.

With a father like Min Taikang, a scholar of great repute, finding a match shouldn't be difficult.

Unfortunately, his reputation was tarnished in Xiangping Prefecture. After arriving in the capital, he had just managed to adapt to the new environment when Madam Yu, the wife of the Yu family, spread some gossip among the noble circles, making Min Leyi's chances of finding a suitable match even more difficult.

"She doesn't dare to confront me directly, only resorts to sneaky tricks! If she ever crosses me, I'll make her pay!" Min Leyi muttered angrily.

Qiu Huanian chuckled, "After this year, once I've given birth, I'll help you figure something out."

Min Leyi nodded repeatedly, "Brother Hua, don't stress about me right now. I'm not in a hurry anyway. If I can't find the right person, I'd rather stay single."

He would never say such things in front of his family; Min Leyi only felt safe venting a bit in front of Qiu Huanian.

As they were having this private conversation, Du Yunse returned home.

He walked through the passageway into the inner courtyard, scolded the kids who were rolling around in the snow, and had them taken away to change into dry clothes, each got a big bowl of ginger soup.

After handling these things, Du Yunse walked into the main house. Noticing his happy expression, Qiu Huanian asked with a smile, "Did something great happen today?"

Du Yunse, while taking off his cloak, replied, "A major victory at the border. Wu Shen led the troops to lure the enemy in and then struck at their core, taking out several leaders of the main Tatar tribes and capturing their crown prince."

This exciting news would soon be made public, so Du Yunse didn't hide it.

Qiu Huanian's eyes lit up, "Does that mean the war is almost over?"

Du Yunse shook his head, "The Emperor is determined to crush them this time. There are still many scattered troops in the grasslands that need to be taken care of, but the Tatars are done for; it's only a matter of time."

"This New Year, Wu Shen will be summoned to the capital to present the captives and receive his rewards. Uncle Baoyi will likely be part of the group coming to the capital too."

Before the war started, most people were ready for a long fight, but surprisingly, victory was achieved in just four months. This was thanks to the Yuanhua Emperor's brilliant move of deploying Wu Shen early, and also to Qiu Huanian's high-yield cotton and amazing iodine.

Min Leyi, who had been keeping a close eye on the border war, was too excited to sit still when he heard about the big victory.

"General Wu is returning to the capital? Seriously?! That's awesome!"

Qiu Huanian was puzzled, "Why are you so thrilled about Wu Shen returning? Do you know him?"

Min Leyi shook his head repeatedly, excitedly saying, "How would I know someone like that? But General Wu's reputation has already spread all over the capital. The storytellers, opera singers, and acrobats' favorite tales, aside from yours, are about him. I call it—a long-standing spiritual connection, a heart yearning for him!"

"Wait, what do you mean 'aside from yours'?"

Min Leyi looked surprised, "Brother Hua, how long has it been since you went out to play? The most popular scholar and beauty in the capital now are Du Yunse and Qishu County Princess, and the most popular general is General Wu. There are at least a dozen complete stories about them!"

"..." Qiu Huanian turned his gaze to Du Yunse, who clearly knew about this.

"If Brother Hua wants to hear them, I'll have some skilled performers come to the mansion to put on a few shows for you," Du Yunse said with a light laugh.

Qiu Huanian hesitated for a moment, not immediately agreeing.

Listening to others "celebrate" your "love story" in person, isn't it just like modern fans shipping a couple right in front of the actual people? It's too embarrassing!

Min Leyi, overly excited, couldn't stay quiet for more than a few seconds and started bombarding Qiu Huanian with questions.

"Brother Hua, do you know General Wu? Is he as tall, mighty, wise, brave, calm, mature, reliable, and foresighted as in the stories?"

"..." It was quite a feat for Min Leyi to come up with so many adjectives in one breath.

"Do you admire Wu Shen that much?"

"Of course!" Min Leyi rolled up his sleeves, waving his fair but muscular arms, striking a pose, "If I were a man, I would definitely join the army and make a name for myself under General Wu!"

Qiu Huanian carefully compared Min Leyi's adjectives. Some indeed seemed tailor-made for Wu Shen, but others... recalling Wu Shen's playful, proud, and boastful youthful nature, Qiu Huanian couldn't guarantee.

"We have a good relationship with Wu Shen. When he comes to the capital, he will definitely visit. I'll send you a message then, and you can come see for yourself."

"Great!" Min Leyi cheered, "Brother Hua, you're so good to me! Why is it still a month until New Year? I wish tomorrow was the day of presenting the captives."

Qiu Huanian, watching Min Leyi's jubilant expression, shook his head with a smile.

Hopefully, after more than a year apart, General Wu Shen, tempered by the battlefield, has made great strides in character, becoming "calm and composed" and "mature and reliable," or else Min Leyi might be disillusioned.