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Yu Jingchuan shook his head helplessly, “It’s true that girls grow up so quickly.”
“Big brother, Xiao He has been married for a while now. She is Su Yu’s wife,” Yu Qingfeng interjected.
This statement made Yu Jingchuan look at Yu Qingfeng, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. It seemed like his younger brother enjoyed undermining him?
“Enough about that. Let’s continue with our previous discussion.”
“Agreed.”
Wang Jinhe returned to her room and began writing a letter to Su Yu, detailing recent events and specifically mentioning the Lu Empire’s attempt to buy grain for the people in Xuan Empire.
Six to seven days later, Su Yu received Wang Jinhe’s letter.
As he read the letter, a gentle smile graced Su Yu’s face.
Watching Su Yu, Su Jiu couldn’t help but teasingly remark, “Look at how pleased you are.”
“Brother, that sounds like jealousy. Xiao He wrote to me, how about your wife,” Su Yu replied calmly, not showing any sign of anger, which seemed to irk Su Jiu instead.
Listening to Su Yu’s words, Su Jiu responded, “I will write to Ningning later to check on how things are at home.”
“Alright.”
Su Yu paid no further attention to Su Jiu, focusing instead on the contents of the letter.
After finishing reading, his brow furrowed slightly, his expression turning notably serious.
Su Jiu’s expression changed as he watched Su Yu finish reading the letter, his demeanor growing serious. “What’s wrong? Has something happened on Xiao He’s side?”
Wouldn’t his younger brother only react this way if something was amiss on Xiao He’s end?
“It’s not entirely Xiao He’s issue; it primarily involves Lu Empire.”
“Lu Empire? What have those people done now?” Lu Empire’s actions were becoming increasingly ruthless, especially in their aggressive attempts to seize territories, sometimes leaving them struggling to cope.
“Lu Empire sent individuals disguised as a merchant caravan to buy grain from the people. Xiao He mentioned that the possible grain yield per mu of those grains from the farmers ranges from 700 to 1000 catties. While this might be a small amount for us, it doubles Lu Empire’s usual yield. If they bring these goods back, it will indeed pose a problem for us,” Su Yu explained with a furrowed brow.
Lu Empire truly stops at nothing, capable of such deceitful actions. It seems we have underestimated them.
“How is Xiao He handling this?”
“Lou Manqing helped locate the storage of the grain. Luo Hou has already gone there, and if retrieval isn’t possible, they will destroy it directly.” Even if the grain is destroyed, it must not fall into the hands of Lu Empire.
“In addition, there are some Lu Empire individuals in the capital city continuing to purchase grain from the people. Xiao He is advising the people not to sell to suspicious buyers, but the effectiveness of this remains uncertain.” This is the aspect that worries Su Yu the most.
He isn’t concerned about other matters, but this one is particularly troubling.
“What if Lu Empire manages to buy other grain? We must resolve this definitively.”
“Inform Xiao He on how to proceed; it’s best to detain Lu Empire individuals directly within Xuan Empire.” Su Jiu’s eyes reflected a sense of severity. He never expected Lu Empire to engage in such activities while at war.
“No need to worry about that. Xiao He told me she already had Nan Qiao handle it.”
Su Jiu looked at Su Yu in surprise, “Xiao He…”
“Yes, she’s been forced to mature,” Su Yu admitted with a heavy heart. He didn’t want Wang Jinhe to be involved in such matters if he could help it.
However, with both him and his elder brother stationed at the border, they couldn’t assist Xiao He with everything.
They had to rely on Xiao He herself now.
“What about your father and uncle?” If he remembered correctly, they should still be in the capital city.
“My father, uncle, and others have their own tasks and can’t help Xiao He. Besides, they might not even be aware of these developments yet,” Su Yu shook his head.
Su Jiu’s expression became complex upon hearing this, “It’s truly a challenge for Xiao He to be dealing with these matters.”
Su Yu nodded, “I agree. Xiao He is indeed going through a tough time this time. We’ll discuss it further once I return.”
“When do you plan to make a move on the final city?” They had been here for a while, and it was uncertain when Su Yu would take action. Moreover, Su Yu’s intentions seemed different from theirs.
“If we wait any longer, Lu Empire might arrive. If we end up contending with them for this city, the outcome may not be in our favor,” Su Jiu expressed concern.
“Don’t worry, Brother. This city belongs to Xuan Empire. No matter who comes, it won’t matter, they can’t compare to us,” Su Yu reassured Su Jiu earnestly.
“I’ve been waiting for Luo Yan and his team to gather information inside. We should receive news tonight, and once we do, I’ll start planning the siege.”
“Understood.”
“Brother, please inform the soldiers to prepare themselves. There may be a battle after they’ve rested well,” Su Yu instructed Su Jiu.
Su Jiu nodded with a smile, “Alright, I’ll handle it. I’ll go now.”
………….
Upon arriving at the General’s Residence, before entering, someone called out, “Since you’re here, let’s gather and chat.”
Luo Yan was surprised; he hadn’t expected to be noticed right after his arrival.
After a moment’s thought, Luo Yan swiftly descended.
The city’s defending general looked at Luo Yan and said, “I’ve been waiting for the arrival of the Prince.”
Luo Yan looked at the defending general in surprise, “You’ve been waiting for the Brother Yu? Why?”
“Xuan Empire is a great nation. Whether it’s the generals, the emperor, or the Prince Yu, they are all good. The people will have a good life after merging with Xuan Empire,” the defending general explained to Luo Yan.
“If that’s the case, do you still want to fight against the Brother Yu?” Luo Yan inquired.
With a smile on his face, the defending general replied, “Of course not, but I hope you will take my head back to the Prince.”
Shocked, Luo Yan asked, “Why? The Jade Brother investigated you and said you are a good general. If that’s the case, why would you make such a decision?” Isn’t this just causing unnecessary trouble for oneself?
Why engage in such a thankless task?
The defending general chuckled self-deprecatingly, as he certainly wanted to stay alive.
“Do you have a compelling reason for this?” Luo Yan inquired.
“I promised the late emperor that I wouldn’t betray the Empire.” Handing over the city would be equivalent to treason.
However, he had witnessed everything the Prince and the Xuan Empire army had done in recent days.
He didn’t want to fight against Xuan Empire because of these actions. Yet, he couldn’t not fulfill his promise to the late emperor.
Luo Yan gave the defending general a disdainful look, “You’re truly stubborn.”
“I…”
“You really don’t know what you’re thinking. How could you commit such a foolish act? If Qi Empire were thriving, your act of treason would make no sense. But now, with Qi Empire in turmoil and the people suffering, are you willing to watch them endure hardships?”
The defending general fell silent, looking at Luo Yan without saying a word for a moment.