The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

Bad news came from the north again. The Tartars had fought their way all the way to Yanmen Pass. Wherever they passed, they were like a swarm of locusts, leaving no grass growing. Jizhou had become a hell on earth.

Lu Lingcong dragged his exhausted body back home. His wife had already dismissed most of the vicious servants in the house, and the house now looked quite deserted.

"Alas." Lu Lingcong returned to the backyard and sighed heavily to his wife, "Hasn't my brother been found yet?"

Zhang was calculating the remaining food in the mansion. Hearing this, she paused. "The mansion has enough food to last for more than a month. The fastest ride from Kyoto to Yanmen Pass would take more than half a month. Yulin has a wide circle of friends. I wrote to him two weeks ago. I expect news within the next couple of days."

Speaking of his brother-in-law, Lu Lingcong remembered something. "Madam, why hasn't Yulin gotten married yet, even though he's already over thirty? I've heard from my third uncle several times that Yulin once helped escort several shipments of grain for the Changping Escort Agency."

Zhang looked up at her husband. "Haven't I told you before?" She smiled. "My younger brother has never liked studying. My father saw his talent for business early on, so he took him on tours. He worked in tea plantations in the south, furs in the north, fine wines in the west, and seafood in the east. Once he earned some money and tasted the sweetness of success, he became even more reluctant to return home and spent the entire year wandering around. Why are you bringing him up all of a sudden? Could it be that he's asking you to do him a favor?"

Lu Lingcong also laughed. "Madam, you're joking. I didn't expect my wife's brother to be so capable. I found the right person to ask him about Wang'er's whereabouts. A month ago, I received a letter, and along with the envelope was a post from Yulin."

Zhang's face showed no sign of false surprise. "You've never mentioned this to me?"

Lu Lingcong smiled bitterly upon hearing this. "The letter was written under the guise of Yu Lin's identity, but the content was written by General Lin himself. When General Lin learned of General Lin's disappearance, he was heartbroken and thought that there was no one available in the Qin Dynasty. So he wrote me a letter hoping that I could recommend someone to His Majesty."

Zhang was even more surprised. "Why do you need to speak through your mouth? If you have this idea, why don't you write a letter to Your Majesty and tell him directly?"

"Due to past events of the previous dynasty, the Qin Dynasty has always emphasized civil officials over military officials since its founding, resulting in a lack of military generals available. Besides the intention of avoiding suspicion, the person recommended by the old general is somewhat special. Everyone knows that our Lu family is deeply trusted by His Majesty, so asking me to promote him in front of His Majesty is indeed the best strategy." Lu Lingcong hesitated for a moment. "I'm just wondering if Yulin knows about this matter? Or -"

General Lin is well-known for his integrity and clear distinction between public and private affairs. It is rare for him to come up with this trick.

Zhang pondered for a moment. "This method certainly seems like Yu Lin's work. He's often away from home, and his whereabouts are uncertain. But he has a small shop in the city. Before he left, he told me to send a letter to the shop if I needed him."

Zhang Yulin's intuition told her that there might be something wrong with what he was doing outside. Seeing her husband hesitate, she tentatively said, "If you want to find him, why not give me the letter and I'll send someone to deliver it."

Lu Lingcong slowly shook his head upon hearing this. "Madam, His Majesty has promised me to use this man. Seeing that the barbarians have already occupied Yanmen Pass, they have yet to arrive."

Zhang looked at the sky outside the window, her brows slightly furrowed. "The weather is getting warmer, and the roads are muddy and difficult to travel. We might arrive in a few days. Ever since Xiefang Pavilion was robbed, that gang of bandits has not appeared in the city again. Now everyone in the city is busy fleeing, and the number of refugees at the city gate has decreased by more than half."

Lu Lingcong: "Yeah, everyone ran away if they could."

Zhang had a sinister premonition. "The situation is even more chaotic now. To be frank, this is a perfect opportunity for thieves to fish in troubled waters. I don't believe this group of people can just run away."

Lu Lingcong coughed lightly and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Most of the people in our mansion are gone. Don't tire yourself out."

Zhang chuckled. "Oh, these things are so familiar to me that I feel something is missing if I don't do them for a day. We have fewer people in our house and we are more frugal than before, so there is much less work to do."

At this moment, Yin He hurried into the room, looking excited, "Madam, Master, there's a letter from my uncle!"

Zhang quickly stood up, took the letter, opened it and read it carefully, then revealed a long-lost relaxed smile. "Yulin said he has found Wang Ge'er and is now on his way back to Beijing. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be back in half a month."

Lu Lingcong was overjoyed. He took the envelope and glanced at it, feeling both angry and relieved. "You little brat, you actually found your way to Yanmen Pass."

Zhang put the letter away and sent her husband out. "Yao has been waiting for you day and night, and her eyes are almost blind from crying. I won't keep you tonight."

The courtyard gate was locked and the door was bolted. Zhang lit the candle and took out the letter again. She put it to her nose and sniffed it. A strong scent of ink filled her nostrils.

Yin He was puzzled "Madam?"

Zhang held the letter in her hand and whispered, "Move the brazier closer."

Yinhe did as she was told, and saw the lady bring the letter paper close to the fire basket. A strange scent of ink drifted through the room and gradually disappeared. The smell was so familiar.

Zhang put the paper to her nose again and sniffed it. After confirming that the smell had mostly disappeared, she folded the paper and put it in the small box on the bookshelf.

"Go to sleep."

In a remote mountain corner, a ragged man carried a bundle of firewood and threw it on the ground. Behind him was a cart with a person lying on it. He scooped a bowl of soup from a clay pot on the fire and handed it to the child beside him, saying, "Eat it."

The disheveled boy took the rough porcelain bowl and said gloomily, "Did my father send you to find me?"

The man did not answer the question. He poured another bowl of hot soup and handed it to the man lying on the cart. "Good man, eat something hot to warm yourself up."

The people on the cart didn't move.

Seeing this, the young man said with disdain, "My sister said that men should be upright men. You look young, but you act like an old man. You don't have any of the courage a man should have. Uncle, if he doesn't want to drink, you might as well give it to me!"

A smile flashed in the man's eyes when he heard this. "Little brat, do you know who this is?" He put the bowl on the ground and shouted, "Come here and give me a hand."

The young man stretched his head to look, and immediately saw an empty sleeve. His pupils shrank and he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you—"

After swallowing the words "broken hand", the young man and the uncle held the man on both sides and helped him sit up.

The uncle held the bowl close to the man's mouth and raised his eyebrows, threatening, "If you do this again, I will force you to drink it."

The man with the broken hand's eyes moved, his dry, cracked lips opened and closed, and his voice was hoarse, "You know who I am."

The boy saw the uncle looking at him and said, "Is this important now? And are you sure you want to say this in front of this kid?"

The man's gaze was as sharp as a hawk he had seen while hunting. The young man gritted his teeth and stared back, "Your injuries have nothing to do with me. I was originally going to Jizhou to join the army, but he caught me halfway and brought me back." He then raised a finger to point at the unshaven man and said dejectedly, "If it were my sister, she would definitely not have been caught!"

"Jizhou?" The man's eyes changed, and he almost growled, "How is Jizhou now?"

The boy decisively shut up and turned around to drink his soup.

After a while, a voice rang out from the cave: "Jizhou has been completely captured by the Tartars."

“Ahhhhhhh!” A painful roar rang out in his ears, and the man smashed his head against the stone wall. “I’m useless, I’m a sinner, a sinner—”