Chapter 598: People’s Hearts Are Like Water
"Ninety-nine eighty-one, eighty-nine seventy-two..."
The tender voice of a child echoed in the low, dark wing, drowning out the sound of rain and snow falling outside the window.
Even the brazier with only a few pieces of charcoal seemed to be encouraged by the childish voice. It managed to cheer up and squeeze out some warmth out of thin air.
Qingniang sat on a low stool by the window, tending to the needlework in her hands and occasionally casting encouraging glances at her son.
But behind that warm and sweet smile, there is always a lingering haze.
At this moment, the creaking of the courtyard door was heard outside, followed by a burst of hurried footsteps.
"Qing Niang, Qing Niang! This is incredible!"
As the footsteps approached rapidly, a high-pitched voice came in through the window, giving Qingniang a startle like thunder.
At this moment, what else could make Madam Zhang lose her composure like this?
Could it be...
General Sun has already met with misfortune? !
Thinking of this possibility, the color that Qingniang had barely maintained on her face disappeared in an instant.
It was no wonder that she thought too much. Ever since the rain and snow mixed together two days ago, rumors that the government troops were trapped in the mountains and completely wiped out had been popping up like dog urine moss.
No matter how much you don't want to believe it, the rumors are becoming more and more true!
Bang!
At this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a middle-aged woman wearing a bamboo hat rushed in from the outside, shouting with joy: "The government troops won a great victory, and I heard that even the mountain barbarians' ancestral graves were dug up!"
When the woman said this, she suddenly saw Qingniang slowly sitting back on the low stool, holding the show frame without saying a word.
The woman immediately changed her mind, closed the door, and stepped forward to persuade him earnestly: "I know you blame him for ruining your chastity - but at least he didn't force us, right? Besides, if it weren't for the name of General Sun protecting us, Qi'er would have..."
She originally wanted to use her own son as an example, but she was afraid that Qingniang would become proud of her achievements and become even more unwilling to fight for the whole family.
So he quickly changed the topic and said, "Qier and all of us have been bullied by those mud-legged people for a long time!"
As she spoke, she snatched the embroidery frame and threw it into the dustpan beside her, urging him: "Hurry up and pack up, change into decent clothes and wait in the old house. At this critical moment, you must not turn your face away from the general!"
In fact, Qingniang was just a little exhausted from the extreme sorrow and joy, but it was not that she was indifferent to the news - after all, she knew better than Zhang what Sun Shaozong meant to the current Li family.
At this time, being pushed and shoved by Zhang, he reluctantly opened the wardrobe and started looking for suitable clothes.
I picked out two coats that were suitable for the snowy scene in the city and was about to take off my old coat and put them on.
Unexpectedly, Zhang seemed to have discovered something extraordinary, and she was fussy and picky, "Sister, your dress is too plain, how can it match General Sun's great victory? Wait a minute, I'll go back to the room and get you a dress!"
After saying this, he did not allow Qingniang to refuse and hurried out of the west wing.
What does the small piece of clothing I am wearing have to do with the great victory of the government army?
Qing Niang sighed helplessly and spread out the coat she was going to change on the bed. She turned around and saw her son's eyes full of curiosity, and she felt extremely ashamed.
She actually dressed up the wild man in front of her son...
"Sister, look at what this is!"
At this moment, Zhang rushed in again and held two pieces of bright red cloth in front of Qingniang as if presenting treasures.
"I asked someone to buy this from the provincial capital. I heard it is a popular item among the nobles in Beijing. If you wear it, you will definitely please General Sun."
It turned out to be this thing...
Seeing her happily shaking out the two thin pieces of clothing, Qingniang felt more and more uncomfortable .
Because she had learned to read since she was young, Qingniang often asked people to collect some travel notes and biographies to kill her spare time. So she recognized at a glance that the item was called "breastplate and thong", which was actually a popular item in brothels in the capital.
She was already a little ashamed, and now that she recognized the origin of the item, she was not willing to wear it in front of her son.
But when he wanted to refuse, facing Zhang's eyes full of expectations, how could he have the courage to embarrass her?
That's all~
After all, I came from a brothel, so using this thing can be seen as remembering my original intention.
Qingniang accepted the breastplate and thong in despair, but was unwilling to change them in front of her son. She asked Madam Li to take her son to the main room to talk to the eldest young master, and only then did she change her clothes in shame and humiliation.
A quarter of an hour later.
Qingniang, with a little makeup on, walked out of the courtyard slowly, step by step. Hearing the endless cheers coming from the street corner, she subconsciously tightened her royal blue cloak, then went the other way and went into a remote alley.
Although she had several layers of clothing on her body, the feeling of the ill-fitting breastplate and thong rubbing against her own flesh always made her feel ashamed of being naked.
But even if they avoided the main road, the sounds of laughter continued to reach their ears.
Just half a day ago, people on the streets were still accusing the government troops of being too ambitious and ostentatious, which led to the loss of troops and humiliation of the country.
Alas~
Thinking of this, Qingniang couldn't help but sigh quietly: I don't know how many times this change in people's hearts will happen in Wuxi City.
Who knew that this faint sigh would come true!
At the end of November in the eleventh year of Guangde, the news that Zutin Nahlan was destroyed by government troops and more than half of the guards stationed by various ethnic groups were killed or injured spread like a plague to every village in the mountains.
Panic, confusion, and anger!
The power generated by these mixed emotions soon united hundreds of villages in the Wuxi River Basin once again.
December 18th.
The coalition forces of the five tribes, totaling more than 26,000 people, met in front of the ruins of Nahlan, falsely claiming to have an army of 80,000, and marched aggressively towards Wuxi City.
December 23rd, evening.
The barbarian coalition forces surrounded Wuxi City from all sides, blocking all escapes.
The people in the city were startled three times a day.
December 24th, morning.
Trumpets blew and drums roared, and hundreds of letters of surrender written in Chinese characters were shot into the city from all directions.
The letter stated that the coalition forces came here only for revenge, and if they were willing to hand over the main culprit within three days, the people and officials would not be harmed; if they were stubborn and insisted on protecting the three-eyed devil, tens of thousands of troops would raze Wuxi City to the ground, leaving no one alive!
Since then, undercurrents have been surging in the city.
December 26th, afternoon.
The wealthy families of the city, such as Zhao, Wu, and Liang, brought hundreds of people to the yamen of the envoy to plead for orders, urging the envoy Luo Zhun to put the people first and temporarily pacify the barbarians...
