Chapter 1098 - 1100: Tu Ying’s Crazy Move_1
Bai Ruozhu stood up abruptly, her hand trembling as she held the letter, causing her sleeve to knock over a bowl of hot porridge. Nanny on the side quickly went to wipe it up, and Xianhua hurried over to help with the cleanup. She carefully observed Bai Ruozhu’s expression, feeling puzzled—what had happened to the young mistress? She had never seen her lose her composure like this.
Bai Ruozhu’s slight trembling as she looked at the spirited, firm brushstroke of Tu Ying’s handwriting filled her with both anger and heartache. What was that foolish girl thinking? How could she have run off to the battlefield?
"Ruozhu, by the time you read this letter, I should already be a soldier in the Southwest Main Camp. You probably don’t know that the Southwest has agreed to wage war against the Quanrong Clan, do you? I’m going to the battlefield to exact my revenge, striving bit by bit. Perhaps one day I could really become a female General of Danliang Country..."
Bai Ruozhu was so angry that she wanted to tear up the letter, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She read it over again, making sure she hadn’t read it wrong, and sensed from the unyielding tone between the lines that Tu Ying wasn’t joking; her resolve was steadfast.
"It’s most convenient to join the Northwest Main Camp, but I can’t afford to get caught by my father; he has no reach in the Southwest Main Camp. You don’t need to worry about me; after all, I am the tyrant of Beiyu City. Once on the battlefield, I may not boast of being brave and invincible, but I am capable of taking care of myself. I won’t be able to write to you in the future, but I promise I’ll return alive. Give my dear nephew a kiss for me and wish him all the best, from Tu Ying."
"Nanny, please take care of Dengdeng for me; I have to go out urgently," Bai Ruozhu said, clutching the letter so tightly that it wrinkled. After speaking, she dashed out of the house like a wisp of smoke.
"Madam, please have something to eat first..." Nanny called out, but Bai Ruozhu’s silhouette was nowhere to be seen. What had made her so anxious that she even employed light-footed skills to leave?
Bai Ruozhu called for Jianqi, saddled her horse, and rode straight to the Commerce Association in the Capital City.
Tu Ying going to the Southwest Main Camp was not a joke. She was from the Northwest—what if she couldn’t adapt to the new environment? Besides, the conditions in the Southwest Main Camp were harsh. Starting from the bottom was right, but after all, she was a woman. Ordinary soldiers had to sleep in barracks, and not everyone could be as lucky as Hua Mulan!
Even if Tu Ying’s identity remained undiscovered, was the battlefield a place for jokes? Once the war began, and the hordes charged in, the martial skills she knew might not come to use entirely. What’s more, with so many secret arrows and stray projectiles on the battlefield, what if she got hurt by accident?
Moreover, the soldiers of the Quanrong Clan were naturally fierce. If they went to war with Danliang Country, they would surely inflict heavy losses. If not for the Quanrong Clan’s small population, they might have already captured several cities of Danliang Country.
Had Tu Ying lost her mind? Why had she run off to the Southwest Main Camp?
Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s troubled expression, Jianqi cautiously asked, "Master, what has happened?"
Bai Ruozhu, angry, handed him the letter. As Jianqi read it, his face also darkened. Going to the battlefield was no laughing matter. Even aristocratic young masters might not make it back alive, let alone a noble lady.
By now, Bai Ruozhu had reached the door of the Commerce Association. As soon as she entered, she began issuing instructions to the manager on duty. She asked them to quickly inquire about the Tu Residence’s situation in Beiyu City and also to have someone investigate the Southwest Main Camp in secret, looking out for any new recruits, especially for Tu Ying.
Because Bai Ruozhu’s introduction of branded taxes had made her recognized by many in the Commerce Association, the manager immediately recorded her request and swiftly dispatched pigeon messengers.
Having done all this, Bai Ruozhu stood there dumbfounded, because apart from waiting for a response, there was nothing else she could do!
At that moment, the sound of galloping hooves came from outside. A guard dismounted in haste, rushed into the Commerce Association, and said to Bai Ruozhu, "Young Miss, I’ve finally found you. There’s terrible news. Word from the Palace is that your brother-in-law has wounded the Chengshui Country Crown Prince and has been temporarily detained in the Imperial Army Prison."
Bai Ruozhu, shocked, asked urgently, "Why did he get into a conflict with Zhou Jue?"
The guard looked somewhat embarrassed, "It seems the Chengshui Country Crown Prince mentioned encountering the Madam on the road, saying that capturing you would be as easy as blowing away ash. He even insulted you in his words..."
"Zhou Jue!" Bai Ruozhu squeezed these two words out through clenched teeth. Her Achun had done well, and she also wanted to give Zhou Jue a good thrashing!
After leaving the Commerce Association, Bai Ruozhu mounted her horse and headed toward the Imperial Palace. She needed to find a way to see Jiang Yichun and to assess the current situation.
When she arrived at the Palace Gate, she handed in her visiting card to request an audience with the Empress Dowager. After waiting for about half an hour, an eunuch from Cining Palace came to escort her inside.
"Empress Dowager, I would like to visit the Imperial Army Prison," said Bai Ruozhu, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush.
The Empress Dowager beckoned her to come closer and spoke to her in a soothing voice, "Don’t be in a hurry. I know that’s what you’re here for. I’ve already had someone arrange it. You should wait until after lunch; it should be ready by then."
Bai Ruozhu knew the Empress Dowager couldn’t just break the palace rules with a word, so she had to calm down and wait for news from the empress’s side.
"Jiang Yichun was too impulsive this time. I heard that the Chengshui Crown Prince’s nasal bone was broken," the Empress Dowager said in a low voice.
The corner of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched. Achun did not seem like someone who would lose his composure, unless Zhou Jue said something that crossed his bottom line.
Could it be about her? She remembered that day when Zhou Jue publicly slandered her, accusing her of being involved with a guard when she was treating Jianqi.
At this thought, a cold light flashed in her eyes. Zhou Jue had humiliated her more than once, and one day she swore she would kill him with her own hands!
"Empress Dowager, do you know how Zhou Jue came to be the Crown Prince of Chengshui Country? Why didn’t Chengshui Country hold a ceremony for the appointment of the Crown Prince?" Bai Ruozhu inquired, hoping to find a breakthrough from this information.
The Empress Dowager dismissed the attendants, leaving only her closest maid of honor. Then she spoke, "The Emperor’s side has gathered some intelligence. It seems the Emperor of Chengshui Country has been lingering ill in bed but has stubbornly refused to designate an heir. After summoning the sixth prince to the palace for a day and a night, he suddenly issued a Holy Edict appointing the sixth prince as the Crown Prince. The rest of the princes of Chengshui Country didn’t accept this, and some say that the Holy Edict was forged by the sixth prince, or that it was sealed with the imperial jade seal when the ruler of Chengshui was seriously ill and not lucid."
Bai Ruozhu nodded; she felt this scenario was very likely.
"Some also say that the sixth prince won over his servants with his charm, although that sounds somewhat far-fetched. Anyway, with the ruler of Chengshui unconscious, nobody really knows what happened," the Empress Dowager continued.
"So the other princes of Chengshui acted against Zhou Jue, and that’s why he borrowed the pretext of a visit to take refuge in Danliang?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
"He came to secure a royal alliance," the Empress Dowager sighed softly.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but widen her eyes. The only unwed royal princess was Princess Diao Bin; marrying Zhou Jue would be worse than marrying into the Turkic Country.
"Rest assured, it has nothing to do with Diao Bin. He wants to choose a lord’s daughter from the Royal Family and then confer upon her the title of princess to be his side consort," the Empress Dowager quickly explained.
Bai Ruozhu breathed a sigh of relief but considering the Empress Dowager’s sigh, she realized that whoever married Zhou Jue would be pitiable, right?