Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Reporting by Letter

“I usually enjoy listening to people talk about court affairs and speculate privately.” Li Mu explained calmly.

Tang Xiaobai looked at him with some thought and nodded.

Could it be that he has some unknown channels for obtaining information?

Given his background, it’s not surprising for him to pay attention to court affairs. Trying to analyze them afterward is only natural, as for whether his analysis is correct—

He really guessed right!

Pingyang Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony was on July 1st.

On July 5th, the order for Pingyang Princess to enter the Dao was announced to the world.

By July 20th, the former Imperial Consort, Crown Prince’s Right Guard Commander Zhao Jing was demoted two ranks due to clashing with the Princess, lack of personal virtue, and various other minor offenses.

The Princess hasn’t even officially entered the Dao, and the Prince Consort was already targeted by political adversaries. Getting demoted two ranks within half a month, it seemed a little too fast.

To outsiders, it’s too fast, but to Miss Tang, it’s far from enough.

“With Grandmother and the Gu Family, only making that Zhao fellow get demoted two ranks?” Tang Jiaojiao sneered.

Tang Xiaobai recalled Ah Xiao’s words and consoled, “Perhaps it takes a little time, after all, he’s a Fifth Rank official—”

“So what if he’s Fifth Rank?” Tang Jiaojiao scoffed, “If Ah Brother were here, even a Fifth Rank would be stuffed in a sack and beaten to death!”

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback and asked quietly, “Has Ah Brother killed someone before?” Can there be any more loopholes in our family?

Tang Jiaojiao glanced at her, “Ah Brother went to the battlefield at fifteen, who knows how many lives are on his hands!” she proudly declared.

“Before going to the battlefield?” Tang Xiaobai cautiously inquired.

This kind of dark history involving homicide will eventually come back around someday.

“How would I know?” Tang Jiaojiao gave her a sidelong glance and instructed, “Come here and grind ink for me!”

Tang Xiaobai obediently approached, grinding ink while eyeing the already unsealed letter beside Tang Jiaojiao, asking, “Are you replying to Father and Ah Brother?” The family letter from Liangzhou just arrived today.

Tang Jiaojiao hummed in response, then snorted, saying, “They’ve gone too far, I’m having Ah Brother take revenge for us!”

Tang Xiaobai curiously asked, “Why not have Father take revenge for us?”

“If Ah Brother takes action, even if it escalates, we can say it’s because a child acted rashly. If Father takes action, it would just give others ammunition against us for nothing.”

It seems to make some sense, but—

“How old is our Ah Brother?” Tang Xiaobai asked.

Tang Jiaojiao glared at her, “Ah Brother just turned nineteen after the new year!”

“Nineteen and still ’a child acted rashly’?”

“I said it’s an excuse!” Tang Jiaojiao shot her another disdainful glance, “Zhao Jing almost strangled me, and it could still be called a misunderstanding. Why can’t Ah Brother beat him to death and say it’s because a child acted rashly?”

Tang Xiaobai was left speechless.

After grinding the ink, she pushed it toward Tang Jiaojiao and asked, “Elder Sister, it seems like Father and Ah Brother haven’t come back for a while?”

Tang Jiaojiao paused while dipping her brush in ink and sighed, “It’s been two years and seven months. On the Lantern Festival of Taixing’s ninth year, urgent military news came from Tingzhou, and Father and Ah Brother left the capital that night. Later, when the invading enemy was repelled, Your Majesty ordered them to campaign against some Turkic Khan, which they’re still dealing with now!”

“When will they be back?”

“It depends on when the war ends.” Tang Jiaojiao also didn’t know the answer.

Tang Xiaobai nodded, resting her face in her hands as she watched her write the reply.

Perhaps due to the familial nature of the letter, Tang Jiaojiao finally softened her proud expression between her brows, gazing tenderly and cutely at her pen’s tip.

The setting sun, streaming through the window, cast scattered halos across her forehead and hair, light and shadow interlacing, as beautiful as a painting.

Tang Xiaobai gazed at her for a while, then suddenly asked, “Elder Sister, why didn’t I receive a letter?”

Both the Gu Family and Tang Jiaojiao received letters, but she did not.

Did Duke Yan and his son even know she existed back at home?

Tang Jiaojiao was momentarily speechless, so she said, “You can’t write, what would they send you a letter for?”

“I can write now!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell them to write you a letter next time!”

“Why don’t I write to them first?”

“Write, write, write!” Tang Jiaojiao impatiently shoved a sheet of letter paper at her and was about to continue writing when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the little girl’s slow movement of laying out the paper and choosing a pen, feeling a little curious. As she was about to stretch her neck to take a look, she bumped into the little girl also stretching her neck toward her.

With their eyes meeting, the little girl awkwardly asked, “Elder Sister, how should I start?”

Tang Jiaojiao chuckled and let her see her own letter.

The little girl took a glance and went back to write the salutation on her blank letter, copying it exactly.

“Your handwriting is quite good!” Tang Jiaojiao was a bit surprised. After just two or three months of school, her writing was already taking shape.

“Of course!” The little girl was not modest at all, “I take my studies very seriously!”

Tang Jiaojiao resisted the urge to pat her head and asked, “What will you write about?”

“To file a complaint! Elder Sister values her face and probably wouldn’t mention being scared to tears by Zhao Jing—”

“Don’t you dare mention that!”

“…”

…

The next morning, just as the city gates opened, personal soldiers raised by Duke Yan Mansion rode out of the city carrying several family letters.

Ten days later, they reached Tingzhou and were presented to Duke Yan, Governor of Liangzhou Tang Shigong.

A stack of family letters, with the one from Lady Yan, Gu Family, always on top.

Tang Shigong picked it up, brushed off the non-existent dust on the envelope, and carefully opened it.

Beside him, Tang Ziqian also initially picked Gu Family’s letter to read, but after skimming it quickly, he stopped. Then, just as he was about to find Tang Jiaojiao’s letter, he caught sight of unfamiliar handwriting.

“Father!” he exclaimed in surprise, “Xiaobai wrote us a letter!”

Tang Shigong was also taken aback, “Xiaobai can write letters now? What did she write?”

Last time he left home, his youngest daughter was only seven.

After more than two years, he could hardly recall her appearance, only remembering her being irresistibly cute and adorable.

Now she can even write letters…

Filled with tender feelings, Tang Shigong eagerly waited for his eldest son to open the youngest daughter’s letter and present it to him.

Unexpectedly, the unfilial son opened it and read it himself first.

Tang Shigong’s expression darkened, just about to reprimand him when he saw Tang Ziqian’s expression change dramatically.

“What is it?” Tang Shigong quickly asked.

Tang Ziqian abruptly slapped the letter onto the table, his stern gaze making wood chips fly, “That scoundrel bullied Jiaojiao!”

Tang Shigong’s face also changed, “Which scoundrel?”

“Zhao Jing!” Tang Ziqian said through gritted teeth, then picked up Tang Jiaojiao’s letter to read it.

Tang Shigong picked up the youngest daughter’s letter and after reading it, blackened his face and read through the Gu Family’s letter more carefully. When he looked up again, his expression was contained, only leaving his eyes as dark as an impending storm.

“Father? Even with us not at home, that boy Zhao Jing dares to bully Duke Yan Mansion!” Tang Ziqian angrily laughed.

Tang Shigong’s expression, however, was calm, “It’s not because we’re not at home, it’s because we haven’t sent any victory reports for too long.”

The army deployment alone takes a long time to prepare, and we haven’t had a battle this year yet.

Now it’s time!

“Let’s go tonight,” Tang Shigong said as he got up and walked over to the map hanging up, “I’ll give you three hundred good men for a surprise attack on Yumu Valley—”

His finger pointed to a spot on the map.

“I’ll meet you there!” He smiled, “Let’s make a success, so the family can celebrate!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep