"Perhaps your father never intended to leave the Zheng family," the other person guessed.
"Impossible. My father served others his entire life. How could he bear to see me follow in his footsteps? If he truly cared for me, he should have wanted me to achieve military merit like his son-in-law and become a general," Zheng Zhongcheng quickly retorted, fearing to hear dissenting opinions, and even more afraid that it was true as said. No, he immediately refuted himself in his heart. He couldn't be wrong. The Zheng family was simply malicious.
"Alright, I don't care about the conflict between you and the Zheng family. I only know that you are a great contributor to our dynasty. The gold and jewels we promised you will not be lacking. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me. I look forward to our next cooperation." The other person stepped forward and patted his shoulder forcefully.
These few steps allowed Zheng Nian'er to see his profile. She squatted there motionlessly, covering her child's mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound. As she looked outward, the person's appearance replayed in her mind again and again, unwilling to forget.
Soon, the two parted ways. Although Zheng Nian'er was still sad, she had at least obtained a clue, which would make it more convenient to find the killer in the future.
As dawn broke, relying on her meager martial arts skills, she hid her son in a tunnel and stealthily crept to the kitchen. It was only then that she saw that besides this desolate courtyard, other courtyards were filled with the figures of people she once knew. Of course, they had all turned into corpses.
That group of people disdained ordinary food. The buns and mantou in the kitchen remained untouched. She quickly packed a large bag and took some water, then hid back in the tunnel, staying there for three days.
Having heard no disturbance for these few days, her courage grew unconsciously. She couldn't resist wanting to go to a farther courtyard to check the situation.
Although she had prepared herself mentally long ago, seeing the corpses of her mother and sister-in-law, she couldn't help but burst into tears. She wanted to collect their bodies but feared that the thieves had not gone far. If they discovered the anomaly here, she and her son would be in grave danger.
She crept onto the street and found that the usually bustling and crowded street was now eerily silent. The street was littered with corpses of all sizes. It was evident that the thieves had massacred all the citizens in the city. No wonder there had been no sound for the past few days. It was estimated that only she and her son were left alive in the city. Of course, to be safe, she still walked forward cautiously, afraid of encountering someone she shouldn't.
After walking for an unknown duration, she finally saw the bodies of her father and brother on the street. They lay in the crowd, covered in blood, their bodies riddled with bloody holes. One could imagine their heroic deaths. She suppressed her heartache and slowly retreated. This time, she no longer held any hope. Only she was left of the Zheng family.
After a few more days, certain that there was indeed no one left in the city, she carefully moved their bodies to a more open space and buried them, making a simple mark, not daring to leave even a single word.
Originally, she intended to take her son back to the capital to find her husband. Who would have thought that the Xiongnu, finding their previous plundering too easy and seeing the rewards, with the Zheng family members guarding the border all dead and no one to stop their cavalry, would quickly capture several more cities.
Along the way, she encountered many refugees. From their mouths, she learned that the imperial court had already sent a large army to drive them away, and a battle was imminent.
Following their steps, they arrived at a small town in a deep mountain. It was called a town, but in reality, it was only slightly larger than a regular village. Fortunately, daily necessities could still be bought. She decided to stay there temporarily and return after the war ended.
Who would have known that the war would last for three years? By the time the Xiongnu were finally driven out, Rui'er had already turned eight years old.
This time, they finally set foot on the road back to the capital. The journey was arduous, mainly because the silver her husband had given her three years ago had long been spent. Their travel expenses were earned by her working for others in the past two years, and it was very little. Thus, they endured hardships and ate meagerly along the way, constantly saving.
By the time they reached the capital, they were in a sorry state, which led to the scene just described. Fortunately, she had arrived in time. Otherwise, with her temper at that moment, she would have demolished the Yang family.
Because Yang Zhongqing had already remarried, to his mother's sister's daughter, he naturally could not divorce her. As for her, the legal wife? Although she successfully entered the mansion, no one paid them any attention. They were even worse off than the servants.
The reason she stayed in the Yang mansion, enduring such humiliation, was to observe Yang Zhongqing's attitude. However, after a month, every time she brought it up, Yang Zhongqing would evade the topic, which greatly disappointed Zheng Nian'er, making her completely give up hope and request to leave the Yang family.
At this point, Yang Zhongqing began to act all affectionate and said sadly, "Nian'er, I love you very much, but Qingzhi was also married into the family with a grand procession. Can you two not get along peacefully?"
"Do you expect me to be a concubine? A daughter of the Zheng family would never do that," Zheng Nian'er said sarcastically. The month she had spent here had allowed her to find out everything. The package Yang Zhongqing had brought back, entrusted by her father and brother, was presented to the Emperor. The Emperor was greatly pleased upon seeing it.
Regarding the border situation mentioned in the letter, he dispatched troops for support. A battle soon ensued with the Xiongnu. Despite the long period, they could not defeat them, only maintaining a stalemate to prevent them from advancing south.
At this time, Yang Zhongqing, who had brought back what the Zheng family intended to present to the Emperor, had already become a meritorious official with three promotions. He volunteered for the front line.
Initially, the Emperor did not attach much importance to the Zheng family. After years of war, he realized how great his losses were without them. When Yang Zhongqing appeared before the Emperor, the Emperor remembered that this person had been personally taught by General Zheng and must have exceptional abilities. He immediately promoted him two ranks and ordered him to rush to the front line overnight.
Yang Zhongqing had indeed learned a great deal from General Zheng over the years and applied it on the battlefield. After half a year, they finally drove the Xiongnu away, and he was directly promoted to a first-rank general.
Yang's mother, being from a noble family, had always looked down on Zheng Nian'er, who was skilled in martial arts. She had always wanted to marry Wu Qingzhi, her sister's daughter, to her son. Unexpectedly, Zheng Nian'er had snatched him away. Thinking of the benefits her family would gain from having a son-in-law from the Zheng family, she had endured it.
Although her son, upon returning to the capital, had never stopped looking for Zheng Nian'er, she absolutely refused to let Zheng Nian'er enter their family. A woman traveling alone with a child, what good things could happen to her? She was probably already impure.