Lian Yu’s expression shifted slightly, but her demeanor remained unchanged.
“What need do I have to ask her forgiveness? It wasn’t I who begged her to come to the northwest in the first place. If she hadn’t been the Princess Consort’s friend, my connection with her would have ended long ago after that misunderstanding in Fanshe Na. This current mishap, though caused by Feng Qing Heng and that lunatic with the蛊, would not have happened if she hadn’t acted so capriciously and thrown a tantrum without regard for the situation. How else would she have fallen prey to others?”
What began as a playful jab at Feng Xi Wu turned into genuine anger for Lian Yu as she spoke.
“I heard that to save her, you and the Princess Consort owe a great debt of gratitude. Princess Consort, you are her friend, not her mother. From now on, don’t take everything upon yourself. People must bear responsibility for their actions. Can you bear her responsibilities for a lifetime?”
No one had expected Lian Yu’s initial jest to take such a profound and serious turn. Lu Qing Wan glanced sideways with suspicion, catching an unexpected glimpse of a flowing sleeve that shouldn't have been in Yun Zhong Ge. Her eyes flickered, and she said seriously, "Does what the strategist means is that even though Yao Yao suffered such a great loss for you, you still won’t accept her at all?"
The sleeve by the wall froze. Lian Yu, completely unaware, continued, "Princess Consort, you should know that you and I are fundamentally the same kind of person. Just like you, you fell for the Prince’s charisma at first glance, and that’s why you willingly accepted many constraints to become his consort. But if you don’t find someone appealing, no matter what they do, you won’t pay them any mind. Am I correct?"
Lu Qing Wan smiled wryly, "What the strategist said is indeed difficult for me to refute." After all, she was precisely that kind of person, acting according to her heart and never changing her decisions based on others' actions.
Feng Xi Wu looked thoughtfully at Lu Qing Wan, as if sensing something. "Since you have no feelings for Miss Chi, why have you repeatedly saved her from danger when she traveled everywhere?"
Lian Yu tilted her head in confusion, seemingly disbelieving that Feng Xi Wu would ask such a question. Seeing his unchanged expression, she finally said with a sigh, "Your Highness, she merely admires someone. She hasn't committed any great crime. As you know, she has people arranged by the Chi family and the Princess Consort to protect her. If it ever reaches a point where I need to intervene, it must be a matter of life and death. I wouldn't refuse to save her just because she pestered me a little, would I? She's also the Princess Consort's friend. How much animosity would that be?"
"That's true." Feng Xi Wu rubbed his nose and calmly put an arm around Lu Qing Wan’s shoulders as they walked to another side of Yun Zhong Ge. "Northern Wei has entered winter. According to past patterns, Northern Wei should temporarily cease hostilities and resume fighting in the spring after the snow melts. Do you think this year will follow the usual pattern and give Feng Qing Heng a chance to regroup?"
"No." Lu Qing Wan replied without hesitation. "Everyone knows Northern Wei habitually stops fighting in winter because of the cold and food shortages. But the Northern Wei army has already passed Beixiao Pass. It's not as bitterly cold inside Beixiao Pass as it is outside. Moreover, the cities captured by Northern Wei, while not as prosperous as the capital, are sufficient to support Northern Wei's 200,000 troops. Would Nie Wu Ming not press his advantage and instead give Feng Qing Heng a respite?"
Lu Qing Wan looked at Feng Xi Wu with an expression that said, "Although I don't fight, my mind is sharp."
Lian Yu chuckled. "Princess Consort speaks wisely, but what if the Black Armored Army carried out a scorched-earth policy before leaving, relocating the population? Then most of the cities occupied by the Northern Wei army wouldn't have provisions for them?"
"But there are still Yun Qiang and Xi Liang, aren't there?" Lu Qing Wan replied without thinking. "And although I disrupted the trade agreement brought by Nie Ming Yang two years ago, who knows if Northern Wei hasn't been secretly purchasing grain from Great Qian, or even from Yun Qiang and Xi Liang over the years? Nie Wu Ming isn't a fool. Without sufficient preparation, would he have launched such a large-scale war immediately after returning to Northern Wei?"
Lian Yu and Feng Xi Wu exchanged glances and burst into laughter. Lu Qing Wan glared at them indignantly, "What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?"
Feng Xi Wu chuckled and squeezed the back of her neck. "Not only are you not wrong, but you are remarkably accurate. Nie Wu Ming did indeed use the cover of Wu An Palace to hoard a lot of gold, which he converted into grain and military supplies in the last two years. He might have been wary of the Wei King, so he didn't even bring these supplies back to Northern Wei, but hid them in secret caches in various border regions. The grain alone stored along the northern frontier is enough for him to last a year or two."
This kind of operation was clearly not something a normal court official would do, but after Feng Xi Wu revealed Nie Wu Ming's extensive arrangements, she wasn't surprised at all.
"Then what are your plans? Just watch him and Feng Qing Heng continue fighting?"
Feng Xi Wu thoughtfully considered her words. "It's not impossible, but the cities beyond the Jade River were not subjected to a scorched-earth policy, nor were the civilians evacuated. If Feng Qing Heng proves incompetent and cannot even hold back the Northern Wei cavalry with the Jade River as a natural barrier, then the civilians south of the Jade River will suffer." Although he was determined to teach Feng Qing Heng a lesson, the citizens of Great Qian were their responsibility, protected by their brothers and the 400,000 Black Armored troops. They couldn't abandon them to Nie Wu Ming.
Lu Qing Wan found it amusing. "Since that's the case, calculate for me, how much grain will the Northern Wei army need to reach the Jade Lake?"
Feng Xi Wu stared at her, uncomprehending. Lian Yu asked directly, "Does the Princess Consort have a plan?"
Lu Qing Wan smiled mysteriously. "No grand plan, but I do have a trick." She looked out at the city walls of Beixiao Pass, occupied by the Northern Wei army. "Feng Qing Heng is incompetent and selfish, which is indeed detestable. But Nie Wu Ming has used me for so long, how can I be content if he doesn't bleed a little? Leaving him some grain, enough for him to reach the Jade River, is already my greatest mercy. Any more, and I’d be reluctant to part with it."
She waved to them leisurely. "You two hurry up and calculate. If you're too late, you'll compensate for my losses." With that, her small frame nimbly crossed the high platform, jumped onto the stairs leading to the inner city, and, ignoring Feng Xi Wu's calls, strode away.
Returning to her own courtyard within the city, she brought out Da Bai and Teng She, idly playing with them. She then instructed Li Su, "Go and see what Miss Chi is doing?" Li Su thought, isn't Miss Chi Yao Yao still unconscious? What could she be doing? But seeing Lu Qing Wan’s displeased expression, she didn’t dare ask further and turned to personally check on Chi Yao Yao’s room.
Meanwhile, Lu Qing Wan, holding Da Bai in one hand and Teng She in the other, said leisurely, "Did you hear what I just said? Mobilize your beast subordinates and search for all the military supply depots north of the Jade River. The more the better. Make sure to remember their locations. I’ll take you there to move house later." Da Bai and Teng She loved this kind of hide-and-seek game. Without any reward from Lu Qing Wan, they eagerly ran off.