Xiu'er thought for a moment, then pouted and said, "Doesn't he always look so bitter and resentful?"
Similar to Dog Meat with honey sauce, they're like brothers.
Tang Zhuyun said, "He does have some deep-seated grudges, but his tone today is far too relaxed."
"Or perhaps he's seen it all before? After all, that's a figure on par with the prince on the battlefield."
Mingzhu said softly, "No matter how much they see, they'll still get anxious when the enemy is at the gates."
"I think so too," Tang Zhuyun said. "His calm demeanor suggests either that the Prince has entrusted the wrong person, which is highly unlikely, or that he already has a plan, and the Prince may even know about it."
"Then why not just leave it to him?" Xiu'er said. "Your Majesty, I'm telling you the truth, and you may not like what I'm saying, but we can't get involved in matters concerning the enemy."
Tang Zhuyun certainly knew this.
"My thought is that there's always something we can do. Let's think together about what we can do."
After thinking for a moment, Xiu'er said, "You are the Princess Consort, you can raise funds, you can take the lead in making winter clothes..."
"Our city should have enough supplies for now, we don't need those," Tang Zhuyun said. "I'm a doctor, I can take Yingying with you to treat the wounded soldiers."
Furthermore, as a princess, could her presence possibly boost morale even a little?
Unfortunately, the plan to open a medical school was put on hold due to pregnancy and childbirth.
Everyone agreed.
A few days later, the Northern Yi army indeed arrived at the city gates.
Qu Nian ordered his men to hold their ground and not come out, no matter how much the enemy challenged them.
Ren Yingying is keeping a very close eye on Qu Nian now, practically taking care of him 24/7.
The reason is that she has to guard against Qu Nian's malicious intentions.
Qu Nian, however, was smug, thinking that his plan had worked and that Ren Yingying was moved by his "righteousness" and thus threw herself into his arms.
He was still considering whether to exaggerate the severity of the battle...
If things go smoothly, shouldn't Ren Yingying consider leaving him an heir, just in case?
However, it turns out that Ren Yingying was sometimes quite slow-witted.
His hints were almost explicit, yet the latter remained unmoved, perhaps feigning ignorance.
That day, Qu Nian finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "I am not afraid of death, but sometimes I feel ashamed towards my parents. I have dedicated my life to the country, so why should I dedicate it to my family?"
Ren Yingying: "Oh."
To be fair, even if you've already pledged your life to the state, you still have Qu Hua, don't you?
But she couldn't say it, since she was still counting on Qu Nian.
Qu Nian's Adam's apple bobbed. "I'm afraid that my father and mother will suffer the loss of their child, and I won't even be able to leave them a grandson."
Now that things have come to this, it's up to you to decide what to do.
Ren Yingying: "Your parents should still be able to have more children, right?"
Qu Nian: "..."
"Don't worry, there's still Qu Hua," Ren Yingying said. "The Prince's family line will not end."
Don't think she doesn't know; this jerk is just trying to take advantage of her, humph!
Qu Nian was humiliated, his face turning ashen.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, the Northern Yi have begun their attack on the city!" A guard rushed in to report.
Qu Nian donned golden armor and personally went to the city gate to direct the battle.
Ren Yingying wanted to go with him, but he scolded her and sent her away.
In the first wave of the Northern Yi attack, although the defending soldiers managed to hold off the attack, there were still several hundred casualties.
The losses suffered by the Northern Yi should have been greater.
Tang Zhuyun and Ren Yingying went to help at the wounded soldiers' camp. They barely slept for two days and two nights and were exhausted when they returned to the Prince's Mansion.
Witnessing such a large-scale casualty incident for the first time was extremely shocking for the two who had worked in the hospital.
Compared to physical fatigue, psychological stress is much harder to release.
And this was only the first time.
Tang Zhuyun suddenly understood what war trauma was.
Those who haven't experienced it firsthand simply cannot understand it through pale words.
Despite their initial setback, the Northern Yi were not discouraged. After regrouping, they quickly launched a second and third round of sieges.
As more and more soldiers were wounded, the defense on the city walls became increasingly difficult.
Both the soldiers and ordinary civilians in the city were clearly panicked.
Although Tang Zhuyun didn't say it, she was very anxious.
Ren Yingying couldn't hold back any longer and went to ask Qu Nian what to do.
Qu Nian toyed with the jade lion paperweight in his hand, and said pretentiously, "It's nothing, you'll get used to it."
Ren Yingying: "... What do you plan to do?"
She felt like she was in a large-scale video game battle, watching helplessly as her health bar rapidly decreased.
"Wait."
"Are you waiting for the world's knives to stab the Northern Yi to death?"
Qu Nian: "... I think you're quite sharp-tongued. Or why don't you have Jinse stand on the city wall and play a tune to repel the enemy?"
Ren Yingying realized he was teasing her and glared at him fiercely.
Qu Nian knew when to stop, and said calmly, "Wait a little longer; only those who can be patient can get the meat."
"What's the meaning?"
"Give me a kiss, and I'll tell you." Qu Nian narrowed her eyes, looking as cunning as a fox.
He just loved teasing her.
To everyone's surprise, Ren Yingying didn't hesitate at all, picked up his head, and kissed him on the lips...
Qu Nian stared wide-eyed at her suddenly approaching face, completely stunned.
Ren Yingying, however, had already completed her task. She pushed him away, wiped her lips with her sleeve, and said, "You should have said so earlier! Okay, you can say it now."
It's incredibly easy.
Despite his success, Qu Nian couldn't feel happy at all.
This woman, she's actually... so unserious.
"Speak quickly!" Ren Yingying urged, then wiped her lips with her finger.
Qu Nian said, "The Northern Yi sent 30,000 troops to attack the city, and then the Xia Kingdom tied down another 30,000 troops. How many people do you think are left?"
Cui Xiaoqiu was saying the same thing, trying to comfort Yanran.
"If I'm not mistaken," Cui Xiaoqiu said, "The Crown Prince is stalling for time, waiting for the Prince to return and reinforce him after his victory, so they can attack from both inside and outside."
"Really?" Yanran asked eagerly.
"Yes, it's pretty much true," Cui Xiaoqiu said. "So you don't need to worry. I suspect that the Prince and the Heir Apparent had anticipated this."
"That's wonderful!" Yanran exclaimed excitedly. "I'll go tell my mother and... Sanbao."
Cui Xiaoqiu: "... Why tell Sanbao?"
"Sanbao was worried that his family's cattle and sheep would be taken by the Northern Yi, so I went to tell him that he didn't need to worry."
Cui Xiaoqiu: "..."
Just as Cui Xiaoqiu had guessed, Prince of Jin and Qu Nian had indeed made that guess.
However, even the best-laid plans can have flaws. What they didn't expect was that the Zhou Family had ruled this city for ten years, and even after the Zhou Family was overthrown, some things remained.