Finest Servant

Chapter 389 Spring Rain on the Official Road

The search for the silver had finally come to an end, providing a rare opportunity to make an official journey, and a return to familiar ground. Master Lin, naturally, would not pass up such an opportunity, and he and Ning'er thoroughly enjoyed themselves in Jining, easing her yearning heart.

The waters of Weishan Lake had long since returned to calm. Three hundred thousand fish fry had been released, to be harvested by autumn. Master Lin had accomplished a tremendous good deed, winning not only the love of the fishermen but also further captivating the infatuated Miss Luo. The several thousand taels of silver had indeed been well spent. Seizing a beautiful day, Master Lin personally rowed out on the lake, spending the day on Weishan Lake with the beguiling and beautiful Miss Luo. Boating on the water, their sensual wishes were fulfilled under the bright sun. Master Lin took out a spring-themed painting, and together they studied and emulated it, composing a song of flowers on the water. Miss Luo's passion was no empty boast, her partially exposed soft chest pressed against her husband, her speech as sweet as flowers, thoroughly captivating Master Lin's heart and soul. Facing her big brother's indecent requests, Ning'er was half-resistant, half-compliant, her face blushing, her soft sighs and sweet laughter filling the boundless Weishan Lake with the most enchanting smiles. Upon returning to shore, Miss Luo clung tightly to her big brother, her pretty face flushed, her eyes and brows overflowing with fiery passion. Her voluptuous body exuded the charm of a mature young woman, causing Master Lin to feel both arouse and love.

To find a wife like Ning'er, dignified in public and sensual in private, a genuine talented woman, how could one not be enthralled? Miss Xu, upon seeing the happiness radiating from Ning'er's eyes and face, could only sigh in emotion.

After a day's rest, and with Hu Bugui having organized the troops and stocked up on provisions, Master Lin personally led tens of thousands of soldiers to escort the recovered 350,000 taels of silver, marching grandly towards the capital city. The journey back was much more relaxed, with so many soldiers for protection, and Ning'er's presence to provide pleasant company, making it a hundred times better than the journey out.

The only dissatisfaction came from the fact that since the night she "caught him in the act," Miss Xu had completely ignored Lin San. It was as if he didn't exist, only engaging with Ning'er in casual conversation within the carriage, rarely showing herself, and thus cutting off Master Lin's desires.

"General," seeing Master Lin riding his prized steed, trailing listlessly behind the carriage, Hu Bugui spurred his horse to catch up, "Yesterday, the Emperor sent another urgent document, instructing us to hasten our journey and transport the silver quickly. General Li Tai's army is gathering, waiting for the silver for urgent use."

"There's nothing we can do to hurry," Master Lin waved his hand, looking helpless, "We must take it one step at a time, escorting these dozens of carts of silver with tens of thousands of soldiers. We are moving quickly as it is. Moreover, this silver was lost once; who knows if there are bandits waiting for us on the road? We must proceed with caution. Here's what we'll do: you send a report, stating that our army is covering over a hundred li per day, and we are rushing towards the capital."

Hu Bugui responded with an acknowledgment and passed on the order. After pondering for a moment, he looked at Lin Wanrong and said, "General, there's something that I find rather strange. Who was behind the robbery of the Shandong military pay silver? During our search for the silver, we made such a big commotion, yet the other side remained unresponsive the entire time. Could there be some sort of conspiracy afoot?"

Lin Wanrong's eyes focused intently on the path ahead, and he nodded with a sigh, "Brother Hu, you're right. We were fishing and casting nets in Jining, and the noise we made was certainly not small, yet they remained so calm. Unless they no longer want the silver, there must surely be a conspiracy hidden within this matter. That's one of the reasons I'm being so careful. Right now, Li Tai's army urgently needs the silver, and every day we delay on the road puts more pressure on him. But if we proceed recklessly, who knows what kind of tricks the enemy might be playing? It puts us in a difficult position indeed."

Hu Bugui complained, "I've led troops in battle all my life, but this is the first time I've been tasked with escorting silver. We can't move fast, but we can't stop either. It truly frustrates me."

Lin Wanrong gave a bitter smile and patted his shoulder, "What can we do? Who made us take on this responsibility? Brother Hu, look at me, I've always claimed that I don't want to get involved in these matters, and I even refused Li Tai's invitation to join the army. But what's the result? I'm still entangled in all of this, and it's even more complicated than being in the military. My fate is harder than yours!"

His words were not untrue, and Hu Bugui nodded sympathetically, a faint joy in his heart. The deeper Lin Wanrong was mired, the better, and it would be best if he led the troops straight to the northern frontier, sweeping away the humiliation of the Great Hua Empire for the past hundred years. That would be truly satisfying.

Distant thunder rumbled, and the sky gradually darkened, as heavy clouds accumulated on the horizon. Lin Wanrong glanced at the sky, frowning and shaking his head with a wry smile, "Just as I feared. Even the heavens seem to be against us, raining at this moment. This spring rain will likely persist for three to five days. The eight hundred miles from Jining to the capital will not be so peaceful, I'm afraid."

Hu Bugui also shook his head, "Damn it, I've fought so many years in the North, and returning to the capital has me out of sorts. General Lin, you wouldn't know, but when it rains in the nomads' lands, it's not like here. It comes crashing down like hailstones, then the sun shines brightly, with temperatures like fire. Not like our Jiangnan, where the rain is like a gentle woman!"

Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, "Nomads' lands are quite different from here. There are great temperature differences between day and night, and the weather changes erratically, hence the saying 'Wear a fur coat in the morning, gauze by noon, and eat watermelon around a stove.' Our Jiangnan has a mild climate, which is why it's rich in fish and rice. This is the fortune of our Great Hua."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it. General Lin, have you been to the nomads’ lands? Ah, I know, it must be from your extensive reading. Your love for learning is truly admirable, General. I hold you in high esteem," Hu Bugui praised.

Lin Wanrong laughed and scolded, "Nonsense, when have you ever seen me reading a book? Damn it, besides having an interest in erotic picture albums, other leisurely books just annoy me."

His flattery landed on the wrong spot, Hu Bugui burst into hearty laughter, finding General Lin's words very much to his liking.

As the two were talking, raindrops began to fall, first fine and delicate, then growing dense. By the time it started pouring down, it was like ice knives slashing at their cheeks, causing sharp pain. Spring rain is as precious as oil, nourishing everything in the season of growth. But for Lin Wanrong, it was terrible news; he didn't know how much this continuous spring rain would delay them.

After standing in the rain for a while with Hu Bugui, Lin Wanrong waved his hand and asked, "Brother Hu, where have we reached now?"

"We are about to leave the Shandong region. This official road hasn't been repaired for many years, and it's bumpy and rugged. There's a mountain path ahead that's especially difficult to traverse!" Hu Bugui, a native of Shandong, was well acquainted with the local terrain.

Lin Wanrong nodded and said, "Right now, the enemy is hidden, and we are exposed. We can only take one step at a time. Brother Hu, send out more scouts to investigate the situation within thirty miles of the silver convoy. Instruct our brothers to be extra cautious, especially regarding the treacherous terrain, landslides, or collapses, and check for any signs of sabotage. If anything is found, sound the alarm immediately and report back at once!"

"Understood!" Seeing General Lin's serious expression, Hu Bugui dared not delay and hurriedly went off to carry out the order.

Lin Wanrong sighed deeply and was about to turn away when he suddenly felt the rain above his head stop. A small oil-paper umbrella was held over his head, and a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted from a beautiful face beside him.

"Ning'er, why did you come out? It's cold outside; go back to the carriage and take shelter from the rain," Lin Wanrong said, smiling.

Holding an umbrella in one hand and grasping him with the other, Luo Ning softly said, "Big brother, you should come inside the carriage too, so you don't get soaked."

"That's out of the question!" Lin Wanrong laughed and patted her little hand, "Ning'er, we're on a military march, and over ten thousand brothers are out in the rain. If their commander were to run away, what would they think? Have you heard of the saying 'lead by example'? It's tailor-made for me!"

Luo Ning burst into a gentle laugh at his words, her coquettish charm momentarily dumbfounding General Lin. He thought to himself, ‘This young lady is certainly catching up with Sister An!’

"Sister Zhiqing is truly clever; she knew what you'd say," Luo Ning said with a sweet smile, reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm not making it difficult for you. Miss Xu has something to discuss with you, and you surely can't ask her to come out and join you in the rain, can you?"

Something to discuss? That was odd. They had been traveling for two days, and Xu Zhiqing had acted as if Master Lin were a plague, not speaking a word to him. Why would she want to talk now, in the rain?

Lin Wanrong shook off the raindrops from his body and got into the carriage with Luo Ning. The carriage was filled with a gentle fragrance, and a small stove was burning brightly, casting a rosy glow on Luo Ning's exceptionally beautiful cheeks.

Miss Xu was seated by the carriage window, her delicate hands busy with knitting, as she lifted the curtain to gaze into the distance. Her eyes seemed misty as she softly recited, "Watching spring rain on the official road, each drop teems with emotion."

"Don't get too emotional," General Lin said, accepting the towel handed to him by Luo Ning and wiping his wet hair. He breathed on his hands, then chuckled, "If we're any more sentimental, heaven might just trap us here!"

Miss Xu's face changed, and she snapped angrily, "Why are you eavesdropping? Ning'er, this is a place for women, and it's improper to bring a man here. Send him away at once, lest he taints our carriage!"

‘You care about propriety now? When you invited me to your bed, why didn't you mention that?’ Lin Wanrong winked at Miss Xu and smiled mysteriously. Xu Zhiqing seemed to remember something, her small fist clenched, glaring at him fiercely, her face tinged with a blush.

Luo Ning quickly intervened, laughing, "Big brother, it's been so long since I heard Sister Xu recite poetry. Today she is in such a refined mood, and I'm delighted. 'Watching spring rain on the official road, each drop teems with emotion.' Sister Xu, you're so talented. Big brother, you should recite a poem too, about spring rain."

"Garments moisten with apricot flower rain, willow breeze on the face is not chilly. Don't admire me too much; I copied this poem!" Master Lin laughed playfully, winking at Miss Xu.

Miss Xu glared at him, "At least you know yourself a little, and you're not completely worthless. Ning'er, your big brother finally has a small virtue."

"Annoying! Big brother loves to fool around." Luo Ning giggled, giving him a flirtatious glance, then turned to Xu Zhiqing, "Sister Xu, didn't you have something to tell big brother?"

Xu Zhiqing nodded, her face growing serious. She slowly began, "Lin San, have you noticed anything unusual on our journey?"

"Unusual? What's unusual?" Master Lin asked, perplexed, "Apart from Miss Xu taking Ning'er away being a bit strange, everything else seems quite normal."

Seeing that he was not taking things seriously, Xu Zhiqing frowned and sighed, "If you don't want to listen, then forget it. Do what you need to do; I don't feel like talking to you anymore."

Miss Xu's stubbornness was rising again, and Luo Ning hurriedly signaled to her big brother. Lin Wanrong spread his hands, laughing, "Alright, I'm all ears. Miss Xu, can you tell me what's unusual?"

"As astute as you are, I don't believe you've sensed nothing at all," Miss Xu said calmly. "The greatest feeling this journey has given me is silence, too much silence, as if nothing had ever happened. We caused such a commotion in Jining. If those thieves were really after the silver, they wouldn't remain completely unresponsive. They should at least have put up some decent resistance! For over three hundred thousand taels of silver, they could poison five thousand soldiers who had defected to them. I don't believe they'll let us transport the silver to the capital with ease."

Her words struck at the heart of Master Lin's worries. This Miss Xu, who had once resisted the northern nomads at the frontlines as a female strategist, was truly thoughtful and wise. Her insights were profound and showed great intelligence.

Seeing Lin San deep in thought but not showing the slightest surprise, Xu Zhiqing knew that this fellow had already thought of these things. With his cleverness, he must have sensed something was amiss but chose not to speak about it. Miss Xu shook her head and sighed, "It seems I was superfluous; Master Lin, you must have already made arrangements."

Lin Wanrong laughed, "Miss Xu, please don't taunt me. We're in the open, and our enemies are hidden; how would I know their plots? How could I counter them in advance? Even if they planned to rob us on the way, I wouldn't have any way to stop them."

Luo Ning was taken aback and quickly grabbed his arm, "Robbery? Surely not! We're the official army, with ten thousand troops; have those bandits really become so bold?"

Xu Zhiqing's tender jade finger lightly tapped on Luo Ning's nose, smiling lovingly, "Silly girl, it's not about numbers. If it were a head-on confrontation, they wouldn't dare come, even with ten times the courage. But attacking from the shadows is not something we can guard against. These three hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver are the first payment for hundreds of thousands of troops, vital to our plan against the northern nomads. We can't afford any mistakes. Even if they can't steal the silver, merely trapping us for a few days, delaying the deployment of the army to the border, would be a victory for them. At this time, a delay of one day means the loss of lives at the frontier."

Luo Ning hadn't expected the situation to be so serious. She stuck out her little tongue, pulling Xu Zhiqing closer and asked, "Sister, I find it strange that stealing this silver would only benefit the northern nomads. But the northern nomads are still in the north, a thousand miles away from here. Could they have wings to fly here and rob the silver? Even if they did fly over, how would the northern nomads know that we're transporting the pay to the capital?"

Clever! Right to the point! Lin Wanrong nodded at Luo Ning, who looked at him and smiled enchantingly.

This question seemed to stir up endless feelings in Miss Xu. After a long silence, she sighed, "Ning'er, you're right. Even if the northern nomads were more formidable, they could not penetrate into our great land to steal the silver. There must be traitors within our ranks, treacherous individuals who, for personal gain, would disregard the nation and conspire with the northern nomads to harm their brethren. Such treachery is like a festering sore on our body, and if not eradicated, will cause endless harm!"

"Sister, are you talking about Prince Cheng?" Luo Ning looked at Xu Zhiqing and asked tentatively.

Since they were not in the presence of outsiders, Miss Xu did not conceal the truth and helplessly nodded. Suddenly, she remembered something and her face turned pale, "Lin San, you mentioned before that the assassins who targeted the Emperor were from Dongyin. Were those same people involved in the theft of the silver?"

Seeing Lin Wanrong nod, Xu Zhiqing's face changed dramatically, murmuring, "Ambitious wolves, ambitious wolves! With northern nomads in the north and Dongyin invaders in the southeast, and treachery within, our great nation is in peril!"

Xu Zhiqing was indeed quite intelligent, connecting these sporadic clues together to see the critical point in the situation. Lin Wanrong shook his head, saying, "It's not as grave as that. The calamities brought by the Dongyin, the chaos stirred by the northern nomads; these are not new. But our Great Hua has stood for years and has always found a way to cope. Miss Xu, well-versed in history as you are, should know this even better than I. Our land has never lacked heroes and has always found a way to survive against the odds. This is an inevitable pattern, and we needn't worry too much."

Lin San's words seemed to hold some truth. The hardships in the history of the Great Hua were much more severe, but each time the country had persevered. Miss Xu glanced at him and nodded, saying, "Your words may be twisted logic, but they seem to contain some insight!"

Lin Wanrong smiled wryly, for this young lady really had a spirit of never admitting defeat. Seeing her big brother frown, Luo Ning quickly grabbed Xu Zhiqing's arm, pleading, "Sister, can you find a way to help me? This silver was lost on my father's watch, and we're three days behind schedule. We must make up for it, or my Luo family will become the eternal sinners of the dynasty."

Xu Zhiqing saw that she didn't ask Lin San for help but instead came to her, and laughed, shaking her head, "You silly girl, after marrying your husband, you've changed. For such a strenuous matter, you don't ask him but come to me. Do you care for him more than your sister?"

Luo Ning's cheeks flushed, and she quickly embraced her, acting spoiled, "Who says I don't care for Sister? I care for Sister and my husband equally. But this matter is extraordinary, so I want to ask Sister to help my husband!"

Seeing Luo Ning's infatuated appearance, Miss Xu patted her little face, helplessly saying, "I really don't know what to do with you. I don't know what's so good about him that's made our Ning'er so infatuated, unable to leave him for a moment."

"If Sister were married to big brother, Sister would understand," Luo Ning giggled, eliciting a flurry of embarrassed little punches from Xu Zhiqing. The two women wrestled in the carriage, their hairpins askew, and the front of their robes barely concealing their charming figures.

‘Look not at what is improper,’ thought Master Lin, sitting upright, though his eyes were rolling around, glancing at Ning'er and then Zhiqing, missing neither one.

"Enough, enough, stop messing around." Xu Zhiqing had the stronger self-control, and seeing Lin San's sly eyes, she knew he had taken advantage again. But since it wasn't the first time, she was accustomed to it. What could she do? Her face turned slightly red, and she whispered, "We are about to leave the territory of Shandong. From what I know, this border region has broken roads and complex terrain, including a rugged mountain path. If those thieves have any plans, they will surely act here. Once we cross this border, it's a straight road to the capital with no obstacles. Therefore, we must be especially careful in this hundred miles, heighten our vigilance, send out scouts thirty miles ahead, pay attention to complex areas, and watch for anything unusual."

This idea was precisely in line with Lin Wanrong's thinking, and Master Lin grinned, giving a thumbs-up, "Military Advisor Xu's insight is remarkable; I've already given these orders."

"I knew you would have everything arranged properly," Xu Zhiqing glanced at him, sighing, "With the enemy in darkness and us in the light, this is all we can do. Ning'er, I can only help him this much. How are you going to thank me?"

Luo Ning's eyes twinkled, and a coquettish smile appeared on her face. She gestured with her little finger to her big brother, "It’s easy for me to thank Sister Xu! Big brother, come sleep in Sister Xu's bed for a while, and I'll mend your clothes."

"Ah—" Miss Xu's heart fluttered, blushing as she covered her cheeks, stealing a glance at Luo Ning. She saw Luo Ning's coquettish expression, seemingly an innocent remark.

Seeing Lin San's strange smile, Miss Xu's anger was directed at him, pushing him towards the outside of the carriage, "Enough talking, what are you still doing here? Go, go, Ning'er and I are going to rest!"

"Don't you want me to sleep?" Lin San inquired, puzzled.

"Scram!" Miss Xu angrily kicked, but Lin San dodged quickly, tumbling down from the carriage. Just as he was about to burst into laughter, there was a soft splash, and his feet landed in a puddle that had just formed. Rainwater splashed, dousing him head to face.

The surrounding soldiers laughed uproariously, and Lin San wiped the rainwater from his face, shouting, "What are you laughing at? Haven't you ever seen a man kicked out of bed by his wife?"

The laughter grew even louder, drowning out the sound of the falling rain. Miss Xu could only grit her teeth in anger, and she grabbed Luo Ning's hand and said sternly, "Ning'er, how can you not control him? Letting him talk nonsense like this. How can we stand it in the long run?"

Lying on the bed, Ning'er stretched her little waist lazily, replying helplessly, "Sister, you know as well as I do, once I met big brother, he took hold of me. How can I control him? Whoever wants to control him, let them do it!"

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