Xiao Feng nodded through his tears, "Okay."
He couldn't be reckless, he couldn't be reckless. But he was so worried about his father, his mother, and his maternal grandfather, and he didn't want his mother to go to the battlefield.
If only he were a little older, he could go to the battlefield with his mother.
Mother—
...
After Sheng Lengshuang rendezvoused with the accompanying physicians and the imperial guards, she boarded a carriage and headed straight for Chengmen Pass.
As she exited the city gates, she lifted the carriage curtain to glance at the tall and magnificent city gates. She suppressed her reluctance and the thought of turning back, and pulled down the curtain.
Xiao Feng, wait for your mother and father to return together. We'll be back soon.
The group traveled at their fastest pace, making the journey to Chengmen Pass in a single day and night.
The next day, at the imperial court.
Zi Cheng sat on the dragon throne and spoke of one matter: "With the outbreak of war between the two countries, I thought of the wounded soldiers, and therefore decided to treat them well. Especially those soldiers who, after being disabled, cannot even guarantee their sustenance."
The ministers exchanged glances. No one was foolish enough to oppose this matter: "Your Majesty is wise!"
A coldness flickered in Zi Cheng's eyes. He propped his head with one hand: "I have decided to entrust the management of the royal industries to these soldiers."
As soon as these words were spoken, some court officials objected.
"Your Majesty, how would these soldiers know how to manage industries? Moreover, these are royal industries. If they are rashly handed over to these soldiers, who knows what will happen."
"Your Majesty, those who are already managing the royal industries are being dismissed. It is hard to guarantee that they will not have any grievances. This matter should be discussed thoroughly."
Zi Cheng took a stack of documents from the chief eunuch and threw them on the ground: "You are truly concerned about me, about the royal industries."
"If that is the case, then you should all carefully examine what is written in these documents before speaking to me. Just because I don't interfere does not mean I am unaware of what you have been doing in the royal industries!"
The few court officials who had spoken up saw the contents of the documents and were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive us! Your Majesty, please forgive us!"
It turned out that His Majesty knew everything, he just hadn't acted on it.
Zi Cheng snorted heavily: "Normally, I can turn a blind eye to what you do, as long as it does not affect me or the stability of the nation. But this time, it is to settle the disabled soldiers, and you dare to object."
"Drag them all out and give them fifty strokes of the cane! If there is a next time, I will confiscate all your property!"
The imperial guards dragged out these court officials.
Before long, screams echoed.
The ministers in the Golden Palace all lowered their heads, not daring to object any further. Being beaten was a light punishment; if their property were confiscated, it would be disastrous.
Zi Cheng stood up and looked down at the ministers: "I will say it one last time. I am fully aware of what you have been doing behind the scenes. If anyone dares to infringe upon the interests of me or the nation, I will never forgive them lightly."
All the ministers: "Your subjects dare not!"
Zi Cheng, not wanting to waste any more time with these people, directly issued a series of orders, which were then posted by the imperial guards in various places in the Eastern Capital.
The announcement caused a sensation.
"Disabled soldiers and their families can register at the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen and have the opportunity to be arranged for work?! Oh my, this is a great thing. I must tell my neighbor immediately. Her husband is a disabled soldier."
"His Majesty cares about us disabled soldiers. It's not in vain that we defended our country! Now, even with my broken body, I can serve His Majesty again."
"Let's go, let's go, let's hurry to the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen to register!"
More and more people went to the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen to register. Among them were disabled soldiers or their families, as well as those who wanted to take advantage of the situation, or relatives of disabled soldiers, thinking of taking their place.
As a result, for the first few days, the entrance to the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen was filled with people being beaten.
"His Majesty's decree is to arrange work for disabled soldiers and their families, not for any cat or dog to impersonate them." The constable swept his gaze over the onlookers and said angrily, "Impersonating disabled soldiers and their families, or taking their place, is a defiance of the imperial decree!"
"Minor offenses are beheading, major offenses are the extermination of the entire family!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd trembled. Those who still had ulterior motives immediately abandoned them. One had to be alive to enjoy it.
"These impersonators deserve to die! I heard from a relative that there is a soldier near his home who lost a leg and was discharged. He couldn't find any work, his wife ran off with someone else, and they couldn't even afford to eat. Now that such a good opportunity has arisen, these people are actually impersonating."
"Oh, I've heard too many such stories. The disabled generals are a bit better off, at least their families have some savings. But for disabled soldiers, whose families are not struggling? With their disabilities, many couldn't bear it and committed suicide."
"These people are too hateful! Fortunately, the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen found out, otherwise how would these disabled soldiers survive?"
The constable added, "All disabled soldiers are registered. Even if someone has passed away, there is a record. You people should not think of taking their place."
"I'm telling you, His Majesty is serious this time. Anyone who dares to touch His Majesty's interests is simply seeking their own death."
The common people nodded incessantly. Who would dare to foolishly touch His Majesty's interests, the supreme ruler?
After this incident, there were basically no impersonators, but there were still cases of siblings or relatives taking their place.
When Zi Cheng learned of this, he directly issued a decree stating that it must be disabled soldiers and their wives and children. No one was allowed to force them to give up their spots, otherwise their entire families would be sent to prison and exiled to the mines.
With this decree issued, those people no longer dared to impersonate, for fear of their entire families being sent to prison.
...
On the other side.
Sheng Lengshuang and her entourage took ten days to reach Chengmen Pass.
Along the way, the group had hardly rested. Many horses had died, and the people were almost at their breaking point. Finally, they arrived at Chengmen Pass.
The carriage convoy went directly to the General's Mansion.
Mo Lingxi, who was guarding the front, saw this and ordered the servants to come forward and help: "Everyone, please rest well for an hour or two. There's no need to rush. After you've rested, we'll discuss matters."
He walked to the carriage where Sheng Lengshuang was seated and carefully helped her out.
Upon seeing her haggard, tired, and thin appearance, he was filled with heartache. All his words turned into: "You've worked hard."
Sheng Lengshuang forced a smile. She had noticed Mo Lingxi's tired look and knew that the border war was urgent. "I'll rest for an hour. Wake me up after an hour, and I'll examine them with the physicians."
"Okay." Mo Lingxi helped her into the room to rest.
He instructed the maids to look after Sheng Lengshuang, while he went to the study to discuss the war with the generals. Since the incident of diarrhea, the Southern Jin Dynasty had been attacking Chengmen Pass every day.
If it weren't for the medicinal powder from his wife and the soldiers' desperate resistance, Chengmen Pass might not have held. However, the medicinal powder was running low.