Chapter 237: Skills - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 237: Skills

In the city of Ganzhou, after a night of revelry, the Ninth Prince and his soldiers awoke to news brought by the governor of the northwest: a great victory had been achieved in Liangzhou. The Ninth Prince was quite pleased with the accomplishments of Xiao Ji and his nephew.

"Excellent, excellent! My vanguard truly possesses the skills to hold off ten thousand enemies! Issue orders immediately: the central army must set out and reach Liangzhou today to reinforce General Xiao!"

The Ninth Prince's talk of reinforcement was nothing more than an excuse to steal the credit for the victory. Shan Yan understood this well, but fate would not be kind to the prince, for he could not even get there now.

"Your Highness, please remain calm. The stone bridge connecting Ganzhou and Liangzhou was destroyed yesterday. A portion of the Jizhou troops who hadn't yet crossed the Lan River have already returned. I've heard that three thousand soldiers perished due to fire bombs and strong currents. The remaining troops have been led to Liangzhou by Captain Cheng."

"What?!"

"Is there no other way to cross? Can't we use boats?"

Shan Yan shook his head. The Ninth Prince did not understand the local situation, thinking that the stone bridge was just an ordinary one, so Shan Yan explained again.

"The Lan River is several dozen zhang (a Chinese unit of length, approximately 3.3 meters) wide, with treacherous currents beneath. Even the most skilled swimmers cannot guarantee a safe crossing. Furthermore, there are no boats large enough in Ganzhou to carry fifteen thousand soldiers across."

The Ninth Prince was displeased, showing no concern for the three thousand soldiers who had died. Instead, he worried about missing out on the immense credit for the victory in Liangzhou. The thought of being excluded from the success made his mood unpredictable.

"Rebuild the bridge! Lay down a road! Use mud and sand to fill it in! I don't care what methods you use, but the army must cross the Lan River before the northern Huns army is completely defeated, or else you can forget about keeping your head."

Hearing this, Shan Yan felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Rebuilding the stone bridge was not an easy task. Even though the Lan River was not in its flood season, constructing a wooden bridge that could bear the weight of soldiers would still take several days.

Now, he could only hope that the Northern huns would fight slowly and remain stalemated with Liangzhou for a while longer. Otherwise, if the battle ended before the bridge was rebuilt, he would meet his end at the Lan River.

For a moment, Shan Yan wondered why he had stayed behind. He might as well have followed Xiao Mu Qian to Liangzhou. After all, the bridge was destroyed, and it wasn't his fault.

Feeling despair but with no other choice, Shan Yan had to promise to do his best to repair the bridge between the two places.

Thus, although Liangzhou was only a hundred miles away, where flames of war raged, Ganzhou indulged in revelry every night. After all, with the natural barrier in place, their inability to cross the river was seen as "an unavoidable situation."

Several generals who accompanied the Ninth Prince were quick to declare that the destruction of the bridge was heaven's way of protecting His Highness. They cared little for whether the people of Liangzhou might be entirely sacrificed in the far corner of the northwest.

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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com

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The situation in the northwest remained uncertain, but far away in the Eastern Capital, the imperial exams had ended several days ago. Usually, the results were not announced until the end of the month, so these few days were a time for Feng Jinlin and others to relax.

Throughout the Eastern Capital, one could see examinees everywhere enjoying themselves, drinking and feasting. The wealthy ones were in lavish restaurants, while the less fortunate exchanged their calligraphy and paintings for a small bottle of wine and a few buns.

With spring in full bloom, everyone was waiting for the new chapter in their lives to begin.

Meanwhile, Madam Feng was thinking of going to Fahua Temple to offer incense.

"I made a vow earlier that if everything turned out well for our family, I would go to Fahua Temple to fulfill it."

Now that her youngest son's imperial exam was over, she wanted to pray to the temple's deity, asking for Feng Jinlin to achieve high marks. Additionally, she prayed for her husband and elder son's 'illness' to continue improving so that they might return to court around April. For the Feng family, this difficult period seemed to be coming to an end.

"Your sister-in-law is now heavily pregnant and cannot manage the mountain roads. Why don't you ask how Siruo's injury is?"

Feng Jinyao smiled, "Cousin Siruo's injury has long since healed. Just a few days ago, she was eager to visit Mingchi."

"That's good. After what happened, I was worried she wouldn't recover. If she's as lively as before, that's a good thing. When we go, let's take her along. It's good for her to get out."

"Mother, you're right!"

Feng Jinyao didn't even need to think to know that her cousin would be overjoyed.

As expected, Bai Siruo was delighted when she received the news at the Bai residence. The scandal of her attempted elopement had been mostly overshadowed by the imperial exams and the northwest conflict. It was time for her to go out and face the world again.

Though she was sure to hear some unpleasant remarks, there was no escaping the consequences of her own mistakes. If she hid at home for the rest of her life, she might as well have died during the beating.

The words Xiao Mu Qian had said to her before he left were like a magic elixir that rekindled her hope. For the sake of his kindness, she had to pull herself together and not disappoint him.

While her courtyard had brightened up, the third branch of the family was shrouded in dark clouds.

Since being publicly rejected by Wen Mengsheng at the exam site, Bai Sihan had been unable to eat or sleep. She cried herself to sleep every night and had been confined to the house by her uncle and aunt, leaving her in a state of deep despair.

No matter how much Shen Shi tried to comfort her, there was no improvement. For the first time, she began to doubt whether her actions had been the right course.

She had wanted wealth and power, to rise to the top and flaunt her status in front of the Bai family. But if her daughter continued like this, her reputation in the Eastern Capital would only worsen. If the gossip ever reached Qiongzhou, their last refuge would be lost.

Worried, she spoke to Bai Sihan, "Sihan, if things really don't work out, we can go back to Qiongzhou. Your father wrote a few days ago, saying he found several well-mannered young men from good families for you to consider. Let's not aim too high in the Eastern Capital; let's go home and find you a good match."

Hearing this, Bai Sihan cried even harder.

In these few months, she had fallen from a beloved daughter of heaven to someone everyone despised. Her pride had been completely ground down.

If she returned now, it would feel like fleeing in disgrace. But staying here, she saw no way forward.

The Bai family had clearly abandoned her, and given their current reputation, any good family would likely look down on her. If she delayed much longer, she would only grow older, making it even harder to find a good match.

But the thought of going back made her feel even more miserable, as a spark of hope still burned in her heart.

"Mother, am I really so worthless? Am I truly looked down upon by the aristocracy, the nobility, even Wen Mengsheng, whom I held so dear? Doesn't anyone in the world care about a person's abilities?"

When Bai Sihan mentioned 'abilities,' Shen Shi felt her anger rise.