They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Chapter 339 Newcomers

Such a vague description sounded to Wu Ziyan as if it hadn't said anything at all.

Well, these three men don't really know much about their mother, or perhaps they can't reveal it because they're marching on the border.

Asking them is pointless; we can only deal with whatever comes our way.

But she felt that she probably didn't have a good impression on them.

That deeply ingrained image of corruption must have become infamous.

Furthermore, the empress's intention to weaken them only made them dislike her even more.

Suddenly, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and bowed three times in the air. Chu Qiu frowned, wondering what she was doing.

"May my great-aunt and great-great-aunt bless me, and may my future mother-in-law be an easy person to get along with."

Don't have too high hopes.

Chu Qiu poured cold water on her, saying that even Chu Qiu said so, which meant that their mother was indeed not easy to get along with.

祁阳

When Situ Chufeng saw the letter written by Wu Ziyan, she realized that she actually quite liked the Fourth Prince from the bottom of her heart.

It wasn't because she saved Chu Qiu, but because her personality was actually quite similar to that of the Crown Prince.

However, in her letter, besides writing about Chu Yu and Qi Zexuan, she also gave some pointers to Chu Qiu.

Chu Qiu was their mother's most precious son, even though he also went to the battlefield.

It's obvious that she treats them differently from her three daughters, though it's not necessarily a matter of differing preferences.

I just felt that he might have been wronged in some ways.

She was struggling with how to explain it to his mother.

Situ Hongyu had always had a very bad impression of Wu Ziyan, mainly because her infamy had spread far and wide.

Even people at the border know.

They would joke about the dragon having nine sons from time to time, but since the emperor was far away, they wouldn't know.

"Wind, what are you looking at?" Situ Hongyu lifted the tent flap and walked in, his voice booming.

"Oh, it's my third sister and the others who are coming, along with the Fourth Prince and my fourth brother."

"Which Fourth Prince? You mean that little pumpkin?"

"Mother, please don't say that. After all, she saved Fourth Brother in the court."

"All members of the Wu family are the same, except for the eldest prince who is a little better; the rest are all the same."

"Mother, I only ask that if the Fourth Prince comes, you must not make things difficult for her, and my fourth brother also belongs to her."

"You mean Chu Qiu! He's after that little rascal! Is my son, Situ Hongyu, out of his mind? To like such a coward!"

"Mother!"

"I don't care, I don't care who the Heavenly King or the Emperor is, I'm here guarding the border."

"If Wu Mingkong still suspects me, how good can her offspring be?"

"I'm afraid they're here to spy on me, and maybe they're just using Chu Qiu too!"

Chu Feng's forehead was covered in sweat; despite the freezing weather, she had managed to make him drenched in sweat.

Fortunately, the people on the border are all our own. If outsiders heard this, it would probably be more than just a matter of weakening them.

"Please, Mother, be careful what you say!" She clasped her hands together, almost kneeling down.

"What are you afraid of? Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up. When that little devil comes, if she can get past me, it's not impossible for Chu Qiu to be with her."

This put Chu Feng in a difficult position. Who could get past her mother's hurdles? Was her fourth brother's love life going to end just like that?

She had no choice but to wait in Qiyang, anxiously worrying about Wu Ziyan.

Wu Ziyan and his group quickly arrived at the border city from the main city. Once they passed that pass, they would return to the territory of the Wu Dynasty.

However, the journey towards Wuchao became increasingly difficult. Even though there were several layers of soft cushions on the carriage, the situation was challenging.

Even with a wool blanket draped over her legs, Wu Ziyan still couldn't stop her hands and feet from feeling cold.

Chu Qiu noticed that Wu Ziyan's complexion seemed to be getting worse and worse, and asked her with her eyes what was wrong.

Wu Ziyan waved his hand, not wanting to admit that his buttocks were numb from the cold.

She placed her hand on Chu Qiu's hand and patted it, only to find that his hand was unusually warm, and her eyes were filled with shock.

Even though the outside temperature is the same, how does he keep it so warm and dry?

Why are Your Highness's hands so cold?

"It's because you're sitting too far away from me. If you come over and hug me, I might warm up."

"Your Highness, I'd better go and get you a few hot water bottles."

"The hot water bottle will get cold, but you won't. Come here."

Chu Qiu was pulled forcefully by Wu Ziyan, but she didn't move an inch; he didn't move, but she did.

She bent over and ran directly to Chu Qiu's side to sit down. She sat down comfortably and even put her legs on him.

Fortunately, the carriage was moving slowly, otherwise, given her posture, she would have been thrown to the ground in a few moments.

Chu Qiu was afraid she would fall to the ground, so he quickly put his right arm around her shoulder, through the thick cloak.

You could feel that her body seemed to have no temperature, after all, there was only a layer of cold air on her cloak.

Wu Ziyan placed his hands in the warmest places possible, under his armpits.

He dragged his shoes on the ground and stepped on his thighs. What kind of behavior would that be if people outside saw this?

However, he was in no mood to think about it now; he only felt that her body was cold and that she kept leaning against him.

He took one of her hands and rubbed it; it was red, and her hand would probably get frostbite before they even reached Rongyang.

Indeed, this was Wu Ziyan's first long trip, and it happened in the winter when it was about to snow.

Perhaps in the past, at this time of year, she would stay in her room, tending to several stoves.

Wu Ziyan felt waves of warmth spreading through her body, her trembling stopped, and she felt much more energetic.

But one human heater isn't enough; several hot water bottles are needed to hold you.

But she seemed a bit too pretentious. Chu Qiu saw through her thoughts: why was she so concerned about saving face at a time like this?

He simply lifted a corner of the thick curtain and said to the horse driver outside, "I need several hot water bottles, thank you for your trouble."

It seems less embarrassing when a man says such things.

He grew up in this environment almost from childhood, so he has a certain resistance to the cold.

"Thank you, Chu Qiu, I love you to death!"

As she spoke, she snuggled closer to him, curled up her legs, and removed all the hairpins from her head.

She now wished she could cover her head completely with a cloak.

Why is Your Highness so afraid of the cold?

"Maybe I have a naturally cold constitution and can't stand this kind of cold air."

"I'll make you some red date and ginger soup when you get through customs."

At this moment, several hot water bottles were brought in from outside and applied to Wu Ziyan's chest and back.

They each put one in their arms, and the other in Chu Qiu's arms, so that neither of them would get cold.

Sure enough, one shouldn't let their back get cold. Once the back is warm, the whole person feels relaxed. Wu Ziyan leaned his head against Chu Qiu's shoulder.

"It's not just me who needs to drink; everyone needs to drink some, because in this cold weather, catching a cold can be fatal if it gets serious."

"That's what His Highness said."

The carriage swayed and rocked as it reached the border. Crossing the border would take some time, so they all got out to stretch their legs.

It seems that Wu Ziyan isn't the only one who's cold; she's just colder than the others.

After getting off the bus, the group gathered together. Wu Ziyan and Xiao Yue'er seemed to be the same age.

I breathed out cold air, watching the breath turn white in front of my eyes, laughing out loud as I did so.

The sky was dark and gloomy, and it looked like there was going to be a snowstorm; it was the day when it was supposed to snow.

It's just a little warmer here in Xiaorong. I guess further back, there are places where it's already snowing.

"Chu Ling, was Rongyang this cold when you arrived?" Wu Ziyan asked.

Chu Ling was as cold as the weather. Her joints, face, and nose were red from the cold from riding the horse. She nodded and said, "It's probably been snowing for the past few days."

Wu Ziyan also felt sorry for them riding horses outside, wondering why they didn't wear gloves.

And this is still within the territory of Xiao Rong, where they must produce a lot of those cashmere hand warmers, so there's no reason why riding a horse would cause frostbite to the hands.

"We'll probably have to wait a while to get through customs. Let's go to a nearby clothing store and buy some cashmere hand warmers. Our hands will definitely get frostbite from riding a horse."

After Wu Ziyan spoke with Chu Ling, he and several men walked to one side. He remembered that there was a clothing shop on the way here, and it was not far from the pass.

When they arrived at the shop entrance, there was a thick curtain hanging there to keep the heat inside from escaping. Lifting the curtain, they were enveloped in a warm embrace.

The owner was also dozing off in the warm room, and only sat up from his chair when he heard a noise.

What would you like to order, gentlemen?

"Take as many of your best cashmere hand warmers as you have here."

"Sir, we have about a hundred pairs of our best cashmere hand warmers. Are you sure you want them all?"

"Besides the best, what about the next best?"

"This junior wouldn't dare to lie to the boss. He still has at least six or seven hundred cotton and linen quilted hand warmers from last year."

"Just get me 1000 sets, that's all you have!"

Fang Yuerong and the other men standing nearby were dumbfounded. What did 1000 hand cages even mean? That would require a whole truckload to transport them!

"By the way, do you make cashmere vests here?"

The boss's eyes lit up with joy. What a lucky customer! He was so happy to have found such a great client.

He was almost willing to agree to let him stay for two days; they would have quickly hired people to finish the work.

"Yes, we can make them, but there aren't many, because almost every household in Xiaorong has sheep."

"Can it hold enough for 1000 items?"

"I'll get it for you from another shop, okay, boss?"

"Sure, but we need to be quick. How much silver do all of these cost in total?"

The shopkeeper really thought about it for a moment, counting on his fingers: "I'll take ten gold coins from you, is that alright?"

"Row!"

Ten gold coins were nothing to her. She thought to herself, "Sure enough, you have to find the source when it comes to wholesale."

Once it has been resold several times, who knows how much it will fetch in the capital?

After a while, it was almost their turn to leave the city.

Then I saw them coming back on a cart, pulling a cart full of tightly packed goods!

The others who followed were stunned. They were just going to buy a few hand cages, but they had bought out the entire store.

Wu Ziyan had the handcuffs and vests divided up, leaving the remaining 1000 in a bundle.

She left everything untouched in the back of the vehicle; the soldiers on the border were so cold, and this was all she could do.

Sure enough, cashmere is different. Wu Ziyan also put on a pair of lambskin gloves and a thick cashmere coat. It wasn't pretty, but it was warm.

Sitting in the car felt as warm as being covered with a blanket.

The other men received the same treatment, because she couldn't let them freeze!

However, it seemed that none of them were afraid of the cold; they just had a few more wool blankets piled up in the car.

Even with so many layers of clothing, they were still sweating profusely.

Wu Ziyan still rode in the same carriage as Chu Qiu, not for any other reason.

They were just chatting casually, trying to glean other useful information about Situ Hongyu from the conversation.

After several rounds of back-and-forth, no useful information was found at all.

It seems they all have a certain respect for their mothers, but don't really understand them.

He had no other choice; three of his four children were here, so he had to let Chu Yu get on the bus as well.

As soon as Chu Yu arrived, Qi Zexuan followed, making the originally large carriage seem somewhat crowded.

The main problem is that Wu Ziyan is too small compared to them; he looks like a quail in the middle.

"Qi Zexuan, what are you doing in the car?"

"Where is my wife? Of course I am. Besides, we've already left the pass and are within the territory of your Wu Dynasty."

Chu Yu was also worried; "I'll be out there all alone." The man looked at Chu Yu with a questioning gaze: "You agree, don't you?"

"Yes, Your Highness, you can ask us anything in front of both of us."

At first glance, it seemed that Qi Zexuan was a good fit here, as he could serve as an advisor, especially since it was his first time meeting his mother-in-law.

"Chu Yu, I'd like to ask what kind of person your mother is? What does she like?"

Qi Zexuan also pricked up his ears to listen, after all, he also wanted to know.

There was a long silence inside the carriage. Chu Yu thought for a while, then looked at Chu Qiu and asked, "Do you like killing enemies?"

"Don't many people on the border like to drink alcohol or something?"

"Did you ever warn us that drinking leads to trouble?"

Alright, it's not like Wu Ziyan can just go outside and capture a few enemies for her to kill.

Then let's buy some strong liquor and raw mutton in Rongyang, and treat the soldiers on the border to a good meal.

"Does Your Highness have any further questions?"

She shook her head, thinking seriously. Her children all had a strict impression of her.

He certainly seemed to be a stern and unsmiling general, with no particular hobbies or preferences, meaning he never revealed them to outsiders.

Indeed, she is the backbone of these border soldiers. If she were addicted to alcohol and gambling, and lazy, how could the border be peaceful!

"I hope General Situ won't make things too difficult for me then."

At this moment, Chu Qiu and Chu Yu exchanged a glance and shook their heads at the same time. Their mother was quite adept at making things difficult for people.

And her words weren't very pleasant; I don't know if she could handle it.

"Will my mother like me? I've never met her before. What if she doesn't like me?"

"Don't worry, Zexuan, your mother will definitely like you."

Wu Ziyan found it hard to believe that they were so tolerant of a foreigner, but not of her?

Chu Qiu seemed to see her confusion: "Your mother is actually very strict with women, but once you gain her approval, she will treat you very well."

"Of course, that's on the condition that you get her approval," Chu Yu added solemnly from the side.

Wu Ziyan forced a smile, but he had a plan. Even if she didn't approve, he could start by working on the soldiers around her.