When the carriage arrived at the banker's house, the morning fog that shrouded Shangjing dissipated and the sky became bright.
Mrs. Zhuang stood in front of the mansion and had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Zhuang Yun and others getting out of the car, they took two steps forward to greet them.
"Mother." Yu Lan called Mrs. Zhuang as usual.
"Old Madam." Zhou Boxu bowed his hands in greeting.
Mrs. Zhuang nodded in response, her eyes falling on Yu Lan's belly.
"You can safely raise your baby in the palace, and I will take good care of Yun'er."
Mrs. Zhuang said, beckoning Zhuang Yun over.
"Thank you, mother." Yu Lan looked at Zhuang Yun with some reluctance and guilt.
The Imperial Academy has not yet had a holiday, and Zhuang Yun goes to school every day, making it inconvenient to live in the palace.
Mrs. Zhuang said: "Yun'er is my grandson. I am happy that he can come back to stay with me."
Just thinking of the reason for Zhuang Yun's return, Mrs. Zhuang looked at Zhou Boxu and couldn't help but sigh: "Unexpectedly, you are also going to the southwest."
Zhou Boxu said calmly: "Killing the enemy and defending the country is both a duty and an honor."
Mrs. Zhuang nodded approvingly, looked up to the horizon and said, "Today is a good day. It will be a smooth journey."
Zhuang Yun raised his head, followed Mrs. Zhuang's line of sight, and saw a light golden light gleaming from the horizon.
That was a sign that the sun was about to rise.
Seeing that his servants had finished moving Zhuang Yun's things, Zhou Boxu asked Mrs. Zhuang to resign.
"Go and come back safely." Mrs. Zhuang held Zhuang Yun's hand and watched Zhou Boxu and Yu Lan get into the carriage and drive away.
Yu Lan looked at the old man and the young man standing quietly from the car window, and couldn't help but blush.
Zhou Poxu didn't say anything, he just held her hand and took her into his arms.
They were the reason why he went to the southwest without hesitation and was determined not to let the Nanyan people invade Shangjing.
The carriage passed through the street, and the shouting and hawking outside the carriage was clear and lively.
However, when these sounds fell on Yu Lan's ears, they were all parting words.
Driving through this street, turning to the next street, and then entering the secluded imperial road leading to the palace, the time they spent together became shorter and shorter.
After an unknown amount of time, when the surroundings suddenly became quiet, Yu Lan realized that the carriage had entered the royal road and was not far from the palace gate.
She held Zhou Boxu's hand in her hand, so hard that it trembled slightly.
"Princess." Zhou Boxu opened his mouth, his voice choked.
Yu Lan looked at him, holding back tears and said, "You must... come back safely."
"Okay." Zhou Boxu responded calmly.
Afraid that revealing too much of his emotions would affect Zhou Boxu, making him unable to leave with peace of mind, let alone fight against the enemy with peace of mind. Yu Lan took a deep breath, suppressed her worry and pain, and spoke to him calmly.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped and the guard reported.
Zhou Boxu pushed open the car door, helped Yu Lan get out of the car, and took her to Zhongling Palace.
Yu Lan turned his head and glanced, seeing the carriage of Prince Jing's Mansion, thinking that Yu Zheng and Jiang Shu had arrived before them.
Yesterday Jiang Shu wrote a letter telling her that she would go to Pingyang with Yu Zheng and send Yu Ziyou to the palace to take care of her.
Sure enough, when they arrived at Zhongling Palace, Concubine Yu was holding Yu Ziyou and talking to Jiang Shu and Yu Zheng.
Yu Lan and Zhou Boxu stepped into the palace and saw Concubine Yu handing a brocade box to Yu Zheng. They forced a smile and choked: "This year's birthday gift must be kept."
Today is the sixteenth day of the winter lunar month, and Yu Zheng’s birthday will be in two days.
"My concubine has such a good memory. Look at me, I even forgot to prepare a birthday gift for A Zheng." Yu Lan deliberately joked.
Concubine Yu followed her words and said, "That won't work. You have to make up for it quickly."
Yu Lan touched his body, and finally handed the almost cold Tang Pozi in front of Yu Zheng: "This is the only one. It is light on etiquette but heavy on friendship."
Yu Zheng reached out and took it: "Thank you, sister."
"Your gift is indeed a bit heavy." The depressed atmosphere was broken, and Concubine Yu finally laughed from her heart.
After saying a few words with a smile, Yu Zheng and Jiang Shu got up and left with Zhou Boxu when they saw that it was getting late.
Concubine Yu held Yu Ziyou in her arms and sent them to the door with Yu Lan.
"Bo Xu, brother, you all must come back safely."
At the end, Yu Lan looked at Jiang Shu again and said, "You should also come back early. I will accompany you when you give birth, and you must be there when I give birth."
When Jiang Shu heard this, his apricot eyes flashed and he smiled back.
"Ziyou, please leave it to my sister and my concubine."
"Don't worry, go ahead." Concubine Yu said.
The three of them turned around and left with heavy and firm steps.
Yu Lan looked at Jiang Shu and Yu Zheng walking hand in hand with some envy. It would be great if she could also accompany Zhou Boxu.
Even if it’s just a ride.
Yu Ziyou opened his dark eyes and watched Jiang Shu and Yu Zheng walk away without crying.
Xu was accustomed to Jiang Shu and Yu Zheng leaving the house in the morning and returning in the evening, so he just thought that today was the same as in the past.
"Ziyou is so sensible." Concubine Yu praised her and turned back with Yu Lan.
The moment he turned around, the smile on Yu Lan's face disappeared, revealing a bit of sadness.
Concubine Yu knew that she was sad, so she could only try to comfort her. But as she spoke, her eyes turned red.
Yu Lan squeezed out a smile and said, "I'm fine. Mother and concubine, don't think too much. They will definitely return safely and victoriously."
Concubine Yu also smiled: "Well, if we are good and happy, then they can feel at ease and have no worries."
When the first ray of sunshine broke through the sky, the emperor led all the officials to bid farewell to Yu Zheng and Zhou Boxu, and watched the team go away.
When passing through the main street of Chongming, people lined the street to see each other off.
Amidst the constant shouting, the team left the city. After walking for a while, they saw the waiting army.
Yu Zheng and Zhou Boxu got out of the car and listened to the report from the leading general.
Although Zhou Boxu led the army to Yicheng first, Yu Zheng was the commander in chief.
After listening to the report and confirming that it was correct, Zhou Boxu ordered: "The entire army is set off."
"Yes." The general took the order and left.
Yu Zheng raised his hand and patted Zhou Poxu's shoulder, pursed his lips and said, "Remember our agreement."
Zhou Boxu was stunned for a moment, then he remembered and laughed dumbly.
"Okay, see you in Yicheng."
This summer, on the day they moved to the princess's mansion, the two of them made an appointment to hunt in the fall after competing in archery. It's a pity that Cao Qian later committed regicide and delayed this year's autumn hunting.
Under the pale golden sun, the mighty troops divided into two groups. Zhou Boxu led the army to the west, and Yu Zheng led the team to the south.
Leaving Beijing again, Jiang Shu felt mixed emotions in his heart. He was not happy at all, and he had no intention of enjoying the scenery along the way.
Yu Zheng knew that she was worried about Yu Ziyou, so he held her hand and said, "Don't worry, my mother-in-law will take good care of Ziyou."
Jiang Shu nodded and took a deep breath to discuss the arrangements for this journey with Yu Zheng.
Because I have to be on the road, I can't stop at the inn every day, so I have to eat and sleep in the open.
Yu Zheng took out a map and estimated in detail how far he would travel in one day and when he could go to the inn to rest and replenish supplies. When you can't go to the inn, you can roughly decide where to camp.
"Based on travel speed and time, we should camp here tonight." Yu Zheng pointed to a mountain on the map not far from Shangjing.
It's cold in winter, so you need to find a place with mountains to camp. Firstly, the mountain can protect you from the cold wind, and secondly, you can easily collect a lot of firewood to keep out the cold.
Jiang Shu looked at it carefully and said in a serious voice: "I hope it won't rain along the way."
Rain not only affects the journey, but also makes the night more difficult.
Yu Zheng raised his hand to lift the car curtain, looked at the bright sun in the sky and said, "It won't rain in the next few days."
As for how many days will pass, it all depends on God’s will.
