After this parting, she might never have another chance to see her daughter.
Raising a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, Lü Lingqi composed herself and asked Jia Xu, "Chang'an has few troops. How do you intend to defend the city, Director?"
"If there is anything I can do, you need only ask."
"Though I have spent many years in the palace, I have never neglected my martial training. I can still don armor and take to the walls to kill the enemy."
As Lü Lingqi spoke, she raised a foot and stamped hard on the ground.
A crack actually split the bluestone paving tile.
The sight made Jia Xu's eyelids twitch wildly. He swallowed before saying, "N-Noble Lady, rest assured. I have a way to defend the city."
"Starting tomorrow, I will recruit able-bodied young men within the city, fortify the walls and clear the fields, and prepare our defenses. I will certainly not let Chang'an fall."
Somewhat reassured, Lü Lingqi said, "Good. It is late. You should return and rest early too, Director."
With that, she turned and returned to the imperial palace.
Jia Xu respectfully saw Lü Lingqi off. Only once she was far away did he raise a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, inwardly alarmed as he looked at the blue brick she had cracked with a single stomp.
He had actually considered having someone knock Lü Lingqi unconscious, then forcibly bind her and send her away in a carriage, but had abandoned the idea because it seemed far too disrespectful.
Now it seemed fortunate that he had not done so. With Lü Lingqi's martial prowess and strength, it was questionable whether his men could even defeat her.
That brute Lü Bu's bloodline truly is terrifying...
Jia Xu