Chapter 301
Chapter 301
"You must protect your mother, understand, Xihao?" The large hand gently stroked his son’s hair.
The father’s eyes were filled with worry. He had to undertake a long journey while his son was still young, his wife still needed to recover her health, and there were countless responsibilities to manage. This was the last thing he wanted to happen.
After everyone feared resistance against the new military leader, it didn’t take long for the news of the appointments to spread across all the cities. Those who heard that the Wang, who was like a demon king on the battlefield, had left for the Du Region, immediately rose up.
Many cities wanted to become independent and no longer be under the rule of the Bai Region. They began to resist, dealing with representatives and city leaders, and even capturing government officials.
This situation forced the two newly appointed Deputy Generals to immediately take action and suppress the rebels, preventing them from acting on their own. Additionally, there were issues with bandits in several areas, making it a significant task that could take months or even years.
Mu Heng was responsible for overseeing the four directions: north, northeast, east, and southeast. These areas were primarily mountainous, but not deeply so, thus avoiding severe flooding. However, these four directions had problems with the cities because they had always been strong and were crucial for the Bai Region. They couldn’t be allowed to secede.
Due to their strength, these cities knew that even if they weren’t directly under the Bai Region, they could still manage themselves, and likely even better, since they wouldn’t have to bear the burden of other cities. Nonetheless, the Bai Region also benefited from these cities. Without them, the Region couldn’t manage its entire population, making this conflict unavoidable.
Unlike the four directions managed by Hui Huan, he was responsible for the south, west, northwest, and southwest. These areas had more mountains, the villagers were poor and lived in hardship. So, the main issues here would be tribal conflicts and bandits.
One of these areas was the Red Earth City, which Mu Heng had previously managed. No matter the direction, both Deputy Generals faced tough tasks. Fortunately, the tribal issues were still manageable, as they lacked medical supplies. Therefore, having this privilege given to Hui Huan made his job a little easier than Mu Heng.
Mu Heng also had to deal with refugees fleeing from the Du Region, as most of the areas he was responsible for bordered the Du Region. With this matter involved, this made Mu Heng need to plan carefully to handle the situation properly.
Fortunately, he wasn’t working alone. There were still generals loyal to the former Wang who continuously offered their help and support. Thus, the work proceeded smoothly. Nevertheless, Deputy General like him had to travel to various cities, and in some cases, he needed to personally handle matters.
"Aaa," the little child cried out, as if to reassure his father not to worry, that Xihao would take care of his mother.
Mu Heng smiled slightly at his son. He looked at his wife, whose eyes were red. After saying their goodbyes the previous night, even though they knew they would see each other again soon, it was their first separation since getting married. Naturally, the longing made Yueqian shed tears.
"I will return soon," Mu Heng told his wife just that. Yueqian didn’t respond verbally; she simply nodded at him.
Because her husband was so capable, the young woman didn’t worry about that at all. However, she felt that her life was truly difficult. She had to be separated from her daughter, couldn’t stay with the parents of her current body, and now had to part from her husband again. How could she not feel that life was unfair?
It was a good thing she had Xihao with her. Otherwise, Yueqian might have chosen to follow her husband to battle the fearless enemies herself!
As Deputy General Mu’s procession departed, the people of the capital came out to see him off and wish him well. Even the refugees, who had been well taken care of by Official Mu, came to send him off safely.
Several people from the Second Prince’s faction were also present, including Furen Chang herself. However, the young girl, Chang Mei, was not there, as she had to accompany her husband to the Du Region.
That’s right. As soon as the orders were received, their wedding had to be hastily arranged. After that, the newlyweds had to live there. No one thought they would return, just like the Wang. Once he became the Emperor of the Du Region, how could he ever come back?
"Furen Mu," Furen Chang called out to the young woman holding her baby in her arms, watching her husband embark on a long journey.
She felt a deep empathy for Furen Mu. However, the latter’s situation was slightly better since her journey was confined within the Region. In terms of danger, the peril of both journeys was not much different. Although Mu Heng was going to suppress bandits and rebels, her daughter had to accompany the new emperor’s entourage to the Du Region, which she did not agree with. It was akin to walking into the den of death, wasn’t it?
The two women looked at each other with mutual understanding. They didn’t exchange comforting words; they simply held hands, sharing warmth.
It didn’t take long for Yueqian to return to her own Mu manor. However, her life seemed destined for turmoil, as trouble arose even before the previous issues had subsided!
"Furen, something has happened," a young servant girl called out to her immediately upon seeing her furen at the entrance of the manor.
"What has happened?" The beautiful woman looked at the servant with weary eyes. Today was supposed to be a day of rest, but she hadn’t had a moment of peace.
"It’s the Yan family’s manor, Miss. There’s been a fire at their warehouse, and many people have been injured. The furen of the Yan family leader hasn’t regained consciousness yet. The royal physician is currently treating her," the servant reported anxiously. Recently, news of a fire at the palace had led to several punishments. Who would have thought another fire would occur now?
Yueqian was equally shocked upon hearing this. The leader of the Yan family had just been with Mu Heng to see him off safely. Who could have anticipated such chaos? Moreover, Furen Yan had been injured as well, making this a serious matter.
The young woman couldn’t rest in the manor now. She looked at her son in her arms, contemplating whether to take him with her or leave him under Wan Gui’s care at the manor here. However, thinking about the ongoing fires, Yueqian couldn’t help but worry. She couldn’t leave her son alone. At least if something happened, she wanted to be there to handle it herself.
Yueqian tightened her embrace and decided to take her little son with her. Little Xihao seemed quite happy not to be left with the nanny who always put him to sleep. His eyes sparkled with curiosity, making Yueqian laugh as she sat in the carriage.
"Don’t show such a cheerful face in front of the Yan family. They might think my Xihao is a cruel child who enjoys seeing other people’s houses burn down." Hearing his mother say this, Xihao paused and quickly changed his expression to one of sorrow. His round hand gently patted his mother’s hand, as if he wanted to ask if his expression was better.
Yueqian nodded, seeing that he had done well.
"This expression is appropriate." A child should behave like a child to elicit sympathy. That was right. Little Xihao was learning more from his mother.
The Mu family carriage arrived at the Yan manor quickly. There were many people gathered in front, and even the Second Prince’s carriage had arrived before hers. So, Yueqian hurried inside to assess the situation.
The lingering smoke made Yueqian feel uneasy. This fire was no joke; it had been quite severe. Judging by the smell and the smoke, it seemed that the storehouse for food supplies had burned down. The smell of burnt rice heightened Yueqian’s anxiety.
Who knew how much rice the Yan family had stored there? If it was all their rice, aiding the refugees would become very difficult.
"Furen Mu, please come inside," a servant who had been waiting to welcome guests invited Yueqian as soon as they saw her. Many might not have recognized her, but a beautiful woman holding a baby could only be the famous Furen Mu. Furthermore, the Yan and Mu families were friendly, so the servants knew they needed to provide a proper reception.
"How are things, Furen Mu? How are the others? Is there much damage?" Yueqian asked with concern.
"The fire broke out in the storehouse that was prepared for aiding the disaster victims. The damage is extensive; there is no food left. Furen Yan was inside, supervising the preparation of meals for the refugees. She couldn’t get out and was trapped for several minutes. The male servants rescued Furen Yan only after she had lost consciousness,"
"Can the royal physician help her?"
"The royal physician said that Furen Yan’s pulse is very weak. There’s a chance that she might..." The servant couldn’t bring herself to speak about her mistress’s grim news. She could only pause and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Furen Mu, you know how to heal, don’t you? Please help Furen Yan. She is a very good person and doesn’t deserve to be in such a situation," the young servant continued to plead with Yueqian, indicating that Furen Yan was well-loved in the Yan household.
"I’ll do my best. Besides, the royal physician is already attending to her, so there shouldn’t be any problems." Hearing Yueqian say this, the servant nodded and quickened their pace, leading Yueqian to the hall as quickly as possible.
At present, the reception hall was crowded. However, with so many injured and needing clean air to breathe, visitors had to wait outside. The royal physician and the patients were in the next room, where the chaos was evident. People were coming in and out frequently, and everyone’s faces were filled with worry, indicating that the situation was far from good.
"Furen Mu."
"Official Yan," Yueqian greeted the old man standing outside the room. He wasn’t welcoming visitors well, pacing anxiously in front of the treatment room. Despite his concern, he couldn’t go inside, as the room needed space for treatment, so he had to wait outside.
"It’s not good. My wife is in a bad condition," Official Yan said worriedly. Yueqian nodded.
"May I go in and see her?" She asked for permission. The other party nodded and led her inside.
Some of the royal physicians were displeased with Yueqian’s intrusion, but others were glad to see her. Ignoring their reactions, Yueqian simply went straight to check on Furen Yan.
The middle-aged woman lay unconscious, her face extremely pale. Upon examination, Yueqian found that she had inhaled too much smoke and needed additional oxygen. Without it, her blood oxygen levels could drop dangerously low, possibly leading to her death.
Fortunately, her external injuries were not severe, likely due to a servant who had sacrificed herself, using her own body to shield Furen Yan from the burning debris, leaving Furen Yan unconscious but relatively unscathed beneath her lifeless body.
However, even though Yueqian had a way to help, she couldn’t use it openly. She had an oxygen machine, but how could she reveal such a modern innovation to others? All she could do was ask the royal physicians present if they had a treatment method so that she wouldn’t have to intervene."In this situation, can you handle it?" Upon hearing this question, all the royal physicians fell silent—a true sign of impending disaster!