Even though Lu Qing Wan already knew that Feng Qing Heng would go to any lengths to deal with Feng Xi Wu, hearing Li Jin's words still refreshed her understanding of Feng Qing Heng.
She was unaware of the specific situation on the battlefield but knew that Feng Xi Wu's battle would not be easy.
Lu Qing Wan pondered for a moment and asked, "The Heir of Xuuanwu Marquis acted on his own accord and caused such a great disaster. As the commander of Sai Bei, does Your Highness have the right to punish them, father and son?"
Li Jin and Li Qing nodded in unison, "Naturally. Even if Your Highness were not the commander of Sai Bei, as the Regent, he is fully qualified to deal with these two beasts."
"That's good then." Lu Qing Wan pursed her lips. "Li Qing, make a trip and bring back the Xuuanwu Marquis and his son as soon as possible. With their confessions, I can request provisions for the army. Li Jin, go and take stock of the remaining provisions immediately. Take Ru Yue and the others with you, and have them guard it in shifts. We absolutely cannot let the remaining provisions be compromised. Have my horse fed well and prepare some dry rations for me. I may have to return to the capital at any time."
The two took their orders and dispersed. Lu Qing Wan thought for a moment, looked at the unconscious Lu Zhen Ting on the couch, and then went to find Chi Yao Yao.
With the army going to war, it was no longer suitable for Chi Yao Yao to stay here.
The soldiers outside were rushing back and forth. Chi Yao Yao probably heard the commotion. Upon seeing Lu Qing Wan, she anxiously asked, "A'Wan, what happened outside? Are we going to war?"
"The Heir of Xuuanwu Marquis blew up the Yongning Dam. Next, this war will be very fierce. It is no longer suitable for you to stay here. You cannot return to Shang Jing either. I will arrange for someone to take you to a friend's place in Jiang Zhou. When Shang Jing is peaceful again, I will bring you back."
"No, I don't want to!" Chi Yao Yao flatly refused. Lu Qing Wan knitted her brows. "Then where do you want to go? Tell me, and I will arrange it for you."
"I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying here." Chi Yao Yao stubbornly said, "You know why I came here. This is the most dangerous time. I want to be by his side and accompany him."
"Absolutely not." Lu Qing Wan rejected Chi Yao Yao's idea without a second thought. "Lian Yu is the strategist. He goes to the front lines even more frequently than Your Highness. If you stay here, it will severely interfere with him. Moreover, the entire military camp has no women. If you stay, how will you live? Who will take care of you?"
The situation was urgent, and Lu Qing Wan's voice involuntarily rose slightly. Chi Yao Yao's eyes reddened. "Aren't you a woman too? Why can you stay in the camp, but I can't? I know martial arts too, and I can fight too..."
"I will not stay in the camp. After treating my father, I will return to the capital immediately. Besides, whether you know martial arts or not is irrelevant. Sai Bei does not lack a Chi Yao Yao, but the Chi household cannot. Since you are so insistent, do not blame me for being impolite. Your brother entrusted you to me, and I must be responsible for you."
Chi Yao Yao was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Lu Qing Wan did not answer her, but said coldly, "Guards, escort the eldest daughter of the Chi family." A female guard from the Twelfth Month walked in. Lu Qing Wan looked at her. "Ying Shi, is it? Find another person and send the eldest daughter of the Chi family to Jiang Zhou. I will arrange for someone to settle her there."
"Lu Qing Wan!" Chi Yao Yao glared at Lu Qing Wan, her plump baby face filled with disbelief. "You can't do this! Even if you are the Regent's Consort, you cannot control my actions. I am not your servant, and this is too disrespectful to me!"
Lu Qing Wan coldly withdrew her gaze. "Wait until you can safely survive, then we can talk about respect." After speaking, she paused and added, "If you have anything for Lian Yu, I can deliver it for you."
Her calm, emotionless tone made Chi Yao Yao realize that Lu Qing Wan was not joking. After staring at Lu Qing Wan resentfully for a while, she finally took out the package she had prepared. Before she could hand it to Lu Qing Wan, the spatial laboratory's alarm sounded.
"Alert, toxic substance detected!" The repeated warnings gave Lu Qing Wan a headache, and she couldn't forcefully take Chi Yao Yao's things. So, she patiently said, "Do you know that I found the deadly poison that made my father ill in the package you entrusted to Li Su earlier?"
Chi Yao Yao blinked in confusion and then quickly shook her head. "It wasn't me, how could I harm Marquis Lu?"
"I didn't say it was you." Lu Qing Wan lifted the package Chi Yao Yao had handed her. "Just now, I discovered that there is also a deadly poison on the item in this package of yours."
"How is that possible?" Chi Yao Yao said incredulously, "I paid a high price for my elder brother to buy this soft armor for me. How could it have a deadly poison?"
"This soft armor was soaked in a deadly poison beforehand. If a person has even a minor wound and wears this soft armor, they will rot to death."
"It wasn't me, nor my elder brother. My elder brother knows I admire the strategist. He wouldn't harm the person I like."
Lu Qing Wan gently pressed Chi Yao Yao's shoulder. "I believe you and I believe Master Chi, but the soft armor is indeed poisoned. As a daughter of the academician's mansion, you probably don't even know that such soft armor exists, do you? Why did you think of giving such a piece of soft armor to the strategist?"
Chi Yao Yao's small face instantly turned pale. "It was the wet nurse. The wet nurse said that swords and blades have no eyes, and if the gift I sent could save the strategist, he would no longer treat me as an ignorant young lady from an official's family. This soft armor was also found for me by the wet nurse from the Treasure Pavilion."
She had tried her best to show Lian Yu her abilities beyond her status, but she never expected to almost take Lian Yu's life. Chi Yao Yao was filled with anger and fear, and she froze in place.
Lu Qing Wan put away the soft armor. "Now, do you still insist on staying here?"
With her words spoken so plainly, Chi Yao Yao should understand that she was merely a tool used by others to harm Lian Yu. If she still wanted to stay, Lu Qing Wan would have to reconsider whether to continue being her friend.
Chi Yao Yao decisively shook her head. "There are spies in the mansion, and there are spies around me. I don't know how they are in contact. A'Wan, I'll listen to you and go to Jiang Nan. You must find a way to remind my grandfather and the others. They have been pure officials their entire lives, and they must not be ruined by the new emperor."
Scholar Chi, who was sixty-five years old, would be able to retire in five years. To lose his reputation in these last few years would not only be his loss but also a loss to the court of Da Qian.
Lu Qing Wan readily agreed. "I will have people keep an eye on the Chi family. You must not run around. As long as you don't fall into their hands, the Chi family will be safe, do you understand?"
Chi Yao Yao gritted her teeth and agreed. "Take care of yourself. I'm leaving." Even though she had only briefly seen the person she admired and hadn't even had a chance to say a word, she still left with a heavy heart.
Lu Qing Wan watched Ying Shi and the other three take Chi Yao Yao away, when suddenly she heard a scream, "Enemy attack, quickly, protect General Lu!" Before her mind could even register who General Lu was, her feet were already carrying her swiftly towards Lu Zhen Ting's tent.