Entering the twelfth lunar month, the New Year drew near, but the atmosphere in the capital was not as in the past.
A gust of cold wind blew by, scattering a few snowflakes, and the pedestrians on the street immediately quickened their pace.
Ning Yunzhao put on his hood and stretched out his hand to gently block a passerby who was walking fast with his head down, about to run into him.
Behind him, Ning Yan's face was hidden in the hood, concealing his expression.
They did not return home, but instead entered a tea house, with thick straw curtains hanging on all sides. A large pot on the stove was boiling tea soup, making the simple tea house warm and steamy.
There were not many customers, and seeing Ning Yunzhao approaching, the tea house's owner busily cleared out a spot by the river at the innermost part of the tea house.
"Lord Xiao Ning, the same as usual?" he asked in a low voice.
In the past, people used to address him as Noble Son Ning, but the title Lord Xiao Ning had only been used for a few months. However, neither the one addressing nor the one being addressed seemed to feel uncomfortable with it.
Ning Yunzhao nodded with a smile.
Steaming tea soup and a basket of steamed dumplings were brought over, and the owner retreated, continuing to prepare tea soup while vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
"Uncle, have some hot tea." Ning Yunzhao handed the tea soup to Ning Yan.
Taking off his hood, Ning Yan revealed a somewhat haggard face. He took a sip of the tea, and the stiffness of his face relaxed slightly.
"No news is good news," he said. "As long as the defenses in the northern lands are secure, His Majesty can enjoy a peaceful New Year."
Ning Yunzhao slowly chewed on a steamed dumpling that he had placed in his mouth.
"That's not necessarily the case," he replied. "Good news or bad news, it's all just what people say."
Ning Yan gave him a look.
"I understand what you mean, a person's words can turn black into white, but in the clear and bright universe, victory or defeat, traitor or loyalist, aside from hearing and speaking, we also have eyes to see," he said. "Kaide Prefecture has been stabilized, and the Jurchen people haven't broken through our defenses since then. In several battles, we have always been victorious, so even Huang Cheng and his officials must weigh their words carefully."
When Kaide Prefecture was mentioned, Ning Yunzhao smiled.
"Uncle, guess who did it?" he asked in a low voice.
Ning Yan glared at him.
"What needs to be said is not said; as for what shouldn't be said, you don't need to mention it either," he said.
Ning Yunzhao quietly picked up his tea soup and said no more.
Nowadays, the court was constantly in turmoil due to the war, but Ning Yunzhao, as Ning Yan's nephew, had always remained silent, not even lobbying other officials in private, simply attending the Grand Court when needed, and the rest of the time dutifully copying documents and organizing files at his post.
"Fathers and sons go into battle, brothers fight tigers together," but for Ning Yunzhao's approach, many officials ridiculed him in private, thinking that Ning Yunzhao did not want to leave the capital.
He was wise to himself; if a new top scholar dared to make sudden moves, they would first get him out of the capital to gain some insight, Huang Cheng's officials even openly threatened without any reservations.
As for Ning Yunzhao's approach, Ning Yan did not mind. In fact, if Ning Yunzhao really wanted to help, he would discourage it.
After all, being new to the officialdom and without understanding of anything, engaging in debate would not only fail to convince others but could also lead to being criticized as frivolous.
However, Ning Yunzhao had never expressed the intention to intervene, leaving Ning Yan somewhat puzzled. He thought that at the very least Ning Yunzhao would ask about it.
It's not that he considered his nephew cold and heartless. This nephew had always had his own opinions since childhood, but it was unclear what he was thinking.
"I haven't been thinking about anything," Ning Yunzhao said. "It's just that half a sentence more is too much when words don't resonate."
Ning Yan's brow furrowed.
Words not resonating – not resonating with whom? With the emperor?
"Nonsense," he said in a low voice. "Are these the words of a loyal subject? Not to mention being a subject, what is the purpose of reading the sages? It is to understand principles, to distinguish right from wrong, and to enlighten and teach. If words don't resonate, should one simply stop speaking the truths that need to be said?"
Ning Yunzhao promptly became more serious and agreed.
"That's why I'm not as good as you, Uncle," he added.
With such a righteous admission, what more could be said? Ning Yan glanced at him sharply, shoved a steamed dumpling into his mouth, but before he could chew twice, an attendant rushed in, lifting the curtain, too urgent to greet Ning Yunzhao, whispering a few words into Ning Yan's ear.
Ning Yan looked surprised.
"Really?" he asked.
The attendant nodded.
Ning Yan put down his chopsticks and stood up.
"I need to go to the government office," he said, hesitating for a moment but decided not to tell Ning Yunzhao what it was about, "Tell your aunt I won't be coming home tonight."
Ning Yunzhao stood up to see him off, agreeing without asking what the matter was, and watched Ning Yan hurry away.
Night fell, and the snow grew heavier. Around the tea house, two dimly lit lanterns danced in the wind.
"Seeing the joy in the old master's eyes, it must be good news," Xiaoding said in a low voice.
Ning Yunzhao sat down and watched the snowflakes dancing on the river, smiling.
"There can't be any good news," he said softly.
...............…
"Good news."
Wearing a thick hat with his ears covered, the shopkeeper of De Sheng Chang in Qingyuan called out excitedly as soon as he saw Miss Jun and her company step through the door.
Miss Jun dismounted her horse, wrapped in a thick cloak, and responded with an "Oh?"
"What good news?" she asked.
The shopkeeper was just about to speak when his gaze fell behind Miss Jun, causing him to pause momentarily.
Besides the usual dozen or so men, there was an additional girl following behind Miss Jun.
The girl was wrapped in a cloak, and even her face was covered, appearing quite frail as she tightly clung to Miss Jun's sleeve.
She must be one of the mountain folks from Zhangqing Mountain, right?
Should he ask her to sit in the next room with those men, or...?
Miss Jun had already pulled the girl into the room with her, while unwrapping her own cloak.
"Hanqing, would you like some tea?" she asked.
The shopkeeper now understood and couldn't help but take another surprised look at the girl, who noticed his gaze with acute sensitivity and seemed to be a bit scared as she hid behind Miss Jun.
Miss Jun patted her.
Country girls are shy, the shopkeeper thought and immediately stopped staring at her, nonchalantly instructing the young waiter to serve tea.
"The good news is that the Jurchen people want to have peace talks with us," he said, not minding the presence of an unfamiliar girl in the room.
Since Miss Jun brought this girl with her, it meant there was no need to keep anything secret from her.
Peace talks?
"Really?" Miss Jun inquired.
The shopkeeper nodded with a smile on his face.
"Absolutely true, it's the latest news from the northern lands," he said, twirling his beard with a bit of pride, "I've always said that no good could come from opposing the Duke of Chengguo. In the end, they have to surrender and admit defeat shamefully, why all the hassle?"
If they really wanted to negotiate peace and admit defeat, that wouldn't be bad at all.
Miss Jun fell silent for a moment.
"Then everyone can have a good year ahead," she said.
"Yes, indeed," said the shopkeeper, glancing at the snow outside, "A heavy snow promises a bountiful year, if everything settles down early, it won't delay the spring planting."
It sounded very good, but thinking back on the way the war had unfolded until now, it all seemed a bit too theatrical.
"It's all thanks to the strength of the Duke of Chengguo," the shopkeeper added, "They couldn't gain any advantage and couldn't hold out, so they had no choice but to engage in peace talks and surrender."
"The Duke of Chengguo is formidable, we know that, but don't those who have crossed swords with him many times also know it?" Miss Jun contended, "To declare war so hastily, and then immediately talk of peace? It all seems a bit too playful."
"Who knows what they're thinking," said the shopkeeper.
"I think there's more to it than meets the eye," Miss Jun remarked, "Keep an eye on this matter."
The shopkeeper responded affirmatively.
............….
The land was covered in a blanket of white following the snow.
"So Qingyuan Prefecture is this big," Zhao Hanqing said as she rode back from the front.
"Qingyuan Prefecture isn't considered big," Miss Jun said with a smile, "There are even bigger places, I'll take you to see them sometime."
Zhao Hanqing's eyes curled into a smile.
"What about those bandits you mentioned?" she asked.
Lei Zhonglian, walking alongside, chuckled.
"Miss Zhao, running into bandits depends on luck," he said, "Bandits have nearly vanished in our Qingyuan Prefecture."
No sooner had he finished speaking then they heard a clamor up ahead, accompanied by screams and the whinnying of horses.
"Kill!"
There were also cries for killing.
Kill! Kill?!
Miss Jun looked at Zhao Hanqing and smiled.
"You're quite lucky," she said.