The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 198 - Retreat Path

The evening banquet was set up at Chuzhou Pavilion, with lanterns illuminating the corridors all around. Their reflections shimmered on the water's surface, creating countless rainbows. Accompanied by the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, one couldn't help but feel a little lighter in spirit.

Cui Ying Shu sat at the table, but his thoughts drifted far away with the rippling water.

Just now, Song Chuyi mentioned that Cui Shaoting could serve as the Commander of the Three Borders. If the Cui family still wanted to hold onto their status as a prominent family like in the previous dynasty, they had to grasp every advantage already in their possession.

He should have found it strange that a nine-year-old girl would say such things, yet everyone from the Song family, including First Lady Cui, seemed to accept it as a matter of course, and he couldn't help but be convinced as well.

However, as Song Chuyi said, once war breaks out, it would be a conflict between two nations. While the Great Zhou had a strong military, the Tatars had also become battle-hardened after years of recuperation, and they possessed natural geographical advantages.

Whether Cui Shaoting, accustomed to naval battles in Fujian, could quickly adapt to the tactics of the northern grasslands was still an unknown.

"Uncle, could you help me deliver a letter to my cousin? I believe he will make a decision after reading it." Song Chuyi's expression as she looked up at him at that moment was still fresh in his mind—calm and composed, exuding an inherent confidence that made it impossible for others to see her as just a child.

Song Chuyi's face was illuminated by the bright lanterns, with her long eyelashes casting a shadow over her eyelids. She was acutely aware that there were no reckless men in the Cui family. In her previous life, even Cui Shaoting, who was dispatched to Guangdong, managed to annihilate the pirates by adapting to local conditions. If he could familiarize himself with the terrain and situation of the Northwest, he could potentially become the strongest fortress for the Great Zhou.

Moreover, with the current political turmoil in the court, if they didn't want to remain targets of others' covetousness or schemes, they had to strengthen themselves quickly.

If Cui Shaoting could secure his position as Deputy Minister of War and Commander of the Three Borders, it would become a safeguard for the Cui family in the future.

After the banquet, they sat for a while longer. Eldest Master Song and First Lady Song personally saw them off. Once they returned, the First Lady couldn't help but express her concerns: "Dinner time has come and gone, yet there's still no news from Jue. Usually, even if the Yulin Guards have urgent matters, they would inform us in advance..."

"If the higher-ups are looking for him, he naturally can't escape. Don't worry," Eldest Master Song reassured her. He had already heard the details from Song Chengru. Although he felt anxious, he was much calmer than the First Lady. Seeing her still furrowing her brow, he said, "If you have free time, you might as well worry more about Jue's wife. The month is getting late, but she still looks terribly thin. You should help them more; after all, they're still young."

First Lady Song's attention was drawn to Li Qingzi by Eldest Master Song's words, and her tone became lighter: "Speaking of which, the physician said she's still too thin and needs proper nourishment. I'll go check on her later."

However, Song Chengru stayed behind in Chuzhou Pavilion, his heart heavy after the Crown Prince's incident. Looking at his granddaughter, who appeared as calm as ever, he pondered for a moment before asking, "Xiao Yi, what do you think will happen if something really happens to the Crown Prince...?"

If the Crown Prince truly becomes hopeless, what direction should the Song family take? Should they continue to follow the Heir Apparent forward without hesitation, or should they shift their allegiance to Prince Gong, the Crown Prince's biological brother?

After all, he was the only remaining legitimate son of the Empress besides the Crown Prince, and he was an adult prince. Compared to the youthful and inexperienced Zhou Weizhao, he was clearly a more reassuring choice.

Song Chuyi lowered her head and looked at the lake outside the railing, its surface rippling in the wind. She could probably guess what Song Chengru was thinking at that moment. She turned to him, her voice crisp, "Grandfather, it's too early to make a decision. Otherwise, it may give people the impression that we are cold and ungrateful... Even if we later choose to side with Prince Gong, he may not fully trust us anymore. Moreover, do you remember what the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain said when he bestowed a fate upon His Highness the Heir Apparent?"

How could he forget? At that time, Zhou Weizhao was only five years old, struggling between life and death, uncertain of his fate. The Celestial Master merely glanced at him and declared him a person of great fortune.

And what those three words—great fortune—represented was well understood by everyone.

Later, the Heir Apparent indeed emerged unscathed. On the day of his recovery, it was said that all the birds in the East Palace gathered and colorful clouds circled the moon... As a result, the Emperor treasured the Celestial Master's words and indeed sent Zhou Weizhao to Longhu Mountain to become a Taoist.

Song Chengru nodded thoughtfully, "You're right. Over the past decade or so, those words have become almost household knowledge. Who doesn't believe that His Highness the Heir Apparent is the future... He possesses the name of auspiciousness and is also of legitimate descent..."

"And despite His Highness the Heir Apparent being so young, the Crown Prince's shadow looms large behind him. He appeared in Tongzhou earlier; I don't think that was just a coincidence—he had shown up before when we visited Zhiyuan Escort Agency. This indicates that he has been keeping an eye on Prince Duan for quite a while, yet he had only just returned from Longhu Mountain not long before that..." Song Chuyi analyzed clearly for Song Chengru, "Such a person can see right through me at a glance, and with just a few hints from me, he can bring down Xingfu and sever one of Prince Duan's arms. If we can't be friends, we must never make him our enemy."

Furthermore, the Crown Prince was indeed the first son of Emperor Jianzhang, and Zhou Weizhao was the first grandson after Emperor Jianzhang ascended the throne. He had once been held by the Emperor and taken to the ancestral temple to receive his name. With the advantage of legitimacy, he was certainly not someone to offend lightly.

Old Master Song pondered the current situation for a moment, squinting as he stood under a sheep-horn palace lantern, and quietly asked, "Xiao Yi, do you think Longhu Mountain can cure the Crown Prince's poison?"

"Even if it can't, at least it won't be worse than the current situation." Song Chuyi quickly replied, "Moreover, since Prime Minister Chang doesn't want to step into the vortex and risk his career and family in party strife, he will naturally carve out a new path. Following them, we can also take many detours. Even if we take a thousand steps back and can't rely on Prime Minister Chang, if the Cui family can stabilize their position as the controller of the three borders, we will have room to breathe in the future."

Holding command over hundreds of thousands of troops at the borders would indeed allow for a significant sigh of relief.

Since there were multiple escape routes, Old Master Song no longer hesitated. He slowly nodded and said, "It's getting late. I see that Yan'er seems to be waiting for you; you should go check on him first and return home to rest early. I'll wait for your brother in the study."