The Road to Glory

Chapter 75: Living Up to Expectations

When Xiao Li was awakened, his consciousness remained hazy, and his neck ached terribly.

A young soldier he didn't recognize stood before him, holding a bowl of steaming medicinal brew, respectfully saying, "Commandant Xiao, please drink this medicine and rest on the military cot in the side tent. You can't properly recover like this.Seeing the shabby military tent and the unfolded river map on the desk, Xiao Li finally remembered where he was. He raised a hand to rub his sore neck and sat up, asking, "How's the breach in the embankment?"

As he moved, a silver-gray cloak draped over him slipped to the ground.

"Deputy General Tan Yi is overseeing it. Once General Fan's team finishes digging the diversion channel, the repaired breach should hold until the floodwaters fully recede. Then we can conduct more detailed repairs," the soldier replied.

Hearing the embankment was secure, the tension in Xiao Li's mind eased slightly. He picked up the cloak and asked, "General Fan's?"

But as his fingers touched the fabric, he sensed something amiss—the material was too fine and soft for something Fan Yuan would typically use.

The soldier looked equally puzzled by the cloak, scratching his head as he said, "I'm not sure, sir. When I came in, the cloak was already covering you."

Since the military camp was full of rough men, Xiao Li assumed it must belong to either Fan Yuan or Tan Yi and didn't think much of it. "Probably Old Fan's," he remarked.

Having been drenched in rain for two days and nights without sleep, his head throbbed dully after dozing off in the chair. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stood up and said, "I'm going to lie down for a bit."

The soldier quickly called out, "Commandant Xiao, drink the cold-dispelling medicine before you rest!"

His soaked clothes, dried by body heat, still clung uncomfortably to his skin. Xiao Li tugged at his collar and said, "As usual, distribute my portion to the other soldiers."

The soldier hurriedly explained, "We have sufficient medicinal supplies now! All the soldiers can receive their share!"

Xiao Li paused mid-step and turned his head to ask, "Did Pingzhou send more herbs?"

The soldier nodded cheerfully. "Not just herbs! When the Commandery Princess heard from Deputy General Tan that we discovered the breach while rushing to aid the landslide village and managed to seal it in time, preventing nearby villages from flooding, she doubled this month's pay for our Western Second Battalion brothers!"

Xiao Li's weary eyes suddenly lifted, sharp and intense. "The Commandery Princess was here?"

The soldier felt Xiao Li's presence shift instantly, the pressure around him intensifying. Stumbling over his words, he replied, "Y-yes... She came to see General Fan, but he was inspecting the downstream river channel. The Commandery Princess waited awhile until someone from the government office arrived, seemingly with urgent business. After reviewing the river map and asking Deputy General Tan about the repair progress, she left."

Xiao Li glanced at the cloak again and suddenly realized something. He demanded, "How long ago did she leave?"

The soldier hesitated before understanding he meant Wen Yu. "A while ago. Before leaving, the Commandery Princess specifically instructed us to brew cold-dispelling medicine for all brothers who hadn't received any in the past two days!"

By the time he finished speaking, Xiao Li had already flung the tent flap open and rushed out. The soldier called after him, "Commandant Xiao, where are you going?"

But there was no one outside the tent.

After the heavy rain, the rugged official roads outside the city were thick with mud. Xiao Li sprinted all the way, climbing a nearby hillock in the encampment area. All he could see in the distance was a tiny, ant-like convoy of carriages disappearing among the overlapping mountains.He leaned against a tree, panting as he stared at the convoy that appeared as small as black dots in the distance.

The official road was muddy, and the carriage jolted unsteadily. The camel bells hanging from the eaves of the carriage chimed softly along the way.

Zhao Bai held a memorial that had just been urgently delivered from the government office. After reading one aloud to Wen Yu, she said, "The Southern Chen is moving quickly. Their newly appointed envoy has already arrived at Hundred Blades Pass, awaiting your permission to enter and present himself."

Wen Yu leaned against the carriage wall, eyes closed as she rested. "For Southern Chen, this heavy rain has come at the right time. If the floods submerge the spring plowing fields of several counties, it won’t just affect this year’s autumn harvest. Even just relocating the disaster victims would stretch us thin right now. How could we afford to completely antagonize Southern Chen?"

The devastation and calamity brought by natural disasters were no less severe than those of war.

In the past, when floods struck south of the Wei River, the court had to expend vast resources and funds on flood control and disaster relief. If the year’s harvest failed, they would still need to allocate grain from other prefectures in the autumn to survive the famine.

Now, with only Pingzhou and Tao County remaining, if Pingzhou’s farmland suffered widespread flooding, relying solely on Tao County would make it impossible to secure enough grain or funds to manage the crisis.

This was precisely why she had urgently summoned all her ministers upon hearing that the heavy rains had caused landslides in many villages that night.

It could be said that every faction was watching Pingzhou closely, eager to seize the opportunity to take a bite out of them.

Zhao Bai cursed, "Their calculations are truly shrewd!"

"Fortunately, the military camp acted swiftly on flood prevention. During the heaviest downpour, they continuously patrolled the Shao River and managed to block the breached embankment, preventing the floodwaters from reaching the downstream villages."

At this point, she couldn’t help but recall Xiao Li, whom she had seen exhausted and asleep in a military tent at the flood control front.

She had previously held many grievances against Xiao Li, but with the imminent confrontation with Southern Chen, she had witnessed all his efforts.

He had played a crucial role in capturing the gates of Tao County and had devised the only strategy to secure victory in the mock battle with Southern Chen.

When the heavy rains came and the Shao River nearly burst its banks, causing a flood disaster, it was he who led his soldiers, working tirelessly without rest on the front lines.

Zhao Bai had once thought that perhaps the scoundrel was leveraging his contributions to pressure the Princess into compliance.

But now, it seemed he was also giving his all to make the Princess’s path smoother.

Hesitantly, she stole a glance at Wen Yu.

The way the Princess had looked at that man outside the tent today was truly unlike her usual self. Moreover, she had even left her own cloak with him...

Perhaps she had been lost in thought for too long, staring at Wen Yu unconsciously. Wen Yu, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked at her, asking, "What is it?"

A subordinate had no right to inquire about her master’s private affairs. Zhao Bai quickly averted her gaze, sitting up straight. "It’s nothing."

The carriage suddenly came to a halt. The voice of the guard captain came from outside: "Princess, there are about a hundred villagers blocking the road."

Hearing this, Zhao Bai lifted the carriage curtain slightly and peered out. On both sides of the muddy official road stood many farmers in tattered clothes, their faces sallow. They looked both fearful and hopeful as they watched the convoy.

Zhao Bai remained vigilant, wary of potential assassins hiding among them. Her eyes scanned each face carefully, her thumb pressing against the scabbard, ready to draw her blade halfway.

Wen Yu remained calm, her dark lashes lifting as she instructed, "Go and ask what the matter is. Be polite."The captain of the guards quickly accepted the order and left. Before long, he returned to report, "Princess, these people are villagers from the vicinity of Majiazhuang and Wangzhuang. They heard that Your Highness would pass through this area today while traveling by carriage out of the city and specially waited here to thank you for dispatching troops to reinforce the embankments and dredge the floodwaters, thereby saving their villages, fields, and homes."

Wen Yu was momentarily taken aback by this explanation, then lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out, bowing slightly as she descended.

The villagers were held back by the guards several yards away. When they saw Wen Yu emerge and recognized her status from her attire, their timid and reserved faces lit up with even greater hope and joy, gazing at her as if beholding a deity.

A young child whispered, "Mother, is that Princess Hanyang? She's so beautiful!"

A woman in patched clothing quietly pulled the child closer to her, bowing her head to signal silence.

The child dared not ask further but continued to gaze wide-eyed toward the carriage.

Since arriving in Pingzhou, Wen Yu had been so busy she felt as if she were being torn in two, rarely even stepping outside her residence, let alone having the time to observe the conditions of the common people. Seeing these villagers dressed in coarse hemp clothes and worn straw sandals now, she felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.

She looked earnestly at each of their faces and said, "Fellow villagers, please return home. The Great Liang is plagued by deep-rooted ills, the court is mired in corruption, and the land has fallen into such ruin that I feel ashamed. Having come to Pingzhou, I am fortunate to have your unwavering support. Reinforcing the embankments and dredging the floodwaters were merely my duty, and I do not deserve your gratitude."

An elderly man with white hair and a frail appearance spoke up, "Princess, please do not say that. This old man knows little of grand principles, but as farmers, our lives depend on the land. When the heavens send torrential rains and floods to drown us, we can only resign ourselves to fate. But when the Shaobe River's embankments were breached, you still sent soldiers to plug the gap for two days and nights in the storm and evacuated our entire village to safety. The kindness you have shown us, we will always remember."

A woman added, "My husband went with the soldiers to dig trenches. When he returned, he said that at the Military Camp, the medicine to prevent colds was distributed first to us commoners, so many soldiers didn't get any!"

The villagers chimed in one after another, "That's right! I saw it with my own eyes at the relief shelter—those soldiers worked in the rain to reinforce the embankments and dig trenches, and when they didn't get the cold medicine, they developed fevers and had to be carried to the physicians for treatment."

"The previous emperor was the previous emperor, but you, Princess, are you!"

For a long moment, Wen Yu was at a loss for words. Finally, she bowed deeply to the villagers before retreating back into the carriage.

Zhao Bai was initially delighted to see Wen Yu so warmly supported by the people. But noticing that she kept her eyes closed after returning to the carriage, she hesitated to speak.

As the carriage continued on its way, they could still hear the villagers calling out to Wen Yu from outside.

Studying Wen Yu's expression, Zhao Bai ventured cautiously, "Princess, you seem displeased?"

After a moment's thought, she realized that Chen Wei, the local magistrate of Pingzhou, was in charge of the relief efforts. The villagers' profound gratitude toward Wen Yu likely owed much to Chen Wei's efforts behind the scenes.

After all, at such a critical time, both grain and medicine were precious commodities. In previous court-led relief efforts, unless there was a major epidemic, medicine was rarely distributed. Yet this time, Wen Yu had sent a considerable amount of cold medicine to the relief shelters, ensuring that all afflicted commoners could receive treatment.

When Li Yao learned of her decision, he had even felt that the medicine was not being used where it was most needed.Chen Wei and Li Xun were both well-versed in the ways of officialdom. Using Wen Yu's medicine distribution initiative to help her accumulate as much public prestige as possible was not difficult.

Yet this was a good thing—why did the lady appear troubled?

"No, I am pleased." After keeping her eyes closed for a long while, Wen Yu finally opened them at this moment.

The wind rustled the carriage curtains, faintly revealing the common people still standing on the official road behind them.

She glanced back and said, "That is precisely why we must not fail them."