She Came to Heal, Stayed to Conquer

"Uh..."

The old lady glared at her and scolded softly, "Don’t talk nonsense!"

At this moment, Mr. Meng, who was sent by Han Lei to Qingshui County the other day, returned.

Mr. Meng was dusty and travel-worn, smiling and greeting the trusted aides he met along the way.

Perhaps it was because Mr. Meng asked about Zhao Zun’s whereabouts, the old lady noticed the trusted aides discreetly chuckling behind their hands, then pointed towards Zhao Zun’s courtyard.

Mr. Meng nodded, lifted his steps and headed towards Zhao Zun’s courtyard, while the few trusted aides behind him burst into laughter.

The old lady, being experienced, instantly understood that those trusted aides were trying to prank the oblivious Mr. Meng, hoping he would interrupt her son’s good time.

The old lady rubbed her forehead, feeling frustrated.

She sighed, quickened her pace, and stationed herself by the path outside Zhao Zun’s courtyard, where she bellowed softly as Mr. Meng passed by.

"Stop."

Seeing the old lady and Zhao Ling’er, Mr. Meng immediately greeted, "Greetings, old lady. Greetings, miss."

The old lady furrowed her brow and asked, "Mr. Meng, why have you returned? Didn’t Miss Han send you to Qingshui County for an errand?"

Mr. Meng replied respectfully, "To the old lady, I’ve completed the business. I heard the Prince and the others returned safely, so I thought of reporting back to him and also checking on the Prince’s well-being after his return from the battlefield."

"Was the matter handled smoothly?"

"Everything went smoothly, although there are some details needing to be reported to the Prince."

The old lady pondered for a moment, asking, "Is it an urgent matter?"

Mr. Meng shook his head, "It’s not urgent."

The old lady breathed a sigh of relief, waved her hand, and said, "If it’s not urgent, then wait for now. The Prince is... not available at the moment."

Hearing this, Mr. Meng showed a trace of confusion, but seeing the old lady’s stern expression, he dared not ask further and respectfully stepped aside.

Zhao Ling’er couldn’t hold back and leaned next to Mr. Meng, asking in a low voice, "Uncle Meng, do you know what my brother is doing? Why is everyone being so secretive?"

Mr. Meng was taken aback and shook his head, "I don’t know."

Zhao Ling’er pursed her lips, muttering, "How come even you don’t know..."

The old lady saw Zhao Ling’er still probing and felt helpless; she had to hold her hand and whisper, "Ling’er, stop asking. Let’s not meddle in your brother’s affairs."

Zhao Ling’er blinked, suddenly showing a mischievous smile, then whispered into the old lady’s ear, "Mother, are you going to have a grandchild? Hehe, don’t worry, I won’t tell!"

The old lady blushed at her words, quickly straightening her face, and scolded softly, "You girl, you’re getting more reckless!"

Zhao Ling’er stuck out her tongue, giggling as she dodged aside, saying no more.

The old lady looked at the servants and trusted aides peering around the courtyard, feeling a wave of frustration.

She sighed lightly and whispered to herself, "Alright, everyone go back and wait! Don’t come over."

"Yes!"

Mr. Meng responded, scratching his head in confusion, then turned and left.

The old lady ordered a maid to move a chair over; she worried that the daughter, still naive to such matters, might say more nonsensical things and sent Zhao Ling’er back to her room to read and write.

She herself sat in the courtyard, continuing to chant and pray...

Meanwhile, inside the central military tent at Ling’an City, the newly appointed Marshal of Beiguan, Cao Xiong, looked dumbfounded at the scout before him.

The brush in Cao Xiong’s hand dropped with a "slap" onto the desk as he stood up, bypassed the desk, and quickly walked to the scout.

"What did you say? Ala and Meng Country’s cavalry and troops have retreated? How is this possible?"

Cao Xiong’s voice was deep and urgent; he stared incredulously at the scout kneeling before him, as if trying to find some flaw in his face.

The scout raised his head, his tone respectful with a hint of certainty.

"To the Marshal, it’s indeed true. I personally led people to investigate, chased a hundred miles out yet found no trace of cavalry from either country. The camps they once occupied are now empty, leaving only some abandoned supplies."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiong became even more bewildered.

Just the day before, he received a carrier pigeon message from Li Gang reporting the battle, saying the Turkic forces attacked Yong’an City, but Zhao Zun led the Vanguard Camp to burn their supplies, and Hua Tianyou used some unknown mysterious weapon to accidentally kill their general, forcing the Turkic troops to retreat.

He sent a carrier pigeon to inquire about the details of Zhao Zun’s surprise attack, especially about that mysterious weapon, yet before receiving Li Gang’s reply, Ala and Meng Country inexplicably retreated.

What on earth is happening?