[Marriage first, love later] She is happy after marrying a widower

On a warm spring afternoon, the sun shines through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting patches of mottled light and shadow in Song Yanzhi's courtyard.

The breeze blows gently, carrying a faint fragrance of flowers, stirring the wind chimes hanging under the eaves, making crisp and pleasant sounds.

Song Yanzhi was wearing a plain brocade robe with a light pink gauze cloak on the outside, sitting quietly under the old locust tree with lush branches and leaves in the yard.

In her arms, her two delicate daughters snuggled up to her like two docile kittens.

The eldest daughter's eyes were full of intelligence, and she was curiously fiddling with a strand of hair by Song Yanzhi's ear.

The little daughter pouted her pink little mouth and reached out to grab the bell in Song Yanzhi's hand from time to time, her giggles as clear as silver bells.

In the open space not far away, Sanwa and Song Minze were having a lot of fun.

Sanwa was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt with a bright yellow ribbon tied around his waist, looking particularly energetic.

He controlled the Cuju flexibly with his feet, dodging left and right, trying to break through Song Minze's defense.

Song Minze was not to be outdone. Wearing a green martial arts uniform, he stared intently at Sanwa's every move, opened his arms, and tried to block Sanwa's attack.

The two of them chased each other, their small figures shuttled in the sunlight, and their laughter echoed in the yard.

Ever since Song Yanzhi captured Jiang Zhi, Qinghe County has been immersed in jubilation.

People walked in the streets and alleys with happy smiles on their faces.

When they learned that Song Yanzhi had successfully repelled Jiang Zhi's 20,000 troops with only a few thousand soldiers, they felt a surge of pride in their hearts.

When everyone gathered together to talk, their words were full of admiration and gratitude for Song Yanzhi.

After all, since Song Yanzhi took over Qinghe County, the heavy taxes and levies have been eliminated, and the oppression of bullies and gentry has disappeared without a trace.

She also protected this land with her outstanding military talents. How could the people not be happy and full of infinite longing for their future life?

"Sanwa, Brother Ze, the sun is out and it's very hot. Do you want to rest for a while?"

Song Yanzhi held her two daughters in her arms, holding the eight-treasure hollow peony bell around her waist and teasing the two delicate children in her arms.

I looked up and saw two children in the distance, sweating profusely, their little faces flushed red, their hair soaked with sweat and sticking to their foreheads, and I cried out in pain.

Just then, Siqi hurried in from outside the courtyard gate with light steps.

She was wearing a light green long dress with a white ribbon tied around her waist, looking neat and tidy.

With a respectful expression and hurried steps, she walked straight to Song Yanzhi, leaned over slightly, and said in a low voice in Song Yanzhi's ear: "Master, there is urgent news. The King of Mobei is ill."

When Song Yanzhi heard this, her originally gentle eyes lit up instantly, and the bell in her hand paused slightly.

She raised her eyes to look at Siqi, a trace of irrepressible joy flashed across her face, and she asked anxiously, "Is the news true?"

She knew very well that since she had chosen to start an uprising in the north, a head-on confrontation with the King of Mobei was only a matter of time, so she had always been very attentive to the movements of the King of Mobei and carefully arranged many spies to closely monitor his every move.

"Master, it's absolutely true. This is the secret letter that Master Xie just sent."

As Siqi spoke, she took out a thin piece of letter paper from her sleeve and handed it to Song Yanzhi with both hands.

The letter paper was neatly folded, and the seal was stamped with Mr. Xie's unique seal.

Mr. Xie Er was a little beggar adopted by Song Yanzhi in the past. His brother was also someone Song Yanzhi trusted very much. He was Mr. Xie Lezhan, who stayed in Lizao Village to help her guard the iron mine.

After the two brothers were adopted by Song Yanzhi, Song Yanzhi trained them in different directions according to their personalities.

Among them, Xie Lezhan is a natural genius in business. Song Yanzhi's industries are spread all over the country, and more than half of the credit goes to Xie Lezhan.

Xie Lezhan's adopted younger brother, Xiao Douding, was trained by Song Yanzhi to be a spy because he was smart, sociable, thoughtful, and had strong execution ability.

However, in just a few years, he found out a lot of secret information for Song Yanzhi that ordinary people could not find out, and became the leader of Song Yanzhi's spies.

A few days ago, because she wanted to save Cui Jingshu, she sent Xiao Douding to Mobei.

Song Yanzhi hurriedly took the letter and opened it quickly.

Her eyes quickly swept across the letter paper, her brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed.

The letter detailed that after the King of Mobei learned that Jiang Zhi had been arrested, he was so angry that he fainted on the spot, and then fell ill and has been bedridden ever since.

Now, the people in the Mobei Palace are in panic and government affairs are in chaos.

To be honest, the King of Mobei was able to get the news of his son's capture so quickly thanks to her people who delivered the message to the King of Mobei.

After reading the letter, Song Yanzhi's smile grew even more intense, like a flower in full bloom.

She gently placed the letter on the table, tapping it lightly with her fingers, thinking to herself: The King of Mobei is seriously ill, and Jiang Zhi has fallen into my hands again. This is a good opportunity, just as the saying goes, "strike at the first sign of illness", which cannot be missed.

If we can capture Mobei in one fell swoop at this time, we can not only eliminate a major threat to Qinghe County and the entire northern region, but also greatly expand our sphere of influence.

"Siqi, write back to Second Master Xie and tell him I'll be in Mobei soon.

Make sure he is well prepared for the response and not slack off at all.

At the same time, have him closely monitor every move within the Mobei Palace, especially any changes in the Mobei King's condition. Send a pigeon to inform me immediately of any news."

Song Yanzhi spoke in a firm tone, her eyes revealing an unquestionable determination.

After saying this, she gently handed the two children in her arms to the wet nurses standing nearby. The wet nurses took the children, with kind smiles on their faces, and gently coaxed the two little ones.

Then, Song Yanzhi straightened her back and strode out of the yard.

Her steps were steady and powerful, and her cloak fluttered in the wind behind her, like an eagle about to take off.

Sanwa and Zege heard the noise, stopped playing Cuju, and trotted over.

They ran to Siqi, their foreheads covered with sweat, and asked breathlessly, "Sister Siqi, where is mother?"

Seeing this, Siqi smiled and half bent down, looking at the two children tenderly. She reached out and gently wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and said softly, "Madam has important business to attend to.

"Young Masters, please have some tea and snacks to replenish your energy before going out to play. When Madam is done with her work, she will be back to accompany you."

After hearing this, Sanwa and Zege nodded obediently, although they were still a little confused.

They walked to the stone table, picked up the teacups, and drank the tea in big gulps, but their eyes kept looking in the direction where Song Yanzhi left.