Chapter 590: Battle Preparations
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Miao Zhizhi was thrilled when everyone agreed. The following day, she and her husband started preparing to expand their business elsewhere.
Since the cured meats store was on the right track, Old Master Su and Old Madam Su could help look after it while the younger couple went to other places to check things out.
Su Fengchen could ask Su Wenwu for his opinion regarding this matter. After all, Su Wenwu had opened two more hotpot restaurants in the county. Su Wenwu could also help his uncle scout the land.
Ultimately, Su Fengchen and Miao Zhizhi decided to open one of their stores next to one of Su Wenwu’s hotpot restaurants in the county. The young couple took a few more days setting up another store in another town.
They kept their decor straightforward and did not want it to be as complicated as the hotpot restaurants. They were content as long as they had shelves. Moreover, they did not want their store to be too big.
Finally, the younger couple would hire people to look after their new shops and deliver goods daily.
Time passed slowly, but before Lan Ruozhu knew it, he had been living with the Su family for a month. As usual, he read the news and information he received from his subordinates daily.
Lan Ruozhu’s eyes widened when he read a particular message. Blue Eagle noticed his master’s expression and guessed what the news was.
“Chu Feifeng is secretly gathering an army?” Lan Ruozhu mumbled.
Chu Feifeng was King Jian of Jianzhou, the son of Emperor Chu Gujian, and the brother of the crown prince.
Chu Feifeng was loyal to his brother, the crown prince, and had a good relationship with him on the surface, but in reality, he secretly plotted something.
He did not want to be subject to his brother in the future, so he wanted to take the emperor’s throne for himself. Therefore, Chu Feifeng grew increasingly restless.
“Master, will they attack Dingzhou?”
Lan Ruozhu revealed a cold smile. “That’s good. Now 1 have a reason to annex
Jianzhou. The army my sister trained back then is starting to get restless, so it’s perfect to let them go and hone their skills.”
He, too, had a secret army that he and his sister had trained. It was his hidden strength and trump card, and Lan Ruobing was the one who told them to protect her brother.
The siblings had hidden these forces in the dark, and no one knew about them. Nonetheless, Lan Ruozhu was itching to use them at this critical moment.
Although he was not in good health and had many concerns when doing things in the past, there was no longer a need to worry now. He would retaliate without hesitation if others wanted to threaten or attack him.
Lan Ruozhu had reunited with his long-lost sister and wanted to fight to protect her. Moreover, they were in Dingzhou, and he wanted to protect the land for her.
Of course, his end goal was not only Dingzhou but also the emperor’s position. From what Lan Ruozhu experienced, he understood that he could only protect people if he had the most power and sat in the highest position.
Blue Eagle’s heart trembled since his master had always been reluctant to use the army Princess Lan Ruobing had left for him.
‘Master always kept that army safe because he didn’t want them to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield. Now that Master has reunited with Princess Lan, his thoughts and demeanor have changed.’
Besides the secret army, Lan Ruozhu also intended to use the tens of thousands of men he had prepared. Those tens of thousands of people were elite forces that belonged to the deceased royal’s palace.
Moreover, Lan Ruozhu had trusted generals by his side. He would not be afraid even if Chu Feifeng were to attack. Instead, he finally found a reason to retaliate and annex Jianzhou. After all, it would be a fair fight.
In addition, the emperor was severely ill, and the Imperial Court was in shambles. Neither the emperor nor the crown prince had the energy to manage the provinces’ affairs.
All of these states were fighting, and many provinces had gotten annexed. The entire Chu Countrys power was divided. Chu Feifeng had already annexed the province and some land, so he likely planned to attack Dingzhou next.
Blue Eagle remained silent because he knew he only needed to listen to orders. After all, his master had already made plans and arrangements.
“Blue Eagle,” Lan Ruozhu said with rapt attention, “tell everyone to prepare for battle, but don’t act without my orders.”
“Yes, Master.”
Lan Ruozhu gave Blue Eagle some instructions and immediately began worrying about Su Binglan. After all, the battles outside were becoming increasingly intense.
It was perilous out there, and he did not know how his sister was doing.
‘It’s been a month, and my sister has yet to return.’ With that thought in mind, he suddenly heard something. ‘Was that an eagle?’
He left the house and saw an eagle circling the sky. Lan Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat, and the eagle slowly flew downward after seeing Lan Ruozhu.
The Shadow Guards looked at the eagle and pointed their swords at it. The eagle looked at the swords and cawed at Lan Ruozhu before releasing a headband it had in its mouth.
Lan Ruozhu looked at the headband and quickly recognized it. He knew it belonged to his sister. “Blue One, stop. It should be information from my sister.”
He knew eagles could send messages and that they were better than pigeons. However, eagles were rare, and only a few could train them to deliver letters.
Still, Lan Ruozhu knew his sister’s capabilities.
‘There’s nothing she can’t do.’
Lan Ruozhu waved at the eagle after Blue One left.
The eagle hovering in the sky landed on his shoulder and stretched one of its claws, signaling for Lan Ruozhu to read the letter.
Lan Ruozhu smiled when he saw the eagle’s actions. “My sister must’ve sent you here.”
He stroked the eagle’s feathers as he spoke. The eagle understood him and nodded. Lan Ruozhu removed the letter from the eagle’s claws, and his expression changed when he saw its contents.
He quickly wrote a reply and tied it to the eagle’s claw. Then he fed it and said, “Please send the letter to her.’
The eagle nodded after eating and flew away.
Lan Ruozhu knew he could not stay with the Su family for now, so he entered the house to tell Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao he had something to tend to and needed to return to the prefecture.
Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao did not ask much. Instead, they prepared plenty of things for him and placed them on a carriage. Lan Ruozhu felt warm and touched as he looked at the packed carriage.
“Thank you, Godfather and Godmother.”
Shen Qiuhua felt pain for Lan Ruozhu and suspected he had been through a lot. She never forgot the first day he arrived.
Lan Ruozhu’s eyes were full of the alteration of life, but after living with the Su family for a month, his expression became much gentler.
Still, Shen Qiuhua knew he was someone with a profound story. She respected Lan Ruozhu and did not pry. Instead, she said, “There’s no need to be so polite with us. Come home when you’re ready, okay? This place will always be your home.’
Lan Ruozhu nodded vigorously, saying, “Yes, Godmother.”
When Lan Ruozhu left for the prefecture, Blue Two and Blue Three learned of his departure and chased after him. The duo did not know Su Binglan had sent an eagle to deliver the news to her brother.
One night, not too long after Lan Ruozhu returned to Dingzhou, Chu Feifeng led his troops to attack..