Ch. 223 Lacking Supplies
As He Sanlang exited his tent, he happened to bump into Sima Hui. When Sima Hui noticed He Sanlang, she pulled her horse along and quickly strode over with a smile on her lips. She was about to greet him when He Sanlang simply moved right past her.
Sima Hui's hand hung frozen in the air. An awkward expression appeared on her face.
Sima Hui could only return to the main camp in a gloomy mood, disappointed. After giving her report in the commander's tent, she met her adjutant Xiaoyan and two other female soldiers who had been waiting outside.
Her adjutant's expression wasn't very good. Her hands were red from frostbite and her eyes were both reddened and swollen from tears. When Sima Hui saw the state that Xiaoyan was in, her expression changed immediately. "What happened?"
Xiaoyan simply looked down and bit her lip without speaking, which only emphasised her pitiful appearance.
In the end, the female soldiers behind her were the first to lose their patience. They immediately began to spill their complaints. "General, you have to mete out justice for Sister Xiaoyan and your subordinates."
Sima Hui took a deep breath to control her anger. Then, she ordered, "Follow me back to camp and explain everything there."
The three women obediently agreed and followed behind Sima Hui as they made their way back to their own tent.
When her subordinates finally finished reporting the entire chain of events, Sima Hui looked up at Xiaoyan, who was standing before her. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Xiaoyan, tell me if what they said was true."
The adjutant Xiaoyan didn't know what was going on. Although the general's voice was as gentle as usual, she could feel her heart tightening with apprehension.
She sent a careful glance at Sima Hui before gritting her teeth and nodding. "Miss, everything they said is true. Honoured Lady Jinyi didn't show you a single ounce of respect. She even made trouble for this servant on purpose. She might have something against you because of Captain He."
Her young miss had always protected her; she couldn't even count the number of times she had done so. Xiaoyan believed that this time would be no exception. As long as her young miss wanted to fight for the man, with her around to plot for her young miss, Captain He was practically in the bag already.
Xiaoyan was brimming with self-confidence. However, this time, she might really have overestimated her own value.
Disappointment flashed through Sima Hui's eyes. She briefly hesitated before finally saying, "Xiaoyan, you know what your punishment should be. Go and mete it out yourself. I won't need you to serve by my side any longer; let Xiaoju take your place."
Sima Hui wasn't a stupid person. There was a reason why she had managed to earn the position of general at such a young age.
While Old General Sima had been alive, he had personally taught her everything he knew. Later on, she had also spent almost five years in the army, starting from the lowest rank. Xiaoyan had grown up together with her and had served her as her personal handmaid for all that time. Although she had already gotten used to spoiling Xiaoyan, Sima Hui still stood by her own principles. Xiaoyan had crossed the line and Sima Hui had no mercy for offenders.
Xiaoyan had thought to borrow her general's power to intimidate Chu Lian. She assumed that her long years of service would lessen any consequences. Even if her mistress found out the truth, the worst punishment she would receive would only amount to a light reprimand. Xiaoyan never expected her mistress to dismiss her directly from her personal service. That punishment was even worse than sentencing her to fifty strikes of the rod.
Xiaoyan's previous calm instantly turned into panic and fear. "Miss, if this servant has done something to displease you, please punish this servant directly! Please don't send this servant away! The old general has already gone; this servant only has one master left!"
This time, Sima Hui remained unmoved by her pleas. With a wave of her hand, her two female guards stuffed Xiaoyan's mouth with cloth and took her away.
As for the two remaining female soldiers, when they saw how Xiaoyan had ended up, they lost all the courage to speak. They knelt down and lowered their heads, trembling with fear. Without any prompting from Sima Hui, they began to beg for mercy as they cried, "General, it was Sister Xiaoyan who ordered us to do everything. It wasn't our idea at all! General, please have mercy on us!"
Sima Hui's handsome face was all cold. Her brows were drawn together and her eyes were filled with fatigue and disappointment.
With another wave of her hand, the two remaining female soldiers were also taken away. To their dismissal, Sima Hui included an additional order. "Take these two to Captain He's tent and let him decide their punishment."
There was only silence in her warm tent, now. After a few days and nights of fighting, she should have long been sound asleep in bed, but Sima Hui wasn't sleepy at all. She listened to the north wind howling outside her tent with a bitter and helpless feeling in her heart.
Actually, when she had returned to the main tent, Xiaoju had already reported the day's events to her. She just hadn't expected Xiaoyan to have betrayed her expectations so badly.
The corner of Sima Hui's lips tugged downwards bitterly. Xiaoyan had been too naive. Honoured Lady Jinyi had managed to teach them a lesson with nary a change in expression. How could someone like that be taken down by such a weak scheme?
A few moments ago, when she had passed by the hurried Captain He, he had most likely been chasing after that Honoured Lady Jinyi.
She was a little curious about this Honoured Lady Jinyi now.
As Sima Hui immersed herself in her thoughts, Xiaoju brought over some food.
She knew that her young miss was still angry over Xiaoyan, so Xiaoju was even more careful and conscientious in her service. "General, please eat. You haven't eaten anything since you've returned!"
Sima Hui took a deep breath to calm her emotions and nodded.
When she picked up the silver chopsticks on the table, her gaze took in the food displayed before her.
Sima Hui was momentarily stunned. She asked, "Why isn't there any rice today?"
Although Sima Hui's ancestors were from Shandong, her likings were more akin to her mother's, who had come from the southern parts of the country where there were many lakes and rivers. She loved rice. When she had the luxury to, she would rarely eat things made of flour as her main dish.
It was usually Xiaoju who took care of her clothing and food in the main camp. She usually had rice or porridge for all three meals of the day. However, there wasn't a single grain of rice in any of the dishes before her. What was going on?
Xiaoju sunk into silence, but after a moment, she said, "General, we've used up all the rice we brought with us."
Sima Hui paused in thought for a short while, but ultimately, she didn't say anything. She picked up a wheat pancake and bit into it. In the end, she had to pair it with water before she managed to swallow the tough pancake.
She looked again at the other dishes. There was a small saucer of some sort of black sauce and half a plate of salted meat. She set down the wheat pancake in her hands and asked, "Is this what all the officers in camp eat every day?"
With Xiaoyan's example before her, Xiaoju didn't dare to hide anything from her general.
"Yes, this is what this servant was given by the cooks in camp. Even the great general himself eats food like this. The dried meat and sauce were specially given to you because of General Qian's orders."
Sima Hui's brows furrowed. Her gut told her that something wasn't right.
"Other than those under my command, what do the normal soldiers eat?"
"For the soldiers who aren't deployed at the frontlines, they get two bowls of bean porridge and one wheat pancake each day. The soldiers at the frontlines get three meals a day and each meal consists of one wheat pancake and a bowl of bean porridge."
Upon getting this answer, Sima Hui's eyes widened in shock. "When did the border troops start eating bean porridge?!"
Xiaoju was much more reliable than Xiaoyan. She had a conscientious personality, so she normally scouted for more news in camp.
"They started eating bean porridge even before we arrived. However, that had only been for one meal a day back then. There was also some rice porridge in the morning and night. However, since the end of last month, the camp has completely stopped eating rice. The quartermaster said that they're saving the grains to pass the winter."
Sima Hui wasn't that naive. Her expression was full of worry. She stood up and walked over the tent entrance. The moment she lifted the flap, a bone-piercingly cold wind came barrelling in from outside, complete with ice and snow. It was enough to make anyone shiver.
Saving supplies? Who would start saving supplies in winter? Their men would freeze to death if they tried to cut back in this cold weather.
She was afraid that their supplies had most likely run dry...
Ch. 224 He Sanlang Doesn't Know How To Placate His Wife
Not long after Chu Lian's carriage had left the camp, He Changdi came chasing after her on a horse with two of his subordinates in tow.
There was a brazier burning within the carriage, but it was still cold and breezy. In the northern border, it was so cold that spit would turn into ice the moment it hit the ground. The fleece rug and blankets that had originally been placed inside the carriage had been used to replace He Changdi's bedding, so all that was left were bare wooden boards. Chu Lian wasn't used to the cold and hard interior yet.
Wenqing heard the sound of hurried hoofbeats outside the carriage, so she lifted the curtain to peek outside. Her face lit up with happiness at the sight, and she immediately turned to Chu Lian. Wenqing began to adjust the large fur cloak on her mistress as she said, "Third Young Madam, Third Young Master has come to send you off."
Chu Lian was still angry at that lunatic husband of hers and had no desire to see him at this point. All she did was harrumph.
Wenqing started getting anxious when she saw Third Young Madam's reaction. However, there was nothing she could do.
Chu Lian was intent on stewing in her anger inside the carriage. Meanwhile, He Sanlang had never been a man who was good at placating his wife; considering how his previous life went, reincarnating did little to help matters. The thought of shamelessly begging his wife for forgiveness had never even crossed his mind. Thus, he kept his face cold and continued following Chu Lian's carriage on his horse, escorting her silently all the way back to the He Estate in Liangzhou City.
When they arrived, He Sanlang dismounted from his horse and stood by the carriage. It wasn't until he finally saw Chu Lian being helped down from the carriage by Wenlan that his deep, dark gaze finally lit up with some life. He Sanlang moved forward with the intention to help her, but when that only caused him to be on the receiving end of his wife's fierce glare, he pulled his hand back.
As he was right now, He Sanlang looked like a poor dog who had been abandoned by his master...
After Chu Lian glared at him, she walked straight into the He Estate without Wenqing and Wenlan's support, treating He Changdi as if he was thin air.
He Sanlang stood silently by the entrance of the estate as the cold winter winds blew past.
The two subordinates who had followed after him lowered their heads with scared looks on their faces, afraid that their captain would turn around to take his anger out on them instead.
Damn it, which brat had told them that there would be good food to eat if they accompanied the captain to the He Estate!? They were going to kill him when they got back to camp!
He Changdi continued staring in the direction that Chu Lian had left in, his thin lips pressed tightly together. His hands curled into fists at his side. The small trace of warmth in his eyes disappeared and his expression turned cold and dark.
Just like this, he stood by the entrance of the estate without entering or leaving, as if the howling icy winds would be able to calm the swirling emotions in his heart.
After fifteen minutes, Chu Lian could no longer sit still. She wasn't the kind of girl to play cold wars anyway. She had only given the cold shoulder to He Changdi because that fool deserved it!
When Wenqing noticed that Third Young Madam seemed a little distracted, she quickly took the chance to ask, "Third Young Madam, we haven't heard any sound of hoofbeats. It's still snowing outside, wouldn't it be unbearable to stand out there in the cold? Third Young Master might be sent back out to the frontlines to fight our enemies, too..."
Before Wenqing could finish speaking, Chu Lian had already interrupted her.
"Go out and give him some stuff!"
Seeing that Third Young Madam had finally given in, Wenqing's face brightened up with joy. She quickly called Wenlan to follow her out to prepare a package. Just as they were about to leave, Chu Lian quickly added on, "Don't tell him that it was my order! I'm still angry here! And I haven't forgiven him! It's just... for the sake of his efforts on the frontlines."
Wenqing resisted the urge to smile and respectfully agreed.
As Wenqing rushed towards the estate entrance with a package in hand, she spotted Manager Qin standing to one side awkwardly. When Manager Qin noticed her arrival, he reacted as if he had seen his saviour.
"Is Young Master still standing at the entrance?" Wenqing asked in a whisper.
Manager Qin nodded with a troubled expression. "Miss Wenqing, please try to convince Third Young Master to return. Those two soldiers standing behind Third Young Master look like they're about to freeze."
Wenqing told him to return to the estate first, while she hurried towards the entrance.
He Changdi had been standing at the entrance with his hands behind his back for quite some time by now. When he caught sight of Wenqing from the corner of his eyes, the hopes that he had been secretly harbouring in his heart were dashed.
By the time Wenqing finished bobbing in greeting to her young master, all that greeted her in return was her young master's icy voice. "What have you come here for?"
Wenqing was afraid that Third Young Master would mistake her intentions, so she quickly explained, "Third Young Master, this servant has come under Third Young Madam's orders."
He Sanlang's stiff expression relaxed a little upon hearing this. He shifted awkwardly on the spot before giving his best shot at feigning a casual reply. "What did she say?"
Although Wenqing wanted to laugh, how could she possibly dare to do so?
She presented the package to He Changdi with both hands and said, "Third Young Master, Third Young Madam asks for you to return to camp quickly. These are some things that she had this servant prepare for you. Third Young Madam was afraid that you wouldn't have enough clothes to wear since you gave away your clothes today, so she had these two sets of new clothes prepared."
As He Changdi took the package from Wenqing, his expression grew a little warmer. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he couldn't resist asking, "Is your young madam still angry with me?"
When Wenqing heard her master actually asking something like this, she took the chance to say, "Third Young Master, this servant has been serving by Third Young Madam's side for some time now, so this servant understands Third Young Madam's personality a little. Third Young Madam has always been friendly and easygoing, even with us lowly servants. She always meets everyone with a smile on her face. This servant has seen how much Third Young Madam has suffered on the way here to the northern border, so this servant hopes that Third Young Master might try to understand Third Young Madam's plight."
Wenqing's words made the regret in He Sanlang's heart grow even deeper. He pressed his lips together without speaking for a long moment. Then, he finally said, "Go back and take good care of your young madam. Although her ankle is almost healed, she can't be careless with it."
Even though He Changdi's voice was still the same, his tone had become much warmer and gentler. Wenqing knew that her persuasion had worked. Now with a lighter heart, she agreed and said, "Please don't worry, Third Young Master. This servant will take good care of Third Young Madam."
He Sanlang hooked his arm through the handle of the package and slung it onto his back. He mounted his horse and led his subordinates away from the He Estate back to camp.
If Chu Lian were to find out how Wenqing had explained the situation to He Sanlang, she would have surely awarded her maidservant with a huge eyeroll.
To be honest, on the whole journey here to the north, she really hadn't suffered much at all, excluding that sneak attack by the barbarians and Tuhuns. Her preparations had been thorough enough, and Tang Yan was a capable man. They hadn't lacked for anything on the way here. Although they had travelled as fast as they could, it couldn't be compared to the harsh pace the army reinforcements had to travel at.
She even had the free time to order Wenqing and Wenlan to cook something appetising each time they stopped for a break. All she had done on the journey here was eat and look at the pretty scenery. It was much better than some budget backpacking trips back in the modern world.
After urging his horse on with his whip, He Changdi finally managed to return to the main camp before the sun set.
Once he reached his tent, he saw that a bunch of his good friends were all waiting for him within.
Zhang Mai was met with He Changdi's terrible expression the moment he entered the tent. The corner of Zhang Mai's lips curled at the sight and he tsked. "Ay, we single bastards just don't get the same level of treatment as these happily married fools."
He slapped Xiao Hongyu's shoulder as the poor lad was still searching around He Changdi's bed. "Alright, that's enough. What are you still searching for? Those lewd drawings of yours are probably ash in the brazier by now."
Xiao Hongyu immediately let out an anguished wail and collapsed onto He Changdi's soft bed. "Brother He, Sister-in-Law couldn't have possibly found that book, right?!"
He Sanlang had completely lost all of his dignity as a man in front of Chu Lian today. When Xiao Hongyu fearlessly reminded him of the incident, he sneered sinisterly.